#like its just radio silence for me all the time and ion if that's like smth i can rly fix at this point lmao

[swan-of-sunrise]

Taking Care of Business (Chapter Nineteen)

Summary: (Y/N), Din and the others recruit two familiar Mandalorians to help them rescue Grogu, and the pair shares a quiet moment before the siege on Moff Gideon’s cruiser.

Pairing: Din Djarin X Reader

Word Count: 4.2k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Nineteen The Rescue (Previous Chapter)

“Maker, these Lambda shuttles are hunks of junk,” (Y/N) grumbled to herself, entering the shuttle’s cockpit and moving to sit in the main pilot’s seat. After checking that Boba hadn’t accidentally damaged any of its functions when he’d used the ion cannon or when he’d latched onto its roof, she began charting their course; they’d all agreed that if they were going to storm Moff Gideon’s cruiser, then they’d need all the help that they could get and Din was dead-set on a familiar group of Mandalorians. “‘Might of the Galaxy,’ my ass…”

Just as she finished prepping for the jump to hyperspace, Cara entered the cockpit and plopped down in the co-pilot’s seat. “I took care of the bodies, stowed their weapons in the back. How’d everything lookin’ in here?”

“There’s some very minor damages caused by that ion cannon, but nothing too serious. We’re just waiting on word from-”

“Come in, (Y/N).”

She pressed a button beside the shuttle’s communication radio and replied, “(Y/N) here. Is everything good on your end?”

“Yep, we’re ready to leave when you are.” Once she assured Din that they were, the shuttle shook as Boba unlatched the Slave I. “I’ll see you when we land. Cuyir morut’yc, alor’ad. Be safe.”

(Y/N) smiled at his parting words, the Mando’a making her heart warm in her chest. “You too.” Switching off the communication radio, her hands flipped several switches before settling on one of the main levers. “Jumping to hyperspace in three…two…one.” She pushed the lever up, sending the Imperial shuttle flying into space; glancing away from the shuttle’s viewport, she took in Cara’s tense demeanor and furrowed her brow in concern. “Are you okay, Cara?”

The marshal glanced up with a brief smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yeah, I’m good. One of those Imps said some things that hit a little close to home, that’s all.” Nodding, (Y/N) moved to turn her attention back to the shuttle’s controls but stopped when Cara softly spoke her name and asked, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but what made you decide to join the Rebellion?”

Biting her lip, (Y/N) hesitated for a moment before answering. “After my mother died and I left Naboo, I thought that I could turn a blind eye to the Empire and live my life the way I wanted. I’d spent my entire childhood under their control, after all; no one would fault me for wanting to enjoy my freedom. But the older I got, the harder it became to ignore all the suffering across the galaxy and when I caught wind that the Alliance Starfleet was looking to recruit smugglers, all I could think about were my mother’s last words to me…” Her fingers began playing with the bottom hem of her Shaak-skin jacket. “‘Choose courage over fear, and you can change the stars.’ So, that’s what I did.” She sniffed and let out an awkward chuckle before turning back to the controls. “I’m not sure if that’s the answer you were looking for, but it’s the only one I’ve got.”

“I just needed to be reminded of all the good people who fought on our side…so yeah, it was a pretty good answer.”

The pair spent the rest of the journey in comfortable silence, soon coming out of hyperspace and entering the planet’s upper atmosphere. (Y/N) landed the shuttle beside the Slave I and followed Cara out onto the planet’s surface, where Din and Boba were already waiting. Although they’d only been apart for a short while, (Y/N) felt herself begin to relax as her eyes met the visor of the Mandalorian’s helmet.

“You three go ahead, Fennec and I can keep an eye on Pershing,” Cara gave them a brief nod before turning and boarding the Slave I, where Fennec was securing the clone engineer’s wrists in binders.

“Let’s hope that this idea of yours’ll work.”

Din’s hand came to rest on the small of her back as the three of them began walking towards the small outpost. “It’ll work, alor’ad.” They made their way through the quiet outpost and entered the nearly-deserted cantina, where two familiar Mandalorians were enjoying their meals in the back of the room; exchanging a glance with Din, (Y/N) followed him over to their table and watched as the one Din claimed was named Koska nudged Bo-Katan, who immediately looked up at them. “We need your help.”

Bo-Katan’s brow rose as she examined the three of them. “Not all Mandalorians are bounty hunters. Some of us serve a higher purpose.”

Frustration was evident in Din’s voice as he shot back, “They took the child.”

“Who?”

“Moff Gideon.” (Y/N) frowned, taking in the sudden shift of Bo-Katan’s demeanor. “What?”

The Mandalorian looked back down at the table before replying, “You’ll never find him.”

(Y/N) bit her lip to keep from saying anything derogatory and Din’s gloved hands tightened into fists, but it was Boba Fett who decided to speak up. “We don’t need these two, let’s get out of here.”

Din and Boba began turning away but (Y/N) froze, her eyes narrowing as she watched Bo-Katan look up at the bounty hunter with barely-concealed distaste. “You are not a Mandalorian.”

“Never said I was.”

Koska snorted in amusement. “I didn’t know sidekicks were allowed to talk.”

Chuckling, Boba stepped closer to the Mandalorian. “Well, if that isn’t the Quacta calling the Stifling slimy.” Koska quickly stood, her chin jutted out in defiance, and (Y/N) had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the scene the two were making. “Easy there, little one.”

“You’ll be talking through the window of a bacta tank.”

“All right, easy,” Bo-Katan commanded. “Save it for the Imps.”

After a tense moment, Koska sat back down at the table and (Y/N) sighed in relief as she focused her attention back on Bo-Katan. “We have his coordinates.”

The Mandalorian blinked in surprise. “You can bring me to Moff Gideon?”

“The Moff has a light cruiser; it could be helpful in your effort to regain Mandalore.”

Beside Din, Boba scoffed at his words. “You gotta be kidding me, Mandalore? The Empire turned that planet to glass.”

(Y/N) exhaled through her nose, crossing her arms over her chest as both Mandalorians glared at the bounty hunter; it would’ve been less of a hassle to visit Tatooine and ask kriffing Cobb Vanth for help, she thought to herself, wearily watching Bo-Katan level her hardened gaze at Boba. “You are a disgrace to your armor.”

“This armor belonged to my father.”

“Don’t you mean your donor?”

Din and (Y/N), who’d both started forward to break up the confrontation, both froze in their tracks; the bounty hunters shoulders were tense as he took another step towards Bo-Katan. “Careful, princess.”

“You are a clone,” Bo-Katan smirked and both Mandalorians stood, their meals long forgotten. “I’ve heard your voice thousands of times.”

“Mine might be the last one you hear.”

Boba’s threat spurred Koska into finally attacking and the two of them began to viciously fight. Wrapping an arm around (Y/N)’s waist, Din tugged her to his side and held her securely against him as they watched the fight, sighing deeply in frustration. “Mandalorians.”

“I told you that we should’ve gotten Cobb Vanth’s help instead.” At her words, Din grumbled something under his breath and all she could make out was something that sounded suspiciously like ‘flirt,’ making the corner of her mouth curl into a small teasing grin. “I never would’ve pegged you as the jealous type, you’re such a calm and level-headed man…”

She could feel Din’s arm tighten around her waist and she just knew that he was rolling his eyes at her beneath his helmet. “Mir'sheb.”

“I love you too.” They both turned their attention back to the fight and (Y/N) nearly facepalmed when she saw the pair ignite their flamethrowers. “Dank farrik, this is getting ridiculous.”

It seemed that the second Mandalorian felt the same. “Enough, both of you! If we had shown half that spine to the Empire, we would have never lost our planet.” Boba and Koska both extinguished their flamethrowers and as the bounty hunter got to his feet, Bo-Katan turned to face her and Din. “We will help you. In exchange, we will keep that ship to retake Mandalore.” The Mandalorian stepped closer to Din, and (Y/N)’s brow furrowed as she continued, “If you should manage to finish your quest, I would have you reconsider joining our efforts. Mandalorians have been in exile from our home world for far too long.”

“Fair enough.”

Din let go of her waist and was beginning to lead her towards the cantina’s door when Bo-Katan spoke up again. “One more thing. Gideon has a weapon that once belonged to me, it is an ancient weapon that can cut through anything.”

“Almost anything,” Koska interjected.

Bo-Katan nodded. “It cannot cut through pure beskar.” At her words, (Y/N)’s thoughts instantly went to Ahsoka Tano and her two pure-white lightsabers; why would someone who’s not a Jedi want a weapon like that, she silently wondered, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. “I will kill the Moff and retake what is rightfully mine. With the Darksaber restored to me, Mandalore will finally be within reach.”

“Help us rescue the child and you can have whatever you want,” He nearly snapped, and (Y/N) could tell that Bo-Katan was beginning to frustrate him. “He is our only priority.”

“If we’re all done fighting with each other, we should head back to the ship.” (Y/N) interjected, turning and leading the way back to the Slave I; walking beside Din, she quietly asked, “Was it just me or was that whole Darksaber thing a little strange?” He nodded but remained silent, and soon they were all boarding the ship.

Bo-Katan and Koska joined Cara in pulling up a hologram of Moff Gideon’s cruiser and Fennec made her way over to where (Y/N) and Din were leaning against the wall of the ship. “These two seem like they’re fun to hang around.”

(Y/N) smiled in amusement. “Yeah, they’re a barrel of laughs. I’ve gotta admit, it’s a little aggravating that they care more about Moff Gideon’s cruiser and his Darksaber than Grogu.”

“I know, but we need them to get onboard that cruiser.” Din glanced over at Dr. Pershing. “Has he said anything yet?”

Fennec shook her head. “Nothing. Want me to make him talk?”

“No, it’s okay; I’ve got a feeling he’ll be helpful on his own.”

Bo-Katan called them over and they moved closer as she pointed to the hologram. “This is Moff Gideon’s Imperial light cruiser. In the old days, it would carry a crew of several hundred but now it operates with a tiny fraction of that.”

“Your assessment is misleading.”

(Y/N) turned around to look at Dr. Pershing; the clone engineer was staring at the floor, his mouth set in a firm line. He certainly doesn’t act like the typical Imp, she thought to herself while Cara scoffed. “Oh great, an objective opinion.”

Dr. Pershing’s eyes flicked up to meet theirs. “This isn’t subterfuge, I assure you.” He turned to (Y/N) and after taking a moment to examine his pleading face, she nodded for him to continue. “There’s a garrison of dark troopers on board. They’re the ones who abducted the child.”

Across from (Y/N), Cara began cleaning one of her knives with a spare rag. “How many troopers do they have armed in those suits?”

“These are a third-generation design; they are no longer suits. The human inside was the final weakness to be solved…they’re droids.”

(Y/N) nodded in agreement. “It’s true, I saw them when they took…when they took Grogu.” She turned back to the clone engineer. “Where are they bivouacked?”

Dr. Pershing got up from his seat and moved to stand beside the hologram. “They’re held in cold storage in this cargo bay.” He pointed to a section of the cruiser. “They draw too much power to be kept at ready.”

“And how long to power up?” Fennec asked, her eyes narrowing as she examined the hologram before them.

“A few minutes, perhaps.”

“Where is the child being held?” Din’s words were clipped and business-like, but (Y/N) could detect the pain in his voice as he spoke.

The clone engineer brought up a different section of the hologram that clearly looked like a cell. “This is the brig. The child’s being held here under armed guard.”

“Very well,” Bo-Katan examined the hologram while she continued, “We split into two parties.”

(Y/N) felt the smooth leather of Din’s glove brush her hand. “(Y/N) and I go alone.”

Bo-Katan sighed but nodded. “Fine. Phase One, Lambda shuttle issues a distress call. Two, we emergency land at the mouth of the fighter launch tube, cutting off any potential interceptors. Koska, Fennec, Dune and myself disembark with maximum initiative. Once we’ve neutralized the launch bay, we make our way through these tandem decks in a penetration maneuver.”

“And the two of us?” (Y/N) asked.

“We’ll be misdirection; once we draw a crowd, you two slip through the shadows, get the kid.”

Cara stopped cleaning her knife and glanced up at them all. “Those dark troopers are gonna be a real skank in the scud pie.”

