#farch

[shadsasaur]

ITS MY FAVOURITE TIME OF YEAR

GOODBYE, JEBRUARY!

HELLOOOOOO FARCH !!!!!!!!

[captainsophiestark]

Cake

Pietro Maximoff x Reader

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Day Four of Stress-Free Farch! Info and Join Farch here

Fandom: Marvel

Prompt: Pietro Maximoff + Conversations in the Kitchen

Summary: Y/N is making a birthday cake for Wanda, their best friend and boyfriend's sister. However, with Pietro hovering around the kitchen using all his tricks to stick his finger in the batter and get a taste of the icing, Y/N will have to use all their tricks to defend their perfect cake.

Word Count: 2,137

Category: Fluff

A/N: Just a heads up, I’m very tired and completely forgot when I wrote this that they’re twins, and would have their birthday on the same day. SO, for the sake of the story, please just pretend they decided to celebrate on different days or something so they could both have the kind of parties they wanted

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I hummed to myself as I walked into the kitchen and put on my favorite playlist. I bustled around, accumulating all the baking supplies I would need, and then I got to work mixing them up into a cake for Wanda's birthday. I knew Pietro would be down soon, and I wanted to get as much done as possible before he arrived. Even though this cake was for his sister's birthday, I knew he was probably going to be more of a hindrance than a help.

I got a few steps into the batter, and then suddenly the blond speedster appeared in front of me, bringing a wind with him that ruffled my hair and moved a few of the lighter objects on the counter. I'd waited to open the flour for a very good reason.

"Good morning, my love," he said, walking the rest of the distance to me to place a kiss on my forehead. I hummed and leaned into him without taking my attention away from the cake in front of me.

"Morning P," I said. My boyfriend wrapped one arm around me and then, right on cue, reached his other arm out to try and get some of the batter. I smacked his hand away without even glancing at him. "None of that, this is a cake for your sister's birthday. You're not eating it until after Wanda's had the first bite."

"Boo," whined Pietro, not taking a step back as he now wrapped both arms around my waist. "Your baking is amazing, I can't wait that long."

"Well, you're gonna have to Speedy. A little patience won't kill you."

Pietro just scoffed and rolled his eyes, stepping away from me to stand on the other side of the counter and watch me work.

"Wanda doesn't need a perfect cake for her birthday. She survived just fine without one this long. Letting me taste the batter won't ruin it for her."

I ignored him as I kept working, smiling to myself. Typical sibling answer.

Pietro kept watching me for a few more minutes, but I just focused on my baking. He got bored when I didn't give in and let him taste the batter, so he got up and started making breakfast around me. He tried once or twice to sneakily get a taste under the guise of moving around, but I knew him well enough that I was able to block him every time, even with his superspeed.

Finally, I finished the batter and put it into a few cake pans before sticking it in the oven. Pietro had made omelets for both of us, and I smiled at him as I sat next to him at the counter to eat mine.

"Thanks for making breakfast, Piet," I said, picking up my fork and digging in as quickly as possible.

"Of course. Even though you won't let me taste your cooking, I'm happy to let you try mine."

I scoffed. "Pietro, you've tried my cooking and my baking plenty of times since we started dating. And you're even going to get to try it again tonight! So don't worry, your moment will come."

Pietro grumbled into his omelet, but I just smiled at him. He was adorably huffy, and when he caught me smiling at him he rolled his eyes, which just made me smile even wider.

"Sorry speedy," I said, standing and taking both of our dishes to the sink. "But I know you well enough that you're not getting a taste of that cake until dinner time, no matter what you wanna try."

I saw the glint of challenge in Pietro's eyes and I pulled out my ingredients to start making the frosting, but I pretended to ignore it. Pietro and I hadn't quite been dating a year, but I loved him more than anyone I'd ever met, and I knew him well enough to know exactly how to handle him.

My cake would make it to dinner completely unscathed.

As I started mixing the icing, Pietro wandered out of the room, trying to look casual. I knew way better than to believe that act for two seconds. The oven timer went off not long after he'd left the room, and I opened the oven but didn't lean down to pull out the cake. Right on cue, Pietro sped back into the room, but he came to a dead stop when he saw me staring right at him.

"How did you- dammit!"

And with that, he turned on his heel and sped back out of the room. I laughed as I finally pulled out the cake and set it on the counter to cool.

"Nice try, babe!" I called, loud enough so he could hear me wherever he went off to. I heard him yell something back in Sokovian, which only made me laugh harder.

I had a few minutes without interruption as I worked on the icing before Pietro strolled back into the room, coming over to lean on the counter beside me. He didn't make a move for the bowl of icing I was working on, but I still didn't look over at him.

"Printessa, you've been working so hard in here," he said, his voice low. I fought to keep a smile off my face as I turned to see my boyfriend staring at me with lidded eyes and his next tactic became clear. "You should take a break."

"Hmm, I don't know babe. Your sister's birthday is tonight, and the cake has to be done by then."

"Ah, come. A master baker like you? You'll be done with plenty of time to spare," he said, moving us both so my back was to the counter as he wrapped his arms around me. He closed the distance between us until our bodies were pressed up against each other, and I smiled and leaned into him.

"Hmm," I said, closing my eyes as he leaned down to kiss me. I tangled my fingers in his hair and didn't pull away, even as I felt one of his hands leave my waist and knew it was destined for the bowl of icing behind me.

After a few more moments, Pietro pulled back, a lazy, triumphant grin on his face as he held up his icing-covered finger and stuck it in his mouth.

"I win," he said with a smirk.

"Mmm, that depends on your definition of winning," I countered, turning around to grab the icing bowl and holding it out to my boyfriend. "I consider 'winning' outplaying your opponent, which I just did. Because this bowl of icing is for you, as a bribe to leave Wanda's cake alone while I finish it."

Pietro smiled slowly as my words sunk in, and his eyes shone with pride as he gently took the bowl of icing from my hands.

"Well played. A win-win scenario, at least for now," he said, smirking once again as he took the bowl of icing from my hands. He leaned in to place one last sweet kiss on my lips, then pulled back. "Until we next meet on the battlefield of our kitchen."

And with that melodramatic comment, he sped to the living room to relax and eat his bowl of icing. I smirked and turned back to the cake in progress. Part one of my plan had succeeded, and now it was time to dial in parts two and three.

A few hours later, I was upstairs getting ready for Wanda's birthday party when Pietro came upstairs. He had the luxury of being able to get ready for a nice party in about ten seconds, so he hadn't even started the process yet. I expected that usual whirlwind that left him looking immaculate, but I didn't get it. I glanced over to see him staring at me with his hands on his hips.

"Where's the cake?" he asked, not bothering to beat around the bush.

"I gave it to Vision," I said simply. Part two accomplished. I went back to getting dressed as Pietro moaned, coming over and flopping down on the bed.

"The microwave oven?" he whined. "Why?"

"So you couldn't eat it! Obviously!" I said, laughing. Pietro sighed like a love-lorn protagonist of a 19th century novel, which only made me laugh harder. I ignored him and kept getting dressed, waiting to do my hair until he did his whirlwind quick change that would destroy anything I managed to accomplish hair-wise.

Pietro pushed off getting ready until I reminded him that leaving our house was the only way to get to the cake. After I pointed that out, he was ready to go in record time (even for him!), and he whisked me out the door as soon as I'd finished my hair.

