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theidiotwhowritesthings · 1 year

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A Fresh Start [17]

Din Djarin x F!Reader

Warnings: losing tempers, arguing, mentions of alcohol and a bit of binge drinking, angst, people getting drunk

Word Count: 15k (i am so so so sorry, i know y'all said you wanted long but this is probably insane. i just needed to end it in that specific place to get the theme i wanted to touch on finished😭 i think you'll like the content if you can bear through it lolol)

Summary: When you made plans for your future they never involved being hired by a Mandalorian to baby-sit his adorable, green gremlin of a child. However, after your life fell apart in the span of one disastrous night, you found it to be the only feasible option you had left. Nevarro was a far cry from Coruscant, but the thriving community turned out to be exactly what you needed. Every day you spend in Nevarro you fall more and more in love with your new life, but when your past rears its ugly head you find that perhaps peace wasn’t meant for everyone.

#17: CLOSE YOUR EYES, NER KAR'TA

"to be in love with you is to know that even on the days you make me so mad i could scream, i still want to kiss the hell out of your face." ⏤Beau Taplin. "it's the way you wrinkle your nose when you're disappointed in me."

a/n: y'all would not believe the trouble tumblr gave me in posting this smh anyways sorry again this is stupid long (i did warn y'all im a mouthy motherfucker) but hopefully it can make up for the absolutely heartbreaking episode we all suffered thru today :)

“If I asked you to kick Karga’s ass, would you?”

“Without hesitation, ner kar’ta.”

You couldn’t help but snicker under your breath at his quick answer. Din was lying reclined in the cot beside you with Grogu napping on his chest. It was an entertaining contrast. The soft father rubbing his son’s back as the child snored while promising immediate violence at a single word from you. The awkwardness of yesterday morning seemed to have dispersed after your confession to him. Add to that the fact that Nima was sleeping in a medically induced coma on the cot you sat on the edge of, and you were on cloud nine. There was still a ways to go and you hated that your close friend⏤ your family⏤ had been injured in such a traumatizing way, but her arm would be saved.

The bacta tank had healed what it needed to. It fixed bone, muscle, and tissue nearly 80%. You didn’t want to risk letting the tank manage the injury to the full 100%. Repairing hand injuries was a tricky thing simply because the tendons and muscles in the hand were so complicated. You’d rather set her hand the old fashioned way⏤ make sure she didn’t lose any function. Nima would be devastated if her dexterity was compromised. Her job, her passion, relied on her hands.

“Anything else I can add to our to-do list today other than fighting the High Magistrate of Nevarro?” Din asked with a hum.

You grinned at him. “I’ll let you know if I think of anything.”

Din nodded his head once. Your eyes glanced down at the hardware holding Nima’s hand motionless so it could heal properly. You had already adjusted them, applied a healing paste, then wrapped it, but you couldn't help but re-check your work over and over again. Your obsessive behavior came in handy when Karga had stepped in ten minutes or so ago to check in on Nima. Though his ‘checking in’ had turned into offering you a job once more. It seemed like every type of denial you had he had a counterpoint.

Your main one being that legally you weren’t allowed to practice medicine. You still had a license because the trial questioning whether or not you were ethically to blame for Soran’s death had ended in your favor. However, one stipulation⏤ which had come from a psychological evaluation the hospital made you go through after you were attacked⏤ was that until Kurt’s trial was over you shouldn’t be in the position of making medical decisions. It had been something you were more than happy to abide by as you ran from your life.

Karga’s cheeky reply had been that he was the High Magistrate and as such he could allow you to do anything you wanted to do. Especially if that thing you wanted to do was be his city’s physician.

A thought formed in your mind and you huffed out a sigh. You could see Din tilt his head toward you in question. You faced him, “Would I be crazy for considering taking Karga up on his offer?”

“I wouldn’t say crazy.” Din replied. “But why? I don’t want you to feel obligated because Karga won’t leave you alone.”

“It’s not that.” You said. The thought grew in your mind, a chaotic frenzy that wouldn’t leave you alone. “If I hadn’t been here, Nima would’ve lost her arm. She might have even died. I stopped that.” Din remained silent and let you think aloud. “I can keep making that difference. I have to. If I don’t then… If something terrible happens then isn’t that my fault?”

Din sat up, holding Grogu to his chest so the boy didn’t fall, “No. No, it’s not. Thinking like that, taking on that guilt, isn’t healthy.” He threw his legs over the side of the bed so he was sitting up and facing you. “Don’t make a decision based on guilt, ner kar’ta.”

“I guess you’re right.” You mumbled.

He stayed silent for a beat before reaching a hand out to you. You stood and took the singular step that would get you close enough to settle your hand in his. Din pulled you forward so you stood between his legs. The cot was on a lower setting which left you staring down at Din while he was forced to tilt his head to stare up at you.

“Take guilt out of it. Pretend like you’re one of many that Karga is trying to hire for this job.” Din said. You lifted the hand Din wasn’t holding so you could scratch Grogu’s head. His mid-afternoon nap would be over soon and he’d be awake and bouncing off the walls with energy. “Would getting this job make you happy?”

You pondered over the question. There was a thrill in medicine. One you quite enjoyed when you weren’t forced to care for the people who meant the most in the world to you. Plus, thinking long term, you couldn’t be Grogu’s nanny forever. It wasn’t feasible. Not that you wanted out of their lives. You were so entangled in the web of their lives that that was hardly an option anymore. But, if you wanted a real relationship with Din one day, you couldn’t be his employee. You’d have to find a different way to make credits and support yourself.

“I think so.” You nodded.

“As long as you're happy, then I think you should do it.” Din replied, but the sigh he released didn’t match the approval of his words. “I just don’t want you to make yourself sick with stress.”

“Worrywart.” You teased. Din chuckled and the rumbling in his chest must have roused Grogu. The boy began to rub his face against the metal he was lying on sleepily. You ran a finger alongside his ear. “Hi, baby boy. Was buir too loud? Did he wake you up?”

Grogu mumbled, then turned with outstretched arms. Din lifted him as you reached out. When you pulled the small child to your chest he leaned his head against your shoulder but you knew he wasn’t sleep based on the way he let his small fingers rub against your shoulder back and forth⏤ just like you and Din would do to him. Grogu was mumbling soft words you didn’t recognize.

“Mhmm, tell mama all about it.” You hummed.

Din’s hands had rested on your hips when he didn’t have Grogu to hold. His thumbs tracing circles over your shirt right above your belt. He nodded, “Do you want children of your own one day?”

Your eyes widened in surprise at his sudden question. It was the last direction you expected this conversation to go. Your jaw popped open slightly. “Uh, wh⏤what?”

“Just curious.” Din shrugged nonchalantly.

To be honest, you had never given it any thought. That was a future decision for future you to make. While in training, you told yourself it wouldn’t be something you needed to even think about until after training was over. Then when you were working in the hospital, you told yourself you needed to get settled in your job first. Finally, your life spiraled apart and during the last year that was hardly something that was on your mind. It was funny that you went full circle and all of that led you to standing in Nevarro’s clinic thinking about a future with children of your own.

Taking care of Grogu was an experience that had given you more factors and variables to consider, but still you weren’t sure what to say. You shook your head and spoke the truth. “To be honest, I haven’t thought much about it.”

“You’re so good with Grogu, is all.” Din replied.

“What about you?” You paused. “Er, that’s not what I⏤ Obviously you already have a child. You have Grogu.” Din chuckled at your babbling. “I meant, would you want… more?”

Din tilted his head and a very casual nod. “I think so. I like the idea of a big family.”

“Do you have siblings?” You asked suddenly. “I’m realizing just now that I don’t know a lot about your life before Nevarro⏤ other than Grogu and the bounty hunting.”

“No siblings.” Din shook his head. “Not by blood at least. After I was brought in by the Mandalorians, as a foundling, I grew up with a few other kids I considered to be siblings on Concordia.”

“Wait, you were a foundling? Like Grogu?”

“Yes.” Din nodded. “I was born on Aq Ventina, but when I was young… My town was destroyed in a Separatist attack. Battle droids destroyed everything. They… I lost my parents. I would’ve been killed myself if a Mandalorian hadn’t saved me.”

You stepped around him so you could sit down on the cot beside Din. He followed your movements with his t-shape visor. You lifted the hand not holding Grogu to settle on his knee. “Din, I am so sorry. I had no idea, I⏤ I wouldn’t have asked⏤ I shouldn’t have asked⏤”

“It’s alright, ner kar’ta.” Din chuckled and set his hand on top of yours. “I knew you didn’t know, but I wanted you to know. Besides, I started this line of questioning.” He squeezed his fingers around your own. “I know you said you were from Naboo. Can you tell me more? Do you still have family there?”

You fell into a casual conversation with him telling him about the family you still had there. Sharing a few memories that couldn't help but slip out when they came to mind. You felt bad that you were talking about happy memories when Din had just admitted to a tragedy, but he continued to ask question after question leading you into them. Which led to him sharing a few memories of his own from both worlds that he walked. Din lingered on a story about his parents⏤ a happy one he held close to his heart based on the soft tone he spoke in.

“How much do you remember of them?” You asked.

“Enough to know they were good parents.”

“I’m sorry you didn’t get to spend more time with them.” You replied softly.

In response, Din lifted the hand on top of yours to bury it in the hair at the nape of your neck. He leaned you toward him and set his forehead against yours. The two of you only remained that way for a moment before Grogu sat up and rested one hand on your cheek and the other on his father’s.

“Skraan.” He blurted. Din and you broke apart, laughing, but Grogu was solely serious as he repeated himself. “Skraan, skraan, skraan.”

Din knew what he had to do. The part he was struggling with was the how. Oddly, in his mind, the first step was going to be the hardest bit. Steps two through whatever included taking the N1 out to Mandalore, find the living waters, bathe in said living waters, bring back proof to the Armorer, be redeemed in the eyes of his Covert, return to you as a full fledged Mandalorian rather than Apostate, and request to court you properly. Simple. Easy to remember. Din didn’t even need to write it down. However, step one involved telling you that he was leaving Nevarro and that was going to be tough.

At first he thought he’d just bring you with him, but then you told him you wanted to try being Nevarro’s physician. Din couldn’t pull you away from your home right as you had grown comfortable enough with your past to retry medicine. So, that was out. Then, when he had worked up the courage to say good-bye, Cara quit. That one had caught Din off guard. It happened days after Nima’s accident. Cara claimed she got an offer to be part of special forces with the New Republic⏤ an offer she couldn’t turn down. She even took the time to remind him that this was never a permanent thing anyways.

However, Cara left in the dead of night without even taking the time to wait until Nima woke up. Din didn’t believe that was a coincidence. He was more than familiar with the concept of running from emotions. When Nima finally did wake up, the look of heartbreak on her features when he had to answer her question of where Cara was had been tough to handle. Din reminded himself that his plan was not the same as Cara’s. He was not leaving you to stay away. Din was not running from you. If anything he was running to you. He just wanted to be the very best version of himself before propositioning you, and Din wanted to do this right.

Before he left, he was going to explain this to you⏤ in great detail. And, if you truly meant what you said about allowing him to uphold his Creed, you’d understand. Din repeated that to himself over and over again like a mantra.

Regardless of how that played out, Din was stuck. It was one thing when he was leaving Nevarro short one marshal temporarily. Now the city would be missing him and Cara, and in good conscious he couldn’t let that be.

Mayfeld, hands laced behind his head as his feet were kicked up on his desk, called out. “Come on, Mando. What? You don’t trust me to hold down the fort while you’re gone?”

“Exactly.”

“Uh, ow.” Mayfeld complained. “You could’ve at least pretended to think about it before answering so fast.”

Din chuckled under his breath. Honestly, his relationship with Mayfeld had come a long way. How he felt now was a stark difference in comparison to how badly Din wanted to shoot him in the face when they first met. After what happened on Morak, after revealing his face in front of Mayfeld, Din truly respected the man⏤ trusted him. The truth is he would never forgive himself to leave Mayfeld here to deal with all the responsibilities alone. That wasn’t fair to his friend. All those facts didn’t deter Din from mocking and mildly bullying the man though. That was much too fun to give up.

“I have a friend flying in today to baby-sit you.”

“Nice. Got me a nanny too?” Mayfeld replied. “Hope she’s as pretty as yours.”

Din knew the man was only trying to rile him up, and he technically had picked the exact topic that could do it. But, Din didn’t take the bait. He shrugged. “He’s not really my type, but I’ll let you make the call on that.”

“Alright. So I’ll be the Marshal, and he’ll be my Deputy?”

“No. He’ll be Marshal, and you’ll still be Deputy.”

Mayfeld dropped his feet off the desk, hands falling to his side, and his jaw popped open in shock. “Hold on! The new guy gets to be Marshal before I do?? You’re just gonna promote him over me? Immediately.”

“Exactly.”

The man scoffed in response and crossed his arms like a petulant child. It reminded Din of the way Grogu would pout when you told him you couldn’t snack on cookies or cakes right before dinner time or when Din would wrestle a full sized critter out of his son’s mouth before Grogu could swallow it whole. Mayfeld shoved up from his seat to cross the room and pour himself a cup of caf. Din stayed where he was⏤ leaning against Cara’s old desk.

“You tell your girl that you’re leaving yet? Or is that still a secret?”

“I’m going to tell her.” Din said firmly.

Mayfeld slurped out of his mug, purposely trying to annoy him, “You said that four days ago, then three days ago, then two⏤”

“Keep talking and I’ll demote you from Deputy.”

“Is there even a level below deputy??”

“I can make one.” Din replied dryly. A wide grin crossed Mayfeld’s face and Din shook his head with a grumble. “Today. I’ll tell her today.” Mayfeld just stared at him from above the rim of his mug. Din pushed off the desk. “I’m going to do it.”

Mayfeld shrugged in response and Din resisted the urge to throw something at the man. He huffed and turned to leave. Mayfeld called out behind him, a teasing comment, and Din threw him a crude hand gesture over his shoulder causing the man to burst out in laughter.

It barely took him any time to get from the station to the clinic. When he stepped through the front doors he was greeted by Aayla and one other worker he wasn’t familiar with. The Twi’lek waved him in and hit a button on the desk to unlock the backroom doors. It was the sound of your voice that greeted him first.

“⏤and if you pull those staples out, you’ll be dealing with me.” You stood at the end of a bed with your hands on your hips and your face drawn in concentration. Aayla had found and wrestled you into a white coat when you started and Din would be lying if he said he didn’t like the look on you. Din especially liked watching you take control of a room. You could command a scene with voice and stare alone, and Din really, really liked watching you do it.

“Baby girl,” A vaguely familiar voice chimed and Din frowned at the nickname, “Dealing with you would be my absolute pleasure.”

Din stepped further into the room to see that a worker from the hanger, a Trandoshan man he couldn’t recall the name of, was sitting on a cot with a long cut from wrist to elbow. A line of staples was holding it closed. Din crossed his arms and tilted his head. “Yeah? How about dealing with me?”

The Trandoshan looked to him at the same time you did, and he found it comical how different the reactions were. Your face split into a bright, gorgeous smile while the hangar worker stiffened up and averted his eyes.

“Well, hi there, Marshal.” You cooed and stuck your hands into the pockets of your white coat.

“Do we have a problem?” Din asked, trying to keep the amusement out of his voice.

You turned to look at your patient and raised an eyebrow in question. The Trandoshan glanced at him before looking back to you and shaking his head rapidly. You nodded and reached out to set a hand on Din’s forearm. “I think we’re okay here.”

“Can⏤ Can I⏤?” The worker pointed to the door.

“Yupp. Keep it dry. Come back in a week, and I’ll see if you’re healed enough to take the staples out.”

The Trandoshan jumped up but paused when he realized he was going to have to pass Din in order to get out. Even though Din was technically blocking the way, he kept his position so the man was forced to squeeze around him. When the man was finally out, your laugh filled the air and Din sighed in admiration. You shrugged, smile still in place, “That was kind of fun.”

“How’re you doing?” Din asked.

“I’m okay.” You nodded and then scrunched your nose once. “It’s so weird. I’m still not used to this, but at the same time I am?” You motioned around yourself. “It’s familiar, but it’s not. Am I crazy?”

Din shook his head, “Of course not.”

“Hmm,” You took a step closer to him so you had to lift your face to meet his visor, “I think you’re biased.”

He grinned under his helmet then shrugged. “Maybe.”

“So, what can I do for you, Marshal?”

“Have you had lunch yet?” He asked, and you shook your head in response. “Can I walk with you to get some? You aren’t busy are you?”

You shrugged out of your white coat and tossed it onto a cot. “That’s the beauty of working for a man who is super desperate to keep you around. I can do what I want.” Din chuckled and followed you out of the room. As you passed the front desk, you called out, “Aayla, I’m going. Just call me if any real emergencies come in. Okay?”

“You got it, doc!”

As you both stepped out, Din offered you his arm and you slipped yours through it. He nodded back toward the clinic. “Who is the new girl?”

“Miriam.” You answered. “Aayla is training her to work the front desk so I can train Aayla. She’ll be able to help me with little stuff. I think she’s got a lot of potential.” Din nodded toward a stand merchant who greeted him first. “We’ll be able to see more if I have an assistant, but we still can’t do any routine kind of work. Karga still needs to get another physician to work that side of things.”

Din hummed. “I hear he’s working on it, but I’ll… encourage him to work faster.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” You shook your head. “I can be plenty annoying on my own. You should’ve seen how much I bothered Admin back in Coruscant when I wanted them to buy the emergency department a whole set of ultrasounds.”

Din could imagine the scene and he wished he could’ve seen it. He’d have to make sure he had a front row seat for when you began to hound Karga for this. Without even discussing it, it seemed you both had the same sandwich place in mind⏤ the one that sold the cookies Grogu liked. Din didn’t bother ordering for himself. He wasn’t overly hungry. He mostly just wanted to spend time with you and make sure you took a break to eat. Din watched as you greeted the owners by name and after ordering your food you ordered a pack of cookies for Grogu as well. He could barely even pay attention to the conversation at hand because he was so busy watching you.

Even when the owners offered you the meal for free as a thank you for taking the job in town, you insisted on paying the full price. As you walked out, you frowned at him. “Are you sure you don’t want something to eat?”

“I’m fine, ner kar’ta.” He replied. Din planned finding a bench where you could sit and eat⏤ you had commented about how much you loved the current weather this morning⏤ but the sound of his communicator made him groan.

“What’s going on?” You asked.

Din lifted his vambrace to see he was being hailed to the hanger. “Oh. I have a, uh, friend visiting today. He’s here early.”

“Really?” Your eyes widened.

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I have to go meet him.”

Din had begun to pull his arm away, but you kept your grip around it and briefly bit down on your lower lip drawing all his attention to the shape of the lips he loved so much⏤ the lips that haunted his every dream. You pleaded, “Can I please come with you?”

“You want to?” Din was surprised.

“Yeah!” You bounced in place. “I’d love to meet your friend. I mean, if that’s okay?”

“Always. You should start eating while we walk.” Din nodded.

You snickered. “Okay. Bossy.”

Din’s eyes snapped to you, and he chuckled. The two of you changed direction toward the hanger.

It wasn’t like you weren’t going to meet Cobb Vanth eventually.

The week had gone shockingly well. Better than you could’ve hoped, but then again your expectations were incredibly low. Working in the emergency clinic was actually enjoyable. Karga had tried to rope you into doing everything, but you put a hard stop on that for obvious reasons. Nevarro was still relatively small so when it came to emergencies⏤ there really were not many emergencies. Only a patch up job here and there like with the Trandoshan this morning. Again the bar was low considering you started this job with Nima nearly losing her arm.

Nima had been doing very well physically, but, as much as she tried to hide it, emotionally she had taken a toll. You weren’t sure why Cara left so abruptly. Din and you had talked about it in depth one night after dinner and he seemed to think it was because she had cared too much for Nima too fast. The only opinion you had on the matter was that Cara had certainly gotten on your bad side. You were loyal to your oldest friend and it irked you beyond belief that the once deputy of Nevarro had left when Nima needed her most.

“Where’s your friend from?” You asked as Din and you neared the landing pad.

“Tatooine.”

“Ah, my neck of the woods.”

Din chuckled. “Were you even there long enough to call it your neck of the woods?”

“I lived in Mos Espa for at least half a year. In Tatooine years, that feels like a decade.” You replied and the laugh that left him made your cheeks warm.

He glanced over at you, your arm still looped through his, “What made you choose Tatooine, anyways?”

“It’s kind of a depressing answer. Definitely a mood killer.” You winced. Din’s feet came to an abrupt stop and he turned so he was facing you entirely. You should’ve guessed he’d have that kind of reaction. You shook your head. “I took care of a patient who said Mos Espa was where lowlifes and runaways escaped to when they had no other world to call home. So…” You shrugged. “I went to Mos Espa.”

“Ner kar’ta⏤”

“I don’t feel that way now. A lot has changed, and I’m not the person who initially fled to Tatooine,” You said quickly, “But you asked why I went, so I said.” With your next words, you kept your voice low so only he could hear you. “I promise I’m okay, Din.”

Din gave you a curt nod. With an amused shake of your head, you slipped your arm through his once more and tugged him toward the landing pad. The Mandalorian warrior let you drag him along, and you could’ve swore he was dragging his feet on purpose to make it more difficult for you. The chuckle that left his helmet confirmed this for you.

“How long is your friend staying for?” You asked, and Din stayed quiet. “And is his visit a social call? I imagine he’s heartbroken being away from the sands of Tatooine.”

Din’s feet came to a stop once more, but this time it came as a surprise. You paused with him and gave him a curious look. He tilted his head. “About that, I wanted to talk to you about⏤”

“Mando!”

You and Din both turned at the voice. Walking in your direction was a very familiar face. Cobb Vanth? The marshal of Mos Pelgo was a far way from home, but he looked no different than the day you last saw him. His signature red scarf around his neck acting as a homing beacon for your eyes. Vanth’s eyes were initially focused on Din, but then they dragged over to you and he shook his head in surprise.

“Little lady!? Is that you??” Vanth grinned.

Din and you both snapped to look at one another again rather than the new arrival. At the same time, the same words left your lips. “You know Cobb Vanth!?”

Vanth spread his arms out as he continued to approach, a large duffel bag hanging from his back, “Well, ain’t this a surprise!”

The shock wore off and it finally occurred to you that Cobb Vanth was here. Right here, right in front of you. You let out a laugh and rushed to meet him halfway. He greeted you by wrapping his arms around you in a tight grin⏤ a laugh leaving him as well. What felt like another lifetime ago, you had met Cobb Vanth on your arrival to Tatooine. Though your plan had been to settle in Mos Espa you had accidentally ended up in Mos Eisley. In an attempt to get from one place to the other you got lost in the desert briefly after the land speeder you rented ran out of fuel halfway. It had been your fault for trusting the man you got the speeder from. Rather than dying you were saved by the man you were now hugging. Vanth had even been kind enough to get you to Mos Espa eventually.

You pulled away from Vanth. “It’s so good to see you! You look great.”

“Oh, I know, darling.” Vanth winked. “But still not holding a flame to you.” You chuckled and a hand settled on your shoulder. Din had walked over and you took a step back so you stood right beside him. Vanth motioned to the Mandalorian. “You never told me you knew Mando.”

“I didn’t back when I was with you, Vanth.” You glanced between the two men. “How do you guys know each other?”

Vanth readjusted the bag around his shoulders. “Now that, little lady, is quite the story.” He continued on talking about how Din came looking for a Mandalorian and found Vanth decked out in Mandalorian armor. He followed it by describing how Din ended up flying into a krayt dragon to kill it from inside out. A detail you did not love to hear. “We’ve been best buddies since. Right, pal?”

Din didn’t respond. You were still in awe at the coincidence of it all. You missed your Mandalorian by literal months. Din had swung through Mos Pelgo right before you had. What would’ve happened if you met him then rather than now?

“Mando?” Vanth questioned. Waving his hand once in front of the helmet. “You alright?”

“I’m fine.” Din replied and you wondered where the tension in his voice had come from. You slipped your arm around his once more and he seemed to relax marginally. He cleared his throat before nodding. “How was your trip, Vanth?”

Vanth’s lips stretched back out into a charming grin. “Hey, I can’t complain. Gotta say Nevarro looks better than I thought it would. I’m excited to explore it.” He chuckled. “The weather ain’t too bad either. I was worried I’d miss that desert air.”

“Don’t worry. These lava plains are plenty hot enough.” You replied. “How long are you here for?”

“Suppose 'til Mando here gets back.”

It took a second for the words to register in your mind, but Din picked it up much faster based on the way his entire body tensed once more. Until he gets back. Gets back? You slowly pulled your arm away from so you could turn and look at him. Before your hand could fall away entirely, Din caught it with his own⏤ holding it against his arm.

“Wait⏤”

“You’re going somewhere?” You furrowed your brow in confusion. He hadn’t mentioned anything about a trip. Din paused and somehow his hesitance irritated you. “Where?”

Din sighed. “Mandalore.”

Your eyes widened, “Manda⏤ The Mandalore that may or may not be poisoned still?”

“Um. Yes.”

“Okay.” You replied. “Alright.” You pulled your hand out from under Din’s hand and shot Vanth a quick, firm smile. “It was really good to see you, Vanth. Welcome to Nevarro! I guess I’ll be seeing you around.” Din took a step toward you, his nickname for you leaving his lips, but you took a step back. “I need to get back to work, but I’ll see you at home?”

You didn’t give him the chance to answer and turned to leave. If Din called out after you, you didn’t hear him. Your footsteps were rushed as you tried to wrap your head around the information you had just learned. Were you angry? Maybe. It wasn’t a clear cut anger though⏤ it was muddled. There were too many other emotions swirling in your head, but the main one that started to push to the front was disappointment. Every time you thought you understood where you stood with Din it seemed like something happened that made you question it all. Had he just planned on leaving the planet without telling you? Or maybe he wanted to wait until the last second and just wave to you as he took off, or hang a note on the fridge for you to find the morning of. Even if you weren’t in this weird back and forth romantic thing with him, as someone who literally lived in his home and helped care for his child you were incredibly involved in his life. If you were a team, then you needed to know the plan.

More irritation boiled up in your blood, and you found yourself changing direction from the clinic to a familiar house. Your fist was banging on Nima’s door before you fully even registered what it was you wanted to say. Nima opened the door, in her pajamas, and your eyes glanced at the metal brace surrounding her right arm out of habit.

Nima deflated and whined, “Please, please, please, please tell me you’re here to clear me for work.”

“No. Two more weeks. I’m not changing my mind on that.” You replied and she groaned. “I’m here because apparently Marshal Mando is leaving the planet and hired a replacement marshal but didn’t think to tell me any of this.”

“Come on in. I have alcohol.”

“I told you! I told you⏤ didn’t I tell you??” Mayfeld cried then spun to look at Vanth who was leaning against the wall. “I kriffing told him. Days ago.”

“Please stop talking.” Din groaned as he hung his head back while slouching in the seat. Din thought that the worst part of learning you and Vanth already knew one another would be the tight hug you literally ran to give him. Vanth had pulled you up off your toes in the hug, and the primal side of him yearned for a fight. His hand literally twitched toward his blaster⏤ his kriffing blaster. As if he was going to shoot down his good friend Cobb Vanth who left his town to do him a favor.

Din had a problem. He was a problem. Growing up the way he had, with the losses he faced, he tended to be possessive of what he considered his own. Din liked to think over the years he had gotten good at reigning that behavior in. He didn’t shoot Vanth, after all. Still, that side of him didn’t hesitate in rearing it’s ugly head in moments like when he watched Cobb Vanth hold you for what he considered to be a second too long. It wasn’t until your arm slipped through his, a soft smile on your face, that he felt the logical side of him slip back into control.

Then, of course, it all went downhill when Vanth accidentally admitted the thing he had yet to tell you. Watching that smile fall off your features, feeling you try to slowly pull away, felt like he had taken blunt force trauma to the chest. It physically hurt and left a raw, aching wound and it only got worse as he watched you walk away. Din put the pain pretty high on the list of ones he experienced, and this was coming from someone who had a job that led him to be stabbed repeatedly.

“I am sorry about that, Mando.” Vanth spoke up.

“It’s not your fault.” Din straightened his posture and shook his head. “I should’ve told her ages ago. That’s on me.” Vanth had apologized to him multiple times during the walk from the tarmac to the station. He’d do so between asking questions about the town that Din was supposed to be giving him a better tour on. Din rested his elbows on knees. It dawned on him that there was a question he hadn’t asked in his distress. “How do you know her?”

Vanth crossed his arms. “It was a couple months after you left, actually. She got lost between Mos Eisley and Mos Espa.” Din’s eyes widened at the thought of you getting lost in that Maker forsaken desert. Vanth chuckled. “Her land speeder ran out of fuel. It was by pure chance I ran into her. She stayed in Mos Pelgo for a few days then I took her the rest of the way to Mos Espa. We stayed in touch though⏤ here and there.”

Briefly, Din wondered what his life would’ve looked like if the two of you had been in Mos Pelgo at the same time. It was a curious thought but he knew both of you had been different people at that time. Even if it, in the great scheme of things, wasn’t that long ago. Less than a year. Then again, as quickly as you had wormed your way in his heart he couldn’t imagine meeting you months ago would’ve been that different. Din sighed and stood, he grabbed a holopad off the desk remembering that despite his dilemma in breaking your heart today he still had work to do.

“Yeah.” Vanth hummed. “Little lady and I didn’t see each other often, but she’d visit me or I’d visit her for the occasional hook up.”

Din’s head snapped to glare at Vanth and, in an attempt to ensure his hands were free, he slammed the holopad back down onto the desk⏤ ignoring the tell tale sound of cracking glass. Vanth’s lips curled up into a mischievous grin and Din was half tempted to drag him back to the tarmac and ship his ass to Tatooine. Mayfeld burst into laughter and Din just shook his head.

“Sorry, brother.” Vanth chuckled. “I saw how up in arms you got out on the tarmac. Couldn’t help myself.”

“Hilarious.” Din replied.

Eventually, Mayfeld and Vanth wandered out so the newest temporary marshal could get acquainted with the town and meet Karga. It gave Din a couple of hours to work though he spent most of it internally spiraling over the moment your entire face fell. He hated that he had been the cause of that⏤ just because he had been too scared to fess up. His communicator began to go off and Din answered it.

“Hi, Marshal?” A woman’s voice said. Din confirmed who it was. “This is Ms. Wynn, I’m in charge of Grogu’s class. Everything's still fine, but class ended about twenty minutes ago and I haven’t seen you or Soran. Is everything alright?”

Din shoved up from his desk’s chair. “I’ll be right there.”

On his way out the door, he called Aayla at the clinic to see if you had just gotten caught up with a patient, but the woman claimed she hadn’t seen you since he took you out for lunch. The clinic had been quiet otherwise. Din’s stomach churned uncomfortably as he hurried to pick up his son. Were you alright? Or were you so upset that you refused to even care for Grogu? Din knew the moment that thought crossed his mind that he was wrong. Regardless of how upset you were with him, you’d never take it out on the little boy. Din just hoped you were okay.

