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june-girl-86 · 3 days
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Look me in the eye. I'm watching you! This is the way!
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june-girl-86 · 6 days
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Chapter 57
Boro-Borosa needs help. Sona is not the only one to set off.
Pairing: Din Djarin x OC Female!
ReaderRating: Mature/Explicit (+18)
Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence / Love / Action&Adventure / Blood&Violence / Drama & Romance / Slow Burn / Fluff&Smut
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When Sona went to see Cara the next morning, Paz was already at her door.
"What do you want?" she asked gruffly and walked past him. Paz followed her and grabbed her shoulder, but she shook him off.
"To know what you've decided!"
She could hear the nervous tremor in his voice.
Sona bit her lips and dodged into an alley where there weren't so many people. A few had already noticed the two of them arguing. She gave Paz a sour look and had to control herself not to shout.
"You push a child into a hole and leave him lying there and you ask me what punishment you're getting?"
Paz shook her head.
"I didn't do that, he must have overheard me and ran that way in fright..."
Sona stared at him.
"What could he have overheard you doing?"
Paz swallowed, looked to the ground and raised his hands in resignation.
"Bo-Katan..."
Sona snapped.
"I couldn't tell her anything. I don't know anything. She's so angry!" Paz lied. He was aware that if he told the truth, he would be an outcast and would surely be locked up. But even the untruth didn't reassure Sona. Without saying another word, she left Paz standing there. She was angry with herself because she should have listened to her feelings much sooner. She could feel Paz following her, but she ignored him. At least she tried to.
As always, the door to Cara's office was open and Karga was there with one of his bounty hunters, talking to Mythrol and Kadin. Cara nodded to Sona, who hid her anger despite herself.
"Ziv made it through the night okay, but they're going to give his body some rest before they operate on him again!"
Sona exhaled in relief and she could sense the same action from Paz. If the boy woke up with the memory, Paz would get his just punishment. She would like to tell everyone about it now, but perhaps his contact with Bo-Katan was still useful.
Suddenly an alarm went off on the radio and everyone flinched in shock. Many conversations and noises came in and Mythrol had trouble understanding anything for a while.
"What's going on?" asked Karga. It couldn't mean anything good if there was this commotion. Kadin was on the other radio, wearing a headset and talking to a captain who probably knew more. Kadin took off the headset and Mythrol looked up at everyone.
"All planets are being called upon to send rescue ships with medical personnel and other helpers, if possible working droids. There was a catastrophic earthquake on Boro-Borosa and other strong aftershocks that destroyed the capital and the other cities. First responders were probably also injured in the aftershocks. Soldiers from the New Republic are already on their way!"
Sona froze. While most people only knew Boro-Borosa by name or knew that Din had recently been there with Liara, Sona had a personal connection.
"Walli!" she exclaimed, startled, and everyone looked at her questioningly.
"Her sister lives there," Paz replied when Sona didn't respond. Cara touched the weaponsmith on the shoulder and that brought her out of her stupor.
"I have to see her!" she shouted and wanted to go, but Karga held her back.
"We'll ask at the medical center which of the doctors is expendable and also collect materials. We'll also look for volunteers, including those with medical knowledge! Then they will set off together. Acting hastily won't help now!"
He nodded to her and Sona took a deep breath. Karga was right. She nodded, then he left the office with the bounty hunter to devote himself to the task at hand.
"I'll go with you," Paz said forcefully and Sona didn't contradict him.
When Sona stepped onto the ramp of the rescue ship with her rucksack a few hours later, there was a lot of hustle and bustle around her. Goods were still being loaded and families were saying goodbye to their loved ones and friends. There were also many Mandalorians at her side when they heard about the disaster. Paz stepped up beside her and she knew he wanted to make it up to her. She couldn't bear to be near him... Sona raised her hand when she spotted Cara and she nodded to her. Sona sighed, started moving and looked for a seat. As the ship took off, she hoped they could help many and find her sister alive along with her husband.
A shaking woke Sona, she hadn't been able to sleep for a long time because she was so worried, but eventually sleep overcame her. Paz was standing in front of her, his hand still on her shoulder. In the other, he held a bowl of fruit. She took an apple and noticed that the others were also eating.
"We land in an hour!" came from the loudspeaker. During this time, everyone was lost in thought. Two doctors from the hospital were talking about the possible injuries and how they would proceed. Sona swallowed when they talked about amputations and was really glad when the jump out of hyperspace pushed her into her seat and the men ended their conversation. At first they could only see the darkness of space through the narrow windows, but then it became brighter. Clouds passed by and then they flew over sand dunes.
"We've been assigned to Amos!" the pilot announced and Sona closed her eyes. Hopefully Walli was all right.
They found a place on the edge of the still intact spaceport. It had been specially built for vibrations and had suffered only minimal damage. As the ramp lowered, warm air and all kinds of noises hit them. Basic and various languages could be heard alongside the typical droid sounds.
Soldiers could be seen running towards other new arrivals who had landed in front of them. A woman, her name Ajuda embroidered on her jacket, welcomed the troops from Nevarro and smiled warmly at them despite everything. She looked curiously at the Mandalorians' armor. A Twi'lek from Karga's guild approached her and handed her a datapad. All the names of the helpers and their loadings were written on it. She nodded and waved to a droid to unload the ship.
"I'll show them where they'll be staying first and then we'll assign them to their tasks!"
They were taken to a container containing cots and wet cells. They left their luggage there. Sona turned to the female soldier.
"My sister lives here with her husband!"
The woman looked at Sona, her expression regretful.
"We've set up several military hospitals outside, maybe their names are on their lists!"
The soldier did not speak of the other list and Sona smiled gratefully at her.
As they approached the large forecourt, Sona stopped, shaken. So much had changed. On her last visit, she had enjoyed the smells, the colors and the life in every corner of this city. She had stayed far too short a time. She looked at the large white gate that led into the city. It had indeed resisted the tremors, some of the mosaics had fallen out, but the high walls around it had collapsed along with the buildings. Orbaks pulled out the rubble on carts, Banthas were waiting there to transport it further. Among all the helpers of different races, the smaller creatures with their trunk-shaped noses stood out. Blarinans.
"They were the first to come!" said Ajuda gratefully, who had noticed where everyone was staring. Ajuda took Sona aside while she sent the others to a shelter where the work was being distributed. "I'll take them to the military hospital!"
Sona nodded and climbed into the glider. They drove past supply tents and droid charging stations and reached the city limits. In front of them, Sona could see a landscape of tents as far as the eye could see. All the medical personnel were here. Several containers caught her eye.
"That's where the operations take place, the doctors were able to save some lives!"
While Ajuda talked to another soldier and checked the lists, Sona observed those who were bustling around. Pregnant women with only minor injuries walked up and down their paths. Uninjured children played with each other, their relatives somewhere in the tents. Elderly people supported each other and lamented having lost their homes.
"We've found someone with that name!" Sona heard and followed the soldier. Her heart pounded in her throat as they walked through the rows of wounded, just a little privacy through a curtain. Near the end, Ajuda pulled it aside and Sona saw her brother-in-law.
"Nhean!" she exclaimed. His eyes widened, his leg was in a cast and one arm was bandaged. His usually bright blue eyes had lost their sparkle, but she could see the surprise in them. Ajuda left the two of them alone and Sona took a seat in the chair next to the bed.
"Did you find Walli?" he asked, his voice busy and knowing immediately from Sona's worried expression that this was not the case.
"My mother died, I was in the oasis when the earth started shaking that night. Walli had stayed at home. A technician from the city was in the oasis, she had checked the measurements. She took me with her and I immediately started to help. It was so terrible. And then there was this aftershock, that's when it hit me..."
Nhean pointed to his leg.
"I wish I could help!"
Sona squeezed his hand tightly and firmly.
"I'll find her!"
After three days of searching, however, Sona no longer believed she would see her sister alive again. An AZ droid hovered next to her and Paz, while another team had just recovered bodies and were now taking them away. At night, when the others took over her work, Sona lay awake. When she closed her eyes, she dreamed of the chaos and, above all, the smell. Even now, it was in her nose again and she envied the droid for not being able to smell it.
They had come so far and had reached the neighborhood where Nhean and Walli lived. They found toys, cooking utensils, clothes and other private things that had once belonged to someone. They were either in the military hospital or still under the rubble. Droids used thermal imaging cameras to see if there were any living people to be found. And indeed, they had some hits. Then it became quiet, any work nearby was interrupted and they tried to make contact before looking for a way down. But they became rarer...
Sona hooked her helmet onto her belt, took a drink of water and wiped her sweaty forehead. Today the sun was burning down on her mercilessly and despite the cooling function of her helmet, it was unbearable. She spotted colorful scribbles on a still-standing wall as she let her gaze wander. Branches of a fallen tree protruded from between the stones. An intrusive beeping could be heard and she noticed how the droid with the thermal imaging camera moved across a field and flew back again. It beeped again and reported several bodies.
"There seems to be a cavity giving them shelter. They're moving!" declared the AZ droid and the work began. Some of the rubble was cleared away, then they heard children crying and a woman shouting. Even though the voice was muffled, Sona knew immediately who it belonged to.
"Walli?!" she called out several times and then finally received a relieving answer. They lowered food bars and water packets through a small gap so that they had something until the rest of the debris could be carefully removed. In other areas, other search teams had also found survivors and you could feel everyone bursting with positive energy.
And then it was finally time, they got the mother and baby out first. The older boy hung limply in the arms of a rescuer, followed by Walli. She and Sona hugged each other, crying with joy. "Ori'vod (older sister)!" Sona whispered gratefully, kissing her on the forehead. Walli clung to her. Sona gently wiped the dust from Walli's cheek. She looked at the debris, startled.
"My helmet!"
Sona frowned. Walli nodded.
"Yes, I had it with me!"
Paz, who had heard the conversation, put his water bottle down on a ledge, went back and spoke to the droid.
"Why did you have the helmet with you?" Sona wanted to know and Walli sighed. Her hair was just as covered in dust, falling down as she moved, but otherwise she looked fine.
"Nhean wasn't home and I felt a restlessness in me all day that I took the helmet into the bedroom. I felt a certain security radiating from it... When it started to shake, I put it on after all this time. I thought that if something fell on my head, I would be better protected. I ran into the stairwell, up to Danica and helped her with the kids. On the way down, everything was crashing down around us and I thought we were going to die. But Ahio saved us. He controls the Force and stopped the debris, we were locked in the void. It was a basement room, we had stored water there. Ahio was pretty weak since then and slept most of the time. The encounter with him didn't do Liara any good either. He showed her something, a prisoner called Cara!"
Sona looked at the boy who was receiving medical attention.
"He saw it?"
Walli nodded.
"It must have been terrible. Liara wasn't well and he had nightmares for many days! Did she make it?"
Sona nodded and another paramedic came up to them and wanted to check Walli over.
"I got him!" she heard Paz say and saw the AZ coming towards him, taking off his helmet so he could climb back out of the pit. Then she felt this vibration. One of the aftershocks. Not the first since they'd been here.
"Oh no!" exclaimed Walli, who also knew the cause, and then the ground shook. Not violently, but enough to shake the body. Sona still hadn't gotten used to it. She saw the bottle fall off the wall and Paz's helmet, which he had placed on top of it, wobbled.
"Watch out!" someone shouted, but by then it was already happening and pieces of wall were sliding into the pit. Sona would never forget the sound of one of them hitting Paz.
The hum of the ship taking off went through her whole body and Sona sat exhausted in her seat. They had been helping for several more days and had also been to Sorra, one of the other cities. Now they were flying from Amos back to Nevarro, while new ships landed and brought helpers. It would be some time before they had cleaned up everywhere. They had heard again and again from the locals that they wanted to rebuild everything. Perhaps not everything would be as big as before, but they still didn't want to give up.
The gate of their city had also held up and would hopefully soon be able to welcome the people of Amos again. But not everyone was staying. Walli and Nhean sat opposite Sona. Despite his injuries, he was feeling much better now that his wife was back with him. The sparkle in his eyes had returned. Danica also came with them. Ahio could hardly wait to run into the ship. Sona was happy for the boy that he was fit again. Her gaze went to the almost empty seat next to her. Only his helmet was on it. She stood up and looked out of the window; the pilot had told her that he would fly over it. And he did. It was late when they took off, the sun had already set, but it was almost daylight in the desert. Torches had been set up in front of the graves and the lines hardly wanted to end. So many who had not survived the quake or who had died helping. Paz was now one of them. As they jumped into hyperspace, Sona's communicator came on. She smiled with relief when she read the message. Ziv had woken up again.