We got to Wanda and Vision's place ahead of everyone else, and I knew Pietro only did it to get early access to cake. He hugged his sister and wished her happy birthday and then immediately disappeared, presumably to try and find the cake to sneak a bite.

"You hid the cake, right?" I asked, looking to Vision.

"I did. Exceedingly well, if I do say so myself. I'd be very surprised if he managed to find it."

"Good. Then let's start celebrating Wanda's birthday while he works through the stages of grief over not being able to find that cake."

Wanda laughed, and the three of us chatted for a while as everyone else slowly began arriving. By the time the last of the guests showed up, Pietro had given up his quest for the cake and decided to join us all in having fun. By the time we sat down for dinner, the cake had been mostly forgotten as we all celebrated Wanda on her special day.

We talked, laughed, and drank through dinner, and then it was finally time for dessert. Pietro sat straight up in his chair when Vision came in with the cake, but to his credit, he waited to get a piece until we finished singing. Wanda blew out the candles and made a wish, and then we passed around slices of the cake. Pietro dug into his before half the table had pieces of their own, and as soon as he took the first bite he looked up at me and smiled.

"Somehow, this was actually worth the wait," he said. I just smiled back.

Everyone stayed with Wanda, celebrating her long into the night. Pietro and I were the last to leave, and since Pietro had gotten his cake he'd become much more party-minded. We exchanged hugs and goodbyes with Wanda and Vision, promising to have them over (with more baked goods) soon, then headed home.

"That was a very fun night," I sighed, smiling to myself as I pushed open our front door. It was after midnight, and I wanted to go to bed, but part three of my plan had yet to come into place.

"It was," Pietro agreed. "My only complaint is that I didn't get more than a slice of your delicious cake."

I smiled as we walked into the kitchen together, pulling open the fridge and grabbing the plate containing plan three: a smaller version of the cake I'd made for Wanda.

I turned around and held it out to Pietro, and he gasped. His eyes went wide and his face broke out in a smile as he looked to me in wonder.

"Where did this come from?" he asked, crossing the kitchen to take the plate from my hands.

"I made an extra layer of the cake so we could have it when we got home. Having Vision take Wanda's cake was my second checkmate of the night, and this is my third."

Pietro held the cake to one side as he wrapped his free arm around me, pulling me in for a kiss.

"I love you, Y/N," he whispered, leaning his forehead against mine. "For much more than the cake."

I smiled and hummed, leaning into him.

"I love you too." I buried my head in the crook of his neck, and we stayed like that for a few moments, swaying in each other's arms in the kitchen. I gave it a little while, then gently pulled back and smiled at my boyfriend. "Now come on, let's sit on the couch, eat that cake like complete heathens, and go to bed."

Pietro grinned. "Sounds like the perfect night to me."

[thestarshipminestrone]

i hear the cuyahoga calling / now i know what i was born for / and you say "hey john, where are you going?" / but that's not my name anymore

a farch moodboard for @squidgy-bunny

[captainsophiestark]

Newly Turned

Marcel Gerard x Reader

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Day Five of Stress-Free Farch! Info and Join Farch here

Fandom: The Vampire Diaries/The Originals

Prompt: Marcel + Volatile

Summary: Y/N and Marcel were dating when one of Marcel's enemies tried to kill Y/N to hurt him. Y/N had vampire blood in their system, so the attempt failed, but now Marcel's going to have to do everything he can to help reader through a very rough transition.

Word Count: 1,407

Category: Fluff, little Angst

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

BANG!

I shot out of bed to a loud, jarring sound from downstairs, like someone slamming a door. It was the middle of the night, and I was instantly on high alert. Especially since I was dating Marcel Gerard, who had plenty of enemies out there trying to hurt him.

One of those enemies had attacked last week, with unfortunate success. But, instead of going after Marcel, he went after me, snapping my neck in front of my boyfriend to take away the person he loved.

Too bad for the asshole that I'd had vampire blood in my system. Now I was newly turned, and everything was heightened every single second of the day. And it sucked.

Still, the one upside was that I actually had a way to defend myself now. Marcel was still asleep, so I crept out of bed and headed downstairs to investigate the source of the noise. It was probably nothing, since even the smallest of noises woke me up now, but I wanted to check anyway.

I reached the bottom of the stairs and heard, faintly, the sound of breathing and a rapid heartbeat. Footsteps shuffled through the living room, and the smell coming towards me was decidedly human.

My stomach growled. I could hear the blood pumping in the person's veins, and even though I knew I shouldn't be able to, I could smell the blood. My feet moved me across the floor towards this person before I realized it was happening, dragging me there whether I liked it or not.

I stopped on the threshold of the living room to see a human burglar rifling through the draws. He was being impossibly quiet, for a human, but every snap of the drawers sounded like a thunderclap to my new senses.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to keep my hunger from getting the best of me. I didn't want to hurt anybody, but I was just so fucking hungry all the time!

"Whoa! Who are you?"

I opened my eyes to see the human staring at me, wide-eyed and panicked. He must've turned around and seen me standing in the doorway, since I knew I hadn't made a sound.

"You need to leave," I ground out, my voice barely audible. I grit my teeth against the transformation my body started to make, the black veins I could feel forming under my eyes. Every muscle in my body screamed at me to strike, to eat, and it took every ounce of strength I had to hold myself back.

I knew it wouldn't last long.

"I... I don't..." The guy was tripping over his words, clutching a cloth bag to his chest. He looked scared out of his mind, which only made his heart beat faster, the pounding even louder in my ears. He shifted foot to foot, and I managed to hold back for another few seconds. And then my resolve broke.

I rushed forward with super speed, faster than the human could register. One minute I was in the doorway, and the next, I was directly in front of him, the dark veins under my eyes fully forming as my hunger took me over.

I heard the man scream as I bit into his neck, tearing flesh to drink the warm red liquid pouring from the wound. The world faded away even as my senses heightened, leaving just me and the man before me, and nothing else. Nothing but that hunger, driving me to drink more, more, more-

"Y/N! That's enough!"

Marcel's deep baritone echoed through the house as he ripped me away from the would-be burglar. My heart was hammering, and I didn't take my eyes off the stranger. He was in bad shape, bad enough that Marcel fed him some blood to keep him from dying on our carpet.

"Get out of here. You don't remember anything, and you're never coming back here," said Marcel, looking away from me just long enough to compel the man and send him running. Then he turned back to me, eyes wide as he threw his arms out, demanding an explanation. "What the hell was that, Y/N?"

"I'm hungry, Marcel!" I yelled. My head spun and my stomach still growled, the anger and frustration warring with the insane guilt sinking in at the image of the man, almost dead because of me. "I wake up in the middle of the night because the smallest noises sound like gunshots going off next to my head, and I'm alone with a human for more than ten seconds and I almost kill them! It's eating at me every second of the day, I can't control it! I can't- Agh!"

I screamed, the storm of emotions getting the best of me as I flung the nearest end table into the wall. The strength, the smell, the speed, the intensity of everything was just too much. It was too much to deal with.

Marcel took a deep breath, remarkably calm in the hurricane I felt swirling around the room. He looked at me, understanding in his eyes.