You narrowed your eyes at Nima as she downed the last of her beer, “Is this all you’ve been doing all day? Drinking?”

“Well, I can’t work, so…” Nima shrugged. When she offered you a drink you had turned it down, technically still on shift as the physician, but she hadn’t stopped from drinking herself. You had come here to rant about Din, but as it turned out you both had plenty to complain about. For hours, you and her had sat on the back porch of her house . The last thirty minutes or so you were trying to pry information out of Nima about how she felt about the Cara situation, but the mechanic would simply shrug it away. You knew she was hurting more than she claimed though. “Do the skies look gross to you?”

“What?” You blurted and slumped down in your seat.

“The sky. It looks…icky.”

You peered up best you could, and in her defense icky was probably the best word. The day had started clear, but the sky now had a greenish tinge to it. It reminded you of the beginnings of a storm, but you couldn’t see any clouds. You leaned out further to look and by doing so it gave you a clear view of Nima’s kitchen through a side window where you saw a clock resting against her wall. 3:37. Dank farrik. You jumped up.

“Karking⏤ Grogu!” You panicked. Shit, shit, shit. “Stop drinking, Nima.”

She mumbled a confirmation that you didn’t firmly believe then started sprinting back to the center of town. You had never, ever been late to pick up Grogu before. Guilt gnawed at you imagining Grogu looking for you in a crowd of parents and not being able to find you. Maker, how could you lose track of time like that? You got to the school in record time to find that all the kids were gone. Ms. Wynn was cleaning up around a room and she said Din had come and picked him up about ten minutes ago.

As much as you wanted to avoid Din for a little while longer, you needed to see Grogu so you could apologize to him. On your way in you passed Mayfeld and Vanth who were standing in the lobby. They both raised their hands to greet you and you blew past them without preamble. You were a woman on a mission.

“Grogu?” You called out, searching the room. Faintly, you could hear Grogu calling back to you and he waddled into the room a second later. You breathed a sigh of relief and knelt down to scoop him up into a hug. “I’m so sorry, baby. I am so, so sorry.”

“No sorry.” Grogu hummed giving your cheek a small pat making you chuckle.

The sound of a throat clearing had you glancing up to see Din leaning against the doorway that would lead back to his office. You were in an odd position because you were still upset at him from leaving you in the dark, but you were also ashamed and embarrassed at missing Grogu’s pick up time.

“Hi.” You mumbled awkwardly.

“I’m sorry.” Din blurted. Your eyes narrowed. Was he not going to address the ‘you abandoned Grogu’ thing first? “I should’ve told you sooner that Grogu and I are going to Mandalore.”

You slowly stood up with the cooing child in your arms. “You and… You’re taking Grogu?? To Mandalore??” If he heard the rising anger in your voice, he didn’t show it. “The planet that, again, we don’t know is even habitable?”

“Of course. Where I go, he goes.” Din shrugged nonchalantly. You blinked once, and Din finally seemed to catch onto at least one of the thoughts you had. “I want you to go, but I can’t pull you away from Nevarro. Not when you just started working in the clinic, and if I did choose to leave Grogu here that would just be added stress for you.”

Right. Because worrying about Din and Grogu on some wasteland of a planet wasn’t a stress factor. You locked your jaw and let out a slow breath through your nose. The boy in your arms seemed to latch onto the tension faster than his father did based on the worried looks he was bouncing between the two of you. Finally, you found your voice, “I forgot Grogu at school. I lost track of time. I⏤”

“It was an accident, I know. I’m not mad.” Din said calmly.

He wasn’t mad. Din wasn’t mad, and somehow that made you even angrier. A part of you wondered if he was purposely not showing any anger in an attempt to keep you from being angry. One mistake for another mistake. Tit for tat. Maybe he was trying to make up for the fact that he knew he upset you, but you hated the calm demeanor he still seemed to carry. It occurred to you then, that you wanted him to be angry. You wanted to argue. The Mandalorian in front of you was the picture perfect example of composure and it pissed you off.

“You’re not angry.” You enunciated each word.

“Of course not, ner kar’ta.” Din shook his head. He drifted closer. “We should talk more about this trip⏤”

“Why?” You shrugged and pasted a large smile on your face. If he wanted to be composed then you’d be composed too. “I should check on the clinic one last time before heading home. I’ll take Grogu with me. Get as much time with him as I can before you boys go on your little adventure.”

Din shifted his weight from one foot to the other, a nervous tic you usually only saw at home, “Yeah. I might be late getting back. It looks like there might be a volcanic ash storm rolling in soon. Nevarro hasn’t seen one since before the guild left here.”

“No problem.” You said. “I’ll see you at home.”

Din began to take a step toward you, but you turned on your heel to leave with Grogu. You knew you were being petty, but right now you didn’t really care. If the two of you were playing mistake for mistake then this seemed fair too. You were petty to him and he didn’t tell you that he planned to leave you alone on this planet without him or Grogu. Tit for tat.

Din watched you leave with the sinking feeling that the interaction between the two of you had not gone well. Mayfeld stepped in with an incredulous look while Din continued to just stand with his arms crossed over his chest.

Mayfeld scoffed and motioned behind him, “How in the hell did you make it worse?”

Din mumbled a string of curses in every language he was familiar with and pushed past Mayfeld to leave. The man fell into step beside him. As much as he wanted to chase after you, he needed to help get the city prepped for the oncoming storm. Mayfeld, never able to take a hint, shook his head, “I mean, geez Mando. How is it you can string up a quarry in seconds, but can’t figure out how to apologize to a woman?”

“Where is Vanth?” Din asked, ignoring Mayfeld’s own line of questioning.

“Walking your girl to the clinic then home.”

Din locked his jaw. That was good to hear. He wanted to be the one to walk you and his son back to the safety of your shared home, but considering the circumstance he was just glad you weren’t alone. Din ordered Mayfeld to take the eastern side of the city and warn all citizens to bring in or tie down their outdoor belongings while he took the west.

He didn’t get it. Had you wanted him to be angry at you? Din was a little peeved, it’d be a lie to say that he wasn’t. He had to leave work to pick up Grogu despite you taking on that responsibility this morning. Since starting at the clinic, you and him had taken turns, but Din liked to know beforehand so he wasn’t just up and leaving the station. If an emergency happened, where you were needed with a patient, that was more than understandable, but that hadn’t been the case. You had just lost track of time. A very human mistake to make, and honestly it was your first when it came to Grogu. So, yes, Din was a little peeved, but he wasn’t angry.

Din pushed it out of mind. You knew the truth, and he could better explain himself tonight when he got home. Right now, he needed to focus on the task at hand.

According to Karga, the volcanic ash storms were quick but deadly. The closest volcano would spew out a hot and devastating breath of ash. It’d roll over the city, blanketing everything in darkness, but it usually was blown away and gone in a matter of hours. Din had heard plenty about them, but they had never occurred while he was planet side. As long as there was proper prep to begin with then it should be a smooth transition. Karga, ever the planner, had built the city buildings with proper metal shields to roll down over windows and doors in the case of a storm. Everybody would stay indoors for a half a day, and then they’d spend the rest cleaning up.

Din wondered if his helmet was equipped to withstand the ash. It should be. The beskar and his flight suit would keep the hot ash from burning his skin, and if his helmet worked correctly then the filter should keep out most of the dangerous ash. He only wondered in case he needed to venture out to save a citizen or two. They were making the rounds to tell everyone that staying indoors was an order, but Din knew with his luck one or two people would ignore the warning.

It took hours to ensure the entire city was ready to be locked down and make sure that Vanth found his place and that it worked for the man. Din had simply housed him in Cara’s old place. It was still furnished and it wasn’t like Vanth needed anything permanent. The storm was still being estimated at being 24 or 36 hours out. It would give Din, Mayfeld, and Vanth time in the morning and afternoon to run through the city once more for final checks.

“Hey,” Din called out as he stepped into the house with a sigh. When he rounded the corner he noted that you were in the kitchen alone and cleaning up. He glanced around, “Grogu?”

“Bathed and in bed.” You replied without missing a beat. “It’s late.”

“Yeah, sorry, getting the city prepped took longer than I thought it would.” Din groaned. “How was⏤”

“I have leftover dinner for you.” You interrupted him and motioned to the stove. “But I figure you’ll want to clean up first.”

Din nodded in relief, “Thank you.” You gave him a tight nod, a smile that didn’t reach your eyes painted your lips, and he paused before heading back to the shower. “Hey, you’re not going to bed are you? I wanted to talk.”

“I’m not going to bed.” You shook your head.

“Good.” Din turned and hurried off. From the moment Vanth let slip that he was leaving, Din had been craving to sit down next to you and explain everything. He wanted to take your hand in his and reassure you that everything was going to be okay, they wouldn't be gone long, and it killed him to leave you behind. Din wanted to explain that he was leaving to find redemption and revenge. Though, he wasn’t quite sure how you’d handle that information.

As Din washed the day off of him, he wondered how you’d feel about that? If he told you the absolute truth that he planned to find redemption in part so he could court you. If he told you that he planned on tracking down Daelar to rip the man’s throat out. He wasn’t positive how you’d handle either fact, but he was positive that he needed to tell you. Din was human, he made mistakes, but he made it a mission in life to not make the same mistake twice.

After getting dressed, Din carried all his armor, sans his helmet, into the room to set aside. He paused long enough to check in on Grogu and tuck the blanket thrown haphazardly around the hammock around the boy’s small body. “Nuhoy morut'yc, adi’ka.” Din readjusted the stuffed frog in Grogu’s hammock with a smile and left the room as quietly as possible. A nervous energy settled along his skin and he rolled his shoulders once, “Ner kar’ta?”

The kitchen was empty and Din titled his head in confusion at the finding. His eyes landed on a plate of food waiting for him on the island counter and drifted closer. Sitting beside the plate was a small note with the most passive aggressive of all smiley faces he had seen drawn.

‘Went out with Nima. Don’t wait up’.

Din aggressively tore his helmet off and the only thing that kept him from slamming it onto the counter was the knowledge that the sound would wake up Grogu. His nervous energy melted into irritation. Sure, he hadn’t clarified that he wanted to talk when he asked if you were going to bed, but Din knew his intentions had been clear. That’s why you had deliberately answered his question in such a specific manner. His hands clenched and unclenched as he took a slow and steadying breath.

He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t. Din repeated this under his breath in an attempt to convince himself of it.

It was funny. The last time you sat in this cantina with Nima, in these exact chairs, the two of you had also been talking about Din. The subject last time was how awkward it was to tiptoe around him in his own home. Mashal Daddy, is what Nima had called him last time.

“Marshal Dickhead.” Nima scoffed before taking the shot in front of her. She pushed your shot glass closer to you and you tossed it back as well. The liquid burned the entire way down and you grimaced. It had been ages since you drank to this degree⏤ you were a light weight now. “That’s what he is.”

You shook your head. “No, he isn’t.”

“Okay, I need you to work on your shit talk.” Nima pointed at you. “Defending the person you’re complaining about is kind of redundant.”

You tapped your glass and the bartender wandered back over to pour the both of you another shot which you took without hesitation. Nima tried to get them to pour another, but you shook your head and ordered two mixed drinks instead. At least those had something other than straight liquor in it.

“I’m pissed at him, but I don’t wanna shit talk him.” You replied.

“Then what do you want to do?”

“I don’t know.” You sighed. “I want to fight.” Nima gave you a questionable look and you shook your head. “Not physically. Maker, I don’t have a death wish.” Picking to tussle with a Mandalorian could possibly be the stupidest choice in the galaxy. “But I want to argue with him.”

Nima narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

“Because I⏤ I⏤” Your words got caught in your throat and you tried to wash it down with a large swig of your drink, to no avail. It was dumb to want to argue, wasn’t it? Couples tried to avoid that. Not that the two of you were an official couple. You groaned and buried your face into your hands⏤ already feeling dizzy from the drinks. You wanted him to be upset with you, to feel comfortable enough around you to show that he was upset. Up until now, the two of you hadn’t had any real arguments. Sure, there were little tiffs here and there about nothing important, and it typically always ended with Din conceding the point with a shrug. Despite what most people seemed to think, you knew that towering wall of beskar had emotions. He had a lot of kriffing emotions, and you wanted to see all of them. Even the negative ones.

“I think I get it. The ‘wanting to argue’ thing.” Nima said softly. You lifted your head to look at her and she gave you a small smile. The Twi’lek reached out to set her hand on your shoulder with a comforting squeeze. “You want to have hot, angry make-up sex.”

Despite the sullen thoughts weighing you down, her words made a loud laugh slip from your lips. Nima look affronted that you were laughing at her theory, but you just shook your head and let the laughter die down to chuckles.

“I was serious.”

“I know you were. That’s why it’s funny.” You replied and took another sip of your drink. “But, I think I want to have not angry sex with him before I go for the other stuff.”

Nima’s eyes widened, “Wait, you guys haven’t⏤” You shook your head. “What the kriff are you waiting for!?”

“I don’t know.” You admitted. It was a fair question. “I think we’re going slow.”

“But, why?” Nima replied. “It’s obvious the two of you wanna jump each other’s bones. Half the city thinks you’re already married to him.”

You furrowed your brow, “Yeah, why is that? I get that the evidence stacked against us is damning, but to just assume we’re married?”

“Oh, I’ve been telling everyone the two of you are married.” Nima replied.

“What? Why??”

“I don’t know.” Nima shrugged. “Seemed fun. Figure it’ll be true one day.”

You scoffed, “Well, it won’t be if he disappears on the cursed world of Mandalore.”

The words fell out of your lips with more pain than you meant to convey. Nima’s face fell and you lifted your drink to knock back the rest of it. That was a possibility, wasn’t it? Din and Grogu leave you to never return. Then what? You live in the house you shared with them alone? Listening to the ghostly echoes of where they used to be?

“Shots.” Nima called out to the bartender. “We need more shots.”

The two of you were four more shots in when a familiar face wandered toward you. Vanth leaned against the bar on your other side with a smile that you could tell was concerned. “Hey there, ladies.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy!” Nima drunkenly lifted herself from her seat, nearly toppling over, and pointed at Vanth. “We aren’t interested. She’s married,” Nima pointed to you then pointed back to herself, “And I like pussy.”

Vanth’s eyes widened and you dragged her back down into her seat. “First, stop telling people I’m married. Second, stop announcing to the bar that you like pussy. And, third,” You motioned for Vanth to take a seat beside you which he did, “This is Cobb Vanth. He’s a friend from Tatooine and the replacement Marshal while Di⏤ Mando is gone.”

In your own tipsy stupor, you had nearly said Din’s name aloud. Luckily, Nima was too gone to notice and Vanth didn’t seem to care. He leaned over to over his hand in greeting. “It’s nice to meet you…?”

“Nima.” She replied curtly and held her hand out like a queen offering it to a peasant. You rolled your eyes, but Vanth just changed the position of his own hand to take hers with a small shake.

“Nima.” Vanth said. “Can I buy you two drinks?”

“I insist you do.” Nima nodded and pulled her hand away.

You chuckled with a shake of your head and tossed back the rest of the one in front of you so Vanth could get you a fresh one. Nima was babbling about something mechanical that you couldn’t follow along with and directing her words to anyone who glanced her way.

“I’ve already apologized to Mando, but I feel like I owe you an apology too.” Vanth said. “I’m sorry about what happened on the tarmac.”

You snorted. “It wasn’t your fault for assuming Mando wasn’t keeping secrets.”

“I don’t know if I’d call it a secret.” Vanth shrugged, catching the bartender’s eye and holding up three fingers. He turned back to you. “I think the poor guy was just scared.”

“Mandalorians don’t feel fear.” Nima blurted out from behind you, apparently a part of the conversation now.

You shook your head. “I don’t care if he was scared as long as he tells me that he is.”

“Fair request.” Vanth shrugged. The drinks were brought over and you took a small sip of yours. The tipsy buzz floating in your skull was slowly shifting to just plain drunk, and a sadness crept in alongside it. You suddenly wished you were at home curled in bed⏤ curled in his bed. Listening to the soft snores of both him and Grogu. “So,” Vanth’s voice snapped you out of Din’s dark and safe room and back into the noisy cantina, “Where does that leave the two of you?”

“She’s dropping his ass.” Nima barked.

“Nima⏤” You whirled on her.

“You don’t need him! He’s abandoning you!” Nima cried and you took in the way her lower lip quivered for just a moment. “We don’t need either of them! They can⏤ They can go explore the kriffing galaxy or join the New Republic’s special forces team or whatever it is they want to do! We don’t care. We’re better than that. We don’t need them.” She turned and shook her head before taking a large sip of her drink. “I’m better off without her.”

You reached out, wordlessly, and pulled her hand away from the glass so you could hold it. Nima tangled her fingers with yours and squeezed once⏤ hers eyes glistening with unshed tears. You knew she had taken Cara’s departure worse than she wanted to admit. Nima was right. She didn’t need Cara. Nima was strong and beautiful and smart and incredible. Cara had been a friend but she had also been a bump in the road. She left selfishly when Nima needed her most, but Nima was going to rise above it. However, she had been wrong about you.

You did need Din. That’s why the thought of him leaving Nevarro was so jarring and painful. Coming here had been a way to escape your past and hide out, but you had never expected to find someone who would grow to be so important. Honestly, it was a bit scary if you thought about it for too long, but the truth was that you needed Din in your life. Him and Grogu. Without them, you’d have a gaping hole in your heart and you weren’t sure there was anything else in the universe that could fill that. Din hadn’t fully explained his reasoning, you hadn’t given him the chance, but you knew he wasn’t leaving you. Nima had been blindsided by Cara and left with nothing. Maybe it would’ve taken him forever, but Din wouldn’t leave without saying good-bye and you knew⏤ deep, deep down⏤ that he’d fight tooth and nail to return to you.

“I’m sorry to ruin your night, Vanth.” You said, “But I think we’re gonna call it quits.”

“Don’t be silly.” Vanth shook his head. He tossed back his drink before rising himself. “I’ll walk you ladies home.”

You gave him a thankful smile knowing you were in no state to navigate to Nima’s house in the dark, put her to rest, then find your way back home yourself. Vanth chose to help Nima walk considering you had at least a little better control over your legs. The three of you stumbled out of the cantina into the warm night air⏤ it was time to go home.

Din didn’t have the time to put all his armor on, it was nearing one in the morning when his communicator went off, so he had simply thrown on the upper half of his flight suit, gloves, and boots. It left him in one of the more ridiculous outfits he wore considering his sweatpants did not match any item he adorned, but he just needed to get the door.

When he swung it open, Vanth stood on his porch with you in his arms sleeping soundly. He nodded toward your figure, “She was wide awake when we dropped off her friend, and was doing decent on the way here, but by time I reached the end of you street she was dozing off on her feet.”

“Thank you.” Din mumbled. He was quick to step forward and take you into his arms⏤ not enjoying the way you were snuggled into Vanth. Though he did appreciate the man bringing you home. “I really do appreciate this.” You shifted so you could bury your head into the crook of his neck and Din sighed. “Was she… How was she when you found her at the cantina?”

Vanth didn’t answer at first. He stared at Din for what felt like a long moment before looking at you then back to him again. Vanth chuckled, “I know I’m new to town, brother, so take this with a grain of salt.” He shook his head. “But it’s obvious she cares about you as much as you care about her. A fight now and then is normal, but don’t let it go on for too long. You don’t get time wasted back.”

“Thanks for the tip.” Din mumbled.

Vanth gave him a quick nod before turning on his heel and leaving. Din shut the front door with his foot and carried you through the quiet house until he reached your room. The thought that you spent the night drinking until you were too inebriated to get home yourself bothered him more than he wanted to admit. You were a grown woman who could do what you wanted, but you had gone to specifically avoid talking to him. He found that incredibly annoying.

It was like you were purposefully trying to rile him into lashing out, and that’s the last thing Din wanted to do. Din had a temper, but back during his bounty hunting years that was easily handled. He’d get angry, he’d go hunt a quarry and burn that emotion right out of himself. Now, he was in a setting where he didn’t have an outlet and he worked hard to keep that temper under wraps. Din had lashed out at Karga a time or two since his arrival, but that was expected and Karga was no stranger to his anger.

Din settled you on your bed and began to carefully take off your boots followed by your socks and pants. He kept his gaze off your lower half as his only goal was to make you more comfortable. He stood and pulled your covers up to tuck you in. Din paused for a moment before pulling his helmet off and tucking it under one arm. He ran a hand through his messy hair and sighed. Maker, you were driving him up the wall. You had no idea the kind of fire you were playing with. It’s not like you were in danger, Din would tear his own heart out before hurting you, but he didn’t want to yell at you.

“Ni aalar sha yaim ti gar.” Din sighed aloud. A reminder. He leaned forward to press his lips against your temple. Din would not lose his temper with you because he could not afford to lose you. He turned off your automatic alarm sitting on the night stand by the bed and wished you the same farewell he had to Grogu earlier in the night. “Nuhoy morut’yc, ner kar’ta.”

The headache you woke up with was nasty, and you swore in that moment to never drink again. Probably a fruitless promise to yourself, and not the first time you had claimed it, but right now you were miserable. You groaned and rubbed your face in your pillow before sitting up with a grunt. There was a weird amount of sunlight in your room and not just in ‘my poor hungover eyes are overly sensitive’ kind of way. You rubbed your face, glancing around, and it was then you realized the alarm sitting by your bed was off.

“Shit.” You breathed and jumped out of bed. The sheets tangled around your lower leg and you hit the floor with a curse. First you forgot to pick Grogu up from school and now you’d be late to taking him to school. Maker, you were so stupid. As reliving as it had been to drink and talk to Nima last night, it hadn’t been worth it for this. The speed in which you got dressed was startling and you burst into Din’s room to find it empty.

Your hungover brain realized much too late that this could’ve been bad if Din were in here with his helmet off. “Grogu??” You hurried out of the room and into the hall. When you stepped into the kitchen you were met with the smell of food and the sound of babbling. Grogu sat in his high chair eating with his father right beside him dressed and ready for work. “Grogu.”

“Ma!” Grogu greeted briefly before diving back into his food.

Din turned to stare at you and you rubbed your face in embarrassment, “I’m sorry. I don’t know why my alarm wasn’t on.”

“I turned it off.” Din shrugged. “Vanth brought you home late. Figured you needed to sleep in.” Din rose from his seat and began to try and clean Grogu up from the mess he had made of breakfast. “You’re fine. I can take Grogu to school this morning.”

“What?” You gaped in disbelief.

“What?” Din echoed.

“You hired me to take care of Grogu while you worked and I am failing at that right now.” You spat.

Din scoffed. “Failing is a bit dramatic. You made a mistake. It happens.”

“I show up passed out from drinking on a work night, and your response was to tuck me in and turn off my alarm??” You said as your voice began to raise. “Seriously??”

“Wasn’t a work night.” Din replied calmly. “I wasn’t on schedule.”

You groaned in frustration, “That’s not the damn point, Din!”

“Then what is the point?”

“The point is you’re supposed to be upset! You’re supposed to be angry!” You snapped. Grogu cooed nervously from his seat and you bit back as much of your anger as you could. “It’s a normal human response. Why can’t you just admit that you’re angry at me!?”

Din set his hands on his hips and shook his head. “Why do you want me to be angry at you so badly?”

“Because I want you to be human around me!” You snapped.

Din stiffened, and as much as you hated the way you worded that, you thought maybe it would be the line that pushed him over the edge. Instead, he just gave you a tight shrug. “Sorry. I didn’t realize I wasn’t being human around you.”

“Really?” You laughed in broken disbelief. “You’re not even going to react to that shitty thing I just said?” Din remained silent. “Whatever. I’m taking Grogu to school.”

“You don’t have to do that⏤”

“Actually, I do.” You replied sharply and scooped the boy up from the chair. Grogu reached up to set a hand on your face and you sighed⏤ momentarily finding peace. When your gaze lifted up to spot Din once more the peace fell away. “It’s my job. Remember? Might as well do what I was hired to do while Grogu is still in Nevarro.”

Din didn’t respond. He stood stock still. Enough so that a stranger could walk in and confuse him for a droid. On your way out, you scooped up Grogu’s bag by the door and hurried out. There was a sharp, acidic tang in the air that greeted you and you flinched at the smell. The sky was uglier than it had been yesterday, but you were already late so you pressed on.

The entire rushed walk to school, you spent it apologizing to Grogu for yelling at his father in front of him. You shouldn’t have lost your temper in front of the child. As if he understood the situation entirely, Grogu babbled along with you and continued to give your face small pats of reassurance. Right outside of the school, Ms. Wynn stuck her head out to greet you.

“Hey, Wynn. I am so sorry about yesterday and for being late this⏤”

“Hurry, get in.” She grasped you by the wrist and tugged you inside. She shut the door tightly behind you and you glanced around the room to see all the children being kept busy by the other school workers. You gave Ms. Wynn a confused look and she sighed. “The storm is coming sooner than everyone thought. The watch people are estimating it to hit city center in the next twenty minutes or so. You can’t be outside.”

You shrugged, “I can get to clinic in fifteen.”

Grogu wiggled and whined in your arms so you set him down so he could run off to play with his friends. Ms. Wynn shook her head. “No. It’s not worth the risk. Volcanic ash storms are incredibly dangerous. The entire city is locking up right now.” You still thought you’d be able to make it, but before you could argue further your communicator began to beep. “I’ll let you take that. I need to start class.”

You nodded and watched her walk off before activating your communicator. “Hello⏤”

“Ner kar’ta?” Din’s voice crackled to life⏤ panic evident. “Where are you and Grogu??”

“At school. Wynn just locked us in for the storm.”

“Good.” You heard Din breathe out a breath of relief. “Just stay there until the storm passes. It should be over by this evening.” There was an awkward pause of silence before he cleared his throat. “If you need anything, call me. Please.”

“I will.” You replied. Then added, “You’ll be safe at home, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” You hummed. “I’ll, uh, talk to you later.”

The call ended miserably and you wandered to the side of the room where you could drop into a chair. The good news was you wouldn’t have to worry about Grogu like some parents probably worried about their kids. Minutes later, the sound of strong wind and debris rattled the metal sheet covering the window you sat by. It made you jump in alarm and you silently thanked Wynn for stopping you.

That had come much sooner than twenty minutes.

You had to applaud Ms. Wynn and the other workers for their tenacity. The storm outside sounded miserable and terrifying, but the kids seemed nonplussed by it with the way the teachers distracted them. Around the end of the first hour, Aayla contacted you to ask about a few people who had wandered out into the storm and then stumbled into the clinic. Most of the injuries had been superficial⏤ the exposure short term as they came from nearby buildings. You walked her through how to mix some paste for burns.

It was during the second hour that the patients got too complicated for Aayla.

“I don’t know what to do, Doc.” Aayla’s voice shook. “I keep having him use his inhaler, but after a few minutes he ends up needing it again.”

“I’m worried he’s scorched his lungs. His asthma making it that much worse.”

“Do I mix a paste? Or⏤ Or make a solution?”

You sank in your seat. It was a solution that needed to be made, which you trusted Aayla to do, but that fluid then needed to be aerosolized. That way the patient could breathe it right into his lungs. Working with the machine that did so was tricky and even you weren’t the best at it. You hated the idea of getting Aayla to attempt it only to make a mistake and take on that guilt herself. She was still new to medicine. That kind of guilt shouldn’t be weighed on her conscience considering she hadn’t been trained for this.

“What’s his oxygen status right now?” You asked.

“It’s in the mid-80s and that’s with an oxygen mask on.”

Dank farrik. He might not make it to the end of this storm. The patient could crash much sooner than that. You gave Aayla a few orders to keep the man stable then pushed to stand. You caught Wynn’s attention and the woman drifted closer after helping a child with a small task. She gave you a warm smile, and you returned a skeptical one.

“Hi. So, I need a jacket, scarf, and some sunglasses.”

Wynn warned you against your idea, but you were dead set. You had no choice. So, ignoring her advice, you pressed on. You soaked the scarf in cold water then wrapped it a few times around your mouth and nose to use as a makeshift filter. The glasses would hopefully at least protect your eyes a little, and the jacket was to cover up the remainder of your skin. You were thankful you hadn’t worn shorts today.

You had traveled to the back door to leave that way none of the ash would slip into the same room as the kids. It would take you 15 minutes to get to the clinic. It was now or never, you supposed.

Din was furious. His temper running hotter than the volcanic ash whipping around him. As it turned out, his helmet would keep out the dangerous conditions surrounding him. Grogu’s teacher had reached out to him to let him know that you had traveled out into the storm to reach a patient. She had done so to ensure that someone else was aware of the situation. Din had thanked her before rushing out himself.

He asked one thing of you today. One.

He just wanted you to stay inside the kriffing school with Grogu. It wasn’t asking a lot considering the literal fire and ash raining outside. It was common sense for someone to stay inside. Din was literally just asking you to follow common human survival instincts, yet you still left. You left, not protected in beskar as he was, but rather dressed in a wet scarf and jacket. As if that was going to help a karking thing.

Din tried to hail you over the communicator but it never got through. He told himself it was because of the storm. If even a little ash got into the communicator it’d glitch. That had to be it. Din refused to believe anything could have happened to you. Still, fear mingled with his rage, but he chose to ignore that for the time being.

Black and gray wind swirled around him, whipping his cloak in every direction, as flickers of burning ash drifted in the air. It was so thick that he could barely see a few feet in front of him. If he wasn’t careful, he could step right over you on accident and not even know it. The thick ash was beginning to settle on the ground in thick piles like the snow of Hoth. When he reached the clinic doors, he saw the metal shutters were down. Din didn’t hesitate to slam his hand against the metal as hard as he could.

If nobody opened the door soon he’d break through the shutters. Sure, ash would collect in the clinic lobby, but he’d deal with that problem later. Luckily for everyone, the shudders cracked open and Din quickly slipped through. Miriam, the new girl, had opened the door for him. Din didn’t mean to blow her off, but he sped past her. She was clever enough to open the second set of doors without him having to have asked.

Inside the room, were a few people sitting on the cots or against the wall with a pink paste rubbed into splotches on their skin. Aayla stood in front of an older man who was struggling to breathe. A nebulizer, the same kind of machine that blasted a mist of medicine for Grogu, was being held up in front of his mouth.

“Where the kriff is she?” Din snapped.

Aayla nervously stiffened in place. She pointed out of the room, “There’s a small break room down the hall. She’s⏤She’s in there.” Din spun to leave, but Aalya called out to him. He nearly ignored her until she spoke again. “I think she’s more injured than she lets on. There’s some leftover pink paste from the last batch for her skin burns. Right now, she’s using the other nebulizer.”

Din huffed out a small thanks before snatching the jar off a side table and following her instructions out of the room. He wasn’t familiar with the back halls of the clinic, but he didn’t need any more clues to find you. Halfway down the hall he could hear a barking cough. Din picked up his pace then threw the break room door open hard enough that it slammed into the wall.

