#yeah this happened i was. the toothpick i guess. sure

[onsunnyside]

.♡ ⃗ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫 (𝟏/𝟓)

𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 | best friend!JJ Maybank x reader (College AU)

𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 | fluff, friends-to-lovers, college au, non-canon ages, ‘lessons in love & pleasure’ trope, kook!reader, size difference, shy!reader, inexperienced & virgin!reader, clumsy!reader, cute first kisses.

♫ ·ﾟ𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

𝗪/𝗖 | 3.97K

𝗔/𝗡 | and here we go !! this is my first obx series, so pls wish me luck, also note that this is a college au, meaning all characters are 21+. this will be angst-free, just a fluffy fic about two friends falling in love, starring a charming blond surfer. i'd love to hear your thoughts about this so far. as always, all mistakes are my own. ☼ 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐊𝐨-𝐟𝐢 ☼

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 & 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲: @𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲

˗ˏˋ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭ˎˊ˗ ⋰˚ 𝐎𝐁𝐗 (& 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬) 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

The rays of the sun beam down, burning your heated face as you exit the building. Hurriedly stuffing your uniform in your bag, you rush down the stairs and toward the main campus. You weave between students, nearly tripping while anxiously checking the time on your phone. 

A few minutes late wasn’t that bad. You didn’t expect your professor to take the entire period given that it was the last day before spring break. It would’ve been more bearable if you had any friends in that class, but none of them showed. Perhaps you should’ve done the same and got a headstart on break too, or at least a full eight hours of sleep for the first time in months. 

Approaching the common area, the familiar sound of the fountain meets your ears amongst the chatter and laughter from your peers. 

Your eyes fall on a familiar blond, a toothpick between his teeth as he mindlessly scrolls through his cell phone. He stands out amongst the sea of plaid skirts, ties and blazers, wearing a backwards cap, cargo shorts and a tank top, his toned arms as sunkissed as ever. You call his name and break into a skip.

“If it isn’t the smartest gal I know…” You melt in his hold, that signature coastal citrusy scent washing over you like waves on a shore. After one final squeeze, he pulls away, his blue eyes flickering down to your feet. “And she still doesn’t remember to tie her damn shoes.”

“I was already running late, I couldn’t stop!” 

He rolls his eyes and drops to one knee, bringing your foot to the other, “yeah, and what would’ve happened if you tripped? Or got stuck in an escalator? Or tangled in some wild vines?” He asks, quickly tying both your laces. 

“Too late for one of those…” You pull up the hem of your dress, exposing the mismatched bandaids on both your knees. 

“Did you try to walk and chew gum at the same time?”

You huff, “actually, I got it while golfing. The tall grass is really misleading.” 

Your mother had scolded you for the grass stains on your new shoes, yet another pair just victim to your clumsiness, much like everything else you own. 

As expected, JJ’s mood sours at the mention of Figure 8. Years after that kegger incident, JJ was still very bitter towards anything Kook-related. He didn’t want to hear about Rafe and his crew and almost turned red at the mere mention of their names. He tolerated you, Sarah and Kie talking about Midsummers, and was absolutely zero help when you were discussing dresses and crowns. 

“Who was there?”

“Just my dad, Sarah and Mr. Cameron.” 

JJ hums, peering up at you through his lashes. “Anyone else?”

You cross your arms, “Rafe never comes if that’s what you’re asking. He’s too busy working for his dad, and is probably halfway across the world, sipping on Dom Pérignon by the beach.” 

“Yeah, I guess it’s not like he asked you to join him… again.”

A loud sigh falls from your lips, “That was one time! And he didn’t even ask, Mr. Cameron wanted me to check on him and make sure he wasn’t blowing profits on new bikes or drugs.” 

JJ drops it after that, he could say anything he wanted but that wouldn’t impact your relationship with the Camerons. Since your parents owned and operated the Island Club, and rich people liked other rich people. 

Your entire childhood was spent on Figure 8 alongside Sarah and the rest of the Kooks. You were grateful to live so comfortably, never having to worry about bills or losing electricity for days on end, but you’ve always envied the Pogues. Their freedom and exciting adventures were so different from the lonely box you were born in. 

With years of friendship between you and the rest of the Pogues, your mother still referred to them as ‘those kids from The Cut.’ 

Your father, on the other hand, had a soft spot for them—especially JJ because of their shared love for cars and motorbikes. There have been a few times that you’ve caught them messing around in the garage after JJ left for more snacks and drinks, practically abandoning you all by the pool for some grease and engines. 

Although he liked the blond boy, you know your father would disapprove of the many nights he’s sneaked through your window for a little sleepover. You were used to it now, sharing a bed with your best friend was a regular occurrence. It was platonic, even when you’d wake up in each other’s arms, tucked close. 

JJ’s morning voice never failed to make you all fuzzy inside. 

“Hello? Are you gonna get on or does the princess need help?” 

Ignoring his remark, you quickly straddle his bike and wince at the dull pain in your thigh, “I also got a nasty bruise that day—note to self, never try to retrieve golf balls from deceitful tall grass again.” 

He chuckles and twists around, “poor baby, want me to kiss it better?” 

As if the sun had solely focused on you, your whole body heats up, a warmth fluttering in your belly as your mind searches for a response. 

“I-I, uhm…oh, I—”

JJ laughs loud with a dimpled grin, “Why don’t you think about it and tell me later? We’re already running late and you know how Pope is with that.”

The Wreck is busy this time of day, every seat filled with college students and Tourons as waiters zoom from table to table. The delicious smell of seafood clouds the air and loud conversations drown out the radio. Sunshine pours from the windows, bathing the nautical decorations in an orange glow. Fishnets, brass ship wheels, and various hand-painted signs hang on the walls, strung up alongside fairy lights and ceiling fans. 

You and JJ beeline for your designated spot, the booth all the way in the corner of the restaurant. As suspected, everyone is already there apart from Kie, you side in next to Pope and exchange gleeful greetings. 

“And she lives! After that tumble at the golf course, I’m surprised you don’t have a cast or something.” Sarah snorts, the memory of you literally disappearing in the grass replaying in her head. “How’d your mom take it?”

You pout, “She was more concerned with my dirty clothes than my injuries,” and your bruised ego, “can you believe it?” 

You’re met with mumbles of ‘yes’ and ‘of course,’ everyone awfully aware of your mother’s obsession with the picture-perfect image. If she had it her way, she would dress you every day to show off that Kook status, she’d put you in pastel prints, ironed polos, and hand-shined shoes. A part of you knows that the only thing stopping her from dressing you like a doll was your clumsiness, a saving grace disguised as aches and bandaids. 

Her overbearing nature was also to blame for your timid heart, sometimes you were too scared to do any wrong that you wouldn’t do anything at all. Looming fear kept you in that box of solitude, unfulfilled expectations and thrills made you shrink away. As a child, you never had the confidence to speak up and often went with whatever your mother said, but that was until you met the Pogues. They helped you get out of your shell and introduced you to new experiences, they were the most patient and caring people you’ve met, and you wouldn’t trade their friendship for the world. 

Out of the corner of your eye, Sarah and John B exchange a few chaste kisses. You immediately turn away, jumping into a conversation about Kie’s whereabouts with Pope. 

“Her dad needed a hand, hopefully, she’ll be back with our food soon.” He answers and slides a glass in front of you, “she got this for you.” 

It was your favourite smoothie flavour. You don’t waste any time and take a long sip, the sweet berries melting on your tongue, a momentary distraction from feeling so different from your friends. 

Under your mother’s watchful eye, you never dared to step out of line and that has led you to being terribly inexperienced in everything dating-related. While your friends were partying and earning their stripes, you were watching from the sidelines and fumbling every opportunity that came your way. You tried to forget all those people who have pursued you, their texts unanswered and calls ignored. 

You shake away those thoughts, “Did any of you have class today?” 

Sarah flips her blond hair over her shoulder, “All my uniforms were in the wash, so it really wasn’t my fault. If private universities didn’t have mandatory uniforms… I still probably wouldn’t have gone.” 

You and Sarah went to the same campus, but your schedules were far different. You could barely remember your own, let alone keep track of hers too. 

Your gaze slowly shifts from each of their faces, “even you, Pope?”

“In my defence, I’m way ahead in all my courses, I could afford to miss a day.” 

“Hmm… And does your dad know?” You tut, tilting your head. 

He stares back at you, “Does your dad know you let Sarah and John B spend their anniversary in the country club after hours?”

Across the table, Sarah’s jaw drops. “You said you wouldn’t tell anyone!” 

“I didn’t! Only you and he know.” You point to her boyfriend who was blinking owlishly. 

John B raises his hands, going rigid under his girlfriend’s glare. “I only told JJ.”

All eyes land on the blond, a paper crane napkin in his hands. “Hm? Oh yeah, I told Pope and Kie.” 

“No secrets between Pogues.” They both high-five over your head. 

You deflate, covering your face. “Don’t tell anyone else, okay? I don’t want to accidentally start some under-the-table business renting the club… My mom would kill me.” 

JJ coos, rubbing up and down your back. “Hey, it’s no different than Sarah lending Ward’s yacht to Pope when he wanted to impress that Touron…” He shrieks when a hand slaps the back of his head, knocking his hat to the ground.

“Idiot! No one knew about that!”

“I think we can all agree that JJ is just terrible at keeping secrets. Can’t trust him with anything.” 

You giggle and sip on your smoothie, half-listening to John B’s rant about some customers at the surf shop. JJ sticks a straw in your cup and drinks too, cheekily bumping your foreheads together, his pretty blue eyes locked onto yours. 

You find it hard to turn away, your gaze drifting over his face. From his strong nose to his cheekbones carrying a slight sunburn to his defined jaw. He flashes a grin, those stupid dimples making you a little flustered. 

JJ was a natural flirt, he could make anyone swoon, he showered his friends in platonic love and affection—hugs, cuddles, kisses, you name it and he’s done it to each of you. He’s dated around the island but those relationships never lasted long enough to get serious, and they’ve never been introduced to your group either. 

You’ve always wondered what he was like as a boyfriend, if he was as sweet with his partners as he was with all of you, if that tenderness bled into all his actions. He wore his heart on his sleeve in the most admirable of ways, although he was hotheaded and troubled, you’ve always felt safe with him. 

You pull away, squeezing your eyes shut, “agh! Brain freeze!” 

He snorts, bringing you forward for a sloppy kiss on your forehead, his cold lips against your warm skin. “Maybe you shouldn’t drink so quickly, ya dummy.” 

Kie finally joins the rest of you a while later, bringing trays of fresh food and more drinks before sitting beside John B. Her long brown hair is up in a bun, loose strands frame her face, “Just letting you all know, I expect a mighty fine tip today and everyone is helping me clean up after closing.”  

“Might as well take my kidney while you’re at it.” JJ speaks through a mouthful of fries, “we’re supposed to relax today.”

“And I don’t feel like getting elbow-deep in dirty dishes if I’m not being paid for it,” John B adds. 

“These free meals say different. C’mon, my dad promised he’d try not to disturb me this week if we get this place spotless for spring break.” She looks at you, brown eyes pleading, “I’ll get you a smoothie to go.”

“I mean… it’s a small price to pay for a week of freedom, right?”

“Not guaranteed freedom.”

JJ leans towards you, “don’t say yes.” 

“There’s six of us, we could get it done in one hour or even less if we work fast!” 

“I guess that’s true.” You agree, despite JJ’s protests. 

“Sunshine, no—if you stay, I’m gonna have to stay too.” 

Kie calls your name, reaching over to physically turn you towards her. “Don’t look at him. If you stay, he’ll stay, same goes for Sarah and John B, and well… Pope will stay regardless because he doesn’t have a choice.” 

Pope pulls a face, “excuse me?”

Truthfully, you were going to stay anyway, but it does make you a little bashful knowing that JJ wouldn’t leave without you. 

“Okay, I’ll stay.”

“Same here.” Sarah decides, earning a huff from her boyfriend, “And just for your attitudes, the guys have to clean the deep fryers.”

“Including Pope.” 

“I didn’t even say anything!” 

After thoroughly cleaning The Wreck, the night concludes with a movie marathon at the Chateau. Pope keeps his streak of picking the best movies and chooses a trilogy you haven’t seen before. Bowls of snacks and beer cans litter the floor, and a half-finished pizza sits on the coffee table. Sarah and John B share one couch, and Kie and Pope are sprawled on the floor atop cushions and blankets, while you and JJ are tucked into the smallest couch, your legs over his lap. 

As the opening credits roll on the screen, everyone takes the opportunity to do more catching up. Kie talks about cleaning up some beaches with other volunteers and her most recent trip off the island, a small project with a group of marine wildlife rescuers. She even shows a bunch of pictures of her with baby turtles. 

John B and JJ talk about their co-owned surf shop, “We caved and hired extra help.”

“Finally!” Kie exclaims, “If you and JJ were running that shop alone any longer, it would go bankrupt, you’re both so fucking lazy.”

“Hey, I’m a great employee. I just got employee of the month actually.” JJ defends. 

“You shouldn’t be proud of that if it’s only you two. You literally just vote for each other every month,” Sarah states knowingly. 

You, Sarah and Pope don’t have much to say about your college careers, except for the lack of sleep and dependence on caffeine. It’s not very exciting, but Pope’s story about his professor who only attends class in socks makes you a little thankful for your overly strict school. 

The marathon goes on, and the conversation dies down by the end of the second movie. Someone’s soft snoring flows over the steamy soundtrack and for the umpteenth time tonight, you look away as the two leads share a passionate kiss. At least it wasn’t another sex scene. 

As your best friend, JJ could read you like a book. He knew you from the inside out, he could tell what you were thinking before you even said it, and he knew all of those humiliating secrets that kept you up at night. One of them being your lack of experience. When you confessed that, he told you it wasn’t something to be ashamed of, everyone moves at different paces and lives different lives—but kissing?

“You’ve never been kissed?” 

You cover your face, embarrassment flooding in. “You don’t have to say it like that!” 

“I’m not—I’m not teasing.” His smile says differently. He easily pulls your hands down, holding them in his lap, “it’s just not what I was expecting.” 

He generally knew you weren’t the most experienced in intimacy and relationships, and that’s partly why he was so protective of you. Even at crowded parties and in his drunken state, he’d keep an eye on you, watching out for any creeps. Unbeknownst to you, it was an unspoken rule between the Pogues to treat you a little softer, a little sweeter because they all know how sensitive you were. 

But he figured you’ve kissed someone before. Maybe some lucky kid from Figure 8 or a dude from your private school. 

“I know, I know. You probably find it so funny.” You huff and roll your eyes, “laugh all you want, jerk.”

And to your chagrin, he does but quickly apologizes. “Sorry, sorry. Okay, maybe it’s a little funny. But not in a bad way! It’s actually cute.”

Cute? 

“It’s adorable.” He cups your face, “itty bitty baby hasn’t had her first kiss… not even with that poster in your bedroom?”

Your chest warms as he pinches and pulls both of your cheeks, puckering your lips when you try to speak, “...posh-ers don’t ha’ tongues.” 

“Oh, so you wanna French kiss for your first time? Didn’t think you were that type of girl, sunshine.”

You push him back and try to scoot away, making do with whatever sliver of space you can manage between the two of you, but he doesn’t let you get far. Keeping you in place with his hands on your hips. 

“You’re telling me, aside from no one taking you on a date before, no one has asked to kiss you either?”

“JJ, you know my parents. My mom is so hard to please, I can’t imagine bringing someone home for her approval. And I had opportunities but… I kept getting too nervous.” 

He’s quiet for a moment, his gaze tracing over your face. You hadn’t realized how close he was until now, you could count his every eyelash and his every freckle. 

“I could help you out.” 

A lump appears in your throat, it would silence your words if you could think of any but you can’t. Too caught up in his deep voice as it repeats in your head, again and again like a broken record.

“You trust me, right? You know me, I’m not—I’m not some guy you just met. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. If you wanted to, uh, kiss someone you just met, go ahead.” He reassures, “but I don’t think you want to do that.” 

JJ was so awfully sentimental when it came to his friendships. His several shoe boxes of polaroids, tickets and trinkets under his bed said enough about his love for nostalgia. He was always one to take a chance, to live in a moment for as long as he could, and to find the positives in any situation, even the worst ones. 

Years down the line, he never leaves the house without the silver zippo that you got him on a trip with your parents. It was easy to find something for each of your friends from your weeks-long stay in Europe: jewelry for Sarah and Kie, a first edition copy of a novel for Pope, and a vintage compass for John B, but you were stumped when it came to JJ. 

You saved his gift for last, long after everyone else had fallen asleep, the mess of your celebratory return littering the backyard in empty beer bottles and confetti. He bugged you all night, eager for his special little something.  

“Don’t open your eyes.” 

“...Mhm, I’m having trouble keeping ‘em open.”

You placed the zippo in his hand and stepped back, “Okay, just feel it.”

He passed it between his hands, dragging his fingers over the cold metal until he popped it open, “a lighter?”

You nearly turned away when your nerves started bubbling and you’re thankful you didn’t, or else you would’ve missed his reaction. To this day, you’ve never seen him smile so wide or his eyes light up that bright at the sight of his initials and P4L ingrained in the silver. 

He’s just JJ, one of your best friends in the entire world. 

Deciding to take this opportunity before it slips away, you nod and his lips meet yours. He starts with little pecks, soft and sweet like cotton candy, and they slowly drag into short kisses. Putting a bit of intensity behind it, his tongue swipes along your bottom lip, but you don’t get the hint until he gently thumbs at your chin, just barely pulling your lips apart. He tastes like beer and a bit of weed, and his lips are softer than they look. 

He’s slow and steady, letting you get used to the feel of him. You exhale in his mouth and shyly follow his lead, hoping he can’t hear your heart hammering in your chest. You don’t know if it’s the sweet rush of his lips against yours, or if this is how it feels to kiss someone for the first time, but you feel like you’ll float away. 

Before you know it, he pulls away and presses his forehead against yours. 

“You can breathe while we kiss.” He chuckles, nudging your nose with his, “don’t want you passing out on me, sunshine.” 

You realize how lightheaded you feel and gasp for air, subconsciously licking your lips to taste him again. In a daze, you breathe in and out, briefly wondering if it felt like this to kiss just anyone. 

One of his hands slips behind your neck and the other falls to your thigh, warm and gentle. “Do you want to stop?” 

You glance at your friends, still passed out on the floor and other couches, the movie playing dully in the background. “No?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

“No.” You repeat, firmer this time. “I don’t want to stop. Pl-Please don’t stop.” 

How could JJ deny you? Especially when you ask so dreamily with that glazed look in your eyes. He fights the urge to pull you into his lap and touch you all over and be the first person to make you into a pretty mess, to feel you in a way no one else has before. He connects your lips again, taking the lead and slipping his tongue into your mouth. 