......
@the-rain-on-kamino
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june-girl-86 · 8 days
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Hello police! Please arrest the author of this story. She torments readers and characters.
All good things come in threes? You need several attempts before you finally give them their happily ever after.
The scene in the cantina 😅 Rex
I would have loved to see that sunrise too đŸ€©
Time After Time
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Rating: 18+ Minors do NOT read
Pairing: Cody x fem!reader
Wordcount: 10k
Warning: Fluff, Romance, flirting and pining, porn with plot and feelings. Cody loves to hand in command and you can’t convince me otherwise.
A/N: This story was soooo long on my to-do list... almost two years by now. And yes... it's pretty much self-indulgent as I am an accountant.
Summary: One night when you pull an all-nighter again to deal with the upcoming audits, Commander Cody is the only one willing to help you out of your misery. It's the first of a few awkward encounters, but it seems never to be the right place nor time.
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It's around midnight while you're still sitting at your desk, on the brink of a headache. Absent-mindedly you rub your temples. Patience has never been your long suit, but neither has giving up. Annual accounts have always been the most stressful time of the year for you, but ever since you joined the GAR headquarters as a management accountant, audits became a nightmare. The sheer amount of accounting processes and the blatant lack of accountants just orthogonal to each other. Back then as you started to work for the GAR, you were sure it would be the key to success on your career trajectory. Now you think it’s been your biggest mistake. There are only a few days left until the contortionists from the Republic Treasury Audit Division will review the records and turn everything inside out within this building. And there were still so many figures missing. Right now you ascertain that you have absolutely no clue about the count of operative starfighters, vessels and vehicles of any kind
 let alone the number of clones in the service of the GAR. And what’s even worse
 especially the last figure - assets and not human resources - doesn’t even seem to be of any interest. Not to the High Command, not to the RTAD or the Senate and even less to the civilian population throughout the galaxy they defend.
All you need is someone in charge to provide you the missing information, to put their Tarsus Valorum on the reports. You sent a flood of letters to several departments during the last weeks. But every request you made was rejected, every comm call remained unanswered. And so you still sit alone in front of a mountain of work like a nerf in the headlights.
It’s all too much. And after you stared at your screen for another few minutes and your vision becomes blurred, you bury your face in your hands and let your frustration wash over you and your tears run free. There’s no one around to judge you anyway or think you're childish. Crying doesn’t help you along with your work, but at least it does give you an outlet for your stress right now. Just like the strangled sob that leaves your throat and rings out in the office.
You don’t hear the approaching footfall, and only when someone knocks at your doorframe do you look up puffy from crying. All the possibilities! Hundreds of employees with access codes to this section of the headquarters, but it has to be none other than Marshal Commander Cody to show up in the middle of the night and find you in a mess. Now you don’t feel just swamped but also dumb. It’s not that you would actually know him. You met him a few times in the mess hall or ran into him in the hallways. You never exchanged words, it still was enough for you to develop a secret crush on him. Though you’d rather die than to tell anyone. He’s far out of your league, busy and simply Cody. The Cody

“My apologies ma’am. May I come in?”
He fills the whole door frame with his shape. Formidable the only word to describe him in his battle worn armor with the iconic sunrise painted on it. With his helmet clutched to his side, he gifts you with his bare face. His handsome face with the scar at his temple, dirty from sweat, dust and whatever. Flushed. And radiant, dark brown eyes. And ruffled hair. He looks tired. Dead on his feet. And still so young somehow.
“Oh. Yes. Sure. Uhmmm
 c-come in , sir,” you stutter and sound as if you have difficulties articulating even one simple sentence. He must take you for a moron. A squeamish moron. To save the last bit of dignity you have, you get up from your chair and wipe the tears off your face. It’s a hopeless endeavor.
His armor rattles as Cody walks into your office. And now you can smell him and the blaster residues that stick to his gear. It’s such a warm, masculine scent. Your pulse accelerates for another reason.
“If my chrono isn’t broken, and I am sure it is not, you shouldn't be here anymore,” he chides you, politely avoiding mentioning your emotional state.
“Tell the HR,” you answer tiredly. It makes him hum with awareness.
“So it’s not only the troops that are understaffed.”
“No. I’d say ‘run short’ is the name of the game.” Once again you look at the reports on your desk in resignation and that’s the moment your tears resume falling. He responds with a comforting ‘now, now
’ and then he actually asks what your problem is. He does care, you realize in amazement, even though he seems to need a snatch of sleep himself and shouldn’t be anywhere but his bunk right now. Even though he doesn’t even know you. And you probably should say it’s nothing and send him away to his well-deserved downtime, but instead you relish the little time and conversation you share with him and tell him about the annual reporting, the audit and the missing authorisation.
“For the first time, I don’t have a clue how to get my job done,” you eventually confess hoarsely. It’s one thing to know about the difficulties you are facing, but saying them out loud only makes it worse. “I think I will pull another all-nighter, make up some figures, and then show up at the High Command’s door to sign my fucking reports.” You didn’t mean to curse, but you’re far too agitated to control your language at this late hour, so all you can do is blush in front of him in embarrassment.
“I see. Will you excuse me for a minute, ma’am?” He asks and then turns away to leave you. Just like anyone else always did.
You stay behind, still crying, but at least you had the chance to talk a few words with your crush. And once you are done with your reporting, you’ll be able to daydream about this moment for the rest of your life. What a miserable life if dreams are all you got. You sit down, slap your flat hand on the tabletop, curse because it hurts, and then start typing while you glare at your screen. About five minutes later you interrupt your work yet again, because the refreshing scent of hot caf fills your nostrils.
“I thought if we want to make it through the night, we could also get some help.” He puts down a tray with two mugs and a plate with cookies, and then he’s smiling at you. A lovely, boyish, charming smile that makes your heart skip a beat.
“And I took the chance to make myself slightly more presentable.” He washed his face and combed his hair. Now he looks like the poster boy of the GAR with his observing eyes, the kind expression and the impressive build, still tired but above such kind of deficiencies. If you’d be standing, your knees would give out. So you only sit on your chair all weak as he comes closer and towers over you.
“What do you need me to do mesh’la?” Now you see that he brought his datapad too. You wonder if what you’ve heard of is your sleep-deprived brain playing tricks on you?
“Uhmm
 I
 I don’t want to keep you from sleeping or whatever you were up to.”
“That’s not the answer to my question,” the commanding undertone just comes so naturally to his way of speaking. It eluded a sense of certainty and comfort.
“I need the actual status of assets and then the reports to be signed.” He leans down to have a closer look on your computer.
“Okay. I can do that.”
Well, that was an answer you certainly didn’t expect. With a last attempt to save him from working overtime and doing paperwork that is obviously not his business you ask him: “Are
 are you authorized to provide and sign the data, sir?” But then again it’s Commander Cody.
“Well, let's find out, I'd say. Besides
” the Commander turns his head to look around in the deserted building, putting on an unimpressed expression. “There’s no one here to compromise my authority. And if someone were here,” he winks, not even knowing how he’s almost giving you a heart attack with that little gesture, “I want to see them try, mesh’la.”
Now that makes you actually laugh, even though your voice is still hoarse from crying. But you are more than grateful that he’s here and moreover, willing to help you. Your daydreams are going to be so much better.
“Okay, let me see what you’ve got. But no more of this,” he orders you politely but firmly, gesturing to the way your cheeks are still stained with tears. You give him a consenting smile, but even before you can wipe the tears off your face, he does it himself. His warm, large hands cup your cheeks, and his thumbs gently brush away the moist patterns.
Oh
 shit. Neither of you moves for a remarkable long second, keeping up eye contact, and there’s no way he doesn’t hear your heartbeat. Even though you can’t quite determine the look in his eyes, it almost immediately threatens to make you pass out, burns on your skin, and you literally feel the shiver rolling down your spine with the way his gaze flicks over your face. Force, he looks like he has an inner monologue about what the fuck he’s doing here with you, and eventually he drops his hands and takes a step back.
“See? Much better now.”
You only nod in response, while you still try to get your head around what just happened.
“May I ask your name?” There’s a change in his voice that stirs butterflies in your belly and you sincerely hope that your own voice doesn’t betray your excitement when you tell him your name.
“Suits you,” he says. “And for tonight I’m Cody for you and not ‘Commander’ or ‘Sir’. I’d say that’s only fair if we spend the night with one another.”
And with that, he sits down next to you at your desk, relaxed in marked contrast to you, but there’s some kind of tension hanging in the air, almost tangible. If someone had told you this morning that the day would end like this, you would have called them a liar. Now you find yourself caught in one of your wildest dreams. Well, maybe not the wildest, but definitely in a situation you would have never dared hoping for.
For the next three hours you sit side by side, immersed in work. He peruses classified documents, names numbers and figures and you note them down in your records. From time to time he comms someone. You have no idea who he’s talking to, but the way he speaks tells you it can only be one of his siblings. Sometimes the entire conversation is in a foreign language you don’t understand. But the melodic words that fall from his tongue send warm shivers through your entire body. You bite down on your lip to hide the smile when he talks.
Another time he leans over to check something on your datapad
 and his cheek almost brushes against yours. To hold back the gasp that threatens to leave you an almost inhuman task. All figures are forgotten in an instant when you have him so close that you inhale his scent and sense his warmth on your skin. Almost imperceptibly he turns his head and the hair on his forehead brushes along your temple. Did you hear him sigh quietly? You try your best, but it’s hard to concentrate on anything but his presence after that moment

“I’ve seen you before, mesh’la,” he says out of the blue, taking you off guard as he signs another document. You’ve seen him on several occasions, you just wouldn’t have guessed it was mutual.
“I thought you didn’t even notice me,” you answer, dumbstruck. “I mean, I’m just another person in the crowd.”
That makes him glance up at you, with a lopsided grin on his lips. Cody then puts the stylus down, deliberately slow. He reaches out and tilts your chin up towards him, making you meet his eyes.
Your eyes widen at his approach, heart stopping, and your breathing picks up slightly

“To begin with, anyone who wouldn’t notice you in a crowd would be an osi’yaim,” he states and you are a trembling mess while you try to hold his gaze. “And aside from that, you do know that you talk to a clone, right? I depend on spotting individuals in the crowd. Distinguishing the little differences that makes each one special
 and I am not talking about the markings on armors.”
Force, help me! You long to know what he’s thinking of right now while you get aware of the arousal simmering beneath your skin.
“What do you mean?”
He gently skims along your bottom lip without ever touching it
 In all honesty, you are afraid of how your body would react if he doesn’t stop right now. But do you want him to stop?
“I mean that
” Cody leans a little closer to you, faces almost touching

The chirp of his comm disrupts whatever he was going to say
 going to do.
“What is it?!” he growls as he answers the call. It is Waxer to let him know that General Kenobi called a briefing.
There’s regret shimmering in his eyes as he looks up at you for the next time.
“I just got an oh-eight-hundred call and I need to get some things done before that. I am sorry mesh’la but I have to leave.”
“It’s okay, Cody,” you say sheepishly. Embarrassed, now that the magical moment is gone. “I kept you busy far longer than it was decent anyway.”
He smirks in response. And when he rises from his seat he takes your hand to drag you with him.
“Hush! It was a pleasure to spend time with you. But now you need to go to sleep. Take a day off tomorrow,” he says and then dons his helmet. Cody is gone, but the Commander remains for a few more thrilling seconds.
“And yes ma’am, that’s an order!”
Rooted to the spot and not really even breathing, you
 just keep staring at him while he leaves. Ohhh, he looks so darn gorgeous in his armor, even more now that you got to know him just a little better. Your chest suddenly feels incredibly tight. He doesn’t look back at you
 and you wonder if you will ever see him again.
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It’s loud and crowded when Cody enters the mess hall this afternoon and immerses in a sea of plastoid armor with all different colorful markings. Almost every table is occupied with cheering, chatting or contesting brothers. And kark, some di’kuts started a food fight - again. He straightens his posture and puts on an air of importance, Rex would call it a scowl, and just like that the commotion reduces to a tolerable level. Maybe he should have stayed in his quarters. But then again, there was this tiny glimmer of hope that if he makes a detour through the offices in the headquarters on his way over here, he might get a glimpse of you. Yet your desk was abandoned and Cody couldn’t deny the slight sting in his chest.
