First And Last

First and Last

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Prompts -  'Home is not where you are from, it is where you belong. Some of us travel the whole world to find it. Others find it in a person.’

Though it was tempting to steal a glance you kept your eyes locked ahead of you, watching as the jedi and his droid walked away, watching as Grogu’s eyes never left Din as he was carried away before he finally disappeared from view. You stepped forward silently, taking Din’s hand in yours and giving it a gentle squeeze, resting your head on his shoulder and feeling how it shook with silent tears. 

It was tempting to turn to him, to look into his eyes, to cup his cheeks and wipe his tears away but you didn’t. You let your head rest on the beskar covered shoulder, let your eyes fall shut and tried to suppress your own tears. 

It would have been easy to sneak a glance at the man you had fallen hard for but you didn’t. It wasn’t the time and no part of you wanted the memory of you finally seeing Din’s face, should such a day ever come, to be spoiled by the memory of losing Grogu, the child both you and Din had come to love.

You don’t know how long the two of you stood there, staring at the empty space in front of you but eventually it was time to move on.

Din had shoved his helmet back on and hadn’t taken it off again since. The two of you travelled the galaxy together, Din took bounties and you went along with him. The man almost seemed shocked when you said you were staying with him, like he had already prepared himself to lose you too.

The thought of leaving Din, especially after he had just lost his child, didn’t even occur in your mind. Sure the main reason you had joined the Clan of Two to begin with was to help Din reunite Grogu with his own kind but after spending so much time in close quarters with the man it wasn’t surprising when you started to fall for him. It took a long time before Din finally opened up to you, trusting you more and more as each day passed.

Din had never known such a feeling in his life, the way his entire body seemed to warm as he watched you with Grogu, whether it be the three of you in the cockpit of the Razor Crest, Grogu on your lap and you telling him stories so animatedly, eyes as bright as the stars passing by through the windows or listening to you as you spoke clear Basic in an attempt to pull some words from the child, watching as Grogu beamed up at you but ultimately only let out cheerful coos. The way you were with his child definitely helped him warm up to you quicker but there was no doubting Din had started to develop feelings for you and it had terrified him.

He had always been on his own, never getting this close to another person before. If someone had told Din before he met Grogu that he’d have a child and fall for someone like you he would have laughed, never once believing he could have something like this, never once wanting or thinking he needed it. Of course it was easy to think you didn’t need something until you had it and now the thought of losing you pained Din so deeply, a hole already in his heart from losing Grogu…he was really glad you had shot him an unimpressed look the day he asked you whether you wanted to leave.

Time passed and the pain of missing Grogu never seemed to dull but the two of you found a way to live with it. At first Din had drawn in on himself. The man was never particularly vocal but as he became more comfortable around you, he initiated conversations, he asked questions and looked forward to learning any of your story but after Grogu he hardly spoke unless you did first and even then, at least in the first month or two, the only response you received was grunts and huffs.

You let the man mourn though, never rushed him or forced him to be anything he couldn’t. You stood by and watched as he took bounty after bounty, seemingly becoming more and more reckless like he didn’t care what happened to him. You’d lost track at this point of how many times you’d had to patch up avoidable injuries and eventually started going with him and fighting alongside him.

You were the one to find a new ship for the two of you, whilst you were willing to let Din heal however he needed to, you couldn’t deal with travelling with the general public. Din had hated the new ship at first, shaking his head and muttering how you didn’t need it. You knew nothing would ever replace the Razor Crest and Din knew you were only trying to help so reluctantly began to pilot it.

It took time but eventually Din began speaking first, starting with a quiet ‘good morning’ that was just about picked up by the modulator. The smile that spread across your face had his lips twitching into the ghost of a smile though he didn’t quite let it take form. 

He sat in the pilot's seat one morning and let his thoughts wander, he knew he wasn’t being fair to you, knew that shutting you out wouldn’t make the pain he felt better. In fact you were probably one of the few people in the galaxy that he felt like he could talk to, one of the few people that would sit there for as long as it took for him to work through his thoughts and find the words that summed up how he was feeling.

He knew why he was ignoring you, of course he did. He had gotten so attached to Grogu, came to love him like he was his own child and he had always known that Grogu was never his to keep, Grogu’s own future far more important than anything Din could offer. Still, losing him felt like he had been torn in two, it left him feeling empty and it was hard to remember a time before Grogu where he thrived in his isolation, where he didn’t notice how truly lonely he was.

It wasn’t only Grogu he had gotten attached to though. Just like how the child had wormed his way past the beskar armour and into his heart, you had too. You had come along one day and stolen Din’s heart and it terrified the man, terrified him so much that he had done what he was doing now, shut you out entirely. For weeks he barely spoke to you and if he did it was only short one word answers or grunts but it didn’t stop him watching you, gaze hidden by the helmet. His eyes followed every move you made, memorised every feature on your face. 

Without noticing it he had learned to live with his feelings for you, slowly returning to normal, if not more willing to be open with you, to answer your questions about Mandalorian culture, to tell you stories about his life, to let you in in a way no other person had ever been. It was terrifying to Din but it was also easy once he stopped fighting his feelings, it was easy to fall for you.

But now, now he had lost Grogu and his thoughts ran wild, convincing himself that eventually he would lose you too. Sure you had told him you were staying with him, swore you weren’t leaving but it was only a matter of time and Din was only running on half a heart as it was, he wasn’t sure he’d survive you leaving with the other half.

And so instead of talking about it with you, instead of confessing all his fears and secrets, he pushed you away, kept you at arm’s length even though it killed him, even though he knew you were hurting too. 

Without realising it he had pulled the silver ball out of his pocket and had begun to fiddle with it, so lost in thought he didn’t hear the door to the cockpit open or you sit down in the seat next to him until you cleared your throat. 

“Sorry,” He mumbled, shaking his head as he clenched the ball in his fist and turned to face you. 

Despite the fact that Din could tell you hadn’t been sleeping properly he still thought you looked more beautiful each time he saw you and longed for something more between the two of you, longed to cup your face in his hands, to trace every feature and memorise every inch of you. He wanted to feel your lips against his and sometimes got the overwhelming urge to say rangir (to hell with it) and lift the helmet up enough to bring your lips together, to be done with the helmet all together.

Even though things had gotten better between the two of you there was still a tension in the air as though you were constantly tip-toeing around each other, never sure what the right thing to say was. Din hated it, he hated that his own isolation, his own actions, had caused you to drift apart. 

He knew he had to right things between you, wanted to more than anything but he wasn’t very good with words, he never needed to be when he could talk with a blaster and his fists. Unfortunately this wasn’t a situation he could punch his way out of and the only option was to push past his own unease and talk to you.

He couldn’t live the rest of his life regretting not telling you how much you meant to him, how much he needed you…how much he loved you. 

“You okay?” You asked him, voice soft as to not disturb his thoughts. 

He couldn’t help but plead with you from behind the helmet, eyes wide and swimming with too many emotions, begging for you to read his thoughts, to know what he wanted to say but couldn’t get out but he knew it wasn’t possible, knew he needed to say something.

“Yooba solus mesh’la.” Din told you, voice just as quiet as yours had been but the words didn’t sound as soft as they had leaving his lips through the modulator and yet Din watched as your entire face seemed to light up, a beaming smile spreading across your lips at the use of Mando’a.

Before the Jedi had taken Grogu and it was just the three of you travelling together in the Razor Crest, you had convinced Din to speak Mando’a, both you and Grogu taking great delight in hearing the language neither of you could understand come from Din. You had always tried to speak the language along with him, repeating his words though you had yet to not butcher a single one of them much to Din’s delight, hiding soft smiles behind the helmet, feeling himself fall a little more in love with you as you stumbled over the words. 

Hearing Din speak Mando’a, after what felt like an entire lifetime ago now, almost took your breath away and you couldn’t have stopped the smile that spread across your face if you tried, eyes meeting his despite the helmet covering them.

“Youba soleus meshla?” You repeated and the sound of Din’s chuckle caused your smile to widen even more, verging on almost painful but you didn’t care.

It had been so long since things felt this light between the two of you, you planned on savouring every second of it.

“Not quite,” He said and you didn’t need to see his face to know he was smiling, you could hear it clear as day in his voice even despite the modulator. 

“What does it mean?” You asked, tilting your head questioningly and Din’s heart felt like it was about to beat right through his chest and the beskar covering it.

A beat or two of silence passed between the two of you as you waited patiently for Din to translate Mando’a into Basic but the wait was worth it when he finally did.

“You are beautiful.” He told you, voice soft and hesitant and his eyes watching your face closely, waiting for a reaction.