Leaning closer to the hologram, (Y/N) observed, “Their bay is on the way to the brig.” She looked over at Dr. Pershing. “Can we make it there before they deploy?”

He nodded. “It’s possible.”

“Here,” Fennec grabbed a code cylinder from the clone engineer’s pocket and handed it to Din. “Take his code cylinder and seal off their holding bay. Anyone else, we can handle.”

Din clutched the code cylinder in his hand, the visor of his helmet looking down at (Y/N) while he replied, “We’ll meet you all at the bridge. Now, let’s start planning out Phase One…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After they finalized their plan, they all boarded the Lambda shuttle and entered hyperspace, closely followed by Boba in the Slave I. (Y/N) was seated in the main pilot’s chair at the others’ insistence; for their plan to work, they needed to look as if they were under attack by Boba’s ship, and there was no one better qualified to perform that type of flying than her. The others were keeping busy by cleaning their blasters and donning their armor, but Din was motionless in the co-pilot seat beside her; Moff Gideon doesn’t have a clue what’s in store for him when Din gets a hold of him, she thought to herself, her eyes still trained on the swirling blue outside of the viewport.

As if in-tuned with her thoughts, Din suddenly stood and asked her to join him in the back compartment. She followed him deeper into the shuttle and once they entered the compartment, she shut the door behind them; just as she was turning around to face him, she heard the unmistakable sound of his beskar helmet being removed and her heart leapt into her throat. She reached a hand out towards the control panel to dim the lights, but a larger hand appeared and halted hers; Din’s tanned fingers gently held her wrist, bringing it up to where he stood behind her and pressing his lips to her knuckles. “Please, I…I need you to see me, alor’ad.”

Taking a steadying breath, (Y/N) slowly turned around and looked up at Din’s face. Back in the refinery on Morak, she didn’t have much time to closely examine her partner’s features but what she had studied were his eyes; they were the warmest shade of brown and, much to her surprise, incredibly expressive. Meeting his concerned gaze had quickly calmed her down and made her feel safe in that mess hall, and the same was true in the shuttle’s back compartment.

Her gaze left his as she took the opportunity to examine the rest of him; his hair was also brown, the soft waves matted a little from the helmet, and his facial hair was neatly trimmed, the hair above his lip a little thicker than the rest of it. His brow and nose were prominent, but his jawline had more of a curve to it, and the last thing she looked at were his lips; they were chapped and his bottom lip was more plump than the top, something that she’d noticed whenever they’d kissed in the dark on the Razor Crest. As she watched, his lips parted and when her eyes flicked back up to his, he was closely watching her with nervousness written across his features. Smiling, (Y/N) rested a hand against the soft skin and stubble of his cheek as she brought his hand up to her lips, kissing each knuckle before finally speaking. “Mesh’la.”

Din released a shuddering breath as his eyes darted over her face. “You…?”

“That’s Mando’a for ‘beautiful,’ right? Oh Maker, I didn’t say an insult by accident or anything, did I?” (Y/N) rambled, her panic beginning to rise as Din remained silent. “Son of a-”

In a flash, Din’s lips were on hers and he was kissing her with an unrelenting passion as his arms held her close. (Y/N) got over her initial shock and began kissing him back, her hands moving up to his hair and carding through the thick locks; Din moaned as her fingernails lightly scraped against his scalp and before she registered what was happening, he was hoisting her up into his arms and stumbling backwards to sit on the edge of the bunk. She was straddling his thighs and their bodies were flush against one another when they finally broke apart for air, but that didn’t stop Din; while she struggled to catch her breath, he began pressing kisses all over her face and neck, finally pulling away after kissing her lips one final time. He was beaming up at her, his brown eyes bright as his smile widened, and one of his hands came up to caress her cheek.

“I’d ask if you really meant that, but I already know that you do.” Din’s hand trailed down her neck to rest flat against her chest, right above where her heart was. “Because of this. You have the biggest heart, alor’ad, the biggest heart out of everyone I’ve ever met. It’s just…I can’t help but think I don’t deserve the love you’ve given me.”

“That makes two of us, Din.” (Y/N) replied, watching his eyes flutter closed while her fingers brushed the hair away from his forehead. “Sometimes I feel that you’re too good to me.”

Din shook his head, the loving look he gave her when he opened his eyes almost making her cry. “You deserve everything I can give you and more, you and the kid…” At the mention of Grogu, Din’s smile dimmed a little and his hand moved away from her chest to rest against the side of her neck. “(Y/N), if I…if things end up going sideways, I want you to continue our quest. Find a Jedi that will train the kid; you’re the only person I trust to do it.”

Swallowing the lump in her throat, (Y/N) nodded. “Of course I will, but don’t forget what you promised me that day in the meadow. ‘Ner cyar’ika alor’ad, I swear on the stars I’ll never leave your side.’” She held his face in between her hands and lowered her head to rest against his. “Please don’t forget that.”

“Never, alor’ad,” Din breathed, pressing feather-light kisses to her lips that managed to soothe her shaky nerves. “I could never.”

They sat there in the shuttle’s back compartment for several more minutes, their arms wrapped tightly around one another as they took solace in each other’s embrace. But their peaceful solitude came to an end when Din suggested they return to the shuttle’s cockpit and with a final kiss, (Y/N) slid off his lap and he put his helmet back on before opening the compartment’s door. That wasn’t a goodbye, she sternly told herself while they walked side-by-side, even if it felt a little like one.

Once back in the cockpit, (Y/N) resumed her seat, methodically checking system functions in preparation for Phase One as Bo-Katan took the co-pilot’s seat beside her. I’m not sure if she can be trusted, she thought to herself, watching the helmet-less Mandalorian out of the corner of her eye; Bo-Katan was hell-bent on finding Moff Gideon and retaking Mandalore, and (Y/N) had an uneasy feeling that she didn’t care who perished in her pursuit for vengeance. Her suspicions were confirmed when Bo-Katan called out, “Moff Gideon is mine. Got it?”

“He’s ex-ISB,” Cara pointed out from behind them. “He’s got a lot of information, I need him alive.”

Bo-Katan merely shrugged. “I don’t care what happens to him as long as he surrenders to me.”

That made (Y/N)’s brow arch but she stayed silent, her hands continuing to fly over the buttons and switches; despite the seriousness of their situation, she couldn’t help but thrill at the opportunity to pilot a ship in a combat situation again. She sensed Din moving to stand directly behind her seat just as Boba Fett’s voice emitted from the communication radio. “Prepare to exit jump space.”

“Copy that,” (Y/N) replied, pressing a blinking button beside her before resting her hand on the shuttle’s main lever. “Get the hell out of there as soon as they clear us to dock.”

Beside her, Bo-Katan smirked to herself. “And your shots have to look convincing.”

(Y/N) heard Din heave an exasperated sigh as Boba chuckled. “Power up those shields, princess. I’ll put on a good show.”

“Watch out for those deck cannons, okay? They’re real pieces of work; I’ve seen them take down X-Wings with a single shot.”

“Don’t worry about me, Captain, I’ll be all right.” Boba reassured her. “Just be careful in there.”

Nodding to herself, (Y/N) gripped the main lever and announced, “Exiting hyperspace in three, two, one…”

She pulled the lever down and returned her hands to the joysticks in front of her as the shuttle exited hyperspace. Moff Gideon’s cruiser loomed ahead of them and her stomach clenched in fury, speculations about what they might’ve done to Grogu unwillingly filling her mind. Giving her head a small shake, she yanked the joysticks to the right and dodged the shots Boba aimed at them before connecting their communication radio to the cruiser. “This is Lambda Shuttle 2743, requesting emergency docking.” She swerved again, making sure that her flying didn’t look too skilled as she continued. “Repeat, requesting emergency docking. We are under attack!”

There was a brief pause before a female Imperial officer responded. “Copy, Lambda Shuttle. Request received. Stay clear of launch tube, deploying fighter squadron.” They watched as the one of the cruiser’s TIE Fighters deployed and with a sideways glance at her co-pilot, (Y/N) flew the shuttle towards the exposed launch tube; she winced a little when they were almost clipped by a second TIE Fighter and the female officer called out, “Request denied! Please clear launch tube until fighters deploy!”

“Negative, negative! We are under attack!” Flipping a switch above her, (Y/N) increased their speed and steered the shuttle towards the launch tube straight ahead. In all her time as a smuggler, she could honestly say that this was the first time she’d ever piloted a speeding shuttle directly into another ship and without a proper landing array; it’s like Ahsoka said, she thought as her forehead began to bead with sweat, good or bad they’re always memorable.

“Clear launch tube immediately!”

(Y/N)’s arms began to shake with the effort of holding the joysticks steady, biting her lip while Bo-Katan activated their landing gear just in time for them to speed into the launch tube. Behind her, Fennec shouted, “Hang on!” and Din’s gloved hands clutched the back of her seat when the shuttle bumped against the sides of the launch tube. (Y/N)’s hands were on autopilot as she flipped switches and slammed buttons and in no time, she succeeded in making the shuttle slide to a complete stop. Her chest heaved and she struggled to catch her breath as the others got up and gathered their weapons, a part of her in absolute disbelief that she’d succeeded in landing them safely inside the cruiser.

“Well, alor’ad, you finally convinced me,” Din remarked, watching as she got to her feet and drew her blaster. “Smugglers are better pilots than bounty hunters.”

That made (Y/N) smile. “I think you meant to say that smugglers are better at everything, not just piloting.”

“Don’t push your luck, mir’sheb,” He jokingly retorted, his gloved hand resting against the small of her back; the two of them made their way over to where the four women were preparing to lower the shuttle’s ramp. “Good luck.”

Cara flashed them both a brief smile. “You too.”

Once the ramp lowered, the four of them stormed out of the shuttle and began taking out the Stormtroopers that had surrounded them. Blaster fire and dying screams rang through the air while (Y/N) and Din waited to exit the shuttle, their free hands holding each other’s tightly until everything was silent once again; (Y/N) looked up at Din just as he turned towards her and gave him a firm nod. “Let’s go and get Grogu back.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Thank you guys so much for reading!

Mando'a Translations: Cuyir morut’yc, alor’ad-Be safe, captain Alor'ad-Captain Mir’sheb-Smart-ass Mesh’la-Beautiful Ner cyar’ika alor’ad-My darling captain

Chapter Twenty

Taking Care of Business Masterlist

Tagging: @remmysbounty​ @sinon36​ @seninjakitey​ @thatonedindjarinfan​ @ginger-swag-rapunzel​ @mostclevermiss @momc95​ @welcometothepedroverse​ @sarahjkl82-blog​ @zukoyonce​ @itsnottilly​

#din djarin x reader #the mandalorian x reader #din x reader #mando x reader #din djarin #the mandalorian #cara dune #fennec shand #boba fett #dr pershing #bo-katan kryze #koska reeves #moff gideon #grogu #the child #baby yoda

[venicebitch1999]

Late Night Confessions

Pairing: Fezco/Reader

Summary: You and Fezco spend some time stargazing. Who will make the first move?

Warnings: Profanity, mentions of underage drinking and drug dealing.

A/N: Hey, y’all! This is my first writing I’ve actually posted, so bear with me. I love Fezco so much, he’s my fucking cinnamon apple and deserves more writings. Let me know what y’all think though! Feedback is always appreciated. ❤️ Much love.

You were currently driving out to your favorite weekend spot, the cliff about three miles out of town that overlooked the city. You and your best friend, Fezco, had made plans to meet up and stargaze. Every once in a while, when you two needed an escape, you would go to your favorite spot and observe the night sky. It wasn’t often that you did this, but you never passed the opportunity up. You loved these little moments with him.

Fezco had been in your life for close to seven years. You had met him the first day of seventh grade, and although people came and went throughout your school years, Fezco stayed by your side. Fezco, eventually, dropped out to help take care of his grandma. When money became tight, he started drug dealing. He thought this would scare you away for sure, but no. Best friends stuck together no matter what.

Eventually, you grew to love him, beyond just friends. He was charismatic, polite, soft-spoken, and protective. He would take a bullet for you. Because you didn’t want to risk your friendship, you kept those feelings to yourself. He had enough on his plate already.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Fezco’s car parked near the cliff’s edge. You were so in love, even the sight of his car had you feeling giddy. You parked your car next to his and unbuckled your seatbelt. You knew he was already waiting for you at your usual spot, a grassy area farthest away from the road. You both thought this area was the best place to see the nighttime skies, as no trees or dirt were present.