Six weeks since he met you and helped you out of your misery. Six weeks in which he reconsidered that night in his mind over and over again. There was this moment you both had. Moments. There have been more. He was smitten with you and your nature. And he assumed that you reciprocate this feeling. Well, if he's honest to himself, you didn't say or even hint anything like that, but there were those tiny signals, a lovely blush, a silent gasp, held breath
 All he wanted was to toe the invisible line between the two of you and see if he was right, but then he almost overstepped and lost his self-restraint as he touched your face. He still can remember how your skin felt so warm under his touch and how your eyes were glassy. But what if he mistook fear for arousal? If his comm wouldn’t have stopped him, he would have leaned down to kiss you. Back then he was sure you would have kissed him back, now he isn’t anymore. And maybe all he would have got was a slap in his face. He still can’t suppress a smile at the thought as he lines up at the serving counter. At least he would have worn a mark of you on him.
“What are you up to, Codes?” Rex all of a sudden appears behind him. “I know that smile.”
Cody, taken by surprise, still maintains his composure and wears a smug grin as he turns towards his brother. “Forging plans, vod. You know we never get to rest.”
“Sure.” Rex grins back at him just as smug. “Don't your plans by any chance have something to do with a certain woman?”
Cody shouldn’t have called Rex that night. Ever since then, his brother teases him, challenges him to go and find you and sort things out. And he wants to! Force, he really wants to! But there are always disruptions, foreseen and unforeseen, to bar him from talking to you. For example being deployed on another third-class backwater planet in the galaxy that all of a sudden seems to be of great importance to the supreme chancellor and the senate. Tz.
“Of course not.”
“Of course
 not,” Rex parrots. “And that she just entered the mess hall is nothing but a coincidence. Hm?”
That’s the moment Cody almost does lose his composure in public. Shit, he almost even drops his tray. Rex takes it off his hands.
“Go! Talk to her. I’ll get your food for you.” His brother has the audacity to throw you a smile and then gently gives him a push in your direction, not only hoodwinking him but also undermining his authority.
“Rex’ika, ne shab'rud'ni!” he growls low-voiced. His brother only chuckles. Cody straightens his posture and walks over to you.
“Hey.”
You are the first to speak when he eventually stands in front of you in a corner of the mess hall. And the six weeks apart all of a sudden melt into thin air when he looks at you. No: ‘Hey Cody’, he hears with regret, but no ‘Hello Sir’ either. Dare he hope that you are unsure of how you interrelate with him? He takes it as a good sign.
“Su cuy'gar, mesh’la,” he greets you and you cast down your eyes bashfully. So you still get flustered when he speaks Mando’a to you.
“I wasn’t sure if you would want to see me at all. I had the impression the captain compelled you to come over.”
Your words sting him. The last time he saw you, he cradled your face and stroked your cheek. And then he went away
 like a di’kut. Yes, duty called as it usually does, but the war didn’t end that night anyway. The order of the galaxy wouldn't have been thrown into turmoil if he would have stayed with you just one minute longer. At least not more than it already was. Is. If he only would have talked to you sooner, he could have saved you from such thoughts. Then again, it’s not his fault that he’s been deployed in the middle of nowhere. ‘Spare me your excuses, Commander!’ he scolds himself.
“Rex didn’t need to compel me. I would have come sooner if I had the time,” he confesses and for whatever reason he leaves out the fact that he was trying to visit you in your office just a few minutes ago. After a moment he adds: “I am sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sorry,” you say quietly, voice almost drowning in the noise of the facility. Then both of you fall silent again, nothing but pleading gazes. So much to say, so much more to ask. So much he wants to do. But this is neither the time nor the place for it. Too many prying eyes and eavesdropping. Again.
“How did your annual audit go?” Cody catches at a straw to keep the conversation rolling.
“Oh pretty good,” you answer with a chuckle. “The auditors were nothing less than impressed by all the documented figures I provided. At least until they realized that this meant a lot more work for them. They left crying last week.”
Cody laughs. As a result, some of the nearby 212th troopers suspend their meal to gape at him in disbelief. It’s not that Cody wouldn’t be blithe among them, but most of the time he’s so engaged in keep things ticking over: pulling their shebse out of the fire, battleplans, strategic meetings, briefing, debriefing, kicking clankers, picking General Kenobi’s lightsaber up, preventing General Skywalker’s haywire plans, dealing with the fact that fate plays havoc with schedules
 whatever. And most of the time he’s just incredibly tired. Not that he would let his exhaustion show, but it gets more and more difficult for him to maintain the image of an unwavering Marshal Commander with each day longer the war rages on. He just can’t allow himself to be Cody when he’s with them most of the time.
“I knew you’d call the shots, mesh’la.” He cocks his head and winks. “I wouldn't have expected anything less from such a mirdala, mesh’la dala like you.” You smile at him brightly, and he’d gladly give years of his short lifetime if it would mean that he could spend his remaining existence watching you.
“Are you ever going to tell me what it means that you are calling me, Co-... Commander?”
He locks eyes with you. “Oh, but that would spoil all the fun. Right?”
For a second he assesses the risk of you asking one of the other clones what his words mean
 and decides that you probably won't be that bold. And if you’d prove him otherwise, he still can threaten the vod you ask with death if he ever tells. Sure, as if that would stop him. His thoughts are immediately interrupted as he watches you chew on your lower lip, heat spreading on your cheeks as you try to maintain eye contact with him for a few more moments before you get too flustered and give up, trying to hide your face at your shoulder. Kark! He’s in trouble. His own accelerating heartbeat tells him so.
Reaching out his hand, he tilts up your head gently, completely forgetting the surroundings and the hundreds of clones and otherwise employed around. It’s just you and him.
“Don’t you dare and hide that smile from me.”
You softly shake your head while his index finger still props up your chin. There’s a shimmer in your eyes and his own reflection within. Just a little push
 and this time he could lean down to kiss you, tasting those sweet lips for the first time.
“Ahhh Cody
 I was hoping to find you in here,” General Kenobi’s voice suddenly appears out of nowhere. Like a scalded loth cat you take a step back and out of his reach. He longs to chase after you and stop you from going, but you already murmur an excuse and head off to the service counter. He watches as Rex hands you the tray with food he probably got for him while he finds himself drowning in a flood of words from his General.
Force help me!
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Another day passing by more or less eventless. Nothing but paperwork, dull meetings and tasteless slop in the mess hall. You sigh silently to yourself as you make your way back to your office, no longer hungry but all the more downcast. It would have been better if you had gotten takeaway food from the Fondorian diner on the way home, but it's not the dubious deli food that drives you to the headquarter’s canteen every day anyway. And yet he hasn’t shown up for more than a month by now. Your clandestine research has shown that the 212th is currently deployed on Geonosis, a fact that’s frightening you more than anything. The daily reports of extraordinary depreciation adding fuel to the fire of your anxiety. You don’t even dare to watch the holonews anymore, instead you keep your life in its usual frame to distract yourself
 more or less successful. You go to work in the morning, drag yourself through the business of the day, walk back home in the late afternoon. A matter of routine. Sometimes you meet friends. But when you listen to them talking about their partners only makes you notice how lonely you truly are.
Being single wasn’t too bad until you met Cody and allowed your daydreams about him to become more tangible while he kindled your fantasies all the more with the deliberate looks he gave you. Fleeting touches and inklings of his own intentions
 just to ghost out of your reach again. Stars, it’s as maddening as it is thrilling.
Distraction is what you need, for your own sanity. Maybe you should have a walk in the skydome after work before you go home and
 do nothing once again. You could com your bestie and ask her to join you. Yes. That’s what you’re going to do. Still one hour of work left and then

Stopping dead in your tracks, your heart drops into your guts as you reach the door to your office and find it occupied. Instantly you wonder if you overstepped your authority by any means or got into subsequent trouble with the RTAD. Once again you wonder if joining the GAR was your best idea. Your concerns only last for so long. No less than Commander Cody himself sits behind your desk, still fully armored with his helmet on its rightful place between his shoulders, arms resting casually on your desktop. You only gasp in surprise.
“Are you coming in or what?” he orders softly, his low baritone slightly disguised by the vocoder in his helmet.
“Okay.” It’s all you can say as a shudder quite suddenly runs down your spine at the vibrant tone of his voice, for real and not just a memory in your dreams. The step you take is the only audible sound in the room beside the low ‘swoosh’ as the door closes behind you. Did
? Did he just lock you in here with himself?
“I
 I didn't expect you to be here, Commander. Is there anything I can help you with?” You ask him, resting your back against the wall panel as casually as you are able to muster up, amazed by the courage you found somewhere deep inside you and the urge to tease him subtly.
Instead of answering, he cocks his head just a little, the black, unfathomable visor pinning you in place for what feels like eternity. And you hold your breath, your palms starting to sweat, while you wonder if he’s assessing your behavior. Is he amused, mystified or turned on? With his helmet on you can’t tell, but you want to believe there is a smile hidden inside.
“Actually, there is something you can help me with, mesh’la,” Cody eventually says, a dangerous edge to his soft tone. The quiet command almost vibrates through you. It’s the third time that you meet him
 and something feels different about him. The first time he was kind and attentive, almost courting you. The last time, he showed a hint of awkwardness for a split second. And this time? He holds an air of dignity. Is he here to bring something to an end that hasn’t even started yet?
Cody then rises from your chair, straightening up to his full height and as he slowly approaches you while you take a step away from the wall to meet him in the middle of your small room.He absolutely towers over you with his frame. Such an impressive warrior! He would be absolutely intimidating if
 if you wouldn’t know who he is inside his armor. The plastoid, adorned with the iconic sunrise, is battered and tainted by the dust and dirt of Geonosis. Telling you a story of devastation and bravery in the field. You stare up at his dark visor, wishing nothing more than to see his handsome face, and yet enjoying the thrill.
“Yeah? Which is?” You whisper, your body beginning to tingle.
Nothing. For a few more, agonizing seconds while you blink up at him and he just stands there in front of you, waiting. Your heart is racing, and you’re basking in the confidence emanating from him, deadly, awing and oh so calm.
“You could explain to me how it is that I can't stop thinking about you. Not even in the most unlikely moments,” his voice eventually breaks through the silence. The words linger in the air
 and all of a sudden an unprecedented heat wave rushes through you. Did he just say what he said?
“I
,” words fail you and you virtually feel his gaze on you. Although you can’t see them
 you just know that Cody’s eyes observe your face closely. The blush that’s creeping across your cheeks.
His confession comes unexpected - even to himself. Over the last few weeks, Cody tried to push the reminiscence of your encounters aside. But everytime he attempted, the pictures only came back more forcefully. The scent of your hair haunted him in the darkness of Geonosis’s caverns. The sensation of your skin beneath his fingertips kept him awake when he should be sleeping instead. Focusing had never been so difficult. And he knew that he could only produce relief if he’s going to see you. Still, he would have rather died than tell anyone about his feelings. Not even to Rex... but his brother would probably see right through him at first glance.
Your eyes are still fixed to his visor. Even though he regrets that he can’t watch their natural beauty unfiltered, Cody nevertheless appreciates the way the thousand and one filters and sensors inside his helmet highlight the effects he has on you: the lovely tinge of heat on his HUD, the quiet sound of your every breath in his ears, every shaky inhalation you take, amplified by technical appliances and filling his senses.
“... I 
why
 Why would you think about me?” you murmur hesitantly, unaware of the way you gradually make him lose his sanity.
There you are, the most stunning creature he had the chance to meet, either by a lucky coincidence or Force’s providence, clad in the chaste uniform of the GAR. He wants to know how you’d look without it. Cody’s eyes begin to wander, taking in the tiny inches of exposed skin on your hands and neck, the way the gray, solid fabric hugs your hips. Again, his hands feel that pull, that ache to touch you. He wants to dig his fingers into the soft flesh at your waist
 This time there aren’t lightyears of space between you to prevent him.
Osi’yaim, he curses himself, trying to maintain the remnants of his self-control. In his mind Cody conjures up the image of his DC-15 blaster carabiner, mentally disassembling it and putting it back together, as he’s been drilled in years of training, at distraction. He gives up the pathetic attempt and decides to play with fire. You watch with widening eyes as Cody begins to round you; his fingers merely ghost along the neckline on top of your shoulders as he practically prowls around you. Why? Why is he just not able to keep his hands off you?
Just another small step
 and then he stops to stand directly behind you, the proximity of him... of his warmth is causing you to shiver. His words even more.
“You can’t think of any reason?” He whispers suddenly close to your ear. Already so pent up, you feel more than hear yourself making a quiet noise as he teasingly adds “Mesh’la.” Stars, you wonder if you are caught in a dream. If you have dozed off during work and soon you’re about to wake up and he’s gone again.