He didn’t have to wait long though, your reaction was instantaneous, eyes widening as you looked over at him with such open warmth and, dare he say, love. The grin that was spread across your face softened into a smile and your own heart began beating loudly enough that you thought Din could hear it from where he sat.

“Din,” You said softly but the man cut you off, needing to continue before he lost all nerve and retreated from you again.

“So beautiful,” he murmured, a million things he’d like to say to you ran through his head but getting them out of his mouth was easier said than done. “I don’t want another day to pass where you don’t know that, where I don’t tell you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, I’m sorry I pushed you away because I couldn’t deal with my own pain. Yooba solus ner aliit and I can’t lose you too.” 

If Din’s eyes became teary under the helmet, nobody had to know.

He watched you closely, watched as your face seemed to soften even more so than it already was, watched as you reached over and took his clenched fist in your hand, the ball falling onto his lap as he let his fingers curl around yours.

“Yooba solus nair alit?” You asked softly, voice filled with more emotions than Din could make out, hopeful and overwhelmed being the main two he picked up on.

“You are my family.” He told you, his own voice thick with slight fear and hope.

You let out a small huff of laughter as your own eyes filled with tears, not having the luxury of the helmet to hide them from the man in front of you. Din didn’t take it as a bad sign, instead he lifted his free hand up and placed it against your face, cupping your cheek in the palm of his hand and brushing away a single stray tear that slipped out of your eye.

He hesitated for only a moment, half a moment really, before he leaned across, coming closer to you and let his helmet-covered forehead connect with yours, watching as you looked up at him from under your eyelashes. 

“Is this a Mandalorian thing?” You asked in a soft whisper after several moments of silence had passed, feeling like something significant was happening right now despite not knowing exactly what it was.

“Elek,” he murmured, causing you to laugh softly and Din to fall a little bit more in love, “Because Mandalorian don't take their helmets off, this is how they kiss.”

You didn’t move for a moment but when you did Din almost melted as you lifted your free hand to cup the helmet, letting your thumb brush just below the visor. Din couldn’t recall a time where he had wanted to take the helmet off so much, to feel your hand on his cheek, to be able to press a kiss to your palm before placing one against your lips. 

It was almost overwhelming to see the warmth, the happiness, the love in your eyes. Din could have looked away, you would never have known if he did but despite how breathless your gaze was leaving him, he couldn’t bring himself to look anywhere else. 

He let his hand wander down until it rested against your jaw, his thumb brushing against your lower lip and the final straw for him seemed to be feeling you smile against him, feeling the way your lips shifted into a soft smile as you continued to look at him like he was the only person in the world.

“Close your eyes.” He commanded softly, watching as your eyebrows knitted together but you didn’t question him. 

He watched as your eyes fell shut, lifting his hand again to brush his thumb against one of your closed lids before he pulled away completely, taking the hand that was still holding yours away too.

Taking the helmet off felt easier than he thought, there was a swell of guilt in his chest but it was drowned by the absolute love and adoration he felt for you. He knew even with the guilt that he wouldn’t regret his decision, not when it meant he could finally feel your lips against his.

He raised his hand to cup your cheek again, unable to stop the smile that pulled at his lips as you leaned into the touch. He only hesitated for a moment, removing the helmet in front of someone wasn’t something he did lightly meaning he had never kissed anyone and he had never been more glad in that moment, his first kiss would be with you and he knew he would never have another first kiss again.

You were it for him, his first and last.

You gasped when you felt lips against yours, just about managing to keep your eyes closed. Din moved in a way that told you he had little to no experience though it didn’t shock you, you couldn’t help but smile into the kiss before moving your lips together, feeling every cliché you had ever read or heard about.

The kiss wasn’t rushed, the two of you took the time to memorise the way your lips moved against each other, your hands cupping the other’s face, one of yours moving into Din’s hair and you had to stop yourself from pulling back, from opening your eyes and savouring every detail of the man in front of you.

It was tempting but you didn’t open them, you kept them shut as he pulled away. You kept them shut as he rested his forehead on yours, as he took in every piece of you, smiling as you followed his lips to peck them once, twice more. 

“Youba soleus meshla.” You told him, feeling his smile widen as you repeated the words from earlier, messing up each of them but he loved the sound of Mando’a leaving your lips all the same.

Never had the language sounded more lovely.

“Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum.” He told you, unable to stop the words from coming out of his mouth and finding he didn’t regret them. “Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum.” He repeated and he swore to himself he’d repeat those words every day for the rest of his life if he was lucky enough to have you for that long.

“What does that mean?” You asked him, fingers still tracing the features of his face and Din felt them stop as he translated the words for you. 

“I love you.” He whispered, he whispered them so softly that if you weren’t this close to him you would have missed them entirely but you heard them and couldn’t help but freeze for a moment. For so long you’d known you were in love with Din, knew that you were completely gone for him months into knowing him but you never once dared to think he could feel the same way about you.

Despite the kiss, despite the fact he was in front of you, your hands on his helmetless face, hearing him say those words seemed to overwhelm you the most and you couldn’t stop yourself from pressing another kiss to his lips, this one more hurried, more desperate as if you were trying to convey every feeling you felt into that one kiss.

“I love you too,” You whispered as you pulled away, only to lean back in for another kiss as soon as the words were spoken, “Nee kartay gar darsum.” You whispered again, the words like a prayer falling from your lips and Din’s smile grew even wider, too wide to kiss you again and instead he opted to bump your foreheads together softly.

“Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, cyar’ika.” He told you, meaning the words with his entire being, never being more sure of anything in his life and promising himself he would show you every day just how much he meant it.

____________

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Silent Suffering

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Angstember Prompt - Crying into somebody's chest

Pairings - Obi-Wan Kenobi & Reader, Anakin Skywalker & Reader (can be read as pre Anakin x Reader too!)

Despite having your own Master you still found yourself spending most of your time in the company of Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan Anakin Skywalker. More often than not you accompanied Anakin to his lessons with Obi-Wan, whether it be lightsaber training or mediation. 

The training a Padawan undertook was long and gruelling, days seemed to drag as you were taught the ways of the Jedi. Your Master was a cold man, he lacked the patience needed to train a Padawan which led to him snapping at you whenever you were made to train with him. Obi-Wan, however, was everything a Jedi Master should be, where you struggled to mediate, to shut your mind off to any and every outside distraction, your Master would snap and push you without proper guidance, Obi-Wan was the exact opposite. You still remembered the first time you’d mediated in front of him, how much you had struggled to do what came easily to most Jedi and you fully expected Obi-Wan to lose his temper with you, only to be shocked when he sat down in front of you and spoke, his words soft and gentle as he guided you and for the first time ever you felt yourself fall into that peaceful state easily. 

From there you had been eager to learn under Obi-Wan’s guidance. Compared to Anakin you felt your training was far behind despite the fact the two of you had started training at the same age though you hadn’t met until a few years later when your Master’s had been sent on a mission together with the instruction to bring their Padawan’s along.  

It was from that mission on you had become a permanent attachment to their duo, spending time with them even if it did take you a while to open up to them. The kindness they both showed you was such a stark contrast to how your Master treated you that you couldn’t help but stick with them.

Obi-Wan had wondered whether he should put a stop to how involved in their lives you were becoming. When you started joining Anakin’s lessons he had debated over what to do but Anakin seemed to like the challenge of a new opponent, one whose moves he couldn’t predict as well as he could his Master’s so Obi-Wan let you stay until he became as attached to you as he was his own Padawan. Watching as you grew in your training, how you seemed to thrive under his gentle guidance and encouraging words and sought out his advice on how you could improve made his heart warm and he knew that he wasn’t going to put a stop to you joining them.

Throughout the years Obi-Wan had tried to talk to you about your Master, about why you seemed behind in your training and more inclined to let Obi-Wan teach you. Each time you gave a vague answer, one that never answered his question before quickly changing the subject or darting off somewhere before he had the chance to ask you more questions. 

Anakin had also asked you about your Master, never having heard much about him. Anakin could never imagine training under another Master when he had Obi-Wan and knew that something wasn’t right between you and yours but as you did with Obi-Wan you did with Anakin and did your best to avoid answering the question. 

As the years went by and you got older your Master’s outbursts seemed to become more frequent and less justified. Some days he would yell at you when you weren’t training, when the Council sent you on missions together. You and your Master had never particularly gotten along well but the last couple of years had been worse than when you were a child.

You ignored it though, content to find comfort from Anakin and Obi-Wan, content to hide away with them when things became too much. You knew both men knew something was wrong but you had refused to talk about it and over time they didn’t ask as much as they used to, knowing full well you weren’t ready to talk about it yet.

One morning you found yourself in a training room, Obi-Wan walked around you and Anakin as you both duelled against the other. Years ago it was a challenge, neither one of you could predict the other's next move, the next step but now after years spent at each other’s side, being taught by the same Master it was easy to see four moves ahead. 