You startled where you were sitting at a table with a nebulizer mask held in front of your face. Your eyes widened in surprise and you opened your mouth to begin to say his name only for you to begin coughing violently. Just for a moment, his anger subsided. Din hurried over and set a hand on your shoulder to evaluate your injuries.

“Injuries. What’s wrong?”

“Just⏤ Just some burns.” Your voice was hoarse. “Worst of it⏤,” You began to cough again, “Lungs. In my lungs. Medicine will help.”

You took a few more deep breaths of the nebulizer and Din let his eyes trace your exposed skin. There were patches of mildly burned skin on your hands and on your forehead and upper cheeks. The pattern made it clear to see the shape of the sunglasses you had worn. Din tore off his glove and threw it aside rougher than he intended. Your eyes widened but you didn’t say anything. Din dug his fingers into the paste and began to rub it over every single burn he could see on you⏤ no matter how small.

When he was appeased that he got every single injury, Din shoved the jar aside angrily and huffed, “Are you out of your damn mind?”

“No.” You replied. Your voice already sounding better. “It’s not like I had a choice.”

“Excuse me?” Din narrowed his eyes at you.

“I had a patient who needed me.” You shrugged. Then, you had the audacity to roll your eyes and mutter under your breath, “Just relax, Din.”

Din pushed to stand so fast that the chair he sat in went sprawling back and you jumped at the sound. He set his hands on the table and leaned toward you. “Relax? Did you just tell me to kriffing relax??” You stared at him silently, and Din took a step back with a shake of his head. He scoffed. “Relax.” Din felt his blood boiling under his skin. “Bic ni skana'din.”

“Din⏤”

“No.” Din snapped. “You’re going to sit there, and you’re going to listen to me.” He leaned in once more. “You wanted me angry? Well, now I’m angry! Dank farrik! What the kriff were you thinking!? I told you to stay in the school. I made myself very clear.” He slammed a hand down onto the table in frustration. “Do you realize how badly that could’ve ended?!”

You set down the nebulizer mask, “Din, I had to⏤”

He reached out to snatch the mask from the table where you set it and forced it back into your hand. Din shoved your hand up so it was holding the mask by your mouth once more. “No, you didn’t. Those patients look fine in there.”

“The old man wasn’t.” You snapped back with a glare of your own. “He might not have made it till the end of the storm.”

“Was there a chance he could’ve?”

“I mean, I guess, but there was just as equal of a chance that he wouldn’t. I⏤”

“Then that’s the risk that gets made.” Din yelled. “You don’t risk your life like that ever again. Do you hear me!?”

“I’m a physician!” You cried. “What would you have me do, Din? Risk him dying⏤”

“Yes.” Din reached out and wrapped his hand gently on the side of your face. Din was breathing hard, his rage making him shake, but he kept his touch soft as he forced you to face him. “That’s exactly what I would have you do. I don’t give two shits about him, but you I can’t live without, ner kar’ta. Is that not clear to you!?”

You shook your head. “You don’t mean that. You wouldn’t risk him dying.”

“Wouldn’t I?” Din let out a harsh laugh. He wouldn’t risk one of the citizens of his city dying. In your shoes, he probably would’ve done the same thing⏤ but that wasn’t the point. Din sucked in a sharp breath trying to get back to the point he was making. “If I tell you to stay put, in order to keep you safe, you will listen to me. Do you understand?” Your eyebrows furrowed deeper and Din understood the immediate distaste for his words, but he didn’t care. “I said, do you kriffing understand?”

The nebulizer stopped on it’s own and you tossed aside the mask before standing up with a scoff, “I understand, but I’m not promising you I won’t do the exact same thing again.” You tried to walk around the table, out of his reach, but Din mirrored your movements and met you on the other side to block you in. You shook your head. “This is my job. Helping people is what I do. I’m not going to put people at risk just because you don’t trust me to be competent enough to succeed.”

Maker, you were the most frustrating woman⏤ Din’s hands found his hips as he leaned into your space. “You think it’s a trust thing?” He barked out an angry laugh. “All it takes is one mistake, one miscalculated step, and that’s it. It’s not about competence or about trust. It’s about gambling, and I’m not going to let you gamble your life away for a stranger.”

“As if you’ve never gambled your life for a stranger before?? I highly doubt that.” You spat. “Din, you’re a good man and if you think⏤”

“No.”

You narrowed your eyes. “What?”

“I said, no. I’m not.” Din said through clenched teeth. You were going to be the death of him. He was vibrating with frustration. Fear grabbed control of him at the realization that this was who you were. You were good, to your core, and this was going to keep happening. It was clear on your face that you didn’t believe his words. You weren’t getting this, and Din wasn’t good enough with words to get you to. Resolution settled in his mind, determination, and his next words came out in a low growl. “Close your eyes.”

You blinked almost owlishly. “Huh?”

“Close your eyes, ner kar’ta.” Din demanded, his hands traveling to his helmet without pause. Your eyes widened in alarm before shutting tight. It scrunched your features up. Din tore his helmet off and slammed it onto the table before closing the space between the two of you.

Din had never kissed someone before, which seemed ridiculous considering the other acts he had performed, but the idea of it seemed easy enough. His hands found your jaw and he tilted your head up enough that he could press his lips firmly against yours. Din held them there until he felt your entire body slowly relax. He pulled back just a bit and opened his eyes to see your features had softened though your eyes remained closed. Din’s nose brushed against yours, unable to bring himself to pull away from you any further. He mumbled the next words out, exhausted, but tightened his grip around your face in hopes to get his message across loud and clear, “I am not a good man. I’m a selfish man, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do⏤ no line I wouldn’t cross⏤ to keep you and Grogu safe.” Din leaned his forehead against yours and sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I kissed you without asking permission. I just… Ner kar’ta, I cannot lose you and I didn’t know how to…”

“It’s okay.” You mumbled. “I‘ll forgive you on one condition.”

“And that is?”

“Kiss me again.” You breathed. You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling yourself up to your toes, and Din didn’t hesitate to meet you halfway. His lips pressed against yours once more, but this time it wasn't so simple. It was messy, for lack of a better word. Your lips moved against his, furiously, and Din mimicked every action. It was as if the anger of your argument had shifted and transformed into this moment right here. Teeth clashing against teeth, tongue pressing against tongue. The kiss was desperate and felt like a battle. You versus him in a competition to devour the other, and Din was never one to back away from a challenge.

He hooked his arms under your legs, lifting and turning, so he could set you on the table. Din’s hands shoved aside the nebulizer machine that sat in the way and he heard the device clatter against the tile floor. He’d buy the clinic a new one. Din pressed into you forcing you to either catch yourself by reaching back or continue clinging to him. You chose to keep your arms around his neck, wrapping around even tighter, and Din had to readjust and wrap his arms around your waist to keep you both from collapsing onto the table.

Din took a chance by nipping on your lower lip and the moan that left you was the perfect reward. He licked into your open mouth, a similar action you had done to him, and it deepened the kiss once more. Finally, breathlessly, Din was forced to pull back just enough to get air. You were panting as well⏤ the only sound in the room being the heavy breaths you shared between one another and the howling storm outside.

“I’m sorry I forgot to pick up Grogu.” You said and the disappointment in your whispered words made his chest ache. “I’m sorry I left last night instead of staying to talk. I’m sorry for yelling at you this morning.”

“No, I’m sorry.” Din replied. “All of this could’ve been avoided if I had just told you about Mandalore. I also promise to get more angry at you if you promise it’ll always end like this.” The soft, breathy laugh that left your lips was like a reassuring melody. You were safe. You were in his arms. You were okay. Din let out a breath of relief. “Ner kar’ta…”

You tilted your mouth against his to let a soft kiss linger against his. The exact opposite of the kind of kiss the two of you had shared. You sighed, “Why did it have to come to this? Why wouldn't you just admit you were upset with me?”

“I… I was worried about scaring you away if I lost my temper.” He admitted. “Things felt so good between us, so perfect, I didn’t want to ruin it.”

“Telling me how you really feel is never going to ruin anything, Din. I want that. I want to know what you’re thinking.” You replied. “Fighting isn’t always a bad thing.”

Din pressed his lips softly against yours once⏤ twice⏤ three times. “I can see that.” Maker, maybe taking his helmet off was a bad idea. After getting to feel your lips against his it was going to be twice as difficult to maintain his control. “I need to put my helmet back on, ner kar’ta.”

You chuckled and set a soft kiss against his cheek before releasing him. Din took one more second to stare at you, unhindered by his visor, and he loved the way your lips were swollen from his. He grabbed his helmet and tugged it back on. When it was back in place he let you know. It was cute the way you peeked out of only one eye, just in case, before letting both open.

“I think I’m ready to talk about Mandalore now.” You shrugged. “Unless, you have something better to talk about?”

Din chuckled and gave you a small shrug. “We can talk about how you were my first kiss, if you’d like.”

“I am?” Your eyes widened. “Seriously?” He nervously gave you a small nod⏤ face burning under his helmet. “Oh man, I am so sorry. If I had know I would’ve⏤ would’ve⏤ I don’t know. Been gentler?” Din laughed at the concern drawn all over your face. Your lips twitched up but you gave him a small shove. “I’m serious! Maker, I was basically going for your tonsils…”

Din lifted a hand to hold your chin. “I’m not complaining.” He leaned his cold forehead against yours. “And by the way, I am proud of you. I’m so proud of everything you do. I… Can you promise to at least call me before you do something risky?”

“Yeah.” You nodded. “I can promise that.”

Din would take the victory where he could.

mando'a translations:

Nuhoy morut'yc, adi’ka

Sleep safe, little one.

Ni aalar sha yaim ti gar

I feel at home with you.

Nuhoy morut’yc, ner kar’ta.

Sleep safe, my heart.

Bic ni skana'din.

Expression of being angry or repelled, i.e. ‘that really ticks me off’

@aheadfullofsteverogers @yyiikes @kneelforloki @c-ms1ut @sgt-morgan @luthienaliceisilra @fawn-kitten @missbabyjay @coldlamaspersonspy @dilfsaremyfavourite @jamesbuckybarnes @yorkeylover @teawrites01 @emily-roberts @djarinxore @impala1967666 @shelbyteller @faithrenner @dindjarindude @dankfarrick29 @rh1nestonecowg1rl @garbo-lesbo @anythingforattention @tearfulsolace @onceinamando @catharinaroxastovaova @uwu-i-purple-youu @modiddys-blog @harriedandharassedd @stagerightlauren @mini-bees @xxinvisblexx @adoringanakin @sagegreensensei @spidey-3 @sydney-1209 @thepascalofus @hrtsforpascal

#the mandalorian #din djarin #din djarin x you #din djarin x reader #mando #mando x reader #mando x you #mandalorian fanfic #mandalorian x you #mandalorian x reader #female reader #reader insert #angst #angst then comfort

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loupy-mongoose · 2 months

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I wanna try something else this year. This time something I've wanted to do since before I joined Tumblr.

Heads Up: This post is explicitly Christian in nature, and the following reflects my belief as such. If that sounds like something you'd rather skip, feel free!

And if you disagree with my beliefs, that's fine too, but I'm not up to arguing. So please don't get on my case. I reserve the right to block as I see fit. That doesn't mean I'll automatically do it, but just know that it's a possibility! (Look, I'm just nervous and trying to cover my butt. X3)

I kinda want to try posting more Christian stuff--after all, I am a follower of Christ, and I never meant for that to be a hidden fact about myself. Before anyone asks, no, I'm not gonna hate on or condemn anyone, or push anyone to believe as I do because of it! That's not my job. My job is to be the Lord's loving hand to people. You all do you, and let me do me, and I'll do my best to do it in love! (However, I am human, and may mess up sometimes, as we all do.) It's intimidating to post Christian stuff publicly, not so much for fear of people getting at me, but because I feel inept at it, for a few different reasons. I guess my fear isn't the haters, but the ones who want to know more. X3

But I wasn't meant to just stay silent.

I want to live in love, but I also want to make known Who that love comes from.

Anyway, I've had this idea to do a "Worship Wednesday", where I post a Contemporary Christian song every Wednesday (or just as often as I can) and talk about what stands out about them to me.

And the reason I felt like finally going through with it is, I heard this song yesterday, and I feel called to share it.

youtube

Don't Stop Praying--Matthew West

I myself have, sadly, fallen out of the habit of praying, and I feel like this song was the kick in the pants I need to get back into it. To know that I have an All Powerful God of Love listening to my concerns and worries... I like to think it takes a load off. Usually. But like I said, I've not been praying so much lately, and I feel it may have taken a toll on me. My worries have become a burden on my mind; a burden that the Lord would willingly take from me.

I know my Lord will hear me. And for what it's worth, I know He'll hear you too. <3

#Worship Wednesday #WW #Youtube #Christianity

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swaps55 · 9 months

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I lost my friend to cancer yesterday.

I’d really like to tell you about her.

We meet people throughout our lives who change it, in big ways and small ways, and ways we will never forget. Sara/ @dearophelia was one of those people for me.

I met her here, on tumblr, about 10 years ago. I wish I could remember what piece of writing I stumbled onto first, but she was such a gifted writer that I immediately wanted to see more. I somehow wound up following her live blog of a road trip, which was full of uproariously snarky jokes about Ohio. I had the courage to reach out and tell her how funny I thought she was, and how great her username was to this fellow Mass Effect fan who lived right down the road in Kentucky and got all the Ohio jokes.

We talked. We chatted. I introduced her to a group of people I played Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer with. She grew from a level one first-timer to a total badass who could carry a team and taught other people how to do the same thing.

And then my life fell apart.

Everything fell apart for me. Turning to my family wound up being a catastrophe, and I didn’t have local “real world” friends I could turn to.

So I texted Sara. Told her I needed somewhere to go, and asked if I could stay with her that weekend.

She texted back, “Yes.” Sent me her address, and said to ping me when I got there. She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t ask why. She just gave me shelter. So I showed up on her doorstep, and she listened while I told her everything. She didn’t judge me. She didn’t think I was insane. She had every right to think both things. Instead, she gave me safe harbor at a time when I had no control over my life and didn’t know what was going to happen to me.

For the next several months, I made frequent trips up I-75 to Ohio. She kept an air mattress out for me. We played multiplayer. We talked about Mass Effect. We talked about life. We bitched about all the people who hated on one of our favorite characters. She introduced me to Babylon 5. I have so many memories of sitting on the couch in her apartment, with her cat Odo crawling around behind my head. When I eventually pieced myself together enough to leave Kentucky and start the work of starting over, it meant leaving behind that sanctuary with her in her apartment, and it was something I had to grieve along with everything else.

And now I am grieving it again, and so much more. I am so lucky I was able to fly back to Ohio a few weeks ago while I had the chance. Hugging someone goodbye, knowing it’s the last hug you’re going to get….well, it sucks.

But I got that hug.

Sara was so many things. She was a gifted storyteller with entire worlds in her head. One of the weekends I stayed with her, she had recreated the Mass Effect galaxy map on her wall with notecards and string to help her tell a story. She could create a character and make you fall in love with them in a matter of sentences. Because of her stories, I binge watched all ten seasons of Stargate SG-1.

She was also not afraid to unapologetically be herself. I had a lot of things to learn and unlearn about the world, feminism, gender, and sexuality, especially in those days. Listening to her fight for her space in the world and refuse to be told she was anything less than who she wanted to be helped me learn some of the things I needed to learn, and embrace the things I discovered about myself.

She loved music. She made the best fucking playlists. She taped inspirational notes around her condo. She sent me a set of coasters that say, “Fuck It,” and “Nah,” and I use them every single day. Her smile was gorgeous. She lit up a room.

And now she’s gone. I won’t see her in my tumblr notes anymore. I won’t see her on my dash. I won’t get pinged with new Odo photos. She won’t get to hear the new music I listen to that shows up in our Spotify blend. I won’t get to talk about the next Mass Effect game with her. I won’t get any more Ao3 updates in my inbox.

I wanted you to know about her – this pocket friend of mine who impacted my life in ways that I won’t ever forget.

I hope you will read her stories. Listen to her playlists. She was a brilliant human being. She should still be here. She isn’t.

And I miss her.

#dearophelia #write your way out #cancer tw #death tw

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m0llygunn · 10 months

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Strat and Jag (eddie munson x fem!reader)

Summary: Mini Prologue to a Mini Series. Best Friends to Lovers starting with an accidental confessions and a lot of confused feelings.

As this is a prologue, not much happens, it’s just setting the scene for what’s to come.

Upside down doesn’t exist and Eddie doesn’t fail senior year twice.

Reader insert but is frequently referred to as ‘Strat’.

Note: This is my first bit of writing I’m posting on here (or anywhere for that matter). I’m pretty new to tumblr so if I did anything wrong, please let me know!! Constructive criticism is welcome!

Warnings: strong language, mentions of sex, not much else. Smut in the future so 18+. No ‘y/n’.

Relationships: eddie munson x fem!reader

wc: 1.1k

The Night Before

“You know what, Eddie? I don’t care that I haven’t had sex because I’m gonna leave this ridiculously small minded town and have tons of sex. I’m gonna have earth shattering, mind blowing sex that these bullshiters could never even imagine. ” You rant, harshly slamming your pencil onto your textbook where you were copying notes from.

Some dickhead in your English class made a joke about you being a virgin and it sent you reeling. The joke also involved you being the virgin that Eddie sacrifices, but you didn’t divulge that detail to Eddie. It’s not the first time someone’s taken a jab at you for being friends with Eddie, and you know he hates it so you try not to bring it up in attempts to spare his feelings. You don’t care anyways, you’d be Eddie’s friend no matter what anyone says.

You pick up your pencil ready to go back to studying but you can’t help the flurry of your thoughts. It doesn’t help that Eddie is dead silent behind you, sitting on your bed.

“Angelina Thompson says I’m a slut. Dick-for-brains Tom Carters says I’m a prude… fuck them both. I’m so over it.” You continue, throwing your head back in a huff.

“Fuck ‘em.” Eddie says, words coming out groggy followed by him clearing his throat.

“Thank you.” You say as you push back your chair from your desk feeling totally over studying at this point. You turn just in time to see Eddie flop himself face down on your bed, laying flat on his stomach.

You make your way around the bed, sitting in the sliver of space next to him. You push him hoping to get more than just two words but he doesn’t move.

“Eddie.” You groan.

“What?” He mumbles, voice muffled by his face pressed into your pillow.

“Wanna do something?”

“What kind of something?”

“Anything?” You say, sitting further back onto your bed, back resting against the headboard. Eddie’s hand finds your leg before he’s pushing himself up just enough for you to see his face, a deep grin etched into his features.

“Mind blowing sex?” He says, dipping his face to you looking up at you through his lashes, smirk ever present.

“Don’t be gross.” You say before swatting his hand away from your bare leg. It’s not the first time he’s made sex jokes, certainly won’t be the last.

“Well, sweetheart. You said anything.” He says, rolling his eyes playfully.

“Yeah but I meant, like, go for a drive or something.” You reply, shrugging your shoulders.

Eddie flops his face into your pillow again, swiftly rolling so his back faces you before sitting up and crawling his way to the end of your bed, reaching for his jacket on the back of your chair.

“I should go. Was supposed to help Wayne with something.” He says, not even turning to face you.

“With what?” You question. You saw Wayne yesterday, he never mentioned any big projects of his.

“He needed help moving something.” Eddie says.

“Moving what?” You say, getting annoyed at his vagueness.

“You- you are just so full of questions, huh?” Eddie says standing, his jacket hanging over his forearms. He finally turns to face you and he looks at you with a crooked smile.

“Yeah cause you’re being weird.” You say shifting in your bed so you’re not looking at him anymore. You can’t lie, you feel disappointed that he’s leaving you. It’s Thursday, usually he would stay over later since he likes to sleep in on Fridays anyways.

“I’m not being weird.” Eddie laughs.

“Are too.” You say stubbornly.

Out of the corner of your eye you see Eddie come around the side of the bed to you.

“C’mon, sweetheart. I’ll call you later, okay? Wayne just needs my help before he goes to work.” Eddie says bending enough to place a kiss on the crown of your head.

You turn to face him.

“Whatever.” You groan. “I’ll probably just bake something, was going to anyway. You don’t have to call if you don’t want to.” You say with a huff, Eddie looking down at you from the side of the bed, his jacket clutched to his stomach.

“I’ll call you.” He says, smiling sweetly at you, eyes twinkling in the low light of your room.

“Bye Eddie.” You say flatly, giving him an exaggerated grimace. He doesn’t go soft on you like this often but when he does it always makes you feel weird.

Eddie goes to turn but you grab the sleeve of his jacket that’s in your reach to stop him, sitting up on the bed at the same time. Eddie tears the jacket from your grasp, holding it tightly to him, making you nearly fall face first off the bed. Catching yourself and standing, feeling embarrassed by whatever just happened— especially since you almost ate shit and Eddie’s not even laughing, you look at him and he meets your gaze with blushed cheeks.

“I just wanted to know if you’d pick me up tomorrow morning since you’re leaving early today.” You ask quietly.

“Y-yeah. I’ll come get you.” Eddie replies just as quietly, eyes wandering the room nervously.

“Okay. See you tomorrow, Eddie.” You say feeling shy at the sudden nervousness exuding from Eddie. He shoots you a closed mouth smile before walking out of your room, leaving with nothing more than a sheepish wave from your door.

After he’s gone and you hear the downstairs door shut, you lay back down in your bed contemplating what the fuck just happened. That was weird. Even for Eddie.

Whatever. He’s probably just seeing a girl or something and doesn’t want to spill the gory details. The first and only time he told you about him hooking up with a girl he got so red in the face and stuttery you almost thought he was lying about it. He insisted it was real though, even said he’d show you the scratch marks she left on his back (there were none).

You settled on that being the reason for Eddie’s weirdness and with that, you headed downstairs to get started on baking. You decided on simple chocolate chip cookies, one of Eddie's favourites.

The rest of the night was uneventful. Eddie called you later that evening, way less awkward than when he left your room. There wasn’t much to say though and when you asked how it went helping Wayne he didn’t include much detail, still keeping it all very vague.

Eddie promised to be on time tomorrow morning, and with that, you both hung up and headed to sleep, tomorrow is hellfire day after all, Eddie takes his little club very seriously and obviously has to be well rested for it.

<3 <3 <3

#strat and jag #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson x you #eddie x fem!reader #best friend!eddie #eddie x you

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miscfandomwrites · 3 months

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A/N: Don’t know how this college will show up on tumblr, so let’s see. This is an old, old idea that I got one day after I drew all over my arm in eyeliner when I was in class. It was actually really pretty, and thus the idea for this was born. Due to my ADHD it’s hard to focus in class, and because of that I need some sort of stimulation to make my brain think. This was written with an attention disorder in mind for the reader.

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x F! Reader

Location: Marvel > Natasha Romanoff > Oneshots

Warnings: None, just a small drabble with fluff

Words: 900ish

Tagging: @tyler-t0t

“We need to move in from this direction instead and then we can carry them out.” Bucky voiced from his place against the wall.

I didn’t bother to follow the conversation, as this was the fourth time that they’ve been over editing the plan even when the first plan was perfect.

I inwardly groaned and leaned my head back, moving my arms and stretching. Enjoying the feel of my back popping. The debate about how we were to get in was still going, and I ended up digging through my jacket pockets. Damn, I had a fidget in here this morning…

Still tuning everyone out, I found an eyeliner pen. Wait, wasn’t I looking for that yesterday?

You have got to be kidding me. I was. My habit, or rather, unconscious habit of losing things wasn’t fun. I misplaced things often enough to where I kept trackers on several items I used daily. Everyone idolizes having an attention disorder until you realize just how fucking shitty it is.

Seriously, I can’t get through the day without misplacing something. Or caffeine. Both.

I ran a hand through my hair, tucking it behind my ears as I pulled the cap off the pen. It was one of the oil-based ones, which meant it was easy to clean off of skin. Laying my hand on the table I started sketching some bones on my fingers, then moved to my hand. Keeping tabs on the conversation, I finished my hand and moved to my arm. Instead of bones I just drew swirls, some small stars, and honestly whatever came to mind. I did the same with my other hand, albeit a bit messier because it wasn’t my dominant hand that was doing the drawing.

“We’re done with this for now. Let’s go over this tomorrow.” Steve said as he clapped his hands together, and shut off the screen. I glanced up only to meet Natasha’s eyes. As soon as she caught my gaze she smiled. I smiled back at her.

Everyone in the tower knew I had an attention disorder, and if just given my fidgets I would be fine. It turns out both of the scientists and I share that in common, and more often than not we were inventing some sort of new fidget toy. Of course, after the lighter-knife-spinner combination, we were a bit limited on our creations. Still, we got along great.

Everyone slowly got up and headed out to wherever they would be going, and I pulled out my phone and earbuds. Donning my jacket and tugging my phone in a pocket, I started my music and headed out, headless of Natasha calling after me.

I got to my floor and immediately shoved my shoes and socks off, along with my jacket and pants. I was bored enough that the thought of doodling over my legs sounded entertaining enough that I discarded my pants as well, kicking them over the back of the couch and flopping down onto it. I grabbed the remote and started from where I left off of (Favorite show) and went back to work. Eventually my feet were covered, and I moved up to my calves, then my knees, and soon enough my entire legs were covered. I drew up my arms as best I could, and fixed my hands.

“So, this was the result?” Natasha’s voice scared the shit out of me, causing a huge streak of eyeliner to mess up my doodles on my arms. I turned towards her, mouth open in shock. She huffed a laugh and went around the couch, sitting down next to me.

She held out her hand. “May I?” She asked. I handed her the pencil and she gently took my arm, and continued my drawing up my arm and onto my shoulder, before lightly drawing them on my neck, and eventually my cheek.

“These are really pretty...have you considered getting these tattooed?” She asked me as she switched sides and started working on my other arm.

“I have, but I also realized that I’d want them different as soon as I saw them.” I replied.

“That makes sense. You typically don’t like things to be permanent, they always need to be changing.”

“Yeah, some permanent things. Such as tattoos, furniture, clothes. I change those often. But people however...they’re always changing.”

“Ah, so in relationships you wouldn’t be deterred if someone wanted something permanent with you?” She questioned, tracing the pencil up my neck and onto my cheek, leaning closer to me.

“No, I wouldn’t. I prefer that type of stability in my life.” I whispered as she leaned closer to me.

“Do you want something permanent?”

“I do.” I leaned closer and closed the gap between us.

#miscfandomwrites #avengers x reader #marvel #marvel x reader #black widow x reader #natasha romanoff #natasha x reader

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geralts-yenn · 9 months

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Hearts Too Big

Modern AU Melot (Tristan&Isolde) x OFC x Mike (Hellraiser)

summary: Nina goes on a camping trip with her boyfriend Mel and his cute neighbor Mike. Plenty of feelings - that’s the whole plot

warnings: alcohol and drug use, vaginal fingering, anal fingering (F/M receiving) oral (F/M, M/F, M/M ), vaginal sex, anal sex (F receiving), double penetration

word count: 10,4k (sorry!)

Inspo boards

A/N: I told @raccoon-eyed-rebel (in a tumblr post that I can’t find anymore) that I had plans on making Mikey her partner in Ray Of Sunshine. This exploded into a whole universe of its own in our heads (we share our brains from time to time) and you will get a lot of biker boys in the future because I know Nina won’t stop asking for more. This one got quite big, quite queer and quite Nina-indulgent. It’s Melot and Mikey, it’s bi and it’s polyamorous, so if that’s not for you, feel free to NOT read it. And if that doesn’t draw you off, enjoy! This one was really hard for me to write, took me a month, I went through highest highs and lowest lows. And I feel both excited and anxious posting it. So please, more than ever, tell me what you think about it! I need feedback for this one, every word from you will mean the world to me!

Not a good idea! Not a good idea at all. Nervously, you gazed at the hands of your boyfriend, drumming on the steering wheel to the beat of the song that was playing. His eyes lit up as he met yours through the rearview mirror, and your heart stopped for a beat. You were still so madly in love with Mel.

But then you turned your head to the passenger seat, where Mikey sat. His feet were folded under his cute butt as he tried to make sense of the map that lay in his lap.

You had really tried not to crush on him. But soon after he moved into the apartment next to Mel, you knew you had no chance. It was absolutely impossible not to fall for him. Which meant you were screwed. Well, until yesterday you had at least thought you were safe, just ogling Mike from afar and maybe sometimes including him in your little daydreams. Until Mel told you about that ugly break up between Mike and his boyfriend that had left him crying in the hallway. Mel wanted to cheer him up. They had become friends and Mel wanted to be there for him. And this meant Mel asked you to take Mike with you on your trip along the coast.

You had been planning it for weeks. Mel had bought the old camper van, you both spent your free time working on it to make it more comfy. You had planned every segment of the trip. And most of all, you had planned where you wanted to fuck. Because, to be honest, the main purpose of this whole trip was to fuck Mel the whole day and night everywhere you were going to stop. That wouldn’t be happening now.

You said no at first. Not only because you would rather not cancel the main activity that you had planned, even more so because you were panicking at the thought of having to spend days in a small car together with those two. You wouldn’t be able to hide how much you were attracted to Mike. And you couldn’t hurt Mel.

In the end, your brain decided to stop working when Mel gave you this look of a sad puppy that you could never resist and you agreed. Mel had asked Mike to join you and the boys were soon making the last preparations for your tour. You sat next to them and just watched them talking and laughing. Yes, you were definitely screwed. All you could think of was kissing them. Both!

You stared at the map in front of you. Not that you really tried to find the right direction. You just needed to keep your eyes from Mel and Nina. Maybe it wasn’t your best idea to agree to join them. But to be fair, you hadn’t had your best day yesterday. Why did you just always manage to destroy every relationship you had? You really liked Will. You tried to make it work. But Will soon got jealous. And rightfully so. Why couldn’t you just stop thinking about others? About Mel. About Nina. Your heart was just too big for one person.

However, going on a trip with the exact two people who were, unbeknownst to them, responsible for your break-up, was probably one of the worst decisions you had ever made. Now it was too late. Somehow you were going to make it work. Hopefully, without making a fool of yourself and without ruining another relationship.

A hand brushing over your thigh got you out of your thoughts. You sucked in some air in surprise and raised your gaze to Mel.

“Could you please hand me a bottle of water, Mike?” Mel looked at you, and it took you a second to comprehend that you were supposed to do something. Right! Getting some water for Mel. You turned to the back of the van, where Nina’s head was sunken onto the side of the car. She looked too cute, her mouth slightly open as she was sleeping. Now that explained why Mel had asked you for water and not Nina who was sitting next to the cooler. You needed to crawl back to reach it. And as you did so you couldn’t hold yourself back, you brushed some strands of hair from Nina’s face, your fingers lingering probably a little too long on her soft skin.

As you handed the water to Mel, your hands touched for a moment. Your heart dropped a beat and there was this fluttery feeling in your stomach that you knew far too well. Oh no, it was getting worse. You were going to fuck this up badly.