“I’m not sure
 Cody,” your voice is wantonly breathy, desperate for the attention he’s giving you. Pressing your legs together, you instantly feel the arousal pooling between them. No
 this feels real. More than just real. How is it possible that this one man set you on fire and got under your skin, even though you've only shared so little time? You close your eyes in delight.
The way you breathe his name sounds like a revelation. Oh, you know how to tempt him! Cody can sense the tension rolling off your body even without the sensors, the little tremble of your thighs as you try to hold still in front of him. If you only knew that he struggles with the same restraint, he’d be a goner. Strange enough, he actually savors his restraint as well as endure it, and he can literally feel the strain coursing through his body, every muscle inside him is tense.
And finally
 his composure falters and he gives in to the temptation.
“Because
 ” he whispers but instead of finishing the sentence, Cody lowers his head. The unmistakable motion of a kiss as adamant plastoid touches your skin.
If only he could throw away his buy’ce and bury his face in the crook of your neck, he’d breathe you in to revive the reminiscent of your scent and would taste you for the first time. But it’s afternoon and not in the middle of the night, and with the considerable risk of someone barging in the next moment he rather forsakes the thought. It is not the consequences he has to bear that worry him, it’s your reputation, your career and future at stake.
You whimper a soft sigh when he hums into your neck, the pleasant rumble through the vocoder vibrating in your chest. Your breathing is fast and uneven, a burning desire sparking in your core, just at the idea of his mouth on the sensitive, fragile skin. You hear yourself begging him to take off his helmet and him chuckling in response. All you need is his touch and the closeness that he is willing to give you in this precious moment

And yet the Force is fickle.
Only a few moments later the comm at your desk buzzes, commanding your attention. Cody groans and you throw an exasperated look towards the blinking indicators on the device. “Fucking shit!!! Can.. can we just ignore it? Can’t be that urgent”, but he’s already taking a step back from you, his hands that were resting on your shoulders only a split second ago ghost out of reach.
“It’s alright, cyar’ika,” he hums. “We’ll get another chance.” And you slowly nod in enforced confirmation, shooting him an apologetic look as he walks out of your little office. This time, when he reaches the threshold, the Commander stops and throws a glance back at you. The slight tilt of his helmet
 it’s a silent promise he gives.
Cody watches in mild amusement as you slump in your chair and sigh. His own arousal is burning inside him and almost combusting his armor, but he does his best to shove it to the back of his mind and sustain the image of the dutiful Marshal Commander. Silent and loyal.
Whatever reason the Force has to interfere, it is better to be a good one, he grumbles in the privacy of his helmet.
You answer the call and have a hard time focusing on the flood of information that the treasury agent is letting rain down on you. Several times you try to disrupt him, but you don’t stand a chance every single time. How close joy and sorrow are to each other. Your eyes flutter as you conjure up the image of Cody standing behind you, the smell of danger emanating from him.
Only then do you notice the flimsi on your desk and you reach for it. A handwritten note with what most likely is to be his personal comm.
Are you going to be brave enough to call him?
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In the wee hours you wake up to the buzzing of your comm. Still so tired, you root for the device on your nightstand. Still two hours until you have to get up. You groan silently. But the continuously buzzing sound won’t let you fall asleep again and so you answer the call.
“Hm?” Not very eloquent, but the best you can do for now.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” a warm baritone greets you.
From one second to the other you’re wide awake. “Cody?”
This isn’t the first time that the two of you talk. Ever since he gave you his comm and you called him for the first time, both of you spend spare moments to keep in contact with each other. Five minute calls after a battle, short text messages during the night. You even sent him a picture of you so he could save it on the storage device of his helmet and watch it on his HUD whenever he misses you. At least you hope he does as you don’t know for sure.
“The very one,” he chuckles. “Did I comm at a bad time?”
“You mean because it’s 4:00 am?” You smother a yawn. “No. I am always happy to hear from you. No matter what time it is.”
“Is it? I’m sorry, but I wasn’t aware of this fact.” A flat out lie. There’s hardly anything going on in the galaxy that Cody isn’t aware of, even less something as ordinary as time zones.
“Liar.” That makes him chuckle again.
He seems to be calmer than usual. Less rushed and harried. You’ve only seen him once like that, namely during the night you met him so many months ago. Spring is gradually turning into summer by now. Not that it would make much of a difference on Coruscant with its regulated climate, aside from the blooming oasis under the Skydome. And still there’s hardly anything different in your strange relationship with him since then
 then again everything has changed. You talk to each other, sometimes you flirt with each other
 but neither of you ever dares to mention the almost kisses you shared. Out of courtesy. Out of a sense of duty. Out of fear.
“There’s something I want to show you that couldn’t wait,” he says softly, rousing you from your thoughts, before asking you if you could switch your comm to vid transmission.
Smiling to yourself, you do as he asks, sit up and lean on a pillow against the headboard of your bed, happy that you’re about to see him. Your own appearance might still be a bit disheveled, but he surely doesn’t care. Only

The first thing you see are Cody’s powerful legs, arms casually resting on his thigh plates, while he obviously sits on a rock. Actually you should be embarrassed that a view like that turns you on more than anything. What would you give to sit on his lap just once. But then another thought crosses your mind. If you don’t see his face
 and his body like that
 Does it mean that he shares his view with you?! That would be
 ugh
 Even though you can’t see him, this feels even more
 intimate. He must have switched on the surrounding noise cancellation, cause all you can hear is his steady breathing. It’s just him and you.
“You ready, mesh’la?”
“Ready for what?”
“Oh, you’ll see soon enough,” he implies. Sometimes this clone can be such an enigma.
“If it’s not your handsome face
”
“No. It’s something much better.” What could probably be better than him? But you decide that you teased him enough and keep your remark to yourself.
Cody then raises his head, and the camera in his visor captures a stunning scene. The pastel-colored sky is speckled with orange and peachy clouds that reflect on the surface of a huge lake in front of him. Reed grass sways in the wind and some seabirds chase after unlucky fishes in search of their breakfast. A gentle breeze wafts through huge trees. For a moment the galaxy seems to hold its breath.
“Where are you?” You ask quietly.
“Bakura. We got intel from Clone Intelligence about a possible CIS hideout on here. But Grievous either
” he cuts himself off there, putting a stop to unpleasant topics before they even can start. “Let’s not talk about war for one moment, mesh’la.”
“Okay.”
No matter what you say
 even saying nothing at all and just listening to the other one existing is just enough, more precious time you share with him, never knowing if it’s the last time you’ll ever hear from him. And so both of you settle in a comfortable silence, easily becoming a part of it, breathing slowly and listening to a silent heart beat while you stare at the picture on your comm.
And then
 the sun rises over the lake and bathes everything in the softest, golden glow you ever saw. The colors grow hazy on the ripples, the sky and surface blur at the horizon and make the place look almost impressionistic. It’s awing. Stunningly beautiful and calm. Just like him you realize. And all of a sudden you know why he painted that sunrise on his armor
 and why he shows you this one. Your cheeks suddenly burn with heat, tears well up in your eyes at the sentiment. It’s so incredibly thoughtful of him, so profound, the trust that he puts in you and the things he reveals to you about himself just with the things he shows you and without even saying a word. The veritable Cody inside the shell of the Marshal Commander.
You clench your eyes shut tight, telling yourself to breathe, and you put your hand over your mouth to stifle the sob that threatens to leave you, completely ignoring the fact that he probably has a live vid transmission on his HUD right in front of his eyes.
“I wish you’d be here with me to see it yourself,” Cody admits softly, and you recognize the truthfulness in his voice.
His wish conjures a picture in your mind’s eye, a silly little fantasy, where you sit side by side and your head rests on his shoulder. He’s not concealed by his armor but wearing just a cotton tunic. His fingers intertwined with yours. And there would be nothing to do beside wasting time and forgetting the galaxy around you.
“Maybe one day
 you could show me?”
“Nakar'tuur. Cin vhetin.”
“Will you ever teach me Mando’a, Cody?” You ask him yet again.
“Hm
”
All of a sudden a deafening noise tears the silence, killing whatever answer he was about to give.
“Osi'kyr!” You watch him jump up and as he turns around you see a huge fireball and clouds of smoke in the sky.
“We’re under attack! I need to go, mesh’la.”
“Cody
!!!” You almost choke on his name. “Be safe!” But he doesn’t hear your last words anymore as he already ended the call to get the situation under control. All you can do is to send a prayer to the Force.
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It’s already late and pleasantly warm. Coruscant’s air is sticky with the pouring rain outside. Raindrops glint in the headlights of innumerable speeders and reflect the glow of the billion lights. But Cody hardly even notices any of that as he makes his way to your apartment. The Negotiator docked just 30 minutes ago. And for once he didn’t give a fuck about the debarking schedule. The moment his feet hit Coruscanti ground, he switched off his comlink and flagged down a taxi to get to you, leaving a confused General behind. Waxer is going to act as his representative.
Not even one second longer is he going to waste time! The last attack was too much of a close call.
It's been five days since he last slept. His head aches, his legs even more. He tries to fight the fatigue as best as he can, yet barely makes it from the landing bay to your door, almost collapsing onto your threshold. With one hand he already loosens the seal of his helmet while the other presses the button on the wall panel to ring the bell.
And finally the door slides open and Cody is blessed with the sight of you. Your hair is messy and you wear light, comfy clothes, your entire appearance not at all like it usually is at work. No trace of the serious accountant and only the gorgeous woman he longs for ever since, and a sigh of his name that sounds like a prayer. Maybe that’s why he’s losing his last bit of self-control. He takes a step towards you as you smile at him brightly... and another... and then he drops his helmet in your hallway and doesn't stop walking. Cody simply grabs your waist and gently pulls you along a few steps until his broad body presses you against the wall behind you
 and then he's lifting you completely off the ground, both your legs wrapped around his waist. He fits in between so easily.
There's a split moment of ragged breathing and surprised gasps, your face so close to his like it has never been before. So close that he can smell the sweet fragrance of your breath, and feel it warm on his own face....
Cody kisses you.
Your lips are as sweet as the rest of you, sweeter than uj'alayi, and Cody didn't think that anything in this galaxy could taste
 could feel this good. In all truth, he's been longing for this moment much too long, postponed it too many times to take it slow now. He has merely wished to look at you again as he came over, finally telling you how you make him feel all the time, even though you're lightyears away. How you’ve been his first thought as they made it through that assault on Bakura. He's been hoping that the expression of delight he would find on your face would hopefully match to what he knew are his own feelings. He even expected it to a certain degree. But what he found was a burning desire.
He kisses you like it’s all he ever wanted. And in a sense it is. He had spent a lifetime stricken with pain and devastation, denied everything soft and tender. This mere touch of his small, sensitive patch of skin on yours, it's as if his entire being coalesces with yours in this moment and you give him everything he missed. He nibbles your bottom lip as you softly whimper to beg you... to implore you to let him in.
The silent plea coaxes a low moan out of you, that Cody swallows eagerly as he finally slides his tongue in your mouth. He's certain that at that moment the whole planet turned upside down, so spontaneous and urgent is that kiss. So intense as he licks deep inside you after wanting it for so long. Your hands rake his back in search for purchase, your body arches from the wall into him and you squirm in his hold to get even closer to him. Your breath so heavy and desperate, makes Cody ache and overpowers his senses as he surrenders helplessly with his eyes clenched shut in a trance of sensations.
He doesn’t even know how he made it to your bedroom. A trail of discarded pieces of armor and clothes leading the path to your bed anyway. Yet by the time as he gently lays you down on the mattress, pinning you down with the weight of his own body, Cody gets aware of the heat of hot skin touching hot skin and the pleasant shivers it causes. Your eyes meet, both of you breathless, flushed and disheveled with his hands buried in your hair.
Cody lets himself moan softly, leaning into you and hiding his face in your shoulder. No helmet to keep him from you, no air filter to disguise your pure scent. His whole body lit up like a livewire, he latches onto your warm skin as he wanted the last time you met. Finally... Finally, he can feel the thunder of your rapid pulse under his lips, beautiful and vivid, so much better than he imagined. The taste of your skin salt, soap, and the essence that is you, mingled with the scent of his own sweat and the dust on his armor. You squirm, grinding against him and his much too evident arousal, scraping your fingers over his scalp. You breathe his name, whimpering at the feel of his wet, hot mouth on you. And as he sucks and nibbles, his teeth scraping and gently pinching
 as he’s tasting you in another sensual way... his groan is punched out, broken and hungry. His own needy sounds rumbling through him, startle him. Body going rigid with the awareness of his impatience, he pulls back just enough to look at you.