That didn’t mean the two of you went easy on each other, if anything it meant the two of you were more cocky, riskier in the moves you made and by the time the doors to the training room opened the two of you had worked up at sweat, panting as you grinned at each other as Anakin managed to get you on the ground with his lightsaber pointed at you.

“Alright, that's quite enough you two.” Obi-Wan told you with a smile.

Anakin holstered the lightsaber and reached a hand down for you, your grin still firmly in place as you slipped your hand into his and let him pull you up.

“Don’t worry, Y/N/N, one of these days you’ll beat me.” Anakin told you, his entire face lit up as he threw an arm around your shoulder and pulled you into him.

“Please,” you scoffed, letting yourself enjoy the closeness before playfully pushing him away, “I was just going easy on you.”

“Padawan,” A cold voice from the doorway said, causing you to flinch slightly, an action that didn’t go unnoticed by Obi-Wan or Anakin. “We are being sent to aid the clones.”

You had to force your feet to move, to follow your Master out of the room, forced yourself to ignore the worry you felt coming from the two Jedi left behind in the training room. The air was tense as you followed him into the craft and even more so once you were up in the air and he turned his cold gaze towards you.

“Spending time with Kenobi and the Skywalker child again, Padawan?” He snarled and you barely suppressed a shiver.

This was the cause of many arguments and despite how much you dreaded your Master’s temper you would take any anger he directed your way so long as you could seek comfort from Obi-Wan and Anakin. You knew it wasn’t the fact you were so close to the two that angered your Master, though it certainly didn’t help matters, but it was an easy thing for him to target, an excuse for him to actually be angry at you.

You had no idea what you had done to cause so much hatred from your Master, since you were a child he had never had a nice word to say towards you. You remembered being so young, so upset that he seemed to hate you and tried so hard, did everything right, to get him to like you.

Nowadays you had accepted your Master’s anger, accepted you would never find the reason for it and stopped trying to please him, stopped seeking out his approval. You suspected Obi-Wan had a large part to play in your acceptance, the man was the complete opposite of your Master and where your Master shot you harsh words and hateful glares, Obi-Wan easily countered it with kind touches and soft words. 

And then there was Anakin.

Anakin wasn’t foolish, he could see that you and your Master didn’t get on and though he had questioned but never pushed the matter, he had become an expert in reading you. He always seemed to know exactly when you needed him, was always there with a shoulder to cry on and distractions that often pulled the two of you into some kind of mischief that Obi-Wan never scolded you too much for because he too could see when things had gotten bad.

You loved being a Jedi, loved helping people and saving them but some days you wondered what would have become of you had you not met Obi-Wan and Anakin. Would you have stayed with the Jedi or would you have left the Order many moons ago? You believed you would have left, if you hadn’t had Obi-Wan and Anakin’s kindness to counteract your Master’s harshness. You truly didn’t think you could survive the years spent as a Padawan, not without the Dark Side spreading through you until you were consumed by it .

“Stupid girl wasting your time with those two, though I suppose I cannot expect much better from someone so foolish.” Your Master spoke, pulling you away from your thoughts and bringing your attention back to him.

You barely suppressed a sigh but knew if you let it escape you’d be done for. The words you could take but if he ever saw signs of you fighting back against him, even something as little as a sigh or squaring your shoulders back, you knew that the consequences would be bad. 

It was a lesson you had learnt the hard way and your side still burned from where the Force lightning had been directed.

Instead you sat there, still as a statue and watched as one of the clones announced your Master was needed elsewhere. Once he had left the room you let yourself relax and looked towards the clone, Daar, and shot him a grateful look, smiling as he nodded back at you.

You were close to many of the troopers and knew that they saw how your Master treated you, he didn’t hide it around them, not when he could order them to stay silent and they couldn’t disobey him. A few had offered to though, they had come directly to you and told you they would gladly disobey orders if you asked them to. You had smiled at that but each time had told them to do as your Master said, no point the clones being punished when you could take what your Master gave.

The rest of the trip was blessedly silent, the clones coming up with a reason to keep your Master in another section of the craft and it wasn’t long before you were landing. 

The entire mission was a mess, that was the only word for it. Your orders were to protect both the people and the Senator but your Master seemed to only hear the last part of those orders as he laid out his plan that willingly sacrificed the people of the planet to get the Senator away safely.

The people were starving, held captive by the droid army and from your position you could see many slaughtered innocents. You grimanced before turning back to your Master as he spoke, your eyes wide as you listened to him, he was not a kind man but this was extreme even for him. How he was a member of the Jedi order, a Jedi Master, was completely beyond you.

“We can’t let him do this.” You told Daar as your Master left the craft, lightsaber already out as he and some clones fought droids in order to make it to the palace.

“What do you suggest we do instead?” Daar asked and all the remaining clones turned towards you, each of them waiting for orders from somebody who did not have the authority to give them but all of them willing to follow them no matter what.

You stood silently for a moment, shocked at how the troopers didn’t hesitate to turn to you, to let you give the orders but then a smile broke out on your face and you nodded. Nothing good would come from this for you, you would be punished both by the Council and privately by your Master but you refused to just let the people of this city die for no reason, not when you could save them.

“Out here we only have the droid army in our way, let Master deal with whatever member of the Empire is holding the Senator captive. You think we can get the people out?” You asked Daar and he shot you a grin as he nodded.

“Course we can, right boys?” He asked and the troopers gave a cheer causing your smile to widen.

From outside the craft you could see your Master had made progress with the droid blocking the entrance to the palace, his gaze turning back towards you and calling for more clones.

With a final glance at all the troopers, your gaze landed on Daar who gave you a softer smile and nodded causing you to nod back. The troopers put their helmets on and you all left the craft, you spared a final glance back as you all made your way in the opposite direction to see your Master’s furious glare towards you.

The droids seemed to multiply, for everyone you took down five more appeared. The troopers were fairing no better and there were a number of casualties but eventually you fought your way to where the citizens were being held. It took some effort to free them as droids fought back and you had to deal with your Master yelling every hateful word and threat he could think of through the comms but eventually the droids were down and stopped coming and you ushered the people towards your ships.

Your Master and the Senator, as well as the people who had been trapped in the palace with him, all stood around the crafts and you ignored your Master as you passed him, thankful when Daar put himself between the two of you so he couldn’t grab you and began handing out the food rations you had brought with you.

You tried to drag it out for as long as possible but eventually you had to leave. Boarding the ship, your heart was in your throat and anxiety pulsed through your veins, you waited for your Master to dole out whatever punishment he saw fit but it never came and that only made you more scared.

Daar noticed your anxiety and sat down next to you ignoring the glare your Master sent towards the two of you and patted you knee gently.

“You did go out there today.” He told you, the words quiet but the genuineness of them was clear and you couldn’t help the smile that pulled at your lips.

“Thank you,” you said, keeping your voice just as quiet, “I’m just glad we were able to save everybody.”

The trip back to Coruscant didn’t take too long, something you both hated and were grateful for. You weren’t foolish enough to believe you could slip away before your Master got a hold of you, knew what was to come but still once the ship landed you tried to leave as quickly as possible.

“Not so fast, Padawan.” Your Master snarled, his hand reaching over to wrap around your bicep, grip so tightly you winced and knew bruises would form but they would be the least of your worries after he was done with you. 

You could see the troopers behind him, could see Daar take a step forward but you shook your head as discreetly as you could, watching him step back reluctantly.

“Come with me.” The tone of the man’s voice was low and harsh as he dragged you away from onlookers.

It wouldn’t be long until you were called before the Jedi Council, your Master had already given the briefing through holocomm, but it was enough time for him to pull you into his quarters, far away from any witnesses and leave you crying out, withering on the floor as you felt the lightning produced by the Force spreading and burning your body, sweat pouring from you as you tried to fight against it but it was useless as you were pinned down by the Force.

Your Master gave you enough time to go to your chambers to clean up, tears and sobs leaving you as you tried to pull burnt fabric from the burns and covered it in as much bacta salve as you could.

You cupped water into your hands before splashing it across your face, desperate to hide evidence of what had happened. Despite it though you didn’t regret your actions, so many people were alive because of you and you would gladly go through that a thousand times if it meant they were safe.

Your Master showed up at your door and grabbed your arm again, dragging you down to where the Council members were gathered. He stopped abruptly outside the door and pressed his hand into where he had burned causing you to wince and bite back a sob.

“If you know what’s good for you you’ll keep your mouth shut.” He warned before standing up tall, a friendly look spreading across his face as he entered the room and greeted the members of the Council, you following behind and keeping your gaze down.