You couldn’t be happier. You exchanged looks with Nina, sitting in the back seat, humming along with the music. Then you moved your head to watch Mike as he ruffled his nose, scanning the map. You had no idea why Mike was so focused on the map at all, you knew the directions you had to take. But you didn’t complain because you really liked how your friend looked so much happier than he had yesterday. Something about seeing Mike next to you made you feel excited, you just couldn’t put your finger on what it was exactly.

You stopped around midday at a small parking lot in the middle of nowhere. Nina had told you that there had to be a beautiful lake with a waterfall nearby, and you decided that this should be the spot to take your lunch break. The three of you packed some food and water in your backpacks and went on your way to find the lake. It took you only a few minutes of walking. Nina spread a blanket on the grass, and you all sat down cross-legged, munching on your sandwiches. Mikey jabbered without a pause, making Nina laugh. You leaned back onto your arms and closed your eyes, taking in the warmth of the sunlight, the smell of moss and wood, the gurgling sounds of the waterfall, Mike’s deep voice and your girlfriend’s bright laughter. It was just perfect.

After you had finished your lunch, Nina took off her shoes and strode along the way through the shallow waters on the shore. You took the opportunity alone with Mike to check on him. The whole day you had been wondering if he was doing okay. Well, as okay as someone could be the day after they got their heart broken. He was a lot calmer than usual, and you really hoped that he didn’t regret coming with you. You put your hand on Mike’s shoulder. “How are you? Can you cope with me and Nina?” You nodded over to your girlfriend who was trying to make pebbles jump over the water.

Mike looked at you through his lashes and smiled. Or attempted to smile because somehow it looked odd. Not his usual cute beam.

Fuck! What were you supposed to say? ‘I’m falling hard for you AND your girlfriend?’ That wouldn’t be smart. So you just nodded.

“Yeah, it’s fine. I really appreciate that you try to distract me. And it’s working.” Working a little too well, to be fair. You turned to watch Nina. She was so cute, attempting to skip stones over the surface of the lake. And she was giving you a nice view every time she bent down to grab another pebble. You’d better get back to Mel. He was watching his girlfriend, too and the look on his face was just so adorable, you could kiss him right here and now. Damn it, Mikey, what made you think spending a whole weekend with the two of them would be anything but a disaster? You were desperately trying to think of something else when a gush of cold water startled you, making you and Mel both jump up in surprise. Nina was snickering, proud of herself for making both men scream like school girls. But as you started to run into the lake, she screamed herself and tried to get away from you. Mel followed foot and you both chased her down, ending up in a tangle of limbs and giggles when both of you finally lunged for her.

When you stood up again, all three of you were laughing and spluttering. And your heart was about to burst. Having them both in your arms was just the best feeling ever.

If you didn’t want to wreck another relationship, you had to retreat. You stepped back, waddling towards the shore and sat down on the grass. A heavy lump formed in your stomach as you watched Mel and Nina. They were laughing and kissing and running their hands all over each other’s bodies. It was the most beautiful thing ever and yet, it crushed you to look at it.

You pulled your wet shirt over your head and dropped it next to you. Mel and Nina’s kisses were getting more intense and your body reacted to it. Carefully you tried to adjust your pants, which wasn’t really successful as they were dripping wet, too. So you got up and walked into the woods, trying to bring yourself to reason.

You had noticed that Mike was leaving you alone, and you wondered what he was thinking. It wasn’t very empathetic of Mel and you to give Mike such a show while he was trying to get over his heartache. It was just so hard not to get handsy with Mel when he was standing so close to you, completely wet.

You pushed Mel away from diving his head into your cleavage. He pouted at you but as he saw the concerned look on your face, he understood.

“We better get going,” he just said and turned to walk back to the shore. He was still hard, and you just hated to see him leave like this, but you knew it was the right thing to do. When you had packed everything, Mike was back too, and you headed back to the van.

You changed into dry clothes, but the guys decided to just switch to new shorts, neither of them bothering to put on a shirt.

Great! So now you were not only stuck with your boyfriend and your crush, no, now you had to endure them half naked for the rest of your ride. Which luckily didn’t take too long, and somewhere along the way you even managed to think of something other than being sandwiched between the two of them.

You had picked out a small secluded cove for the stop of the night. Mel and Mike went to gather some wood for a campfire. Meanwhile, you rearranged the van to build comfortable beds for Mel and you and Mike. The pop top roof was meant to be your bedroom and Mike got the back of the van to himself. You even arranged some fairy lights on the ceiling, making it look more romantic and comfy.

As the boys got back, you all worked together to make yourself some pasta for dinner. And after that, you spent the evening at the fire, talking and laughing.

At some point, Mel took his guitar and started to play. You leaned your head on his shoulder and stretched your legs over Mikey’s thighs. You didn’t even think about what you were doing. It just felt natural and somehow domestic.

After two beers and a shared joint, Mike got all talkative again, telling you the most ridiculous stories about his love life. You hung on every word he spoke, and Mel did the same. You cuddled together around the fire and everything just felt perfect.

“And then I rubbed a whole glass of honey all over my body, from my neck down to my toes. I was completely covered with that sticky mess. Don’t ask me what I was thinking because I wasn’t! And then she sent me a text that she wouldn’t come over. So, I had ruined my phone, and it took me the entire night to get myself and the bedroom rid of that sticky shit. Advice from me: Don’t overdo things for food play!” You giggled. “Who the hell bails out of the opportunity to lick you clean?” The words were out of your mouth before you could think. You bit your lip in regret, but the guys just laughed at your comment.

Mike cocked his head. “I think I am talking way too much. What about your most stupid sex accidents? I want to hear, please!” Mike was just as successful as Mel at making the most adorable puppy eyes as he looked at you two.

Mel snorted: “Not nearly as entertaining as yours, Mike, but I once tried my best to show my dominance and threw that girl onto the bed only to break my toe on the bed frame the next second. So I was curled on the floor, crying like a baby, instead of manhandling her. Ruined the mood pretty quickly!” All three of you chuckled at that before the eyes of both boys turned to you expectantly.

You turned away shyly, not wanting to appear boring. “I don’t really have anything to tell,” you admitted. “I am not that experienced in this area.” You felt the heat crawling up your neck and ears.

Mel sensed your discomfort and pulled you closer in his arms. “We’re working on it, babe!” he told you with a wink

You knew it wasn't going to be easy. But in no way had you expected how much this whole trip would mess with your heart. There was only so much longing a man could handle. And this was too much.

You had to focus on every word, on every movement tonight, not to let the affection you felt for Mel and Nina show. Maybe you weren't trying hard enough. The way your heart started racing when Nina put her feet in your lap. And the way Mel looked into your eyes as you tried to hide your feelings by telling all these stupid stories. Surely, they must have seen how much you felt for them?

As you lay in your bed and stared into the darkness, you debated with yourself whether you should open up about your feelings. But did you really want to risk your friendship? Their relationship? No, you had to suffer in silence.

You chuckled sadly as you recognized the sounds coming from the roof. They were trying to be quiet. But of course, they couldn't be so careful that they were completely silent while fucking in an old camper van. There were the creaks of the old vehicle, the stifled moans, the small giggles. You imagined what it would be like to join them. It wasn't difficult, you had pictured them in your head before. And after this day, where you were able to watch them and feel them… It was easy.

Your hand slipped into your boxers. It wrapped around your hard cock, and you started to stroke yourself slowly, with a tight grip. It was hardly enough to still your desire, but you could at least ease a little of the tension that had been building up the whole day. Nina’s small whimpers shot straight into your guts.

Then there was this grunt that must have escaped Melot's lips. You tried to hold back your own sounds of pleasure as you rubbed your thumb over your leaking tip, spreading the beads of pre-cum all over your dick. You thought of how their bodies slammed into each other. How Nina's wonderful tits bounced as Mel rutted into her. You pictured yourself being part of it. How you would lap at her core, how you would kiss him and let him taste his girlfriend on your tongue. How you would tremble when his hands finally touched you.

Shit, you had lost all control, panting heavily as you looked down at the mess you had made all over your chest. Surely, you had been too loud.

But you could still hear them. Maybe they hadn't noticed, in their own euphoria.

You feared you wouldn't find sleep at all, but this storm of feelings had brought exhaustion with it, and you fell asleep shortly after your shameful rapture.

You almost fell asleep at the fire, snuggled against Mel and Mike. You felt so happy, so cared for. Your heart was full, it felt…complete.

Mel had taken you back to bed at some time. And as you climbed up to the mattress on the roof you were immediately awake again, hungry for Mel's touch. You needed him now.

As you pressed your palm against the semi hard cock in his boxers, he hissed.

“We need to be quiet!” he told you, only to groan once more, when your fingers circled over the sensitive spot on his frenulum. Happy to draw this reaction out of him, you giggled.

You freed his cock, which was far from semi by now. His boxers were already ruined from the pre-cum that leaked from his slit.

With soft, open-mouthed kisses you descended from Mel's lips, moving over his whole chest until you reached your destination. Your tongue darted out to lick at what was left of the salty evidence of his arousal.

Closing your lips around his swollen tip, you started to move your head up and down, your cheeks hollowed. You would never get used to how good he felt in your mouth. Your hand came to aid, wrapping around his shaft, close to his root and mirroring your movements.

His muscles tensed with every little bit of sensation you gave him.

The air in the tent was damp, and sweat was running down your spine. You stopped for a moment, thought you heard something, but you didn't notice anything now.

Melot guided you to look at him. He gave you a pleading look and hooked his finger, silently telling you to get up to him.

When your faces were pressed against each other again, he whispered in your ear:

“I need to fuck you so badly, baby!”

You happily obliged and straddled his thighs. It wasn't easy to move in the cramped space of the van. When the car creaked under your actions, you suppressed a giggle.

After finally finding a comfortable position, you raised your hip and sank down again, this time with Mel’s cock stretching you open.

Both of you needed to move slowly, but after the constant buildup of sexual tension throughout the day, it took little to bring you pleasure. You felt every twitch, every bit of friction inside of you. And when Melot's fingers pinched your sensitive nipples you couldn't hold back some whimpers.

You looked into Mel's eyes, his face glowing from sweat in the shine of the fairy lights. His self-control was just as close to being shattered as yours.

Leaning back, you found a new angle that hit you exactly where you needed him. The rhythm to which you moved your hips got faster. You were almost there. Your hand ran up Mel's inner thigh until they reached his balls. They were drenched in your arousal.

He clenched his jaw as you ran your fingers up and down to spread your juices even further. Leaning forwards, you found access to move your fingers briefly between his cheeks.

The sound he made as you slowly brushed over his tight entrance was almost enough to make you cum.

Your eyes met and you shared a small smile.

Slowing down your rhythm as you tried to catch a breath, you heard him: Stifled moans, coming from below. Your pussy clenched around Mel's cock as you thought about what Mike was doing to himself.

You had stopped moving but Melot rutted into you, jerking his hips up as hard as he could.

Mike must have been close now, by now he had completely forgotten to stay calm. Your gaze fell upon Mel and what you saw just turned your whole world upside down. This pained expression in his eyes, full of longing and desire, it wasn't meant for you. It was all for Mike.

As you sat by the fire, you thought about your day, and you came to the conclusion that it was just perfect. Better than it could have been without Mike, like you had originally planned.

No, it felt so good to have him with you. You all had so much fun.

When you had seen him the day before, curled up on the floor and crying, your heart broke for him. And seeing him now, laughing again. It did something to you: A warm feeling spread in your chest.

But now it was getting late. Mike had already gone to bed and Nina's head lay heavy on your chest now, too. You pulled her in your arms and carried her to the camper. As you stood at the ladder you still wondered how you could get your sleeping girlfriend up to your bed when she stirred in your arms.

“Put me down, Mel, I can walk!” Her voice was husky. You did as she told you, but when she tried to climb the ladder, you had to steady her, putting both your hands on her magnificent ass. Nothing to complain about.

The bed on top of the van was just beautiful. Nina lit up the fairy lights and dragged you down to her.

She was very much awake again, you noticed, as she pressed her soft body against yours.

As her hand found its way to your growing erection, you tried your best to keep quiet, not quite successful. It got even harder when she wrapped her beautiful soft lips around your cock. Pressing your heels into the mattress, you focused to keep at least a little composure not to wake Mike.

There was some rumbling down in the van and Nina stopped for a second.

It was a perfect opportunity to guide her up to you again. You were so desperate to feel her warm, wet pussy around your cock. Luckily, she needed you as much as you needed her.

She rode you way too slowly. Your dick craved every little bit of movement she gave you. You fought hard not to take over control and fuck her hard. Feeling for her heavy breasts and rolling her hardened buds in your fingers, also wasn't helpful to calm you down. You drank in the picture before you. She was so fucking gorgeous as she rocked her hips.

When she repositioned herself and let her hands run over your thighs, you lost it. Her fingers worked eagerly over all these sensitive spots. Spots where you hadn't been touched before. A loud moan escaped your mouth at the unfamiliar feeling. All this made you feel so needy.

Your eyes shot open as you realized what the sounds you heard, coming from below you, meant. Suddenly, there was this image of Mike in your head. You pictured him pumping his cock. You pictured his face, frowning in effort. You pictured touching him, helping him with his endeavors. Whatever it was that made you feel this way, you couldn't change it. And so, you just accepted it, as you fucked your girlfriend, thinking how desperately you wanted to kiss the man that lay in the bed below you two.

You stared into the night and listened to the noises that Nina and Mike made in their sleep. You weren’t able to stop thinking. What were you supposed to do?

As you realized that sleep wasn't an option anyway, you decided to get up. Maybe it was easier to form some clear thoughts if you got some fresh air, away from the soft and warm body of the woman you loved.

You carefully climbed down from the roof of your van and sat down by the smoldering fire.

By now you had accepted that there was more than just friendship you felt for Mike. But you still felt the same deep love for Nina as before. How was this supposed to work?

There was some rustling and, before you could turn, a pair of hands ran down from your shoulders to your chest. Nina wrapped you in her arms as she sat down behind you.

"We should talk!" she whispered softly in your ear.

"About what?" Your heart was pounding in your chest. Yet, you still hoped that she wasn’t aware of your feelings.

"About Mike!" Panic started to build in your center. So it was that obvious? After a deep inhale, you turned so you could look at Nina. You took her hands in yours and sighed. How should you even start a conversation like this?

But you didn't have to search for words as Nina began to speak: "Melot, I saw it. What you feel for him. Your face is like an open book. And it's okay. We can't fight what we feel. Just be honest with me, okay?" She looked at you with a shy smile and big eyes. You swallowed down a sob that tried to escape you. It was never your intention to hurt anyone. But that was probably what was about to happen as soon as you started to speak.

"I didn't know, not until I heard him. And it doesn't change anything I feel for you, babe. I love you!" It sounded ridiculous and yet, it was the truth.

To your shock, Nina started to laugh. Not the sad, sarcastic chuckle you deserved but her bright, joyful laughter that made you call her your ray of sunshine.

"Just look at us. So happily in love, and yet we both fall for someone else. For the same guy even." Your eyes widened when you perceived the meaning of Nina's words.

“Wait! What?” you stuttered. “You feel the same? What… What’s wrong with us, Nina?” This whole situation was becoming more and more like a dream. Your whole body was shaking and your eyes searched for Nina’s in hopes that she could somehow help you out of this nightmare.

And she could: “Nothing is wrong with us, Melot. It looks as if our hearts are too big for loving just one person.” She chuckled softly. “There’s enough room for Mike to join.”

Tears gathered in the corner of your eyes as you realized that Nina wasn’t mad at you. That you wouldn’t lose her. Relief rushed through you, it felt like a heavy stone was lifted off your chest. Nina pulled you closer into her embrace and kissed away the tears that had found a way down your cheeks.

Your voice was still trembling as you dared to speak again: “Nina, I was so scared you’d hate me! I don’t ever want to lose you!” She pressed a firm kiss onto your lips.

“Melot, you fool, you won’t lose me. I’ve never felt so much for a person as I feel for you.” With more kisses, you tried to calm your overflowing emotions. It took you a while until you finally could get back to talking.

“But what about Mike?” You couldn’t just ignore the affection that you both had for him.

Nina sighed and with a look on her face that told you she wasn’t nearly as sure about this as it sounded, she said: ”We need to talk to him. We should ask him if he wants to join us”

You shook your head in disbelieve. “Like what? Hey, you wanna fuck my girlfriend - and me?” Your voice cracked as you spoke the last words and panic rose in your chest once more. “Damn, that feels strange! I never…” You couldn’t end the sentence, but Nina knew what you wanted to say anyway. She pulled you closer once more and soothed you with her fingers running through your hair and the warmth of her body pressed against you. When she was convinced that you were as relaxed as one could be, who just found out that they were not as straight as they had always thought they were, she spoke again:

“Let’s take our time and see what happens. Maybe carefully test the waters. See how Mike reacts to us.” A reassuring smile spread over her pretty face. “If we’re lucky, we can share our love. And if we aren’t, we can share our heartache."

You spent way too much time hiding in the van after you woke up, not wanting to see either of them. You feared they had heard you last night and alone by thinking of it, you felt the blood rush through your ears. But that wasn’t the only cause for your retreat. You were sure you couldn’t face another day in their presence. How could you ignore your feelings? You were someone who carried their heart on their sleeve. You were someone who was expressive with their emotions. Keeping them shut away was completely against your nature.

But, you could brood as long as you wanted, at some point, you couldn’t ignore any longer that you really, really had to pee.

To your surprise, you found them sleeping, cuddled into blankets at the dying campfire. After you had relieved yourself, you got back to the camp. Melot and Nina were both stirring in their makeshift bed on the grass. You silently turned and decided to get more wood for the fire so you could make some much needed coffee.

When you returned with an armful of branches, Mel and Nina were both awake. They greeted you smiling, and you were grateful that, if they had noticed you tonight, they were kind enough to just ignore it.

Mel helped you to start a new fire and Nina prepared the coffee and cut some fruit.

There was an awkward silence as you all went about your work. But when you sat down on a trunk, Nina squatted down between your thighs and gazed softly at you with her beautiful brown eyes.

"How are you doing, love?" The pet name made your heart flutter, and you didn't know how to take it. Melot stood behind you and joined the conversation: "Are you still thinking of Will?"

You carefully chose the words for your response: "To be honest, it wasn't ever much about Will. Hell, this sounds mean, but it's the truth. We split up because I fell in love. And it obviously wasn’t Will I fell for." You closed your eyes for a second, thinking back to the awful last conversation you had had with your ex-boyfriend.

"He noticed how I looked at them, how I yearned for them." As you stared off into the distance, you didn't notice the looks that Mel and Nina exchanged with each other.

Nina put both of her hands on your knees and slowly brushed them up and down your thighs. Her touch shot straight to your heart, and you could barely hold back the moan that threatened to escape your mouth.

To make it even harder, Mel sank his palms onto your shoulders and massaged your tense muscles. Electric shocks ran through your body as they touched you like this.

"Is there anything we can do for you?" Melot asked, his voice dropping.

You bit down a sarcastic chuckle. "You are already doing too much."

You had the window rolled down and enjoyed the wind in your hair. On the outside you might have appeared calm, but there were a thousand thoughts racing through your mind. Within the last twenty-four hours, the whole idea of your relationship had changed into something new. Something that had you getting excited but also scared.

The realization of Melot’s feelings for Mike had felt like a hit in your guts for a few seconds, until you admitted to yourself that it was only fair to allow him to feel the same way you did. And not long after, you came to the conclusion that it was probably the best thing that could ever happen to you, that your man shared your crush on Mike with you. The night by the fire with Melot in your arms, you felt closer to him than ever before and though you thought it wasn’t possible, it felt like your love for this man grew even bigger. Your thoughts drifted to another scene earlier that day that made your heart jump. Mike confessed he was falling in love. He didn’t tell you with whom. But maybe your senses didn’t trick you and there was something between him and the both of you. Maybe his heart was racing just as much as yours when he touched you. And maybe the way he looked at Mel when he thought no one was watching was really the yearning you thought you recognized.

You could have just asked him, but you didn’t dare. And so Mel and you chose to just tease the hell out of Mike and wait for his reaction. Mel turned to you for a second, as you were in the passenger’s seat today, and smiled mischievously. His hand dropped to your thigh and his fingers dug into your flesh. Yeah, you should take another turn teasing Mikey, so you got up and crawled between the seats, trying to give Mike a perfect view of your cleavage as you pretended to search for something in one of the bags in the back seat. You moved as slowly as possible, brushing your fingers along Mike’s calves, making it look like it was just an accidental touch. And with satisfaction, you saw how Mike tensed at the contact. He clenched his jaw and his eyes widened just for the part of a second. Yes, he wasn’t unaffected by you.

Mel stopped when he found another beautiful deserted beach. It was a hot day, and you decided that swimming was a better option than going for a hike.

You changed into your bikini in the camper and as you stepped out into the sun you smiled. Mel was standing with his back to you and Mike was close to him, rubbing sunscreen onto the tattoos on your boyfriend’s skin. You joined them, taking the sunscreen tub, and you started to work on Mike’s back. He felt so good under your hands. When every bit of skin on all three of you was cared for, you made your way into the waves. Mike and Mel had fun chasing you once more. The three of you were screaming and laughing and soon enough you had found yourself in an entanglement of arms and bodies again. It was just perfect, this was how you wanted it to be, from now on, until forever.

There were hands on your waist, and you couldn’t even tell to whom they might belong. Another arm wrapped around you and tugged you down into the water. You felt lips on your neck. When you turned, you looked into the eyes of your boyfriend, and they were sparkling with joy. He pressed a firm kiss onto you and grabbed your hand. As you followed him back to the shore, you realized that in his other hand he held Mike and pulled him with you, too.

Mel dropped down onto your blanket and Mike and you both followed him. Mel moved you to straddle him and shared a deep kiss with you. You answered him, opening up, letting his tongue enter and explore you. Mel's hands cupped your breasts through the thin, wet fabric of your bikini, sending shivers down to your core. But then you heard a frustrated grunt and pulled back. Mike sat next to you with an expression that you didn’t know from him. There was a deep frown on his face and if you were to guess, you would say he looked hurt.

When Mike saw that he got the attention of both Mel and you, he started to ramble:

“Sorry guys, I can’t take it anymore! You are both playing with my feelings! This might be fun for you, but it’s not for me. In fact, it hurts like hell. All your looks, all your touches, do you realize what they do to me? You are not helping me, all you’re doing is make me fall even harder for you two!”

That’s when Mel rushed forward. His mouth was on Mike’s before you could even blink. It looked awkward, there were noses brushing against each other, teeth clicking, as they were trying to find the right position, but in the end it was the sweetest kiss you had ever witnessed. And it was your boys who were kissing. They were yours.

You were so fucking nervous as you watched Mikey through the rearview mirror. He looked tired and tense. And yet, he was just so beautiful. Nina found ways to taunt him from time to time, and it was too cute to see him blush. When you saw the beach, you knew you had to stop. Just thinking about fooling around with them in swimwear made you lose your mind. And you were just about right. You weren’t even in the water before you were a total mess. Did you really have the stupid idea to ask Mike if he could help you with the sunscreen on your back? Well, you didn’t want to ruin your tattoos, right? But there you were, trying your best to hide all the emotions that you felt as Mike let his hands roam over your skin. They were soft and warm and yet, they gave you goosebumps wherever he touched you. He was so close. You just needed to turn and kiss him. But you couldn’t. Not yet. Nina joined you, applying some sunscreen on Mikey, and you did the same for her. As you went to extra lengths to take care of the sensitive skin of her breasts, you saw Mikey’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard. It was really time to get into the cool water or else your heart would overrule your mind, and you would do things you just shouldn’t do. Nina was the first to run into the waves and Mike and you followed her. All of you were screaming and laughing, trying to get one another to dive into the water. Your heart jumped as you felt Mike tickling your side. Then you had Nina in a tight grip. You pressed your lips on her neck and sucked at her soft skin. First you looked into Nina’s eyes and realized that she was just as happy as you were. And then you turned to study the deep blue eyes of Mike. You saw that bittersweet expression that you knew from yourself. He was longing for you. For both of you most likely. You decided that you had to go all in now. There was no way to drag this out any longer without hurting someone. You grabbed both the hands of your girlfriend and of Mike and guided them back to the beach.

There was no plan you could follow, and your brain wasn’t working properly at the moment, so you just improvised. You dropped to the ground, taking them both with you. Not daring to touch Mike, you started to kiss Nina, pulling her into your lap. Her nipples, hard from the cold water, were peeking through the fine material of her bikini, and you couldn’t just ignore it. You cupped her breasts, deepening your kiss. Now you needed to find a way to let Mike know that you wanted to share this with him. But there was no need to because Mike was done with the teasing. He was so angry and it was so adorable. And as he confessed that he was really falling for both of you, you couldn’t hold back any longer. You pulled his face to yours and, your heart dropping a beat, you pressed your lips on his. It felt so different, so new. Your nose was in your way, and you were moving way too fast. But it was such a great feeling. Mike’s tongue was exploring you, and you sank your hand into his wet curls to pull him as close to you as you could. Nina, who was still sitting in your lap, wriggled between the two of you, and you finally pulled back to look at her. Your heart was racing. What if she changed her mind? What if she couldn’t see you kissing someone else? But then you saw her face and she looked happy and - proud. Her hand cupped Mike’s cheek, and she started kissing him just as passionately as you had a second earlier.

As you watched them, you felt your cock twitch in your pants. You wanted them, you wanted them both so badly. But just as you reached out for Mike’s chest, he pulled out of your embrace. He sat back, his eyes rushing from you to Nina and back to you. “Sorry, I need to know. Is this what you are doing here with me a casual hookup? Because I can’t do that. I can’t have my heart broken again.” Nina took his hand and answered him, a soft smile on her face: “No, Mike, we’re both so totally into you. We want to ask you if you would like to be part of what we have.” His eyes went big as saucers and his head turned to you, looking at you quizzically. You nodded. “You have to be patient with me. I’ve never been with a guy before. But I really, really can’t stop thinking of you.”

Mike ran with his hand through his hair, still a look of disbelief on his face. But then he grew a smug smirk from ear to ear. “I think I just won the jackpot!”

You started kissing again, taking turns. Your hands were exploring each other's bodies. The sensations were overwhelming. Mike felt and tasted so different but just so good. The bulge in your pants grew with every touch. And then a hand pressed against your erection. Your gaze dropped: The hand belonged to Mike. For a moment, you froze in your movements.

Mike must have sensed your hesitation because he removed his hand from between your legs and cupped your cheek instead.

"Relax, we're just having fun. If you're not comfortable with something, let me know. But please let me try to make you feel good." His words soothed you. You covered his hand with yours and let your forehead sink against his.

"Okay!" Your words were barely a whisper. Mike rubbed his nose against yours, the cutest smile on his face. The kiss that followed was sweet and gentle.

When he pulled back, Nina replaced Mike's spot on your mouth. You decided to close your eyes and just let whatever was about to happen, happen.

There were lips and hands all over your body. A gasp escaped you as a hand slipped into your pants. They were sticky and wet, and you were eager to get them down. When you managed and your cock sprang free, you heard a deep moan. You opened your eyes and saw how Mike and Nina exchanged looks, Mikey biting his lip in anticipation.

Turning your attention to Nina, you pulled on the strings to undo her bikini top and both Mike and you grabbed a handful of her tits. It didn't take long until Mike replaced it with his mouth. And then you felt Mike's hand, skin on skin. Damn, why did this feel so good? He stroked you in slow motions. When his mouth left Nina's nipple he grinned at you.

"This is heaven! Boobies and dick, all for me!" You were totally in love with this stupid dork.

Somehow you found yourself lying on your back on the blanket. Nina was kneeling next to you, apparently just as excited as you, as Mike slowly descended your body. He pressed wet kisses on every bit of skin that he passed, until he stopped just inches away from where the tip of your cock lay heavy on your ab.

"Come here, baby!" you told your girlfriend and dragged her leg over you. You pushed her bikini to the side and guided her to sit on your face.

Nina was soaking wet and you devoured both her delicious pussy and the sweet sounds that she made in response.

And then you felt Mike's wet, warm mouth. "Fuck!" To silence any other profanities that dared to escapeyou, you kept your tongue busy drawing circles around Nina's pearl.

Mike knew exactly what he was doing, he found every spot that needed attention. It was sloppy and eager and you really had a hard time not forgetting that there was a pussy in your face that should be cared for.

When Mikey started to hum with your dick deep down his throat, you lost it. You threw your head back. "Damn, Mike, you're really making it hard for me not to cum."

Nina giggled as Mike hummed once more. They were fucking teases. She had moved and you couldn't reach her with your mouth anymore. Instead, she gifted you the best sight of your life: This curly head between your legs, your cock disappearing between those beautiful full lips and a pair of blue eyes gazing at you. And her own pair of eyes, switching between adoring that gorgeous guy giving you head and watching you, so much affection written onto her pretty face.

With her hands and mouth gently caressing you, Nina moved further down your body. Mike straddled your leg, making room for Nina to join him. And she did. They took turns, licking along your shaft, sucking you and kissing each other. You were so close now, it was hard not to shut your eyes and let go, but you needed to enjoy this for a little longer. You needed to see their beautiful faces hovering over your cock.

Nina stopped working on your dick and instead she moaned and whined, her eyes rolling back. You clearly recognized her O-face. Mike kept going, shoving you deep down his throat. Whatever Mike had done to Nina, he had brought her to collapse onto your side. She was trying to catch her breath, starfishing over your thigh. You took her hand and laced your fingers with her.

Mike repositioned himself and, pulling your leg up, he opened you wide. His fingers were wet, covered in Nina’s juices as they brushed over the sensitive area between your sac and your ass. “You want me to go lower?” His gaze was so lustful as he awaited your answer. Your voice broke as you mouthed a desperate “Please!”

Mikey’s finger carefully pushed into your puckered hole and at the same time he resumed his work with his mouth on your cock. You could hardly breathe at the sensation, your whole body felt like it was about to burst. And as Mike added a second finger, you were gone, seeing stars and shuddering uncontrollably as you exploded into his mouth.

It wasn’t by far the first time you rode your boyfriend’s beautiful face. But watching him getting a blowjob from this silly handsome boy while he licked and sucked at your clit? That was something else! You couldn’t even be mad when he stopped eating your pussy. You imagined what it must feel for him. And to be honest, you wanted nothing more in the world right now than to join Mike. You crawled down and settled on Mel’s thigh and Mike generously shared your boyfriend’s dick with you. Wait? Did you have two boyfriends now? Didn’t matter. You felt Mike’s finger running through your folds, and soon he had them deep inside of you. He found your most sensitive spot with ease and curled his fingers to hit you there over and over. You were a whimpering mess by now. Mike built so much pressure in your core, and when he used his palm to rub over your swollen bud, you snapped. You came undone, your juices gushing over his skillful fingers and your limbs finally gave out. You dropped onto Mel and couldn’t do anything other than breathe and watch Mike.

You could hardly keep your eyes open but you had to. And it didn’t take long until you felt Mel trembling under your body, and you saw Mike swallowing the seed that Mel shot down his throat.