“I
 I’m so sorry mesh’la,” he pants. But kriff it! He needs you. Needs you so much it almost hurts. And yet there’s this subliminal self-contempt that he brought you in a situation like this. That he’s rushing things after months of longing.
“Cody,” you say softly, shaking your head. “There’s nothing you need to apologize for.”
You look up at him, and his heart throbs at how the diffused light from outside bathes you under him. Your eyes shimmer. Passionate and curious - beautiful and profound like the ocean or a meadow in summer.
“We both knew that, if the threads holding us back would snap, it would get heated
” you voice the obvious, it doesn’t make up for his lack of patience. So many times he imagined what it would be like to bed you, in every scenario he was more
 level-headed. More like himself.
“But I don’t want it to be fast and heated,” he eventually answers, even though he’s all too aware of the pulsing hardness between his legs, a reminder of his lust.
That makes you chuckle so lovely. Biting down on your lip to hold back the frustration about the sudden reprieve of your makeout. Yet he doesn't want to withhold the pleasure from you at all. Quite the opposite

“And what is it that you want?”
“I need you, sweetness
” he tries to keep the huskiness of his voice under control. “But I want you
 to take me
 to take that tension off me. I want you - slow.” Each sentence he underlines with gentle rocking of his hips against yours. With your own arousal coating your thighs and his erection it’s an inhuman task to not give in just yet.
"Oh....!" your flustered exclamation is lost in the chaste kiss he steals from your lips. Tough on the outside, soft on the inside. With you he can show both, the Marshal Commander - and Cody.
“You want me to
?” you ask, not quite knowing what it is he asks you for.
“Hmmm,” he hums in response, his gaze captured by the flushed love bites he left on your neck and shoulders. “I want you to lay your hands on me, mesh’la. Mark me as yours. And later
, “ his voice fades into a low whisper before he sucks another beautiful red mark in your skin.
Your movements are instinctive as you take a hold onto his waist and he rolls the two of you over until you’re on top of him. So that’s how it feels to surrender.
“If that’s what you want
” you whisper in his ear, and his mind cries “yes”, his fingers dig just a little deeper in the soft flesh at your waist.
Yes, that’s better
 he feels like he just might drift away if you weren't holding him down so gently, the sweet ache of a heart beating much too fast in his chest is taking its toll on him as he melts beneath you. Your quiet voice seduces him, calms him.
You reach out your hand and let gentle fingers run through his hair, winding up his black strands and tugging gently. Soft fingertips ghost over his face, the scar at his temple. You’re so scared to touch him, afraid the image of the man you crave for will dissolve as soon as you feel him beneath your fingertips.
“Stars, you’re beautiful,” you purr.
You didn’t mean to say these words out loud, but when he lays in front of you like that, bare and spread out on your bed
 you couldn’t hold them back if your life would depend on it. Cody. The Commander who once stepped into your office and refused to leave your thoughts ever since. No dream could ever be sweeter than this moment when his quiet sighs echo in your bedroom. He told you to go slow on him
 so that’s what you do. It stretches your patience to your limit nevertheless. Ohh... you feel like you’re about to combust. Heat pools deep in your tummy, pouring downwards, pulsing between your legs and trickles down on his thighs like molten pleasure. Still both of you are willing to ignore
 for now.
His muscles flex beneath you as your fingertips barely brush his upper body. From his flushed face, along his neck and collarbones, down to his chest and over his abs you trace each hill and valley, examining every scar. Then you shift and bend your head... Cody inhales deeply and you drink in his scent as your warm breath fans over his hip bone. He arches off the bed as you place tender bites on the insides of his thighs.
Lips so soft cover his body with kisses, hands so fond shower him in tenderness. And with each gentle bite you give him, you elicit another moan from him. With every cautious suction on his skin, you leave another mark on his body
 and you make him beg for you.
“Please
 don’t teas-hmmm
,” his words blur into a low moan as you sink your teeth into groins, making his cock almost jump from arousal.
“Turn around,” you say, asking him to get on his knees. Somehow these words send an unknown thrill throughout his entire being. Cody isn’t sure what possessed him to throw himself at your mercy. Never turn your back to anyone, protect your neck from others at all costs, a lifelong drill to ensure his survival. But just the thought of your lips on his skin, his weak spot, enough to offset that instinct. The intense tingling rushing through his entire body is everything he wants.
He shudders as you place hot open mouthed kisses to that delicate spot behind his ear, and your scent, your closeness, your presence is filling his senses once more. How things have changed. He still remembers the moment both of you were in a similar position
 teasing promises he made. Now you are going to fulfill them.
His whole body is emitting a buzzing energy, painfully aware of how close you are, how your buds are peaked as they skim his shoulder blades like feathers with your soft, shallow breathing. And then the inquisitive tip of your tongue travels down its way along his spine, dances and draws swirling moist patterns along the curve of his flanks. He can’t remember ever being more aroused, his hand slaps the wall in despair.
“Are you feeling fine?” You ask some time later as you feather your fingers over his back and slide them around to his chest, pressing yourself against him from behind. Warm, soft, lost in this moment just like him.
“Yeah
” he gasps, instantly going rigid as you wrap your hand around his hardness. Force! Your hand on him feels so much better than his own.
“Relax
I’ve got you, my love,” you whisper, brushing your thumb along the tip of his cock and humming into the crook of his neck as you apply the warm drops of precum on his flushed skin. Cody only moans hoarsely, leaning forward to brace an arm on the wall, spreading his legs slightly to give you more room for your tender care.
“Hold on tight to me,” you murmur, ever so gently stroking his throbbing length up and down, and you hold him with a hand splayed out on his pecs. He doesn’t find the strength within himself to maintain his patience
 and starts to thrust his hips with your movements. Slow and steady
 maddeningly overwhelming.
Cody closes his eyes and drifts away into that calm, vulnerable silence between desperation and bliss. He feels the tension simmering from his shuddering shape, just about to snap.
“I’m so close,” he pants, chest heaving as he tries to ease the ache in his crotch. It’s becoming all too much

“Mh-hmmmm. I can feel it.” Your voice is sending him closer and closer to that precipice. “Are you going to come for me, Commander?”
And with that he’s devastated, whimpering and pleading. He throws back his head and lays it down on your shoulder, squirming in your hold and moaning as you keep sucking and caressing him. You bite down on his neck, your teeth causing a delicious pain, and you moan together with him, as his cock all of a sudden pulses in your hand
 warmth is coating your fingers and his stomach as he spurts hot white ropes of his pleasure.
As you lay down beside him, nestled against him, he listens to his own breath getting quieter, and feels his heartbeat dying away. Strange enough, his body feels absolutely amazing. The tiredness and exhaustion are still there but almost causing him to feel all safe and fuzzy. The warmth that surrounds him is seeping into his every cell, and he’s never been more satisfied.
“You’re tired, hm?” you whisper, admiring his sleepy eyes, the flushed cheeks of his afterglow.
“Hmm
,” he hums, eyes fluttering while you skim your fingers over his stubble. “But I don’t want to sleep just yet, mesh’la.”
Cody reaches up his hand, to lay his index finger on your lips. He just holds it there for a second, and then tracing it slowly along the gentle curve of your shape... down and further down, watching you closely with wide, innocent eyes, awaiting your permission. “I want to return the favor, want to taste you.”
“Cody,” you give off a shy smile. “You should rest.”
He brushes his nose against your temple, silencing you. “I wouldn’t be much of a gentleman if I’d leave you unsatisfied.” He feels you smile against his cheek at the strangled sound that leaves his throat, just as he stifles a silent yawn.
“And I wouldn’t be much better if I’d strain you. Sleep my sweet Commander and indulge in your dreams. I’ll be here when you wake up...”
“Kriff! You’re
 you are right. I’m so tired...” he admits as he holds you, pulling the soft blankets over you both.
You rest your head on his chest and snuggle up to him, his strong arms holding you close and never letting go of you as the minutes drip by. He thinks about how he’s going to take you apart in every single way you can imagine. For hours
 and how he can die happy knowing how you’ll moan his name. It puts a sleepy smile on his face.
And for the first time in months, you both fall into a deep slumber.
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Taglist: @june-girl-86 @nahoney22 @mavendeb @ashotofspotchka @deewithani @samrubio @thefact0rygirl @boomtowngirl @briefartnaturewolf @kaminocasey @misogirl828 @twistedstitcher27 @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @tecker @rexandechosandwich @aconstructofamind @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @ladykatakuri @nekotaetae @sunflowerrex @lucyysthings @hated-by-me @darkangel4121 @obihiddlenox @padawancat97 @starstofillmydream @starqueensthings @moodymisty @donsani @jediknightjana @fxlsealarm @punkpirate82 @idoubleswearimawriter @flawsandgoodintent @clio3kantarella @trixie2023 @ladytano420 @cw80831 @clonethirstingisreal @pb-jellybeans @griffedeloup @imarvelatthestars @marierg @ura5 @lovebugcody @hipwell
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june-girl-86 · 11 days
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june-girl-86 · 25 days
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đŸ„”
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Something about Din sitting there, brooding...
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june-girl-86 · 1 month
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Pedro 👀
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june-girl-86 · 1 month
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đŸ„”
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PEDRO PASCAL — Outstanding Male Performance in a Drama Series for "The Last of Us" at the SAG Awards (Feb 24, 2024)
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june-girl-86 · 1 month
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@dornish-queen 🩆
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june-girl-86 · 1 month
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Just a flap of wings divides the air. A sweet fragrance or a newly created deep chasm could arise elsewhere. But everything has an effect on our being, no matter how small and subtle. Cause and effect seem to have fallen out of time and reality. Everything is fragile and small just because of the flapping of a butterfly's wings. 🩋
oh yes, this poem is beautiful. it's so good after a hard day's work. thank you
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june-girl-86 · 1 month
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SAG-AFTRA Foundation actors roundtable !
Available now on Youtube
youtube
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june-girl-86 · 1 month
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yet-to-be eleased pic from seemingly a Vanity Fair article
Pedro & Colman Domingo
Could be for the 2024 Vanity Fair Hollywood Cover Issue.
Found by @pedropascalunofficial randomly on google images. But it doesn't link to any article related to it.
Credit to the photographer as soon as it will be out officially
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june-girl-86 · 1 month
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You'll get the side stories and background stories 😁
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Chapter 56
While the catastrophe has befallen Boro-Borosa, they still don't know about it on Nevarro. But they also have to deal with small problems until something happens here too.
Pairing: Din Djarin x OC Female!
ReaderRating: Mature/Explicit (+18)
Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence / Love / Action&Adventure / Blood&Violence / Drama & Romance / Slow Burn / Fluff&Smut
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Cara replayed the recording for the third time and smiled. She was sitting alone in the office, she had sent Mythrol away when the encrypted message arrived. She wanted to check it first before anyone else saw it. As a result, no one had seen the tears of joy that welled up in her eyes when she first saw it. Cara was very happy for Din and Liara. And this child was so lucky that they had found her. A child's laughter made Cara look out into the street. Since the Mandalorians had arrived, the streets of the city had become even livelier. At first, the inhabitants of Nevarro had watched the new arrivals with suspicion; there had been a lot of damage and casualties last time.
Now the fighters were back, but they no longer seemed as dangerous as they all remembered. Probably also because they were no longer hiding and showing their faces. It also helped that the children had no reservations about each other and treated each other normally.
As a result, there were soon twice as many children in the school and just as many rushing through the streets and getting up to mischief.
Yesterday they had a lot of work to do when they opened the cages with the monkeys at the market and then they ran away. It took hours to catch them all again. Another laugh rang out and a horde of children ran past.
"Are they plotting again?"
Cara flinched, startled, as Sona stood in the doorway and her hand went to her gun. She hadn't noticed the woman. Sona raised her hands reassuringly, annoyed. Seeing Cara smile after all these weeks was progress. So was the fact that she was working again and yet every shock sent fear through the young woman's limbs and made her freeze.
"I'm sorry," Sona apologized and Cara shook her head. There was another alarm in the room and she tried to calm down. She was safe.
Cara took a deep breath, then nodded to Sona.
"I'll probably be busy again soon!" Cara joked, before asking Sona to join her. She pointed to the holoscreen and played the message. Now Sona realized why Cara had smiled, she felt the same way. "Din has finally found his family again and started a new one in the process! It's so nice that we Mandalorians are growing again!"