"The transition into being a vampire is a rough one," he said finally, taking a few steps towards me. "And I'm sorry I didn't realize just how hard it was going to be on you. You're normally so good at rolling with everything that comes your way, I didn't stop to think this might be different. I'm sorry for that. But I'm here for you, now and forever, and we're gonna get through this together."

My breathing was heavy as I slowly shook my head. "I don't think I can, Marcel. I... I don't think I can handle this."

"Yes, you can," he said, absolute determination in his voice as he crossed the room and closed the rest of the distance between us. "You are the strongest person I know, Y/N, and you are so much stronger than you realize. If all those people who joined me throughout the years could survive it, then I know for a fact you can too."

I shook my head, tears streaming out of my eyes as the intense anger and hunger faded to sadness. Marcel just wrapped his arms around me and held me close, even as I shook my head and sobbed into his chest.

"I'm so sorry you're in this position, Y/N. I'm sorry I drug you into all this," he said, rubbing soothing circled on my back as he muttered into my hair. "I promise I'm going to get you through this. I love you so much."

I just squeezed tighter, nodding and willing myself to believe his words. I heard his slow, steady heartbeat echoing in his chest and focused on it, on him. A few deep breaths, in and out, with Marcel muttering reassurance to me. Slowly, the horrible tidal wave of emotions started to recede. It was still there, waiting to crash down again, but with Marcel's help I was able to hold it at bay.

Slowly, I pulled back and looked up into the eyes of the man I loved. He kept holding me close, a steadying presence as his eyes roved my face. An anchor to keep me grounded in the chaos.

"How do you feel?" he asked carefully.

"Still bad," I replied. It was the truth, and I didn't want to lie to him. "But... better."

Marcel nodded, a small smile forming on his face as he took me in.

"That'll get easier, too. We'll work on it. I've done this a few times over the centuries, so I promise I won't drop the ball with you."

I smiled and leaned in towards the love of my life, kissing him and doing my best to lose myself in him. There were a lot of downsides to becoming a vampire, and I was getting more than a taste of all of them. But one of the best possible things that kept me going was the idea that I could spend eternity with the man I loved. Me and Marcel, together no matter what changes and challenges the world brought our way.

[captainsophiestark]

Job Offer

Jim Kirk x Reader

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Day Two of Stress-Free Farch! Info and Join Farch here

Fandom: Star Trek

Prompt: Jim Kirk + Abandoned Terrace

Summary: Y/N knew Kirk and Bones while they were all at the academy together, and was good friends with the two for most of their time there. The night before Kirk got assigned to the Enterprise and got dragged into a whirlwind Starfleet career, he and Y/N slept together. Y/N's own career got into full swing not long after, and they haven't seen or heard from Jim Kirk in five years when all that changes and reader receives a job offer to come and work on the Enterprise.

Word Count: 1,981

Category: Fluff, maybe a little angst?

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I leaned against the balcony and looked out at the stars, tiny shining pinpricks of light high above me. I spent so much time in space I should've been happy to have a break on the ground, but really all I wanted to do was get back out there.

Still, there were worse places to be than a gorgeous Starfleet function. All the crews of the ships who could make it were here, each of us dressed to the nines to enjoy a celebration of everything we'd accomplished over the past few years.

It should have been perfect. But instead, I was hiding out here on an empty terrace, avoiding everyone inside and the decision in front of me.

A few weeks before the date of this party, I'd gotten a job offer from the captain of the Enterprise. He was offering me a position on the Bridge Crew of his ship, which was a serious step up from where I worked on my current assignment. It should've been a dream come true.

Unfortunately, there was one tiny detail that got in the way: I knew Jim Kirk.

I'd known him when we were both at the Academy, back when we were going through school before we could go out and see the galaxy. We'd been friends, and he'd been charming (and arrogant), and eventually we'd slept together.

And then he'd graduated early and gone to space, and we hadn't spoken since that one night stand.

At least, until he reached out to offer me a position on his ship. It had been years since the Academy, so maybe he didn't even remember me, but either way I wasn't exactly jumping at the idea of accepting his offer.

I'd talked it through with a few of my friends, and they were all encouraging me to accept. I hadn't seen Kirk in a while, but I was sure he wouldn't cross any lines if I joined his crew. Still, I wasn't sure I liked the idea of accepting the promotion and taking orders from him.

I thought seeing him tonight might be enough to make up my mind. But, when I walked in and caught sight of him with a few of his crew members standing by the punch bowl, I turned on my heel and headed straight out here. I knew my friends would be teasing me for chickening out later, but I just wasn't ready to deal with whatever that conversation would bring.

Which left me alone in the crisp night air, breathing deeply and enjoying my space with the stars. I'd rejoin the party eventually, but the clarity that came from being out here was nice. I wasn't ready to give it up for a stuffy party just yet.

I took a deep breath and savored the view for a few beats before trying to get up the energy to go rejoin my friends and confront Kirk. Before I could, I heard the door open behind me, and a pair of footsteps walked out onto the terrace.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."

Five years later, and I still recognized that voice. I turned around to see the one and only Captain James T Kirk standing before me, hands clasped behind his back and a grin on his face.

"I was hoping I'd get a chance to talk to you tonight," he said. "I sent you that job offer three weeks ago, and I haven't heard a word since. I was starting to get worried."

He didn't move from where he stood a few feet in front of me, the smile still on his face. I didn't smile back.

"To be completely honest with you, I've been debating whether or not to accept the position."

Kirk raised an eyebrow, the smile finally fading off his face.

"Forgive me for not phrasing this more carefully, but... why? You're capable of way more than what you're currently doing on your ship. I thought... well, I thought you'd jump at the promotion. You were always so driven at the Academy."

I sighed heavily, looking away from Jim. "So you do remember me."

"Remem- hold on, why did you think I wouldn't remember you?"

"You had a lot of one night stands, Jim," I said frankly, forcing myself to meet his eyes. I'd been planning on having this conversation tonight anyway—it was just coming a little sooner than I'd wanted it to.

Jim just blinked at me for a few beats as he tried to process my words. Finally, he shook his head.

"Is that really what you think?" I just kept looking at him, not backing down. "Y/N... we were friends for a while before that, you do remember? And about a day after we slept together I got dragged into space on the Enterprise? I haven't exactly had a lot of time to talk to you since the last time I saw you in person."

I narrowed my eyes, taking in the man before me. He seemed honest enough, and I had to admit, that old arrogance that I'd expected didn't seem to be there anymore, at least not to the same degree. Still, I wasn't about to make the call without pushing a little harder.

"You know, after watching you sleep with and then ghost a bunch of other people before me, it didn't seem like that much of a stretch."

A look of hurt flashed across his face, but he quickly marshalled his expression.

"Y/N, I'm truly sorry if I hurt you. I promise that was never my intention," he said, taking care to meet my eyes with his electric blue stare. I sighed deeply, rubbing at my temple as I turned away and looked out across the balcony again.

I didn't say anything for a few beats, and Jim didn't move. Finally, he came to stand next to me, gazing out at the stars and the city below us.

"You mind if I ask what you're thinking?" he said, keeping his eyes on the horizon.

"I wanna know why you want me on your ship."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him turn to look at me. He just kept staring, and I could tell he wanted to make eye contact, but I didn't turn my head. Finally, he sighed heavily and answered anyway, still looking at me.