A sound escaped you from deep in your throat and as Mike pulled away from Mel, your lips crashed into his. Your tongue tasted Mel as it brushed over his lips and when he opened them for you, the salty taste of Mel’s cum got even stronger.

All of this made you so happy, you could cry. In fact, you noticed there were tears streaming down your face. Mel reached out for you and pulled you into his arms. Mike joined you on the other side of Mel’s chest and both men stroked your hair and back tenderly. Mike cooed soft words into your ear and Mel pressed kisses on your and Mike’s hair.

“Are you okay, sweetcheeks?” Mike’s eyesshowed concern. You nodded with a sniffle. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just love this so much. I’m happy. I really am!” Mel and Mike both kissed your forehead. You relaxed and sunk onto Mel’s chest, unable to tell if it were seconds or hours that passed until you could form a straight thought again. And that first thought was guilt. You felt bad for Mike who was still in his soaked swimming shorts while Mel and you were totally spent thanks to him. And yet, he was soothing you and didn’t push for you taking care of him eventually.

You started to nestle on his shorts but Mike took your hands and pulled them up to his chest. “I know what you’re up to, sweetcheeks. But there’s no need to rush this. Mel and you both need a break. What about we’ll enjoy these cuddles a little more, then pack our stuff and get comfortable in the camper?”

At first you wanted to protest, but Mel stopped you. “He’s right, Nina. Come here!” His lips felt warm and soft and his taste soothed you as his tongue found its way into your mouth. A sigh escaped you when he retreated and his lips left your mouth.

But it was only a second that you lacked his warmth and smoothness, as Mike’s lips closed the gap that Mel had left.

The three of you fell asleep in each other’s arms. When you woke up you thought it was just a dream for a second, until you realized you were still resting your head on Mel’s chest and Nina’s hand was tangled in your hair.

The rest of the day was just a happy bliss, feeling so comfortable around them now that no one had to hide their feelings anymore.The time was filled with more swimming, some shared sandwiches and those teasing little caresses that the three of you shared. Those caresses that made you want to take it further. But you wanted to do this right, you really felt so much for them already, and you'd hate to mess things up by rushing them into a situation they were not ready for. A little part of your heart still feared that they would regret their decision.

That was until you took the last bags to the van. Nina and Mel were in the back of the camper and you overheard them talking:

“Mel, I still can’t believe this is happening.”

“I know, it’s so fucking perfect, isn’t it?”

“When I saw you with him… Damn, Mel, my heart melted!” “Stop it, I’m getting a boner just by thinking about how you two looked with my cock in your mouths.”

You cleared your throat before you opened the tailgate further to climb onto your mattress with them. There was no need to talk, they must have seen what you were craving as you kissed them hungrily. Mel didn’t hesitate to pull down your shorts. But then it was Nina who first took your hardening cock in her hand.

"Wow, did that hurt? That’s cool! When did you get that? Does it do anything for you during sex? Can I touch it?" she blurted out, making you laugh.

“Yes, it did fucking hurt, I got it when I was 18, it was a bet with a friend. Yes, it does something to me during sex. Best lost bet ever. And I’d love for you to touch it.” Nina bent down to examine your reverse prince albert piercing. Carefully, she let her fingers brush over the titanium ring and the pre-cum that leaked from the pierced flesh.

"It's gorgeous!" she remarked and you groaned as you watched her licking her fingers. Mel and you shared the same thought as you both pawed at Nina to get her rid of her clothes.

Your piercing still had her very interested, as she sank her head into your lap and drew lazy circles around it with her tongue. Mel watched you, his fingers working on Nina and stroking himself. Oh, this was going to be fun!

She got you moaning and panting in no time, though the other two weren't exactly more subtle with the lewd sounds that left their lips.

"Doing so good for us, baby!" Mel cooed, massaging the soft flesh of her ass. Oh, she liked that, you noticed, as she squirmed.

"Such a good girl for us, just look at her, Mel! So eagerly sucking my dick!" Nina whined needily at the praises.

You expected Mel to start fucking her, her rear pushed up high, inviting him. But he had other plans.

"Babe, where's the lube?" Nina couldn't answer him with her mouth stretched around your cock, so she just waved a hand into the direction of some bags. You were about to pull back to let her speak when Mel was successful in his search and started to coat his fingers.

When Mel entered her tight hole, Nina sucked on your dick like her life depended on it. You felt it shooting deep through your body. Cradling her head in both your hands you thrust into her mouth, drops of saliva running down Nina's chin and your thighs. She was so fucking gorgeous, whining around your cock.

Mel added another finger, you felt it as Nina responded to it with more desperate moans and her technique getting to a point where it was just a hair's breadth from being uncomfortable.

Mel laid back, his head resting against the back seat. “Come here, baby!” Nina followed his orders and let him guide her to lean her shoulders on his chest, his hands on her hips as she slowly descended, his cock stretching open her puckered hole. When he was buried in her to his hilt, Mel covered her neck in kisses and little bites and more words of praise, whispered into her ear.

You devoured the sight in front of you. Mel spread Nina's legs open wide over his thighs so you could see her dripping pussy, squeezing out more of her arousal as it clenched around nothing.

There was no way you wouldn’t dive between her legs. You lowered yourself, wrapping your arms around Mel’s thighs to keep you steady and put your mouth against her. She tasted like heaven, you thought, as you lapped through her open petals. When the tip of your tongue rolled over her swollen clit, Nina let out a moan. Was this your doing or Mel’s? You tried again, pressing your tongue down on her. This time there was no doubt you were responsible for her reaction. She repeated that sweet sound and her hand pressed your head to her core. She wanted to make sure you stayed exactly where you were. You took the invitation and kept doing what she longed for, dragging more moans and profanities from her lips as you kept working on her. Mel’s thrusts got faster, and you had to adapt your rhythm to follow him. You increased speed and pressure, and right when you thought your mouth was going to get numb, you heard Nina screaming your name, followed by a deep grunt from Mel. You looked up at them with a smile. Mel locked his eyes with yours and guided you to get up. Kneeling in front of them, Mel pulled you close and locked his lips with yours. His tongue darted out, desperate to taste Nina on you. When you pulled back, Mel brushed his thumb along your jaw and rubbed it over your lower lip. “Please fuck her, Mike. I want to feel you move inside of her cunt.” You gasped at the thought of it.

Yes, you really wanted nothing more than this. You asked if you needed a condom, but as you were all clean and Nina was on birth control, there was no need to. So you finally aligned yourself at her entrance and sank your cock between her soft, warm walls.

Your heart raced as you were finally united with them. It took you a whileto find a position in which you were both comfortable, and able to bottom out because damn, you needed to feel as much of this as possible. When you had found the right position, you started to move. Feeling Mel thrust into Nina made it hard for you not to cum on the spot. Taking deep breaths, you focused on your motions. Your hips moved in a slow rhythm and your mouth searched for Nina and Mel and soon your bodies were moving in sync. As Mel pulled out you pushed in. Nina was alternating between whimpering and screaming whenever you left her lips.

When Mel bit down hard on your lip, you knew he was fighting, too, to hold back his release. You kissed down his neck, sucked at the soft skin behind his ear and, between your own moans, you told him: “Cum for me, Mel. Cum for me and Nina!”

“Fuck!” Mel grunted, and he started to rut into Nina’s ass relentlessly, not holding back any longer. You stopped moving, just feeling how Mel’s dick pressed against yours as he moved. And you felt Nina clenching around your cock, close to her own climax. Mel threw his head back, another “Fuck!” pressed through his teeth. You held him, keeping him and Nina in place and resumed thrusting into Nina’s pussy. You didn’t hold back any longer either, and it took you only a few more strokes until you released yourself into her. It was hard not to collapse onto the mattress, but you needed to check on Nina. Mel was already pressing kisses on her cheek, but you held her close and started to kiss her other side. “Was I too fast for you?” you asked her, but Nina chuckled in return.

“You were fucking me senseless and didn’t even notice?” she asked, making all of you laugh. And then the three of you settled down onto the mattress, a chaos of arms and legs and heaving chests.

It took you another two hours of cuddling, talking and kissing until you were ready to head back home. All bags were stowed away, Nina crawled into the backseat and Mel was sitting behind the steering wheel, waiting for you to get in.

Your eyes drifted back to the beach where you kissed them for the first time. The memory of the butterflies fluttering in your stomach at that moment made you smile. You’d had the perfect day here today!

You reached out for the passenger door handle of the van, but then you stopped. With a smirk on your face, you opened the rear door instead. „Would it be too mean if I spend the drive home in the back seat with Nina?“ you asked, giving Mel your best puppy eyes. He just shook his head in return and chuckled, which you took as his okay.

Dragging Nina‘s legs over your thighs, you started kissing her before Mel was even out of the parking spot.

You had one hand in Nina‘s shorts, the other one under her shirt and your tongue down her throat when you heard Mel‘s growl. „Just so you know, we‘re taking turns driving and making out in the back seat, okay?“

3 months later

When you put the comforters on the bed, your gaze wandered through the room. There were still a lot of boxes littered all over, but it already felt comfy. It felt like home.

You smiled as you saw Mike's arm wrapped around Mels broad shoulder when they entered the room. Could they be any cuter? Your heart swelled with love and pride at the sight of your boyfriends.

"Is this your pillow in the middle?" Mel asked with a raised eyebrow as he looked at the oversized bed. You grinned mischievously at him.

"No way you'll get the middle spot. It's mine." Mel jumped onto the bed and grabbed your pillow. Before you were able to react in any way it landed in your face.

And so, the next moment, three grown adults found themselves in a pillow fight.

Mel had you pinned to the bed, ready to tickle you until you gave up, when Mike dropped next to you with a huge grin on his face. "Hey peanuts, stop it! I’ve got the solution."

Mel stopped his attack but didn't let go of you just yet. You both looked expectantly at Mike.

"I will give up my chance to get the middle spot. And I know how to decide which one of you two earns it." He paused for a more dramatic effect. "You compete with each other -" another pause and Mike's smile growing even wider… "in a blow job contest!"

That smug bastard was so proud of his idea. You just laughed. But Mel took your pillow and threw it to the side of the bed, winking at you. "Make yourself comfortable over there, then, baby!"

Then he slid down to kneel between Mike's thighs and started to unbutton the jeans of his boyfriend.

#hearts too big #my writing #mikey hellraiser #mike hellraiser fanfiction #mike (hellraiser) x ofc #mike hellraiser #mike (hellraiser)#melot fanfic #melot fanfiction #modern au melot #melot x ofc #melot #mike hellraiser fic #hellraiser mike #polyam relationship #polyamory #bi biker boys

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sarahowritesostucky · 3 months

Text

📖"Blood Moon Rising" pt 5

Rated: Explicit

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes

Tags: shrinkyclinks, prison au, werewolf au, omega Steve, Alpha Bucky, dub-con, non-con, werewolf sex, knotting, oral (m!rec), hand jobs, held hostage, age gap (40/26), forced mating, violence, bonding, Dom/sub elements

Summary: Steve gets a lot more than he bargained for when a prison riot breaks out and he becomes the captive of an Alpha werewolf.

Author's Note: It got waaay too long for Tumblr, y'all. So this is not the last part

Wait! I haven't read a previous chapter! Fic Masterlist

Part 5 - "Blood Moon Horizon"

Well, the jig was finally up.

Steve started showing signs of preheat on a Monday, and by Tuesday, everybody in the village knew. Wolves, Peter explained, could sense these things much, much better than humans could. (Apparently Bucky hadn’t been lying when he’d claimed that he could tell when Steve was ovulating.)

Steve was precisely one day away from his heat—something which was somehow both common and undisputed knowledge amongst the wolves.

Even Steve himself couldn’t have said for sure what day he would hit heat based on his preheat symptoms, but everybody all of a sudden started buzzing around, talking about how tomorrow would be the big day and beginning their preparations for the mating run and celebrations.

Chatter also increased drastically, once word got around that there was going to be a “blood moon” the next night—something which the wolves held sacred. While rare, a total lunar eclipse meant absolutely nothing to Steve, but by now he’d learned that anything involving the moon’s cycle held great cultural and spiritual significance to the wolves. Apparently they viewed the blood moon as an omen of sorts, a rare occurrence symbolizing great change and rebirth; a time to resolve feuds, dump baggage, and cleanse the self. Steve didn’t think that boded well at all for him, but Peter seemed to find it very exciting.

“Holy shit, dude. Mated on the friggin’ blood moon?! That’s baddass!”

Bucky never came back to the cabin that night. And, sure as shit, the wolves were right: That next morning, Steve woke up in heat.

“How’d they know?” he whined at Peter, trying to walk around the camp without noticing every single stare that was directed their way. The pack was deep in preparations for his and Bucky’s mating run that night. There was a big heap of wood being assembled in the nearby clearing for that night’s bonfire—apparently a major part of the tradition—and people were bustling about, setting up logs around the area for seating, decorating with foraged plants, stringing flowers and cooking food and brewing a massive amount of some kind of special werewolf cider. Steve eyed the humongous cauldron dubiously as he and Peter crossed the center of the camp. “Is it just a smell thing?”

“Yeah. And pheromones.”

“But that’s the same thing though, isn’t it?”

Peter tried to find a way to explain how it wasn’t the same thing, how pheromones came across to wolves as less of a scent and more of a sixth sense—something that sat right on the periphery of smell and sight and feel. He told Steve that it was like an ‘aura’. “I dunno how else to explain it, man. But it’s very obvious. You might as well have been wearing an ‘I’m about to go into heat’ teeshirt yesterday.”

Well, now he was in heat, and without the modern convenience of any sort of suppressant products, Steve was fully aware of the itch beneath his skin, the wetness between his legs, and the ever-growing ache that was building, deep and powerful, in his belly. He very sincerely missed his shitty shoebox of an apartment back in New York, where he had a very nice collection of both heat-soothing products and knotting dildoes that he could be using right about now. Instead he was stuck here in Hillbilly-town, USA; uncomfortable, horny as fuck, and suffering through every annoying symptom without recourse.

Of course he had no way of masking any of this from the wolves. Steve had grown up not having to wonder if the 90% beta human population could smell him when he was in heat, and aside from it just being flat out embarrassing that everybody knew, this was also very bad news on a practical level, as now Steve stood virtually no chance of slipping away unnoticed, not when he was lit up like a damn Christmas tree of pheromones. He was so impotently angry at himself over it. He’d had months to try and get away, and now the jig was up. Steve was in heat, he was lit up like a pheromonal beacon to every single person in the pack, and he now had to face the disappointing truth:

He’d waited too long.

He spent the morning skulking around the edges of camp with Peter by his side, impulsively considering running off into the forest multiple times, but discarding the thought each time it came up.

That wouldn’t work. He’d already been shown that it wouldn’t work, each time the wolves dragged him back to Bucky’s doorstep. And that was before he’d been in heat. Steve did his best to seem taciturn and unapproachable, not wanting to deal with the stares and attention of the people in the village. It was awkward as fuck. And he especially didn’t want to be around Bucky.

But that wasn’t something he had to worry about, because Bucky had pretty much been gone ever since Steve first realized he was in preheat, making himself scarce during the day and returning home to the cabin only once Steve was already asleep. He’d been leaving early each morning, too, before Steve woke. In fact, Steve wasn’t even sure if the Alpha had come back to sleep in the cabin at all last night.

He wasn’t gone though: Steve caught sight of him once or twice on the day of the mating run. The village alphas were holding more of their super-secret, alphas-only meetings, and Steve realized pretty quick that there was no way in hell he could eavesdrop anymore, as they knew right away when he was lurking nearby.

“Just go help put stuff together for the celebration,” Dum Dum scolded as he carried Steve away by the scruff and dumped him in the dirt outside the village’s omega yurt. “You’re not supposed to be around each other right now.”

“I need to talk to him!”

“You can talk to him plenty tonight,” Dum Dum said meaningfully. “Look kid, it’s tradition, alright? Like the groom and bride not seeing each other. Just go in there and help with the preparations.”

Steve grunted indignantly as he stood up from the ground, brushing the dust off his clothes. “I’m not a kid, I’m twenty-six. And I’m not his bride. He kidnapped me. Why does everybody just gloss over that part like it doesn’t matter?!”

“Because it doesn’t.” Dum Dum shook his head. “You’re a pill, kid. I don’t know why he wants you, but he does.” Steve glared at him, and Dum Dum narrowed his eyes. “Look, he’s a good man, just trying to do right by his people. He already has to deal with more shit than you know, keeping order in this pack. Don’t go makin’ it harder for him.”

Steve frowned. He knew by now that leadership was fought for amongst the wolves, sometimes brutally. It was hard won and hard kept. It depended on a complex combination of honor, biologically-coded dominance, and sheer brutality, which was why humans so often classified their packs as gangs. But it wasn’t the same. Steve could see that now.

Bucky was a good leader, and though he kept most things very close to the chest, he’d all but told Steve that there were continual challenges to his authority as Alpha. And other people in the pack had made it clear that Bucky being their Alpha was the best thing to happen to the pack in a long time.

From the moment he’d stopped him from stabbing Batroc with a pencil back at the prison, Dum Dum had always looked at Steve like he was a problem, and that’s how he looked at him now, when Steve scoffed at his admonition not to make trouble for Bucky.

Sure, Steve didn’t want to be the reason a bunch of innocent people had their already-hard existence thrown into chaos, but he still didn’t deserve to be trapped here. His jaw worked in frustration as Dum Dum watched him, clearly waiting for an answer. “I’m just trying to get back to my life,” Steve huffed. “I mean what the heck else am I supposed to do?”

“You’re supposed to be in there with your own kind, getting ready for the celebration.” Dum Dum pointed at the yurt, and Steve looked over his shoulder with a scowl.

“They’re not my kind. I’m omega, not a werewolf. And I’m not in this pack.”

“For now.”

“And I don’t want to celebrate.” Steve crossed his arms. “I’m not helping with arranging fucking flowers or whatever the hell they’re doing in there.”

“Then maybe talk to some of ‘em,” Dum Dum suggested, gesturing angrily at the yurt’s door. “Maybe you’ll make a friend. Or better yet, maybe they’ll knock some sense into you.” With that, he turned and left.

And so, Steve found himself inside the camp’s omega yurt: a place about which he’d known, but had steadfastly avoided going inside of until now. It was a big, round structure that served as a communal social space for the pack's adult omegas.

Inside, Steve was surprised to find dozens of cozy bean bag chairs and blankets for nesting. Unlike many of the pack cabins, the yurt had a polished wood floor and was fully modernized inside; with the center of the structure housing the nicest, biggest kitchen Steve had yet seen in the entire village, and the interior smelling richly of baked bread and omega bodies. Steve knew that the pack alphas and betas weren’t really supposed to come nosing around there, as it was considered a private, omega-only space. That was comforting, and on a day when not much else could make him feel safe, that kinda did. At least temporarily.

“Steve!”

“Oh is that him?”

“Yo!”

“Wow, come grab a bag, man. Welcome!”

Over by the beanbag circle, a russet-colored wolf whom Steve recognized as Wanda lifted its head, whining as if in her own form of greeting before flopping back down to lie on the floor and enjoy the ambient heat from the nearby wood stove, just like any other lazy dog might do. Steve smiled despite himself.

He’d been avoiding this place, as he knew that all the other omegas would sit around like Wanda did and try to convince him to be happy with a life in the pack. But now that his fate was rapidly closing in on him, Steve knew he needed to learn as much as he could about what was going to happen that night. He went over to where Darcy was urging him to take up one of the beanbags, and plopped down as she began introducing him to the handful of pack omegas whom he’d seen around camp but never really met.

“—and of course you know Hairy, over there,” she said at the end, kicking her foot in the air in Wanda’s direction.

Beside the woodstove, the wolf briefly wagged its tail and chuffed.

“So then it is a wedding,” Steve concluded a while later, after they’d been talking about the upcoming mating run. He peeked around at the other wolves nearby. Wanda hadn’t moved an inch and looked like she was dozing, Nakia was in another of the beanbags, Darcy in another, and Thor’s mate Jane in the one next to that. Peter’s aunt May was over in the kitchen area, working on making a large sheet cake which Peter had already warned Steve would be very disappointing; and Scott—the only other male omega in the pack besides Peter—was loitering on the kitchen’s periphery, pretending to help with the baking while most of his energy went into trying to sneak tastes of the cake batter.

“I mean, the bonfire’s like the reception,” Steve ventured. “The run is kinda like the, um … the ceremony? I guess? And the bite is like the vow.” He made a face as he said it and rubbed his neck self-consciously, still terrified of the thought of Bucky chomping down on him like that. “And then we’ll be married,” he said quietly, thinking, fuck.

“Mated,” Nakia corrected from over on her beanbag, where she had the coffee table pulled up close as she worked on mixing up a bunch of things in bowls with a mortar and pestle. “Same idea. A bit more permanent, though.”

“And way more fun,” Darcy said with a dirty wink.

She and Jane shared a titter over that, which Steve could only take to mean that they were talking about the sex-part that came at the end. He’d been told all about that, too (though honestly, he’d kind of already figured that there would be a sex-part, once he heard that they’d be doing this whole thing naked). “Yeah,” he said weakly. “ ‘Fun’. Right.”

“Jane got pupped up on the night of her mating run,” Darcy divulged, making Steve’s eyes widen at the thought of the same happening to him. “Maybe you will, too, Steve!”

“Here’s hoping not.” His eyes slid over to Jane, who was using her very pregnant belly as a worktop to thread flowers on a string. “I mean, um, no offense to you or anything.”

“None taken.” Jane looked peevishly over at Darcy. “We don’t know if it was that exact night.”

Jane, Steve had learned, was an unassuming and intelligent woman. She was very pretty and she seemed kind and pleasant to be around. But that wasn’t what intrigued Steve about her. Happily mated to Thor and heavily pregnant with their first baby, she was also one of only two pack members who’d been infected with lycanthropy rather than born with it. She’d lived with the pack for less than a year, was due to give birth soon, and—unlike Wanda—was choosing to remain in her human form for the event. Steve desperately wished he could talk to her alone and ask her all sorts of questions: why she was there, why she’d stayed and let them infect her and—

“Blegh! not me,” Darcy was proclaiming, telling Jane that she was a fool for choosing to deliver the baby in her human form rather than as a wolf. “You’re nuts. All that pain?” She shook her head. “Mark my words, you’re gonna regret it. And I’ll have to be the one there holding your hand while you’re poppin’ those pups out, letting you squeeze my bones until they’re popping out, too.”

Jane smiled privately and put a hand on her stomach. “I want to hold them when they come. I want them to hear my voice, feel my skin.”

“Nuts,” Darcy reiterated.

“Them?” Steve asked. “You’re having more than one?”

Jane smiled and nodded, while Darcy told him about how most omegas had “litters” rather than single babies; two or three pups at a time was considered normal, expected even.

Steve blanched. “But isn’t that … I mean, aren’t pregnancies like that considered high risk?” He looked over at Jane, slightly concerned. “Shouldn’t you guys have access to a hospital and doctors?”

“We’ve got Bruce,” Darcy said.

“And it’s different with wolf pups,” Jane added. “The babies develop faster but come out smaller, and sturdier.”

Morbidly, it occurred to Steve to wonder if the babies came out in human form or wolf form. “So … you’re seriously not worried?”

Jane rubbed her belly serenely. “No. I’m excited.” Steve’s disquiet must’ve still been written on his face, however, because she looked him in the eye and tried to assure him, “You have to understand: birthing is much better tolerated amongst wolves. Much more natural. Complications are very rare.”

“Yeah, even in newbies like her,” Darcy teased, kicking over at the side of Jane’s beanbag. “Werewolf groupies.” Jane scoffed and tried to kick back at Darcy’s beanbag, but she failed and gave up due to how encumbered she was by her belly.

Steve hadn’t missed how close the two women seemed to be. He’d been assuming they were just really good friends all this time, and that assumption persisted right up until the point when Jane asked Darcy when she was “going to stop being such a jerk to Thor and accept his affections already.” Steve squinted, confused for a split second because he thought Thor was the father of Jane’s baby …

“Thor’s been courting Darcy for half a year now,” Jane revealed. “But she’s been playing hard to get.”

Steve was about to ask if there were two guys named Thor in the pack, until he abruptly remembered that the wolves practiced a form of polygamy, and he was encountering an instance of that right now. “I—oh.” He bit back the words he’d been about to say, looking over at Darcy instead, affronted. “You never mentioned you were with somebody.”

“Well I’m not! … Not technically. It’s only been a little while.” She shrugged and tried to play it off nonchalantly, but Steve could still see the hints of a blush on her face. “And anyway, I mean come on, it’s Thor.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s such a flirt. Big old oaf who thinks he’s God’s gift to women, leaves a couple 'a dead rabbits on your doorstep and thinks he's won your heart."

Steve made a face at the thought of animal carcasses as courting gifts. "What, roses were too old fashioned?" he muttered, eliciting a giggle from Jane and a huff from Darcy.

"I'm just saying: a peacock like Thor can stand to wait. He's probably never had to wait and wonder for longer than a day in his whole mighty life, until now.”

“A peacock whom you know you’re going to say yes to, eventually,” Jane needled, turning back to Steve with a sly look. “She thinks she’s playing hard to get. Thinks Thor’s too full of himself or something.”

“That wolf’s ego is far too big for his knot,” Darcy insisted. “I’m just bringing him down a peg. It’s character development. You should be thanking me.”

“For making my mate less insufferable? Or because I have you to look forward to as a sister wife?”

“Exactly.”

“Mark my words,” Aunt May called from over in the kitchen, waving her rubber spatula in the air. “We’ll be having another run within the next few months for you two.”

Jane and Nakia agreed, while Darcy scoffed and insisted that she intended to string Thor along for far longer than that.

Meanwhile Steve was still sitting there, reeling at the stark reminder of how differently these people lived, with their tribal mindset and their polygamy and their weirdly primal traditions. He had to face the reality that he’d long been avoiding: That unless a miracle occurred and he suddenly somehow devised a workable escape plan before that very night, he’d soon be a mated omega, exposed to or infected with lycanthropy, and possibly even pregnant.

The other women in the group talked excitedly about the upcoming night of celebrations, gabbing to Steve of what the traditions were and what he could expect. Everyone would gather for a big, blow-out party around the bonfire, then Steve would be sent off into the woods—naked, in heat, and with a headstart that was purely symbolic in nature. Then, after a short while, Bucky would shift and come after him, a predator tracking his prey in the night.

Steve shuddered to think how pathetically easy it was going to be for Bucky. He’d sniff Steve out and chase him down, pounce on him, bite him, fuck him and knot him and mate him right out in the middle of the forest.

“Doesn’t exactly seem fair,” Steve grumbled, “or comfortable.” It was October now, and though they’d travelled much farther south than where they’d started in New York, Steve still didn’t relish the thought of running butt-ass naked through the woods for any extended period of time. “I’ll freeze out there,” he complained. “And why do I have to be naked?”

“Mates usually run in fur,” Darcy said. “The omega starts in skin and shifts once they’re a ways out of sight—to make the chase harder.”

“Yeah, not exactly an option for me.” Like anything he could do would possibly make this a fair chase. He was doomed.

“Don’t worry,” Jane tried to console him, “I was human when I ran, too. Nudity is so normalized here, nobody bats an eye at you, I promise. And there are plenty of dens out in the forest where he can take you. That’s what Thor did for me. He even made it nice beforehand with all sorts of soft furs and stuff.” She smiled and looked down bashfully. “It was actually really sweet.”

“Dens?”

“Oh yeah. Mostly built into like, rocky outcroppings and stuff. There’s tons of places like that out there.”

Steve pursed his lips. “Yeah, I know.” He’d become well-acquainted with the forest’s inhospitable terrain—mostly during his unsuccessful nighttime escape attempts.

“Those dens are mostly left over, right May? Like when they’d do whole pack runs in the old days?”

In the kitchen, May nodded after chasing Scott off from the icing bowl again. “Yep.”

“The whole pack?”

“Yeah,” Darcy supplied. “Like, not just two people. They’d all do it at once as a group. Any omega who wasn’t mated could run, and then whatever alpha caught you first was who bonded you.”

“What?!”

“This was all a long time ago,” May called over from the kitchen. “Ancient practice.”

“Not that ancient,” Darcy said. “My grandparents did it. ‘Course, back then there were a lot more omegas, and apparently most people went into season at the same time—I know, wild right? That’s why they’d just do it twice a year or whatever, when everybody was in heat. It was like this massive, huge event. Like, everybody looked forward to it and gossiped about it and made bets on it. All the Alphas would try to make secret deals with each other, and the omegas would try to figure out who’d be chasing them, how to get someone onto your scent without being too obvious, stuff like that—Like prom, for werewolves!” She laughed.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Steve said.

“Naw. My grandma told me about it. It was a whole thing back in those days. The alphas who had their sights set on someone would come up with all of these grand courting gestures, go out in the forest ahead of time and make dens to try and herd their favorite omega towards.” She shrugged and rolled her eyes. “But then things like consent came into fashion, so.”

“Don’t scare the boy,” May scolded. “He’s still new to all thi—Scott! Get your finger out of that bowl before I take it off!”

“Jesus.” Steve supposed he should at least be grateful that it was only Bucky he had to worry about, rather than an entire pack of horny werewolves. He felt silly about the whole idea of the mating run. As if someone like him stood any real chance at evading Bucky. What a joke. “He’ll probably catch me in the first two minutes,” Steve mourned.

“Naw, you get a thirty-minute head start, remember?” Darcy smirked. “It’ll take him at least three minutes to catch up with you.”

Steve shot her a withering glare. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Don’t worry,” Nakia said. She was still diligently grinding with the mortar and pestle, and she gestured with it. “This will help disguise your scent. It will make for a better chase.” She smiled like that was something Steve should be excited about, and he did try to at least offer her a friendly nod back, aware that there were undoubtedly some massive cultural differences in play.

Nakia wasn’t just a werewolf, she was also African—not African-American, mind you, but straight-up African—along with Okoye and M’Baku, and that freaking terrifying guy who’d done the executions at the prison: Killmonger. They all hailed from some tiny, impoverished country that Steve could vaguely remember having learned about in highschool, but he still hadn’t been able to figure out why the heck they were living with Bucky’s pack in the middle of the Appalachian mountains. When he’d asked Bucky and Okoye before, all they would say was that it was some sort of “outreach program.”

(Not much of an outreach program when the whole pack was running fugitive from the law, though, now was it?)

Steve eyed up the substance that Nakia was grinding in the mortar. “What is it?” he asked dubiously. It smelled earthy and dank, but good; kind of like how fallen leaves smelled in the fall, once they accumulated on the ground and began to rot. If it smelled that strongly to him, what must it smell like to a wolf nose? Steve made a face as he considered it. “Is that … that’s stuff’s not going on me, is it?”

Nakia nodded sagely. “Special Wakandan recipe. Your wolf won’t catch you so easy with this. He will have to hunt.”

“... Great,” Steve said. ��Thanks.” Really, he wasn’t so sure if he should bother with using the mystery paste. Would any attempt to evade Bucky at this point make a difference? Or would it just prolong the chase before the inevitable capture?