You walked towards your spot and saw that he was already laying down on the blanket, looking upwards. You could hardly make out his figure, but you knew he looked just as good as ever. Hearing your footsteps approach, he turned to look at you. You smiled at him, placing your backpack with the radio you both used to play your tunes down, and greeted him with a shy “Hey, Fez.”

He moved over, giving you some room on the blanket to get comfortable and replied “What’s up, Y/N?”

Yep, you were right. He did look good. He was dressed in a simple long sleeved black shirt, gray sweatpants, and his favorite duo, socks and slides. How the hell did someone manage to look so fucking amazing in something so plain? You had no idea, but he did it with ease.

Fezco thought you looked amazing too. Your attire consisted of a cropped red sweatshirt, black leggings, and black high top converse. He couldn’t help but stare at you. You always looked beautiful.

Fez had had a crush on you for as long as he could remember. Before he had even officially met you, he’d seen you at school and thought you were one of the prettiest girls on the planet. The day he mustered up the courage to talk to you was the best day of his life, because that was the start of your friendship. Over the years, Fez watched you grow up. He was there when your first boyfriend broke your heart at winter formal sophomore year, even threatening to beat his ass afterwards. He was there when your parents separated. He was there when you graduated high school. He was there when you dropped out of college to help take care of your younger siblings after your dad’s alcoholism reached its peak. He was there for it all. Your friendship meant everything to him, so he never told you about his true feelings. He couldn’t lose you.

“Oh, you know, just getting ready to hang out with some loser.” you answered, with a wink.

He laughed sarcastically, “Ha ha ha, you think you cute or something, huh?” he said while he rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, or something.” you sassed, pulling your speakers out of your backpack and connecting your phone to it before turning it on shuffle and laying down. The sounds of “Ribs” by Lorde started playing.

“No lie, I fuck with this kinda music.” Fezco admitted.

You smiled and looked up at the trillions of tiny, twinkling stars. “Yeah, I know. You haven’t complained once about my music.”

“It’s nice to hear new shit. I like all kinds of music, like that one chick. Uh, I think her name is Lana? Ion know, but she kinda fire.” he commented.

You gave him a little side-eye. “Del Rey?” you asked causing him to look at you.

“Oh yeah! Her. Yeah, she got some hits. Some of her shit got me sad as hell.” he said.

You laughed loudly, “More like all her shit.”

Fezco smiled and you both fell into a comfortable silence. Gazing up at the thousands of twinkling stars, you let your mind wander. You thought about your relationship with Fezco. Did it have the potential to be anything more? You wondered what it felt like to kiss him, to have his hands on your thighs, to feel his arm around your waist. You wondered what it felt like to be called his.

“So.. Rue told me something today.” Fezco said nervously, still looking upwards.

You quirked your eyebrow up, and looked at him. “What’s she gossiping about now?” you asked with a joking twinkle in your eye.

“Ion know if it’s true or what. She said she overheard it at last night’s party or some shit.” he claimed.

Fuck. Last night’s party was a trip, you hardly remembered it. “Spit it out, dude.” you pressed.

“Ight. Well, she said you was fucking around with Cameron Gates. She said someone saw y’all making out? Ion know, that’s just what she heard.” he finally said.

Your eyes widened. “Fuck, I was so drunk last night. I don’t even remember that. I mean, Cameron always tries to get with me at parties and shit, so I wouldn’t be surprised.” you admitted, feeling embarrassed.

“Cameron is a dick. I didn’t wanna believe it, but I mean, you do you.” he said icily. He could feel the jealousy creeping in. He didn’t like knowing other guys were into you.

You looked at him, a little confused at his tone. “Uh, okay? I mean, I’m not into him like that. I was just wasted. Besides, I’m 20. I’m allowed to make out with people if I want to,” you snipped. “I’m not even into guys like him anyways.”

Fezco snorted. “Whatever you say.” he said sarcastically.

“The fuck? We were just having a good time. What’s with you?” you asked him with a glare.

“I mean, you’ve only ever dated guys like him, so Ion know why you lying.” he pointed out.

Yeah, Fez was right. You dated a lot of guys that ended up being really shitty boyfriends who only wanted one thing. In your defense, the one guy that you did want to date had friendzoned you, so you had limited options.

“Yeah, well if I could date who I wanted to, I would’ve never dated those guys.” you said while sitting up. You didn’t like this conversation, you felt defensive.

Fezco followed your actions and looked at you. You looked angry, embarrassed, and hurt by what he said. He instantly felt bad for making you upset. You were right, you were having a good time. He just wanted to confirm what he’d heard. It was selfish, but he was bothered by it.

“I’m sorry, ma. I just don’t fuck with that Cameron guy. He only wants to fuck you and dip. You deserve more than that shit.” he said softly as he grabbed your hand and observed the rings on your fingers.

Butterflies erupted in your stomach. “Oh yeah? And what is it that I deserve?” you asked, with a little smile playing on your lips.

Fezco’s eyes met yours and he placed a tiny kiss on your ring finger. “You deserve everything good in life, Y/N. All the shit you’ve ever dreamed of having, you deserve it. You too good for all these dumbass guys around here.” he declared.

You looked at him and gave him a shy smile. You felt lost for words. Nobody had ever told you that before.

Your thoughts were interrupted by Fez letting go of your hand to trace the small tattoo on your exposed waist. “Can I ask you something?” he inquired.

You hated when people asked that question. Your anxiety heightened immediately. “Um, yeah. Go ahead.” you answered.

“You said you wanted to date someone earlier. Who was you talking about?”

Fuck. Should you tell him? It was always hard to lie to Fez. He knew immediately when you were bluffing. Lying would be obvious, no matter how hard you tried to mask it.

You stumbled over your words, trying to come up with a vague answer. “Um, I mean- Well, I-.. He’s uh- Fuck, I can’t talk right now.”

Fezco raised an eyebrow at you. “You about to lie,” he chided. “Lying ain’t ever get you anywhere with me, mamas. Might as well tell me the truth. I ain’t gonna tell nobody. You and Rue the only people I fuck with.”

You sighed loudly. “Okay. Fine. I’ll be honest, but like you gotta promise this won’t be weird, alright? You’re my best friend. I don’t want us to be awkward.”

He looked at your serious expression and nodded. “Ight, swear on my life.” Fezco was feeling nervous now. Why were you so serious?

You hesitated before speaking. “Um, okay. Uh. Well, the guy I like may or may not be you.” you finally managed to say.

Your face was beet red and your palms were sweaty. You watched as he looked into your eyes for any signs of a joke. He thought for sure this was a prank. There was no way you felt that way about him.

“Like deadass?” he asked, feeling nervous.

“Deadass.” you replied simply.

Wow, he never thought you’d felt that way about him before. He was for sure his love would always be unrequited.

“But it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way. I love our friendship. We can pretend this never happened.” you stated, feeling a little defeated by his silence.

He laughed. “Y/N, what the fuck? I been having a crush on you. Like ever since you walked onto the fucking playground that day at school and punched Nate Jacobs’ brother in the face for trying to kiss you.”

You were shocked. Holy shit. Fezco felt the same way? No fucking way. All these years, and neither one of you said a thing. How could you have been so clueless to one another?

“Oh my god. We seriously been having secret feelings for each other all these years? What kinda soap opera shit?” you laughed.

Fez laughed with you before taking your hand and kissing the palm. “Come’ere, ma. I wanna give you a kiss. I been waiting like ten years for this.” he admitted.

You moved closer to him and let him grab hold of your waist. You put your arms around his neck and looked him in the eyes. “Then kiss me.” you said.

He moved his head downwards and locked lips with yours. The fireworks that people claim to feel in movies? Yeah, that feeling is real. You had never been kissed with such passion and love before, and you definitely didn’t mind it. His hands moved to your lower back as he pulled you closer. He moved his lips from yours down to your neck, where he placed a chaste kiss to the spot behind your ear, before looking into your eyes with a smirk.

“How about we make this official, huh?” he said.

You laid back down, pulling him over your body. “Okay then, boyfriend.” you winked.

He leaned down to give you another kiss. “I like the sound of that, mamas.”

#euphoria #fezco #angus cloud #imagine #fezco euphoria #fezco x reader #fezco imagine #fez

[capricornus-rex]

The Haunt of Redemption (7)

Sequel to: A Path I Can’t Follow

Chapter 7: What The Heart Beckons | Cal Kestis x Reader

Summary: It has been months since your last encounter with Cal, at that time he was a fledgling Inquisitor. In an ironic twist of fate, you cross paths and blades with him once again, and he’s keen on turning you into an Inquisitor as well—unless you bring him back to the light first.

Tags: Dark Side! Cal Kestis, Inquisitor! Cal Kestis, Redemption Arc! Cal Kestis

Also posted in AO3

Chapters: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 | Previous: Chapter 6 | Next: Chapter 8 | Masterlist

7 of ?

You apologize to Obi-Wan profusely for giving him this responsibility.

“Oh come now, there’s no need for apologies,” he smiled. “I believe there is a reason for all of this.”

“What is?”

“Everything happening right now, and I truly believe that there’s an endgame. Though, I can’t say for sure if it will benefit the good or the bad.”

“Well, the only way to find out is to see how it all plays until the very end. What I’m in is just another part of the game,”

“Indeed.”

He joined you outside his abode and taught you a shorter way to your ship, it was a path that leads you away from the places where the Tusken Raiders are more likely to be found.

“Just keep low by the rocks,” Obi-Wan added.

“Got it. Thank you, Master Kenobi,” you said as you slung your bag and headed downhill.

“Oh, and [y/n]?” his call stopped your in your tracks, you look back and find him smiling. “May the Force be with you.”

A load from your chest dissolved, your heart felt light after hearing those words.

“May the Force be with you, Master Kenobi.” You bid back and headed out this time for sure.

You were thankful that he gave you directions to a shortcut, which was significantly shorter in terms of travel time and easier to traverse on. There were no animals that you could tame and ride like the Varans; you could only see those large, brown beasts that move slower than a Slyyyg’s pace and gave up on searching possible mounts to make the trip faster.

Halfway in, you uncapped a bottle and brought its nozzle to your mouth—careful not to spill, you gulped every cold drop that frostbit the walls of your throat. You had to conserve the water while you’re still out in the open. Along the way, the tense heat has finally subsided—but it only meant that it’s getting dark soon. Gold and indigo colors mingled in the sky over the horizon, the twin suns changed from a harsh, blinding white-yellow light, it dimmed down to a soft orange hue.

“It’s beautiful, BD,” you sighed.

“Woooo!”

“Shame he’s not here to see it. He always liked sunsets. I wonder if he still does,”

The ridge where the Mantis sat by was close. Cere could see you from below, she’s sitting by the open entry ramp with Merrin and Greez waiting outside the ship. From where you stand, you slid down the slope of sand and jumped down at the end with the sand cushioning the impact of your landing.

“Gods, [y/n], what happened to you?!” Merrin exclaimed, the first thing she noticed was the purple patch on your face.

“I ran into some… locals. I don’t think they like visitors,” you blurted.

“I’ll go get some ice for that,” the Nightsister rushed into the ship and you could hear the clattering of the cabinet doors.

“Well, how did it go?” Cere asked.

“It went actually better than I hoped for. I’ll tell you on the way,” you shifted to Greez. “Can the ship make another jump?”

“Right, of course! Let me just fire the old girl up!” he dryly chuckled and then sprinkled in some extra grumbling as he waddled into the ship.

“He was more eccentric than I hoped,” you snickered as you and Cere entered the ship together.

You hopped right into your seat in the ship and typed another string of coordinates into the computer. From your periphery, you saw Greez peeking over your shoulder as a small image of the planet flashes on the screen.

“Where… are you taking us this time?”

“Alyon, it’s a remote planet. Tropical and temperate. You’d love it there, Greez!”

“Oh sure, I love overworking my sweat glands with severely humid tropical temperature!”

You shot him your smug face, “Punch it then.”

The Mantis appeared in the sky, Obi-Wan watched the ship fly away out of the atmosphere until it was nothing but a silver speck in the clouds. He gave out a resigned sigh, turned to the other side of Tatooine’s horizon, something about that small, white dome sitting in the middle of nowhere made him smile. He retreated into his cottage as the suns begin to sink.