The news that the Hidden Ones would soon be making their way to Nevarro made Sona happy. And she hoped that everything would be peaceful, they had fought each other too often in the past. Cara stood up and reached for the hologram stick.
"Then I'll show Greef and the others the good news!"
Sona shook her head vehemently and stopped Cara. She stood in her way.
"No!"
Cara frowned. Sona sighed.
"There is someone I no longer trust. So please keep this information secret, I'm afraid Bo-Katan will know immediately!"
Cara looked at Sona in astonishment and she suddenly looked very tired.
"I just hope I'm wrong. I don't want to voice my suspicions either, so that you can continue to have a clear view of things!"
Cara nodded in understanding and turned away. In the next room, she locked the flash drive in the safe. A brief sting on her temple made her lean her head against the wall. The memory of the torture and this situation confused her. A reassuring, warm hand touched her on the shoulder. Sona knew about everything, she had told her, and the weaponsmith had just listened at first, before talking to Cara and helping her out of the clutches of nightmares.
"Here you go and I've put some sweets in your bag," said the shopkeeper, winking and handing Ziv the purchases. He thanked her and held the bag close to him.
"And give my best wishes to your mom!"
Ziv nodded and said goodbye. He had picked up the things he had ordered after school had finished, as his mother didn't get home from work until late. Ziv meandered through the hustle and bustle with his heavy school bag on his back and his shopping. He noticed two of his classmates who had just reached home and waved to him. The delicious smell from one of the cooking areas caught his nose and Ziv hurried, as he was hungry. Once home, he stowed away the groceries and took his food out of the fridge to warm it up. He threw his school things into his room and devoured his meal. He had the radio on in the background. When it was so quiet, he felt uncomfortable, but he would never tell his mom that. It had been difficult for her to go back to work, but it had to be done, the support from his former employer after his father's death had run out. Now his mom was looking after the old people who couldn't afford the droids. It was also no problem to take his little sister Izy with him. So Ziv spent most of his time alone at home, but conscientiously did various chores at home or homework so that his mom could rest a little after her work and she didn't have to worry. Above all, Cara had refrained from telling her about the monkeys. Since the Mandalorians had come back, with all the children, he had made new friends. Every now and then they did a few things that weren't allowed.
Like freeing the monkeys from their cages. It was great fun at first, but then they caused more and more chaos and one of them escaped to the Anzellans' workshop. The little creatures made a louder racket than all the monkeys put together.
Cara had all the culprits line up and clean up. Ziv's job was to help the Anzellans and apologize to them. They were a little vindictive and he now had a few more afternoons to show up there to work off the damage. Although, it wasn't that bad there. There was a lot to discover in their collection. Ziv sighed and picked up his backpack to do his homework.
They hadn't had much to do, so he didn't think twice and ran outside. He wanted to go to the tunnel, where he had lost his Mandalorian necklace a few days ago, which he had been given by Din when he had been rescued by him. When the Mandos came back and reported on how Din and Liara were doing and what they had already experienced on their journey, he had been pleased to hear from them again. He was also glad to hear that they would be back here soon, once they had finished their search for Din's family. Ziv scurried down one of the side streets that led to the old entrance. You weren't supposed to go down there anymore, there had been cave-ins from a few eruptions of the volcano, but Ziv knew where to go and it was safe.
He walked down the steps, the dusty, dirty smell greeted him. His flashlight lit the way for him and after a few minutes it did indeed glitter in the light. Ziv whooped and picked up the chain. The ribbon was torn, but the pendant was still on it. He put it in his pocket and was about to go back when he heard voices. They were coming from the old smithy. Curiosity got the better of him and the boy crept towards the vault.
"... he wants to go to Aq Vetina and build the new home there..."
It was the voice of Paz, the great Mando, Ziv found him a little terrifying. He and Sona had come back with Cara, they hadn't been well for a while afterwards. Perhaps also because Ezer hadn't survived. There were several days of mourning for the young bounty hunter. Ziv wondered who Paz was talking to, he understood immediately that it was about Din as the place had been mentioned a few times by the other Mandos. A female voice replied.
"This is quite enough for me. I know where this place is. That's where I killed his parents and that's where his last hour will have come. Even if I have to wait many more rotations for them there, it will be a joyful wait!"
Ziv was shocked by the malice in his voice. He absolutely had to get to Cara and tell her about it. Slowly he walked backwards, caught on a beam and fell backwards. It was loud enough to alert Paz. He came rushing out and saw the boy struggling to his feet and staring at the man with wide eyes.
"You know what you have to do!" the woman's voice sounded from the holotransmission and Paz said yes. Ziv swallowed, then ran off, and from the sounds of it, Paz did too. The smell of sulphur increased and Ziv was aware he was running in the wrong direction, but there was another turn and he had to catch it. Unfortunately, his flashlight was flickering, the energy was fading and he would miss the path. He heard Paz shouting threats and, despite the warmth, he felt freezing cold. Ziv glanced backwards, noticing the glow from Paz's torch. When he turned back around, Ziv's eyes widened in shock, but he couldn't stop. There was a gaping hole in front of him, and he jerked his arms, hoping to catch his weight and fall backwards. But it was in vain, his body fell and Ziv screamed until he hit the ground. A wave of pain seized the boy and immediately sent him into a deep unconsciousness. Paz heard the impact, stopped at the edge and glanced down the few meters. The boy was lying next to some rocks, open wounds visible. That solved the problem, he thought and turned away.
Yazmin put the sleeping Izy in her bed and left the nursery. She was just as tired herself. In the kitchen, she noticed the bag of fruit bears and smiled. Ziv had received another present. She took a few and snacked on them. The sweetness was good for her now. When she had entered the apartment, everything had been dark and she assumed that Ziv was already asleep. She decided to leave the boy alone and went to bed too. Tomorrow was her day off and she would cook him his favorite meal.
The radio was on, scrambled eggs and bacon were sizzling in the pan and Izy was toddling around barefoot. Yazmin hummed along to the song, looked at her watch and sighed.
"Ziv, honey!"
After she had set the table, there was still no sound from Ziv's room. Yazmin knocked on his door, getting a little angry now.
"Get up!"
The murmur that usually followed failed to materialize and she opened the door.
"You're coming to..."
A few clothes were scattered around, but the bed was untouched. Yazmin was confused and ran to the bathroom, but it was empty too. Izy followed her mom laughing, she hadn't understood the seriousness of the situation. There was a rucksack in the kitchen, so Ziv hadn't left for school early. Yazmin ran her fingers nervously through her hair, then turned off the stove, grabbed Izy and knocked on the neighbor's door. She hadn't seen him since yesterday either. The neighbor took Izy from her, recognizing her mother's helplessness.
"I'll look after the little one. Go to Cara and find him!"
Yazmin nodded and ran off.
Cara was discussing today's appointments with Mythrol and Kadin, a new member of Nevarro's security staff, when a woman came rushing in, completely upset.
"Yazmin?"
"Ziv's gone!"
She reported everything, presumably that he had disappeared yesterday and she hadn't noticed.
"I wish I'd looked in on him again!" she reproached herself and sank into a visitor's chair. Cara shook her head.
"You couldn't have known. We'll go to the school now and ask everyone there if they know anything!"
Yazmin nodded and the women set off.
"Maybe the Anzellans didn't let him go yesterday. I wouldn't be surprised. We'd best go and check there now!"
Yazmin frowned irritably and stopped.
"Why Anzellans?"
Cara paused and sighed.
"He didn't tell you anything?"
Yazmin shook her head. Cara told her about the incident with the monkeys and Yazmin closed her eyes. When she looked at Cara again, she noticed how horrified her mother was.
"I get paid well, but I hardly ever get to see my big boy. And the fact that he hides this from me..."
Cara ran her hand along Yazmin's arm as they were about to reach the workshop.
"At that age, you're always keeping secrets from your parents!"
She winked at Yazmin and she actually grinned as she thought about the past.
The little creatures were chattering loudly and Cara needed some time, she understood the language, but too much at once was borderline. She knelt in front of the entrance and nodded a few times. Yazmin was crouched beside her, but she had gotten out after the first few words and was just hoping the Anzellans could help them. Cara sat up and waved into the workshop before the door closed.
"He was supposed to show up today, they don't know where he is. If we find him, they'll insist he works off his debt!"
The women got up and walked on to the school. Lessons were already in progress there and Caz was reluctant to be disturbed. Cara explained the situation, pointing to Yazmin, who was pacing back and forth outside the window. The droid interrupted the lesson and they asked the children if they knew anything. But they all said no. Two said the last time they had seen him was when he was leaving the market on his way home. That didn't help Cara, since the shopping and his rucksack were at home, he must have left the apartment again afterwards.
Cara took Yazmin back to her office. She was still beside herself with worry. Cara informed Greef that they had a missing person case. Shortly afterwards, he appeared with several bounty hunters from the guild.
"We're going on a search now. Don't worry, we'll find him!"
Yazmin thanked them all and looked after them as they disappeared into the alleyways. Two of them wanted to search everything with their ships from above, on and far behind the lava fields.
Over the course of the day, more and more people came to hear about Ziv's disappearance. Yazmin was overwhelmed by the willingness to help and began to cry. She had been holding back the tears the whole time, but as time passed and they didn't find him despite the many helpers, her nerves were frayed. Sona, who had brought over some food, comforted the worried mother. She gave her hope, but the feedback was always negative.
"He can't just disappear into thin air!"
Cara secretly agreed with her, but there were plenty of places in and around the city to hide or find herself in a helpless situation. The day was drawing to a close and Cara sent Yazmin to her apartment, above the office, so she could get some rest. Izy was in good hands with her neighbor, who had immediately agreed to continue looking after the girl. Cara took turns with Kadin during the night, asking for situation reports from the searchers. A team would continue to search the tunnels in the morning, but it was not entirely safe due to the danger of collapse in some places.
Dark shadows had settled under Yazmin's eyes. Her sleep had been restless and now she hoped the coffee would give her a boost. Cara yawned furtively behind her arm before biting hungrily into a chocolate roll that Greef had brought them with a few other goodies. His bounty hunters were ready to help again today. There was a knock and a woman entered with a boy. Gry, one of the Mandalorian women, and her son Rufo, whose red hair looked almost more intense than his mother's. Cara knew Rufo well, he had a lot of nonsense in his head and was the one who had freed the monkeys. But he too would have to serve his sentence for a few more hours with the merchant.
"He has something to tell you!"
Rufo looked at those present, somewhat unsettled, while Gry put his hands on his shoulders to encourage him.
"Is it that bad?" Cara asked and Rufo shook his head. He swallowed.
"Did you find his necklace?"
Cara looked at Yazmin, who was now sitting upright and staring at Rufo. Cara answered in the negative.
"He lost it the other day when we were in the tunnel..."
Yazmin gasped, Gry raised his hand.
"I was down there with him, there was something in one of the quarters that once belonged to us. They didn't leave the secure area! Rufo confessed to me this morning that they were still there, otherwise I would have informed you yesterday!"
Rufo nodded.
"He noticed upstairs that the chain was gone. But as it was already time to go home, he wanted to look for it another time. But we only went to the old quarters, honestly!"
Sona shone her light over the dusty floor. Behind her, Paz moved around, looking into every niche they knew. The weaponsmith had immediately offered to search her old home. A strange feeling had accompanied her since they had entered the tunnels, she just couldn't grasp it. At the former smithy, she paused and noticed the many footprints. A search party had already been here, but had turned back as one of the paths was impassable. But there was another one and they were now walking along it. They kept calling for Ziv's name, but got no answer.
"If he was hiding here, he would have realized by now that we were looking for him," Paz grumbled and Sona noticed how the giant slowed down. She turned to him, shone a light in his face and blinked.
"Maybe something's happened to him!"
She noticed the flicker in Paz's eyes, but suppressed it. The two of them continued to search, the smell of sulphur was very intense and it was getting warmer. Paz shone his torch along the corridor, pointed at the rubble and tore at the floor.
"This is as far as it goes!"
Sona nodded, but she didn't turn back. She sensed that Paz was desperate to leave this place and the uneasy feeling intensified. When she sat down in front of the hole and shone her light into it, she froze. Sona jumped up and pushed the astonished Paz against the wall. She screamed at him, it echoed off the wall.
"You son of a bitch. What did Bo-Katan promise you?"