The unmistakable wet noises cause tingles to course all over your body, from your toes to the tips of your fingers clasped in your lap. They only get stronger when he tilts your head to kiss you deeper.

“You can touch me too,” he murmurs, bringing your hand to the back of his neck. Your digits automatically curl in his blond hair, drawing a low groan from his throat. 

That’s when you go completely dumb and totally thoughtless. All concerns fly out of your mind and join the bluebirds above your head. They’re playing a little song to the beat of your heart, hitting every note and putting you at ease like a lovesick lullaby. You almost assume that’s why you feel lightheaded again.

JJ leans back, his voice raspy, “you keep forgetting to breathe, baby.” 

“I’m sorry,” you exhale heavily, the butterflies in your tummy going wild as he caresses your face. “I’m not good at this yet.”

His rough fingers drag down your cheekbones and trace your jaw, the pad of his thumb gently presses on your bottom lip, almost slipping inside your mouth. His eyes seem darker, the clear blue shaded in something you can’t name. 

His lips trail to your jaw, the movie long forgotten, “It’s okay, we have lots of time to practice. I’m gonna teach you everything I know, sunshine.” 

𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: ahhh I've always wanted to write a sweet fic like this, i'm so excited to dive into a new fandom 🥰🥰 i'm still a lil nervous, but i'm hoping for the best !! feel free to stop by my inbox and let me know what you think of this so far, or request blurbs/drabbles for this au !!

𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞! this fic doesn't have an update schedule, but i'll add dates on the masterlist (linked here) if i have a date in mind. also, here's the 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 for this fic !!

As always, I hope you all enjoyed this and I’d love to hear your thoughts/feedback !! <3 — ☼ 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐊𝐨-𝐟𝐢 ☼

I don’t do taglists anymore. ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 & 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲: @𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲

#jj maybank #jj maybank fanfic #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank fanfiction #jj maybank au #college!​jj maybank #jj maybank fluff #jj maybank x fem!reader #jj maybank x female reader #jj maybank x you #what friends are for au #sonny’s stories #outer banks #outer banks au #outer banks fanfic #outer banks fanfiction #rudy pankow x reader #rudy pankow #rudy pankow fanfiction #rudy pankow fanfic #college ​jj maybank #college au #best friend!​jj maybank #best friend ​jj maybank #inexperienced reader #college!reader #jj maybank Imagine #rudy pankow imagine #obx #bff jj

[harlowsthetic]

𐑺 ˖ ࣪࿐ྂ SHE'S THE ONE — JACK HARLOW

new comment from; @comehomeimissyou. can you do jack realizing he has met his soulmate?

summary. jack notices just how much he needs you in his life.

warnings. fem!reader + fluff. wc, 618.

a note from sisi. im happy to finally put out something, it is short but it still something. im also working on other requests so can't wait to get those out. — masterlist / previous fic / taglist.

It was another late night at the studio where Jack was listening to tracks wanting them to sound perfect for his upcoming album.

You have been accompanying him to show him support, giving your opinion when it was needed, and you always did it with a smile on your face, reassuring him when he was way too in his head.

“But I remember when you used to be fanned out. I guess that when the whole world loves you. People only got one way to stand out. All that time in the kitchen finally panned out. I put some flavor in a pot and took the bland out,” Jack rapped while his fingers played with a toothpick, waiting for your input but silence met him.

“Babe?” His eyebrows furrowed together, confused on why you were so silent as you were just talking to him a minute ago but when he swiveled his chair to face you, he noticed you fell asleep on the couch.

A smile wore on Jack’s face as he got up from his chair, quietly walked over to you, putting his jacket over you to keep you warm before sitting back down in his chair.

Jack needed to finish this up so he can bring you home but he couldn’t help but to continue to look at your sleeping figure.

There was one thing Jack was sure of; if his career didn’t work out, he would have still had you by his side as you have always been there through everything.

You were his ride or die, Jack could not imagine a life without you. He was so into his thoughts that he didn’t notice the door to the studio open. “You good?” Urban questions as he notices how deep in thought Jack is as he sits in the chair right next to him.

“Yeah I was just thinking about something…” Jack trails off as something new pops into his mind, and before he goes to reveal what it was, he makes sure that you’re in a deep sleep so you wouldn’t hear the conversation.

Once he's in the clear, he takes a deep breath as Urban makes a blunt. "I'm thinking of finally proposing to [Name]."

"She has been there with me from the start,' Jack spoke as Urban listen quietly. "She always supported me even when there were times I doubted myself."

"About time," Urban blurt out, making Jack laugh. "I thought of doing it a long time ago but I didn't think I was ready and the thing with [Name], I didn't feel the need to rush into things which made me feel relax whenever I was around her."

"I don't think I can find another girl like her, nor do I think I can let her walk out of my life," he ramble as his eyes stay on you. "I want to give her my last name and then when it's time, start a family with her."

“I just need to get the ring and the perfect place to propose at.”

“Well you can scratch off at a football game, she thinks it cheesy and overdone,” Urban replies as he raises the spliff to his mouth.

Jack lets out a laugh at that. “Nah man it got to be special.” The sound of his laugh echoes through the room making your eyes flutter open, confused on what was happening and as soon as the sleep escapes you, you tune into their conversation.

“She’s definitely the one for me and nothing can change that.” A huge smile forms across your cheeks as you close your eyes back to make it seem like you were still sleeping and didn’t hear what he said.

chat. @livsters, @itsyagirljaz, @j0hkiya, @harlowarchives, @bernelflo @iheartharlow + @jackmans-poison.

— all rights reserved © HARLOWSTHETIC 2023-2024. all fanfics belong to me, do not copy, translate, repost nor recommend on tiktok any of the works seen here.

#𐑺 : now in theaters #jack harlow fluff #jack harlow fanfic #jack harlow concepts #jack harlow imagine #jack harlow x reader #jack harlow x y/n #jack harlow x you #jack harlow fanfiction #jack harlow story

[vodika-vibes]

Ordinary Day

When you flee to Pabu to get away from your life, you don’t expect to find happiness there. You’ve never been so happy to be wrong in your life.Summary:

Pairing: TBB Crosshair x Reader

Word Count: 834

Warnings: None

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: I wanted to write something cute and sorta fluffy so I did.

You like your home.

Sure, it’s a bit small, nothing compared to the grand mansions that you used to live in when you were a child, but your home is cozy and warm and safe…and that’s something that you never had growing up.

Yes. You love your home.

Even the squeaky floorboards on the stairs, and the way that the kitchen faucet drips if you aren’t careful to make sure that it’s turned completely off.

But, you have to admit, your favorite part of your home has nothing to do with your home itself, so much as your neighbor, and boyfriend of two months, Crosshair.

You roll out of bed early, and lazily shower and dress before you start opening curtains and windows. 

It’s your day off, which means, naturally, that you’re awake with the sunrise. Still, it’s a nice day, so you don’t mind as much as you normally do.

You grab some of the dough that’s been in the fridge overnight, and toss it on the counter so you can have fresh bread later, before you go about opening the curtains and windows in the main part of the house. 

Carefully, you tie the curtains to the side, and then push open the window before locking it into place, and a small smile crosses your face when you see Crosshair messing with the speeder in front of his house.

“Does Tech know you’re messing around with his speeder, Cross?” You ask, your voice light as you lean against the window frame.

He straightens and looks at you, a small smirk crossing his face, “Morning kitten.”

You roll your eyes at the nickname, though it’s mostly for show, you both know it doesn’t bother you half as much as you act. “Good morning, Crosshair.” 

He flashes a small smile, “What Tech doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

“Mm-hmm, but will it hurt you?”

“I can take him.”

You laugh softly, “Wouldn’t it be better to not start a fight in the first place?”

The toothpick in Crosshair’s mouth moves from one side to the other, “Nah.”

You laugh again and shake your head, “I’m going to hazard a guess that you’re the older brother.”

Crosshair’s grin is sharp, “How’d you guess, kitten?”

“I just have a feeling about these kinds of things.” You reply, and then you sit on the windowsill and swing your legs so they’re outside the house, “So, why are you awake so early?”

“Wrecker snores.” Crosshair replies, his gaze dropping to your bare legs for a split second, before snapping back to your face, “You?”

“Ah. Well, today is the first day of my vacation, so naturally I woke up with the sun.”

“Oh, naturally.” He teases with a smirk, “Hate it when that happens.”

“It’s the worst.” You agree, cheerfully ignoring his teasing, “You going somewhere?”

“Yeah, I was planning on spending the day away from everyone, on the other side of the island.” Crosshair replies, as he drops his bag in the speeder, “I just need a break from people.”

“That’s fair. Well, don’t let me stop you-”

Crosshair watches you for a moment, and then he folds his arms across his chest, “Wanna come?”

“I thought you needed a people break?”

“Come on, Kitten. We both know you don’t count as people.”

“Thanks…I think.”

“Are you coming or aren’t you?” Crosshair asks with a roll of his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m coming. Untwist your panties, Cross.” You hop down from the windowsill, and hurry over to him. 

“Hm, you spend a long time thinking about my underwear, kitten?” Crosshair asks as you stop next to him.

“That’s for me to know and you to wonder.” You reply primly.

“Yeah? Well, that’s a shame, because I spend a lot of time thinking about yours.”

“I think that makes you a pervert.” You muse thoughtfully.

“But not you?”

“Of course not.” You grin at him.

Crosshair chuckles and tosses his toothpick to the side, “So, this counts as a date, right?” You arch a single brow at him, “Which means I can kiss you whenever I want, right?”

“Is that how that works?”

“You know, I think it does.”

“Hm…well, if that’s the case, then yes. I suppose you can.”

Crosshair is quick to take advantage of your permission, as he crashes his lips against yours and tangles his fingers in your short hair to keep you close. “There,” He says as he pulls away, “That’s a proper good morning.”

“Hm…is it?” You ask with a dreamy smile, “I wasn’t paying attention.”

He laughs, “Brat. You can get more kisses when we get to where we’re going. In the speeder.”

“You’re so bossy.”

“You love it. Get in.”

“I’m getting, I’m getting.” You reply with a laugh as you climb into the passenger's seat, before leaning back and stretching out.

You love so many things about Crosshair…but these surprise trips, where it’s just the two of you exploring for the sake of exploring, you think you love the most.

#star wars #tbb #tbb crosshair x reader #crosshair x reader #star wars fanfiction #x reader fanfiction #f!reader fics

[whohasthecards]

part 1/add on

Mav is Jake's biological father and both of them only find out recently.

Ideas on what happens later on/Time skip when Jake is on shaky ground with everyone, but doing his best.

---

"He taught you how to drive?" Jake asked, throat tight. He didn't know why that hit him more than whatever else Bradshaw told him, but it did.

"Yeah, my mom kept my dad's Bronco, and when I was little, Mav promised to teach me how to drive it. Plus, mom didn't want to teach me how to drive, anyways, she was too anxious for it." Bradley said, chuckling softly.

"Oh," Jake said dumbly, looking down at his lap.

"Yeah, Mav always tried his best to be stationed near us, and he was pretty close when I was a junior in high school, after work he'd take me out to practice. Sometimes, on weekends, Mav would let me drive us to somewhere fun," Bradley said wistfully before breaking out in a grin. "But sometimes his version of 'fun' was doing groceries, so he wouldn't have to do it during the week."

When Jake was a junior, he managed to cash in enough favors that he asked a friend to teach him how to ride a bike without telling a soul. His other friend was throwing out an old bike, and asked Jake if he wanted it. He rode that bike to work, cut down the 30 minute walk to a couple minutes.

He didn't get his learner's permit until after high school, and learning how to drive was a pain because he didn't have anyone to teach him. He spent a good portion of his savings for some driving lessons, and begged his friends to let him drive their car for practice (most of them said understandably said no).

Javy was a saint and let him drive his car the most. He did his best not to give his best friend too much heart attacks. Javy brought him to take his driving test.

He managed to past his test, grinning at Javy as he left the car, heart thumping in his ears. He was scared that he would have let Javy down, thankfully he didn't.

Afterwards, car hunting was hell, but he managed to find something that wouldn't break his savings account while getting him from point A to point B. He got one as fast as he could, not wanting to rely on other people anymore.

He loves driving. Loves the freedom it gives him to get as far as he could, whenever he wanted to.

"Sometimes I got annoyed at him because he would wake me up at some unholy hour in the morning, the sun wasn't even out yet, man." Bradley whined, while Jake furrowed his brow, looking down so Bradshaw wouldn't see.

"At least you got practice driving at night," Jake said, voice even.

"Yeah, guess so," Bradley mused.

"Listen, I gotta go, okay?" Jake said, dusting his pants as he stood up.

"Sure, see you tomorrow, man," Bradley said, clapping his shoulder as Jake nodded and started to walk away.

Jake took out a toothpick and started chewing on it as he walked to his car, running a hand over the side as he walked around it. It was a newer model, not the barely pieced together car he got years ago. He made sure to do maintenance on it daily, and kept the exterior neat and shiny.

He got himself where he is now.

He clenched his jaw and he closed his eyes tightly as he rested his forehead on the driver's door.

He wished that he didn't have to all the time.

#fanfic #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin #pete maverick mitchell #top gun #top gun fandom #top gun maverick #mavdad #bradley rooster bradshaw #mavdad is the best dad

[ase-trollplays]

When We Were Kids (Part One)

...s-so... how are you feeling?... ...s-still s-sore?...

Y'all got no idea. The only thing that don't hurt is blinkin'. I swear, soon as I can move again, I'm suplexin' Dan inta next sweep.

...he only picks on you because he cares... ...its his way of making s-sure you dont obsess over everything...

Ya mean like the fact I fucked myself an' can never have anythin' close ta a normal life ever again cuz I lost my fool head?

...yeah... that... ...im just relieved you werent killed... ...i... ...i was going insane thinking id have to bury another moirail...

I wouldn't be too relieved. I can't go out in public ever again with legis an' fleet dogs out fer my head. Prolly got a hefty bounty, too, an' rewards fer turnin' me in. Y'all two ain't safe either if anyone finds out y'all know me.

...yeah... ...when dantli comes back... we s-should all talk about where were going from here...

Ugh, I can't even get my shit from my hive. It's prolly bein' watched or somethin', or it's been raided an' bugged by now in case me'r one a y'all shows up. God, my lusus ain't gon' know what happened ta me, an' he can't come here like yers. I ain't sure he'll wait a sweep fer me ta come back like when I was a kid.

...that reminds me... ...when i was in the hospital... you s-said you knew exactly how i felt when i was being held captive... and that i s-should ask you about your childhood...

Yeh. Yeh, I did say that, didn't I? I'm guessin' this is yer way a askin'?

...yeah... if you dont mind...

Alright. It ain't a happy story, but I'm sure ya already figured that. I guess I'll start from the beginnin'.

I was even more a a hotheaded stubborn shit when I was a kid, if y'all can believe that. Pickin' fights with every troll I saw an' tryin' ta befriend the ones who beat me. Which was damn near all a them cuz fer all my bluster, I was a twiggy scrawny little toothpick, ain't had a ounce a muscle on me. I didn't want nobody thinkin' I was weak just cuz I was a skinny rust.

I was always gettin' my dumb ass beat up an' hurt tryin' ta prove I ain't no wimp, but I did get some good friends outta it. Even had a li'l flush crush on one a them, a girl who beat me in a fight just by knockin' me down an' sittin' on me 'til I wore myself out tryin' ta get her off. I had a whole group a friends back then. I can't tell ya what their names'r caste was, but we were a happy li'l group.

Here's the part where everythin' goes ta shit. When I was five, I was out patrollin' my li'l territory when I spotted a scraggly-lookin' teal prowlin' around. He was a adult an' a lot bigger'n me, but I challenged him all the same. He hauled off an' kicked me dead in the stomach an' told me ta get lost. If I was smart I'd a left it at that, but who said wrigglers are smart? I wasn't ready ta say I lost, so I picked myself up, grabbed a big ol' rock, an' chucked it square at the back a his head. Hit him so hard he started bleedin' an' staggered a good bit.

He looked back at me real mad at first, then he started smilin'. Said I had a lot a fight in me for a twiggy brat. I told him there's more where that came from if he don't git, an' he laughed an' said he'd have a ball breakin' me. 'Fore I knew it, he was right up on me, an' I didn't have no time ta react 'fore he got me in the gut with a stun gun an' knocked my ass right out.

I woke up in a cell with a couple other young trolls. I asked where I was, an' they said I was in the slave camp. Said I was here cuz they were gon' break me, train me inta a perfect li'l pet slave, then sell me off ta the highest bidder. Needless ta say, I wasn't havin' that shit. I made it my mission ta put up as much a a fight as I could an' refuse ta be domesticated.

First handler they assigned ta me was that teal that grabbed me. Since I already fought with him once, I knew what ta expect. He got a lotta good licks in over the first couple nights, but eventually he slipped up an' I was able ta steal his stun gun an' shock him dead in the eyes. After that, they decided to gimme their toughest, meanest, biggest handler.

He was a big blueblood who made us call him "Mister," an' he took that shit serious. I called him asshole exactly once an' he slapped me 'cross the face so hard he damn near snapped my neck. I couldn't feel my face fer a night afterward. Most a my abuse came from him, an' I just know he was havin' fun beatin' my ass every night tryin' ta make me give up.

But I'm the most stubborn bitch ever hatched, so I didn't make shit easy fer him. He beat me ta shit, starved me, locked me in a tiny li'l cage, an' made sure no one talked ta me'r tried helpin' me'r they'd be in the same boat. His favorite punishment fer me was the post. There was a big wooden post in a sort a courtyard outside with a pair a manacles attached. He'd lock me in, hike up my shirt, an' tear me ta ribbons with a whip. Afterwards, he'd leave me out there fer nights with only a thick blanket thrown over me ta keep me from bein' completely cooked ta death by the sun durin' the day.

He liked hearin' me cry an' scream in pain, so I'd try my damnedest to keep my mouth shut no matter how hard an' how much he whipped me. I'd stay quiet for the first thirty seconds, but after that I could never hold it in anymore. Then he'd whip me more fer resistin'. So many times I was close ta givin' up if it meant he wouldn't torture me no more, but I didn't wanna let him win.

...oh my god... ...im s-so s-sorry... ...i cant even imagine... and i s-said all that--

Y'ain't gotta apologize fer bein' mad. I get it. Ya were in a scary situation, an' hearin' that I never even tried ta find ya when this whole thing was my damn fault ta start with? I'd a been pissed, too.

...s-still though... ...it was s-so insensitive...

It ain't like y'all knew any a this at the time. It's fine.

...how did you get out??...

Heh, that's where shit gets real interestin'.

They kept me at that camp fer half a sweep torturin' me, but I held on. I dunno why they didn't just cull my stubborn ass a long time ago. My guess is cuz Mister wanted the satisfaction a breakin' me cuz ain't no one else been this much a a challenge fer him fer so long. If he let them cull me, it ain't a real win. But eventually he reached the end a his patience with me.