Thankfully, Tatooine and Alyon are in the same system, although there was a stretch of distance between them; Greez said not to worry as the Mantis could cover the distance without overworking the lightspeed compressor.

Everyone won’t admit it, but they’re anxious once they’re in deep space. Greez was beginning to regret declining your offer in outfitting more powerful ion cannons on the Mantis, however, it’s doing well so far. The scanners weren’t picking up any blips, it was also negative on Cere’s side—she’s not picking up any Imperial signals.

“They can still calculate our last known trajectory, y’know,” Greez pointed out.

“Then it’s like looking back and forth on lines scribbled on paper: pointless.”

“I wish I had the same perspective, kiddo,”

You dismissed yourself to your bedroom and shed all over your outer clothes, exempting the tank top. You slouched on the bed and examined your once-messed up leg. BD-1 panned his scanners across your shin and beeped out his diagnosis.

“Really? That’s good to hear. I can’t fight our ginger Inquisitor with a screwed-up leg, right?”

“Wooo!” BD whistled in agreement.

It was another long trip, enough for Greez to keep the ship on auto-pilot while still travelling through hyperspace and whip up some snacks. You gave a hard pass. You decided to rest in your bedroom—suddenly, you weren’t so used to desert heat. You preferred the temperate kind all because of Cameegon.

While the others snack away with fruits and bread, you paid a visit on the workbench—particularly, Cal’s lightsaber. You shut your eyes and tried to recall everything, as if trying to recognize him by repeatedly playing all the memories in your mind: his dark-tinted hair, the stubble that tickled your cheeks and jaw, the way he spoke with his eyes, the trademark lightsaber of the Inquisitor and the fluid way he moved with it. Thankfully, the imprints on the saber remained the same—you’re still figuring out if there was a way to get rid of the negative feelings.

You passed the time tweaking and polishing both sabers. Every once in a while, you’d use his saber to practice dual-wielding—conjoined or otherwise. You’ve indulged so much in your pastime that you didn’t notice the silence.

Meanwhile, Cal has flown back into his command ship hours ago and is staying in his personal quarters after the garrison has been established. In the solitude of his bedroom, he allowed himself to lose control: his lightsaber flung across the bedroom, a clang vibrated across the stale metal walls, he swept away the glasses and pitchers littered on his island counter, the datapads and hologram pucks flew off from the table in a single swing of the arm.

From the outside, the patrolling guards stared at the door, listening for the muffled noises coming from Cal’s side. They traded slow, awkward glances at one another—the banging sounds made their shoulders jump with every impact, they’re somewhat anticipating for indistinct shouts and roars but none came.

“I think we should call the cleaning droid,” one Stormtrooper suggested.

“Yep. I’ll radio that now,”

Minutes later, a protocol droid comes knocking in and introducing itself while doing the work. The least the Eleventh Brother could do was be polite to it and not scare it off.

“My apologies for the mess,” he sighed.

“Oh, it’s not a bother, sir. I will have these broken items replaced immediately.”

“Thank you,”

The Eleventh Brother gave himself time to calm down in the presence of the droid—he liked his privacy too much for anybody or anything to see him be himself. The droid leaves after rearranging the things on the floor, though it avoided the lightsaber lying on the floor. When the blast door shut, the young Inquisitor brooded over everything in his mind: the thoughts before, during and after his encounter with you in the forest, his impression of you, and the feelings he’s repressed all this time.

The seething rage and anger—which he doesn’t know whom to direct it to—burned all over his body. It was so intense that it made him feel hot all over. He tugged at his collar, struggled to take slow breaths, and clear his mind. Those efforts proved to be futile. He propped himself against the edge of his holotable, staring blankly at the empty surface of the machine, and attempted to clear his mind once more.

A faint, soothing sensation entered his body out of the blue.

It was sudden yet gentle, like a quick jab that landed a careful impact. The sensation—its warmth—was familiar though he can’t point his finger on it. He couldn’t explain it.

The Eleventh Brother starts to seek it, surveying his bedroom to trace where that feeling was coming from—it was the Force that beckoned him, but it wasn’t the Dark Side, he knew it wasn’t.

He still hasn’t mastered how to revel in it the way he’s supposed to—the Grand Inquisitor saw that. The master also saw that his groomed fledgling is still clinging on to certain emotions.

“If you cannot bring yourself to let those feelings go, you will either grow weak or you will have to make yourself resourceful with it.” The lumbering Pau’an once lectured the boy some time ago in the middle of his training.

The voice of the Grand Inquisitor and his words on that lesson rang in his head, but it was short-lived. He kept his mind fixed onto that strange feeling that caught his attention. The idea of following it, finding it, sounded appealing to him—it was almost seductive. This spurred his curiosity and led him out of his bedroom. The young Inquisitor prowled through the hallways, ignoring everyone who bumped into him—the employees didn’t even greeted or nodded to him, they simply gave way.

It felt like the trail was growing colder, weaker, and he was inclined to think it was just the exhaustion getting to him.

Cal found himself in an empty corridor. Am I in a dead end? He pondered to himself.

“[y/n]…?”he dared to utter. He didn’t know why, he felt like saying it.

Oddly enough, you heard your name being called. You turned around and there was nothing. But the voice… You know that voice better than anyone. Just hearing it spiked your senses—especially seeing, hearing, and feeling.

The discovery made you drop everything you’re doing—you put down the rag and the lightsaber part you’re polishing to search for the voice that uttered your name. You didn’t respond and hoped it would speak again.

What’s this feeling I’m picking up? You wonder in the dead silence.

Cal turned his head the other way and saw you standing at the dead end, with your back turned to him.

“[y/n]?” he takes one cautious step close.

In Cal’s perspective, he can see you physically—it’s as if you’re standing in the corridor with him. You were moving naturally with the subtle head-tilts followed by the slight brushing of your ponytail against your back, the pivot of your arms and elbows, and the noticeable shine of the lightsaber nestled in delicate grip of your fingers. He gulped a non-existent lump in his throat when your tank top partially revealed your upper back and the strap slid off from your shoulder.

When did she get here?

The echo of your name rung again behind you; this time you decide to do it slowly—first, angling your neck until you could glance over your shoulder. All of a sudden, you find Cal standing in front of you inside your bedroom in the Mantis!

When did he get here!?

Normally, you would’ve jumped or screamed and literally dropped everything to the floor. But it doesn’t make any sense to you. How did he get past? Why didn’t anybody from outside warn you about him?

“You see me, don’t you?” he spoke.

“And you see me?”

“As clear as day.”

You shake your head slightly, “I don’t understand…”

“What’s going on?”

You didn’t answer—rather, you couldn’t answer and you looked for an answer. It was crazy, but you took a step forward—and Cal sees your every move from his point of view too, he didn’t even realize his feet have dragged him one step forward, past the small bed.

“Where… where are you?” you asked.

“In my command ship,”

He guessed that you’re in the Mantis. Where else would you be?

His eyes trailed from bottom up. He spotted the bruise on your cheekbone, by impulse he stepped closer with his arm slightly reaching for you.

“What happened to you?”

“Huh?” you instantly realize that you forgot that you’ve been struck by a Tusken Raider. “It’s nothing. I… I bumped into a wall.”

An unamused chuckle huffed between his lips, “You, of all people? I doubt it.”

“Look, whatever it is you’re doing, stop it!”

“I’m not doing anything. This isn’t on me,”

From that reply, the confusion just spiraled deeper.

“Do you think the Force connected us?” he added.

“But how did it…?”

You trailed off. Thinking about it more just gave you migraine. An inch was the only thing that stood between the two of you. This was the only docile moment you’ve ever shared. Standing so close to him made your chest constrict, hot tears welled up and stung your eyes—you got a better look of Cal, without violently flinging lightsabers at one another. Past that dark façade, you hoped that he’s still the same boy you still love.

The young Inquisitor fondly gazes back at the girl—his girl—standing in front of him; although he isn’t entirely sure whether it’s all real or just an illusion, nonetheless, it was something he didn’t know he needed.

Another step closer to you. He can almost feel the warm air around the Mantis and hear the machine hum.

“It’s still you,” you gasped.

“What do you mean?”

“I still see the real you. I still feel the good in you,”

He wanted to prove you wrong. But what good will his words do? Will telling you that he’s not the same person shake your resolve? No, even when you’re far apart from one another—he still knows you all too well.

You slowly hoist your hand, you watch Cal mirror you, and like magnets your fingers gravitated towards each other. The inches diminish every second.

To feel each other once more…

It felt like a sin. The thought of it. The act of it.

“Kid, get in here!”

Greez’s abrupt call through the speakers in the room startled you and faltered your focus altogether; in the next second you blinked, Cal was gone. You were all alone again in the quarters. You shrugged it off and decided that it was wise to keep it to yourself; you hurried to the cockpit and co-piloted from your seat.

As for Cal, he wasn’t sure what went wrong. His fingertips were so close to yours, in the blink of an eye, he found himself alone in that corridor. A lieutenant patrolling the area spotted the Eleventh Brother standing in the middle of the way, looking left and right for something.

“Sir, is there something wrong?” the officer initiated.

“Nothing, I just… took a wrong turn,”

Cal marched past the lieutenant and headed back to his chambers. Questions piled up in his head, followed by theories and assumptions that do more harm than good—it just made him overthink, and overthink he did when he shut the door behind him and rummaged through his small shelf of texts from the Jedi Temple ruins in Coruscant as well as manuscripts that the Grand Inquisitor loaned.

Crusty parchments rustled between his fingers as he flipped the page, every once in a while, his finger would run down the pages to find a keyword or a drawn figure—anything goes. Reporting this to the Grand Inquisitor treaded in a gray line between “do it” and “do not do it” for Cal. Regardless, he’s found another thing to while away: sticking his nose into the books for the sake of figuring out the answer to how and why the Force connected the two of you together.

#cal kestis #cal kestis fic #cal kestis x reader #cal kestis x reader fic #dark side! cal kestis #dark side! cal kestis fic #inquisitor! cal kestis #inquisitor! cal kestis fic #redemption arc! cal kestis #redemption arc! cal kestis fic #redemption #redemption arc #star wars #star wars fic #sw #sw fic #fic #star wars jedi fallen order #star wars jedi fallen order fic #swjfo #swjfo fic #sw jfo fic #sw jfo #jedi fallen order #jedi fallen order fic #jfo #jfo fic #fluff #angst #angst fic

[hypnoshatesme]

Do you like Science? Because I’ve got my ion you

Cecil couldn’t stop fidgeting. He had gone through his entire wardrobe trying to decide on the perfect outfit for this occasion and now he was reconsidering if green had been a good idea after all as he fixed the slightest wrinkles in the sleeve of his tunic, only to wrinkle the other sleeve in the process. Cecil was nervous. This wasn’t sitting on Carlos’ car and watching the lights above Arby's in silence. This was a date. And it had been a long time since Cecil had been on a date. And he had never been on a date with somebody as perfect as Carlos.

He was overthinking again. Cecil tried to remind himself to breathe. It would be fine. It would be like that night, but with talking and drinking and eating. It would be just as nice. It would be better, even, lacking the shadow of (presumed) death that had hung over them the night on the hood of Carlos’ car. Cecil just needed to keep calm and conversation would come naturally. He could do it. Talking is what he did, after all.

“Cecil!”, Carlos' caramel voice called out as he speedwalked up to Gino's, in front of which Cecil was waiting.

The voice alone shattered Cecil’s feeble calm, his heart pounding nearly painfully as he looked up to meet the scientist. He hadn't seen Carlos since the night at the Arby's, where he had looked tired, shaken, dirty and bloody, but still like the most beautiful thing on earth. Now, in his pristine white lab coat, his glossy locks neatly combed with only a few stray strands falling into his forehead, stuck to his beautiful skin that looked like it'd be so very smooth to the touch. He was breathtaking. The very definition of perfection. Cecil’s mouth went dry.

"I’m so sorry I made you wait, the samples at the lab tried to escape and it took a moment to restrain them…", Carlos continued as he came to a stop in front of Cecil.