Paz swallowed and pointed to his temple, the same scar as Cara's. Sona shook her head, then left him and climbed down to Ziv. When she touched the child, she couldn't believe it, but she felt a pulse beat and oxygen escaped from his mouth. She immediately relayed the location via the communicator and looked up at Paz, who was giving her light. His hand trembled and he closed his eyes. Hopefully he would soon be punished for this.
Ziv was already in one of the treatment rooms when Yazmin arrived at the medical center with Cara. She caught sight of Sona. The boy's blood was on her hands and clothes. Yazmin let out a scream and collapsed. Cara tried to hold her mother down, but it was only with Greef's help that they managed to maneuver her onto a bench in the waiting area.
"He was alive and I'm sure they'll be able to help him!" Sona tried to reassure her, but realized that she would further unsettle her mother in that state. She immediately left the center to clean up and change in her accommodation. Paz wanted to follow her, but Sona shook her head.
"Don't you dare leave here. You will speak to the Creator and hope the boy survives!" she hissed at him. Paz glared after her, then sat down in one of the rows of chairs to wait like the others.
Flora looked anxiously at the monitor, which showed them the boy's data. When the door opened and the Twi'lek entered, she handed the pad to the doctor.
"He must be operated on immediately. I will inform the relatives! Let Doctor Gago know and I'll follow!"
Flora nodded and set to work.
Yazmin saw a doctor coming towards her and she began to tremble. Cara squeezed her hand and stood by her.
"I am Doctor Loris. I'm going to operate on your son with my colleague. He has many fractures, but we will leave them untreated at first. His internal injuries are very serious and have priority!"
Yazmin swallowed and nodded, she had understood the doctor. He smiled encouragingly at her and then hurried into the operating theater.
It took a long time, new blood reserves were requested again and again, but they were able to stabilize the child. "He seems to be a bit of a fighter, lying somewhere for so long with these injuries alone..." said Gago, looking after the patient, who was now being taken to the intensive care unit.
"Let's hope he survives the next 24 hours and then we can repair the fractures. Only then will I be persuaded to have a drink of joy!" Loris tried to put the brakes on his colleague. But he also secretly hoped that the boy would recover. Hopefully his head hadn't sustained any damage...
"I'll talk to the mother and let her see him!"
Gago nodded and the two of them left the operating theater.
Yazmin sat next to her child's bed, cables and tubes everywhere. A machine was helping him to breathe. The doctor had explained to her that they had put him in an induced coma while they had not yet operated on him because of the fractures in his leg and arms.
"That way he is completely pain-free and his body can recover. He needs all the strength he can get!"
The wire mesh on his head was supposed to measure brain waves and pressure; his brain was swollen from the impact. So far, everything was still fine and he was given medication to help him lose weight. Despite the bruises and abrasions, his face was pale and Yazmin gently ran her trembling fingers over his skin. Her eyes watered again.
"I'm here, my darling, everything is going to be all right now!"
---
@the-rain-on-kamino
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june-girl-86 · 1 month
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I've read the books and somehow this part is missing? đŸ•”ïžâ€â™€ïž
We have to let Karen know, the books need to be expanded!
I love this part, how "little" brother Fi worries about Niner and wishes him the best, even though Fi himself is in a turmoil of thoughts.
I'm looking forward to the date 😁
Insomnia
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Rating: This is still an 18+ blog
Pairing: Niner Skirata x fem!reader
Wordcount: 8k
Warnings: Pure fluff, a little hurt/comfort, pining, awkwardness, touch-starved Niner, making out, petting
A/N: Why did it take me so long to write for my favorite commando?! Reader is described with hair
Summary: The moment Jaller Obrim introduces you to Skirata's secret anti-terror unit, Niner feels undeniably attacted to you... and still tries to act against concealed desires. He has to learn that the more he squelch his feeling he only hurts himself.
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“You do know what black ops are, right?” Skirata didn't shout. But he was about to snap. Niner could feel it, see it. He clutched the backrest of a chair to keep his hands from doing something he might regret. His opponent wasn’t impressed in the slightest and only raised a brow.
“We keep what we do here secret for a reason, from the public, the GAR or the CSF... that means the fewer people in the know, the better. I don’t need another security risk or a possible leak,” he elaborated, his eyes switching between Obrim and you. “I am sorry ma’am, it’s nothing personal.”
You only nodded wordlessly in response and gave him a thumbs up. And Niner, just as the other men from Omega and Delta squad, attended the argument in silence. All he could see was you. He just didn’t know if it was shock, curiosity or something else that held him captive in your presence.
“Knock it off, Kal!” Captain Obrim eventually said and moved a step closer towards Skirata. Niner felt Ordo immediately tense, ready to jump in if things got out of hand. “I already told you that I suffer from temporary deafness and my blindness even spread from one eye to two eyes by now. But,” he made a short pause to inhale, Niner wasn’t sure if it was for dramatic effect or if he just needed to calm himself, “even I can’t pretend it’s nothing out of the ordinary for a jedi and two Republic Commandos to go haywire and have a speeder chase through the lower levels. I am no warlock who can let the debris and a few corpses vanish in plain view.”
Skirata didn’t answer this time, Fi’s and Sev’s expressions spoke volumes. A sense of guilt hung in the air. He didn’t need to be Bardan to perceive it.
“I am still willing to try, Kal. Because I like you and I know it’s for a good thing. I don’t want any more of your men getting killed by terrorist attacks. And that’s why she’s here. She’s one of my most capable officers, and whenever you or your boys will get into shit, she’ll be there to make sure that I am the first to know the news and get you out of it. Understood?”
Even Skirata couldn’t oppose this logic, and that’s how you stayed.
It’s been three days since then.
Three long days
 and nights
 in which he tried to perform at his best and dissemble his nervousness. Back on Qiilura a few months ago, he had a similar feeling when he met Etain for the first time. But this due to the fact that she was the first woman ever he had to work with and there was this unmistakable effect she had on Dar, still has, and he didn’t know what to expect. The nervousness he holds around you is of a different kind, very unfamiliar. And uncertainty he finds unpleasant to say the least.
At first he thought it was banthashit. His trepidation only because he’s not used to operating on Coruscant among civilians and without his armor to protect him. Too many vague factors for him to feel safe and confident. Yet as the sergeant of an elite squad he soon adapted to the circumstances
 with one exception. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn’t act normal around you. Each time you entered the room, he held his breath. At mealtimes he found himself staring at you from the corner of his eyes. Whenever he came back from his sentry duty and would find you in conversation with one of the other boys, smiling and laughing, he frowned and wondered where this tight feeling in his chest came from. But did he sit down and join the conversation? No. He remained mostly silent and went for a hot shower. Except this morning. Sergeant Kal was there too and asked him to stay. And Niner listened to him as he told you about Mandalorian culture, training on Kamino and his efforts to bring out the best in his sons by all available means.
“I made clear to them that their squad is the only beacon they can and have to rely on, anytime - anywhere. It's my fault that they have a hard time socializing. But they are good boys.” Atin huffed, Darman grinned and Niner felt strangely called out, but then flushed brightly as you looked straight at him with an enticing smile.
"Socialising wasn’t part of our job description,” Fi quipped, and again Niner was amazed about his skills to take the tension out of almost every situation.
“Without a doubt.”
Hm? Were you responding to Fi's comment
 or Kal's? It was getting hot in here.
Atin huffed again, Niner glared at him and Etain’s mouth escaped a silent ‘Oh’.
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A few hours later, he’s now in his room. Alone. A pencil in his hand and a sheet of flimsi on his knees. He had a hot shower before. And while the droplets trickled down on his body, calming and lulling him, he couldn’t stop thinking about you
 the white tunic you wore
 water

- knock knock -
The sound startles him, so much he almost drops the pencil.
“Knock, knock,” Fi repeats his knocking verbally. “Open up, dear sergeant, your favorite brother is here and has brought gifts for you!”
“I’m sleeping,” Niner replies.
“Nice try.” Fi all of a sudden appears in the room. Clones aren’t used to the term ‘privacy’ very much.
“That’d only be true if you were Dar.” He smirks. And then raises his brow quizzically as Niner lets the flimsi disappear behind his back. “What are you doin’?”
“Where’s my gift?” He counters, without deferring to his question at all. And he feels more annoyed about the disturbance than he’d like to admit. The sooner Fi leaves him, the sooner he can go back on doing what he’s doing.
“Kal skipped your watch. He and Jusik take over the next shift. You can take a rest - for brooding.”
Niner grows stiff as Fi walks over and sits down on the bed next to him. It’s probably not fair to feel this way, as under normal circumstances, Niner is the happiest when he’s surrounded by his brothers. How should Fi know he’s considered a disturbance right now? He offers him a chocolate bar with nuts and Niner’s fast to tear it from his hand. There’s always time for candy.
“Are you okay, ner vod?” Fi asks and scrutinizes him. At his nod he gives an incredulous snort.
“Who are you trying to fool, Niner?”
And with reversed roles, the two clones then sit side by side, Fi convincing him that there’s nothing he would need to hide from his brothers and they’ll be here for him and having his back in whatever situation. And it is Niner who’s trying to shake it off as if it's nothing. He can’t tell. Not to Fi. As he’s already the one who suffers most of being denied a normal life and desires they were unable to pursue. Then again, it probably makes him the one to understand him best.
“Want to see what I was trying to hide?”
“Bet your shebs on it!” Fi says and nudges his shoulder with his own.
"Please don’t tell anyone. Okay?”
His brother’s eyebrows rise and he gives him a mock offended look. Truth to be told, he’s not even sure why he wants to keep this a secret at all. Because
 there’s the chance for the wrong people to find out. Now.. if they were on a mission somewhere on a backwater planet
 he wouldn’t hesitate for even a second to tell his squad mates. Then again
 if they were on a backwater planet, he wouldn’t be in this misery. He brings out the flimsi and wordlessly hands it over to Fi.
A drawing
 of a woman’s shape. From her jawline, across her neck and collarbone, down to her waist. A white tunic has slid off her shoulder and sticks wet to her skin, revealing her curves. A hardened nipple peeking through the sheer fabric. No face. No features to give indications about who she is. Just a few freckles covered with droplets of water.
“Wow. You really studied her carefully, didn't you?”
Niner catches his breath. “How do you
?” He’s scared. Embarrassed. Something in between. He thought the picture would be vague enough to not give a hint on who’s the one in it. Now he might as well have written a name on it. Your name.
“It’s the curve of her jawline,” Fi answers. “And those little marks.”
Unintentionally, Niner gnashes his teeth. He always does when he gets upset. But why does the fact that Fi recognizes your silhouette even makes him uncomfortable? Fi was about to point at the spot concerned but as soon as he senses his distress, he pulls back and just keeps looking at the picture. They don’t need words to understand each other.
“Why don’t you just ask her out on a date? Have some drinks in Quibbu’s bar during your downtime.”
“No.”
“Just no?”
“No. As in: No I can’t, because we are on a mission and I need to concentrate on the task and keep an eye on you all. And when we’re done here, we will
”
“Blah, blah, blah
. Any other excuses?” Fi won’t take it.
Excuse is the right word. Or not? There are probably a million reasons why it would be a bad idea to delve into something that isn’t supposed to last. He’s not supposed to last. And he can’t afford to be distracted. Darman already is with Etain around. And he’s seen the tender bonds blooming between Atin and Laseema. He sees the effects their excursions to a romantic attachment have on Fi, the one left without a love interest. The pain he’s going through whenever he watches the couples in the streets and thinks that no one would notice. But Niner does notice. Anytime. And he won’t leave his brother alone with his suffering.
“It’s a long shot.” Still it hurts to say it out loud. “We are probably already dead by tomorrow.”
Fi inhales deeply. “Even more reason to take the chance when it presents itself to you, di’kut.”
“Then why don’t you take the chance?”
“Because
 it’s not me she observes when she thinks no one’s looking.”
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Force, it’s already late again!
After all those years in the CSF, you’re used to working shifts. Your sleeping routine would allow you to fall asleep almost anywhere at any time. A habit you obviously share with Darman as you found out during the last days. But ever since you joined Kal Skirata’s little undercover anti-terror unit at Jaller’s request, sleep just won’t come to you. And it’s definitely not because of the stress coming with the task, or the awareness that you practically sleep on top of explosives. So many that you could blast half of the district into the next galaxy. No, you’re used to the danger and they seem to know what they are doing. Ordo, the captain, eludes a confidence second to none, and the eight clone commandos are able to work together like the well-oiled gearbox of a podracer. Even though you heard that Delta and Omega weren’t too fond of each other recently. Whatever the reason is, it obviously has no effect on their commitment.