I managed ta get a hold a a fork an' taunted Mister 'til he grabbed me 'round the throat an' got right in my face ta threaten me. I stabbed him in the eye an' tried ta make a break fer the exit while he was screamin' an' cursin' an' bleedin'. A course, I didn't make it nowhere close ta the door 'fore I got caught. Mister was fumin' somethin' fierce, and I didn't even get a chance ta register what he was about ta do 'fore everythin' just became blindin' pain.

I remember one a the supervisors cussin' him out cuz they was plannin' on sendin' me ta The Pit, an' now I ain't in no condition ta be transferred. That fucker cut me open from rib ta hip with a dagger. I spent nights in the infirmary tryin' ta get stabilized an' patched up. I was so weak from bein' starved an' beat on a regular basis that I almost died.

But like I said, I'm the most stubborn bitch ever hatched. I was able ta recover enough ta get my stitches out, but after they they decided ta cut their losses and finally cull me. Mister wanted ta do the honors himself. After what I did ta him, he didn't care about winnin' no more. He wanted me dead. He filled a tub full a water, threw me in, an' held me down with his foot while I thrashed an' tried ta free myself 'fore I drowned. Eventually I lost consciousness.

I woke up chokin' on water an' hackin' the shit out my lungs in the middle a the forest. I figured they dumped my body fer the undead an' the animals ta eat once I blacked out. I didn't know where I was or how ta get back home, an' I was fuckin' scared. But I was free after half a sweep in captivity, an' that was more important than bein' afraid. I picked a direction an' started walkin'.

I didn't have no way a huntin' ta feed myself, an' I was still fuckin' weak as shit, so I didn't eat much a nothin' 'cept whatever bugs an' small animals I was able ta catch. I had ta sleep up in trees durin' the day ta avoid the roamin' undead. Eventually between the hunger an' bein' exhausted all the time, I dropped.

Next thing I know, I'm wakin' up in a hive belongin' ta some li'l jade even younger'n me sayin' him an' his lusus found me. I was still a ornery li'l shit an' wasn't exactly a good hiveguest. He still helped me an' everythin' though. Kept me fed, gave me a place ta sleep. Once I was mostly healed an' had my strength back, I robbed him blind an' ran. Took every piece an' scrap a food I could carry, stole a couple knives, an' I was off. I'd prolly apologize ta him if I ever see him again, not that I remember what he even looked like, an' I'm sure he don't remember me or wouldn't recognize me now.

I spent the next half sweep doin' whatever I could ta survive an' try ta find my way home. I stole, I killed, I broke inta hives, I did whatever I had ta do ta make it ta the next night. When I finally made it hive after that half a sweep, my pa was there waitin' fer me. He waited fer a whole sweep fer me ta come back instead a takin' in a new charge. I bawled the hardest I ever have in my life. Makes me feel extra shitty that I can't go back an' say my goodbyes ta him. He's prolly still waitin' fer me ta come back just like I did last time I went missin'.

...if you want... i can ask dantli to go to your hive and tell your lusus you arent coming back... ...i dont think hes on anyones radar s-since he doesnt s-socialize... ...i can tell him to make it look like he's robbing you s-so they dont get s-suspicious... and itll be a convenient way to get s-some of your things for you...

That ain't a bad idea. S'long as he don't say nothin' stupid'r incriminatin', that could work.

Anyway, speakin' a going back hive, when I finally made it back ta mine after my sweep in Hell, I couldn't function fer shit. I didn't wanna reach out ta my friends cuz I didn't want 'em ta see how broken I was. I didn't wanna look weak ta them, an' none a them reached out anyhow. In just that one sweep, they moved on from me, which still kinda hurts ta know that's all it took ta lose 'em.

Fer perigees after, I'd have daymares a bein' back at the slave camp, weak an' in pain with Mister standin' over me with the whip, then draggin' me out ta the post. I was barely gettin' any sleep, I couldn't eat, an' I was terrified a bein' in water. That's when I decided ta start bulkin' up an' gettin' stronger so I couldn't be taken back there or anywhere else.

Fer three sweeps, I had the mother grub a anxiety. A lotta nights, I couldn't even get the nerve ta leave my hive. I'd get anxiety attacks an' panic attacks when I saw highbloods, 'specially male blues. An' y'all know me. When I start gettin' anxious, I get real mad an' itchin' fer a fight. Even now, I don't hate highblood s'much as I get anxiety bein' around 'em. An' I do also hate 'em.

That's when I started drinkin'. It wasn't about gettin' drunk. It was a way ta calm my frazzled nerves an' keep my anxiety under control. Over time, though, it turned inta a addiction, an' y'all know how well that ended up workin' out fer me in the end.

That's basically everythin' about my childhood, so believe me when I say I know exactly what it's like ta not know if yer gonna live ta see another night, an' cryin' yerself ta sleep durin' the day cuz everythin's so awful, an' prayin' that yer loved ones ain't next or won't be too tore up if ya don't survive.

...i... im s-so s-sorry... ...no one s-should have to endure that... especially not a child... ...i... i...

C'mon now, y'ain't gotta cry about it. It sucks, but it's in the past now, an' fallin' ta pieces over it ain't gon' fix nothin'.

...i... i know... but...

It's okay, I get it. If it'll make ya feel better, go ahead an' cry it out. I can hold ya if ya want.

...but arent you s-still sore?...

Not so sore I can't comfort my pale. It ain't gon' kill me, so get yer li'l cryin' sniffly self over here.

#things to read #tw torture #Corali Primer #Thiomi Shiaka #Roll With The Punches #Anyone interested in Corali Lore? #Originally I was gonna color code their dialogue to make it obvious who's talking #but I nixed the idea bc I thought it would annoy people

[howthekriffdidigethere]

Wish Come True.

Chapter Nine: No Turning Back.

(Just in advance, I'd like to say this fic is loosely based on how the actual timeline is. Some things may be the same, but some may be different.)

(Tw: mentions of knives, blasters, and blaster training. Crosshair being kinda an asshole but for a semi good reason. Hinting at talking about dying. Mentions of war. Some language. Let me know if I missed anything!)

Morning came and I forced myself to rise with the sun. I wanted to get in as much training as I could with Hunter before I had to leave.

I only had a few short hours to train, get my weapons and some armor, and get what possessions I had with me packed to leave.

I was warming up in the training room with basic stretches, waiting on Hunter, but was shocked when he wasn't the batcher that showed up.

"Crosshair?" I stood, tilting my head in confusion.

I hadn't interacted with him much, and was still unsure where he and I stood with each other.

"Where's Hunter?" I asked him, confused on why the Sargeant was late. That never happened.

"He's not coming today." Was Crosshairs answer, his voice snake-like as ever.

I frowned, brows furrowing. "But...I have training still..."

"You do." He replied shortly. "Just not with him."

I sighed, quickly growing frustrated. "Will you stop talking in riddles and tell me what's going on?"

He rolled his eyes and pulled out a blaster, similar looking to the one Rex used. "You're learning how to use a blaster. I'm teaching you."

I blinked. "You are?"

He nods simply and walked to me. "Ever hold a blaster?"

I shook my head. "No...Just seen them."

Crosshair sighed heavily, shifting the toothpick in his mouth, muttering. "This is gonna be a long day..."

I rolled my eyes. "Just show me how to hold and shoot it."

He glared lightly at me and gripped the blaster, showing me where to put my hands, and also how to stand.

"Aren't you a sniper?" I asked, but knew the answer. "Why are you showing me how to shoot with this little thing?"

"You have to work your way up." He explained. "I started with this as well. You can't start with a sniper rifle and do well. You'll end up getting yourself killed."

I nodded slowly and shrugs. "Make sense I guess...When did you start training with a rifle?"

Crosshair paused for a slight moment, so slight you would miss it if you weren't looking for it.

"A long time ago..." His coiled voice spoke quietly, almost as if he was trying to remember exactly when.

He probably was, actually. From what I knew about the Kaminoians and how they "raised" the clones, they probably gave Crosshair his rifle very early on, even if he wasn't ready for it.

I just shrugged and looked foward at the target, blaster in my hand now. "I'll ask Tech sometime."

His eyebrow raised questioningly. "Why does it matter to you?"

I shrugged. "It...doesn't, I guess. I'm just curious."

"Curiosity will kill you." He nearly growled.

I glanced at him, frowning. "Well...Tech seems pretty curious about stuff and he's still alive."

"He has his brothers to watch his back." Crosshair poked. "You don't have anyone."

I blinked and glared, turning my gaze away. "And? I haven't ever, and I'm still here."

"You're in a war now." I felt his eyes on me as I aimed, not shooting yet. "Its different from just having to run from your family."

"Oh yeah? And what would you know about family?" I scoffed, feeling anger boil under the surface.

"Atleast my brothers like me." He muttered bitterly.

I laughed mockingly. "Are you so sure about that? Cause you seem like a real pain in their asses–"

I heard a growl and the next thing I knew, I was on my back, the blaster thrown out of my hand and Crosshair standing to the side of me.

I glared and sat up. "What the hell man?!"

"You running your mouth is not going to help you at all." His eyes were narrowed at me. "You want to come back? Shut up and just observe for once."

I scoffed. "I do observe. And that's why I know you're a total jackass!"

Crosshairs sharp eyes rolled in annoyance. "You keep your tough act up and no amount of training will be able to save you."

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm sure you'd be thrilled if I didn't come back." I spoke through gritted teeth.

"I'm sure a lot of people would be glad if you didn't." He hissed. "But all I am trying to do is teach you to shoot so you might stand a chance."

"You say that, and yet, you're the one who started this conversation." I pointed out to him, standing back up.

"I was showing you what happens when your snarky attitude gets in the way." Crosshair corrected.

I scoffed. "I've seen the way you act, you're no different from I."

"I don't act like this on a mission." The sniper told me, the strain in his voice calming slightly. "Most of the time. You need to learn to hold it back as well."

I glanced at him and blinked. "So you knocked me on my ass and baited me to start a fight, just to prove a point??"

"Yes." He affirmed, back to his short and simple answers.

"You could've just told me!" I sneered, throwing my hands up in the air exasperatedly.

A small smirk formed on his lips. "I could. But this was more enjoyable. And you wouldn't have listened at all any other way."

"You're unbelievable." I muttered, shaking my head.

He merely shrugged. "Enough talking, get back to practice."

I sighed and grabbed the blaster. "Sir, yes, Sir, asshole."

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

A few hours later, I was walking out of the Temple with some new clothes. Guess I wasn't allowed to wear my "civi" clothing into battle.

The outfit was simple enough, but definitely not something I would normally wear. It didn't really matter now, however, and if I somehow survived this mission, I'll look for a better replacement.

I frowned at my thoughts. 'Since when did I care about what I wore? Into battle no less.'

I shrugged it off, and chuckled quietly. 'Hey, if I'm gonna die, might as well go out in style, right?'

The clothes I was given was practically a dress. The front reached about mid thigh, then the back fell below my knees. It was flowy and was easy to move in.

I had my black leggings on underneath to match the grey material of the dress, just to make sure I didn't accidentally flash anyone, and topped it off with a belt that wrapped around my waist and had a holster on my right hip for a blaster, and on my lower back for a knife.

I stuck another knife in my black boots, just incase.

I had wrapped some extra material around my forearm and bicep, and was given a little comm to attach to my left wrist.

The one thing I did like about this jedi clothing, was that it had a built in hood. I rarely wear any clothing without a hood, it was like my comfort piece.

I was waiting for Cody back at the barracks, having packed the stolen backpack already, and was now trying to make adjustments to the dress to make it more bearable to wear.

I couldn't remember the last time I wore a dress.

I know its not technically a dress, but it was close enough to make me hate being in it.

Cody walked into the room a bit after I got back and just chuckled at my scowl.

"Not liking your new attire?" He asked rhetorically, but I decided to bless him with an answer anyway.

"Not in the slightest." I huffed, sitting down.

He shrugged. "Could be worse. Could've put you in a cropped shirt."

I raised a brow, "While I find that ridiculous since I'm literally going into battle, I'd rather wear that than this."

Cody laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, that's not gonna happen. You're a kid, we don't need people making unnecessary advances towards you."

I snorted and looked at him. "Huh??"

Cody chuckled and rolled his eyes, "Hush, just move on from what I said."

I shook my head. "You're something special, Codes."

"Says the kid who's from a different universe." He snickered, moving to sit beside me.

"Ah, well, you're the one that's basically make believe." I stated, nudging him.

Cody hummed and nudged me back. "Yeah, yeah, or maybe you're just crazy."

I giggled. "That honestly could be a reasonable explanation."

Cody scoffed out a laugh. "Yeah, trust me, I know–"

I looked at him then rolled my eyes, glancing at the time, smile immediately falling. "I...I have to go now, don't I?"

He blinked and looked at the chronometer, shoulders slumping slightly and sighing. "Yeah, its time, kid..."

I swallowed and nodded, standing slowly. "Then, uh...let's head out?"

Cody sighed and stood up. "Probably should, yeah."

We both knew we needed to go, but neither of us moved yet, just awkwardly standing there and looking off to the side.

I cleared my throat and looked at him, going to say something but backing out at the last second and changing my words.

"Hey, I'll...I'll be fine." I shot him a smirk. "And if I'm not, what does it change?"

Cody just frowned and sighed. "Nothing. And that's the problem."

My smirk faltered as I observed him. He seemed so sad, and...I couldn't understand why.

I bit my lip and just nudged him. "Come on, I don't want to be late for it."

Cody just nodded, expression blank and unreadable as he walked past me to the door.

I swallowed and followed after him, glancing at the room before slipping out with him.

The small journey to our transportation was silent the whole way, and Cody's expression didn't change at all. If anything, it got harder to read.

Obi-Wan greeted us as we arrived.

Rex, Anakin, and his padawan, Ahsoka, were all waiting by the transport, talking amongst themselves.

I had met Ahsoka once before, and she seemed nice enough. She's a few years older than I, but I she became a padawan at the age I am now. It was nice, having something to relate to with someone...

"We will share the plan with you on the way there." Obi-Wan explained to me after he greeted us, giving me his usual light smile.

I nodded, "Alright...Are we leaving now?"

"Yes, very soon." He answered me. "Come along now."

He started walking away and I trailed behind him, biting lip anxiously.

Cody stayed behind. He didn't follow as we neared the ship.

I hesitated then turned back to him. "I'll be right there, Master–" I ran off, back to Cody, before he had a chance to respond.

Cody raised a brow as I came back to him. "What're you doing, kid?"

I stopped infront of him. "I-I just...wanted to tell you, you did it."

Cody tilted his head in confusion. "Did...Did what exactly?"

I rubbed my hands together and glanced away. "You...I trust you. I didn't think I could but...I do."

I slowly looked back up at him and found a shocked expression on his face now.

"Fae, I–"

"I-I just wanted to tell you incase I don't come back." I cut him off. "I told you this place wasn't like what I wished for but... you were. And I just wanted to thank you for that...Thank you for giving me a chance and...actually letting me know and remember what it was like to have someone to trust."

Cody stared at me for so long that I started to get nervous and was on the verge of apologizing when he pulled me in for the tightest hug in my life.

I hesitated but didn't back away this time. Instead, I slowly wrapped my arms around him as well, hugging back.

"You didn't need to thank me." He mumbled after a moment. "But... Thank you for letting me know."

I nodded and slowly pulled away, "Yeah, I...Yeah."

He chuckled and ruffled my hair. "You better get going, kid. Good luck out there."

I smiled lightly and nodded, backing away. "Bye, Cody...It was nice to meet you."

I turned and hurried away to the transport where the others were waiting.

I hoped on board and stood beside Obi-Wan, watching as the ship lifted from the ground and Cody got smaller and smaller, until he finally disappeared.

The doors shut soon after, and we were on our way.

No turning back now.

#star wars #the bad batch #tbb #the clones #writing #clone wars #wish come true

[thatoneguy031]

[OOC: Hoo, boy, this is a long one. I normally don't do add "keep reading"s, but I feel like it's needed here. And even then, it warrants a Pt. 2]

Oh-kay, no one has to die. The Suicune is fine.

They had come out of the room or whatever, right, and they had a new cast on their leg. It wasn't anything huge, it was certainly thinner than the casts I'd seen on humans, but still looked sturdy enough to keep it in place. And it looked better, too. It didn't look like... as much as a biohazard, as the last one did.

"Hey... you're alright, right? Is it better?"

<Yes. they clean it. it stuck. they broke again to fix.>

I winced. So that's what that sound was a few hours ago. It sounded like it really hurt. "So... Now that you're in a bit better shape, what do you plan on doing?" They certainly looked pleased, even if they weren't smiling... As a matter fact, I've only seen this Suicune have one expression since I've met them, and it could be best described as... disgruntled. They even had bags under their eyes. Poor dude probably hasn't gotten a good night's sleep in years.

<Leave. look for answers.>

"Right, right. Say, do you mind if I joined you?"

<Can't. leaving regon. and am legend. can defend myslef.>

"...Are you sure?" I took a sniff at their wound. Yeah, it was better, there was no denying that, but I could tell that it would be a while before the Suicune could really get going without at least a little worry. "What if you get hurt again? I get that like, what the heck am I gonna do about it, but I want to at least be by your side if crap hits the fan."

<Why worry? too much for samrot to do. samrot get hurt too.>

"Because I... I don't want you getting hurt. Er... hurt, again." I held out my blade, looking at my own reflection within it. "I don't like it when I know there's something I can do to protect someone, but don't... That's why I'm trying my best to be a protector for Pokemon. I believe everyone could use at least a little help from someone. You get that, right? I know I'm sounding stubborn, and maybe I am, but you're not in fighting shape yet!"

For the first time since we met, me and the Suicune actually made eye contact. It lasted a long while, too. At least, it felt like it. I couldn't get a reading on what they were thinking. I really hope I didn't annoy them. What am I kidding? Even if I did, they're not well.

The Suicune finally began writing again, and what he said sorta surprised me.

<Can samrot fight?>

"Wha- Of course I can!" I was offended. "I didn't evolve twice, just to get asked a question like that-" I was interrupted by more scribbling from them.

<No. can samrot fight? for self.>

I blinked at the paper. "...Yes? At least, I'm really sure I can. I haven't been in a real fight in a few months, but I'm confident that-"

<Confidence not enouf. samrot is inexprensed. samrot is going hurt self.>

He then began drawing a picture for me, as messy as their hand(snout?)writing. When he slid his book my way again, I was offended.