Steve wasn’t looking forward to finding out.

Masterlist

If you liked what you read and feel so inclined, please consider dropping a tip in the Kofi🍵 cup. It's a big part of what allows me to take time to write. Thanks!

This has been a fill for:

Event: @anyfandomdarkbingo

Card: sarahyellow / sarah-writes-stucky

Square I5: Omega pregnancy

Event: @marvel-smash-bingo

Card: sarah-writes-stucky

Square N1: Alpha!Bucky Barnes

Event: @sebastianstanbingo

Card: sarahowritesostucky

Square N1: Courting

Event: @ultimatechrisbingo

Card: sarahowritesostucky

Square O4: Alpha/Omega/Omega ship

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jmdbjk · 6 months

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Tumblr anniversary

It's been TWO years since I chose to take up residence here on this hellsite/app.

Last year, when I posted about my Tumblr anniversary, Jungkook had just dropped his thirst trap birthday greeting to Jimin. And Yet to Come Busan had not happened yet. No one was enlisted yet. We had no idea that we were about to have our hearts ripped out by Jin's enlistment announcement.

My, what innocent babes we were.

So much has happened since last October other than the afore mentioned Yet to Come Busan concert and Jin's enlistment announcement.

We watched the members emotional sendoff to Jin in December. We watched them do it again for Hobi in April. We didn't see but we know Yoongi has begun his service. We don't need to see it. We are pretty certain within the next two months we will be sending another 2 or 3 or maybe even the rest of them off to do theirs as well.

We got The Astronaut, Dreamers, Indigo, a Christmas song from Tae, Vibe, Face, D-Day (and a tour and I saw Yoongi!!), Angel Pt. 1 & 2, The Planet, another version of Jack-in-the-Box, Take Two, Seven, Layover, 3D and we anxiously anticipate Golden. What am I missing? More collabs that Namjoon did with others. We got so much music I can't remember it all.

We've seen the clothing come off of every member. Some more than others. But still. Chapter Two is not about taking their shirts off, as Tae said...yeah, whatever Tae... it is about transitioning to a more mature image including taking control of their professional and personal images, their bodies, their autonomy, their maturity and sexuality. And boy howdy...

We got a very complex and far-reaching BTS 10th Anniversary Festa celebration that took place across the world.

We got Kook Cooks, Flying Yoga, Wootteo, Suchwita, Namjoon on Big Brains and Many of them Sitting at the Same Table Talking (or whatever the name of that show was), Dior Jimin, Tiffany Jimin, Calvin Klein Jungkook, Valentino and NBA Yoongi, Louis Vuitton Hobi, Bottega Veneta Namjoon, Cartier and Celine Taehyung, dance challenges.

We inadvertently got Jungkook's TikTok through his own error and now we are pretty sure the other members INCLUDING JIMIN are lurking on all the soc med platforms.

We got so much Jungkook being himself. And we watched him go from being fine with his couch potato cushion existence to being Mr. World Traveler who can't stay in one place for more than a few days before he's off again to who knows where and adding to Jimin's list of things to fret over.

We got a nice quantity of sweet quality interaction of Jimin and Tae just yesterday. This healed me.

We have heard over and over how each member is anxiously excited to get back and hurry up and show us they still have it.

There has not been any lack of things to talk about. There has not been any lack of controversy. We've seen things we probably weren't meant to see and we've seen things that are dubious as to their authenticity and things that were obviously made for us to see.

Like one of those of flying bird flock murmurations, the fandom is shifting and changing, spreading out and coalescing and doing all this repeatedly as we navigate this period of time before they get back together in 2025.

I hope we don't run off the rails this next year and that we all can find some common ground so we can stand together at the threshold of 2025 in anticipation of their comeback.

And sooooo many more of you have chosen to follow my weird ramblings, rantings and odd posts. Thank you for taking time to give my blog any consideration.

#jikook continue to jikook regardless #bts chapter 2 #happy birthday bro #jikook in the sheets #i was getting a pedicure and Vibe played and I almost chair danced #happyanniversary

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darkwitchingflower · 1 month

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ITS BEEN A WHILE but here's things me and my friends have said as pjo character pt 4/5???

Annabeth: That's not very feminism of you (@wraith--2)

Hestia: maybe build like a life size bread bloke (@carpcranium)

Leo: Feels like my toes are bleeding but it's just cause they're defrosting (@wraith--2)

Percy to annabeth: Nooo pookie don't leave ill get her a spider abortion (friend not on tumblr)

Annabeth: I thought I'd die before seeing common sense in this gc (friend not on tumblr)

Jason: It's not boring to want money and to not be even more mentally ill (@indecisivenb)

Leo: Sure bud (me)

Piper: Jesus was not straight (@wraith--2)

Some random camper in the dining pavillion: Hes staring into my soup (@wraith--2)

Leo: Everyone needs a piece of Leo (friend not on gc)

Leo: Me dehydrated: must not drink sex juice (@wraith--2)

Jason: Me and Percy cockfight like 3 times (@chefchennan)

Piper: Harry x hermione

Ron x jesus or smth

Luna x whoever tf she ended with? (Friend not on tumblr)

Mr D to someone being given a quest: You don't have a choice

They don't have a choice

It's equality all around (me)

Piper: Im not a people pleaser, im a woman pleaser (friend not on tumblr)

Jason (idk why but i instantly thought Jason): saggy balls? (@chefchennan)

Thalia: From your local asexual xx (@wraith--2)

Thalia: Homicide on Pinterest is an interest (@wraith--2)

Chiron: oh that's nice to see! A camper with a smile! (My criminology teacher)

Annabeth: ye I made percy smile by telling him I didn't like him in greek! (Friend not on tumblr)

Apollo: Will! Thoughts on be crime do gay?! (@carpcranium)

Thalia about Frank: Me and him are still friends we shoot kids together yesterday (@chefchennan)

Will doing some form of doctor test idk: I'm gonna skedaddle into your scrotum (@wraith--2)

Thalia: I f**king love garlic bread yummers. Its gotten so bad that I eat is everyday. I sweat garlic butter and shit out logs of bread. It's an endless cycle and I remake the garlic break with what I unleash (friend not on tumblr)

Percy to Annabeth (leo helped after frank found them in the stables): Thine eyes are blessed with the sight of her. Her.

Who I wake to every morning and think of

Who I dream of at night

Aphrodite has forsaken me yet she is my light

The waves will roar and crash

And I know, she is always up for a smash (@wraith--2)

Leo to literally any girl with a pulse: When I see her thoughts are gone

And all I can do is simply long

She could never be mine

Yet still I pine (@wraith--2)

Rachel thinking abiut percy: Days will pass and the sun shall set

All the while I'd place a bet

That I'm still there

Twirling my hair

Dreaming of something that was never fair (@wraith--2)

Thalia: is is the most fun I've had in ages, I'm trying to teach the bot aromanticisum (@wraith--2)

Thalia: As a matter of fact I am definitely aromantic but thanks for the suggestion (@wraith--2)

Leo, he meant to say floppy disks: Have you ever seen one of those floppy dicks-...🤏 (friend not in tumblr)

Mr D: Anyways orgies (@wraith--2)

Will to Nico: She's like nah, no love hearts have an onion were like Shrek now (me)

Percy: When I go to sleep I'm going to dream about gay sea creatures aren't I? (@wraith--2)

Annabeth: It's okay I'm a big girl I cry into my pillow (@wraith--2)

Annabeth: ohhh right in the trust issues (@thatonelazyghost)

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lee-hakhyun · 10 months

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do you think that the side story is trying to tell us: we, fragments of kdj, are also ourselves like despite being a small percentage of kim dokja, we also have our own identity and thats okay, that doesnt make us less important to the story? like we are still part of them and we are also important and we, too, should dream about ourselves too...... like it's trying to tell us eventho you are not special, you are still important idk

ok, i was going to answer this expanding on my thoughts i put in tags on one of your posts, but i overestimated my energy for longer posts. i will (probably) make a clearer post rewording this to not be.. all this, but here's a whole rant i went on in discord relating to your ask

text: i mentioned this before but i'm like pretty sure the the side story is meant to reach out to us (not for the sake of saving another, but to save you, personally) i'm planning on cleaning this up in a tumblr post but here's just a VERY disorganized early ramble

everything kinda clicked for me yesterday. the ask ru sent me about the open-endedness of orv got me thinking about the purpose of the side story because yeah, orv has the perfect ending. so why would there still be more? from what i'm seeing. orv will get a clear 'good' end. no more open-ends. and for a good reason. 'omnisicent reader's viewpoint' is over, this is reiterated so many times throughout the side story. but it goes on, which means the story still has a reason to continue. as singshong said, this isn't a story for just that one kim dokja anymore, but it's still a story about kim dokja. and the 'kim dokja' in the side story, it's the orv readers. the kim dokja fragments. as in,, us. if orv had to continue, THIS would be the perfect way to truly complete the story. as much as orv is a story about tragedy it's also about love. orv has saved people even, with an uncertain ending, because the story is about surviving, to have someone live on. and it's supposed to be meant for YOU, you are supposed to dream of a happy ending because you deserve a happy end. but that's not enough for some people, even when everything pointed to kdj waking up, there were still two portals in the end. there were still some people who thought kim dokja, and subsequently themselves, couldn't be saved. so the story continues on, because it hasn't truly reached everyone yet. (1/2 i hope you see where i'm going with this)

so what i think is going to happen, the side story is going to absolutely burn in the message that YOU deserve to live, and leave on an ending that cannot be misconstrued for anything else. because if kim dokja lives on, then so will we. because we are kim dokja. so he NEEDS to live in the end. we're not even close to the end of the side story and this message is already being pushed so much through lhh. he refuses to ignore anyone, 'extra' or otherwise. he wants everyone to survive. just. see his talk with ye hyunwoo. telling him to survive no matter what, that this was his response as an author to his readers, that if he needs to use 'i am kim dokja' then do so

(there's so much about lhh i could theorize on but i can't word it right now)

i'm gonna cut this off here because i will start repeating myself but if an open end was enough to change some. it wouldn't be for others. orv needs a clear happy end to reach anyone that didn't get it the first time around.

it's this ask that changed everything for me. orv's end may have been clear to me, but not everyone thinks the same way

just. urgh. something about this story going so far to reach out and say you deserve to live

#ask #orv side story #orv spoilers #orv #someone PLEASE back me up on this i cannot be the only one seeing this #the side story is speaking to US #you deserve to survive. no matter who you are.

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that-student-that-has-homework · 2 months

Text

You WILL Have my Herbs 06

Diluc / Reader

Previous Chapters: Chp 1 | Chp 2 | Chp 3 | Chp 4 | Chp 5 | Chp 6

Read the Full Story on Ao3 | Tumblr MasterList Here (Maybe even leave me a comment please? :3< )

Summary: Listen you just wanted to pick some plants, do some experiments, find some cures, and report back to your mentor. Unfortunately a handsome vigilante puts you in his debt and now you have to fight him to let you make it up to him.

Chapter 6: Purple Befitting Royalty

Master Diluc did say that he would handle explaining things to Sir Kaeya…

He did.

He also had the audacity to be surprised that you kept your promises. What? Did Mondstadters not keep their promises? Were promises so cheap in this country?

Hmm…perhaps you were taking this too personally.

Given what you’ve seen of Master Diluc, he didn’t seem to trust much outside of his immediate staff: like Adelinde and his butler. You were not only outside the staff circle, you were from outside the country, quite literally. A foreigner.

He likely only trusted people as far as he could throw them, and with your experience from that domain, he could likely throw them quite far. After all, he had only shoved you out of the way of danger (with one hand no less) and you vaguely remember bracing yourself for longer than you’d anticipated, momentarily wondering why you hadn’t smacked into the ground yet. When you did land you skidded for a bit too. Of course your attire and the smooth floor reduced the friction between surfaces and lended to that skidding, but no matter.

For the record: you’d hit a floating anemo slime while holding your polearm and popped it like a balloon. Truly an unfortunate occurrence as it was cute (if deadly). Master Diluc had pushed you before the remnants of the slime could smack you in the face.

Hmm…once you described it like that…did that mean he actually did trust people then? Were you using the idiom wrong? Because he trusted them as far as he could throw them and he had the strength to throw really far then…

You’d have to ask Thamtham. He was good at language and idioms and whatnot. You would make sure to do so in your next letter.

Ah…how did you get to this thought? Oh yes, Master Diluc. His lack of trust-which was perfectly reasonable given his… extracurricular activities.

Unfortunately, whether you would like to admit it or not: words could be cheap. It wasn’t as if you hadn’t experienced that yourself. But still…you promised!

You promised multiple times! And he-okay! That was enough of that. There was no use being agitated when you understood the situation.

To top it off he was also going to help you clear things up with Sir Kaeya. You ought to be grateful for that! You were, actually! This meant you could go hand in your due library books! And see Miss Lisa! Oh you’d missed Miss Lisa she was the-

He never said when .

Master Diluc never said when he would talk to Sir Kaeya.

Oh dear.

Oh no.

Your library books were due today , and you had heard that Miss Lisa zapped Sir Kaeya one time when he brought his books back late-from the man himself no less! He has never brought his books in late since, and the librarian corroborated the story (he deserved that zap apparently).

But beyond all that: you didn’t want to disappoint Miss Lisa! For all her unnerving traits (she always felt like she knew more than she let on), she was the most comforting presence in this foreign land.

You missed her. And her warm hugs. You could use a hug after yesterday. A violent shiver racked your body, leaving you to furiously shake it out of your system.

You inhaled deeply. You would go see her, and take some tea snacks with you. All would be fine, and you could ask her to hide you from Sir Kaeya. She would, she’d ask you about it a little, but she wouldn’t pry too much.

This meant you’d be safe from the cryo man.

That was rather disrespectful now wasn’t it? You meant you’d be safe from Sir Kaeya. Yes he uses cryo, and yes he’s threatened you, however as a self-respecting scholar you would conduct yourself as such.

With the thought of Miss Lisa’s warm hugs in mind you marched out into the shadows of Mondstadt. Taking care to use the backroads on your way to Good Hunter. Sara was wonderfully speedy with the snacks and you were on your way.

You know what? Sara was truly a blessed presence as well.

Anywho you were met with yet another blessing as the captain you were avoiding was not currently within the building. You’d asked the guards outside.

At last you arrived at the safe haven of Miss Lisa’s book littered domain. Libraries were always lovely. However this one was doubly lovely with the presence of the beautiful witch.

“Miss Lisa?” You called out tentatively.

“Oh?” You heard from behind a bookshelf, peering around it you couldn’t help the smile that broke across your face, “and I was just wondering if I would have to go and hunt you down myself.”

What?

“Now cutie, did you bring back my books?” She gave you a hospitable smile. “I gave you a generous extension on them, didn’t I?”

“Yes! Yes you did!” You immediately agreed and worked to summon the books. “I appreciate that deeply! Uh…am I late with my due date? Have I-did I? What’s the date?”

At that she let out a little giggle and gave you a gentle pat on the head, “you’re right on time darling,” she led you towards her desk, “I was just reminding you in case you forgot.”

“Oh, what a relief,” you slumped as you placed the small stack of books on the desk before you, and set down your tea snacks as well “for a moment I was afraid I had and you were disappointed with me.”

“Not at all,” her eyes crinkled as she smiled at you, taking a seat all the while, “I had a feeling you’d get these books back in time.”

“Then what was that about hunting me down?” You couldn’t help but question as she began looking each book over.

“Well I couldn’t help but notice my most consistent tea buddy was missing,” she spoke cheerfully as she logged the books back into the inventory, “given how hard you’d been working to provide for the knights I was worried something happened to you.”

“Oh,” though, “hunt has a rather threatening connotation doesn’t it?”

“Well,” her leafy eyes met yours from under the rim of her large hat, “if you’d run off before returning your books it certainly would have been a hunt.”

Eep!

Terrifying! She was terrifying!

Sir Kaeya was but a gust of air in the face of the maelstrom Miss Lisa implied. You currently sat within its eye, but should you exit her good graces…

You wished to never find out.

Well… actually you were a touch curious to find out. Not personally though! No, no! You’d like to be an observer.

Was that cruel?

No matter.

You found yourself fiddling with your fingers, and your words, “how…how have you been Miss Lisa?”

She smiled at you sweetly while she signed in the last book, “I’ve been well,” then she winked, “I’ve been missing my little tea buddy though.”

You felt your cheeks warm, a tentative smile taking your features.

“And no need for formalities cutie,” she rose and collected the books with an elegance you didn’t know existed in this world, “just Lisa is fine.”

“O-okay,” that might be a mild challenge, but you’d try.

You followed her as she moved to replace the books in their rightful places. Staring at the lantern on her hat it occurred to you that you hadn’t offered her any of your new products.

“Oh Miss Lisa! I mean-uh-Li-Lisa!” You quickly corrected as you summoned some soap from your pocket dimension. “I made some new soaps! Some of them were infused with cecilias and I felt the scent would suit you!”

Of course that wasn’t all you’d made.

“I also managed to make some soaps using windwheel asters and calla lilies! Oh and I made some mint oil, it was originally for Sir Kaeya but we agreed he’d purchase it from me and I made a lot of extra for others and-”

You were cut off by the tinkling giggle of the librarian in front of you, “sounds like you got a lot of work done.”

“I did! I still have a lot more to do, but I’m very happy I managed to learn about the local flora!” Your elation had you practically bouncing. “I even managed to practice using my vision using the tips you gave me!”

Oh. Your vision.

“I’m glad I could be of help,” she responded as she returned one of the books you’d been reading to its rightful place.

“Um Miss-uh Lisa?” You began tentatively.

She hummed in response, searching the shelves for a book’s rightful position.

“Could I trouble you with a favor?” You put your soap away temporarily.

The witch looked at you then, curious, “oh? What kind of favor?”

You fiddled with your fingers, picking at your nails a bit, “could you…could you tell Master Jean about my vision please?”

Her curiosity melted away into something amused, “oh! I already told her about it,” she said, looking back to the shelf and tucking a book away.

“I know you told me to keep it a secret, but I figured it would be best to let Jean know, for your own safety,” she turned to you again, “I understood it was Kaeya that you didn’t want to know about your vision.”

“It is mainly Sir Kaeya that I don’t want to know about my vision.”

“Why is that?” She asked as she studied the final book. “I admit I’ve been a little curious.”

Involuntary tremors shook you, but you responded all the same, “He’s endlessly suspicious of me as it is. He’ll likely accuse me of having this vision before arriving in Mondstadt and continue to accuse me of malicious intent.”

“Oh my,” the elegant lady looked at you, as she pushed the last of the books into place, her hand then settling onto her hip, “is that what he’s been up to lately?”

You tilted your head, brows pinching in confusion.

“He brought me a set of letters you’d written a while back,” her frown set in and you shrank, “they sounded a lot like you thought you might die darling, it was rather concerning, especially when I didn’t see you again for a while after that.”

“I’m sorry,” you found yourself looking at your shoes, “I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

“It’s nothing you have to apologize for,” Lisa placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, coaxing you to meet her gaze, “thankfully a nice pot of salve arrived after the letters, and the knight who brought it let me know you were alright.”

“Oh thank goodness!” Your shoulders relaxed. “See I wasn’t sure what exactly happened to the letters until Sir Kaeya…” you shivered at the memory, “asked? asked! about them…”

A sincerely amused chuckle left the witch as she guided you to a nearby work table. “So he had to go back and ask the source himself huh?”

“Pardon?”

“I knew there was no cracking that cipher you used,” she threw you a delighted smile, “it’s unlike any I’ve ever seen before.”

“Oh uh well,” you tittered nervously, “it’s a cipher a trusted friend of mine and I developed long ago.”

“So you were sending those letters to a friend then?” The witch plopped herself down in a seat, while somehow still managing to look elegant.

“Yes,” you nodded earnestly, hoping the witch would believe you.

She let out a long sigh, “when Kaeya came and asked me to decipher the letter, I confess I was curious what my little cutie was up to,” the librarian winked at you before her expression dimmed, “but it was so rude of him to try to go through a lady’s private letters!”

“You,” did Miss Lisa always have this glow about her? “You didn’t find me suspicious?”

You were likely imagining the halo atop her hat, however it suited the kind librarian so well, you could allow this delusion.

“Oh now cutie you have to know, those letters were very suspicious,” you felt a bit like a child being gently scolded.

“I see,” yeah that halo was a hallucination and you knew it.

“Now now cutie,” he reached out to grab your hand, “suspicious letters don’t make you suspicious.”

“What do you mean?”

“What was suspicious were the letters you left us,” she gestured for you to take a seat near her, “you sounded like you were concerned you wouldn’t get to see us again. I saw all of them, just to let you know. It was very thoughtful of you to leave Jean all those recipes.”

“Well, Master Jean is always working very hard so I wanted to make sure she could take care of her health even in my absence,” you quickly tried to deny the compliment, “it was only rational I would leave her with any remedies-er-knowledge I could to help her.”

The librarian’s gentle smile pushed her eyes into fond crescents at your knee-jerk reaction, “you didn’t give that little rebuttal much thought, now did you?”

She had you there.

“Listen darling, you clearly got yourself mixed up in something suspicious,” she gently stroked the back of your hand, “but someone who would face their fears to help other people? That’s not someone I would ever suspect.”

“But I-” you paused…you did kind of do that. Huh?

You practically melted under Lisa’s patient understanding.

“I found my savior,” you didn’t want to hide things from Lisa, she seemed to really care about everyone, “and I wanted to help hhhhiiieeee-them.”

“But they were going to do something risky?”

“Yes,” you nodded, “so-“

“So you wrote the letters just in case.”

“Yes,” you nodded again, “my savior doesn’t want people to know who they are, but I wanted to tell my parents what had become of me and that I loved them.”

“So the cipher was to respect your savior’s wishes?”

“Yes,” you shrank on yourself.

You heard a contemplative hum and then a chuckle, “I’m glad I scolded Kaeya then.”

You chuckled in return, “I am as well.”

“He sure is bored, isn’t he?” Lisa’s smile was wry. “How about we brew ourselves a pot of tea and you can tell me how much he’s been bothering you.”

The two of you made quick work of setting up for tea, before you knew it you two were each cradling a tea cup as you told her about the first time you met Sir Kaeya. You took care not to badmouth him, trying really hard not to stray from retelling just the series of events. She seemed amused by the story. You however, were exhausted, “I wish I knew what exactly about me is so suspicious? How can I stop appearing suspicious to him?”

Lisa set her cup down with a giggle, “well I’d guess he’s suspicious because you’re a really clever cutie, and a little awkward,” she reached over to grab a biscuit before continuing, “and he’s been bored lately and thinks it’s fun to play with you like this.”

“He ought to get a hobby instead of amusing himself with people like this,” you grumbled, “oh but I’d rather not gossip about him, especially when he isn’t present to defend himself!”

Lisa giggled lightly, assuring you that she had talked to him about it before. About his habit of toying with people that is.

The conversation lightened up from that point as Lisa asked you about how you’d spent the last few months. She listened attentively as you told her about all the different things you’d managed to learn out in the wilderness of Mondstadt. After a while she asked if you’d had the chance to meet Albedo or Sucrose.

“Oh?” Your brow pinched. “No, I don’t think I have.”

“They’re alchemists with Knights of Favonius,” she informed you.

“Alchemists?” you brightened. “I’m assuming they’re more knowledgeable than Timaeus?”

She laughed then, “absolutely! Albedo is our Genius Chief Alchemist. He’s incredibly knowledgeable, I think he’d be helpful to you.”

“Oh I’m always happy to find fellow researchers,” you perked up, “where could I find him?”

“His laboratory is in Dragonspine,” she hummed, “you’d need an adventurer to take you up the mountain.”

“I can’t go up by myself?”

“You could,” she frowned, “but if you’re not experienced you could easily die from the sheer cold.”

Yes you’d rather not depart this realm just yet. Your parents would never permit another expedition outside of Sumeru ever again. Though it wouldn’t matter at that point, would it?

“It would make me sad to lose my tea buddy, you know?” You felt yourself warm up from head to toe at the statement.

Your smile was wobbly as you threw yourself across the table to hug the witch who returned the hug with a smile.

“If you really want to go up to his laboratory,” she hummed, “you could put in a commission with Katherine over at the Adventurer’s Guild.”

You did exactly as she said…

Yet for whatever reason when you arrived there, you ended up receiving a hefty sum of mora instead. Apparently someone had requested the mora be delivered to you. But who-

Ohhhhh!

That…that…that!

GAH!

Master Diluc had impeccable stealth, it would make sense for him to sneak an attack like this! You couldn’t believe him! While you were trying to argue with the lady who was…refusing your refusal, strange as that may sound, you exasperatedly asked when this had been left. She’d been hanging on to the money for a very long time. Meaning the vigilante had put in this “commission” long before your conversation.

Seems like you’d have to visit the Dawn Winery before you could go to Dragonspine. Well it would be a fair way to pass the time you supposed…Katherine had said it would likely take a while before an adventurer would accept the request.

With the money safely in your pocket dimension, you made for the Dawn Winery…

You should check that Angel’s Share tavern first shouldn’t you?

That stubborn savior of yours did mention that he worked there from time to time. Sir Kaeya had also hinted at that once, likely for his own amusement.

It was only as you neared the tavern that you remembered that it was one of Sir Kaeya’s favorite haunts…well it wasn’t as if he would drink during the day…right? Master Jean commended him, that meant he was diligent enough not to drink during the day, and besides it was still morning, well noon, but much too early for drinking.

Right?

You stood a ways away from the small building. You didn’t want to go inside. Maybe you could ask Mr. Patton if your current target was present. The man seemed curious as to what you could want with his employer. It was good that he was vigilant, you supposed.

Now how would you evasively answer without lying? ‘Oh well I have something I need to return to him,’ wouldn’t be a very convincing response, you admit.

“I need to speak with him,” what a weak response, “we came to an agreement regarding business yesterday,” your pursed your lips for a moment, “however he failed to mention his prior deposits.”

“You mean he’s given you an advance payment?”

“Not really?” This money was clearly for services you’d already provided, and had explicitly stated you wouldn’t accept payment for. “It’s for the voluntary services I provided.”

The bouncer’s laughter shook his chest, the booming sound drawing attention to the two of you, “well Miss, I believe that’s what we call, a gift.”

“Absolutely not! I was indebted to him at the time!” Your patience thinned momentarily. “Sorry, I mean to say, my dignity simply won’t allow such - for such, I just,” you exhaled looking for the words, “there’s no way I could accept such an exorbitant sum.”

The bouncer was as immovable as the man he worked for, even if he was more merry, “now, now Miss, it’s rude to return a gift y’know?”

You let out a sigh, there was no point debating the matter with Mr. Patton. Looking at the bouncer again, “so is he here, or not?”

“He is,” the man nodded slowly, “but he’s busy, has a special customer right now,” he continued rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh. So you can’t call him out for me then?”

“Call him out?” He seemed surprised. “You don’t want to go in?”

“I don’t like taverns,” you replied simply.

That earned you a bemused look. “Well how about this,” he looked at the door, then back at you, “when the special customer comes out, I’ll tell the boss you came to look for him.”

“Without mentioning anything about the money,” you agreed, “please?”

“Sure thing Miss,” he chuckled, shaking his head.

“Thank you Mr. Patton,” you gave him what you hoped was a cordial smile.

“Not a problem.”

You wandered away from the bouncer, wanting to find a place to read in peace, but still observe the tavern to see when the so-called “special customer,” left. There was a ledge not too far from the aforementioned establishment, and it served as an excellent seat.

Taking out your current reading and a notebook from your dear backpack, you felt thankful you hadn’t gone all the way out to the Dawn Winery. While it wouldn’t have been a pointless endeavor as you would have gotten to see Miss Adelinde, it also wouldn’t have done much in helping you achieve your current goal.

While generosity was a virtue, and therefor a virtuous trait, you really wish your savior would allow you to be generous in return. Though it was strange he wouldn’t go back to recollect the sum. It wasn’t like it was a small amount of mora-no, it rivaled a basic research grant at the Akademiya, which is to say: is way more money than you could accept. Master Diluc had said not to worry about money before, but, still, with as much mora as he’d left behind, any normal person would have gone back to collect it!

Then again, Master Diluc was clearly an extremely generous person and not exactly “normal,” if his extracurricular activities were any indication.

You shook your head, rereading the page you’d been distracted from. You had never felt like you were particularly fast at reading, especially given Thamtham could easily read upwards of seven books a week- including thick, difficult volumes (not like he did much else) but you’ve been exceptionally slower since coming to Mondstadt. It felt like your daily to do list had essentially doubled, and now you had to deal with overly generous vigilantes too.

You missed home.

It was as you were attempting to reread the page yet again that something moved in your peripheral. Looking over the book-you made to quickly look back at the page open before you. You hadn’t seen anything. No, absolutely not, nopity nope nope.

Actually, maybe you should start making your way back to the inn…there was an ongoing experiment you were performing that you had to check on! Yes yes! You smiled as you made to collect yourself and walk away.

“Well well, if it isn’t my favorite apothecary,” shivers clambered up your spine at the cool voice that spoke.

Perhaps there was a local apothecary in Mondstadt? Your eyes darted around to look at anything but the threatening captain.

“Oh?” You could hear his frown. “Giving me the cold shoulder are you?”

You certainly weren’t! You weren’t being cold. You were actually cold! You wanted nothing more than to bolt and hide within a warm blanket! Now, how could you escape without being rude?

Without looking at the knight, you shook your head vigorously, jolting when he chuckled.

“My, always so jittery around me, aren’t you?” He sounded very amused. “There’s really no need to be so wary of me.”

You pursed your lips, your eyes widening at the exertion of force to keep your mouth shut. You refused to say anything to him. Though it seems your expression communicated your feelings well enough, given he laughed some more.

You refused to be his source of amusement any further. Glancing at the quite frankly terrifying captain, you gave him a curt nod to acknowledge him before promptly turning to walk away.

Of course that wasn’t enough to get rid of him as he followed, having no trouble keeping up with you with his long legs. He also continued the conversation, despite your lack of engagement.

“Thanks to you, Mondstadt's most eligible bachelor asked to see me!”

Who?

“What a lovely turn of events indeed,” your brow pinched, what was this incomprehensible man talking about?

“I ought to thank you then,” you stilled at that statement casting a glance to the very ominous presence to your side.

You were in public, he wouldn’t do anything in broad daylight in the middle of so many witnesses, would he? No he wouldn’t. Sir Kaeya had demonstrated he was very strategic, and given you weren’t particularly suspicious to anyone outside the knights, it wouldn’t be wise to accost you in the open.

You shook your head, forcing out a, “n-no thanks necessary.”

Hugging your books you forced a smile, “es-especially given I don’t think I really have any involvement in getting you the uh…the,” what did he say he got? “I mean I don’t think I had much to do with you meeting with the-uh-with getting you that meeting?”

He let out yet another little chuckle. Just what was it that was so amusing? Did he take pleasure in your panic? Er-discomfort? Did you look panicked?

Nevermind that, “well, I’ll be goin-”

“Now, don’t tell me you don’t know who Mondstadt’s most eligible bachelor is?”