"I want you on my ship because you're the best," he said simply. "You're the best at what you do. At the Academy, you were the most driven, most intelligent person I'd ever met, and that's still true. And I want the best possible people on my ship."

I finally turned to face him, trying not to let him see just how much his words impacted me. He was still staring me down with that intense gaze, but once I managed to meet his eyes I saw the absolute honesty in them.

I nodded slowly, taking in the man before me. Since the last time I'd seen him, I mostly remembered the bad parts about him. The arrogance and how obnoxious he could be and the absolute mess he always left on his side of his room with Bones. But I'd forgotten the things I liked, like the loyalty and the desire to support his friends and the love that I saw in his eyes when he looked at me.

"God, I knew there must have been some redeeming quality that made me sleep with you," I finally said, half-teasing as I held Jim's stare.

"Some?" he asked, leaning back and putting a hand over his heart as he feigned hurt. "I think I can think of more than just some."

"Mmm, I couldn't. Not for a long time, anyway," I said, leaning casually into the railing as I leaned into my teasing. "This makes a lot more sense though. You're not attractive enough to get me to sleep with you without some redeeming personality traits."

Jim laughed, shaking his head as he turned to lean on the railing next to me, shoulder to shoulder as we looked back at the party we were so separated from.

"And that is why Bones is dying to have you join the ship."

I smiled, and the two of us just stood there for a few moments in comfortable silence. I'd spent so much time blocking out the memory of Jim that I hadn't realized how much I missed him.

"And just for the record," he said, completely ruining the silence after a few beats as he turned to me, getting extremely close and in my space. "I am incredibly good looking."

I decided to run with my impulse and turn towards Jim, smirking at him as we ended up chest to chest.

"What are you trying to say, Kirk?"

"Nothing. I'm just saying I'm attractive, and I know by the look on your face right now that you agree with me."

I just kept staring him down as he leaned in a few inches, until only another few inches separated our faces.

"You say the word, and I will drop it right now. Forever," he said, voice low and more sincere than I'd ever heard it. "But I didn't want to leave you at the Academy. Not for one second. And while I would be incredibly happy to have you back in my life as a member of my crew, and I would be lucky to add your skills to my ship as nothing more than a friend, I want you to know that I won't waste a second chance, if you give it to me. I want you in my life as more than a friend, and for more than a night."

Jim didn't move an inch as I stared back at him, considering. I had no doubt that if I said the word, he would really drop it. Even if I took the position on his ship, he would never bring this up again. I took a minute to consider if I really wanted that.

"You need to know right now that if it comes to a choice between you and my career, I will dump you in a heartbeat," I finally said, my voice unwavering as I stared into the eyes of someone I hadn't let myself care about for the past five years.

"I'd be a little worried about your mental state if you told me otherwise," he said, still not making a move to close the distance between us.

"If this starts getting weird, then we're ending it, and I'm allowed to sick Bones on you if it starts impacting either of us working on the Enterprise."

Jim's eyes lit up with a little spark of hope at what my words implied.

"Deal."

"Okay, good." Then, without wasting another second, I kissed him. I kissed him as hard as I could, to make up for every single second that we missed over the past five years.

"I take it this means you accept the job offer too?" he panted once we finally took a break for air. I smiled, wrapping my arms casually around his neck as his arms snaked around my waist.

"Hell yes."

Our next five year mission in space was going to be amazing.

[captainsophiestark]

Black Coffee

Daniel Sousa x Reader

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Day One of Stress-Free Farch! Info and Join Farch here

Fandom: Marvel

Prompt: Daniel Sousa + Black Coffee

Summary: Reader's working at a coffee house, and they see plenty of people come in looking exhausted and searching for some caffeine to help. When a new face comes into the coffee shop, he manages to break the all-time record for the person closest to being an absolute zombie. Daniel Sousa's been working day and night on a case for the SSR, and he's in danger of falling asleep if he so much as stops moving. But, if he can make it through to the end of the case, it might just turn out to be worth it in more ways than one.

Word Count: 1,738

Category: Fluff

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"Alright, that'll be twenty cents, and Margie will have your coffee over there," I said, giving the man in front of me a big smile as I took his change. He nodded and moved to the side, and I turned my attention to the man behind him.

"I'll take the biggest possible cup of your strongest coffee."

The poor guy ordering looked absolutely exhausted. His suit was rumpled and his tie undone, and I could see dark bags under his eyes. His brown hair looked like someone had run their hands through it to mess it up, and his whole posture slumped like he could barely stay standing.

"Sure thing," I said, turning to pass the order along to my coworker. "You doing okay, mister?"

"Fine," he said, waving me off as he moved for his wallet. "Long day at work."

"...it's nine in the morning."

He looked up at me, seeming honestly surprised at the time. I met his warm brown eyes and tried to convey some support and sympathy, but I wasn't sure he was awake enough to get the message.

"Well, then I guess it's been a long night."

I just nodded, taking the twenty cents he tiredly offered me. I expected him to walk away, but he just kept standing in front of me, looking lost.

"Uh, you can get your coffee just over there. To your left," I said, gently gesturing to where Margie stood at the end of the counter. The guy slowly turned to look in that direction, stared for a few more seconds, then nodded faintly and staggered off.

I had no idea what his job was, but I hoped he got some sleep soon.

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

He didn't get sleep soon. The next few days must have been nothing but work and more stress, based on how often he came back to my coffee house and how exhausted he looked every time I saw him.

After the third or fourth day in a row, I planned on asking his name, but he beat me to the punch. He was so tired by day five he accidentally handed me his ID instead of the 20 cents for coffee. Apparently, his name was Daniel Sousa, and he was an agent of the SSR.

That explained the long nights and weird hours, I guess.

By the sixth day, I'd gotten used to his daily stops through the coffee shop. He came in at nine am, somehow looking more exhausted than the day before (although that shouldn't have been possible), and shuffled to a stop at the back of the line. Today was no different.

"Hey, Margie, can you take the till?" I asked, turning to where my coworker stood behind me.

"Sure thing, Y/N."

"Thanks."

I walked off the till and made Daniel's order, which hadn't changed since his first appearance at the coffee house. I tried to catch his eye and wave him over, but he was zoned out staring at the wall behind me and didn't notice, even when I waved as big as I could a few different times. I couldn't help smiling, even as I shook my head and walked around to the customer side of the counter.

"Hey," I said, finally managing to get his attention as I came to a stop beside him. "I thought I'd just bring you over your coffee, since you look like you might pass out if you have to stand and wait in this line."

Daniel looked at me like I'd just given him a million dollars.

"You... thank you. You are a life saver," he said, gently taking the coffee from me and pulling out a few cents to pay for it.

"Happy I could do something to help. You've looked like a zombie walking in and out of here lately."

Daniel breathed out a laugh, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"I've been feeling like one too. I can't tell you much—you're really not even supposed to know what my job is—but this case has been absolute hell."

"Well, here's hoping for a speedy end in the next day or two. And if you don't get that, I promise I'll be here to help with all the coffee you can drink," I said, giving Daniel a warm smile. A little bit of light showed back up in his eyes, and his smile seemed just slightly wider as he gave me an appreciative nod. He turned slowly and wandered out the door, and I watched him go

He came back for the next few days in a row, but a little more than a week after I'd first met him, he didn't show. I made his order anyway, in case he was just running a little late, but I didn't see him once all day.