As you stood there you had to fight down protests, felt the anger rise in you as your Master painted a picture completely different to what had happened. As he told them his plan was to save the Senator before helping the citizens but you had jeopardised the entire mission as well as the lives of all the innocent people and the Senator’s to prove yourself. 

The pain in your side made it unbearable to stand but the hatred you felt in your veins, a deep anger you had never felt before made it hard to keep your mouth shut. How dare he, how dare he say you needed to prove yourself! It had never been about that, you only wanted to help people, you didn’t care if the Jedi Council took notice of your actions so long as the people who needed your aid were safe.

Once he was finished you finally looked up and came face to face with a sea of disappointed looks. The only person who didn’t look disappointed was Obi-Wan, instead he had a small furrow in between his brows as he looked between Master and Padawan, seeing something the others weren’t.

“A common occurrence, this is becoming.” Master Yoda said and your jaw clenched under the effort to stay silent. Of course the Council member’s thought you disobeying orders was a regular thing because no matter what you did your Master always, always, found a way to make it seem so. 

You managed to keep quiet, staring straight ahead, knowing that any attempt to counter your Master’s story would only end badly for you. The burning pains in your sides only reminded you of that, reminded you of what your Master was capable of.

“To add, have you anything?” Master Yoda asked you and it took every ounce of strength you had to not fall to your knees before the Council and beg with them to help you, to protest your Master’s fabrications, to show them what he did to you but you knew it would amount to nothing, your Master had taught you that long ago that Master’s could give out whatever punishment they saw fit.

As you shook your head you felt your anger spike again, though it seemed impossible that it could do so. From your side you could practically feel your Master’s smugness coming from him in waves.

The room stayed silent for a moment and you took the opportunity to look at Obi-Wan, his eyes already looking back at you. You watched as the man’s face softened though you could practically see how fast his thoughts were running as he knew something was wrong.

Obi-Wan had known for a long time something was not right. For years you had been by his side, he had watched you grow from a small, shy little thing into the young woman you were now. He had trained you, had brought you onto his missions with Anakin and watched you thrive under his guidance. He rarely got the chance to see you with your Master but the times he did, especially now, the person you were around him was not the person Obi-Wan knew. 

“Archive security, you shall do.” Master Yoda announced and Obi-Wan barely suppressed a sigh at Yoda’s choice of punishment, you weren’t going to like this at all.

“Archive security?” You repeated, the words coming out of your mouth without your permission. Your tone was complete disbelief as you stared at the Council member’s, watching as Obi-Wan rubbed at his forehead.

“A problem, you have with this?” Master Yoda asked and yes, yes you did have a problem with this because even though it got you out of missions with your Master it also meant it got you out of missions with Obi-Wan and Anakin and left you behind, alone with your Master.

You were desperate for that not to happen, you couldn’t cope with being around your Master anymore than you had to be. You knew it was a bad idea to argue with the Council, to do something else to anger your Master but still your mouth opened, words ready to fall when Obi-Wan cut you off, probably saving you from a worse punishment.

“Y/N.” He warned, his tone soft and gentle as you turned to look at him.

Obi-Wan shook his head and you silently pleaded with him but knew that even he couldn’t do anything to get you out of this. He had no proof beyond his own doubts and unfortunately that wasn’t solid evidence.

Oh stars, he thought to himself as he looked at your wide eyes, why won’t she just tell me what’s happening so I can help?

“No problem, Master Yoda, forgive my outburst.” You apologised robotically, hands clenched at your sides as you listened to Master Yoda dismiss you.

You bowed towards them, side burning at the movement and you barely choked back a sob at the pain but made your way out of the room.

You stood outside the Council doors, cursing the face that you were forced to remain here, alone without the two people you cared most for, the two people who made your Master’s actions easier to deal with. You longed to tell them about the burns covering your body but Master’s could do as they saw fit to punish their Padawan and you knew they would only turn you away.

“Y/N,” Obi-Wan called softly as he slipped from the room.  

Your head shot up to look at the man and you couldn’t help but let your thoughts run. Obi-Wan wouldn’t turn you away, right? In all the time you’d known him you had never seen him harm Anakin, no matter how badly his Padawan messed up. Perhaps if you told him, maybe he wouldn’t disagree with your Master’s way of dealing with you but maybe would help you patch yourself up.

Obi-Wan gave you a kind smile as he gestured for you to walk with him, each step sending a new wave of pain through your body.

“What really happened out there?” He asked softly as the two of you walked side by side.

You stayed silent for the longest time, thoughts running wild as you debated whether to tell Obi-Wan what was happening. You trusted Obi-Wan more than anybody, knew his kindness better than most and by the time the two of you arrived at his quarters you still hadn’t made a decision.

Obi-Wan let you remain silent, he could see the thoughts in your head, could see the frown on your face as you battled over what you could tell him. He could see the exhaustion coming from you, could see your anger and how you were ready to let it out. He hoped he could help, hoped you would finally tell him what happened behind closed doors.

The man let you through the doors first before following after you and gesturing you over to the sofa, raising his eyebrow as you grimanced whilst sitting.

“I wish you had been my Master.” You finally spoke after a long period of silence, the words so quiet Obi-Wan would have missed them if he wasn’t sitting so close to you. 

“As do I, young one.” He told you, taking your hand in yours and giving it a gentle, encouraging squeeze.

At his words, your eyes filled with tears, the exhaustion and pain and anger you felt all became too much suddenly as the tears fell down your cheeks one after the other, your breaths coming out as shaky sobs.

Obi-Wan’s own eyes widened at the sudden onset of tears but he didn’t hesitate to comfort you. He pulled you softly against his chest and you willingly went, hand gripping his cloak as he held the back of your head, running his fingers soothingly through your hair. 

The tears refused to slow and you stayed buried against Obi-Wan’s chest for a long time, the man's arms around you, holding you in place as he murmured gentle words of comfort, not rushing you to calm down but allowing you to work through it.

He could tell you had been holding onto these emotions for a long time, the tears coming from you ached his heart and he wanted nothing more than to wrap you up and keep you far away from your Master who was no doubt the cause of all of this. 

He didn’t let his own anger show, didn’t want you to think he was upset with you at all. It was rare for Obi-Wan to feel such anger, he liked to think by now he had a pretty good grip on his emotions but listening to you, your tears soaking his robes as you sobbed into his chest, he couldn’t feel much but anger.

At some point the tears subsided into sniffles, your eyes red and blood stained after crying for so long. Obi-Wan felt your breathing even out and thought you had fallen asleep, especially as you cuddled further into his chest but then you began speaking.

“I only wanted to save them.” You told Obi-Wan, your voice croaky from sobbing uncontrollably but also emotionless, “He was going to let them all die and I wanted to save them.”

“I believe you.” Obi-Wan told you and the honesty in his voice had you letting out a shaky breath.

“He punishes me,” You said, eyes falling closed as you forced yourself to keep talking, “it doesn’t matter what I do, he always finds a reason to punish me. Some days he doesn’t even need a reason.”

Obi-Wan’s own eyes fell closed as he dreaded your next words but asked anyway.

“How does he punish you, young one?” 

You were silent again and Obi-Wan, despite not wanting to hear the answer, needed to. He needed to know so he knew exactly how bad things had got, so he knew just how to help you.

“He uses the Force, uses lightning.” You said, the words bringing on a fresh set of tears but you kept them trapped behind your eyelids, pushing your face further into Obi-Wan’s chest.

Obi-Wan felt his heart stop at your answer, his blood running cold as mental images filled his head of you being burned with Force lightning. How had he never noticed? His grip tightened on you, his arms holding you closer but at your wince he pulled away like he himself had been burned.

“Y/N,” He said, the word so soft as he looked at you. You didn’t let him say anything else, you’d come this far you might as well go further and with that you pulled your cloak away and lifted your shirt enough for Obi-Wan to see the fresh burns as well as the old ones.

Obi-Wan gasped, his hand moving to touch the fresh one before pausing. There was fabric that seemed to have melted into your skin and he winced as he continued to stare. He had seen a lot of injuries in his lifetime but that had to be up there with some of the worst.

“Y/N,” He breathed out, his gaze shifting from your burns to your face, silent tears making their way down as you let your shirt cover them again.

Obi-Wan reached over to wipe at your cheeks, moving towards you and placing his lips to your forehead, letting them linger there before he pulled away.

“We have to inform the Council.” He told you softly and you looked at him, shaking your head but he cut you off before you could speak. “Y/N, he cannot be allowed to stay, what he has done to you is-” Obi-Wan cut himself off, not having the words to describe the pain inflicted onto you.

“Master’s can punish Padawan’s however they want.” You told them, the words were void of emotion and almost robotic, like you were repeating words you’d been told for years and Obi-Wan didn’t doubt that.