It was of what I could only assume was a picture of me, with toothpick arms and even skinnier seamitars. Next to it, was another picture of me, dead(you could tell because of the Xs over my eyes), with a Budew standing over my body, looking proud. Over the image said:

<LONG TIME NO FIGHTING =/= STRONG LONG TIME NO FIGHTING = NO EXPREN EXP NO EXP = WEAK WEAK = SAMROT GET HURT!!>

As much as I hated such an out-of-character description of me, I... couldn't disagree with their logic. I guess it has been a long time since I've battled, a human or otherwise... "Okay, I'll admit it! You're right!" I groaned. "But what am I going to do, if I do happen to really be rusty, huh? I have no one to train with, and it's not like you'll be willing to do anything about it! You have stuff to do, places to be... I bet you already consider me a bother."

<I help samrott.>

#guy rambles #samurott #suicune #??? #Arc 2 #pokemon #pkmn irl #pokeblogging #pt. 1 #ooc: Holy wow. this post was finnicky

[campbluelake]

On My Way | Eri | Epilogue

Enclosed inside a battered, slightly torn envelope is a letter— thankfully untarnished in spite of the envelope’s worn exterior. The contents are written in large, clumsy handwriting, and included is a postcard of the Tokyo Tower.

Dear Max,

Told you I’d keep my promise, right?

Hopefully this letter didn’t take real long to get to you. I dunno how they get mail where it needs to go, especially if it’s gotta cross the ocean and shit. It took forever to get explain to the guy at the post office here your address was a legit place in America too. Maybe ‘cause it’s so rurel rural?

Anyway, I’m back in Japan for a bit! I planned on going back to Audie’s place after, but I figured I gotta at least see my parents after all this. So I’m gonna hang with them for awhile before going back to America.

Which I think was the right thing to do, even if it wasn’t what I wanted to do, you feel me?? I think I’m getting better at that— doing what I should, even if it’s hard.

My folks were a goddamn wreck when I saw them. And I guess even Sporto’s parents made a real fuss over us being missing?? I think he wants to cut them outta his life though, which is probably good. I mean, I’m pretty sure they’re finally warming up to me, but they’re still total assholes in general.

But he got to see my parents too, and my dad actually cried when he hugged us. Don’t tell anyone, but I started crying too.

Maybe it’s easier for you ‘cause your mom is literally the earth, but I think a lotta humans have rough relationships with their parents. 

And siblings too, now that I think about it. My little sister Etsuko and me had a real long talk the night after I got back. Turns out she never hated me in the first place, and just wanted me to like her. Like, holy shit, right???

I think Sporto knew about this, ‘cause he got this knowing look when I told him what happened. That bastard… He’s an only child, so he doesn’t know how hard it can be. Especially when you’re the oldest!!

Wait, speaking of, do you got any siblings? If your mom is the earth, does that mean all trees are your siblings? And that’d make you one of the oldest, right? So maybe you’ll get me.

Someday you gotta come to Japan and try our food. My dad insists on making mochi every new years, so maybe you can come for that?? And take a swing at it yourself!! Don’t worry about being weak either, ‘cause my dad’s a toothpick too. Usually I’m the one to haveta hit the mochi.

I never thought I’d say it, but I’m actually happy to be home. Fucked up, right?

I hope you and Sayacchi have settled into your new place, by the way. Lemme know if you see any cool animals around, yeah? And not Sayacchi’s porswaas porsaws poorswahs (spelling?) but like actual bears or deer or whatever.

I’ll write to ya again soon!! And feel free to write back too, okay?

Your friend,

Eri

The next envelope is sent from a different address— this one in America. On the envelope are the outline of mouse ears, which also show up on the letter paper themselves. Slipped in among the pages is a Polaroid photo of Eri and Audie wearing Mickey Mouse headbands, a costumed Pluto sandwiched between them.

Dear Max,

GREETINGS FROM DISNEY WORLD!!!

Fuck, I’ve always wanted to say that!!! :)

Me and Audie just got back last week!! I’m up at her place now. Gonna crash with her for awhile and figure out what to do next with my life. Like, after graduating college or whatever.

I dunno if you’ve been to Disney yet, but you gotta make Sayacchi take you if not. It’s like, the pinnickel pinnicel pinnacle of human creativity and stuff!!  Plus it’s a real good date spot too!

I’m super glad to be back with Audie, even if saying bye to my family was weirdly hard this time around. She has a real cute dog, and her best friend Nene is super nice. She taught me about plants, so I think you two would get along!

Shit, speaking of, I got super exciting news!!

I’M GONNA BE A MOM!!!

To a baby cactus!!!

It’s my first time taking care of something that ain’t a Tanagotchi, but Nene gave me a lotta info, so I’m gonna raise this cactus to be the most badass little guy around!!!

Audie is real excited too, as the co-mom! But maybe that’s ‘cause she likes seeing me excited?? I dunno…

Love is weird, huh?

Like, I know a lotta fucked up shit happened at camp, but I’m happy so much good came outta it too. Kinda like life, now that I think about it…

Man, I’m getting real deep, aren’t I??

Speaking of good, have you heard from any of the others lately? I try to keep in contact with them, but it’s hard when we’re scattered all over, yeah?

Though between you and me, I kinda wanna throw a reunion. 

Do you think that’d be a good idea?? I know there’s some bad blood between people, but nothing they couldn’t work past, right? Or at the very least, set aside so we can have a cookout. I wanna have a BBQ next summer!!!

Lemme know what you think, okay?

Your pal,

Eri

The last letter to have arrived is tucked away inside a manilla envelope. 

Also inside are several photos this time— multiple of a small cactus in a pot (each labeled ‘JERRY’ on the back), a photo of Audie playing guitar (labeled ‘isn’t she pretty???’), one of Eri playing piano (labeled ‘she found out I took a photo and got me back :(‘), one of Kyousuke and Niko dozing off together (‘loverboys <3’), and one of Eri and Kyousuke posing together in front of a grove of trees (‘saw some trees and thought of you!!’).

Additionally, something else is in the envelope— a Tamagotchi, still in its packaging. Taped to it is a note reading, ‘SEE LETTER!!’

Dear Max,

Long time no see!!!

Or uh… long time no write!!!

Sorry about that! I know it’s been a couple months already… I guess life happens real fast sometimes, you know?

Really, I bet you know even better than me, being immortal and all, huh?

But to make up for it, I included some of my favorite photos I’ve taken recently (plus one by Audie)!!! Someday we gotta meet up again so we can take photos together too, yeah??

I know we write to each other a lot, but I miss being with you in-person— or, uh, in-mothperson.

Anyway, I’m sure you’re wondering about the Tamagotchi!

I dunno if your member, but me and Lyds and Suzy all got Tamas. And raising Jerry (that’s my cactus) got me thinking, “Hey, I bet Max would like a Tamagotchi.”

It’s another pinnical pinnacle of human creativity!! It’s a virtual pet you raise by pressing the buttons on the screen. I’m sure Sayacchi can help ya set it up if you need help getting started!!

Growing up, I wasn’t allowed to have pets, so I settled for Tamas. They live basically forever if you keep them alive too. Like even now, I still got Air Bud…!! I dunno if you remember him, but he’s my Tama. I kept him alive all through camp. Ain’t that cool??

So I figured it’d be a real neat thing for you to try!! Humans can be super creative, huh?

Anyway, lemme know how being a Tamagotchi parent goes!! And don’t feel bad if you fuck up the first few times— it can be hard!

But as long as you keep giving it your best shot, you’ll be okay!! :)

Thanks for always giving it your best shot in life too, yeah? I’m stoked we can be friends even now!

Huh… does that make me the Tama??

It’d be sick if I am! ‘Cause I know I’d be in good hands :)

Love ya, dude!!! 

Your bestie,

Eri

P.S. Hopefully we can get that reunion planned out soon!!

#epilogue #eri #submission

[panic-in-the-multiverse]

One of us

Pairings: Bad Batch x teen!reader

Requested by: @thequantumphysisist Thank you sooo much!!! For the bad batch one can it be kinda like the batch meet a teen girl around the age of 16 and then later discovers she’s a clone, like them?:) and she never knew it her entire life? :) the girl is really nice and polite maybe also kinda anxious when she first meets them? And also maybe later on everyone is settled she asks echo what happened that made him lose his arm? And then shows a whole lot of empathy when he tells her and maybe cries a little bit? And when that happens the other batchers kinda hear/see it only to get insite as to what they’d do or how they’d react:)

Warnings: anxiety, a bit of angst, sad Echo, crying, fluffy ending

A/N so I don’t know if this is exactly what you wanted. I am truly sorry for the wait. But once again it seems that my old friends depression and anxiety wanted to knock down on my door. So I am sorry that it’s not my best works, but I did really love writing this. I might make more imagines with this idea, like a follow up or something. And sorry I just had to add Jango Fett. I have no idea why this ended up so long, and I intended to write it even longer but I stopped myself before I could of done that. So yeah well enjoy. (It’s not proofread, will do that someday when I have time for it)

It was a long time ago that you had landed on this planet you now lived on. Your childhood consisted of only living on a water planet. Never ever had you left Kamino until Jango Fett flew you to a different planet. For your own protection. It was the very same planet you are on now.

Instead of being a planet that only consisted of water, this planet had nearly no water at all. Sure there were some lakes and seas but that was it. No, you liked this planet a lot more. You weren’t stuck in one republic base filled with clones and Kaminoans. On this planet you could walk freely wherever you wanted to. No water, and no idiotic Kaminoans to stop you from leaving.

Sure it got lonely sometimes, living on your own, but you were used to it now. The house you resided in was in the middle of nowhere. It was a quiet and peaceful life. That is also why you got confused when a large ship landed a few meters outside of your little house.

Out of the ship came five men. The first one to come out, you guessed, was the leader. He carried himself in such a way only a leader could do. He had a tattoo that covered half his face and a red bandanna tightly put around his shoulder length hair. The second guy had a lot of robotic parts instead of real body parts. He didn’t have any hair and he looked a bit like one of those clones you used to see on Kamino. The third one had round glasses. This one looked like their tech guy. The fourth sported a glare. A tattoo around his eye that looked like the scope from a gun. He also had a toothpick in his mouth. The last one was a lot bigger than the rest. He was taller, and a lot stronger than the other four. When they all stood together they looked intimidating enough to make your anxiety kick in.

You had no idea if they picked up on your anxious state but they slowly went over to you, like they needed to be careful. They soon stood right in front of you and you were sure that if they stood any closer they could hear your racing heart. The leader looked at you before he stated that they were there on the republicans order. To retrieve you and take you back to Kamino. Now your anxiety has really picked up. What did the republic want with you. Why did you need to go back to Kamino. The questions only grew until you realized that you had stood there in silence for a lot longer than you would of liked. So you asked politely “what do you mean, sir”

The one that looked like their tech guy now proceeded to talk. He talked long and fast as words passed his lips. It seemed that the only thing you got out of him that was actually useful was that they didn’t know why but they were to take you to Kamino.

That was how you found yourself on their starship. They had introduced themselves after they had deemed you as not that big of a threat. Though they still didn’t entirely trust you. The leader was Hunter, he was the one with the tatto that covered half his face. The tech guy was actually named Tech, and the robotic one was named Echo. Crosshair was the one with the glare and Wrecker was the big guy.

You were currently pacing back and forth in the room. Something you often did when your anxiety got really high. The Bad Batch all stared at you. They didn’t know if they should tell you to stop pacing or if they should let you be.

All of them had one question in mind. You were their newest mission. The mission was as simple as to retrieve you and get you back to Kamino.

Why their mission had been to retrieve a sixteen year old girl none of them knew. That was the exact same question they wanted to ask you. Surely you would know what you had done to be sent down to Kamino. Your pacing and anxiety had made them unsure of asking the question.

“Hey, kid, what did you do to get in the ranks of the missing people from the republic?” Of Course Hunter was the one to ask. What were you supposed to answer to that. After all, you had no idea what you had done. Why the Republic felt the need to get you back was a mystery to you. You hadn’t done anything that you knew of at least.

“I don’t know sir”

The five men stared at you. How could you not know what you had done. They hadn’t got any details so they had hoped you could tell them. To be in the ranks of the Republic wasn’t a small thing. You must have done something, why else did they want you back.

“Where’s your parents?” Tech broke the now uncomfortable silence.

“I don’t … have anyone, sir” The question had caught you of guard. Why did he want to know that. You were a teenager and could take care of yourself. You had never had the need of anyone else. Sure it got lonely sometimes, but you had a few friends so you were totally fine. So why did he want to know about your parents.

Tech on the other hand, only got confirmed by what he had figured out.

“You’re a clone” Tech’s voice once again broke the silence. His voice was layered with curiosity. He wanted to know more. How come you had no idea yourself of the fact that you were a clone. The rest of the boys and you looked at Tech as if he could grow two heads.

Were they supposed to believe that you are a clone. You didn’t look like the refs and, for that fact you were a girl. Didn’t the Kaminoans only make male clones out of Jango Fett’s DNA. Not female. Maybe they had heard Tech wrong. Maybe he had said something else and not clone. But when Tech repeated it. They were sure that they hadn’t heard wrong this time. You were a clone. Their sister.

It actually made sense. You shared most of the personality traits as the reggs had. Except you did clearly not know how to follow orders and you seemed to have a very kind side to yourself. Instead of the serious and hard side that every clone seemed to have. You were more polite than some clones, but still, they couldn’t help but see the personality traits that the clones shared in you as well. The same braveness and selflessness that nearly every clone had thrived through your veins.

“Huh” was the only sound that came out of you.

After a while you started to realize what he had said. You. Are. A. Clone. How could you possibly be a clone. Well sure you had never met your real parents. You had kind of been adopted by Jango Fett. Sure you lived most of your life on Kamino, but that didn’t mean anything, right?. You didn’t even age as quickly as the rest of all the clones. So how could you possibly be a clone.

In the end the more you thought about it, it started to make more sense. Jango Fett had only ever told you that he had saved you from dying on Kamino. He most probably meant that he saved you from the Kaminoans. They had probably seen you as a default clone. But again you didn’t really know, as Kaminoans didn’t make different clones as mistakes. They would have known that you were a girl. Maybe that was what Jango had done, saved you from being killed.

The, not having any parents, living on Kamino, being on the ranks of missing people from the Republic (or more the Kaminoans). It made sense. But at the same time it didn’t really make any sense either. Even though you didn’t want to believe it you knew it was probably the truth. Why else would the Kaminoans want you back.

The Bad Batch just watched you as you tried to process what Tech had said. Tech himself wanted to take a blood sample so that he could check your DNA. To see if he actually was correct. Hunter had stopped Tech before he could even ask, knowing full well what Tech was going to say. Instead he led them out of the room, so that you could comprehend the news. Obviously later on they would make sure but, they knew that Tech was right. You are a clone and their sister.

･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Some time went by and Tech had finally got his blood sample. Turns out he was right. You were a clone. Hunter had made sure that no one had bothered you in a while so that you could comprehend the news. You were very much thankful for that.

Usually the things that bothered you the most got sent to the back of your mind. Where it would dwell until that thought bothered you enough to make you have a mental breakdown. It was no exception this time. You had forgotten about the clone part at the moment. As your curiosity got the better of you. After all, you were still a teenager. At the moment you stared at Echo. To be specific, his right arm.

Even if you tried your best to be discreet, it had no effect on a trained soldier like Echo. Obviously he knew you were starring, but he let you be. After all, you hadn’t done anything wrong, so he let you think that he had no idea of your stare.

The arm seemed to be robotic. What in the galaxy could make someone need a robotic arm. Well you had heard about Anakin Skywalker, his hand had been cut off by a lightsaber. Was that what happened to Echo too. It seemed kinda far-fetched. But who knew maybe clones had run-ins with siths and survived. How would you know, you didn’t even participate in the war. Or maybe he had been shot and his arm stopped working. Maybe some kind of animal tore it off. You could continue the guessing game for a while but one thing you were sure about. He had lost his arm in the war.

Against your better judgment you decided to ask the very same question that had been on your mind for a while now.

“How did you lose your arm”

“Huh” even though he knew you had stared at him, Echo still got caught off guard. He hadn’t thought that you would ask him. After all, you were a very polite and kind person.

His short grunt made you think that you had offended him in some kind of way. So you were quick to add “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to”

“It was a mission” he paused for a while before he continued “Me and a few other clones and three jedis were going on a rescue mission” once again he paused. “I got caught in an explosion… and everyone including myself thought I was dead” he took his time in telling the story. Still pretty fresh to his mind. “Turns out I survived and the separatists took me” it sounded like he was going to cry. “They changed some parts of me into robotic parts… so that they… could get information out of… me” his voice cracked a few times. The guilt was finally getting to him. “I uh… I betrayed everyone I cared about… without… without even knowing” the tears that had threatened to spill from his eyes, got too much. A few single tears slid down his face. He hadn’t told the story out loud before. The Bad Batch members already knew what happened to him as they were the one to rescue him. They didn’t have any need for him to tell the story. It seemed like telling the story to someone outloud was harder than he expected it to be.

You didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t what you had expected. The guilt he must feel, to be the one who feeds the information to the enemy. So the only thing that came out was a simple “I am terribly sorry” and a “I can’t imagine the pain you must of felt, the guilt”

Echo tensed up a bit when he felt your arms sneak around him. For starters he hadn’t heard you moving closer to him. The second thing was because he couldn’t remember a time where he had been hugged. Your hug was nothing but comforting, as you hugged him not too tight but tight enough. It was a way of saying I’m here, I understand that you feel pain and it’s okay. As he relaxed you said once more, hoping to bring him some kind of comforting feeling. “Again I’m sorry for something like that happening to you, it’s just so wrong” and as you looked at him you saw that more tears were now streaming down his face. You also realized that you yourself had a few tears that slowly rolled down your cheeks.

Unbeknown to you and Echo, the rest of the Bad Batch were looking at the two of you. Their expressions were soft, even Crosshairs. None of them were a Jedi but still, they could all feel the comfort that you brought to Echo. As well as the sadness and guilt that had filled the room.

Hunter who was most of the time on high alert couldn’t help but change his opinion on you right away. At first he thought that you were just another teenager who had happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and just acted polite and kind just so your situation wouldn’t get worse. He had then found out about you being a clone. It made him trust you a tad bit more but not fully. No he needed to be alert to defend his squad. How wrong he had been. He would never need to protect his team from you. The scene that just played out in front of him showed that. You weren’t acting, no you were overall polite and kind (and most probably anxious) person. The fact that you had shown him sympathy and tried to comfort him, made him rethink everything. That it was a good thing to have you as a sister. To have such a kind soul caring for them. That was when he swore that if he could he would prevent anything more bad happening to you. He would protect you, and maybe, just maybe he had gotten a soft spot for you.

Wrecker, who was quite the hugger himself, might have gotten a bit jealous. Echo had been the one to first get a hug from their sister. As he did found it very exciting to have a sister. He had after all only grown up with males except for maybe a few female Jedis that sometimes came to the water planet. Of course there were the Kaminoans, but they didn’t really count. Now he had a sister that he could hug whenever he wanted now, as it seemed none of his brothers were huggers. Though he easily recognized that you had helped Echo, and that was what he cared most about in this situation. You hugging Echo was also what made him realize that no matter what anyone said, you would stay with them.

