Summary: Mayday remembers the moment he realized he loved you.
Pairing: Mayday x gn!reader
Content/Warnings: reader uses they/them with no physical description other than having enough hair to fist; it starts to get steamy at one point but we cut away before anything happens; whump by the end (I'm sorry in advance).
Word count: 1,042
A/N: it's been a LONG time since I've written anything at all, and my first time writing for Star Wars, but I love Mayday dearly and wanted to finally make this happen. The title is also a song of the same name by We Were Promised Jetpacks and loosely inspired this lil oneshot. Thank you for reading, and here we go!
The first time Mayday realizes he loves you, it's unexpected and takes him by surprise.
He can feel the gentle brush of your breath against his face as he tries to sleep, but keeps his eyes closed anyway.
“Mayday,” you whisper softly to him. “I can tell you're awake and not really sleeping anymore.”
Slowly, a smile spreads across Mayday's face as his eyes flutter open. You're already smiling warmly down at him as he takes in your expression: it's full of love and compassion he never thought he'd live long enough to see directed at him. You scoot closer to him and gently caress his scruffy cheek, leaning forward to plant a soft kiss to his forehead. Reacting on instinct, Mayday snakes his arms around your waist to pull you even closer to him.
“What time is it?” He croaks, voice still heavy with sleep as you pull back to look at him. “It feels too early for either of us to be awake.”
You let out a small laugh, the soft noise bringing another smile to Mayday's face. “It is still pretty early, but the sun is coming out so maybe it's time to start our day?”
Letting out a short groan, he pulls you flush against him and buries his face in the crook of your neck. “Or we could enjoy this rare moment of no pressing obligations to drift back to sleep,” he suggests, his voice muffled against your skin. You can't help but giggle as his scruff tickles you when he speaks.
“Mayday, are you really determined to grow this beard out?” You ask, running your hand across his cheek again.
He chuckles as he pulls back from your neck, the motion tickling you yet again. “What, you don't think I can pull off the beard?”
Rather than respond right away, you keep your hand on his cheek and close the distance between you to press a kiss against his lips. He hums approvingly, slightly tightening his grip around your waist as he attempts to deepen the kiss, but you pull back before he can.
“You are the most handsome man I've ever known; so beard or no beard, I'll like it” you whisper to him with another quick kiss. “And I'll always want you, no matter what.”
Mayday's gaze drifts from your eyes down to your mouth as you finish your sentence, and in that split second he feels desire begin to pool within him. In that moment, though, it feels different. There's a swell of new but deep emotion along with his desire for you, and panic briefly flares in him as he tries to understand this feeling.
He had never had a serious, committed relationship before he'd found you, and even after the two of you started dating, he held back. Being a clone meant his list of experiences were going to be different than that of a nat-born, and the majority of those experiences would likely be brief and fleeting even outside of intimate relationships. So, naturally, Mayday was a bit scared at first. But over the months you'd only proved your commitment and dedication to him, never pushing or pressuring him to be in something he didn't want. And, of course, it all paid off.
Because here you were now, wrapped up in his embrace, looking at him like nothing else mattered or existed outside the two of you. All at once, this new emotion clicks into place for him, and with it a broad grin splits Mayday's face.
“I love you,” he says softly, his voice full of conviction. A gasp leaves your lips as your eyes search his face, and a slow smile spreads across your face now as well.
“Oh, Mayday. I love you too, forever,” you whisper, pressing a kiss to his mouth again.
The kiss quickly deepens and intensifies from there, and the two of you shed what little clothes you wore as quickly as possible to feel the relief of skin against skin. He fisted one hand in your hair as the other roamed along your naked form, eagerly swallowing your moans as he slid his tongue against yours. You, in turn, ran your fingers through his hair, tugging on the short strands just to hear him moan back into your mouth.
“Say it again,” Mayday muttered against your lips. “Tell me you love me.”
“I love you, Mayday,” you sigh. “I will never stop loving you.”
~~~
Was that a dream I once had? Mayday thinks to himself. Is this a dream I'm having? Or, perhaps, calling it a waking nightmare would be more fitting.
He's not sure how long they've been walking, but all Mayday knows is that he and Crosshair have been trekking through the snowstorm all night. Crosshair, who just the day before said that he wouldn't want to carry dead weight, now fully supports Mayday's slowly dying weight. Crosshair, who would have been perfectly safe had he abandoned Mayday after the avalanche, has stayed with him and kept him conscious when Mayday felt reality slipping around him. And now, Crosshair is his last chance to somehow get word back to you about his fate.
Mayday doesn't want to leave you, never wanted to leave you in the first place, all those months ago when he was first told to report to Barton IV. But he was a good soldier and he followed orders, only now he knows he won't be able to follow your order to come back home to you.
Home, Mayday thinks, struggling to try and picture you on the couch in your apartment. Or maybe you're at work right now, staying focused and diligent until the moment you can hold him in your arms again. Forgive me, my love, but the last time you held me will have to be enough for you now.