The next day, I still made his order, hoping I'd see him walk through the doorway like usual. But for the second day in a row, I didn't see him. Hopefully that meant his case was finished and he was finally getting some sleep, and not that something worse had happened to him.

And either way, I felt a little disappointment. I'd gotten used to seeing the SSR agent every morning, and now that he'd stopped coming I really missed him.

For the third day in a row, I didn't see Daniel at his regular visit. I'd stubbornly made his order anyway, in the hopes he would show, but I didn't wait to dump it out once the clock ticked a few minutes past nine. I put on a bright smile and did my best to welcome the customers we did have, but a heavy weight sat in my chest at the absence of Agent Daniel Sousa.

"Y/N!" yelled my coworker from the till. I was in the middle of making drinks, so I didn't turn around as I responded.

"What?"

"Come take till!"

"Uh... okay, I guess, give me a few seconds..."

"I need you to come take till now!"

I huffed, wiping the frustration off my face before turning around. I walked up to the counter to switch with my coworker, unable to stop myself from shaking my head at her before turning to the first customer in line.

"Hello there, how can I-"

I stopped dead at the sight of the man in front of me. Agent Daniel Sousa, in the flesh, looking well rested for the first time since I'd met him. He was absolutely beaming at me, and his grin only got wider as he took in the shocked look on my face.

"Surprised to see me?" he asked, a twinkle in his eyes that hadn't been there when he could barely keep them open.

"Surprised to see you awake, more like," I said, finally recovering enough to speak. "You haven't been around the last couple days. I was starting to get worried."

"Honestly? As soon as our case wrapped, I slept for the next forty-eight hours," he said, leaning in and lowering his voice. "And I'm sorry I made you worry, but... I'm happy to hear you missed me."

A smile spread across my face now as I leaned forward across the counter, closing the distance between us ever so slightly.

"And I'm happy to see you like this, and not looking like a creature of the undead." He smiled even wider, and I leaned back to the till. "So, what'll it be? I hope you're taking a break from your old order. That stupid thing had enough caffeine in it to mess up an elephant."

Daniel laughed. "Yeah, I was planning on changing it up. Any suggestions?"

"Hm... you up for a surprise?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Good. I'll give you my usual."

"Perfect." Daniel smiled at me again as he handed me his money. I expected him to move on to get his order, but instead he stayed right in front of me.

"You need something else?" I asked, leaning forward with a small smile.

"Uh, yeah... well, I was hoping... I was hoping you might be interested in getting a drink with me sometime? A drink other than coffee, I mean," he said, rushing the last part.

"Daniel Sousa. Are you asking me on a date?"

A slight blush rose to Daniel's face even as his smile grew. He glanced down, then made eye contact with me again before speaking.

"Yeah, I am."

I couldn't contain a giddy grin that broke out across my face.

"Well, in that case..." I quickly grabbed a napkin and a pen, and scribbled down my number before handing it to Daniel. "Here. I get off at five, and I'm pretty much completely free this weekend."

"Great! That's... that's great! I'll call you tonight," he promised.

"Good. I'll look forward to it." I smiled at him, feeling the butterflies in my chest. Daniel just kept staring at me until the guy behind him cleared his throat, and then he seemed to remember that he was actually here for coffee.

"Uh, I'm gonna..." he pointed to his left, where my coworker had his coffee waiting.

"Yeah, probably a good idea."

"Okay." He started walking towards where I'd pointed, still smiling at me over his shoulder. "I'll see you soon."

"I'll see you soon." He nodded, grabbed his coffee, and headed to the door. He looked back one last time as he left, and I gave him a warm smile. He'd been attractive when he'd first walked in here like death warmed over, but now he was handsome and charming and sweet.

I knew that case he'd been working was probably pretty close to hell for the week or so it was going on, but I couldn't help being grateful for it. After all, it had brought him to me.

[captainsophiestark]

Nor’Easter

Maxon Schreave x Reader

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Day Seven of Stress-Free Farch! Info and Join Farch here

Fandom: The Selection Series

Prompt: Maxon Schreave + Nor’Easter

Summary: Y/N lives in Waverly, one of the North Eastern provinces of Illéa. Their parents are out of town, so they're on their own to prepare for another of the trademark storms of the region. It's nothing new to them, and they're ready and settled in at the beginning of the night as the wind picks up and the snow starts falling. However, not everyone is so aware of the harsh weather of the North East. Y/N's life might just chance forever when a certain Prince of Illéa gets stuck in the snow.

Word Count: 3,499

Category: Fluff

A/N: I know the Selection is a super niche fandom (although apparently it’s getting a movie?), but Maxon is one of my OG fictional crushes, and I’ve been wanting to write for him forever. Hopefully some of you also read those books and fell in love with him lol

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"Y/N? Are you down here?"

I almost whacked my head on the stair above me at the sound of my neighbor's voice. I'd been digging around in the basement, gathering supplies for a coming winter storm, and I hadn't heard them come in.

"Yes, I'm here! I'll be up in just a second!"

I grabbed the buckets I'd come down to find, then hauled them upstairs to find my neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Whitney, waiting with smiling faces in my living room.

"Sorry to burst in on you like this, dear," said Mrs. Whitney. "We just wanted to make sure you were ready for the storm this afternoon."

"Looks like you're already more prepared then we are," laughed Mr. Whitney as I moved to start filling the buckets with water. A power outage might mean we couldn't get running water, so I needed to get as much of it as I could now just in case I couldn't get it later. "We thought we'd offer for you to come stay with us for the storm, but it looks like you're more than prepared here."

I turned and smiled at my neighbors, taking a break from my preparations. They were total sweethearts, and they'd been checking in on me regularly since my parents had left for business last week.

"Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Whitney, but I'm alright. I've got everything I could possibly need ready to go here," I said.

"Alright, if you're sure," said Mrs. Whitney. "Just know you're always welcome to change your mind."

I nodded, and they started heading for the door.

"You know, it's a real shame this storm's interrupting the royal visit," started Mr. Whitney, his tone teasing. "You're going to be stuck in here instead of running into dashing princes."

I scoffed, and I could tell from the laughs of my neighbors that it was exactly the reaction they were expecting.

"Oh yeah, what a loss," I said sarcastically.

"You know, I actually feel a little bad for those royals and their entourage," said Mrs. Whitney as she and her husband reached the door. "They come all the way out to Waverly to visit the people, and instead they're stuck inside thanks to the Waverly Winter."

"Yeah, those poor babies," I said, following my neighbors to the door. "How horrible, to have to sit out a storm in one of the most luxurious hotels in the country. They'll probably think it's some fascinating display of nature, and not any kind of real problem like the rest of us have to deal with."

My neighbors shared a look, but wisely didn't argue with me. They knew I didn't completely hate our government; I just got frustrated with how little they knew about the real world.

Mr. and Mrs. Whitney gave me one last wave as they headed down the walk and back to their own house, and I stayed at the door long enough to see them off. Then, I didn't waste another second in finishing my preparations. This storm was coming, and I wasn't about to be caught unprepared.