Cecil tried very, very hard not to gawk, to give any sort of answer, but Carlos flashed him an apologetic grin and Cecil nearly choked on his words. He tried again after an awkward cough, "O-Oh, don't worry, Carlos. I haven't been waiting too long.", he managed a tad quicker than normal.

Carlos grinned and nodded towards the door, "Let's not wait any longer, then." They both walked into the restaurant, tentatively locking arms on their way.

There was silence between them after they ordered and Cecil was trying to remember how to form words. He was known for babbling when nervous, a waterfall of words, pointless anecdotes and the like leaving his mouth to fill in any uncomfortable - and sometimes comfortable - silence. That wasn't happening today. He kept getting distracted by Carlos' fingers running through his gorgeous locks, by his hands rearranging the cutlery in front of him, eyes scanning the room occasionally. Had those always been so beautifully chocolate brown? When they fell on Cecil, Carlos’ perfect lips pulled up into a shy smile and Cecil forgot how to speak all over again, blushing deeply and scrambling to hide his embarrassment behind his drink, that thankfully had arrived quickly.

“I’ve been reading a book on Helium and struggling with putting it down.”, Carlos finally said, and Cecil was too busy trying to keep it together to notice the slight waver in the scientist's voice. He was too busy to even ask if said book was approved by City Council.

But he did notice the tone. It was the kind of tone used for jokes, one followed by an expectant silence and Cecil laughed before even registering the fact that he hadn't understood what exactly the joke was. He was too eager to finally know what to do and his body went on autopilot and then he was panicking again because he couldn't tell how much laughter was the correct amount to whatever Carlos had said. When he finally got himself to look up at him, though, the sight took his breath away. Carlos was smiling, warm and...relieved? Cecil wondered, but only for a fracture of a second, before he noticed the way the scientist's eyes crinkled and forgot all about the relief. Carlos' eyes were shining, his whole face was, illuminated by that perfect smile showing his perfect teeth. Cecil thought he might faint if he didn't look away but he also wanted to remember this expression forever, burn it into his memory - literally, if necessary.

Carlos started to talk about his experiments, then, and when their food arrived a couple minutes later Cecil had been swept into the conversation, nervousness melting a little with every smile Carlos gave him. He took a more passive role, nodding and inquiring further about the science Carlos was excitedly talking about. Carlos seemed to light up with every question or interested comment Cecil made, occasionally making another pun or joke Cecil usually didn’t understand, but laughed anyways, making Carlos chuckle on more than one occasion. It was the most beautiful sound Cecil ever heard.

Back at home after the date Cecil was still grinning, felt light and, if possible, more in love than before. It had been the most perfect date and he already felt giddy about the next one. When Carlos asked him as they were walking to the parking lot, Cecil’s answer had come out as a squeek, delighted and surprised that Carlos would want to meet him again. The scientist seemed to have enjoyed it, but having the confirmation made Cecil’s heart flutter all over again. And then of course, the kiss. Cecil hadn't seen it coming, hadn't expected it, and he was proud he managed to not drive into anything on his way home, with the knowledge that Carlos, beautiful, perfect Carlos, had actually kissed him. The small voice at the back of his head telling him that he had basically lied to Carlos by laughing without understanding was barely audible. Not with the lingering memory of Carlos' lips on his.

~

They were sitting on Carlos’ couch after dinner. Cecil had intended to take Carlos out for their third date, but all restaurants had been struggling with their food turning into a gelatinous, blue goo. Cecil had been quite excited to try something new, but Carlos had not liked the idea and had invited Cecil over to dine at his place instead. The food had been delicious and Cecil had been thoroughly satisfied at the blush dusting Carlos’ cheeks as he kept complimenting his cooking. “It’s adequate at best, really, Cecil.”, he kept mumbling. Maybe it was adequate at best, Cecil wasn’t much of a cook himself, but that certainly didn’t stop him from making sure Carlos knew how much he had enjoyed it. The fact that Carlos looked adorable when flustered didn’t give much incentive to stop.

They had moved to the couch after cleaning up and Carlos found that the avalanche of compliments falling from Cecil's lips was quite effectively stopped with a kiss. Cecil looked dazed when they pulled apart again, and Carlos couldn't help but try to bring him back with a particularly bad joke. He planted a kiss underneath Cecil’s ear, whispering, "I wish I were adenine, so I could be paired up with U.".

Cecil did snap out of his haze, blinking for a moment in confusion. When he spoke there was no trace of laughter in his voice: “Carlos..”, he said instead, voice uncertain.

Carlos felt his pulse pick up in panic, “Ah, nevermind, that one was really bad.”, he said too quickly, leaning away from Cecil and chuckling nervously. He could feel his face heat up.

Cecil’s face fell seeing how his reaction had made the scientist uncomfortable, “No, Carlos, t-that’s not...I...I don’t understand your jokes.”, Cecil said quickly, voice lowering to a murmur by the end of the sentence.

Carlos looked at him, blinking, “Oh well, I...I guess that might be a bit difficult for somebody who isn’t as familiar with science, I-”

“No, no, no, Carlos, I...I never understood them.”, Cecil quickly added, face flushing deeply. He stumbled over his words as he continued, voice getting higher in his rising panic, “I-I just thought you sounded like- you were clearly waiting for some sort of reaction and your tone made me assume you probably had said something funny so I laughed and you looked so very happy so I just...continued doing so and I was afraid to tell you that I didn’t understand the jokes. I didn’t want you to think I’m dumb or something but I also didn’t want to make you mad when you eventually found out I’ve been lying to you and-”

“Cecil!”, Carlos tried again since his first call was drowned in Cecil’s stressed out rambling.

Cecil looked up, tentatively meeting Carlos’ eyes. Cecil’s eyes were wide, guilt and embarrassment discernable in every of his features. Carlos couldn’t keep in the laughter that had been bubbling in his chest as Cecil was rambling anymore, not with Cecil’s grave expression in this thoroughly ridiculous situation, and so he snorted out a laugh.

Cecil’s expression morphed into one of confusion and uncertainty, and Carlos tried to calm himself down. He took Cecil’s hands and squeezed them, stopping their slight shaking and catching his breath, as he looked at Cecil’s shocked face.

Carlos smiled reassuringly, “Cecil, I love you so very much.”

Cecil froze, before his face lit up, “I...I love you, too!”, his voice went soft at the edges, dreamy. However, doubt made its way back into his eyes quickly, “You...aren’t mad?”, he asked, voice unsteady.

Carlos chuckled, shaking his head. He considered telling Cecil that he could never be mad at him, but opted for something else instead, “Sweet Cecil, if anything I’m thankful.” Cecil cocked his head to the side, eyebrows raising in confusion and Carlos squeezed his hands again, if only to keep himself from pulling the other man into a kiss right then and there. He definitley couldn't be mad at the radio host, not when he was giving him an expression like this.

Carlos took a deep breath before trying to explain, “I was so nervous that night and I had carefully planned out all the things I could talk about but then when I actually was sitting across from you I couldn’t remember any of it and I was starting to sweat from nervousness and when I finally managed to get myself together enough to say something that stupid joke came out and I…”, Carlos chucked a little at the memory, “I was half expecting you to just get up and leave after that.”, Carlos had been terrified, panicking the moment he closed his mouth. It seemed silly now.

Carlos smiled at Cecil, now, “But you didn’t, you didn’t even roll your eyes, you just laughed and that just...put me at ease and suddenly there was no problem in just talking normally. In that moment, I was so very happy I made you laugh, it gave me the confidence to go on and try to enjoy the evening. And I did. Did you?”

Cecil, whose eyes had gone wide with awe, nodded enthusiastically. Carlos finally breached the gap and pressed his lips to Cecil’s. Cecil returned the kiss eagerly, hands coming up to play with Carlos’ hair, pulling the scientist closer. Carlos hummed contently into the kiss, cupping Cecil´s cheek.

When they had to pull apart for air, both were chuckling at the whole situation, at the idea that the other had been just as nervous that evening. Carlos leaned his head against Cecil’s shoulder, sighing happily. Cecil was still playing with the tips of his hair, his other hand coming to rest in his lab. Carlos took that hand, caressing the smooth skin with his thumb. The sigh from Cecil was one of utter bliss as he buried his nose in Carlos’ hair. Cecil felt light, his heart fluttering and happy and he still couldn’t quite wrap his head around this, the fact that he was holding his Carlos and that everything was okay and Carlos seemed content.

Cecil thought he might burst with love. He hoped he wouldn’t, it would make quite the mess of Carlos’ neat living room and he was sure that would not be appreciated. Also, it would be much harder to curl that wonderful hair around his fingers when his fingers were just a splash of blood and bone on the carpet. Cecil pressed his lips to Carlos’ head, before pulling away slightly so that he knew Carlos could hear him, “Will you explain the jokes to me? I want to try and understand them...”

“Oh, honey, if I did that you would realise just how bad they are. You would probably miss not understanding them…”, Carlos mumbled as an answer, shifting to look at Cecil's face.

“Mhm, but I want to know for future ones! I want to be able to react genuinely…”, Cecil smiled, pressing a kiss to Carlos' forehead.

Carlos laughed, that wonderful sound Cecil had been afraid he’d never hear again after telling him he'd been lying to him, “Cecil, you shouldn’t encourage my awful puns and jokes.”

Cecil looked into Carlos' beautiful, chocolate eyes, his own twinkling with mischief, “I think I just finished doing exactly that.”, he grinned, and Carlos couldn’t help but grin back.

Cecil leaned down, planting a kiss on Carlos’ beautiful nose. Carlos huffed out a little laugh before pulling Cecil into another kiss. Carlos felt light. This was perfection.

#welcome to night vale #wtnv #Cecilos #cecil palmer #carlos the scientist #fluff #awkwardness #cute #they're such dorks #painful puns #wtnv fanfic

[sirenasinsib]

Spider

If you Like it please don't for get to press that Reblog! its means a lot to me!

WOW I havent posted in a while, been working on my own stuff but here is some personal works. Expecet to see alot of content of Spider and Viper. Ive been playing a ton of Titanfall so im in that mood rigt now. 

Fandom: Titanfall

Relatonship: Viper/OC Character

Warnings: Very long clocking in around 3260 Words! Explict language, canon violence, mutual pinging, build to relationship, and smut at the end!

He really didn't see why the ship was built to have a limited number of dorms. It was hard to find a spot and claim it as yours when it's already six members and their Titan, but the recent addition made it just a bit harder.

Spider, he was told, was to be dorming with him. Sloane and Ash were already in one room as was Ritcher and Kane, and he preferred to not have one of the other two males to be dorming with him, he saw how messy they kept theirs. Blisk's room was of course off limits. They were just about to take off when he heard a knock on the door before it slid open. Spider was there with only 2 duffle bags. She walked in quietly looking around the room.

The "kitchen" was towards the front of the room, right beside the entrance, a couch and TV opposite of it. Towards the back were two beds in opposite corners and lockers on both sides. The left side was noticeable more used with the bed sheets being almost completely off the bed, an extra locker that was slightly open due to the amount of tech it was holding. She took to the right side. Placing her duffle bags on the bed. Viper didn't focus on her as she moved around. He would have to just get used to another person in the room.

It was actually quite easy getting used to another person in the same room as him. The first week she slept with most of her gear on. The second week he noticed she would get up very early, earlier than Ash even, he didn't know where she went at the time, too busy trying to get more sleep before the day started. Hawk, his titan, told him later where Spider went. Often she went to the Titan hanger bay and got into her own Titan, JD. 

She appears to be under stress. JD has stated that they are not used to working with others. He also stated that she fears word of her being with the Apex Predators might get out and someone from her past may try to capture her.

Hawk spoke into the link as he worked on one of her thrusters. 

Is she that valuable of a member if she needs protection?

You were only a Predator if you had the skills. Needing protection meant you were weak. 

Calculations suggest a 78% better performance in missions with the assistance of a Monarch Titan and Pilot. It is also easier to be assisted, that is a possible reason why they joined instead of remaining in hiding. They were on low ammo and power, yet we’re able to steal just enough from both Militia and IMC units without being caught. 

It was one of their first real big missions after joining. They were to defend a couple of units going in to steal information and escort them out and to extraction. Spider had JD watch the back as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop calling out as well as distracting. 

“Would be nice if I got some help! Got a Legion hiding with an Ion!”