“Crosshair,” Mayday manages to croak out. “I need you to find my partner–” he pauses to take in a painful breath before continuing. “Tell them…tell them I love them, and that I'm sorry.”
Whatever Crosshair responds with is lost on Mayday, as his mind slips again and he spends the last few hours of his life remembering all the happy memories he had with you.
Commander Mayday x GN!Reader — Rated M 💘— 900ish Words
Summary: Between missions, you and Commander Mayday share a quiet moment in a cozy cabin, and the L-word slips out for the first time.
Warnings: Nothing major… just some slight angst due to a secret relationship. But this is mostly just fluffy, and post-coital cuddling & kissing (nothing explicit is mentioned, just heavily implied adult activities.)
Masterlist - Taglist
Two days.
That was all the shore-leave clones were allotted while out on campaign… and only if circumstances permitted a break between missions.
That gave Mayday two days to relax and unwind, and to catch up on sleep and rest. And it only gave the two of you 48 hours to hide away and enjoy each other’s company without fear of prying eyes.
So you planned ahead and made sure that the two of you could make the most of every minute you had together. And you splurged. The credits didn’t matter, not when it came to Mayday. You wanted nothing but the best for him, and you did what you could to give him all the comfort and luxury that was denied to him on a daily basis.
But there never seemed to be enough time. That was one of the many, many things you could not give him.
By the time you arrived at the luxurious private cabin you had reserved, 40 hours remained until you both had to report back for duty. You were keenly aware of the time but, Mayday was quite eager to catch up with you and managed to take your mind off the chrono as soon as you you were alone.
Now that the two of you were thoroughly reacquainted, you laid quietly in the plush bed, wrapped up in Mayday’s embrace and gazing out at the crackling fireplace across the room.
Your mind was at peace, temporarily distracted from all your worries by his warm embrace. He curled himself around you, one arm beneath you and the other draped over your waist as he held you close.
You would be happy to spend every spare moment of your life like this, you thought idly as his hand slowly stroked up and down over your side. His large hand settled on your hip and he squeezed gently, before breaking the comfortable silence.
“This is becoming dangerous. All this sneaking around in expensive hotels…” he murmured and sighed deeply. You froze in his arms, a sinking feeling settling in your stomach as you waited for him to finish his thought.
“…I could get used to this sort of lavish treatment,” he chuckled and leaned into you, brushing his lips over the back of your neck. “You’re spoiling me.”
“Hah, well, it’s the least I can do,” you chuckled as relief flooded your body and you relaxed against him again.
“The least you can do? What do you mean?”
“Well… I—”
The words caught in your throat. You wanted to tell him how much he meant to you, just how happy he made you and how much you loved spending time with him. But you could never get the words out. So instead, you treated him to nice hotel rooms and delicious room service and hoped that would be enough… that he would understand.
“—I just wish I could give you more, y’know?”
“More?”
You felt Mayday shift behind you. He withdrew his arm from beneath your body and made room behind you, pulling you flat onto your back. The firelight bathed half his face in golden light, illuminating his burrowed brow as he looked down at you.
"I don’t need more,” he shook his head slightly, “I’d be perfectly happy curled up in a sleeping bag out in the forest, so long as you’re with me.”
“I—I know but… You deserve more. And all I can offer you is sneaking around in hotel rooms. So they may as well be nice.”
You huffed a quiet laugh, trying to play it off as a lighthearted joke, but Mayday didn’t seem amused.
His frown relaxed and his eyes softened, while his warm hand moved to cup your face.
“You’re all I need,” he said quietly, all while his thumb traced light circles over your cheek.
Despite the soft tone of his voice, his statement left no room for doubt or hesitation.
You were still processing that revelation when he continued.
“I love you.”
You blinked up at him, unable to move or breathe under the weight of those words. When you didn’t respond, his hand stilled and his expression shifted to a more guarded look.
“You don’t have to say anything. I just want you to know that—”
“I love you too, May,” you cut him off and covered his hand with your own.
A small crooked smile curved his lips as his eyes darted over your face. When his gaze settled over your lips, he leaned down and kissed you gently. It was such a delicate thing—you were sure he’d never kissed you so softly before.
He didn’t say anything after your lips parted, instead just silently pulled you back into his arms and rolled the two of you over, leaving you laying on top of him. You laid your head over his heart and listened to his steady heartbeat, letting the slow rise and fall of his chest lull you ever closer to sleep.
But there was still something nagging at the back of your mind…something he had said…
“May?” you asked quietly, unsure if he was still awake or not. When Mayday hummed in response, you continued. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to stick with hotel rooms instead of a sleeping bag out in the forest.”
He laughed brightly, the sound rumbling deep in his chest beneath you. You peeked up at him, eager to catch a rare glimpse of his big smile, and you were not disappointed.
“Fine by me, as long as you’re there with me,” he said with a beaming smile.
Thank you to @/dystopicjumpsuit for the banners & @/saradika for the dividers!