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

Not quite twelve hours later, I was sitting in my living room, curled up with a cup of tea and a book as the storm raged around me. It had just gotten bad about half an hour ago, and I knew we were in for far worse as the night went on, but since the power hadn't even gone out yet I was still enjoying myself.

The wind howled outside through the deserted streets, so hard the snow was coming down sideways. These storms were just part of life in Waverly, and it brought me a weird sense of comfort sometimes to think about. People had lived through storms like this for generations, before Illéa even existed, and they'd continue to live through them after we were long gone.

It was a universal constant, no matter the state of the world.

I finished the chapter of my book I was working on and set it down, deciding to take a peek outside at just how bad things had gotten. Storms like this one could dump an insane amount of snow in a very short amount of time, and this one was no different. It looked like there was already half a foot outside, with the wind already whipping up some nasty drifts.

I was just about to turn away from the window and go back to my reading when some movement out in the snow caught my eye. The trees were whipping around like crazy, but a dark shape a little closer to street level was moving too. I looked closer and realized it was a person, trudging through the storm all on their own.

"What the hell is that dumbass doing?" I muttered to myself, watching the person take a few struggling steps down the street. One of the trademarks of Waverly storms was the high winds that were enough to knock you right off your feet. I watched for a few more seconds, then shook my head and moved to get my coat.

"Idiot's going to get us both frostbite," I grumbled, lacing up my boots and bundling up as well as I could. Whoever that person was, they weren't from this neighborhood, which meant they needed a place to stay. As irritating as it was, I couldn't just leave them out there in the storm.

I shoved open my door and took care to shut it behind me, hoping to keep the ice and snow from getting inside. The wind cut right through my clothes, even though they were designed for winters like this, and I was already freezing as I trudged through the snow towards the figure.

"Hey!" I yelled, screaming to be heard over the wind. The figure barely glanced up, and I could finally make out enough of the person's figure to tell they were a guy. Their face was mostly covered, so I still couldn't see much else, even as I reached his side. "You need to come inside! Like, now!"

The man hesitated for a second, but then nodded. He was shivering like a leaf, so I wrapped one arm around him and helped lead him towards my front door. I had to wrestle with the wind to wrench the door open, but I managed it, and the two of us stumbled inside. I slammed the door as quickly as I could, shoving a few towels into the cracks to help keep the wind from coming through.

"Alright, come here," I said, gesturing for the man to follow me as I shed my winter clothes and headed for the kitchen. "You need to warm up as soon as possible. Take off your wet clothes and come sit by the fire here while I make you some tea."

I didn't hear anything for a minute, but then the guy shed his coat and did as I said. His coat was of pretty good quality, so I doubted his clothes were wet underneath, and I assumed I was right as I heard him sit down behind me at the table.

"Thank you," he said quietly. His voice was oddly familiar, but I didn't think anything of it as I put the tea on the stove. Thankfully, we were early enough in the storm that power and water were still functioning.

"No problem. I couldn't exactly leave you to freeze out there, could I? Now, you wanna tell me what the hell you were doing out there in the first place?"

I finished the preparations for the tea, then turned to take a good look at my visitor now that the coat, scarf, and hat were off his face. He was staring at me, and my mouth dropped open in shock as I realized I recognized the warm brown eyes watching me so intently.

Prince Maxon Schreave was the dumbass from the storm, now sitting in my kitchen.

The prince gave a small laugh when he saw my expression.

"I see I'm still plenty recognizable even after almost freezing to death," he joked. I didn't say anything, my brain slowly taking stock of the situation I now found myself in. The prince was still shivering, although he was smiling. I'd just saved his life, and gotten him out of a situation he wouldn't have been in if he and his palace weren't complete idiots. He didn't have any royal guards with him, and he seemed to be in a friendly enough mood.

Worth the risk to not spend the next however long kowtowing to him.

"Who the hell let you out long enough to get yourself stuck in the storm like that?" I demanded, putting my hands on my hips and glaring at the man before me. He seemed shocked at my brazen attitude, but his smile quickly returned when he realized I was done being star struck.

"I'm afraid I only have myself to blame," he said, teeth still chattering a little as he spoke. "I wanted to spend some time getting to know the people and their lives better than I do in the palace, and I thought a cold winter would be the perfect excuse to bundle up and meet people without their knowing that I'm the prince getting in the way of anything."

I just blinked a few times, not quite able to believe the man in front of me. He'd been trying to fix exactly the thing I liked to complain about most, but he'd done it in a way that just reinforced how obliviously stupid everyone in the palace was.

"That is... insanely ironic," I finally said. The prince raised his eyebrows, but I just ignored him as the teapot sang behind me. I turned around to finish fixing it, handing it to the prince while it was still steaming hot. He held it close to his chest, no doubt trying to get as much warmth from it as he could.

"Thank you," he said, and I could tell he meant it. He was more kind, more humble and honest, than I'd been expecting of the prince of Illéa. Combined with his good looks, I'd be lying if I said my heart wasn't fluttering in my chest.

Still, none of it made him any less of an idiot.

"I'm going to go get you some warmer clothes and blankets to layer on," I said, heading towards the bedroom. "Stay by the fire as much as you can."

He nodded, and I left, shaking my head at the situation I now found myself in. Mr. and Mrs. Whitney would never stop talking about it if they found out.

I came back to find the prince exactly where I'd left him, hovering in front of the fire and sipping his tea. I handed him the stack of sweaters and blankets I'd dug up, and he took them with a grateful look at me.

"Thank you, again," he said. "And I apologize for being so rude as to not ask this earlier, but what is your name?"

I felt heat rising to my cheeks as he looked at me with that earnest, kind stare. I tried to ignore the feeling, focusing on just how we'd both ended up in this situation instead, but even that was starting to become endearing.

"Y/N Y/L/N," I said simply. "And of course, I know who you are, Prince Maxon."

"Please, just call me Maxon. I haven't been feeling very princely since I almost got myself killed in that storm."

I cracked a small smile, the first since he'd come inside, and leaned back against the counter.

"Yeah, about that... no offense or anything, but have none of you ever heard of the storms we get in Waverly? They're old, like... old old. I can't believe you've never heard of them."

Maxon just gave me a sheepish smile and shrugged.

"We don't know much about the everyday things going on outside the walls of the palace," he said. "That's why I wanted to come out here in the first place. I suppose I should've done a little more research first, since I won't be of use to anyone if I manage to get myself killed."

I snorted a laugh. "Yeah, that's for sure."

Maxon just sipped his tea, carefully keeping his eyes off me, and I noticed a slight blush rising to his face. I sighed, then pushed off the counter to take the seat next to him.

"Look, honestly, you and everyone in the palace should've been smarter than this," I said simply. "And, as someone who lives here and has had two decades to see how out of touch the palace is, you're going to get a deserved amount of teasing about it. But, I think it's really cool that you're trying to change that. And since we have nothing else to do while we wait for this storm to pass... well, I was thinking I could help you learn a thing or two about your kingdom. Or, about Waverly, at least."

About halfway through my speech, Maxon had looked up at me, a smile slowly spreading on his face as I spoke.

"I would love that," he said, his eyes never leaving mine. "Thank you, Y/N."

I smiled back, unable to help it at the sweet look on his face.

"Sure thing. Like I said, we've got some time to kill now that you've gone and gotten yourself snowbound here."