Kane yelled over the comms. Viper was on the far side of the complex and was dealing with his own Titan, same with the others when he heard Spider speak up. 

“On the way, can you distract them?”

“I’m in a fucking Scorch you bug! What do you think?!”

He spotted JD quickly running to the back of the area, halting slightly he guessed to pick up Spider before he started to hear the faint rattle of an electric charged XO-16.

“Enemy shields down! Kane?!”

He heard Kane laughing along with the roar of a Flame core activating and the sound of a Titan exploding. 

“Enemy Legion down.” 

Kane’s Titan spoke. Spider had to back up from a placement of Anti-Rodeo smoke when the Ion charged out with a vengeance. The monarch shot a few rockets and even an energy siphon before charging against the Ion. Then the radio filled with a hatch opening and a loud Metallic BAM. 

“Systems restored. Enemy pilot down.”

JD spoke. They had executed a Titan, and stole its battery. That was smart and ballsy Viper thought.

“Both teams got the data! Time to go!”

Blisk yelled into the comms, the roar of his Predator Cannon in the background. Viper dashed to the location of his team to defend as the others followed suit. Ash, Spider, and Kane made it back to his location while Blisk, Sloane, and Ritcher made it to their spot. Viper took to the skies, circling the group as Kane to the front and the other two took to a side. They would have a long walk to evacuation as they kept the enemy off their back and made sure that the ground troops stayed together. 

It was a long walk getting to extraction. They had to stop twice to make sure that they weren't followed and to give the ground troops rest since they didn't have a Titan. It was dark when they did their second stop deciding to rest a little before getting the last few miles in and getting off the planet. 

"Spider, Viper, you're on first watch. Sloane, Ash, you’re next, one hour." 

Blisk told them before finding a spot for his Titan to hunker down and both of them rest. Spider and Viper walked a bit away from the group before they found a spot. Spider hopped out of the Titan onto its hand as it lifted her up to the top of its chassis. She had a DMR in one hand with a ration bar in the other. Viper decided it would be a good time to eat as well. 

They sat in silence save for the whir of both Titans. Occasionally Spider would grab her DMR and look into the forest, he didn't see why, the titans would pick up on anyone approaching faster than they would, unless it was cloaked units but he didn't say anything. The hour passed uneventfully and Ash and Solane soon came to take their spot. Spider got back into her Titan as Viper moved Hawk to a spot and the other pair went to their own. 

"Viper? Can I ask you a favor?"

He turned from the blueprints for Hawk. Spider had grown more easy to get use to, she talked more. Sparred with the rest a few times. She seemed unsure right now. 

He spoke "Depends."

"My arm, I need another hand or set of hands to fix the connections and make sure the rotators aren't getting any build up or are worn down."

He was surprised to find her asking for help, he seen the way she reacted to others touching it when not fighting. 

"I wouldn't be asking if I didn't think you were capable, and I trust you a helluva lot more than the rest of the lot."

"Really, not very smart."

She gave a snort. "I seen the work you put on your Titan, as soon as you get this you're gonna do the same, besides, why purposely mess it up when I'm the one that keeps everyone's backs cleared."

It was quiet for a moment. 

"Fine. Blueprints?"

She tossed a small flash drive to his hands as she turned her focus to getting her arm off. He saw out of the corner of his eye, she pressed a button before twisting and pulling off the arm and placed it on the desk before turning

"I'm going to get cleaned up, you know how to find me."

They were sparing. He would never admit it out loud but she was one of the hardest predators to fight against. Sloane had a pattern, Ash wasn't fluid, Kane was easy to get dizzy, Ritcher you just let him do all the hard work of runnin around, Blisk favored his right side, but Spider? She dodged another lock, ducking quickly and she slid up right beside him, their gear rubbing against each other before she backed up from another swing.

She was fast, graceful, and really fucking hard to hit. He had one more trick. He turned around and charged her, she sidestepped, just like he thought she would and quickly grabbed her arm, pulling her with and using his momentum to flip them as they landed on the ground. He placed his fist above her neck as the other held her arm.

“I won.”

She gave a quiet laugh before tapping her non trapped hand on his side, where the armor was weaker. 

“More like a stalemate. Besides. . .”

He gave a small head tilt before suddenly her legs pushed against him, flipping him above her head. He let go of her arm, trying to stop himself from flipping. She quickly rounded and got above him, trapping both hands in her metal one as she placed her weight on his thighs, keeping from him lifting his legs to do the same. 

“I won now.”

Ok so he may or may not be pinning for the skilled sniper sleeping in the same room as him, who can beat him in hand to hand combat, does not intrude into his space, while also being a helpful hand when it comes to modding Hawk, and she looks good. Viper gave a quiet groan at his thoughts as he let the water wash his sins off the wall before he turned off the water. Drying most of his hair before wrapping the towel around his shoulders and pulling on a pair of boxers. He stepped into the room he shared the person of his thoughts with. Spider was distracted, she had taken her DMR apart and cleaned it again. The jump to their next contracts always left her on edge. “How many times have you taken that apart now?” He asked as he pulled on his pilot gear. “In total or while you were in the shower?” She was being funny, noticing he was in there longer than usual. He shook his head but grinned. 

“Ha ha very funny.” 

“Huh really, am I getting better at jokes? But in reality probably not a good idea to use a lot of hot water, you know how the boss and Kane get when they cant basically melt their skin off. There are other ways to relax.” His brain short circuit, did she really mean?-No that's just his thoughts, Spider didn't seem like the type to get attached to coworkers, or offer to be a fuck buddy. He didn’t turn around to face her, rather not look at her and see if she was being serious, the mission wouldn't go right then. “Yeah I know it's called sleep.”

“Thats- “Five mins till we get to the drop, get your asses to your Titans!” Blisked yelled into the comms. Spider didn’t get a chance to finish what she was gonna say as Viper grabbed his weapons and the rest of his gear and rushed out the door, she followed suit. 

He didn’t understand why he was sent on a solo mission, but he was told to for some reason, he guessed it was the fact no one knew his face, so he had to. He was ready to get back to being on the ship and rather deal with his personal issue then do another solo mission, he missed the small comfort of being assisted should things go south. 

He walked into the room quietly, it being late on the ship, and set down his duffel bag. The room looked mostly the same, another Sniper had been added to Spider’s desk, while a few Titan parts were placed on his, most likely due to Spider, she often found bits he was needing to get. Her bed was surprisingly empty seeing how she wasn’t in the hanger and he saw no one in the training room when he passed by. 

He looked to his bed, ready to sleep in his gear and deal with the pain later when he saw something in it. Spider was under the covers, wearing one of his shirts surprisingly and hugging his pillow. He turned not sure how to deal with her and decided to change. He heard the bed creak slightly as he changed and glanced back seeing Spider sit up. 

“Sorry I didn’t know you were back and I- the room felt different- I had problems sleeping and . . .”

She rambled before stopping, looking down and fiddled with the blanket before placing her hands beside her to get up. 

“I’ll get out of your way.”

“Spider.”

She paused and slowly looked up. He was close now, having changed. 

“If you want . . . you can stay.”

He didn’t want to admit but sleeping sucked when he was alone on the mission, the room felt barren without her. He missed her presence in general. 

“Oh-ok” 

She went towards the wall of the bed, grabbing her pillow and placing his back in the process as he got in. She hugged the wall as he faced the outside and he could feel her tension and it got on his nerves. He flipped over after sometime and placed a hand on her waist and held her.

“Relax.”

She took a deep breath calming herself before the two slowly drifted to sleep. They woke up with her head tucked under his chin and her own arms wrapped around his waist. They didn't speak about sleeping together, but they didn't stop either. He didn't know what to call whatever they had, sleeping together but not actually sleeping together. 

She was on a solo mission now. They needed someone who could go in and get close to the target without drawing attention. She volunteered actually. Pointing out that she still wasn't known as a Predator, and was an assassin before joining them. She got back two weeks later and immediately went to the med bay. The mission was successful but she had taken a few bullets, thankfully not in severe locations, removing glass shards, and trying to fix her arm. 

She was in a foul mood and no one bothered her, well except him of course. He had snatched her gear, arm and helmet mainly, the visor was cracked, as he set out to fix the two as she recovered. Once released from the med bay she was to rest and given a few more weeks for the nanites to do their job. 

He bothered her by watching movies, Top Gun and Edge of Tomorrow at least twice. Once healed she immediately went back to training, prepping her body after not having done so while healing. He joined her, bored out of his mind. 

"-nd I snapped his arm in half." 

She was talking about the mission as they spared. He stayed quiet letting her sort of vent before he blocked a swing from her. 

"Taught the ass to don't even think about touching someone without asking."

She spoke of someone following her, harassing her, while on the mission. She had gotten somewhere quiet and out of view before she attacked him after he touched her. While he was pissed that someone touched her, the fact that she broke his arm made him satisfied. He gave a groan hearing what sounded like metal on metal. 

His head was pounding yet he didn't even drink that much the night before. Spider was trying to be quiet, whipping up some food their bodies could handle while being slightly hungover. Eventually the noises stopped and he could tell lights were turned off. Cracking one eye open just a bit to see Spider in the kitchen eating whatever she made quietly, lost in her thoughts.

She was wearing one of his shirts again, he could see her shorts under the edge of his shirt but just barely. He looked away in his own thoughts before his eyes flicked back to her when she started moving. Bringing a bottle of water, medicine, and some food. 

"Are you always looking out for everyone?"

She hummed a bit as he sat up before speaking. 

"Guess it's just in my nature."

He gave a soft grunt as he was pushed onto the bed. Spider was quick to straddle him. She leaned down quickly, capturing his lips with hers and kissed hard. He kissed back just as hard as his hands grabbed her waist and head. He’s not sure how the make out session started. They were sparring again when it just got a little heated. OK more than a little, Spider had gained the upper hand and straddled his waist when he let out a tiny choked moan. She halted slightly, surprised by the noise before she moved but it felt like she purposely dragged her weight onto him more. Then they were hurrying back to their room, their gear quickly stripped away.

He was brought back to the present when Spider slowly kissed down his chest, her thumb flicking over a hardening nipple before kissing above his navel. She then tugged on his briefs, getting him to lift his hips as she pulled them off. Her hands felt along his thighs as she breathed over his cock. Slowly she gave the head a tiny kiss before giving a long lick on the underside. His breath was shaky but when she enveloped him with her mouth he let out a moan, his hands covering his face as she slowly bobbed up and down. Stopping at times to flatten her tongue on his head. 

"Fuck." He groaned out. 

Spider hummed, watching his reaction through her eyelashes. She continued before he started to pant harder, his hips slowly thrusting.

"Fuck-Spider-Ah!"

She quickly pulled off, her hand squeezing the base almost painfully keeping him for cumming. Slowly did he come from that high and she started to pump again. She crawled into his lap as she kept the slow pace, her other hand going to her cilt and rubbed lightly before slowly sliding a finger in. She matched her pumps, her finger sliding in as her hand went down. She continued even as she added a second and third. Once she felt stretched did she stop. 

Viper's hands went to her waist as she held him and slowly slid down a tiny moan coming out as she bottomed out. Then she rose and slid back down, her pace slow. His hands gripping her waist tight. She leaned down quickly kissing him as a hand went into his hair as the other braced near his head, his own hands moving, one to her hair, the other to the small of her back. 

The kisses were slow and sloppy, quiet pants came out between the kisses before Spider slowly increased her pace. They broke the kiss, letting their foreheads rest together. Quiet words spoken as the pleasure rose. 

"Nnnn-Viper-ah-Viper!"

"Fu-ck-Spider!"

They came with a shout. Spider giving a few thrust before slamming down hard and stilling. Small shakes went through their bodies as they breathed. Spider made a quiet whine as she pulled off him, feeling slick dribble out onto them both. She ran her hand through his hair slowly before giving a quiet grunt. 

"We need a shower."

"Is that an offer for round 2?"

He said with a grin causing a quiet laugh to escape her.  

"Only if you promise to help clean up the mess."

"Deal."