“No they cannot.” He told you, voice firm and you looked at him with wide eyes. “How many times has Anakin messed up since being my Padawan? I’ve lost count and I have never inflicted pain upon him. He gets a scolding and if the Council sees a harsher punishment is needed they will see to it but never would it be something that would harm the Padawan.” 

The words made your eyes water even more as you felt foolish, of course you should have known that.

“Don’t be so harsh on yourself, he made you believe something for a very long time. He manipulated you into keeping this pain a secret. You are not to blame, I promise you the Council will see that too.” Obi-Wan told you and you nodded, tears sliding down your face again and you wrapped your arms around him and cuddled into his chest again.

Obi-Wan held you close whilst making sure he wasn’t hurting you and swore he would see to it that your Master was dealt with. 

Anakin walked into his Master’s chambers after roaming the Temple looking for you after hearing about what had happened on your latest mission and stopped just inside the doorway as he took in the scene of you sobbing into Obi-Wan’s chest.

You hadn’t heard Anakin enter the room but Obi-Wan did and he glanced up at Anakin with a sad smile as he held you. He was glad Anakin was here, he wanted to keep you out of this meeting though he knew the Council would want to speak to you, he wondered if perhaps any of the clones had seen anything and would be willing to speak up about it.

He gestured for Anakin to come closer and you jumped when you felt Anakin sit beside you, relaxing when you saw it was him.

“I know archive security is boring but that’s a lot of tears.” Anakin said softly and you couldn’t stop the choked laugh that escaped you causing the two men to smile.

“I have to speak with the Council,” Obi-Wan told the two of you and you turned to look at him with fear shining in your eyes. From behind you he could see Anakin’s questioning look but just shook his head. “If you want to be there whilst I tell them you can be but it’s completely your decision.”

“I’ll stay with Anakin.” You told him softly, sniffing as you rubbed at your eyes. “You can tell him.” You allowed, gesturing to Anakin as you leaned back into Obi-Wan, even more exhausted than you had been before.

You listened as Obi-Wan filled Anakin in on what he had missed, listening with a small smile as Anakin fumed on your behalf, threatening to go and deal with your Master himself but Obi-Wan assured him it would be dealt with and that his only job was to look after you whilst he spoke to the Council.

That seemed to calm Anakin down and he nodded, sitting back down next to you and letting Obi-Wan transfer you from his arms to Anakin’s, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead before he stood and readjusted his cloak. 

“You know where I’ll be if you need me.” Obi-Wan said before he turned to leave the room.

Anakin looked down at you as you lay on his chest and smiled softly. He wished Obi-Wan would allow him to deal with your Master but knew you needed him more. 

“Come on.” Anakin said, nudging you up softly being mindful of the injuries Obi-Wan had told him about. He knew sitting on the sofa wouldn’t help your wounds and instead stood, smiling at the soft whine of protest that came from you before you took his offered hand and let him lead you over to the bed.

You had to admit it felt much better to be laying down and as Anakin pulled you back into his arms you couldn’t help but relax, feeling better than you had in a long while. It seemed bizarre that Obi-Wan was going to talk to the Council about this, that it wasn’t normal and the Council were going to have something to say about it. 

It almost felt like a dream, like you’d wake up with your Master standing over you with a smirk on his face.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N.” Anakin whispered as he pressed a kiss to your hair and you smiled, hand holding the fabric of his shirt and cuddling further into him.

“You didn’t know.” You whispered back, eyes heavy as they fell closed and you couldn’t find the strength to open them again.

“Nobody will ever hurt you again, I promise.” You were certain that was a promise Anakin couldn’t keep, no matter how hard he tried but you appreciated it all the same. 

Cuddled up in Anakin’s arms, in Obi-Wan’s moments before, felt safe. It was as safe as you had felt for a long time and knowing that the two of them cared so much about you, that they were willing to speak up for you and, in Anakin’s face, threaten the man who had caused you so much harm, had you believing that things would be ok. Once your Master was gone and you had only the two of them you truly believed that, in time, you would be ok.

--

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I See You In My Dreams

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Requsted - Yes, @pokey-hedgehog, I'm so sorry this took so long, hope you enjoy it🤎

Prompts -  Forehead kiss, sleepy hug, "I had a nightmare about you and I wanted to make sure you were okay." & "It'll be alright, it was just a nightmare."

You shot upright in your bed, head spinning at the speed in which you’d shifted from laying down to sitting up. The bedsheets moved with you, falling from your chest to gather around your waist as your fingers buried themselves into the fabric. You could hear the sound of your heart hammering in your chest, the sound seemingly echoing around the whole room and your breaths came out in quick little pants that made you even dizzier.

You knew it had been a nightmare, it was one version of the same nightmare you’d been having for months now, each time it ended the same way even if the events leading up to the outcome differed.

Usually you were able to calm down, able to control your breathing and ground yourself with reality. Usually waking up after this nightmare had you lying awake for an hour or so before you finally drifted off again but tonight was different.

Tonight your brain refused to cooperate with the rational side of things, the side that told you Frank was in the room right next to yours, alive and breathing. Logically you knew he was safe but there was a pit in your stomach, anxiety spreading through your whole body as flashes of Frank’s dead body filled your mind and tears began to fall down your cheeks.

Ever since Frank had unintentionally saved you from the gang you had been sold to years ago you had been in his care, no family to speak of and nowhere to call home. You knew at first Frank hadn’t expected you to live with him but after a few months he had confessed to you one night that he didn’t want you to leave, that you always had a space here, had a place that was home. 

Before he had told you that you were still keeping yourself closed off from the man, of course you soaked up his kind touches and soft words, things you hadn’t experienced in as long as you could remember, but you also didn’t want to get too attached, knowing the man would want you gone as soon as possible. Once he had told you he wanted you to stay things shifted between the two of you, you started seeking out his comfort without him needing to initiate it first, now if you were having a bad day you didn’t feel scared to curl up next to him with your head on his shoulder, waiting for his arm to wrap around you and pull you even closer and talk openly with him. 

Life with Frank was easy, it was nice, and you were so glad he had found you all those months ago.

He hadn’t had an easy time getting you out though, you knew every secret that the gang had, people were quite willing to speak around you, not seeing you as a person so much as a thing to be beat on and snapped at. Frank had you behind him, his jacket covering your body as he shot gang member after gang member. You were so relieved to be finally getting out, to see that these men couldn’t hurt you anymore but when one peaked out from his hiding spot, spotting Frank before Frank saw him and fired bullet after bullet you felt your heart stop and your blood run cold, tears falling faster down your face as you began to mourn both your freedom and the man who hadn’t hesitated to pull you out, to put himself between you and the rain of bullets.

In reality, Frank stumbled back with the force of the bullets but otherwise didn’t seem too concerned as he turned his own gun and fired it once, hitting the man straight away and you could only watch through shocked, bleary eyes as his body slumped to the ground lifelessly. When he moved forward but realised you weren’t following him he turned around in concern and you sobbed in relief as you saw the bullet proof vest, Frank’s eyes softening as he pulled you into his arms and led you out of the building, one hand cupping the back of your head to keep you buried against his chest and not able to see him kill more people. 

In your dreams it was always different versions of the same thing. Sometimes Frank didn’t have the protection of the bulletproof vest, sometimes the gunman aimed for Frank’s head, each time you were frozen to the spot, helpless to do anything but sink to your knees beside the lifeless body and sob into his chest. The dreams became more intense, more real, more terrifying the closer you got to Frank. Losing him when he had first taken you from the gang would have hurt but if it happened now you weren’t so sure you would recover.

Finally the overwhelming anxiety and fear became too much as your head produced image after image of Frank dead in a pool of his own blood and you had to pull yourself from the bed, every inch of your body shaking despite the fact that you felt like you were on fire and beads of sweat pooled on your forehead.

You quickly but quietly made your way out of your bedroom door and over to Frank’s. The door was already left half open, something you knew Frank did to let you know you were welcome at any time, something which you were immensely grateful for now as you slipped through the gap and into his room. 

It was still dark outside but the streetlights casted enough of a glow that you could see Frank lying in bed, unfortunately the blankets covered his chest so you couldn’t just quietly confirm that he was in fact still breathing and slip out again. Instead seeing him so still had more tears sliding down your face and your breathing quickening even though it was already impossibly fast already.

You stepped closer until your legs knocked against the bed and huffed a sigh of relief as Frank shifted before his eyes opened, heavy with sleep before they filled with concern and he sat up, immediately reaching for you, and pulling you down onto the bed with him, his arms wrapping around you and pressing you against his chest. Frank rocked the two of you back and forth in an attempt to calm you down but something about seeing that he was alright seemed to cause your sobs to louden and your breathing to become even more erratic.