Tech who had been excited about you ever since he connected the dots of you being a clone, couldn’t help but smile. He had tried to figure out as much about you as he could. After all, he loved gaining new knowledge. Tech had since long figured out that Echo had indeed bottled up his feelings about that specific topic. He also knew that it was a good thing to share your thoughts and feelings to others. After all that’s what therapy is for. Though this might not have been exactly therapy, it was still good for Echo. You had gotten their brother to open up. You had helped one of the team members. Tech found himself very thankful for you being their mission. In the end, his conclusion was that you were a good person. Their sister was a good person.

Crosshair who hadn’t cared about you the moment he took you onto the Marauder, felt himself soften a bit towards you. He found himself wondering how you could be such a kind person. With the ongoing war, living on your own, and literally finding out something that would change your life entirely. Your guardian had died about three years ago, and still, you showed emotions like an open book. Not like him. No he rarely showed any emotions at all except for his many glares, and voiced opinions of annoyance. You shone with some kind of warmness that radiates comfort to him, and all of the others that were present on the Marauder at the moment. As he observed you and Echo his thoughts wandered and he realized that he admired you in a way. He might not know exactly what the cause of that was, but he knew that he wanted you to stay on the ship. You were good for them. Although he would never admit that.

#star wars #star wars fandom #star wars the clone wars #star wars bad batch #the bad batch #sw tbb #tech #Hunter #Crosshair #echo #wrecker #bad batch hunter #bad batch tech #bad batch echo #bad batch wrecker #bad batch Crosshair #Hunter x teen!reader #x teen #x reader #Crosshair x teen #wrecker x teen #Hunter x reader #tech x teen!reader #echo x teen #x you #Star Wars x reader #clone troopers #clone wars #x teen!reader #x fem!reader

[fruitcoops]

Cake Off

Happy birthday, Finn O'Hara! Here's to hoping all your wishes come true <3 SW credit goes to @lumosinlove!

Marlene waved to the camera as she wove a small whisk into her bun; behind her, five young men sat in front of a well-lit industrial kitchen. “Hello, Lions, and welcome back to Lion Pride! I’m your host, Marlene McKinnon, and we’re here today to celebrate someone we all love very much.”

“Some more than others,” Leo corrected.

“Today is Finn O’Hara’s 25thbirthday,” Marlene continued. “And my gift to him was letting him pick what our next video was going to be. Being the agent of chaos we know and love, he chose to force his friends to make him birthday cakes. Cap, Knutty, I know you two are feeling pretty confident about this. Tremzy, Kasey, and Loops, how are we feeling today?”

Logan’s expression was rather pained. “Can I apologize in advance?”

“I have…a history with ovens,” Kasey said carefully. “Kind of like Britain’s history with the rest of the world, except I’m the rest of the world and the oven wins nine times out of ten.”

“I don’t bake,” Remus sighed. “This is going to be an adventure. Can I leave if I already got him a present?”

“Nope!” Marlene chirped. “To your stations, everyone!”

The five of them trooped to the countertops, which had been covered with a colorful assortment of baking supplies; Logan’s smile grew even more nervous. “Is there a guidebook, or something?”

Marlene ruffled his hair as she passed. “Where’s the fun in that? You have two hours to make a unique birthday cake. On your marks—”

Kasey went pale. “Wait—”

“—get set—”

“Marlene, please,” Remus begged.

“—go!”

“Oh my god,” Logan muttered. “Uh, I don’t have a recipe.”

Marlene’s grin was wicked. “That’s the extra bonus fun.”

Leo paused from where he was measuring flour into a sifter and raised his hand. “Finn’s not actually tasting everyone’s cakes, right? ‘Cause making him sick on his birthday seems a bit mean.”

“He only has to try one bite of each,” Marlene assured him as she stopped by Sirius’ station, where he was gathering his ingredients in a line. “Cap, what are you making today?”

“Vanilla with chocolate frosting. I know the recipe by heart, but I only make it when I’m stressed.” A furrow appeared between his brows before he straightened up and raised his voice. “Hey, someone stress me out!”

“Playoffs!” Kasey shouted from across the room. All five men immediately hurried to knock on the wooden cabinets.

“Thanks!” Sirius gave him a thumbs-up and Kasey winked.

“And somebody won’t be sleeping tonight,” Remus muttered, flicking sugar at Kasey. “Thanks, Bliz.”

Logan was still bracing himself against the countertop when Marlene arrived at his table. “How’re you feeling, Tremz? I see you haven’t chosen any ingredients.”

“There’s a very fine line between making your boyfriend a birthday cake and poisoning him,” Logan said after a moment. “And I think I’m about to find out where it is.”

“What are you making?”

“I don’t know yet. Whatever happens, happens.”

“Fair enough,” Marlene laughed as she moved on. “Leo?”

“I’m gonna make a lemon cake,” he said with a proud smile as he mixed the dry ingredients. “And it’s going to be delicious.”

“Do you bake at home very often? You sound confident.”

He shrugged one shoulder. “For special occasions, yeah. I vaguely know what I’m doing, so I feel pretty good.”

“How do you think Logan’s cake will turn out?”

Leo paused and glanced up. A beat of silence passed before he bit his lower lip. “I think it’s a really good thing that Finn has two boyfriends that are making him cakes.”

“Rude,” Logan grumbled as he dumped another cupful of flour into a bowl to Sirius’ obvious horror. He stuck his tongue out. “Don’t give me that look, Cap, this cake is going to be fucking amazing.”

Sirius raised his eyebrows and turned back to his own batter. “If you say so.”

Logan stood on his toes and poured the next cup directly over Sirius’ head in a poof of white. The studio went silent. With a cough, a bit of flour puffed from Sirius’ mouth. “Cap?” Kasey ventured.

“Hmm?”

“You okay?”

“Mhmm.” He slowly took a towel off the oven door and wiped his face with it, then whipped around and snapped it at Logan’s thigh—it connected with a sharp sound, followed by a yelp as Logan shoved Leo in front of him as a makeshift shield. “You can’t hide behind him forever!”

“Remember, you only have two hours!” Marlene called as she dodged a patch of flour on the floor. Sirius scowled and put the towel back down on the counter; Logan backed away to his station with a suspicious glare. “Loops, how are you?”

“I’m minding my own business,” he said innocently. “Staying in my lane. Paying no attention to the idiots behind the curtain, if you will.”

“Impressive. What are you making for our wonderful Harzy?”

“Spite cake.”

“What?”

“Spite cake,” he repeated with a shadow of a smile. “It’s carrot cake, but with no special ingredient of love or appreciation, because he knows how much I hate baking and he’s been making fun of me over text all morning.”

Leo frowned. “Weren’t you two bonding over how much you hate carrot cake when we went to lunch yesterday?”

“Hence the name,” Remus said as he pulled a cheese grater out of the lineup.

“And last, but certainly not least, Kasey.” Marlene leaned against the edge of his table. “How’s it going over here?”

“So far, so good.” He eyed his batter and poked one of the lumps with a fork. “Does this look ready to you?”

“Seems a bit wet, to be honest.”

“Yeah, I thought so. Do people put milk in cake batter?” On the other end of the kitchen, Sirius and Leo shared a look.

Marlene patted his arm. “Good luck, Bliz.”

The camera cut for a moment—when it returned, the three bakers on the far end seemed to be even more flustered than before. “You have one hour left!” someone off-screen announced.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” Logan held his spatula up. The batter remained stuck to it in a doughy lump. “Is this supposed to happen?”

Leo’s eyes flickered between Sirius, who was clearly shocked into silence, and Logan, who was growing more distressed by the second. “Sure, honey.”

“Baby, it looks like jello,” Remus called as he shook his mixing bowl with a nervous glance to Sirius. “Why does it look like jello?”

“Mon dieu,” Sirius muttered as he crossed the room; the second he looked over Remus’ shoulder, his eyes widened. “How did you…?”

“I don’t know.”

“You put flour in, right?”

“Hey, no helping!” Kasey protested, swatting Sirius on the shoulder with an oven mitt. “We all fail on our own merit here. Tremy’s making concrete, Loops has jello, and I’ve got soup, so you and Knutty can fuck off back to your perfect batter and let us suffer in peace!”

“Jesus, Bliz, did you put water in that?”

“No! I put butter and milk in!”

“Why?”

“Because!”

“One hour left!” Marlene shouted.

“Fuck it, it’s good enough.” Remus grabbed the nearest cake pan and dumped his batter in, then put it in the oven. He turned the heat on and faced the camera guiltily. “Harzy, I know this was meant to spite you, it really was just meant to be a carrot cake. Not…that.”

Logan sprinkled a handful of chocolate sprinkled into his mixing bowl. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” he singsonged. “But I know I’m doing it poorly!”

“Oh my god,” Remus said suddenly as he licked some of his batter off his finger. “Oh my—oh my god.”

Kasey looked up from pouring his batter into a pan in mild alarm. “What?”

“Oh my god, that’s terrible. Here, try it.”

Kasey put his cake in the oven before swiping a bit off and tasting it. His whole face scrunched. “What?”

“I know,” Remus laughed, passing the spatula to Logan. “It’s like getting punched with a cinnamon stick.”

“I can feel it in my nose,” Logan coughed. “Here, try mine.”

Leo regarded them with a healthy amount of disbelief. “Why are you all tasting it if you know it’s bad?”

“Because Marlene needs workable content.”

“Do it for the vine.”

“Because I’m a dumbass, rookie.” Kasey lifted the spatula up. “Cap, your fiancé made toxic sludge in cake form. Want some?”

Sirius hesitated, then sighed and headed over. Leo threw his hands in that air. “You, too?”

“What else am I supposed to—” Sirius faltered with a harsh exhale and braced his hands against the counter, licking his lips. “How many eggs did you put in that?”

“Four? Five?”

“How much cinnamon?”

“A teaspoon?”

Sirius took a fortifying breath through his nose. “Teaspoon or tablespoon?”

“Tablespoon,” Kasey answered for him. “Definitely a tablespoon. Try mine.”

“You two are never allowed in a kitchen again,” Sirius said, though he swiped his finger along the inside of Kasey’s bowl and tasted his batter with a grimace. “Ugh. It’s just melted butter.”

“How did you make it taste like salty butter and nothing else?” Logan asked, sounding genuinely interested.

“Well, Tremzy, I put salt and butter in it.”

Leo’s phone timer went off and he opened the oven door; four faces turned toward him in shock as he pulled a golden cake out and checked the center with a toothpick. Logan closed his eyes and bent closer, taking a deep inhale. “I wish the viewers could smell this, because it’s heaven.”

“Can it be my birthday instead?” Kasey asked. “Please?”

“Get back, you hyenas!” Leo whacked him lightly on the hand with a spoon when he reached out to poke the cake. “That oven was 350 degrees!”

Sirius glanced up at the camera. “That’s 177 degrees, for all you smart people out there.”

“Boo, Celsius.” Remus kissed his cheek. “You smell like sugar.”

“How much time do you all have left on your cakes?” Marlene asked from her perch next to the sink.

Logan, Remus, and Kasey shared a look before Logan turned back to her. “I don’t know?”

“You can’t answer that with another question,” she laughed.

“Ten minutes,” he guessed.

“Whenever it starts to smell good,” Remus said. “Though I doubt that’s going to happen.”

Kasey cocked his head and scanned Leo’s cake for a second. “When it starts looking like that.”

“It won’t,” Leo informed him.

“Damn, Knutty, okay.”

Marlene shook her head. “We’re going to cut filming until everyone’s cakes are out of the oven, but in the meantime we’ve got some special messages for our favorite redhead.”

A banner reading Happy Birthday, Finn! appeared on the screen with a burst of confetti before the usual studio replaced it, with its white walls and folding chairs. Dumo crossed one leg over the other with a soft smile. “One thing I admire about Finn is his tenacity. When he wants something, he’ll go for it with his whole heart.”

“I love his humor,” Leo said in the next short video. He was smiling as well, and had a faint blush on his freckled cheeks. “And the way he makes breakfast in the mornings. All the little things he does to make the people he loves happy. And he really does love with his whole heart. There’s no holding back with him.”

“Finn?” Sirius thought for a moment. “He’s a good person. I know that might sound lame, but he’s one of those people that you meet that always makes you feel happy, and confident, and supported. Anyone who meets him should count themselves lucky.”

Logan’s face was filled with nothing but affection. “I love his patience and his kindness. Whether that was helping me work on my English in college, or making the rookies feel welcome, or even the way he talks to complete strangers when they ask for directions on the street. Everything about him is kind.”

“Ah, jeez.” Remus bit his lower lip. “I think—I think what I admire most about Finn is that he never lets anyone else define who he is. He’s comfortable in himself and makes everyone around him feel safe. It’s sappy, but it’s true. He’s one of my best friends and I’m grateful for him every day.”

“He’s one of the most reliable people I’ve ever met,” James said. “Both on and off the ice. He will be there to support his friends in any capacity and I think we all need to be a little more like Finn that way.”

“Great player.” Arthur nodded. “Great player, and an even better teammate. I can put O’Hara anywhere on the ice and he’ll throw everything he’s got into doing his best. I can’t think of a single Lion who doesn’t love being on the same shift as him.”

Talker grinned, leaning back in his chair with a shake of his head. “Finn just loves hockey. He takes it seriously, of course, but he loves being out there with us and I’m always happy when we’re on a line together. He goes out there every night and has a blast. I admire a lot about him, but especially that.”

“It’s hard to pick one specific thing that I admire about him,” Kasey said, shifting in his chair. “He’s Finn. He’s annoying as all hell, and I love him for it. I’m not sure. Can I make a list?”

“Harzy is very cool,” Olli laughed. “Very cool and very fun to be around. He has a quick wit and truly cares about all of us.”

Kuny raised his eyebrows. “What I like about Harzy? Oh, everything. Everything. He is good friend, good teammate, always there when we need him. Good for Tremzy and Knutty, too. He would turn red like fire engine if he heard me. Don’t tell him I say that.”

The video changed to a wide view of the whole team as they waved to the camera. “Happy birthday, Harzy!” they chorused. “Bitch ass moves!”

The kitchen was much cleaner when the video resumed; all the cooking supplies had been taken away, leaving five hockey players with their cakes in front of them. Leo’s cake was a bit lopsided, though the yellow frosting was cheerful and even—next to him, Logan’s cake looked more like a squished loaf of bread. Sirius’ was plain and elegant, while Kasey’s frosting was still dripping as the camera zoomed in on it.

“Wow,” Finn said after a moment of silence from his seat at the main table, where five slices of cake had been placed on small plates with a label for each name. “Just…wow.”

“You can start with whichever one you want,” Marlene told him.

“I think I’ll save Cap and Leo’s for last. Uh, Kase, what happened here?”

Kasey sighed. “I wish I knew.”

Finn gave it a wary look, then took a bite; his chewing slowed to a stop almost immediately and Logan’s shoulders started to shake from his suppressed laughter. “You know it’s burnt on the outside and not cooked on the inside, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Just checking.” With great effort, he swallowed. “Why is it wet?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, man.”

Finn took the next plate, then paused. “Re, I love you, but…”

Remus shook his head. “I know.”

“I’m genuinely afraid to try this.”

“You should be.”

The second it touched his tongue, Finn started laughing. “Jesus, it’s a straight shot of cinnamon. Why is it crunchy?”

“It’s carrot cake!”

“You know I hate carrot cake!”

“Look, I gave it my best shot. It really wasn’t supposed to do…” He gestured at the plate. “That.”

“Lo, baby, please tell me yours is better than the last two.”

Logan thought for a moment. “It was made with love and that’s all that matters.”

Finn took a deep breath before taking a bite. A range of emotions washed over his face—pleasant surprise, then confusion, then horror, and finally disbelief. “I…what?”

“I don’t even know.”

He swallowed, then ate another bite. “Oh, bad idea. This—are there chocolate chips in here? And almonds?”

“Yeah. You like those, right?”

“Usually, yes. It’s kind of got the texture of fruitcake, but—” Finn broke off and picked the slice up, giving it a shake. Not even a crumb fell out of place, and the rest of the boys burst out laughing. “Lo. Logan. Light of my life, what the fuck?”

“Happy birthday?”

“This is the best birthday present ever. Alright, Cap, your turn.” He took a piece of Sirius’ cake and nodded. “Yep, that’s cake.”

Sirius blinked at him. “And?”

Finn shrugged. “It’s cake. Classic flavors, good texture. I like it. Definitely tastes like a cake you would make.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“He’s calling you basic,” Kasey said, patting Sirius’ shoulder sympathetically. “But hey, at least yours was cooked all the way.”

“And now for boyfriend number two,” Finn continued.

Leo rolled his eyes. “Boyfriend number two.”

“Oh, that’s so good,” Finn groaned around a mouthful of cake. His eyebrows pitched. “I love it.”

“What about it?” Marlene prompted.

“For starters, it’s cooked all the way through. The lemon is freakin’ amazing, and the frosting isn’t melting off the sides or anything. I can’t even taste everyone else’s anymore. It’s a helluva cake. Happy birthday to me. Will you make this every day?”

“No,” Leo said, though there was a pleased flush on his face. “But maybe on the weekend.”

Finn scraped the last of the crumbs off his plate. “Alright, everyone, come get a piece of this magic. Thank you for doing this, by the way. I know three of you hate baking.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Logan admitted as he settled himself on one of Finn’s thighs with a slice of his own and kissed his temple. “Sorry for almost poisoning you. Oh, that is tasty.”

“I love you anyway. I think Loops and Bliz were actually the closest to doing that, so you’re all good.” Finn raised his eyebrows and craned his neck over Logan’s shoulder. “Speaking of…”

“Lasagna or chicken piccata?” Remus asked. Sirius took advantage of his moment of distraction by stealing a bite off his plate and received a playful glare in response, though it was soothed by a kiss on his cheek.

“Lasagna, please.”

“Does Friday work?”

Finn gave him a thumbs-up. “Sorry, Harzy,” Kasey said as he carefully got the last bits of frosting off his fork. “I have no marketable skills to apologize with. You don’t want me anywhere near a stove or an oven.”

A gleam lit in Finn’s eye. “Will you get in all your pads and play chicken with Knutty and I?”

“For the twentieth time—”

“It’s my birthday,” he wheedled, pouting his lower lip out with the Bambi eyes turned to full blast.

Kasey sighed. “Fine.”

“Hell yeah.”

“Thanks for joining us for our birthday celebration,” Marlene said with a smile. “The best estimations of these recipes are linked on our website, with a few tweaks to make sure none of your loved ones get food poisoning this August. Have a great day, Lions!”