#titanfall viper #Viper x OC #NSFT #Lemon #Sibby's Writing

[theendofman]

Industrialization of Life

Slow Days - Chapter 6

This is a proper chapter for once, not just a short essay about one of my weird daydreams, so grab a cup of tea before reading. If you haven't read the previous chapters you can find the full collection on my blog. Enjoy :)

The Probe exited the Kuiper Belt, slowly moving sol-ward. Its utter size rendered all human definitions of "vessel" meaningless. It hadn't been built for humans though, it had been built to eat. The gates on the mechanized astroid opened, as large as the humans' towers and wider than most earth-rivers long, to reveal hangars filled with autonomous agents, sized from the scale of humans themselves to the dimensions of large factory buildings. A small group of a few thousand, roughly the size of oil tankers and shaped like squished, edged eggs, separated from their docking station and disappeared into the abyss.

Alecjo stared at the wall in his cabin. It's been 3 weeks since they passed the asteroid belt. The fault had been with the electronic valves. A fault they couldn't fix while fuel was flowing through the system, which they couldn't stop since the valves were broken. If they had turned the ship around they'd have fallen short, slowly turning towards the sun. That wouldn't have been a problem if they had flown a stable transfer orbit, but they didn't. It would have been too slow to meet the required timeframe. Therefore they would have been in a parabolic trajectory towards sol, eventually hitting her surface. Sure, it would have taken months, but the captain didn't want to risk it. Eventually, he decided to dump the remaining propellant and hope that someone would come to rescue the Vuoto, while only pointing the ion-thrusters outward.

Alexander raised his head; he sat on the other side of the room. They had been sharing rooms since Diana and the captain had converted the other cabins to growing cabinets. "I'm going to check the scans again", Alex said.

===============================================

While Alecjo and Diana had been outside Alex had sent out a distress signal and it actually went through before the power went out, but it wasn't answered the way that they'd hoped. A day after the broadcast they received an encrypted transmission. An update to the system computers completely and physically bricking their radio by burning capacitors in one of the modules, crippling the ships ability to communicate or announce their presence. They could listen, but not speak up. The company had decided that the Vuoto and its Cargo weren't valuable enough to spawn a rescue operation. It was illegal sure, but no one would have persecuted them, even if the public had found out. The update served to prevent public outrage. To prevent possible revolution. They had betrayed the crew, so Alexander Laventryev hoped for the kindness of strangers.

Alecjo didn't answer Alex. He hadn't really spoken to anyone for three days. It was just too much effort. He was well-nourished and physically fit enough, but it was just so hard; so Alex left him in the cabin.

As Alex entered the bridge he saw Diana was already there monitoring the life support for about the fifteenth time today. Silently he flew over to the radio console; in his peripheral vision, he noticed Diana trying to conceal turning her head towards him slightly. "Anything new?"

Her voice sounded rough. Alex sighed as he scrolled through the new messages. Diana eyed him, annoyed about his silence.

"The captain needs 8% increased soil humidity in your quarter. Make that happen until tomorrow." Alex sharply exhaled as he pushed his rising discontent to the side. He didn't like to be bossed around like that. Sometimes he thought of how little he actually knew about the other crew members. He knew Alecjo was married and that Diana had been living with her sister before she left earth to provide for both their lives. The captain was a father, but he had never talked about the mother of his two daughters.

>>I might be the one who left the least behind<< he said to himself as he reached the bottom of the log. No transmissions for them. Not one even mentioning them.

"What did you say?", Diana asked harshly. She hadn't slept well the night before. "Nothing, just talking to myself."

Alex hadn't even noticed he had muttered those word out loud and he felt a slight sting in his chest as Diana drifted over to the exit to leave. "I'll have it done by tonight" Alex mumbled. Diana left for the growing cabinet, that what had been Alex cabin.

She tried to focus. Her peripheral eyesight had shrunk down to about 60 degrees. As she floated down the hall her bowel started to sting again. Plants weren't her strong suit but she thought herself to be decent at engineering.

The internal ship database suggested 30 mols per square meters per day over a 16 hour period for growing vegetables. The converted cabin had a 9-square-meters-footprint and was 2.3 meters high. Therefore the room had a total growing area of 2 times 9 m² floor and ceiling, and 4 times 6.9 m² wall area totalling 45.6 m² of which approximately 42 were usable. This results in 1260 mols per day. The LEDs stored on the ship for on-the-job mechanics specified 1.6 micromols per joule produced, so over a 16-hour period the cabin required 787.5 million joules, or 49.218 million joules per hour. Diana needed to find 13.67 kilowatts for the greenhouse to operate effectively. Life support was out of the question. The now unusable radio had used up 27 watts. That wasn't a lot of help. By shutting off the navigation and communication subroutines in the computer they could save around 800 watts, but that also barely made a dent. Fuel pumps and valves had had 5 kilowatts allocated to them. Significant, but there were still 7.9 kilowatts to go. The cogs in Diana's head started to turn when she softly hit the floor of the hallway.

The Vuoto had 10 ion thrusters, each using a minimum of 3 kilowatts. They would have to shut off 3, an idea the captain would not like. It would put the Vuotos thrust off-axis as there was no gimble on the ion thrusters, but the more they'd shut off the further they'd drift outward. They could also only turn off two, but that would decrease the potential output of their crops. Joseph always stressed how getting home was their top priority and this would make their journey longer. Much longer.

>>Oh god, what will he think of me?<<

The thoughts lingering in the back of Diana's head had started poking through more frequently, but she kept pushing them aside, trying not to give them too much attention. Desperately trying.

In the cabin, Joseph was watering the berries when Diana flew in. "I hope you have some good news for me", he said more cheerfully than Diana had expected. He didn't look up from what he was doing, hovering on the would-be ceiling his face vanishing in the leaves. "I-", Diana was struggling for the right words, stumbling over her own tung as she tried to ignore the pain in her abdomen.

"I need power from 4 of our ion engines... Now, I know you want to limit our ti-"

"I trust you." The captain talked over her. "Do what you need to do." He was annoyed Diana interrupted him. Always on her feet, always wanting to change something, to improve the ship. The seeds had started to grow towards the centre of the room and he was testing the acidity of the soil again. Oh, and the tomato plants needed their leaves clipped. And he should trim the berry bushes. He grabbed the gardening scissors from his cargo pants and drifted over to the back wall with the vegetables. It was peaceful in the cabin and the plants needed him. Back on earth, when he was still living in that lakehouse with his daughters, he had dreamed of becoming a farmer. He could never scrape up enough money to lease the machines and the land, let alone buy them. But up yet here he was, needed for his gardening abilities. He collected the clipped leaves and slid them into the zip-lock bag taped to his belt. "Did you have a garden growing up, Diana?"

"We..." Diana tried to tear through the fog in her skull. "... the neighbours had planted some on the roof, but we never had a garden of our own, no."

"What a shame. I used to tell my daughters stories about rows upon rows of grape bushes and vast fields."

"It's... nice to have something to dream of", she muttered as she hovered in the door frame.

Diana had a bad gut feeling after she had left the captain in the chamber. She didn't know the captain very well, but she knew he didn't like space. He didn't like the void. What if he just wanted her off his ass? He could fix anything she'd screw up when she wasn't looking, Diana thought as she moved back to the control room. Her intercom device cracked. "Diana?" Alex's voice crawled through the speaker: "I need a second pair of eyes on this."

Two drones latched into one of the many asteroids in the belt and started chipping away at it, one by one shaping the debris into small, cubes-like structures, maybe 5 by 5 meters in size, which shot into the void, back towards the mother ship.

#science fiction #scifi #hard scifi #space #cosmic horror #dystopia #thriller

[dipulb3]

2020 Volvo XC90 T8 review: Energetic, efficient and pretty extravagant

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/2020-volvo-xc90-t8-review-energetic-efficient-and-pretty-extravagant/

2020 Volvo XC90 T8 review: Energetic, efficient and pretty extravagant

Especially in range-topping Inscription trim, the Volvo XC90 is one of the nicest three-row utility vehicles available today, with elegant design, impeccable quality and more refinement than a white-tie gala. The XC90 T8 builds on those laurels with an advanced powertrain that’s not only incredibly potent and refined, it’s impressively efficient to boot.

Like

Interminable interior silence

Powerful drivetrain

Gorgeous interior

Solid efficiency

Don’t Like

Quirky Sensus infotainment system

The ride could be a touch better

Uninspired steering

Providing an advertised 18 miles of electric-only range is an 11.6-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. This vehicle’s standard TurboCord allows you to charge it from 110- or 220-volt household outlets. Hook it to a standard 110-volt socket and it will take all night to charge. Tap into a 220-volt power source, however, and Volvo claims it can be fully juiced in as little as 2.5 hours. Thanks to its J1772-style connector, you can easily plug your XC90 into public charging stations for on-the-go replenishment.

Once its battery pack is depleted, the XC90 operates as a standard hybrid, which means it’s still impressively economical, returning an EPA-estimated 27 miles per gallon combined. When driving like a sane person and fully utilizing that electric-only range, I was able to average around 34 mpg during my time with this vehicle.

As in other Volvos, a turbo-and-supercharged four-cylinder engine is nestled under the hood. Displacing 2.0-liters and matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission, this unit delivers 313 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, though it’s not working alone. A crankshaft-mounted starter-generator throws an additional 111 lb-ft of torque into the mix, while a separate, rear-mounted motor spins the aft tires, providing both all-wheel drive and 87 extra horses. Add everything up and the XC90 T8’s drivetrain is rated at 400 hp and 472 lb-ft, figures that compare favorably to the Volvo’s major rival, the Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring plug-in hybrid. The Lincoln is endowed with 494 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque, plus it offers an electric-only driving range of 21 miles. Other plug-in competitors include the Land Rover Range Rover Sport PHEV and the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid.

This Volvo’s got enough kibbles ‘n bits to hit 60 mph in the mid-5-second range, and it feels every bit that quick. Smooth and nearly silent, its electric motors provide a wallop of low-end torque to get things moving, though the engine is practically as refined. Incredibly quiet and nearly vibration free, Volvo’s 2.0-liter is an absolute gem. In fact, the same could be said about this entire powertrain, which is so seamless you won’t even realize it’s a hybrid. In comparison, the Aviator Grand Touring is nowhere near as nicely calibrated, herking and jerking at odd times. 

Plug-in XC90s come with about half a dozen driving modes. These adjust its steering feel, braking performance, climate control system and more. Hybrid is the standard mode, which operates this vehicle as, you guessed it, a regular hybrid. The gasoline engine and electric motors work together to deliver good performance and efficiency. Click the elegant little roller switch on the center console over to Pure, and the XC90 will run solely on electricity, though there is a caveat. This setting further enhances efficiency by putting the climate control system in eco mode and lowering the air suspension, if equipped. What’s the catch? Well, in Pure mode the gasoline engine will kick on in certain situations, such as when you request more power than the electric motors can provide or if you exceed 78 mph. Avoid flat-footing the accelerator or ripping down the interstate and you will have no trouble keeping this Volvo running purely off the battery.

Underway, the XC90’s interior is tomb-like in its silence. Even at highway speeds this vehicle remains almost eerily hushed, which is ideal for the available Bowers and Wilkins sound system, a $3,200 extra. Crystal clear yet pounding, you can crank the volume up without any distortion or junky rattling sounds to detract from your favorite tunes.

This Volvo’s steering has some heft to it, but it’s regrettably uninvolving no matter which driving mode you select. Fortunately, the brake pedal feels natural, seamlessly switching from regenerative to friction braking as needed. It’s completely transparent and nicely weighted, being neither mushy nor grabby.

This powertrain is smooth, potent and economical. What more could you ask for?

Craig Cole/Roadshow

My top-shelf Inscription model is equipped with optional 21-inch wheels, an $800 extra. These rollers look great, but I don’t necessarily recommend them. Even when fitted with the available $1,800 height-adjustable air suspension, my XC90’s ride is not quite as smooth as it should be. No, it’s not brutal by any means, but there is a bit more impact harshness than I’d like, probably because those wheels are so heavy.

That slightly clopping ride is not the end of the world, but there are a couple other annoyances worth mentioning. For instance, those beautiful, leather-wrapped sun visors do not extend to cover the width of the front windows, a curious safety omission. This is a vehicle that will sound an alarm if you so much as have a dirty thought, but shielding taller drivers’ eyes from glare isn’t important? The XC90’s standard automatic high beams are not good… at all. On multiple occasions while driving at night I noticed the system switching on when a car was right in front of me and the beams failing to dip when oncoming traffic got much too close. Eventually, I just stopped using this feature. Finally, my tester is fitted with a crystalline shifter, which looks like a little piece of art mounted to the center console, though you still have to double-click it to select the gear you want, which is kind of silly.