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

The first hour or so was a little awkward. Maxon and I sat at the table in the kitchen, going over daily life as he slowly warmed up and I slowly got more comfortable around him. By the third hour of the storm, we were sprawled out in the living room, laughing and talking about more than just the daily ins and outs of life in Waverly.

As the sun went down, Maxon and I headed back to the kitchen, and he helped me cook dinner. He didn't completely know what he was doing, but he had enough competency to be a good assistant chef, and he actually managed to make cooking fun which was something I never thought I'd say. We finally sat down to eat, and I barely noticed the storm raging outside as I chatted with the blond prince.

After dinner, Maxon and I passed time playing stupid board games all night. His smile and friendly attitude were infectious, and I found myself not wanting to go to bed, even as the clock ticked towards midnight.

"HA! Take that!" I yelled, taking Maxon's king in our most recent game of chess. We were both horrible at it, but that only made it more fun.

"Damn. It's a good thing for me chess has nothing to do with actually maintaining the kingdom, isn't it?" he joked. I grinned at him as I dropped the king piece into the bag it came from, then leaned back on my hands and looked at Maxon. He gave me a tired smile, which I returned, and as hard as I tried, I wasn't able to hold back a yawn. "I think it might be time for bed."

"Yeah, I guess so." I started cleaning up the chess pieces while Maxon did the same with some of the other board games we'd played. "You know, I'm sorry you got stuck in the storm like that, but I'm actually glad you ended up here. It's been more fun hanging out with you than it would have been just reading in my chair all night."

"And it's been infinitely more fun learning about the kingdom from you than it would have been to learn about it in any other way," he said softly, standing and holding out a hand to help me up. I took it, but once I was on my feet, neither of us let go.

"You know, it's probably going to be pretty cold tonight," I said, never once taking my eyes off Maxon's. We were chest to chest, and I felt my heart racing just looking at him. "If you want, it might be warmer if we, you know, shared a bed."

Maxon blushed, but agreed with a smile. We both got ready for bed, and we didn't do anything more than cuddle, but even spending the night surrounded by his arms and tucked into his chest was enough to have me feeling giddy the next morning.

I woke up slowly, the sound of the wind still howling around the house. Maxon was still asleep, and his chest rose and fell slowly with each breath. I smiled, still not quite believing this was real.

My slow morning was interrupted by a pounding at the door. I shot up, waking Maxon as I did, and stared straight ahead. Who the hell was outside now?

"What's that?" asked Maxon, his words slurred a little since he was still sleepy as he sat up.

"I don't know. You're the only idiot I know who'd be out in this storm."

Maxon smiled and shook his head, but at the sound of more pounding on the door, we both got up and quickly got dressed. We moved through the house back towards the front door, creeping forward to see who it could be.

I stopped just short of the front of the house, peeking around the corner to see a whole group of men in uniform circling my house. I turned to Maxon, an edge of panic starting to creep in.

"Do you know who they are?" I asked. He nodded, wrapping his arms around me at the nerves in my voice.

"They're here for me. They're my protection from the palace. I think I gave them quite a scare when I didn't come back last night."

I nodded, relief flooding me as Maxon moved past me to open the door. As soon as he did, the house became a whirlwind of activity as somewhere near twenty people moved inside, looking him over and scanning the house for any threats. A few of them tried to question me, but Maxon quickly put a stop to that.

Not long after they arrived, all the people started heading for the door again, hustling Maxon out with them. Despite not being aware the storm was coming, they'd managed to find a way to get through the snow and wind long enough to retrieve the prince, and now they were going back to wherever they'd come from.

I smiled sadly as they hustled Maxon towards the door, expecting that to be the end. But he shook off the guards, ordering them to wait, before turning back to me with a hesitant look on his face.

"Y/N... I hate to leave you here in the middle of all this, alone..."

"I'll be fine," I said, waving him off even as my heart clenched. "I still have plenty of my book left to read, and I'm used to this."

He nodded, but took a few cautious steps towards me.

"I have no doubt that you'd be perfectly fine here, on your own. However, I learned so much from you in just one night, and... well, if you'd be interested, I'd love to have you come with me and teach me more. It's obvious that I won't be getting out into the streets here anytime soon, and, well, quite frankly... I'd like to spend some more time with you."

A smile broke out across my face at his words. I was nervous, surrounded by all these soldiers staring at us so intently, but against all odds I really did like Maxon. I wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet.

"Alright, I'm in," I said, and the smile that broke out on his face was enough to warm every inch of my body, even with the cold draft the soldiers had let in. "After all, you need someone familiar with Waverly if you want to survive this place."

Maxon just kept smiling and held out his hand to me. I took it, my heart hammering in my chest, and we walked out the door together. I had no idea where this was going, or how long it might last, but I was going to treasure every moment of it.

My parents would never believe it when I told them about my new relationship with Prince Maxon Schreave.

[captainsophiestark]

Hallucinations

Han Solo x Reader

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Day Eight of Stress-Free Farch! Info and Join Farch here

Fandom: Star Wars

Prompt: Han Solo + Hallucinations

Summary: Y/N's been captured by the Empire, and Han and crew are determined to get her back. Thankfully, they're a damn good team when they need to be. But with Y/N out of her mind on whatever the Empire injected her with, things might just be changing around the base when Y/N mistakes Han for someone else.

Word Count: 2,080

Category: Fluff, little bit of angst?

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

Han's POV

"What the hell are you not telling me? Where's Y/N?" I demanded, yelling and throwing my hands in the air in Leia's office. Our mutual friend and stupidly do-good Rebellion member had gone out on a mission, but I hadn't seen or heard from her since she left.

"Sit down Han," Leia ground out, glaring at me from across the desk. I just crossed my arms and ignored her, waiting for the answer to my question.

The princess threw her hands up in the air and stormed around the desk, plopping down in her chair and letting out a heavy sigh.

"Y/N got caught," she said simply, looking me dead in the eyes. I blinked and tried to process what she'd just said.

"I'm sorry, what? I thought you just said Y/N got caught."

"That's exactly what I said, Han. The Empire figured out what Y/N was doing, and now-"

"And now we have to go get her out!" I roared, not willing to listen to this for another second. "And don't you try to sell me on some bureaucracy bullshit-"

"I'm not! For once in our lives I actually agree with you on something," she yelled, standing again and shuffling through the papers on her desk. "We're already working on a plan to get Y/N out."

"Oh. Alright, well, then what do you need me to do?"

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

Leia, Luke, Chewie, and I worked non-stop on finding a way to get Y/N back. We knew we didn't have long, since every minute that passed was another the Empire did who knows how many horrible things to her. I was starting to go crazy with worry, enough that Leia didn't push me when I snapped at her for making a snide comment here or there.

Finally, a few days after Leia broke the news to me, we had a plan in place. My role was to actually go in and get Y/N, while everyone else made sure we didn't get shot or captured. We'd treat any injuries on the Falcon while Chewie got us the hell out of there.

I blocked out everything but Y/N as we broke into the Imperial Base and got her out. We found her in a cell, laid out on an operating table and clearly out of it on something they'd drugged her with. I didn't waste a second before scooping her into my arms and high tailing it back to the Falcon.