#finn ohara #leo knut #logan tremblay #kasey winter #sirius black #remus lupin #marlene mckinnon #sweater weather #vaincre #my fic #fanfic #finn's birthday #coops #o'knutzy #social media #lion pride #birthday cake

[storiesforallfandoms]

stuck with you ~ machine gun kelly

word count: 2102

request?: yes!

“Ooh how about an enemies to lovers fic where Colson and the reader get stuck in an elevator together please”

description: it’s hard to keep up a petty beef when you’re stuck in an elevator with your supposed sworn enemy

pairing: machine gun kelly x female!reader

warnings: swearing, claustrophobia, panic attack

masterlist (one, two)

I don’t even know how the fight between Colson and I ever started, but I knew it was extremely prevalent even though we were forced to go on tour together.

The first big gig my band and I had ever gotten was to go on a massive tour with a bunch of other popular and legendary alt rock acts. It was sort of like Warped Tour, but under a different name. We were touring with the likes of All Time Low, Sleeping With Sirens, Pierce the Veil, etc. We were relatively unknown, so to be given this opportunity was such a big deal for all of us.

My feud with Colson had started before that. Again, I have no idea how it started. I don’t know Colson even knew. All we knew was that we hated one another, or rather we thought that we did. So when the full line up for the tour was announced, and none other than Machine Gun Kelly was on the list, I instantly regretted my decision.

“You won’t even be in contact with him,” my drummer told me after we found out the lineup. “It’s a massive tour, we have our own bus, and the likeliness that you’ll run into him in the hotel or even backstage is so small.”

“You also need to get over this stupid fight,” my bassist added. “You guys barley know one another, how can you be in a feud?”

“That’s the thing, he barley knows me and he’s ragged on me in interviews. Do you realize how much that could effect the reputation of the band?”

“You won’t even run into him,” my drummer repeated. “Just remember that.”

Well, I wish he was right, because I happened to run into Colson on our first night.

The four of us were staying in one hotel room, and in true fashion of a band on their first big tour, we bought enough alcohol to make sure we wouldn’t remember anything the next morning. I offered to go grab ice from the floor above us so we could keep everything cold, and decided taking the elevator was the best idea. The minute the doors opened, I wished I had taken the stairs.

Colson raised an eyebrow at me, glancing down at the ice bucket in my hand.

“I didn’t realize the house keeping went to get ice for the rooms,” he said.

“That wasn’t even clever. You’re starting to fall off Colson,” I said. “I’ll just take the stairs.”

“The floor is literally just one up, it won’t kill us to be in an elevator together for five seconds.”

I glared at him as I realized he was right. I let out an exaggerated sigh and stepped into the elevator, making sure to put a lot of distance between the two of us. Colson hit the button for the next floor up and the elevator doors closed.

It didn’t move.

I looked over at Colson in confusion, wondering if he was also feeling what I was. The look on his face mirrored mine, which was enough to answer my question.

He hit the floor button again, although it was already lit up. Nothing happened. He hit it again, and again, then furiously started jabbing it repeatedly.

“Stop, that’s obviously not doing anything,” I said to him.

“What else am I supposed to do?” he asked.

“I don’t know, see if the doors will open?”

He pressed the button to make the doors open, but again there was nothing. He started jabbing that one too, which resulted in me snapping at him to stop again. He opened his mouth to retort, but before he could the elevator jolted suddenly and a loud alarm rang out.

“Oh fuck,” Colson breathed. “Must be stuck.”

“Wait like...like we’re stuck in here?” I asked.

“That’s what stuck means, yes.”

I felt panic starting to rise in me. I dropped the ice bucket and started clawing at the doors, hoping to somehow pull them open. Colson put a hand on my shoulder and pulled me away.

“Hey, that’s not gonna work!” he said. “For one, you’re literally the size of a toothpick, and two, if the elevator is stuck we can’t open the doors. We’ll just have to press the help button and wait for something to happen.”

My breathing became heavier and I started to hyperventilate. I pressed my back against the back of the elevator and slid down till I was sat on the floor. I brought my knees up to my chest and hugged them tightly. I closed my eyes and tried to come down from my panic attack before it even started, but I knew it was no use. The feeling of the confined space in the elevator was baring down on me, I needed to get out of there somehow.

Colson knelt next to me and put a hand on my arm. I looked up at him but I was having a hard time focusing because of how violently I was shaking. Through my somewhat blurry vision though I could see a concerned look on his face.

“Hey,” he said, this time softer than before, “look at me. Are you claustrophobic?”

I felt like I couldn’t speak, so I just nodded instead. Colson’s eyes widened and he quickly turned back to the help button. He started jabbing at it the way he had the other buttons earlier. I was panicking too much to really care at this point. I felt like I was going to throw up, which made it lucky that the ice bucket was right next to me I guess.

“I don’t know if anyone can hear us,” Colson called, “but we’re fucking stuck in an elevator and one of us is having a panic attack! Someone get us the fuck out of here!”

I buried my head in my knees, trying to calm myself down. I tried to imagine that I wasn’t stuck in an elevator, that I was back in my hotel room with my bandmates. Unfortunately I was too far into my panic attack to calm myself down that way. My only hope was getting out of the elevator.

Colson came to sit next to me. I could feel his body close and, even though we were constantly fighting, there was just something comforting about knowing he was there with me. We sat in silence for a little bit, besides the sounds of my hyperventilating. I felt Colson’s arm move next to me, then a gentle tap on my arm. When I raised my head he was holding his phone out to me, showing me a picture of a young girl.

“That’s my daughter,” he told me. “Her name is Casie. She’s my entire world.”

“She’s beautiful,” I said, my voice very shaky.

“I don’t know what I’d do without her,” he said. “Whenever I’m having a bad mental health day, or I’m having an anxiety attack, I just think about the next time I’ll be able to see her and it helps me to calm down.”

“I didn’t even know you had a daughter,” I admitted.

“We don’t know a lot about each other.”

I nodded. “I know, I say that all the time.”

He smirked at me. “You talk about me, huh?”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course I do. We hate each other, so naturally I have to talk shit about you all the time.”

His face softened then, which shocked me a little. I had never seen him look so...well...just nice. When I wasn’t looking at him through a haze of anger from our stupid feud, he really did look...handsome.

“I don’t hate you,” he said.

“What? Of course you do. You always say shit about me, you even mentioned me in one of your songs recently in a negative way.”

“Yeah, cause I thought you hated me.”

“I don’t hate you.”

And in that moment I realized that I really didn’t. My dislike towards Colson was purely under the idea that he hated me too. I thought that was the way I was supposed to feel towards him, not the way I actually felt.

“Wait,” I said, uncurling myself from the ball I was in. “Are you telling me we’ve been fighting and having this stupid feud...and we don’t even hate each other?”

Colson awkwardly chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I guess that’s exactly what happened.”

I tried to laugh too, but the elevator suddenly jolted again, which immediately brought back my panicked state. Colson wrapped his arms around me and held me against his chest, running his fingers through my hair and trying to calm me back down. Surprisingly, it worked at least a little bit.

“I’ve had a crush on you for a while, actually,” Colson admitted. When I looked up at him, even he seemed shocked by this. “I always thought you were beautiful and I wanted to get to meet you in person. But when all this fighting started, I tried to push those feelings aside and pretend like they never existed, but they’ve always been there. I think that’s why I’ve said some extra harsh things towards you, just to try and make myself believe that I really didn’t like you.”

The silence in the elevator was deafening. I pulled away from Colson to look up at him. He averted his gaze to his lap, refusing to look at me at all. I could see red creeping up his neck, embarrassment rising within him no doubt.

I had a brief moment of courage build within me, and I decided to act on it. I cupped Colson’s face in my hands and forced him to look up at me. Before I could lose my courage, I pressed my lips against his.

He hesitated at first, like he couldn’t believe this was happening, but it didn’t take him long to melt into the kiss. His hands found their way to my hips, holding them gently as our kiss became deeper and more passionate. With little effort, he lifted me from the floor onto his lap so that I was straddling him. I ran my hands through his messy blonde hair, curling my fingers into the stands at the back of his head and pulling slightly. The noise I earned from this was definitely a moan, although Colson was adamant that it wasn’t.

Before we could go much further, the elevator suddenly rattled back to life and started moving. When the doors opened again, I nearly sobbed with relief. The two of us quickly untangled from one another and stumbled out into the hallway. The air felt so fresh and my chest, which I hadn’t even realized was so tight, felt like it was opening again.

“Thank fuck,” I breathed. “I’m taking the fucking stairs.”

Colson chuckled. “Can I walk you down to your floor?”

“Aren’t you upstairs?”

“Yeah, like two floors above you I think. But I’d like to spend more time with you before we part ways.”

I smiled and agreed. We walked down the stairs together in silence, but it was a much more comfortable silence. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, and neither could Colson.

He walked me all the way to my hotel room door. We faced each other for another moment, just smiling at one another. It felt weird to not be fighting with him in that moment, but a good weird.

“I should get up to my room I guess,” he finally said. “I have to be up pretty early tomorrow for soundcheck.”

“Me too.”

“Maybe...we could meet up there and continue what we started in the elevator.”

Somehow my smile got even bigger. “Okay, I’d like that.”

He nodded, his face bright with excitement. He said goodnight and headed back towards the stairs. I leaned against my hotel room door, feeling like a lovesick teenager all over again.

That’s when I realized I wasn’t carrying the ice bucket. I had definitely left it in the elevator, but there was no way in hell I was going back for it. I was prepared to explain the entire story to my bandmates, who I was sure had heard the last of mine and Colson’s conversation through the door. I was expecting so many questions about why I was gone so long, why they had heard Colson outside with me, and why I was smiling like such an idiot.

But instead, they looked at me for a moment and my drummer asked, “Where’s the ice?”

#machine gun kelly #machine gun kelly imagine #machine gun kelly x reader #colson baker #colson baker imagine #colson baker x reader #mgk #estxx #imagine #one shot #request #fanfiction #fanfic #fandom

[rainydaydream-gal18]

(The Bad Batch) Crosshair x Reader: Absence

(Author’s Note:  I usually steer clear of angst, but this sort of just happened.  Y’all are going to hate me after this.  Oh whaaale)

warnings: some angst, Bad Batch episode 1 spoilers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

   You released a sigh into the air, the sound breaking the lonely silence that had settled since you decided to lay down for a while.  You half-expected to hear some sort of response- a mumble from Tech, a laugh from Wrecker, chatter from Omega, or a sigh from Hunter- but the room fell into stillness once more.

   As you lay on your side, arms encircling a familiar pillow, you gazed at the opposing wall.  This was the first moment you had to yourself since the events that transpired on Kamino.  You’d been busy at the front of the ship assisting the others or simply surrounding yourself with them to keep certain feelings at bay.

   But just for a little while, you finally decided to let yourself have the time to process and to just feel.  Without the company of the others to keep you occupied, Crosshair’s absence was more jarring.  It wasn’t something you’d been able to ignore in the first place, of course.  Even in a room full of your squad, you found yourself searching for him or expecting him to be hovering nearby only to remember that wouldn’t be the case.

   Another sigh rose into the air, and you shifted to lay on your other side facing the wall of the bunk.  The pillow still held stale traces of his scent, and you hungrily breathed in what was left and hoped with each inhale that it wouldn’t fade.  You thought back to the last time you were near him before things went from bad to worse.

   Crosshair placed himself on the bench, rubbing his head in frustration.  You watched him with worry.  He hadn’t been himself since this Order 66 was given.  You’d seen him at odds with Hunter and growing increasingly agitated as time went by.

   Omega slid onto the bench beside him, her eyes mirroring your concern.  Although somehow, her look was more sympathetic, as if she knew what was happening to him.  She rested a hand on his shoulder and spoke quietly.  You decided to remain at a small distance for another moment before going over to talk to him.

   Moments later, a shock trooper approached the cell.  “CT-9904, you’re coming with us.”

   Your eyes widened as the cell shield went down.  Hunter quickly placed himself in front of the sharpshooter in protest.  “Oh, no, no, no,” he said, holding his hands up.  “We stay together.”

   The trooper wasted no time in hitting Hunter in the stomach with the butt of his blaster, evoking a grunt as the sergeant crumbled to his knees.

   “Hey!” you shouted, darting forward.  “Cut it out!  No one is leaving this cell alone.  If he goes,” you gestured to Crosshair.  “I go.”

   “CT-9904 was summoned, not you.  Now stand down!”  The trooper raised his blaster to strike you this time, and you readied yourself to fight back when you felt a firm hand grasp your wrist.

   You looked to see Hunter standing to his feet, giving you a warning look.  For a moment, you thought that maybe it would be better to stand down and not cause more trouble, so you relaxed your shoulders.  However, that changed the second Crosshair stood from the bench and started walking toward the troopers without so much of a glance or word to any of his comrades.

   “Wait!  No, I can’t just stand here and-” you caught Hunter off-guard and tore your arm free to hurry after Crosshair.  “What are you doing?”

   “I’ve been summoned, _________.  Good soldiers follow orders.”

   “But Cross,” you murmured, hot tears spilling down your cheeks as you reached for his gloved hand.  “I’m scared.  Don’t leave.”

   At the use of his nickname, his face changed.  The bridge of his nose scrunched slightly in confusion before his eyes softened and replaced the challenging gaze with a tender regard that he usually saved for you.  It was like whatever was clouding his mind was shaken away for a moment.

   “I don’t have much of a choice,” he told you, shooting a wary glance at the troopers that surprisingly were paused at the entrance to the cell.  Then, his expression hardened once more as he released your hand and walked into their custody.

   “No!  Crosshair, wait!  You lunged forward, but a large hand grabbed your shoulder.  “Wrecker, let me go!”

   “__________,” he said, his voice low and broken at your distress.  “It’s not gonna’ change anything.”  As Crosshair was led away, you jabbed a finger at the guards.  

   “He’s not their guinea pig!  You hear me?”

   They were out of sight, door sliding shut behind them, and you were left standing there breathing heavily.  You slammed a fist against the wall and turned to see the others watching with pained expressions.  Omega still covered her mouth with her hands in shock.

   “I’m sorry,” you told them, ducking your head.  “Sorry to make a scene.  I didn’t mean to make things worse, but...”

   “No,” Hunter said.  “I understand.  We…” he gestured to the rest of the group.  “ we understand.  We just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

   Things quieted down after that.  You placed yourself on the bench where Crosshair had previously been seated and waited.

   You rolled onto your back, staring at the top of the bunk as the memory came to a conclusion in your mind.  That was the last time you’d seen the real Crosshair.  The one that you’d seen in the hangar on Kamino was not your love.  Your teary eyes met his cold ones, and though he didn’t fire at you, you didn’t see much of a reaction in his expression.

   A knock on the door caused you to stir again.  You turned your head to call whoever was at the door inside the quarters.  The door slid open to reveal a form much shorter than you expected.  

    “_________?”

   “Omega,” you said, putting on a soft smile to let her know she was welcome.  “Do you need something?”

   She gazed at you sympathetically, returning your smile kindly.  “I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”

    “I’m alright,” you replied.  “I just…”

   She approached the bunk, eyeing the small signs of Crosshair all around including the pillow in your arms.  “You miss him.”

   You tucked your nose back into the pillow to breathe in his scent once more.  It was nearly gone.  Your eyes watered a little at the realization.  “Yeah, I guess I do.”

   She rested a hand on your shoulder, much like she’d done to him in the prison cell at Kamino.  “The Crosshair you know is in there somewhere.  It’s that chip.  We’re going to get him back.”

   You looked to her as her smile grew, looking less concerned and more hopeful.  It was contagious because you were starting to feel that glimmer of hope in your chest and smile in return.  “I’m sure you’re right.”

   “In the meantime, I know it’s hard.”

   You hummed in agreement, a new memory coming to mind.  Your smile turned into a chuckle, earning an intrigued look from Omega.  “I was just thinking about this one time.  Before we got together, Crosshair and I went to a market for a supply run…”

   “Oh hey, that place looks like it’s got some decent stuff,” you said.  Crosshair’s eyes followed your gesturing hand to a fruit stand, the toothpick between his lips twirling idly.  He didn’t give a verbal response, only following you as you veered off the main path to approach.  An elderly woman with a large sun hat smiled as you paused to get a good look at everything.

    “Well hello there,” she greeted you.  “Can I help you with anything?”

   “Hello!  And yes, could I get a dozen of these?”  you gestured to the baskets of fruit.  “And a dozen of those?”

   “Most certainly, dear,” she nodded.  As she bagged up the product, you turned to see Crosshair hovering less than a foot behind you.  He surveyed your surroundings with those keen eyes of his before he noticed you looking at him.

   “What?”

   “Nothing.”  You grinned.  “See anything?  Any separatist droids perhaps?”

   He plucked the toothpick from his mouth to reply.  “Very amusing, ________.  I haven’t seen anything except for some shady pirate staring at you.”

   “Really?”  your grin quickly faded into a grimace as your eyes flickered to the side.  “Where?”

   “Behind me.”  Crosshair returned the toothpick to the spot between his teeth.  “I’m blocking you from his view.”

   “Oh.”  You straightened up.  “Thanks.”

   “Here you are,” the elderly woman stated, handing you one bag of fruit and Crosshair the other. You handed her the credits. “I also just wanted to say what an adorable couple you two make!”  She plucked a single flower from a nearby bouquet and handed it to Crosshair.  “For the young lady!”

   You wanted to duck your head in embarrassment while Crosshair rolled his eyes. Still, to your surprise he didn’t even bother to correct her.  He merely accepted the flower in silence and turned to you, his hand hovering for a moment before he settled on tucking the flower behind your ear. 

   “Bye!” You waved at the lady as the two of you walked away.

    “...Later on, I caught him looking at me when I had the flower tucked behind my ear.  I knew then that he had feelings for me, just like I did for him.”

   “So he’s always been a little...difficult?” Omega ventured.

   You laughed.  “Oh yes, but it was always an act.  Sometimes, he made it easy to see past that to the big heart underneath.”  You scooted off the bunk, releasing your hold on the pillow so it fell back in its spot, and proceeded to smooth out the blanket.  “Thank you, Omega.”

   She looked confused.  “  For what?”

   “The talk.  It really helped.”

   “Oh, yeah, no problem.”  She smiled.  “I’ve come to think of the squad as family, and...I don’t like to see my family hurting.”

   “I think of this squad as family too,” you agreed.  “ And I’m glad you’re a part of it, kid.  Let’s see if Tech needs anything up front.”

   The two of you became lost in chatter as you headed for the doorway.  You paused to take one final look at the empty quarters and at Crosshair’s bunk that you’d left as neat as he had.  A genuine smile spread across your face as you turned off the light and let the door close behind you.