You took in a deep inhale, followed by a prolonged exhale, “how would I know who Mondstadt’s most eligible bachelor is?” Really, was this man resorting to petty provocation because you didn’t want to converse with him? “I’m an apothecary, not a gossip.”

“Oh I just assumed you’d be able to figure it out yourself, clever little researcher that you are.”

You closed your eyes as you took in yet another deep inhale followed by an elongated exhale. You did not wish to give him the satisfaction of accepting his challenge, yet…yet you wouldn’t deny you were fond of puzzles like this…

Fine!

Clearly it was someone you knew, else he wouldn’t expect you to deduce the bachelor’s identity. It was someone Sir Kaeya seemingly enjoyed being around, but you didn’t know much about the knight, so that wasn’t helpful. Wait a minute! There was another hint from the captain: the other party didn’t seem to like talking with him.

You could understand why…or commiserate at the very least.

Anywho…

What made for an eligible bachelor anyhow? Graduation from a good school? Hmm, no, intelligence should be enough, Mondstadt didn’t seem to care too much about school credentials. What else? Good character, that was essential! Given the state of the world, perhaps an ability to fight…

A man from Mondstadt that you knew of with all these qualities? Truthfully it was embarrassing who came to mind first-wait.

Wait. Wait.

Goodness, it made so much sense.

Which meant-you turned to look at the Angel’s Share, finding the door open, with Mr. Patton likely keeping his word to you as he conversed with his boss. Meaning! Sir Kaeya was the “special customer,” and Master Diluc was finally free enough to take his money back!

Optimistic, weren’t you?

“Very well done Miss Apothecary! I knew you’d figure it out,” you heard the clap from your side, “that wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

Urgh. You’d revealed that you had indeed bothered with his silly games. Or had you? Maybe you were just checking the tavern because you’d remembered your desire to talk-

Hold on.

Master Diluc really was Mondstadt’s most eligible bachelor? He sure had a lot of titles…well only two, but still!

No but still! They were only two!

Everything made sense. Of course you’d had some kind of involvement! Your kind savior had mentioned he’d talk to your number one source of anxiety. Which meant…

You should be safe now…right?

Now, how would you politely exit this, frankly unwanted, human encounter? Sir Kaeya was painfully adept at socializing, and exceptionally skilled at trapping you as a result.

“Um, good…good day Sir Kaeya,” you nodded curtly at the captain again.

It wasn’t the best exit, but…if you were to be perfectly honest, you had very few other ideas. Hugging your book and notebook closer to your chest, you shuffled away in the direction of the tavern.

“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly let you go without repaying you,” darn him!

“I know!” Oh please let this suggestion be in your favor. “How about I buy you a drink?”

“No thank you,” you quickly shook your head, “as I’ve said before I hate alcohol, unless-”

“Unless it’s an antiseptic, isn’t that right?” Oh so he remembered that.

Then why was he offering to buy you a drink?

“Precisely,” you nodded again, “and you don’t-”

Wait a moment.

If Sir Kaeya was under the impression that he owed you… actually…It felt wrong to keep him under that impression. But you were only going to use it to preserve your privacy. So maybe you should, “keep him in your (alleged) debt?”

Hmmm. Yes, for the sake of your security you would refrain from “relieving” him of his “debt.”

“If you’re aware, then why offer me a drink?” You were mildly curious of his intentions.

“Why? Didn’t you just look over at Angel’s Share?” He nodded at the tavern behind you, however you kept your eyes trained on the tricky man in front of you. “I thought I could lend you my expertise, if you wanted to expand your drink palette.”

Hope as you might, you know your distaste at that response showed on your face-Sir Kaeya’s visible eye crinkling was proof enough.

You’d sooner drink a laxative tea than bother with “expanding your drink palette.”

“Tell me Sir Kaeya, how broad is your tea palette?” You challenged. “Your juice palette?”

Your opponent let out a hearty chuckle.

“No need to get so competitive now,” he placed his hands up in surrender, “I’m simply offering an acquaintance some help.”

“An acquaintance?” Your response flew out of your mouth before you could think to hold it back.

Then again, with how your eyes popped and mouth dropped, you really hadn’t needed to say anything.

“After all we’ve been through, I’d say we’re rather well acquainted,” his smile was “rather well” practiced, “wouldn’t you?”

Well…

“I suppose?” You shrugged. “Given acquaintances aren’t necessarily friendly,” acquaintances were simply people you were familiar with after all, “yes, by the strict definition, I suppose we would qualify as acquaintances.”

“How cold,” his accusatory tone did not match his bemused expression.

“P-perhaps you ought to get some tea and pancakes from Miss Sara at Good Hunter?” Sarcasm may be the lowest form of wit-but it also could function to get rid of Sir Kaeya.

It was annoying how charming his laugh sounded. Yet it sent chills down your spine as all you could think about was how adept he was with his cryo vision.

“Very well, it will be my treat,” that wasn’t what you meant! And he knew that!

You knew he knew that!

He knew that you knew that he knew that!

Dear goodness, where did this hospitality disappear to when he was threatening you yesterday?

“I’m preoccupied r-right now,” you forced a polite smile, as you started to back away, “so I’ll have to dec-decline.”

“We’ll have to schedule our tea date for another day then,” could he not afford you even a single victory?

“I can’t make any promises,” you shook your head, continuing your backwards march to the tavern, “well then, take care.”

You waved and quickly turned to walk away before he could say anything more. That wasn’t rude was it? Would your mother say anything if she saw this? She’d likely comment on Sir Kaeya more than your own conduct. If you were rude, you would have to apologize. But if you hadn’t been he wouldn’t have let you go!

Instinctively, well more like reactively, your next step was an arcing in place kind of motion, as you narrowly avoided walking into a mass that appeared in front of you. Looking up you noticed it was a rather beautiful mass and took a large step back to allow for a comfortable distance.

“Master Diluc!” You greeted. “Hello!”

“Patton says you wanted to have a word with me?” You blinked at your generous… acquaintance.

(He’d agreed you were acquainted back in Springvale hadn’t he?)

And wow! He really got straight to the point.

“How are you today?” You nodded at the man.

“No need for small talk,” he shook his head as he began leading you to the back of his tavern, “I’ve already agreed to solicit your services as I need them.”

Oh. Yes. That made sense. You felt your feet stop. He assumed you were trying to look after him. How awful was it that you were simply asking out of courtesy, and not genuine concern?

“Yes, sorry,” you shook your head, and rushed to catch up to the redhead, “I will refrain from disingenuous questions.”

“I wasn’t admonishing you.”

You hated the shame that was attempting-and kind of succeeding-to choke you.

“Yes,” you grimaced, “however I wish to be honest, and that question did not come from an honest place.”

“What do you mean?” He sounded curious.

“It was small talk, as you said,” you nodded at him, “rather than a genuine inquiry into your well-being.”

“There really is no need for an apology,” he waved your concern away, “what was the matter you wished to talk to me about?” He replaced the conversation onto its original track. “Patton said you seemed rather upset.”

You threw a glance over the tavern owner’s shoulder to the hefty bouncer guarding the door. He hadn’t mentioned the money, but he didn’t need to say you were upset! That was suspicious!

“The mora,” you had so much time to articulate your thoughts and hadn’t bothered to plan ahead, urgh, “you left a huge sum of mora at the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“Yes,” he nodded, “that’s for all the services you provided during the onslaught against Mondstadt.”

“I realize you didn’t have the time to recollect it yesterday after our discussion,” you considered summoning the bag of mora, however thought better of it, as you still didn’t want Sir Kaeya to know about your vision, “so I’ve come to return it to you.”

“Given I put that deposit in prior to the discussion, it has nothing to do with our agreement.”

“We agreed to wipe the slate clean and start off from zero though!” You insisted. “Me receiving money is not zero.”

“Consider it a gift then.”

He-

You blinked slowly, pursing your lips to try and contain your frustration. You knew he wasn’t going to make this easy.

“I’m afraid,” nope you weren’t afraid, you shook your head and reworded your rejection, “actually nope, not afraid, however I cannot accept this gift.”

The sum he was “gifting” was absurd!

“Is it customary to reject gifts in Sumeru?” You knew the shock showed on your face.

Somehow, just somehow …dealing with Sir Kaeya earlier had been easier than Master Diluc.

“No,” you shook your head, “we’re a generous people, so gift giving and treating one another is very common,” so was having a full blown battle over the bill, “however our dignity does not allow us to accept incredible sums as gifts.”

Especially not from relative strangers! You barely knew this man! And he was trying to give you what was essentially a research grant!

A research grant!

…

From the Akademiya!

…

The Sumeru Akademiya!

“So a smaller sum would be acceptable?” He asked as calm as ever.

No! He’s impossible!

“Given our agreement yesterday,” you shook your head, “the only sum I’d be willing to accept is a sum of zero mora.”

The slight frown his lips drew as he assessed you complimented the analytical composition the rest of his features arranged themselves in. Really, how was it that he was essentially a sentient painting? Not a single expression of his lacking in elegance or beauty? It was doubly agitating in this situation.

“Very well,” huh? Was he agreeing? “I understand your position very well.”

He does? Your brow pinched, your lips following them in a quizzical pursing motion.

“That sum was left on behalf of the Citizens of Mondstadt as compensation for the treatments you provided during the mysterious plague Springvale suffered from,” he nodded at you.

Was he?

“You mean like mora from a welfare program?”

“Precisely.”

You clicked your tongue before you even noticed. Slapping your hands to your mouth you began to rectify that, “sorry I didn’t mean to do that! It was really rude of me! I meant no disrespect!”

His expression lifted noticeably, a little huff accompanying the slight upturn at the corner of his lips. Somehow that calmed your panic, though it ought to have fanned the flames of your rage.

Dropping your hands from your mouth, you took a deep breath to release the tension in your body that was poisoning your ability to reason. Looking at the generous- unnecessarily generous-man you managed a leveled response, “the data I collected and research I conducted at the time is more than enough compensation.”

His pleased expression fell a little, meanwhile your expression softened, “accepting that egregious sum of mora is essentially extortion.”

With the tension gone (bless that deep breath) you truly felt ease as you continued what felt like a battle of wits. “It feels immoral and dishonest to accept money when I benefited from their misery.”

“You mean the data you collected?” You looked at his expression that had resumed being inquisitive.

You nodded, “uh, yes.”

“Your phrasing implied you’d had something to do with the spread of the mysterious plague,” he informed you, “had I been less acquainted with you, and your benign nature, I’d have suspected you of malicious conduct.”

You recoiled at that, blinking up at the man in mild horror, “with how you are, rather than being turned over to the knights, I’d be hunted,” you shivered, “by you. That spells out certain doom.”

Hmm…but would that really be worse than being hunted by Sir Kaeya? Between the two of them…you couldn’t be certain who was more terrifying to have as an adversary. You’d rather not be prey for either terrifying huntsman. Though maybe Master Diluc would be more merciful about it, as he’d bring about, “a rather swift, certain doom.”

You were pulled out of the momentary reverie by a short resonant chuckle. You met his gaze, and he gave you a bemused response, “you have a gift for evading me, so that doom may not be as swift as you say.”

“It would still be certain though,” you gestured at him.

“Of course,” his tone remained rather light, despite the subject material, “I’d go to any length to ensure the safety of Mondstadt.”

“Truly, I respect that,” you made to look him properly in the eye, “I do,” your lips pulled up wistfully, “had I the ability to protect my people, I would too.”

“Is that why you chose your profession?”

Huh?

“Oh I just wanted to be helpful,” you explained, “I wished to be useful to those around me,” oh hold on, “still do! Wish to be useful to people, that is.”

You watched your conversational partner fold his arms across his chest, “I meant to say that by healing the sick and wounded you are also protecting your nation.”

“Huh? I suppose so!” You hadn’t really thought of it that way! “I suppose I am technically fighting off an enemy,” you squinted as nothing in particular, “a significantly smaller enemy.”

“That’s no less deadly,” he was rather knowledgeable now, wasn’t he?

You let out a soft chuckle. Your eyes crinkled with the mirth-filled upwards curve your mouth was being pushed into. “I feel compelled to form an alliance with you for the remainder of my time here in the Nation of Wind,” you joked.

Not the most humorous joke, however you enjoyed it. You knew both of you would continue to work to help people regardless. However he would handle the large enemies and you the small ones. Therein lay the joke. Did that qualify as a joke? Well it was funny to you!

“Very well,” what?

You turned to the tall man who was nodding at you, “the conditions for this alliance are that you accept the mora.”

“I no longer wish for an alliance,” you deadpanned.

“You wish to make me your adversary?”

“Absolutely not,” you’d seen what he could be like as an adversary, in fact, “though, I’d say you’re already my adversary. We’ve been at odds since we’ve met.”

“Ah yes,” he paused, “due to your inability to accept the generosity of others.”

Oho? What an interesting way to frame it.

“I could say the same about you,” you gestured at him, “while I wasn’t necessarily offering because I was generous-”

“In which case you can’t say the same about me.”

That stopped your argument in its tracks. Snapping your mouth shut you gave the vigilante an unimpressed stare. “Well I couldn’t just let a debt go unrepaid.”

He heaved a sigh, “as I’ve said before, if I did rescue you-”

“Trust me when I say there is no mistaking that hair of yours-”

“It wasn’t motivated by you being in danger,” he continued, “it was to eradicate the threat to Mondstadt, so you offering your services was unnecessary, there was no debt to repay.”

“Put yourself in my shoes,” then again, “not like you’d ever be in my shoes though…hypothetically if someone offered you aid, you wouldn’t allow them, well you wouldn’t not compensate them in some way, would you?”

“I believe the mora you are desperate to return to me is proof of that,” he nodded at you.

You bit down on your lip. He did have a point.

“Fine,” you huffed, placing your hands on your hips, “you make a fair point. But can I set the terms of repayment?”

“Go ahead.”

Thank goodness he agreed. Looking around, you summoned the hefty bag of mora you’d received at the Adventurer’s Guild and placed it on a nearby table with a jingle. You then turned to the man who’d arranged the mora for you. You put on a sheepish smile, “can I get back to you when I have an idea on what I’d like?”

“No,” he folded his arms across his chest again, “you have a penchant for disappearing.”

“I wasn’t planning on not giving you an answer,” you huffed, “I’m not too sure what I need right-”

Oh! That’s right! You needed a place to dry and store your herbs. You’d originally intended to ask Miss Lisa, but this would keep you away from the knights’ headquarters and more importantly: Sir Kaeya!

“Do you happen to have any spare rooms at your winery?” You looked at him hopefully.

“Are you intending to stay at the winery?”

“Oh absolutely not,” you denied waving your hand to accentuate your denial, “I need a place to store my herbs and experiments, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind me leaving them there.”

“I have a few spare rooms I can lend you,” he agreed! Yes!

“One is good!” You brought your hands together in a single clap. “I’d rather not have the herbs make more than one room smell pungent.”

He gave you a little hum, eyeing you, “very well, collect your things so we can head to the winery and sort out which room you’ll be using.”

“Thank you so much!” Ah this was great! Hopefully you’d be able to accomplish a lot more with your remaining time now that you didn’t have to worry about storage! “I’ll be quick.”

You had barely rounded the corner of the tavern, when you turned back to the man you’d just struck a deal with, “is this perhaps less convenient than the mora?”

“No,” he answered simply, “you’ll be completely out of the way and we likely won’t see much of each other.”

Oh that was good! You nodded at him pleased with that arrangement, “so long as I am not inconveniencing you in any way.”

He simply gestured for you to hurry and collect your things. So you did.

Oh this would be excellent! The Winery was closer to nature as well! Harvesting, drying, and storing all the different plant species would be so much easier! You could also keep tabs on Miss Adelinde and replenish things for her as needed! You didn’t have to pay rent either! You could start saving up mora for your next destination!

Most importantly: you’d be far away from ever running into Sir Kaeya accidentally! If at all!

This deal was truly a steal!

Really…it was a steal. Well was it stealing when the other party agreed to it? You could always pay a small rent by offering services for free! That way you wouldn’t feel as bad about using the place.

Hehe. This was going to be great!

#diluc x reader #diluc ragnvindr #genshin x reader #genshin x you #genshin x y/n #diluc x you #diluc fanfic #genshin fanfic #genshin impact #diluc ragnivindr x reader #diluc ragnivindr x you #kaeya alberich #lisa genshin impact

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 8 months

Note

AITA for wanting to meet my QPP and going out of my way to try to do so after they’ve said no?

Okay, so. This is a very complicated situation, I’ll try to offer as much details as I can, but I am currently running off a fresh four hours of sleep and I am dead on my feet.

Me (18 genderfluid) and my partner, X (17 nb) have met almost three years ago on Tumblr. We have become really close in that time, and I asked them to be my QPP last year.

We’ve never met irl, because of the simple fact that we live on different continents and were both until this summer.

Well, as it happens, X’s parents decided to take him on a trip overseas in august. As soon as they learned this, they told me and we both freaked out.

Because the trip would put him and me only a two hour flight away. I immediately asked my parents if it would be possible to do something about this, fully expecting to be denied.

However, my parents not only Agreed, they helped me devise a full timeplan and schedule and find plane tickets and a hotel.

I told this to my partner excitedly and they were obviously excited, I was, too. Since it was a family trip, they had to ask his parents, though. One of them was completely fine with it, but the other just said no.

It was made worse by the fact that it was a step-parent to X.

Usually, I am a very calm person, and am able to accept a logical argument. But there was no apparent reasoning behind the step-parent saying no. At least not one that me or X could see.

I cried for the entire day after learning of this and I just couldn’t calm down. I was so close to meeting the most important person in my life and it slipped out of my fingers right before it became a reality.

Anyways, it pissed me off beyond reason and I booked the tickets, hotel and invited my mom for an impromptu three day holiday. Obviously, she knew why I was going, since she helped with the planning, so she agreed.

My partner learned of this, obviously. I told him as soon as I decided to do it, but because of timezones, they were already unavailible when I told them.

So I flew out yesterday. I should probably mention that I will be paying everything back to my Dad, who bought the tickets, which will be almost the entirety of my savings.

I gave an option to X. If he wants to meet, I’ll meet with them, if not, I’ll leave it. Yesterday, he wasn’t sure. We discussed it for a long time, I cried again.

I was emotional, sleep deprived and in a completely different country, so I was mean. I tried not to be, but I did say some things that I regret. I apologised immediately, but still.

Mostly, I was asking about why he’s scared to meet. I won’t elaborate on the reasoning, since it’s his own bussiness, but Basicaly, it was his parents. Because they hadn’t Agreed to the meeting.

Well, I begged him to at least try asking again and went to sleep.

X texted me whilst I was sleeping, saying he discussed it with his step-parent and tried to convince them to let us meet.

However, this is where their step-parent finaly revealed their reasoning.

The trip they are on is meant as a sort of ‘goodbye’ trip for X, since he’s turning 18 next year and for whatever reason, they don’t expect him to be very happy to spend holidays with them again.

Yea, I know, I’m being sarcastic and salty, but I think it’s deserved. Why Oh why would your child want to cut contact with you once they turn 18, you shall never know.

In any case, I learned of X’s family’s plans for the following day and it was a thing that I Also really wanted to do (since I did give him the option to tell me yes/no for the meeting I turned the trip into a holiday with my own mom). I have been super excited to do this during the trip and it just so happened that the weather was perfect for the activity as well, so I just decided to go Anyways, much like with the trip.

My main motive was absolutely the trip itself, but the possibility of running into X Also influenced my decision.

We didn’t end up meeting, but if we did, it would’ve Caused trouble for him and they already said no to meeting me.

I understand that everyone’s boundaries and fears are different and I try and respect them, but I’m so frustrated with this situation, because were our situations reversed, I would’ve met with X, whatever the consequences.

So. AITA?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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ao719 · 1 year

Text

Vancross

Vancross - I Keep Falling For You (Chapter 11)

Most of the characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: A group of friends embark on their final year at Vancross Institute with the hopes of making it their best year yet. When a new face with a complicated family plagued by secrets and rumors arrives on campus, new friendships are formed, a new relationship blossoms, and threatening challenges arise.

Title inspiration: Fallin’ - Dylan Brady

Main Pairing: Liam x F!OC

A/N: I tried to post this yesterday, but tumblr wanted to be uncooperative, so I apologize if you got a tag for it. Multiple crossover series. There will be random sprinkles of canon throughout this story, but for the most part, it’s pretty much out the window. Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading! Please excuse any errors.

Rating: M • Warnings: This series will contain nsfw material, language, some alcohol and drug use, and is not suitable for minors. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

Catch up here

After their impromptu Saturday morning team meeting, Blaine and Liam walked away from the polo field, headed back toward their building.

“That’s an hour and a half of my life that I’m never going to get back,” Blaine grumbled.

Liam shook his head. “Coach was in a damn mood.”

“Yeah, and so were all of us since he pulled us out of bed on a damn Saturday for that shit,” Blaine scoffed.

Liam sighed, thinking back to earlier that morning when he woke up next to Croía for the first time. Then he thought of the direction things seemed to be headed before they had been interrupted. Moments between the pair had been heating up for a while now, but even more so in the weeks since they had made things official between them.

Since knowing her, Croía had always come off as reserved, so Liam was trying to follow her lead in that particular area, not wanting to come off as too forward. At the same time, he was only human; he couldn’t help but think about it. He wanted to explore that with her.

Blaine glanced over when he heard the sigh, and chuckled. “Sorry again about, er … this morning.”

Liam shook his head with a wry laugh. “It’s fine.” He had told Blaine, in as little detail as possible, why their impromptu meeting had him feeling irritated for more reasons than one.

“So, have you two, uh … ya know …?”

“‘Ya know?’” Liam laughed. “What are we, 12?”

“Ok, first of all, what the hell were you doing at 12? Because I sure as shit wasn’t doing that,” Blaine quipped. “Second, you know what I meant, so stop deflecting.” Liam laughed, but when he looked at him and shook his head in response to the initial question, Blaine’s eyes slightly widened as he looked away, puffing his lips before letting out a breath. “Damn, man, that’s rough,” he chuckled.

“I mean … things will seem to be potentially leading there, but something always manages to interrupt.”

“Ah, the good ol’ cockblock,” Blaine snorted.

“Yeah,” Liam chuckled.

“Well … I was planning on staying at Alia’s tonight,” Blaine said. “So you and Croía can have our suite all to yourselves should you want.”

Liam glanced over at him with a subtle grin. “Oh?”

“Having our girlfriends be suitemates definitely has its fair share of perks. This is one of them,” Blaine winked. “And speaking of … Alia messaged me shortly after we left and said she and Croía were headed to the gym.” He gestured up ahead of them to the building in the distance. “We can stop by and see if they’re still there.”

Liam’s brows furrowed. “Croía doesn’t go to the gym …”

“I guess Alia persuaded her this morning,” Blaine shrugged. “Maybe she’s trying to get out some, er … frustrations of her own,” he chuckled.

Liam smiled. “Perhaps …”

****

Aria and Croía walked out of the room inside the campus gym where they had been for the last hour in a pilates class before they planned to spend the afternoon studying. “This is where I usually linger when I’m here,” Alia said, gesturing to the small weight area. She was secretly hoping she could get Croía to tag along to the gym with her more often; she found that going with a friend was more fun and motivational than going alone.

“Do you have a routine?” Croía asked.

“Not really,” Alia chuckled, excited about her sudden interest. “Usually I do legs one day, arms another.”

“I have no upper arm strength,” Croía snorted. “Like … none.”

“See! This would be perfect for you! I don’t have much myself, though, if I’m being honest,” Alia giggled.

“I’m sure you’ve got more than me,” Croía said.

“Here …” Alia dropped her bag as she walked up to the pull-up bar; she jumped and grabbed onto it. “Let’s see how many we can do.”

Croía watched as Alia started pulling herself up. She wasn’t normally the gym type, but when Alia invited her to tag along, she agreed, if only to give her something to try and clear her head.

When the guys left for their meeting, Croía and Alia headed back to their suite to change, and her mind had remained jumbled; she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her morning with Liam. “Maybe we can pick this back up later?” The way they had gotten lost in the moment, paired with the tone in which he said it and the look in his eyes, she knew what he meant. And it wasn’t that she didn’t want to take things further with him. She did. This was all very new to her, however. And she was nervous, but she wasn’t sure if it was more for the unknown, having to explain it, or both.

Croía knew she more than likely wasn’t what Liam was used to, whether it be a relationship or something else. She didn’t want him to see her differently, and had no idea what to expect … out of any of it.

“Lookin’ good, babe,” Blaine called out from behind them.

Distracted by his voice, Alia dangled from the bar as he approached her. “Help,” she laughed.

Liam watched Croía turn, smiling when they met gazes. The thoughts he was already having about her and them started to spiral when he caught sight of her in her fitted leggings and matching cropped tank top. “Hey, you,” he grinned when he approached.

“Hi,” Croía smiled. He leaned down, pressing a kiss to her lips as his hand curled around her waist. “How was your meeting?” she asked when he drew back.

“Dumb. And boring. And pointless,” Blaine answered for him.

“What he said,” Liam laughed. “What are you two up to?”

“We did a pilates class, then decided to stall studying by seeing how many chin-ups we could do,” Croía chuckled.

“How many did you do?” Liam asked.

“I haven’t gone yet. But I’m sure Alia beat me. I have no upper arm strength,” Croía smiled sheepishly.

“Well, she’s cheating,” Liam teased as he gestured to Blaine, who had his hands on Alia’s hips, helping to lift her as she pulled herself up.

Alia began to laugh as she let go of the bar, letting Blaine plant her feet back on the ground. “I did like … 10 by myself before Blaine showed up.”

“Ok,” Liam looked at Croía. “You do 10, and then I’ll help you,” he smiled.

Croía nodded before walking up to the bar; she jumped and grabbed a hold of it. “I can already tell … this isn’t going to go well,” she laughed.

“Go on!” Alia urged. She started counting as Croía pulled herself up, and Liam watched, standing with his hands on his hips. She began to struggle after five, laughing as she went. “Eight … nine …”

“And 10,” Liam finished as he started walking towards her.

“I don’t know if this is really fair,” Blaine joked. “You’ve got a slight height advantage on me, so it’s easier for you to lift her.”

Liam looked over his shoulder, shaking his head before his lips curled into a subtle smirk. “Ok, fine.”

Stepping up to the bar, Liam jumped, grabbing hold of it on either side of where Croía’s hands were, dangling behind her. He wrapped his legs around her, locking his ankles at her shins as he bent his knees, taking the weight of her own body off her before he effortlessly pulled them both up.

Despite the surprised laugh his gesture drew from her, it caused Croía’s mind to spin and fill with more thoughts. She could feel the taut muscles in Liam’s chest and stomach flex against her back and his warm breath on her neck as he exhaled with each pull-up. She was barely gripping the bar now, far too distracted.

“This fucking guy,” Blaine laughed as he shook his head. “Damn show off.”

The rumble from Liam’s chest against her back as he laughed pulled Croía from her thoughts; his one arm dropped and gently wrapped around her waist, and she took the cue, letting go of the bar before he lowered them both back to the ground. He kept his arm around her as they turned to face Blaine and Alia.

Liam chuckled. “How was that?”

“You’re ridiculous,” Blaine scoffed with a good-natured grin.

“Alright you two,” Alia interjected. “I hate to cut your little visit short, but Croía and I have a library date to catch up on some studying.”

“Boring,” Blaine playfully rolled his eyes.

Alia grabbed her bag from the floor. “What time are you coming tonight?” she asked as she and Blaine walked toward the exit.

Liam and Croía trailed behind them. “Hey, so … Blaine is staying at your place tonight with Alia. Did you want to stay with me?” She looked up at him. “We can get take-out … watch a movie …?”

Croía smiled, feeling her stomach flip. “Sure.”

****

That afternoon, Alia and Croía sat in a quiet corner inside the library, both with a book and their laptops opened in front of them; they each had two big papers they needed to work on, one due this coming week, and the other the following week.

Croía was finding it hard to concentrate, however.

Liam inviting her to come to his place for take-out and a movie wasn’t something new, but with what had started that morning and his offered rain check for later, Croía was feeling a little on edge.

Alia happened to glance up to see Croía staring off in a daze, completely unfocused. “Are you ok?” she asked.

Pulling her from her thoughts, Croía looked at her. “Oh, uh … yeah. I’m good,” she smiled awkwardly.

“Thinking about Liam?” Alia teased. Croía’s cheeks blushed as she dropped her gaze back down to the book in front of her; she didn’t answer, but she didn’t have to. “You are,” she giggled. She leaned back in her chair with a soft smile. “Things between you two seem to be going really well.”

Croía let out a whisper of a laugh as she looked back at her. “Yeah … they are.”

“So, you’re staying with him tonight?” Alia asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Croía nodded. “He said Blaine was staying at our place with you, so he invited me to stay there with him.”

Alia grinned as she sat forward. “Sounds like a sleepless night is ahead for both of us,” she chuckled before glancing back down at her book.

Croía let out a quiet breath at her words. Liam hadn’t once made her feel as though he expected anything from her, but she couldn’t help but wonder if that particular night with having his entire suite to themselves would change that. Alia certainly had her assumptions as to where the night was headed, so it was possible Liam thought the same.

Given her isolated upbringing in Drakovia, this wasn’t something Croía had to worry or think about before. And it was something she’d never discussed with anyone, not even Marguerite. Alia was right there, and Croía was sure she’d be more than willing to listen if she wanted to talk about what was on her mind, but she didn’t because if she were being honest, she found herself a little embarrassed. She had already been well aware, but coming to Vancross only made her realize how truly sheltered her life had been. She knew that none of the friends she made could relate, and it wasn’t that she was worried they would mock her, but she wasn’t exactly sure she wanted to hear their opinions on it either … Liam included.

Croía supposed that it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing if Liam had assumptions about that night, and considering it was something she had been thinking about herself, a part of her wondered if she should say anything at all. Was it something she needed to bring up? Would he want to know? Should he know? Would he care either way? Would it even matter? She wasn’t sure how to go about it, but perhaps not telling him would just be … easier. At the same time, Liam already seemed to be able to read her fairly well; she knew she lacked a poker face and was certain her nervousness would give her away.

****

“Thank you,” Liam smiled at the delivery man as he took the bag of food from him before handing him a wad of cash. “Keep the change.”

The man nodded in thanks before turning and disappearing down the hall. Before the door closed, Liam heard a brief exchange being made; he poked his head out into the hall to see Croía passing the man, making her way toward his suite.

“Perfect timing,” Liam chuckled as he held the door open for her.

“Thanks,” Croía smiled as she stepped inside.

Liam followed her, letting the door latch shut behind him as he carried the bag to the kitchen. “I got sushi from that Japanese place around the corner from campus,” he said as he started pulling out containers. “And some tempura … rice … steak …”

“Who are you feeding?” Croía giggled.

Liam chuckled as he looked at her. “I wanted us to have options.” After emptying the bag, he turned to her, cupping her face in his hands and leaning down, pressing a lingering kiss on her lips. “Hi,” he smiled as he drew back.