“M’sorry, m’sorry,” You managed to choke out between sobs but the man just shushed you, continuing to rock you in his arms.

“None of that now, sweetheart.” Frank murmured, pressing his lips to your temple, and feeling how hot and sweaty the skin was. “You’re alright, I’ve got ya, I got ya, kid.” 

“I had a nightmare,” you sobbed into his chest, somehow forcing the words out even with how much your chest hurt from your sharp breaths, “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I’m alright, kid, I’m right here, not going anywhere, you don’t gotta worry about that.” Frank told you softly but firmly as his heart ached at seeing his kid in such a state. 

“You’re okay?” You managed to ask again and Frank pulled you back far enough so you could see his face and the soft, comforting smile he gave you.

“I’m okay, ain’t nothing gonna happen to me.” He promised and with those words you sagged against him, Frank felt the tension leave you as you melted into him, gripping his shirt like it was your only lifeline. “Hey, you wanna copy my breathing for me? Deep breaths in and out for me, yeah just like that, attagirl,” Frank praised, feeling himself relax as your breathing finally began to slow into a normal rhythm. “That’s my girl, that’s my girl, good job, you’re okay, I got ya.” 

It felt like it had been hours but finally your breathing was steady, your chest still ached but you could breathe easier now and your sobs had slowed to sniffles as a result of the constant rocking and comforting words being whispered by Frank. 

Now you were just left feeling exhausted and drained, any bit of energy you had had simply disappeared but you still pulled back slightly, not going far but far enough so you could look up at Frank who gave you a soft smile, letting one of his hands come up to wipe at your cheeks softly.

“I saw you die.” You whispered, afraid that saying the words out loud would make them true but instead Frank’s smile widened a small bit and he shook his head.

“I ain’t dying on you, don’t gotta worry about that.” Frank assured you, using the hand on your cheek to guide your head towards him so that he could lean down slightly and press a soft, lingering kiss to your forehead which you easily relaxed into, making no move to pull away until he did. “It’ll be alright, it was just a nightmare, you ain’t getting rid of me that easy.” 

The words pulled a laugh out of you that sounded strained but still made Frank’s face light up as he looked down at you and you pulled your arms from where they were trapped between your body and Frank’s to wrap them around his waist, Frank not even hesitating to wrap you in his arms again, holding you close.

You felt your eyes become heavy and found them falling shut as you hugged Frank, one of his hands running up and down your back in a way that made it even easier to relax into him and you couldn't help but cuddle further into him, a smile pulling at your lips as you felt more than heard his chuckle from your place against his chest.

You had figured you weren’t getting any sleep for the rest of the night, figured your emotions would be too all over the place and mind too distracted but by the time Frank was repositioning the two of you so that you were laying down in his bed, you resting more on him than the mattress you found you were already more than halfway asleep and couldn’t find the strength to open your eyes again.

The last thing you felt before you fell asleep was Frank’s lips on your head and his softly murmured assurance that he was ok, that you could sleep now and he’d watch over you before you did as he said and drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep safe in the man’s arms, the steady beat of his heart under your head letting you know he was safe too.

___________________

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You Look Like a Museum to Me

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Prompts - “You’re extra beautiful when you talk about this. You know you’re good at it, and that knowledge lights you up.”

Notes -  I know absolutely nothing about ancient Egypt so if anything is wrong, just go with it.

Steven fiddled with the ends of his sleeves nervously as he glanced in the mirror, seeing nothing but Marc’s slightly amused eyes looking back at him as he watched him panic over his first date with you. Despite being reassured a dozen times that he had this, that you liked him just as much as he liked you, despite all of Marc’s comforting words he still couldn’t get rid of the pit of nerves in his stomach.

“You’re gonna be fine,” Marc told him again, not even annoyed at the amount of assurance Steven needed today. It was nice watching Steven with you, watching how flustered he got and feeling how happy he was. “You’re taking her to the museum, right, giving her a tour?”

“Yeah,” Steven sighed, nodding as he wiped his slightly sweaty palms against his pants, “Yeah, she wanted a tour of the museum.”

“Then you’re gonna be just fine, you know everything about that stuff, you’ll blow her away.” Marc smiled as Steven laughed nervously before checking his appearance one last time and grabbing his bag, one more deep breath and he turned away from the mirror.

After a quick goodbye to the fish Steven was heading out the door, just about managing to catch the bus and making his way to the museum. Marc was right, if there was one thing he knew it was this, how many times had he dreamed about giving this tour and now he got to give it to you.  

Asking you on a date had been nerve wracking, even after everything that had happened lately somehow asking a pretty woman out on a date felt scarier than any of it. Marc had laughed, not in a mean way, more in a fondly exasperated way and encouraged Steven to ask you out, went back and forth with him all night with different ways to ask you and different dates that were ideal for the first one. 

“I know this stuff, I’ve got this.” Steven muttered to himself as he got off the bus, not even noticing the side glances he received from strangers. Marc did and it showed when Steven glanced in a window to see Marc standing with a fond smile.

“I’m right with you buddy.” Marc said as Steven walked up the steps of the museum and found that the words eased his nerves a bit and he took one final deep breath to steady himself before he walked through the doors. 

He spotted you straight away, of course he did, even with the children darting back and forth, the tourists looking every which way, the school group that stood huddled together, somehow Steven missed all of them but managed to see you. You were focused on one of the figures, reading the small plaque in front of it as Steven stood still in his spot, more than content to watch you for a moment. 

“She really is stunning.” Steven mumbled, whether to himself or to Marc, even he didn’t know. His eyes were still locked on you as Marc rolled his eyes fondly from his place in the reflection of a glass barrier before he took control for half a second in order to get Steven moving. 

Steven stumbled slightly but managed to catch himself, shooting Marc a glare but Marc just smiled and gestured for him to make his way over to you. 

He took a steadying breath, feeling both more nervous and at ease at seeing you before he finally did as Marc advised and forced his feet forward until he was looking over your shoulder and humming as he saw just what you were looking at. 

“Ah,” Steven said from behind you, causing you to jump slightly before you turned around, a smile spreading across your face and eyes lighting up as you met Steven’s gaze, “that there is Set. Bit of a knob actually.”

“Oh really?” You asked, not even attempting to stop the laugh that escaped you, completely unaware of how the sound momentarily stunned Steven before he shook himself and swore he would do whatever he had to to keep hearing you laugh.

“Oh yeah, completely mental really, I mean what other word is there for dismembering your own brother and having a fish eat his-“ here Steven cut himself off, already berating himself over his words but then he saw your smile widen and your whole body turned to him, giving him all your attention, your head tilting as he paused. 

He could see Marc in the reflection behind you, the reassuring smile on his face telling Steven that he hadn’t messed up, he could do this. 

“Probably best to start a story from the beginning though, eh?” He continued, encouraged by your nod, smile having yet to fade and attention still solely on him. “Well, Set used to be a hero, people called upon him for all sorts, a protector in life and death but what really made him a hero was saving Ra, the sun god, meant he had made sure the sun would continue to rise. But by the time of the New Kingdom, Set gets a bit jealous, now I don’t know about you but when I’m jealous I don’t go around murdering people but maybe that’s just me.” 

Steven paused as you laughed again, trying to commit the sound to memory before he continued.

“See Set was jealous of Osiris, jealous of the fact big brother was the ruler of Egypt and he wasn’t. It wasn’t just Set killing his brother that was odd though it was the way he did it, instead of, you know, just murdering him quietly Set throws this party, one of those fancy ones, and he brings this casket out after dinner.” The entire time Steven speaks his gaze is locked on you, watching you nod along with his words, expression shifting from smiles to questioning looks and Steven can see the genuine interest on your face, can see that you’re actually listening to what he has to say, listening to him ramble about something he liked. 

Steven couldn’t remember a time when somebody had just let him speak, let him share his interest with them without interrupting him or making a disparaging comment before brushing him off. He had known you were something special from the moment he had met you, hell actually from the moment his eyes had locked onto you but this, this moment right here, just confirmed to him how amazing you truly were, a one of a kind girl he had somehow been lucky enough to meet.

“A casket?” You asked, Steven chuckling at the face you pulled, eyebrows drawn together, nose scrunched up and lips twisting into a grimace.

“Weird right? Well after he brought out the casket he had each of the guests attempt to climb into it but none of them could fit. When it comes to Osiris’ turn, well guess who fits in the casket? Osiris does and when he does get in, that's when Set comes along and slams the casket shut, poor bugger was trapped in the thing all the while Set threw him in the Nile.”