She started to stir as I carried her up the ramp and towards the med bay, Chewie passing us and going straight to the cockpit. I laid her down on the bed, kneeling beside her and brushing a few stray hairs out of her face. She looked up at me, although her gaze was clouded.

"Y/N? How you feeling, sweetheart?" I asked softly. She'd always brought out a side of me that the rest of the Rebellion never got to see.

"I... oh, not good," she groaned, closing her eyes and putting a hand to her head.

"They got you good, didn't they?" I muttered, trying to think of something that could help ease her pain. "Don't worry, you're safe now. We're gonna take good care of you."

She hummed, her eyes glassy and unfocused as she looked up at me again.

"Thanks, Leia..."

I froze on the spot. Did she think... did she think I was Leia?

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

Y/N's POV

My vision slowly started to return, even as my surroundings remained a blur. I vaguely got the sense I might be moving, but there was something so wrong with every sensory input in my body I had no way of knowing if that were reliable.

I blinked a few times to try and clear the blur away, only to find someone with brown hair next to me. I couldn't make out much else, but they were probably short, since they weren't very far away from where I was laying down.

"...ow you feeling...?"

I groaned and mumbled an answer that I couldn't even hear, my head pounding. Whatever those Imperial freaks had done to me, it sucked, and it was taking its sweet time wearing off.

"...safe now... good care of you..."

The person's words were comforting, and they floated around my head as I connected them to the clues I already had. The short person, the brown hair, the comforting words. Leia must have come for me.

As soon as I had the thought, her face materialized in front of me, clear as day. She was dressed up nice, like the last time we'd gone out and had fun, which didn't make much sense. Still, she'd just come to save me, so I wasn't about to criticize.

"Thanks, Leia..." I said, blinking up at her with what I hoped was a smile. Movement just past her head caught my eye, and I slowly turned my attention to see a cloud of fuzzy animals flying around the room we were in. That seemed a little out of place, but for some reason, I didn't question it.

"Y/N... how many fingers am I holding up?"

I refocused on Leia as her words broke through the haze in my mind. She'd said fingers, but all I could see were lightsaber hilts, like the one Luke always had with him.

"Uh... none?"

Leia grumbled, and I could tell that wasn't the right answer. She fidgeted with the machines around me, but I ignored her as I gazed at all the things in the air. They seemed strange, floating in and out of focus, everything in incredibly bright colors.

"Alright, sweetheart, let's hope this does something to help snap you out of whatever the hell this is."

"Sweetheart," I repeated, the word sticking in my mind like glue. "Han calls me sweetheart."

Leia froze above me, even as the strange creatures floating behind her head didn't. I let out a soft sigh at the thought of Han.

"I miss him," I muttered. "I want to see him, once I can see straight again."

"You miss... Han?"

"Yeah... he's funny, and nice to me, and I like being around him... and he's hot," I said, giggling even though I knew Leia seriously disagreed with my stance on Han. Leia didn't respond, but I didn't care enough to follow up. A few of the creatures behind her head were starting to disappear, and my mind was clearing a little bit, but not enough to keep my vision from slowly fading back to black as either the Empire's drugs or the Rebellion's cure kicked back in.

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

When I finally woke up again, there was no uncertainty, no strange creatures floating around the room. I was clear-eyed again, sitting in a hospital bed in the headquarters of the Rebellion, Leia sitting next to my bed looking worried.

"Y/N! Thank goodness you're alright!" she yelled as soon as she saw me open my eyes. She hesitated, clearly not sure if she should be celebrating. "You are alright, aren't you? What can you see right now?"

"I'm alright, Leia," I assured her. "I can see you, and the room, like normal. No crazy hallucinations to be found."

"Finally," Leia sighed in relief. "You've been in and out of it for a while."

I nodded. "Yeah, I have some vague memories. Thank you for coming to get me. And for not teasing me for saying Han was hot while I didn't have the capacity to defend myself."

Leia gave me a confused look. "You never told me you thought Han was hot. And believe me, I would've taken every chance to try and talk you out of that ridiculous stance."

I didn't say anything, instead trying to think back to that memory. I thought I'd seen Leia, but with whatever the hell the Empire put into my system, I guess it could've been anyone. Or maybe it didn't even happen at all.

Leia moved on quickly, asking me a few basic questions before promising to come check on me again soon. She was one of the leaders of the Rebellion, so she couldn't be down here all day, no matter how much she might want to be. I appreciated her coming at all.

Not long after Leia left, I was getting bored, and decided to try and get some sleep since there was really nothing else to do. Before I could even close my eyes, however, the doors to med bay slid open, and none other than Han Solo rushed in.

His face was tight with worry, but it quickly drained away as soon as he saw me. I saw the relief wash through his body as he walked over to me, the stress being replaced with a familiar swagger.

"Hey, sweetheart. Glad to see you're up," he said, coming to a stop beside my bed. My face flushed as I remembered what I might've said to some unknown Rebellion member about Han, but I tried to block it out.

"Same here," I replied, offering him a small smile. "I don't know what those bastards did to me, but whatever it was, I saw some crazy things."

"Hm. You know what? I agree with you. Leia is pretty crazy."

My eyebrows knit together in confusion as I stared up at Han, who wasn't even trying to hide a smirk. What the hell was he talking about.

"Although," he continued, adopting a casual posture that I recognized as mostly fake. "If it took being mistaken for that crazy princess to hear you admit you think I'm hot, I guess it's worth it."

My mouth dropped open as I realized what he was saying, my whole body burning with embarrassment. Of all the people in the Rebellion I could've said that to, it had to be Han.

"Kriffing hell," I moaned, burying my face in my hands to avoid looking at the man beside me.

"Hey, relax, Y/N. I think you're hot too," he said. I could hear the arrogance in his voice as he gently pulled my hands away from my face, looking at me with that trademark Solo Grin.

We locked eyes, and the next thing I knew, his lips were on mine in a passionate kiss. I ran my hands through his hair and my body was on fire for a different reason. I'd been thinking about this for a long time.

"Ugh!"

Han and I broke apart at the sound of someone else at the door. We turned as one to see Luke standing there with R2 and Threepio, a hand over his eyes and a grimace on his face. R2 whistled at us, and Threepio hurried back out of the room, jabbering away as he went.

"Glad you're feeling better, Y/N," said Luke, hands still over his eyes.

"Thanks, Luke! Me too."

"Great. I'm gonna leave now."

"'Bout damn time," teased Han. Luke didn't respond as he left the way he came, R2 hovering for a few extra seconds. The droid finally left when Han and I just stared at him, not moving until he was through the door. Then, Han spoke again. "Poor kid. We're never gonna hear the end of that."

"You think Luke and the droids was bad? Just wait until Leia gets wind of this." Han grinned, apparently enjoying the idea, then turned his attention back to me.

"She's gonna be down here as soon as the kid tells her what he saw. Let's make the most of the time we have left before that," he said, leaning over me on the bed again, this time a little more slowly.

"I'm in," I said, a smile on my own face as I closed the distance between us and kissed Han again. Leia would kill us both if she had to walk in to this sight, but I quickly realized I didn't care.

I lost myself in the brown-haired, tall pilot, surprised to find there might actually be something I had the Empire to thank for. It had certainly been a strange few days, but now, I could safely say it was completely worth it.