Naturally, the XC90 T8 includes plenty of other driver-assistance technologies like blind-spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking and rear cross-traffic alert, to name a few. They all work well, including Pilot Assist, the automaker’s name for adaptive cruise control with lane centering. On the interstate at higher speeds, this system is rock solid, keeping the XC90 locked in the middle of its lane while smoothly adjusting speed to match surrounding traffic. Curiously, it’s far less confidence inspiring on two-lane roads, where it can ping-pong from one lane marker to the other. 

There are far worse places to spend time than the XC90’s cabin.

Craig Cole/Roadshow

If you like lots of swiping and scrolling, you’ll probably love Volvo’s Sensus Connect infotainment system. This is not the worst multimedia offering available today, not by a long shot, but neither is it my favorite since it can lag from time to time and the menus are pretty confusing. I actually had to search the owner’s manual because I couldn’t remember how to save radio presets and it’s not obvious how you do that. At least there’s plenty of real estate on the 9-inch screen and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included.

As I alluded to earlier, the rest of this Volvo’s cabin is stunning. The overall design is super clean and elegant. The Nappa-leather upholstery is probably the nicest you’ll find this side of a Rolls-Royce and there’s lovely stitching everywhere. My tester’s gray-hued, open-pore ash-wood trim is beautiful to look at and touch.

Comfort in the XC90 is a bit of a mixed bag. The front chairs are absolutely throne-like, heated, ventilated, adjustable in more ways than you can count, and they’re even able to give you a massage. The second-row buckets are a bit on the narrow side and not nearly as cushy as the fronts, plus they’re quite difficult to tilt and slide for accessing the third row. Speaking of the XC90’s aft-most accommodations, they’re a tight squeeze for adults, which is no surprise, but oddly enough the lower cushion is at an excellent height and provides plenty of support, something that’s very unusual in this segment.

See? I told you the XC90 T8 was beautiful. 

Craig Cole/Roadshow

The 2020 Volvo XC90 T8 is offered in three trims: entry-level Momentum, midrange R-Design and top-shelf Inscription. The base price is around $68,000, though my tester drove off the assembly line in Gothenburg, Sweden with an MSRP of $86,790, a total that includes a rather modest destination charge of $995 and $18,295 in options. If you crave this Volvo’s subtle design, tasteful interior and pleasant demeanor but are unwilling or unable to shell out nearly 90 grand don’t fret. You can get a non-hybrid T5 front-wheel-drive variant for about $50,000, which should deliver much of the same fundamental excellence if not quite as much opulence.

This Volvo is an absolutely lovely piece of work, one of the best of its breed available today. Luxury may be antithetical to environmentalism, but the XC90’s plug-in powertrain goes a long way to improving both the driving dynamics and, more importantly, fuel efficiency.

[capricornus-rex]

Bad Ideas Make Good Memories (2)

Cal Kestis x Reader

Requested by @queen-destenie​ | Prompt:

i live for you qUEEN! i LOVE your writing. if you have the time, could you do a fic where reader is the most reckless badass and Cal is like ‘wait don’t do THAT’ and she is just ‘im living life BABYY’. she does the most insane things that always somehow work and Cal is literally like what the F*CK’. reader is basically a GOD. please and thank you

Additional tags: Rebel base, Rebel fleet

Previous: Part 1 | Next: Part 3 | Masterlist

2 of ?

Both Jedi Interceptors hovered out of the covered hangar, following the standard operating procedures of the ship—with the help of your astromech droids and BD-1 for Cal only—your ship’s speed warmed up as the landing gears folded in and you’re starting to feel the altitude.

A medley of starfighters and gunships of different make followed at your flank. As all of the ships poured out of the hangar and hovered above the treelines, the two Jedi enhanced their ships’ communications so that it reaches both the command on the ground and the Mantis.

“Wings are now out of the nest,” a scout from the watchtower reports, he repeated the words twice until his voice came through to the command center on the ground.

“All wings report in,” a commander from the ground radioed through all communications.

“Interceptors, standing by.” you and Cal reported.

“Guns, standing by.”

“Aqua Squadron, standing by.”

“Maroon Squadron, standing by.”

The leaders of the Aqua and Maroon Squadrons commanded all of the pilots to report in their call signs—each squadron had eight pilots. The ships were not uniform, but they have the streaks painted across the exteriors of their fighter ships to distinguish them from the other.

R-12 beeped anxiously at you as its scanners picked up the signatures of the incoming TIE Fighters.

“Yeah, I see them, buddy. Good job,” you affirmed.

“Interceptor Two, what’s the current status?”

“Picking up seven signatures, they’ve cut through the atmosphere,” you reported coolly while keeping calm breaths. “TIE Fighters.”

The speeds of the Jedi Interceptors are picking up, the distance between those TIE Fighters is gradually shrinking, and the two of your prepared yourself to attack.

“Stay close, [y/n],”

“I’m gonna have a hard time doing that!” you chuckled.

The TIE Fighters were the first to open fire, all the ships scrambled from their line of fire, causing the TIEs to disperse and chase after their targets—each one has caught an Interceptor in their fronts, both of you were trying to shake it.

In the first few minutes, fighters from the Aqua Squadron have been shot down but the Maroon Squadron backed up the numbers. From the ground, the operators are working real-time as the skirmish occurs in the air.

“Cal and [y/n]?”

“Interceptors One and Two are still online!”

Cere released a sigh that has been choking her since the ships have been deployed. She spotted the twin blips glowing white against the transparent screen, behind those twin blips were the other ships in their designated colors; one by one, each mark vanished from the screen faster than the red ones flying on the other side of the screen.

“Come on, you two…” Cere mumbled under her breath.

The TIE Fighter persisted in tailing you and shooting you until you’re in its range. Glancing only for a second on your radar, you knew you had to think fast.

“[y/n], that TIE is still on your tail!” Cal pointed out.

“I know, I’m trying to shake him. He’s slippery too!”

Cal’s Interceptor and the TIE chasing him flew in your view at your windshield, a lightbulb flickered bright as the sun in your head.

“Cal, I have an idea!”

“Hoo boy, here she comes!” he remarked jokingly. “Okay, what’s the plan?”

“Cover me and I’ll cover you!”

He immediately understood your idea and continued darting through the skies. You gently pushed the steering wheel forward.

“R-12, can you crank up the attack speed!”

“Bee-woop!”

“Attaboy!”

The droid accelerated your Interceptor’s speed to level three. You and Cal’s Interceptors with the TIE Fighters behind you made a swerving bee-line in the sky. The targeting device activated, a white-lined grid glowed over the red screen and the icon of the TIE Fighter registers on the screen.

The enemy’s icon finally settled in the center circle and without a moment’s hesitation, your thumbs crunched the trigger, blue twin lasers shot out of your ship’s guns and damaged the TIE’s wing; you let out another shot and decimated the second wing until it bursts into flames while spinning out of control.

“Alright, my turn, sweetie!”

Cal did a somersault with his Interceptor and placed himself right behind your pursuant. He manually boosted the Interceptor’s attack speed until he was within shooting range. He rested his thumbs over the trigger.

“Watch this, BD!”

“Woooo!”

Ion cannons sputtered out of the barrels and Cal hit a bullseye straight into the TIE Figher’s cockpit. The excited redhead celebrated from the cockpit of his ship and he didn’t realize that his headset in linked in communicating with yours. His celebratory howling busted your right eardrum that you flinched and your ship quaked when you lost a split-second’s worth of control.

“Show-off!” you exclaimed while massaging the crevices of your ear.

“Oh sorry, too loud?”

“No worries, but I’m not gonna let you one-up me, honey!”

“Oh, it’s on!”

The Interceptors flew back into the heart of the skirmish and helped out the other pilots with persistent TIE Fighters on their tails. You and Cal split up to cover the pilots—especially the gunships.

“Keep those TIEs out of the gunships! Guns pack a punch but they’re not built for easy maneuvering!” you barked through the shared-line communications.

“Copy that, Interceptor Two!” the Aqua Seven pilot responded to your call, speaking on behalf of everyone.

All of the smaller and nimbler fighters drew the fire of the TIEs, away from the big gunships that also served as transports for the soldiers; the slippery ones were the ones you pursued, hanging tight in your seat as you maneuver your ship in spins—something that was once a luxury for you when the moment in opportune—and reducing those TIEs into shrapnel with your shooting.

“Nice shooting,” Cal complimented.

“Thanks!” you beamed in a high-pitch, almost too-effeminate tone.

An urgent transmission from the ground cut off your fun, private banter, “I’m picking up some signatures… THEY’RE HUGE!!”

“That can never be good,” you muttered, the playful smile in your face dissolving.

R-12’s scanners have picked up the said signatures as well and reflected them on your radar. Before you even had the time to glance at your screen, they emerged like the undead out of their graves—AT-ATs rising up, rearing their hunched metal backs and heads, and breaking down the trees that stood in their way as they erected themselves.

“Okay, now that is overkill!” you exclaimed at the sight of the pair of AT-ATs.

“Interceptors, I’m picking up another signature—but it’s in the air!”

“Can’t catch a damn break, can we?”

A TIE Assault Shuttle comes to you in full speed and pulls a barrage against you! You barely dodged the hail of blasts it sent your way; only affording a second, you peered at the window at your side while maneuvering your Interceptor—the AT-ATs surely aren’t taking their time, their walking pace doubled from their usual, keeping their sights set on the rebel base after the trees.

Big radar signatures and SHE is going towards it? Great. Cal thought to himself as soon as he saw you zooming past at the corner of his windshield.

“I’ll cover you,” the firm tone in his voice indicated that he doesn’t want to hear a counterargument.

You orbited the walkers and then caught sight of the TIE Assault Shuttle, you only have seconds to come up with a plan; in the blink of an eye, the craziest idea borne from that little disadvantage popped into your head.

“[y/n], you’ve been quiet now. What are you thinking?”

There was a nervous tone in Cal’s voice as he continued to fly by your side while observing the enemy lines. The ground base can also hear everyone’s transmission in designated receivers, and most of them had their ears on you and Cal’s; they detected that unusual silence in your end, they all blankly stared at the holograph that relays your transmissions—anticipating to hear your voice. Cere’s eyes wandered across the flat surface of the illuminated holotable—she stopped observing the other friendlies’ blips, she focused at that one quadrant of the radar with you and Cal’s blips circling the AT-ATs’ signatures.

“What’s happened to her? She’s not down, is she?” one of the head operators blurted.

“No, she’s not—she’s still there,” Cere answered, even if the question wasn’t for her to answer.

You ignored Cal’s question and tightened your grip around your steering wheel. Your fingers dexterously danced across your dashboard.

“She’s prepping her droid… but for what?” the operator relayed.

“R-12, remember when you said you’ll have my back?”

“[y/n]!?” Cal prolonged the syllable in your name as he called you again for your attention.

“Well, you gotta have my back now, R-12!”

“Be-bee… BEEEE?!!?”

Cal saw your starfighter’s cockpit dome opening up in the middle of flight. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. He still can’t comprehend what plan is running in your mind—and why, of all things, this kind of plan—and how are you going to execute it.

“[Y/N]!!!” he screamed, he didn’t think that you’d hear him with just his bare voice. The microphone of his headset was so overwhelmed by the volume that feedback crackled through your headset—nevertheless, you ignored his voice and for good reason.

Feel… don’t think. You chanted in your mind as you prepared yourself to execute your plan alone.

“R-12, override now!”

“BEEEEE!!!!”

You released your grip from the steering wheel, the Interceptor was now in full control of R-12, and you ejected yourself out of the cockpit, surfing on the wing as your starfighter did a fly-by near the larger TIE. You timed the moment of your jump across with a pinpoint precision that you basically have no backup plan if you don’t make it.

The Jedi Interceptor’s wingspan did little in bridging you to the top of the TIE Assault Shuttle. You kept your feet planted on the wing and then sprang off towards the large enemy ship. You didn’t realize the gap in between was great and you’re afraid that you might have miscalculated yourself.

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