You were more than content to continue standing in front of the glass protected figure listening to Steven as he told you the story about the god it was based on, happy to watch as his hands gestured around as he spoke, observe how his entire face seemed to light up as he got to teach you something, watch Steven be at his most confident as his knowledge seemed to give him a boost. It wasn’t a drastic change, it was only noticeable if you were paying attention, he still fiddled with the edges of his sleeves, still tugged on the strap of his bag but he seemed lighter, completely in his element as he spoke without fumbling over his words and it was a side that you guessed many people didn’t get to see, whether it was due to Steven not showing it or other people not giving him a chance to.

When Steven finished talking he saw your face soften, it was almost of fond expression with something else he couldn’t quite place and it made him smile sheepishly at you, an apology on the tip of his tongue, almost on instinct, for rambling on. He nearly had the words out when you interrupted him and your words almost made his heart ache with happiness.

“So what happened to the brother, did he just die?” You asked him. 

Steven felt his smile widen, not only had you put up with his rambling but here you were asking questions, wanting him to keep talking. It was such a rare thing that all he could do was smile at you, completely and utterly captivated by you. 

He really hoped he wouldn’t mess this up, he was already so gone for you and it was only your first date. Steven hoped to any god that might be listening that there were many more dates to come.

“Well the casket floats down the Nile for a bit before it washes up on the shore and this tree, the tamarisk tree, sprouted up to protect it. The tree was so beautiful that the King and Queen of Byblos cut it down and had it brought to their court. Osiris had a wife, Isis and she tracked Osiris down and managed to get his corpse back, all the while Set’s in Egypt and ruling as King, not a good one mind you, he switched between storms and droughts because he was the god of not only war and chaos but also storms, the people ended up turning on each other just to survive, told you he was a knob.” Steven said, pausing to let your laugh wash over him as he moved his hands to play with the ends of his sleeves once he realised he had been gesturing wildly between the two of you.

“Sounds like he was a bit more than a knob.” You laughed and Steven couldn’t stop the bright smile that spread across his face. “So what, Set just kills his brother and gets to rule Egypt? And Isis managed to retrieve his corpse?”

“Yeah, she gets his corpse back and hides the two of them again in some swampy marshes of the Nile. Once they were back though Set found out and started tracking them down. Isis knew of some herbs that could bring Osiris back and she asks for help to watch the body. When Isis is out though Set comes along and tricks Nephthys into telling him where Osiris was hidden, after he found him he went about hacking his body to pieces,” Steven paused, watching as you scrunched your face in disgust again, hoping he hadn’t put you off but you were still looking at him expectantly so he carried on, not giving himself another moment to doubt himself, “Once Isis was back she and Nephthys went about collecting all the body parts to put him back together but his, um, well a certain part of him was missing, well actually it was eaten by a fish which, you know, bit gross.”

“It was actually eaten by a fish?” You couldn’t help but laugh as Steven nodded, a bright smile still firmly in place as he chuckled along with you. “So that was it then for Osiris?”

“Well since he was incomplete he couldn’t return to the land of the living and instead became the lord of the underworld and god of the death and I can tell you that Osiris doesn’t mess around when he’s judging where you’ll spend eternity.” Steven told you, his tone filled with an emotion you couldn’t quite put your finger on and his eyes shifted just over your shoulder to look at the statue of Set. 

Steven's eyes shifted to look at the reflection in the glass casing, distracted by Marc’s amused snort that you obviously couldn’t hear, his own smile spreading into a grin as he focused on you again.

“You say that like you have experience.” You laughed and watched him laugh along with you. “So what happens to Set then, he’s the King, right?”

“For a bit, yeah but Osiris actually had a son, Horus, who battled Uncle Set for control of Egypt. The two of them went before the Great Ennead and were given contests to battle against each other. Turns out Set wasn’t very good, actually he was complete rubbish and lost every battle against Horus.” Steven explained and felt his chest warm as you interrupted him but in a way that was so different to how others usually did. 

“So Horus became King then?” You asked, unable to stop yourself. 

In all honesty Ancient Egypt wasn’t something you sought out yourself, you appreciated it and it was interesting but you had never been too eager to seek knowledge out about it yourself. However when Steven was the one talking about it, telling you the stories that matched the figures you were captivated, completely hooked on his every word, and wanted him to tell you everything he knew.

“You’d think wouldn’t you but no, actually, Set reigned for over eighty years because Ra refused to vote that Horus should be the King and because the decision had to be unanimous Set was free to be King.” Steven told you, physically feeling himself fall for you more and more as the seconds passed as you frowned, mirroring his expression when he had first read the information from one of his many books.

It wasn’t until he looked behind you that he saw a group of school children making their way from one of the figures over to the one the two of you had been blocking for a while now. You looked questioningly over at him before following his gaze, eyes widening as the teacher gave the two of you an annoyed look causing you to bite your lip and look over at Steven, a grin breaking out across both your faces as he took your arm in his and pulled you along, the two of you laughing as you leaned into each other.

Making your way further into the museum, laughs fading off as conversation filled its place Steven found himself glancing down, your arms still tangled together despite the fact that they didn’t need to be. Steven was thankful you hadn’t let go of him, he was more than happy to stay attached to you the whole way around the museum.

“Steven?” You prompted softly when the man had remained silent at your question, his gaze on you but clearly having missed you speaking.

“Sorry love,” he apologised softly and you couldn’t ignore how your stomach seemed to fill with butterflies at the word love. It sounded beautiful coming from Steven, sounded genuine and not meant an attempt to flirt that would ultimately leave you uncomfortably trying to get away from somebody. 

You really wanted him to call you love again. 

The two of you made your way around the museum, Steven rambling on happily about each of the different things that were on display but he found himself stumbling over his words at some points, your entire attention focused only on him, expression so open and he could happily stare at you all day. When he watched you mouthing along as you read from the plaques attached to the displays or when your eyebrows knitted together when you didn’t quite understand something and you would turn to look up at him questioningly, it was only with Marc’s helpful calling of his name and quick repeating of the question that he was able to stammer out an answer, memorising the way your face light up as you listened to him.

He had never made somebody smile like that, like the way you were smiling, he had never had that kind of smile directed at him and he most certainly had never been the reason somebody’s whole face seemed to light up or made somebody laugh in the way he made you, a genuine laugh that made his stomach flutter and took his breath away.

Even as he was surrounded by some of the most beautiful pieces and ancient displays that would usually occupy his attention for hours, they all seemed dull when compared to you standing next to them. Steven found he would much rather look at you, learn everything there was to know about you, than anything that was in this building.

You were as equally as distracted as Steven was, completely captivated by everything about the man, by the way he spoke, even when he did stammer over his words as he was pulled from his thoughts, how his arm felt still tangled with yours, how his eyes seemed to light up every time he looked at you. You had never felt so much for one person so fast, never realised how quickly you could fall for somebody and yet here stood Steven Grant seemingly on a mission to see how fast he could make you fall for him. 

The date lasted hours and yet it still didn’t feel long enough when the two of you stood just past the museum steps, reluctant to pull away from each other but having no other choice as you were getting ready to say goodbye, heading home in opposite directions.

“Thank you for today, I had a bloody brilliant time.” Steven told you, a smile on his face as you laughed softly, nodding in agreement with his words.

“So did I,” You said honestly, “I hope we can do it again?” 

“Yeah, yeah I’d love to, absolutely.” Steven’s smile spread into a grin and you couldn’t stop yourself from mirroring the expression, face almost aching from how much the man made you smile.

“Good, I can’t wait.” As you spoke you looked up, feeling rain begin to fall from the grey clouds above and looked at Steven. “We should probably get home before it really starts.”

“Good idea,” he laughed, seeming to hesitate for a moment before he nodded and stepped closer to you, giving you time to pull away. When you stayed as you were Steven smiled before leaning forward but instead of going for the kiss like you thought he would, he instead placed the softest kiss to your cheek before pulling away with a shy smile. “Let me know you got home safe, yeah?”

“Yeah,” you agreed quietly, somehow the soft kiss to the cheek flustered you more than you thought a normal kiss would but thankfully Steven seemed as flustered as you. “I’ll see you soon.”

“God, I hope so.” You heard Steven mumble to himself after you had turned away and taken a few steps away from him, a soft laugh leaving you, fully agreeing with the sentiment and making your way home with a smile on your face even as the rain fell down on you, completely ready for your next date with Steven Grant. 

___________

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Easier With You

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Prompt - Javier taking care of a sick reader.

Request - Hope you feel better soon, @headinthecloudssblog

When you woke up you immediately knew it was going to be a bad day. You felt terrible, your stomach churned and your head ached but you still managed to drag yourself out of bed, having to stand still for a moment as you fought through a wave of dizziness and took a deep and shaky breath as you made your way to the bathroom.