#crosshair x reader #crosshair imagine #bad batch crosshair x reader #the bad batch crosshair #bad batch x reader #star wars the bad batch x reader #crosshair reader insert #bad batch reader insert #bad batch crosshair reader insert #crosshair x you #bad batch x you #bad batch crosshair #bad batch crosshair imagine

[chickenlemons]

What pet would the Dangerous Fellows characters get you?

I'm including some girls because 💖Scarlette💖 is the love of my life

CW: Spoilers for the Dangerous Fellows endings

Harry - Golden Retriever

It started in the Safe Zone, a year or so after you had gotten there. After saving his dad, Harry had his headaches return quite severely. Though your comfort provided pain relief, the pain still plagued him with unbearable episodes. It's a bit of a shame that this round of searching for zombies to cure came just as one of these episodes of migraines started.

"I'll be safe out there, I promise!" You kiss Harry's forehead and leave with Edith. Edith was a friend you made in that camp, they almost reminded you of Judy...

Light conversation with Edith helped push those feelings away, with no zombies in sight to interrupt or cure. "Wait! ____, stay right where you are... I think I hear something." Edith had already stalked off before you could protest her abandoning you. "Damn it..."

Just within your sight was something small, yellow, and... Wiggly. With your real gun in hand, you slowly approach it with careful and quiet steps.

"Arf!" A tiny puppy emerged, looking up at you with large brown eyes.

Maybe this tiny guy could help Harry finally heal from resurfaced trauma...

Eugene - Duck

Tbh, he's a little salty from the claw machine joke you made a while ago

Eugene is a man of many words, and many ideas on how to get you back

However, he didn't expect a tiny duckling to be the answer to his prayer

From it's look and the fact it had been hatched near a farming supermarket, he could guess it wasn't exactly a feral duck

The little thing sure made a lot of noise for a duck, frantically quacking at him and pecking at his hands

Oh yeah, this one acted quite like you with its nagging quacks and feisty personality... He wondered how you'd react to him gifting you with a tiny duck version of his beloved

Zion - Opossum

It certainly wasn't the most convenient of pets- hell, not even domesticated

It just happened to be stealing rations from the Safe Zone's supply, and he was the one who would swiftly put an end to it

Lifting up his weapon, a pocket knife, he lowered it upon seeing its scared little eyes

He didn't have a clue WHY he would spare the giant rat, but he just kind of... scooped it up and brought it back

"Zion, what the HELL did you bring back and why?!"

"It looked so scared and filthy... I couldn't kill something that reminded me of my girlfriend!"

He may or may not have slept in a separate room that night

Ethan - Black Cat

Cats were silent

Many had either few words or too many, but one thing common with them is that Ethan was a huge cat person

Sure, dogs and baseball people are like bread and butter, but Ethan couldn't help but at least smile at the sight of a cat

That's why when a grizzled old cat with one clouded and scarred eye croaked a weak meow his way during their journey to the Safe Zone, Ethan was first to investigate

Feral cats are almost always hostile, but this old boy was way too docile with Ethan picking him up to be a feral cat

"Poor guy..." You chimed in, taking a gander at the worn out cat in his arms, "He probably had a really good home until this all started."

The cat was thinner than a toothpick, barely able to hold his own anymore

"Ethan, can we keep him?" You begged, earning a small nod from your loving boyfriend

Lawrence - Rottweiler

To be honest, he had this kind of breed planned

He had spare dog food stored alongside the normal rations just in case he ever found what he was looking for: a guard dog

After a year of keeping you, his keen eyes spotted a young Rottie pup almost succumbing to a zombie attack

Whether out of kindness or plain luck, Lawrence had mercilessly beat the zombie and towered over the little pup protectively

The young dog would make a fine addition to his "pack"

Dogs were known to not carry the human strain of the virus, which makes dogs like Rottweilers perfect for guarding and attacking

Not only was that true, he would also have a perfect companion- loyal to him, and able to win your heart to keep you in place

Judy - Bird

A blue budgie had hatched in the Safe Zone!

It was originally going to be used to test if the virus affected birds, but a stubborn and caring Judy wanted so badly to have this bird

Yes, she loves birds

After a long while of her begging the scientists behind the study, they let her keep the budgie after it had been deemed safe

You and Judy became the best bird parents after adopting Ocean (what Judy had oh so begged you to name her)

Even without a cage, Ocean stayed quite close to you both and even joined in on all the fun

Don't expect Scarlette to come near it, she'll whine and complain about bird crap in her hair

Sue - Plant

"Animals only eat the rations." She would say, always a disappointing answer to your question of if she would let you keep a pet

However, she didn't say anything about... Plants

So while she was out for a bit, you got to work and gathered some seeds to plant in makeshift pots

Sue was baffled by the cups of dirt in the room, but the tiny sprouts that emerged clued her in on what was going on

"What are we going to name them, Sue?" "...You really are desperate for something to care for. I guess a plant isn't so bad..."

After all was said and done, the names were decided for the troublesome plant trio (who really didn't have the room to be troublesome considering that they can't move)

Scarlette - Pomeranian

It took a LONG while for Scarlette to even consider dating you after what she went through

After a huge stretch of time, she took it upon herself to apologize to you and ask you out at the same time

Sure, she used to like Zion, but after being able to trust you? Her heart would leap to the moon spending any time she could with you

So, upon finding out a former Pomeranian breeder had a spare puppy, she traded a week's worth of her own ration to have as a gift for you

It took quite a bit of courage, but she couldn't go back now.

"____? I have something to tell you." Her phrasing was blunt, but her uneasy posture had you worried for her

After everything you both went through, the lies and trauma, Scarlette was ready to take the next step and present you with her confession

#dangerous fellows #lawrence #zion #harry #eugene #ethan #dfel harry #dfel lawrence #dfel eugene #dfel zion #dfel ethan

[spacehologramcollection]

The Dad Batch Headcanons.

Two posts in one night. My god I am on a roll, this is where I disappear for the next few months and resurface again. I’m pretty sure this has been done before, pretty sure I’ve done a Clone Wars version. But because I’m on a Bad Batch Hype, may as well re-do the post! I cannot escape The Clone Wars, I will forever keep watching the first four seasons, and then pretend the last 3 didn’t happen. What’s order 66? Who’s this? Like all the Clones lived happily ever after, and they all found happiness.

Warnings: Fluff and swearing. I guess this is kind of an AU too? I probably re-read this quickly, but I’ve had a bottle of wine so like yeah. Headcanons below the cut. Unsure if this is OOC. Back from a huge hiatus and trying to get back into the swing of writing. I’m not that into Tech, so his is a lot shorter. Sorry guys!

·         Wrecker: I agree with the general consensus this man would be a great dad. Super supportive and a fun dad. If his kids want to play sports, he’ll be at every match/event, he’ll be the loudest one there, and super supportive of them! If his kids want to do something like dance, chess or playing an instrument, he’ll still be supportive and the loudest one there! If is kids playing a violin, he’ll be shouting ‘ENCORE’ or something. Who the hell going to tell him to shut up? Nobody that’s who, the man is a behemoth! But saying that, even though he’s really huge, he’s super gentle. He’s always carrying his kids around on his shoulders. Not only because it’s fun and so they can see, but it’s also the safest place for them. He’s such a good dad and extremely fun. He’s definitely the softer parent, like you’ll have to be a bit stricter than him. But he cares deeply for his kids and he’ll always be proud of them. He loves taking them to the beach, if they want to be Yeeted into the sea, then he will yeet them. Will also build sandcastles. He’s also the best storyteller, why? Because he does the voices, and always has the best stories. If his kids want a tea party, then he’ll be there, on time and ready to drink the best imaginary tea. Also, he’d totally hand down Lula to his kids. Lula looked after him, now they can look after his children. Wrecker would want a huge family. He grew up with lots of brothers and has always felt happy with them. So, he would want his kids to grow up with the same kind of thing. His kids would have cousins as well. Lots and lots of cousins. Wrecker would create a warm, supportive, and fun environment for his kids to grow up in.

·         Echo: Echo is a fairly chilled-out dad. He’s strict-ish but pretty fair. He’s super protective and proud as well. He’s really supportive and will help his kids with their homework. Always reads to them and makes sure they know their loved. He would also make sure that one of his kids was named, in some way, after Fives. He’ll always tell his kids about Uncle Fives and how he would have loved to have met them. Bit bittersweet for him. He’d be nervous when they were very young, because he only has one arm, and how can he hold them? His confidence comes with time. He teaches his kids not to judge and just wants them to feel loved and appreciated. He sets rules, but he’s not going to be super angry if they get broken, for a good reason. His kids are only a few minutes late home? It’s fine. He’d be the type of dad that would also just want to be kept in the loop. If they are going to be late, just let him know, or he will panic. This stems from what happened to him. He can’t BBQ for shit, but he does make the best cupcakes. If his kids are really into sport, he’ll go along to all the games, and make an effort to find out more about the sport. He wants to support them and if he has to read/watch more to understand it, then so be it! Type of dad to go to every recital, concert or play and be super proud. Takes loads of photos too. Why? So, when you’re old, and sat on your porch, you can look back and smile. Type of dad to be like ‘I can’t believe we made them!’ Echo is so soft and gentle and caring. He’d want maybe two kids. He feels having one, would mean they would be lonely. He, like all the other clones, grew up with brothers and loved them… most of the time! So, having two or three kids isn’t something he’d be opposed to.

·         Hunter: Is shaped like a dad, is a dad. Has the WORST dad jokes, but always makes his kids smile and laugh. He’s fun but strict, he wants to keep his kids safe, and has rules to help with his. Nothing major, but curfew is important. Makes a point of having a family board game night. Which once a month, includes all of the uncles. It normally ends in chaos but it’s always fun. Hunter is also the king of BBQ and DIY. Everything in his kids’ bedrooms and outside, was DIYed and built by him. Every BBQ he dons the apron, and proudly takes up his spatula. Makes the best burgers. He’s really supportive of his kids as well no matter what they do. He likes sports and will help his kids train. But if his kids don’t want to play sports, that’s not a problem, he’ll still be supportive. He’ll listen to his kids practise their instrument, help them revise, get Tech or Echo in to help them with chess. Will let his kids win at any videogames. Because the smile they have on their face when they best their dad, melts his heart. Hunter would want a few kids, maybe two or three. Omega needs some brothers and sisters after all. Hunter would also take his kids camping and be really outdoorsy with them. He’d like to leave early in the morning, and then come back trailing fireflies in with them. Anything from fishing to archery. Ultimate dad.

·         Crosshair: Crosshair never really thought about a family of his own. He has his brothers but never thought he’d have additions to that family. He’s a really unsure parent and doesn’t see himself as been emotionally available. He’s got issues that he would need to work through before settling down. He would mellow out and be a pretty good father. But he would panic in the run up to becoming a father. Would chew a thousand toothpicks in the run up to becoming a father, he’s nervous. He’d be a fairly reserved father. He’s not going to be emotionally distant, but it takes patience for him to open up to anyone. He’s really caring in his own way. But very unsure of himself. In a morning, will pretend to still be asleep, so his kids have to come wake him up, because he promised he’d teach them how to fire a rifle today. He’ll be there for his kids and be very protective of them. He’ll teach them to have good aim and that’s there way of bonding. Whether that be archery or something like clay pigeon shooting. If his kids win awards or trophies from competitions, he’ll be super proud. As his kids get older, he gets better with parenting. Parents evening with him will be intense. I honestly think his sense of humour and dryness may be inherited by his kids. Doesn’t do art. If his kids are into art, he’ll listen, but he has no idea what’s going on. That been said, will cherish anything they make for him. I feel Crosshair would probably have one child and would prefer to have a smaller family. He finds it hard to open up to a lot of people, and this would just suit him more… but wouldn’t be opposed to having a few more kids. Especially after seeing how amazing, they are. Would be a very smug father.

·         Tech: Helicopter parent. He wants his kids to do well in life and to have a good life. He just wants the best for them. He’ll support them in all of their extracurricular activities. ‘Oh, that will look good on your Uni application!’ Takes parents evening so seriously. What do you mean they’ve been doodling in the back of their books? Will look into what art extracurriculars are offered. He wants them to do well and will support them. He’ll help them with their homework and finds it fun. If his kids are struggling with something, they know they can come to him without judgement. He’ll judge other people, but his kids are still learning, and he wants to impart his knowledge. He’s a wise old owl. His kids will inherit the smugness that he has. Tech is smart and smug, and so are his kids. He’ll make sure to read to them. Not fantasy books but educational books. If his kids want to do sports, then he’ll get Uncle Hunter and Wrecker in to help. He’d very accepting of his kids and what they want to do and will support them. Takes lots of photos of them to show to his brothers. ‘This is them graduating from Year One to Year two.’ He’s very proud, but he will receive a ‘Oh goody, more photos, that we’ve seen a thousand times before’ Will shed a single tear when they graduate. If they go to University, will ask them to send them slides from their lecture. Because he wants to learn too. Do not let this man teach his kids to drive. Do not do it. He cannot drive for shit. I can see Tech maybe having one or two children. He wants to devote as much time as possible to them, to help them succeed and help them achieve their dreams.

#tbb #tbb headcanons #crosshair x reader #echo x reader #wrecker x reader #hunter x reader #tech x reader #crosshair #echo #arc trooper echo #hunter #tbb hunter #tech #tbb tech #tbb echo #tbb crosshair #tbb wrecker #wrecker

[obwjam]

“I watched you from the walls for years, you really can’t embarrass yourself further in front of me.” With Scott Lang please :)

“I watched you from the walls for years, you really can’t embarrass yourself further in front of me.”

yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes A THOUSAND TIMES YES

from this post

———————————————————————

Times were tough at the Lang residence. Scott wasn’t allowed to leave the house, his daughter was only allowed to visit on weekends, and worst of all, he worried about his future. How could an ex-con like him find work again? How could he possibly put behind everything he had been through in Germany? Often times, he sat on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, TV off, staring blankly at the wall.

Other times, he danced.

He wasn’t very good at it, but hey, who was watching? Scott would rev up his ever-growing 80s playlist, crank his speakers up to ten and let his arms flail and his legs go wild. For an hour and forty-six minutes, he would dance and sing and act out fight scenes he had choreographed in his head until he was just about ready to pass out.

Today was an especially stressful day. Cassie was sick and didn’t want to come, so for the first Saturday afternoon in a while, Scott was alone. There really wasn’t anything good on TV, and he had a nightmare the night before. If the good vibes wouldn’t come to him, he would make them himself.

He was maybe an hour into the playlist when he closed his eyes, spun around on one socked foot, struck a pose, and opened his eyes to the most confusing sight he had ever seen.

You were, in a word, fascinated with this human. For whatever reason, he never left the house anymore, which made borrowing close to impossible, but he was boisterous and goofy and just the right amount of weird. Eating cereal and crying at black and white Spanish movies at 10 p.m. was not normal human behavior, but it was normal for this one.

The dancing was especially entertaining. It was like a free show every day. The music was catchy and you had learned the words. Sometimes, you even danced with him. You discovered this crack in the old wood that allowed you to sit in its threshold and observe the human.

You were so caught up in the music that when Scott’s eyes landed on you, it took you a few seconds to realize what was going on.

Though Scott was staring right at you, he still couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. A tiny person? In his house? He squinted — no, it wasn’t Hank or Hope. They didn’t appear to be wearing a suit, either. Just some makeshift clothing. Was this a new Avenger with shrinking powers, sent to spy on him? Was it the government?

For some reason, you weren’t very scared. Years of watching the human from afar told you that he was a very relaxed person. He wasn’t overly excitable and didn’t seem to have a malicious bone in his body. You certainly didn’t mean to be seen, but it also didn’t seem like the worst possible thing that could have happened. It almost felt inevitable.

Scott stared at you, mouth agape and a thousand thoughts swirling around his mind like a hurricane. He realized he was still stuck in a ridiculous pose, so he put his arms back to his side and straightened himself. He should have figured there were real-life tiny people. Why else would Hank want to build shrinking technology?

You were staring back, mouth also agape and equally fascinated by what was in front of you. But Scott didn’t think you’d break the ice, so it was up to him.

“Um... hi,” Scott said, awkwardly giving a small wave. “What are you doing in my house?”

You tilted your head. For a human, he didn’t seem to be very surprised at what he was seeing. You lifted your arm and grabbed onto the wood for support as you spoke up. “Uh... I live here.”

“You live here? Last time I checked, I live here. Oh, no, they didn’t take my house away, did they?”

“What?” you blurted. “Who’s they?”

“Woo didn’t send you here, did he?”

“Woo? Woo who?”

“Jeez, you don’t need to act so excited about it.”

“Hold up!” you yelled, throwing your hands up. Scott pressed his lips together. “What... what are you talking about?”

“You’re government, aren’t you? Here to keep tabs on me, make sure I’m not breaking the Accords?”

“Government?” You blinked in disbelief. “You think I work for the government?”

“Well...” Scott started to attempt an explanation, but couldn’t really find one. “Why else would you be here?”

“I told you. I live here.”

“...so you’re not government.”

“Oh brother,” you mumbled to yourself, taking an exasperated seat. “Um. No?”

“...You wouldn’t happen to be an Avenger, would you?”

“An Avenger? Am I missing something here?”

“Well excuse me for trying to come up with an explanation as to why there’s someone sitting on my wall who’s two inches tall!”

“Hey, I’m four inches, thank you very much,” you scoffed.

Scott ran a hand through his hair. This wasn’t going very well at all. You sighed and took a breath. You could understand why he’d be so flustered.

“No, I’m not government. Or an Avenger. I’m just... a regular borrower.”

Scott stared at you blankly, trying to piece together what a borrower could be, before it dawned on him and his eyes went wide. “Oh wow. You’re really just that small!”

“I didn’t think that was even in question.”

“Gosh, sorry, that’s really embarrassing of me.” He let out a laugh. “An Avenger. What was I thinking?”

His laugh made you laugh. “I watched you from the walls for years, you really can’t embarrass yourself further in front of me.”

“Oh, trust me, I’ve done a lot of embarrassing things in my life. Being put in a maximum security prison’s definitely up there. I’m used to small jails, you know?”

You gave him a quizzical stare.

“This ankle monitor is pretty bad, too, though I— wait a second. Did you say you’ve been watching me for years? ”

You gulped. You thought he either didn’t hear that part or didn’t care.

“I—um, I mean, I was just — I was speaking metaphorically—”

Scott’s expression immediately softened. “Woah, hey, I’m not mad!” He realized he was gazing down at you, and he lowered himself ever so slightly to be at your eye level. Now, he could see the way you gripped the wall protectively. “I’m just... confused. What do you mean you’ve watched me from the walls?”

“It means I live in your walls!” you cried, not realizing how shaky your voice had gotten. You steadied your breathing before continuing. “That’s what borrowers do. We live in the walls of houses.”

“Like mice?”

You sniffed a laugh. “Yes, like mice. Which I help keep away from here, mind you. When was the last time you saw a mouse around here?”