“Hi,” Croía smiled in return. “And thank you,” she gestured to the food.

“What do you want to drink?” Liam asked as he moved to the refrigerator.

Croia sat on one of the stools at the counter. “Water please.”

After grabbing two bottles of water and two dishes, Liam took the other stool, giving her one of each. They opened the containers, filling their plates. “How was the library with Alia?”

“It was good,” Croía nodded. “Just worked on my paper.” Using chopsticks, she lifted a piece of sushi to her mouth.

“What class is it for again?” Liam asked.

“The one I worked on today is for Foreign Policy and is due Wednesday. Then I have one for National Government due the following week.”

The two talked and laughed while they ate, settling into their familiar comfortability, but in the back of both their minds were the lingering thoughts on where that night might go.

And for two entirely different reasons.

****

After dinner, Croía followed Liam into his room to put her overnight bag in there. “Did you want to watch the movie out there or in here?” he asked as he looked at her.

“Oh, uh …” Croía smiled nervously.

Liam chuckled at her awkward grin. “I’m fine with whatever.”

“Either one … doesn’t matter,” Croía replied.

Liam felt a flicker of anxiety pass through him; he couldn’t shake the thought that what had been on his mind since that morning had also been on hers … and she just put the ball in his court. Fuck.

If he chose his room, he didn’t want to come off as having expectations because he didn’t. On the other hand, if he chose the living area, he didn’t want to come off as not wanting what started that morning to continue — if that’s what she wanted, too — because he did.

It wasn’t as if this was something new to him, so he wasn’t sure why the hell he was suddenly so nervous.

“Uh,” Liam cleared his throat as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I can put it on in here,” he said. “If that’s good with you, I mean.”

“Yeah,” Croía replied.

Liam smiled with a nod before turning toward to grab the remote as Croía set her bag down in the corner of the room, feeling her cheeks start to burn. She closed her eyes and shook her head, telling herself she was overthinking everything. She let out a quiet breath before turning back toward him; she moved to his bed and climbed on as he scrolled through movie options.

“Have you seen this?” Liam asked, stopping on one.

Croía shook her head. “No, but Alia was telling me about it a couple of weeks ago.”

“That ok then?” Liam chuckled, glancing over his shoulder at her; when she nodded with a smile, he made the selection on the screen. He set the remote down on the nightstand and clicked off the light before joining her on the bed. He settled back against the headboard, lifting his arm, and she nestled into his side.

****

The movie playing in the background had been long forgotten. Liam was propped up on his side with Croía on her back, their tongues languidly curling together; his hand rested on her waist as her fingers gently threaded through the hair on the nape of his neck.

They began to lose themselves in that kiss as it grew deeper, in every touch as they grew more eager and fervent. Liam slowly moved his hand to her hip, brushing his fingers against the exposed skin of her stomach just above the waistband of her pants; her body slightly and unwittingly arched into him.

A soft smile played on his lips as he let out a quiet, breathy chuckle as he drew back. “Do you have any idea how badly I want you?” he whispered huskily before capturing her lips again.

Croía could feel her heart pounding, nerves mingling with anticipation of the unknown fluttering in her chest. She didn’t want to stop, but she knew it might be for the best; she wasn’t sure going into that night if she should say anything at all, but a little voice in her head was telling her that she needed to talk to him. She couldn’t bring herself to pull away from his lips, however. Each slow curl of his tongue against hers and feathery graze of his fingers on her skin only seemed to draw her in more.

Liam’s hand slid over her hip and down the back of her thigh before he gently pulled her leg up to his waist. When he shifted his hand back up, he splayed it against the small of her back, applying just enough pressure to cause her body to arch against him again, but now she could feel just how much both she and that kiss were affecting him as well.

Croía let out a shuddered breath against his lips as she drew back. “Liam …”

“Hmm?” Liam hummed in response before kissing the corner of her mouth. His lips moved to her jaw, and she closed her eyes as he slowly trailed them down to her neck.

“I …” Croía paused, her heart racing faster as he continued placing feather-light kisses against her skin. “You should know — I mean, I need to — I’m … I’m a — I just haven’t — Liam, I’ve never …” Her stuttered whispers trailed off, and she held her breath when she felt him freeze.

With his lips on her neck, Liam stilled, and his eyes snapped open. Registering her sudden nervous demeanor paired with what she said and how she said it, he immediately realized not only the meaning but the weight behind her words and what she was trying to tell him. And suddenly, other things he had noticed since meeting her began to make sense, like her reaction to that particular scene in the first movie they watched together and her being unable to answer Alia’s question, and her slightly nervous demeanor when they found themselves in moments just like this over the past several weeks.

Liam slowly lifted his head to look at her; her eyes were squeezed shut and her brows knitted as he stared down at her for a silent moment. “You … you’ve never …” He swallowed thickly. “You’re saying that you’re a vir—” He was cut off when Croía sat up, covering her face with her hands to hide her embarrassment. His brows furrowed in concern as he sat up behind her. “Hey …”

Croía let out a breath as her hands fell away from her face; she ran her fingers through her long hair, shaking her head. “No,” she said just above a whisper. “I’ve never … yes, I’m … I’m a virgin.”

“Ok,” Liam said. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” Croía glanced over her shoulder, giving him a look of disbelief. “It’s not.”

Truth be told, the thoughts skipping through Liam’s mind at her revelation were not exactly all pure nor princely. The idea that she’d never been with anyone else, of potentially being her first — only if things ended up going down that road at some point because she wanted them to and felt comfortable enough to take them there — was a turn-on, and one he was not expecting.

Liam cleared his throat, shaking the thoughts; that should be the last thing on his mind right now. “Really, Croía, please don’t be embarrassed. It’s a choice that you’ve made, and I have no problem respecting it.”

Croía quietly scoffed as she looked away from him. “I wouldn’t exactly say it was a choice … at least not mine.”

Liam furrowed his brows, placing his hand on her back. “What do you mean?” When she shook her head and remained quiet, he shifted closer, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Hey … you know you can talk to me.”

Croía turned her head to meet his gaze as she let out a sigh; he tilted his head, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. After a moment, she turned her body to face him and glanced down at her hands, fidgeting with her fingers as she spoke. “When I was 17, there was this … this guy …”

“A boyfriend?” Liam asked.

“No,” Croía shook her head. “He was the son of not only my mother’s head guard but her most trusted one. We practically grew up together because he lived in the staff quarters of the palace with his dad. And he was my friend … my only friend. And when we got older … things kind of started to … blossom into something more. Looking back now, it was more curiosity than anything else because we were really only ever around each other, but he was my first crush … my first kiss. We would always sneak off during balls and events at the palace … and we … fooled around, but nothing beyond a certain point.” Croía paused, taking a breath. “One night, my parents were hosting a dinner, and we snuck off like we normally did … and one thing started to lead to another, and we almost … but my sister, Lydea … she caught us before anything happened.”

Liam’s eyes slightly widened. “Did she tell your parents?”

“Of course she did,” Croía scoffed, shaking her head. “Before everything happened with Trystan, Lydea abdicated her place in the line of succession because she didn’t want the crown; she said there were plenty of us to take her spot as the “back up.” What she wanted was to be in the Drakovian royal guard, which my parents approved. Over time, she made it no secret that she wanted to be the head of our royal guard, but there was one person standing in the way of that …”

“Your friend’s father …”

Croia nodded. “That night she caught us, she pulled me down to the ballroom, pulled my mom aside, and told her what she walked in on. My mom dragged me from the ballroom to my bedroom, absolutely furious. I tried telling her that I really cared for him … not to try and make an excuse for what almost happened, but to try and make her see that it wasn’t something random. She told me that I was a Princess and he was just a commoner and that he was only showing an interest in me because of my title. When I told her he didn’t care about my title but that he actually cared about me … she laughed in my face.” Liam saw a flicker of sadness flash in her eyes before speaking her next words. “She said that I had absolutely nothing to offer him … that I had nothing to offer anyone other than what I almost ‘gave up’ … and that I was a fool to ever think otherwise.”

Croía looked away from Liam again, and his brows raised; he couldn’t imagine a parent saying that to their kid.

“She left me in my room for the remainder of the night with two guards outside my door so I couldn’t leave. The next day … I snuck down to the staff quarters, wanting to apologize to him because I knew my mom probably went to his dad and that he must have been in so much trouble … but he was gone. My mom fired her guard and banished them. I never saw him again.”

“Why would she fire the guard?” Liam asked incredulously.

“She was suddenly convinced that he pushed his son to show an interest in me, that he was trying to gain something from it. And once he was gone … Lydea became the head of the royal guard, just like she wanted.”

Liam let out a breath. “Wow, that’s …” He trailed off, unsure of exactly what to say.

“Yeah …” Croía sighed. “I was kept under even more of a lock and key after that. And that’s why I’ve never …” She trailed off. “I was never given an opportunity to meet anyone else.” She glanced up at him. “Not until I came here …”

Liam smiled, lifting his hand and brushing it across her cheek; she leaned into his touch, holding his gaze, unsure of what he was thinking. “Look, I’m in no hurry to rush things. And I certainly don’t want you to feel pressured into anything you don’t want—”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to,” Croía chuckled, and her cheeks blushed at her interruption. “Look, I know … I know I’m probably not what you’re used to … and that I don’t have as much experience as someone like you …” She trailed off, laughing at his expression.

“Whoa, whoa, wait a minute,” Liam waved his hand. “For the record, I’m not some kind of manwhore,” he chuckled. “You’re making me sound like that guy in this Hopeless Hearts movie,” he said, gesturing towards his television to the rom-com playing on the screen. “Like I have a different woman every night and can’t remember their names.”

“I didn’t mean it that way,” Croía laughed despite herself. “I just meant that I know you have more … experience than me … and while I may have never experienced that … I’m not completely inexperienced either,” she sheepishly smiled.

Liam smiled in return as he took her hand in his. “So, we take things slow, and if it happens, it happens … if and when you’re ready,” he shrugged, his eyes alight with assurance as she stared back at him. “I want to share that with you, but only if it’s something that you want too,” he said quietly before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers in a soft, lingering kiss. “And if it does happen, just know … I’ll take care of you, Croía,” his voice came out as a whisper, deep and husky with promise.

Croía smiled, feeling even more heat rise to her cheeks, but also some relief. “Keep talking like that …” Liam chuckled mischievously, pulling her back down to the pillows; propped up at her side again, he leaned down, brushing his lips against hers before kissing her again. When he drew back, resting his head on his hand, she met his gaze when her eyes fluttered open, and she softly smiled. “I … I almost didn’t tell you …”

Liam furrowed his brows. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Croía shrugged. “I’ve never had to worry about telling anyone before. I guess a part of me didn’t know if you’d want to know … or if it really even mattered if you knew. And I didn’t know if it would make you see me differently …”

“I would never see you differently because of that, Croía,” Liam shook his head. “And at the end of the day, this is your life and your choice to tell what you want about it and to who, but … I’m really glad you told me.”

Croía softly smiled. “Thank you …”

“For what?”

“For just … being understanding.”

“You don’t ever have to thank me for that,” Liam smiled.

*******

The following Thursday, Liam and Croía walked hand-in-hand alongside Blaine from their final classes of the day, talking as they headed toward the guys’ building. They had no classes tomorrow due to a conference that was being held on their campus for professors from different universities all over.

Liam glanced over at Blaine. “What time are you guys leaving?”

“Her parents said the jet should be here around four,” Blaine answered.

Liam chuckled. “You got your suit ready for the birthday ball?”

“You royals and your damn balls,” Blaine shook his head, earning a laugh from both Liam and Croía. “But yes, I got it.”

Alia and Blaine were going away for the three-day weekend; they were leaving for Monterisso that evening to celebrate her sister’s birthday.

Croía, who had finished and turned in one of her papers, was planning to spend the evening and most of tomorrow finishing her other that was due on Monday, that way, she wouldn’t have to worry about it over the long weekend, and could spend it with Liam. She was stopping by his suite before heading to hers to grab a book she had left there the night before.

In the days since learning what Croía had told him that night in his suite, Liam had really been following her lead. Not that he wasn’t before, but knowing what he knew now, he became even more internally cautious of being too forward and crossing any boundaries. He didn’t want to be reckless with the situation or her; they had been together every night since, and while those moments they shared continued to grow more passionate, he was going to do nothing unless she initiated it. He wanted her to set the pace she was comfortable with, relinquishing pieces of herself only when she was ready. And he didn’t want her to feel any kind of pressure, especially on his behalf.

The air of innocence Croía carried herself with, something Liam had always found endearing, made more sense to him now. She was practically the epitome of innocence. And while this was all new for her, it was new for him as well, albeit in a different way. He’d never been with anyone who was chaste; he’d never been someone else’s first. So when he said that he was glad she told him, he meant it. Contrary to what she may have thought, he felt that it definitely mattered if he knew; he would have felt awful if at some point something had happened between them and he somehow found out after the fact.

Once inside the suite, Liam went to his room to grab Croía’s book; he returned a moment later, meeting her in the kitchen as Blaine perused the refrigerator for a snack. “Here ya go.”

“Thanks,” Croía smiled, taking the book from him.

“Want me to do some meal prep for you so you don’t starve this weekend? Or are you just going to order out the whole time?” Blaine teased as he turned to face them.

“I am perfectly capable of cooking for myself,” Liam scoffed before turning back to Croía. Blaine met her gaze, widening his eyes slightly and shaking his head; when Liam saw her crack a smile, he whipped around, catching him. “I can cook!” Liam turned back to Croía. “I can cook.”

Croía nodded. “Ok,” she chuckled.

“Maybe you should cook her dinner this weekend to prove it,” Blaine suggested jokingly.

“Ok,” Liam replied without hesitation, earning a look from Blaine.

“Oh?” Croía smiled.

“Yeah …” Liam nodded. “Uh … tomorrow.”

“That was supposed to be a joke,” Blaine sighed; he walked up to her, slinging an arm over her shoulder. “It’s been nice knowing you.”

“Shut up,” Liam laughed, shaking his head.

Croía chuckled before glancing at her watch. “I should go and get working on my paper.”

Blaine patted her shoulder and stepped away before Liam walked her to the door. “I’ll call you later.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips.

“Ok,” Croía smiled. She glanced behind him at Blaine. “Have fun this weekend.”

When Croía left the suite, Liam headed back to the kitchen, leaning against the counter as he clasped his hands together; he tucked the pads of his thumbs beneath his chin and steepled his pointer fingers over his lips as he began to wrack his brain.

Blaine looked at him, seeing the slight look of dread in his friend’s eyes, causing him to laugh. “You’re trying to think of what you’re going to do about making her dinner, aren’t you?”

“What the hell was I thinking?” Liam chided. He knew the basics of cooking, of course, but to make a whole meal to impress his girlfriend with? Absolutely not. “Why would you even suggest that?”

“I didn’t think you’d actually take me up on it!” Blaine laughed. “That was your fault.”

Liam stood straight as an idea struck, pulling his phone from his pocket; he quickly tapped the screen a few times before bringing it to his ear.

****

Inside her study, Queen Eleanor sat next to Constantine as they looked over proposal paperwork; when her phone chimed with an incoming call, she glanced at the screen. “It’s Liam,” she smiled before answering, placing the call on speaker. “Hello.”

“Mom, I need your help!”

Eleanor shared a look with Constantine before looking back at the screen, both of them straightening at the slight panic in their son’s voice. “What’s the matter?”

“I told Croía I would cook her dinner this weekend …”

Eleanor covered her mouth to stifle a laugh as she looked at Constantine again; he let out a breath, sitting back and pinching the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. “Oh?” she squeaked in reply. “That was … really sweet of you.”

“It’s not sweet when I don’t know what I’m doing, Mom!”

“Take a breath,” Eleanor giggled.

“This is all Blaine’s fault.”

“It is not!” Blaine laughed in the background. “I only made the suggestion out of jest, Mama E! He’s the one that told her he could cook!”

Eleanor chuckled. “Ok, well … Croía doesn’t strike me as the type to expect anything fancy.”

“She’s not,” Liam agreed.

��So, I would suggest something easy then.”

“Ok,” Liam replied. “And … what exactly would you recommend?”

Eleanor thought for a moment. “How about just a simple homemade tomato pasta? You can’t really go wrong with that, and it’s one of your favorites that you can share with her.”

“Ok,” Liam said. “I think I can manage that …” He remained quiet for a moment. “What, um … what do I need to do?”

“Jesus Christ,” Constantine mumbled through a laugh beside his wife.

“Is that Dad?”

“Yes,” Eleanor giggled. “You’re on speaker …”

“Perfect. Great.”

Constantine and Eleanor began to laugh just as a knock came on the door; it opened and Leo strode into the room. Seeing his parent’s amused expressions, he arched a curious brow. “What’s going on?”

Constantine met his eldest son’s gaze with a grin. “Your brother wants to cook dinner for a date.”

****

At the sound of his brother’s loud guffaw, Liam threw his head back with a grumble. “Liam wants to cook? Like, a real meal? For another human being?”

“Shut up, Leo!”

“Oh, hey there, little bro,” Leo snorted. Liam could hear the door open again, and when he heard his mother greet his sister, he ran his hands down his face.

“Why are we laughing?” Lena asked.

Leo chuckled. “Liam wants to cook dinner for his girlfriend.”

“Oh, good lord. I thought we’d at least get to meet the poor girl before he killed her,” Lena deplored.

The sound of his family’s laughter came through the speaker, and Liam snapped his head up when he heard Blaine join in. “None of you are helping!”

“That’s my cue!” Blaine chuckled as he grabbed his bag. “I’ll see you Sunday … and hopefully Croía will still be with us.” He laughed as he dodged a small plastic storage basket Liam had grabbed off the counter and threw at him. “Bye!” he yelled before quickly exiting the suite.

After a moment, Liam heard the laughter on the other end fade into the background. “Ok, calm down,” Eleanor giggled. “Cooking dinner is not that big of a deal, Liam. Do you have a piece of paper?”

“Hold on.” Liam headed for his room; once inside, he grabbed a piece of paper from his desk. “Ok, got it.” He scribbled down Eleanor’s list of things he would need followed by her instructions on what he needed to do.

“And just sample the sauce as you go,” Eleanor said. “You know what it’s supposed to taste like, so just add seasoning until it’s to your liking. That’s all there is to it.”

“Sounds easy enough,” Liam said, dropping his pen.

“Because it is easy. Stop worrying so much,” Eleanor chuckled. “I doubt your relationship with Croía is going to hinge on whether or not you can cook. At least, I hope not,” she jested.

“Mom,” Liam sighed.

“I’m only teasing,” Eleanor giggled.

*******

The following evening, Liam stood over the stove inside Croía’s suite, finishing up dinner. Croía had been working on her paper since last night and had spent the majority of that day in the library with the intention of coming to his suite once she finished. He decided to bring the dinner to her place instead, getting her guard to let him inside; that way it would be ready when she got back and she didn’t have to go anywhere.

After draining the pasta, Liam prepared both their plates and set them on the table. He took a step back, admiring his work and making sure he had everything; he snapped his fingers, turning toward the counter and grabbing the bowl of freshly grated cheese, placing it between the two plates. Taking another step back, he gave one last look over the table just as his phone rang in his pocket; he pulled it out, seeing Croía’s name flash across the screen.

“Hey, you,” Liam answered.

“Hi,” Croía replied. “I’m walking into my building now to change and then I’ll be on my way over.”

“No worries.” Liam thought about telling her he was there but decided not to. “Did you finish your paper?” he asked as he heard the chime of the elevator in the background.

“Yeah, finally,” Croía huffed. “Give me about 10 minutes.”

“Ok,” Liam chuckled. “See you in a few.”

The call ended and Liam slipped his phone back into his pocket. He walked to the switch near the kitchen, dimming the lights just as he heard fumbling against the door knob.

Croía stepped inside a moment later, and came to a halt as the door fell shut and latched behind her; she set her things down, smiling with furrowed brows when she met his gaze. “What are you doing?”

Liam approached her with a grin, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her lips. “I told you I was going to make you dinner tonight, remember?” he said as he drew back.

“I didn’t think you were actually serious,” Croía giggled.

“Well, I was,” Liam chuckled. “And since you’ve been working on your paper all day, I figured I would bring the dinner here, so you didn’t have to worry about going anywhere.”

When he stepped aside, Croía let out a breath when she saw the flickering candles on the table set for two. “Liam …” No one had ever done something like this for her before.

“Come on,” Liam grinned as he guided her toward the table. He helped her into her chair before taking the seat across from her.

Croía looked down at the pasta. “It smells good.”

“I hope it tastes ok,” Liam smiled sheepishly. “It’s just a simple homemade tomato pasta, but I have to confess … I might have exaggerated a little when I said I could cook … because outside of the basics, I’ve never really done much of it … so I kind of had to call my mom,” he chuckled.

Shaking her head, Croía smiled as she stared at him. “This is very sweet, but you didn’t have to go through all of this trouble for me, Liam.”

“I wanted to do it.” Liam smiled as he grabbed his water glass and held it up to her; she returned a grin of her own as she grabbed her glass and gently tapped it against his. “Now, if it’s terrible you need to tell me so I can order us some take-out.”

Croía laughed as she grabbed her fork; she twirled a small bit of pasta onto it and leaned over, taking the first bite. As he watched her tentatively, she sat back and met his gaze with a smile. “You did good,” she nodded. “It’s delicious.”

Liam smiled as he took a bite, wiping his mouth with a napkin before speaking. “It’s not quite the same as my mom’s … but close enough. I’ll call it a win,” he chuckled. When he caught her smiling at him, he gave her a questioning look. “What?”

“I just can’t believe you did this,” Croía shook her head. “No one’s ever made me dinner before.”

Liam grinned. “Well, I’m glad I was the first.”

****

Later on, long after they had finished dinner, Liam and Croía were in her room, settled on her bed; the television played a show in the background as the two became wrapped up in each other, another one of their moments, growing in intensity with each passing second.

Liam remained cautiously aware of his every move.

For Croía, however, as things grew more passionate, she felt her body thrumming in a way she never had before. With their limbs intertwined as their tongues curled together, his leg slightly shifted, and she unwittingly arched her hips as if her body was desperate to find something to alleviate the sudden ache she had.

Liam’s hand instinctively moved to her waist, but when he felt her hand cover his and subtly urge it lower, he drew back from her lips. “Croía …” he whispered.

“I-I … I want …” Croía stuttered through a breath.

Brushing his lips against hers, Liam smiled. “What do you want?”

“I don’t know,” Croía breathed. “Something …” she chuckled nervously.

With her hand still on his, Liam searched her eyes, seeing both a question and an answer in them. “Tell me.” In a silent response, she shifted his hand a little lower in an attempt to show him instead. “Are you sure?” he questioned. She nodded. “I need to hear you say it, Croía.”

Croía audibly swallowed with a nod. “I-I’m sure.”

Liam stared at her for another moment, making sure there was no hesitation in her eyes before he kissed her again as his hand shifted lower and his fingers brushed against the button of her jeans. He felt her hand slide between them, grazing his stomach over the fabric of his shirt as it inched lower, but he gently grabbed her wrist to stop her, drawing back from her lips again. “One thing at a time,” he chuckled quietly.

Croía smiled sheepishly yet curiously. “But … what about—”

“Don’t worry about me,” Liam interrupted as he shook his head.

Knowing that she hadn’t really experienced much of anything, he wanted to focus on just her; he wasn’t worried about getting anything out of it for himself. And he didn’t want her to do too much too soon, especially not because she felt like she had to; he didn’t want her to feel obligated in any way and he was fine with taking things at a slower pace so that she was more comfortable.

“I want this to be just about you,” Liam said. “So long as you’re still sure, that is …”

Croía let out a soft breath, feeling her heart race as she nodded. “I’m sure.”

Capturing her lips again, Liam moved at a meticulous pace as he kissed her slowly in between helping her maneuver out of first her shirt, then her jeans. He eyed the dark purple lace set she had on underneath as his hand sensually outlined the curve of her body before he met her gaze again; his fingers toyed purposely with the waistband of the lace that covered her as he stared at her, still watching for any signs of hesitation. When he saw none, he hooked his fingers through the fabric, sliding them down her legs.

After tossing them to the floor with the rest of her clothes, Liam noticed her legs were slightly bent and her knees together; he lightly dragged his fingertips up her thigh to her hip as his eyes met hers. “Relax …” She let out a breath before slowly opening to him. “Are you ok?”

Croía nodded, feeling his fingers trace lazy shapes along the inside of her thigh, which only caused her body’s ache for contact to heighten. “Yes,” she whispered.

Liam’s eyes scanned over her, slowly drinking her in, now clad only in her bralette. “God, you’re beautiful.” His words earned a soft smile from her as he took her hand and raised it to his lips, kissing each of her fingertips, not wanting her to feel like he was in any kind of hurry. When he met her gaze, she drew his mouth back to hers; he kissed her as he began to shift his body. His lips parted from hers and slowly trailed from her neck down to her stomach; when he reached her navel, he paused and his eyes flickered up to see her watching him. “You’re sure?” he asked again, and Croía nodded.

Liam settled between her legs and hooked his arms around her, his large hands gently curling around her thighs as he glanced up once more. When he met her gaze again, he could see both the anticipation and nerves in her expression.

Croía was shy by nature, so when it came to anything intimate, he was expecting the same, at least to start. For someone like him, it was simple: Lay back and let me make you feel good. For someone like her, it was much more than that. And with her being shy and her admitted lack of experience, he wanted her to know that she could and should be vocal. Even if she didn’t say any words out loud, her sounds alone would tell him both what he needed and wanted to know.

Liam turned his head, trailing a path of tender kisses down the inside of her thigh, getting her to relax just a bit more. He glanced up a moment later. “If something feels good … I want you to tell me.”

Despite her body relaxing, her chest was rising and falling heavily, but the nerves had ebbed away, and it was just anticipation now. “Ok,” Croía whispered. She could just make out the hint of his lips curling into a smile before he dipped his head.

When she felt his warm breath ghost her center, Croía’s eyes fell shut, and he placed a soft kiss just above where she craved his attention. When his lips moved lower with another teasing kiss, she let out a breath.

A moment later, she felt his tongue.

A soft gasp escaped Croía as she subtly arched her back, feeling him lick a long, slow strip. When she felt his lips wrap around her and his tongue slowly swirl, she couldn’t help the quiet breathy moan that instinctively fell from her lips as they parted. Unsure of what to do with her hands, she dropped them to her sides, gripping the sheets as another whisper of a moan fell from her lips.

Every thought she had became clouded in a haze as she started to drown under the sensation he was giving her.

Liam paid careful attention to every breathy sound he drew from her as he worked her slowly toward the edge. His eyes kept flickering up, gauging her, watching during those quiet moments when her lips would part, seeing her fist the sheets as she slightly rolled her hips.

Liam drew back, circling his thumb over her most sensitive spot. “Do you want more?” he asked as his finger gently stroked her.

Croía lifted her head off the pillow to meet his gaze, biting her lip coyly when she saw him smiling. Her head dropped back with another quiet moan as his thumb continued to move against her. “Yes,” she breathed.

“Yes, what?” Liam playfully whispered.

“Yes, I-I … I want more.”

“You need to tell me if it’s too much,” Liam said, and he saw her nod impatiently.

Croía slightly tensed as he slowly added a finger, but it wasn’t too much; it was just enough. A moment later, a gasp escaped her when he replaced his thumb with his tongue. The sensation of his mouth as he leisurely worked her with his finger caused her grip on the sheets to tighten as a surge of warmth shot through her whole body. Her breaths became more ragged as pleasure started to ceaselessly ripple through her with each swirl of his tongue before she was suddenly drowning under a crashing wave of it. Her back arched with a moan as her eyes squeezed shut, feeling almost out of her own body as it trembled.

Liam relaxed his ministrations, slowly working her through her release as her legs quivered. When he saw the grip she had on the sheets let up, he lifted his head; her neck and chest were flushed as she tried to slow her breathing.

After a few moments, Liam shifted his body to lay beside her, settling his hand on her waist as he met her gaze when she opened her eyes. “Are you ok?”

Croía was unable to stop the smile that curved on her lips as she nodded, earning a chuckle from him before he leaned down, capturing her lips in his. Her hand curled around his neck and he kissed her slow and deep as she continued to come down from the high he’d just given her.

A few long moments later, once she fully relaxed, Croía reached up, grabbing her robe off the bedpost; she sat up, slipping her arms into the sleeves before rising from the bed. She gathered her clothes from the floor, tossing them into the laundry basket before pulling out a T-shirt and shorts from her dresser. She walked by the bed, headed for her bathroom. “I’ll be right back.”

Reaching up and grabbing her hand, Liam smiled when she laughed as she pulled her back down, kissing her once more before she drew back. When she disappeared inside the bathroom, he flopped back on the bed, letting out a breath as he ran his hand down his face; he tried thinking of anything other than what just happened in order to will his thoughts in another direction before she returned. Leo’s smelly tennis shoes … Maxwell’s avocado toast smoothies … a chair … Rocky Mountain Oysters. He grimaced before he sighed; that did it. He was completely content with focusing on her, yes, but he was also still human, one who needed a moment to compose himself.

Liam stood from the bed and went to his bag near the door; he changed into his sweatpants before grabbing his toothbrush and slipping out of her room for a moment.

A short time later, Croía emerged from the bathroom, clad in her T-shirt and shorts. She saw Liam laying on her bed, now in his sweatpants. He smiled as she walked around the bed and climbed on, holding his arm up in invitation. When she slipped beneath the blanket and curled into his side, he kissed the top of her head. “You ok?”

“Yeah,” Croía nodded before tilting her head back to look at him. “I just kind of … I feel bad,” she smiled sheepishly.

Knowing what she was referring to, he smiled and shook his head. “Do not feel bad,” he insisted before kissing her softly. “I told you, don’t worry about me. I wanted it to be about taking care of you.”

Croía smiled, lifting her head to press her lips to his; he brushed his hand across her cheek as the kiss lingered before he slowly drew back. He pulled her closer to his side as she laid her head on his chest, turning their attention to the tv before they drifted to sleep.

*******

Liam’s arm was draped over Croía’s waist when a banging noise startled her awake the following morning. She lifted her head as her brows furrowed, and a moment later, she heard it again. Someone was knocking on the door, rather incessantly and obnoxiously.

“Whoever that is clearly doesn’t realize it’s a Saturday morning,” Liam mumbled beside her. Croía quietly chuckled as she looked at him; he cracked open one eye, offering a sleepy smile. “Morning.”

“Good morn—” Croía was interrupted by the banging again as they stared at each other. “I should go see who it is.”

Croía stood from the bed, running her fingers through her tousled hair as she stepped out of her room. As she made her way towards the door, thoughts of the night before filled her head, causing her to smile as her chest fluttered.

When she got to the door, Croía reached for the knob, and when she opened it and saw the person on the other side, her eyes widened.

Croía swallowed thickly as the color drained from her face and a familiar crippling anxiety slowly filled her body to its core.

“Mom …”

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

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