It was a struggle to do much once you were in there, you spent a solid three minutes propping yourself up using the sink and staring at your reflection. You looked as good as you felt but forced yourself to brush your teeth half-heartedly before splashing some water against your sweaty face, groaning at the coldness, and shivering as your body couldn’t pick a temperature. 

You dragged yourself back to your room, cursing Pablo Escobar personally as you forced yourself to change from your comfortable pyjamas into something more appropriate for work. Every part of your body ached as you changed and you knew you were going to be late with the amount of breaks you took whilst changing.

Eventually you managed to get dressed, the water you had splashed on your face only moments before was useless as sweat pooled at your forehead and you felt like you had just run a marathon in the Colombian heat. 

You knew Javier would be knocking at your door soon, surprised your boyfriend hadn’t already but he was never one for getting to work on time anyway. You took the time to sit on your sofa, letting your head rest against it as you fought against another wave of nausea. 

You were terrible at being sick, some people were able to power through it but you had never been able to do that. When you were sick you seemed to feel it all at once, it spread through your whole body, your temperature shifted between hot and cold like somebody was flipping a switch, your stomach felt heavy as you tried to fight the urge to be sick, your entire body just seemed to hurt and all you wanted to do was curl up in bed and stay there until you felt better.

With Pablo Escobar still evading your every attempt to catch him though you knew you had to push aside your own sickness and power through it.

Finally there was a knock on your door but as you stood to answer it the world seemed to shift around you and you had to catch yourself against the wall, vision fading to black as you tried to force down another wave of sickness.

“Whoa, easy,” you heard somebody say faintly but the words barely registered in your head and it felt like somebody had stuffed your ears with cotton wool. 

You could feel hands on you but didn’t panic, your brain was aware enough to recognize Javier’s touch and you let him take control, let him guide your body and by the time your vision came back you found yourself sitting back on the sofa with Javier’s worried eyes staring at you.

“You good?” He asked, frowning in concern as you nodded, finally able to hear properly. “You don’t look so hot, baby.” He told you and you rolled your eyes before finding even that hurt and instead you groaned miserably watching as he smiled sympathetically at you.

Javier reached over, the back of his hand pressing against your sweaty forehead and you let out a soft whine, his hands seemed freezing against the heat coming from you. Javier’s frown deepened as he moved his hand to brush some hair that had stuck to your forehead back.

“You’re not going to work.” He told you, voice soft but firm, fully expecting the protest that came from you.

“Have to,” You told him and Javier winced at how dry your throat sounded. “Gotta catch Escobar.” 

The words had him smiling at you softly, face showing how completely and utterly gone he was for you. He brushed his fingers through your hair and you couldn’t help but lean into the touch, Javier’s hand seemingly being the cure to the aches you felt.

“Escobar can wait, something tells me we’re not catching him today.” He told you with a chuckle, watching as you frowned at him but didn’t protest more than that.

You must have been feeling terrible.

“Come on, let’s get you back to bed.” Javier said softly and you let him help you stand up, Javier carrying most of your weight and practically carrying you to your bed as your feet refused to cooperate. 

Javier sat you down on the bed, chuckling as you whined about not being able to lay down yet. He murmured something about getting you into more comfortable clothes and quickly found one of his shirts in your closets, well actually he found way more than one shirt and it just confirmed his theory that you had been stealing them, not that he minded in the slightest, he loved seeing you in his clothes.

It was slow work getting you out of your work clothes and into his shirt but he managed with little help from you before he shifted you until you were in bed, propped up against your pillows.

“Stay awake for me, mi querida.” He murmured to you, cupping your cheek in his hand and shifting you so you looked up at him. “I’ll be right back, just gonna get you some water, yeah?”

You sniffed as you nodded at him, watching as he left, throwing you a worried glance as he did. It was less than a minute later that he returned with a glass of water for you, holding it to your lips for you as your hands shook slightly.

The ice cold water felt like heaven against your sore throat and you tried to glug the drink down but Javier moved it from you after you’d had a few mouthfuls causing you to whine.

“You’ll make yourself sick, cariño.” He told you and you knew he was right, you could feel the water already sitting heavily on your stomach. “Go back to sleep, Y/N, I’ll be here when you wake up.” 

You nodded, smiling at him weakly before shifting over in the bed despite your sore muscles and tugged Javier’s hand until he took the hint and smiled down at you. He slipped out of his jacket and shoes before he climbed into the bed with you. You immediately cuddled into his chest and Javier didn’t hesitate to wrap you in his arms, running his fingers up and down your back in a way that had you relaxing into him, already feeling better than you had only half an hour before.

It didn’t take you long to fall asleep and Javier was more than content to lay with you for a while, checking your temperature every so often and frowning when you let out a soft noise that sounded painful even as you slept. 

You’d been asleep for an hour or two when Javier carefully slipped out of bed, watching as you scrunched your nose at the loss of him and he was quick to put a pillow in his place, smiling as you cuddled into it. 

He knew you wouldn’t be able to eat much but there was something his dad used to cook for him when he got sick as a boy, it always seemed to do the trick and made him feel better and so he went about rummaging around in your kitchen, finding most of what he needed but had to go to his own apartment to grab some other ingredients. 

He tried to keep the banging and clanging down as much as possible, adding pinches of this here and a handful of that there, picking up your phone as the phone cooked and called Murphy to tell him that you were sick so neither of you would be showing up. 

You slept for another forty or so minutes before you woke up again, this time it was to the smell of something good drifting through your apartment. You lifted your head and found you weren’t as dizzy as you had been before but still needed a moment after you sat up. 

You could hear Javier faintly in the kitchen and followed the sound, leaning against the door frame as you watched him move around your kitchen with ease. It was a rare treat when Javier cooked, he was good at it but with your work schedules cooking wasn’t always an option and both of you had grown accustomed to fast food and quick, easy meals.

Javier cooking in your kitchen was a sight you could grow used to and you wished you were well enough to join him, the two of you moving around each other as you cooked an actual meal. Unfortunately you still felt terrible even with the dizziness having faded a bit. 

“What are you doing up?” Javier said as he turned around and saw you propping yourself up in the doorway, immediately abandoning the spoon he held to stir whatever it what in the pot to make his way over to you, his hand coming up to your forehead and wincing at how cold you felt now compared to the heat that was coming off you before your nap.

You leaned into Javier’s touch and he smiled before moving his hand from your forehead, watching as you leaned closer to him to rest your head against his shoulder. Javier hummed as he wrapped his arms around you, brushing his hand through the knots in your hair.

“Feeling any better?” He asked softly, frowning as you shook your head against him. “I know you won’t want to eat but trust me this will make you better in no time.” He promised, smiling as you pulled back to wrinkle your nose at him.

“If I eat I’ll be sick and I really don’t want to be sick right now.” You told him quietly, your throat not having improved either.

“I know you don’t, you don’t have to eat much but it’s the best cure.” Javier told you, smiling down at you before he kissed your cold forehead and led you into the living room, placing you on the sofa before he wrapped a blanket around you.

“What is it?” You asked him, watching as he walked back to the kitchen and added something else to the pot before turning the heat down and going to one of your cupboards to pull a glass out.

“It’s an old secret family recipe.” He grinned at you as he filled the glass with water and brought it over to you, holding it to your lips as he had before. “Sip it.” He reminded you and you did as he said, not wanting to be sick, especially when you knew he was going to have you eat whatever he had cooked up.

Javier sat with you on the sofa, you tucked under his arm and cuddled against his chest as you waited for the soup to be done. The TV played some random movie, the sound so quiet you could barely hear it but you weren’t complaining. You were more than happy to listen to Javier hum softly as his fingers traced random shapes into your skin.

You didn’t know how long the two of you sat cuddled together for, Javier’s humming had lulled you into a light sleep and you groaned as you felt him pull away from you but he silenced you with a soft kiss to your head. You forced your eyes open, blinking hard a few times before your vision stopped being bleary and watched him move around the kitchen again.

It wasn’t long before he was back by your side, whatever soup he had in the bowl smelled even better now and your stomach rumbled even with the nausea you felt. Javier smiled at you, holding the bowl, and putting some of the soup on a spoon for you, already having made sure it wasn’t too hot.

You smiled at him before you opened your mouth letting Javier feed you. His face lit up as you let out a soft moan, even with how terrible you felt, with how much you didn’t want to eat, it was incredible, no change to anything else Javier had cooked for you.

In all the time you had known Javier, when you had first been friends to when you were dating you had never been sick around him before. You hadn’t known what to expect from him, a part of you suspected he might've just let you be until you were better but this was so much better. Javier didn’t complain, he seemed more than happy to take care of you, to make sure you had hot food and a cold drink to soothe your throat, happily cuddling you even at the risk of getting sick himself.

You had never been good at being sick but having Javier look after you made it a little bit easier to handle.

-

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