“Oh, gosh, I can’t even remember. Years ago.” You smirked and raised your eyebrow, and once it clicked, Scott’s eyes lit up.

“That’s so cool!” Scott smiled. You knew he was a quirky human, but even you were a bit surprised at how nonchalant he was being. “Do you use those little toothpicks that look like a sword?”

“There are toothpicks that look like swords?”

“Oh yeah!” Scott grinned. “They’d be perfectly your size, actually.”

“Huh. Y’know, that might actually be helpful to shoo away beetles and spiders.”

Scott grimaced. He had gotten used to ants, but spiders is where he drew the line. “Oh, gross.”

“It’s just a part of the job,” you shrugged. There was an awkward pause before you spoke again. “I, um. I’m sorry for startling you.”

“No, no,” Scott shook his head, “I’m sorry for making you listen to the same music all the time!”

“No, it’s fine, I... I actually kinda like it,” you blushed. “Usually, borrowers keep themselves hidden. Most humans aren’t as... entertaining as you.”

Scott smiled, not even realizing that maybe that wasn’t a compliment. It felt exhilarating just to have a face-to-face conversation with someone who wasn’t his family or was legally obligated to talk to him.

“You wanna come to the living room?” he asked suddenly. You furrowed your brow. “It’ll be more comfortable than sitting on that ledge.”

“Well, I can’t exactly sit on the couch,” you said slowly, meekly gesturing at yourself with your head.

“You can sit on the table, it’s fine! I’ve got snacks.”

“Snacks...” you repeated. Even though this went against every single borrower code you knew of, it felt stupid to pass up this offer. If the human wasn’t going to hurt you, then why not make him your ally?

“Sure, why not,” you said finally, standing up. Scott couldn’t help but stare at you in awe.

“Here,” he said, standing back up to his full height and sticking his hand out in front of you. “I can carry you there!”

“Oh...” you said, staring at the hand hesitantly. “I can just walk, you know—”

“Psh! That’ll take too long. Trust me.” You didn’t know why he would know anything about that, but frankly, his weird choice of words was the last thing on your mind. Scott took notice. “Oh, you’re... sorry, I didn’t mean to assume. It’s just right across the hall, we don’t have to go far at all. It’ll be fine.”

You gave him a skeptical look, but at this point, you didn’t have much of a choice. This is what you wanted, anyway.

“I guess this is the one drawback,” you muttered, keeping a firm grip on the wall as you lowered yourself onto his palm. “Humans can’t take no for an answer.”

“What was that?”

“Oh, uh, I—I said. Quite the view from up here.”

“Hah, yeah, I know!”

There it is again, you thought. That weird choice of words.

The trip to the living room was, as promised, short. You were only in his hand for about 15 seconds before you hopped off onto the familiar sight of the coffee table. The bowl of peanuts and candy was filled to the brim, as usual, but you supposed you should act like you’ve never been here before.

“So,” Scott said, reaching into the bowl and popping some M&M’s into his mouth before flopping onto the couch. “What’s your name? I bet you already know mine.”

“I’m (Y/n),” you said, eyeing the bowl. “Can I...”

“Oh, go ahead!” Scott smiled. He watched in delight as you grabbed a peanut that was larger than a football. You bit into it like an apple, and Scott could hardly suppress his grin.

“This is amusing for you?” you asked with a smirk. Scott immediately shook his head, but the smile was still present. “Yeah, I guess I probably look hilariously small to you.”

“Well... only a little.” Scott leaned back into the couch cushion. “So you’ve really been inside my walls this whole time and I had no idea?”

“Yup,” you said with a mouthful of peanut. “Been here for a long time.”

“How do you even live? Eat? Bathe?!”

You turned your gaze to the table. “You won’t like the answer.”

Scott thought about it for a moment, but it didn’t take long for him to connect the dots. “Oh. Oh.”

“Yeah,” you blushed. “But it’s either take crumbs off your counter or starve, so. I choose not to starve.”

“Well, you’re welcome to have dinner with me from now on. I cook just for myself anyway, it’ll be nice to have some company.”

“About that... why are you here all the time? You used to only be here at night.”

Scott sighed deeply. “It’s a long story.”

He seemed uncharacteristically upset about that, so you cleared your throat and pivoted back to what he was saying before. “You’d really let me eat with you?”

“Sure, why not?” Scott seemed genuinely surprised that you would even ask.

“I mean, this has gotta seem a little... weird to you, does it not? In fact, I — well, there are a lot of stories about humans discovering borrowers, and they’re not often pleasant. You... you don’t really seem to care.”

Scott pursed his lips. “That’s another long story.”

“Oh.” Jeez, what is up with this guy?

“I mean, if you’ve really been... in my walls all this time...” He shuddered before continuing. “Then you know how lonely it’s been around here. Heck, it probably gets really lonely all by yourself in the walls, too.”

You nodded.

“Well, I’ve got a lot of questions for you, and I know you’ve got a lot for me... I won’t force you to stay if you don’t want to, but I think — it might be nice to get to know each other, right?”

You gave Scott an almost incredulous look. Maybe all those human tales were just old folk stories of days past, meant to scare children into staying close to home. You were hardly nervous that Scott had any malicious intent. You just almost couldn’t believe this was happening.

“What about your daughter? Isn’t she supposed to be coming this weekend? I’d rather her, uh, not see me.”

Scott sat up a bit. “You know about Cassie?”

“Um. Lived here for years, remember?”

“Right, right. Uh, n-no, no, she’s sick, she’s not coming. Huh.” Scott shook his head. “Wow. You must know, like, everything about me, then.”

Your face flushed red. “I mean, yes and no. I don’t just sit and stare at you to pass the time. It’s-it’s actually pretty strange for me too. We’re not supposed to talk to humans. It’s kind of the big number one rule.”

“What normally happens?”

“Well.” You paused, looking up at Scott’s expectant face. It was hard to hold eye contact, and your gaze flickered back to the table. “It’s a long story.”

Scott huffed a laugh. “I get it. Looks like we both have our own baggage.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Look, if you wanna... go back into that hole in the wall, you can. I told you, I won’t make you stay. But the offer is always there. I’m probably just gonna order a pizza tonight. You ever had pizza?”

You pursed your lips. Should you really be telling him all the things you’ve stolen from right under his nose?

Scott sighed. Maybe this wasn’t the weirdest thing for him, but he knew he couldn’t say the same for you. Your sideways glances had grown increasingly nervous ever since he brought you to the living room. You carried yourself well, but it was clear you were uneasy about all of this.

Wordlessly, Scott placed his hand down in front of you. He frowned when you winced at it.

“It’s quicker if I just bring you back,” he said sheepishly.

You picked your half-eaten peanut off the table and cleared your throat. “I-I’m sorry. I think I underestimated how odd this would feel. You... you’re just, really different than the human I lived with growing up. In a good way.”

Scott smiled weakly. “Just wait ‘til you get to know me.”

You laughed as you climbed onto his hand. You sat down for balance as he stood up, unable to take his eyes off you. You stared straight ahead as he took the short journey back, and in a few moments, you were right back where you started.

Staring at each other.

“Well (Y/n), it was nice—”

“You know,” you said, raising your voice to cut him off. “I have had pizza before. But I’ve never tried ice cream.”

Scott gasped. “Never had ice cream?! Lucky for you, I’ve got some chocolate in the freezer— oh. Oh! You... you want to have some dessert later?”

You smiled amusingly. “You catch on quick.”

“Yeah, it’s a specialty of mine,” Scott said, stretching his arms in the air. “Gosh, it’s already 7:30. How about ice cream at 9?”

“I, uh, don’t have a clock with me,” you admitted. “Why don’t you just... knock when you’re ready?”

Scott chuckled. “Knocking on the walls to my own house? People’ll start to think I’m crazy.”

You blinked at Scott, Scott blinked at you, and you both burst out laughing. For a moment, you forgot that Scott was a hundred feet tall and he forgot you could fit in his palm. It shouldn’t have been that funny, but it was. It all was.

Scott wiped a tear from his eye and sighed. “Oh, man. Okay. I should order before they close. See you soon?”

You smiled. In between the bad jokes, the awkward silences and the fits of laugher, you decided all this weirdness was worth it.

“Yeah. See you soon, Scott.”

#scott is the nonchalant KING #just so easy to launch into conversation with #nothing like two people who think they should be feeling weird who dont actually feel all that weird #this is all just one big excuse for me to practice dialogue #obwrites #marvel g/t

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Haven

Breach Masterlist

Warnings: non/dubcon sex (series), general angst

This is dark!Winter Soldier/Bucky and explicit. 18+ only.

Note: This was already posted on ao3 last week so I’m just putting it here too.

A few familiar characters show up and as for the timeline, as mentioned we're right after it was announced the Berlin Wall would come down, so we're in about 1990 atm. That means certain events in the MCU timeline have changed or haven't even happened!

I won’t demand but do ask for feedback; likes, reblogs, replies, comments, asks, especially on this series, but again, enjoy in your own way! <3 Love you!

Steve asked James, rather this man he called ‘Bucky, if he had a car. You thought it odd since James had sought the man out for help but you trusted that he was cautious enough for the both of you.

You’d left the car a few streets over. You sat in the back with Luka as he began to nod off and James drove as Steve gave directions. You hugged your son anxiously and inhaled the scent of his unwashed hair. You hoped you would have a bed for the night, if you were fortunate, a shower.

The street lights cast shadows on the men in the front as the New York streets passed by. Even a soviet-born Russian like yourself marveled at the infamous city. Never in all your life had you expected to end up there.

“You don’t live in Brooklyn?” James asked as his gripped the steering wheel.

“I do. Bought mom’s old place,” Steve answered, “But I can’t take you there, Buck.”

James was silent. He sighed as you pondered this friend’s name for him. ‘Bucky’. It sounded odd and didn’t seem to fit the man you knew. And yet, like much of his character, it confounded you. Perhaps it suited him after all.

“Not because of you, but to protect you,” Steve intoned. “Same reason we didn’t take my car.”

“Protect me?” James peeked in the rear view mirror as you stared at his silhouette.

“I’ll explain when we’re standing still,” Steve said curtly as he brushed back his hair with his fingers.

“Right,” James said grimly. “How ya doin’ back there?”

“Fine,” You answered in Russian without thinking. He nodded and continued on.

Silence pervaded the cramped space of the Chrysler as Steve pointed James down the next street. Luka’s soft snores floated around you and warmed your chest as he leaned against you. You dared to hope that you might sleep that night.

James pulled into an underground garage next to a high rise. The two men climbed out of the front seat and James opened the door for you and took Luka gently into his arms. The boy didn’t stir as he was cradled against his father. You stepped out into the smelly garage and Steve waved you onward.

He led you up a staircase and past several business housed in the building above. He stopped at an unmarked metal door one would assume was a utility closet and shoved a key in the slot. He opened it carefully and ushered you inside. The door closed heavily behind him as he flipped the lights on.

Within was a small living space that surprised you. There was a sofa, chair, a single bed in the corner, and a smaller door just beside the narrow counter along the wall. There was a square table at the far end with a boxy computer and an old telephone. James’s eyes scanned the room as if searching for some trap.

“A safehouse for now,” Steve explained. “This is my Plan B but haven’t had to use it so far.”

“Plan B for what?” James hissed.

“Just in case,” Steve shrugged. “It’s safe here, besides.” He strode past the couch and turned back. “This folds out.”

James nodded and crossed to the small bed in the corner. He sat as he laid Luka down and slipped him beneath the quilt. He touched his cheek before he parted and stood to face his old friend. Steve looked between the two of you.

“So, I take it you two met in Russia?” Steve chuckled. “You know, that’s a long way to go for a wife, Buck.”

James said nothing as he tucked his hands in his jeans pockets. The phone rang and Steve flinched as he grabbed it before the second chime. He put it to his ear and listened. He replied with two short words; “Eagle. Demo.”

The line clicked loudly from the mouthpiece and Steve replaced the phone in its cradle.

“We have tonight,” Steve stated as he leaned against the table and crossed his arms. “You can rest. Get clean up in the shower,” He nodded towards the other door, “There’s food in the cupboard. Basic rations but we’ll get better tomorrow.”

“Then what?” James asked sharply. “We go to S.H.I.E.L.D.? That’s who you’re with, right?”

“I am and I’m not,” Steve answered. “But the important thing is I know people who can keep you safe.”

“Safe? Do you even know what we’re running from?” Bucky sneered.

“Not hard to guess,,” Steve tilted his head and sniffed. “Buck, do you have any idea how unbelievable this is? That you’re still alive? How much of a relief it is?” He dropped his arms and pushed himself away from the table. He crossed to James and clapped his shoulder, “Bucky.”

The other man winced and grabbed Steve’s hand. He pushed it away and held up his own. He slowly rolled his glove up his palm and slid free his fingers. He turned his metal hand in show and lowered it in shame.

“Can’t say they never gave me any gifts,” James uttered, “Though I would say I paid for it.”

Steve frowned as he watched James’ hand then looked him in the eye.

“Well, good thing I didn’t say anything about finding you in one piece,” Steve scoffed.

“Ha,” James snorted and shook his head. “You promise your friends are gonna play nice?”

“You trust me?” Steve challenged.

“Always,” James avowed.

“They’ll play nice.” Steve assured him, “But you know it’s not that simple.”

“I know,” James grumbled as Steve brushed by him and went to the door, “But I’m not worried about me.” He paused and looked at you, then Luka, “You understand?”

“I do. You know we’ve always been as good as family, Buck.”

“That was a long time ago,” James insisted. “A different life.”

“Yeah,” Steve rested his hand on the door handle. “But we’re not so different.” Steve smiled and peered past James, “It was nice to meet you.” He opened the door slowly as he spoke. “You two have a good night. Get some sleep. You look like you need it.”

Steve shut the door behind him as he stepped out into the hallway. The door locked from the other side and James stared at the metal barrier. You stood behind him, still, silent, watching as he hung his head. You neared the couch and sat.

“James,” You said gently, “You are going to sit and tell me who Bucky is and how he knows Steve Rogers.”

James turned and swallowed as he looked at you. He approached reluctantly and sat beside you. He leaned back and gripped his thighs as if to brace himself. His fingers danced on his knee anxiously and he nodded.

“My name is James Buchanan Barnes and Steve Rogers is my best friend. We served together in Europe. We grew up together in Brooklyn. He was this kid, used to wear newspapers in his shoes, built like a toothpick. His mother, Sarah, was his only family besides me. But that was before I died in the war; before I was the Soldat…”

✰

James let you have the foldout couch to yourself. You were unused to the emptiness beside you but you hadn’t the heart to move Luka as he dozed soundly. James took his usual spot on the floor.  He slept with his back against the door though you doubted he actually got much rest. You woke often and looked at him, sometimes his head slumped down, and others he seemed to stare endlessly into the dark.

James roused first and you sat up as you heard him open the cupboard. You grumbled and stripped the thin mattress before folding it away. You left the thin blankets in the chair as James turned on the single burner on the counter. He set the kettle atop it and turned to face you.

“Tea?” He asked. You nodded as he leaned against the counter.

Luka slept on and you let him until a knock came at the door and woke him. As James set out two mugs of steaming tea, three short raps came and had him frozen. He motioned for you to stay back as he neared the door and you went to Luka as he rubbed his eyes and sat up in confusion.

James unlocked the door and inched it open. His shoulders dropped and he stepped back to let Steve in. Another man followed him and James quickly stiffened. The man strode haughtily inside, his silver hair combed back neatly, as he wore a tailored suit that bespoke of money.

“Howard,” James greeted the strange man with a grimace. The door closed heavily and pierced the tension between them. “Why’s he here?”

“He’s a friend. A real friend.” Steve said.

You helped Luka out of bed and sat him at the table with the box of tea biscuits you found in the cupboard.

“Don’t be rude, James,” You managed in your best English, “You ask if they want tea.”

“James,” The man he called Howard chuckled.

James sighed. “Do you want tea?” He asked tersely.

“We’re good,” Howard answered with a smirk. “So, I think my first question is where they came from?” He pointed at you and Luka. “Lucky the kid looks like his mom.”

“Really, Steve? This jackass.”

“Buck, you don’t understand. S.H.I.E.L.D., it’s not… not safe. There're approximately three people you can trust in this country and we’re two of them.” Steve insisted.

“Three? Who’s the third?”

“Peggy,” Steve replied curtly. “Everyone else, well, we’ve figured there hand-in-hand with the bastards who chased you here.”

“Hydra?” James asked, Steve nodded. “They’re here? Where?”

“Calm down,” Howard strolled around the room as he felt around in his jacket. “We’ll fill you in once you do the same for us.” The man stopped beside Luka and pulled out a bill. “Here, kid, maybe later you’re mother can take you out to buy some candy.”

Luka’s eyes rounded at the money and you nodded to him. “What do you say, mishka?”

“Thank you, sir,” He smiled and accepted the money.

“You didn’t have to--” You said as Howard grinned.

“Got a boy myself. Bit older but I miss when he was smaller. Easier to handle.” He said. “And I’m fairly sure those cookies are well past stale.”

“So it’s just the three of you? Against Hydra?” James interjected. “You really think you can help me?”

“We have safeguards,” Howard turned back. “And it’s better to keep enemies close.”

“Not Hydra,” James’ hands balled into fists. “You don’t understand--”

“No, but we want to try.” Howard neared him. “Look, I’d say that kid is what? Four? Five? And there was a certain Soviet assassin that just up and disappeared as many years ago. A certain experiment abandoned after its perpetrators were slaughtered… think maybe you can fill in the details?”

James paled and looked to you. His eyes fell to Luka and he blinked. “Not in front of the kid.” He glanced at Steve pleadingly. “I’ll talk,” James snarled, “Just… the boy. He can’t--” He took a breath. “Come on, Howard. You said you had a son, too. Please.”

“It’s early, we don’t have to get into it right now,” He raised his hand defensively. “I just needed to know that I was right.”

“And I need to know that you’re gonna keep them safe. I don’t care about me, but they didn’t do anything.” James stepped closer to the man until they were chest to chest. “You swear to me that they’re safe and I will tell you everything.”

“Mother knows something too, she must,” Howard said.

“I tell you,” You stood and squeezed Luka’s shoulder before you left him. “But as James say, not in front of boy.”

Howard considered you then turned back to James. “We’ll move you tonight. Bigger place, much nicer too. Then, we’ll have a long debriefing.” He turned to Steve and checked his watch. “You keep them here until I can get it sorted out. You know the rules.”

“Got it,” Steve said. “And Peggy?”

“One thing at a time,” Howard said as he went to the door, “As far as she’s concerned, you took the day off.”

#bucky barnes #Winter Soldier #dark winter soldier #dark!wintersoldier #bucky barnes x reader #fic #series #breach #dark fic #dark!fic #mcu #marvel #Steve Rogers