But it’s not the clones that keep you awake either. At least not all of them. Although you had admittedly trouble maintaining your composure when you first saw them. They almost do look alike. The same thick black hair with the crewcut, the same beautiful golden-brown eyes, the same handsome faces and charming smiles. Maybe except Sev, but you’re sure he’d be just as charming if none of the others would witness. The same broad and tall frames, imposing stances. And then there are the things that make them special
 unique. Like the little quirks they all have. Each their own. The little scars and marks. The different ways they carry themselves
 and it’s those little differences that make you hold your breath everytime you see him: Niner. RC-1309.
Who the fuck thought, that giving them numbers and designations instead of names would be a smart move? And why the fuck do some of them chose a name still connected to that number? Loyalty maybe? Or just because they didn’t know better? It still is telling, you think.
Nevertheless, it suits him. Niner. You catch yourself whispering his name when you’re alone in the fresher, enjoying how it falls off your tongue. Niner. He seems to be a little more tense than the rest but his tension falls off the moment you all gather around the table at mealtimes and he’s surrounded by his brothers and he sees that everyone’s safe. When he smiles, actually he does it quite often but unconsciously, he has those little wrinkles around his eyes and looks much younger than he gives himself. He makes fun of Ordo for refusing to eat the so-called meat at Quibbu’s and he keeps Omega Squad back on track each new day. He’s diligent and dutiful, serious
 but with that peculiar, subtle charme. And yet, he also holds that touch of authority that gives you shivers
 in the best of ways. Niner. Trooper to the core. But it also keeps you from flirting with him
 much to your regret. And that’s why you can’t sleep anymore. Because he refuses to leave your thoughts for even a second, all those ‘what ifs’ and ‘why not’.
You had a pretty good day today. At first you joined Fi and Sev during their sentry duty, Kal thought it best if they wouldn’t team up with Jusik again. Mereel showed up, one of Ordo’s Null-ARC brothers, and his mere presence somehow lifted the spirits of the whole motley crew: Clones, Jedi, Mandos and you. Then you had dinner with most of them at Quibbu's, fighting side by side against the threats of indefinable food. After that you met Jaller to report to him. He told you some news from the headquarters and your department which he thought would be useful for Skirata to know. He asked you how you feel in your temporary companionship and as you blushed, he gave you a knowing smile. “I thought so,” he said. In the evening you sat down in the common space with Etain, Bardan and Kal and time flew by as you were talking. Kal talked about Kamino, the Jedi about their duty in the order and you about your life in the CSF. Each of you learned something new that evening. Etain was the first to pretend to go sleeping as soon as Darman was back at the accommodation. Mh-hmmm. Bardan left shortly after.
As only Kal and you remained, he then said that he’s going to sleep too. You watched as he didn’t get up but made himself comfortable in an armchair and you asked him why he wouldn’t go to his room.
“Ad’ika, the day I met those incredible boys I made a vow to protect them whatever may come. And that I would not rest until I can provide them a normal life. These men have only half of our lifetime - at best. And as long as this injustice isn’t set right, the least I can do is to abstain from convenience to remind myself each day that my work isn’t done yet.”
You took his hand in yours and fought tears. And then you remained seated on the couch to keep him company, saying it was the least you could do to show your appreciation for him and his sons. He winked at you and said that there would be something else you could do, but he didn’t elaborate further and you didn’t ask.
As night fell and the top floor went dark and quiet, you allowed your tears to run down your cheeks. The realization that the clones, Niner, age twice as fast took you off-guard. Only half a life. And the lifetime they have is filled with clashes, devastation, pain and grief. It’s making their smiles even more special.
When your tears have dried and your silent sobs subsided, you lose yourself in daydreams about him once more. All those things you could do to him to make him happy and feel good. You dream about him seducing you, whispering sweet praise in your ear as he savors his time with you. You know it won’t happen. For one thing because he never even showed a sign that he’d be interested in such things at all or you in particular, and for another you don’t know if you’d make his life even more unbearable for him. He might suffer with the thought of what life could hold for him while he’s jammed in a shithole somewhere in the galaxy, his DC at the ready and some seppies in its crosshair.
Still, you want him. You want all of him, and not only your fantasies about him. Forever and not just in those few days left until their mission on Coruscant is accomplished. You want to fill his emptiness in return. You know it won’t happen

‘Stay with me,’ your mind speaks. You won’t ever voice these words.
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Suddenly you hear a door opening, followed by a soft footfall. And not a moment later Niner of all people is standing in the rec room. Somehow you feel caught red-handed, you just have no idea why. It’s not that he’s Jusik and can sense your emotional state let alone your thoughts.
“Hi,” you mouth, not catching the way he subtly tenses when he sees you sitting there.
“You’re still awake?” His voice is barely more than a whisper but in the silence of the top floor you hear him as if he’d breathe the words right next to your ear. For a split second a mental picture flashes up in front of your eyes. It almost makes you gasp.
“I could ask you the same question - if it was one.”
Even while you are talking, he walks over to the armchair Skirata chose as his sleeping place and then covers his sergeant with a warm blanket. The older man doesn’t wake up or maybe he just feigns sleep to not fuel Niner’s obvious concern. This small and yet so significant gesture in the middle of the night tells you so much about this particular clone’s nature who usually hides behind a wall of silence in the daytime.
“Insomnia. I got used to it by now,” he eventually answers and runs one hand through the dark hair, mussing up the black strands. He’s wearing his red fatigues and even in darkness the way the smooth fabric emphasizes his toned body makes your cheeks prickle with heat. You doubt that he even has a clue of how flustered and thrilled he leaves you, every time he comes your way. If only your expression doesn’t betray your thoughts. But then again it’s dark.
“Just because you are used to it doesn’t make it less serious.”
He only smiles. You watch as Niner walks back to his room. But before he vanishes from sight he stops dead in his tracks, turns around, and leans against the wall with one shoulder. As he crosses his arms in front of his chest, his shirt rucks up just a little and
 Ohhhh
 damn! That elastic waistband sits low on his hips.
“You didn’t tell me why you are still awake yet,” he chides you, but his voice is still so incredibly soft.
‘It’s because of you.’ But you are not brave enough to tell him the truth. Instead you hear yourself say with a chuckle: “I am not used to situations like that. Trapped in a hotel amidst strangers and not knowing how this is going to turn out for me.”
“Fair enough,” he answers and if you thought that he would leave you now, he surprises you again.
“Is
 there anything I can do to make you feel better?” There’s a short pause in his speaking.
You know he doesn’t mean it in that way. He probably is just kind and his sergeant nature shines through like it did moments ago when he cared about the sleeping Skirata. But you are so surprised by his question that you don’t know what to answer and so you just shrug and shake your head awkwardly. It makes him smile defeatedly.
“Okay. Let me know if there’s something I can do. I don’t want you to consider us strangers.” He pushes away from the wall, ready to turn around.
“Niner?”
“Hm?”
“Would you mind if I stay awake with you?”
In the following silence you hear him swallow and your fast beating heart. You didn’t mean it that way. Just
 You don’t know what you meant when you said it. Well, you do. You do know that you don’t want to miss the chance of finally talking to him more than just a few words and without so many of his brothers and commanding officers being around and listening. It takes some seconds until he finds his voice.
“Not at all!” He sounds breathless. “But we shouldn’t stay here.”
You try to ignore the burst of warmth in your chest as he invites you to come with him with a tilt of his head - and what it implies. Instead, you nod, slowly allowing yourself to raise and as he guides you to his room, you follow on wobbly legs.
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For someone usually so reasonable and considerate, Niner is pretty surprised about himself and that he had this haphazard plan to take you to his room. It wasn’t even a plan, he just followed an intuition. He turns on the light on the nightstand, bathing the apartment in warm, dim light. Now he’s confronted with the fact that there’s just his bed as a sitting accommodation because the only chair is occupied with the neatly piled-up parts of his armor. The black undersuit, freshly laundered, hung out in front of the window to dry. His deece rests on the desk, ready for action. At least the meaningful flimsi with the drawing is stored safely in the desk drawer. It's one thing that Fi knows about his secret, but if it were you
 that’s another story.
“Make yourself comfortable,” he suggests, pointing almost embarrassedly at his bed. Oh great, there couldn’t be a more intimate spot to invite you and then.. uhm.. join you. He should probably find another place for his armor and then take a seat on the chair. Just to be safe.
Even before he starts to rearrange the plating you already sit down at the edge of the lower end of his bed, leaving him enough room to join you without being too close.
“Don’t you dare sit on that chair, Niner. It’s your room and you should make yourself comfortable. If it has to be one of us sitting on the chair it would be me
 not you.”
He tilts his head and then a lovely smile graces his face, one that you haven’t seen on him yet. Much more amused, confident and mystified than ever. Much more enticing

“Did you just threaten me, mesh’la?”
His smile doesn't fail to have its effect on you, his voice even less. “Uhmm.. of course not. I wouldn’t be dreaming of,” you smile sheepishly back at him.
“Of course not. You would have to sleep for that,” Niner says and makes your pulse almost hitting the ceiling with just one sentence. You only hope he can’t hear it as he eventually sits down on the bed next to you. Your dreams would be far from threatening him anyway. Does he even guess?
For a moment it’s silent as there’s nothing clever to say. And like two spellbound idiots, neither of you seems to be able to look away from the other. Your mouth feels dry like the desert on Tatooine, and when you wet your lips with your tongue, his gaze drops for a split second. It’s just so brief that you wonder if you just imagined it.
This isn’t supposed to feel like this! He shouldn’t feel the way he does right now
 but just because he knows what he’s made for or what he’s clearly not made for, he can’t detain his body from reacting the way it does to your presence. And once again he misses his armor, though this time for another reason. However, there’s this sense of guilt he can’t get rid of. No matter what Fi says. His squads - both squads - Lambda during the training on Kamino was his family for years, and he still loves them dearly, misses them since the day on Geonosis. Has it been his fault that they are gone? Omega squad - Fi, Dar and Atin - hell, he does belong with them, wholeheartedly. He won’t let anything happen to them. Not again. They depend on him like he depends on them. But there’s this urge to be with you right now. To tie bonds
 Would it be a betrayal to his brothers?
“Well, what shall we do now?” He asks, words coming out deeper in his throat than he actually intends to. It surprises him. “I am not used to
” he pauses, as he tries to phrase his thoughts. “Actually, I have never been that close to a woman before. As long as you don’t count the Kaminoans.”
“I figured as much.” Another awkward seconds of silence before you add: “Hm.. what do you usually do when you’re up at night?”
Ohhh
 that
 he definitely can’t tell you. A picture of himself flashes up in front of his mind’s eye and he blushes against his will. How many times have your name fallen from his lips in an inaudible moan? “Ugh
 that’s classified,” he coughs, bewildered how fast that white lie slips off his tongue, angry at himself that he didn’t handle the situation more aloof. What would Fi have said instead? At least you grant him the favor by not giving any suggestive remarks. Only the sweetest smile.
“How about we just talk a while then, hm?” You ask, chewing on your bottom lip. All he can think of for a second is what if it would be him nibbling on your bottom lip. Get ahold of yourself!
“Sounds good.”
And then the two of you talk for almost an hour. The hushed conversation flows so easily, despite the awkwardness at its very beginnings. Despite the graveness of your topics. You learn about the physical pain in the growth tanks and the mental strain of flash training. But you also learn about ties between clone brothers, stronger than anything you ever could think of. And it’s making you laugh as loud as you dare in the middle of the night. Niner learns about ludicrous laws and regulations on Coruscant, your daily work and about the nightmare that is the lower levels. But also what it means to enjoy life with friends in one of the pavement cafĂ©s or to just a day off in a spa or the botanic garden under the skydome. It’s making him wish

And all the while during the convo, both of you get closer and closer, to the point that he’s stretched out on his bed, leaning against the propped up cushion on the wall and you next to him. Shoulders touching, legs brushing against one another. Having him this close feels so good, so natural
 until you get aware of it. The warmth he radiates seeps into your every cell. His scent - the blend of soap, sweat and pure Niner - appeals to your senses. Stars you need to calm down.
Eventually the conversation approaches this mission, the surveillance and the constraint to kill time as a consequence thereof.
“Actually it’s not much different from our usual strategy,” he responds to your question if it’s not boring for him to be trapped in that accommodation with not much to do besides analyzing dynamic data. “Only the parameters vary.”
“I thought you do extractions or sabotage missions?”
“Oh we do. But we still can’t just run headlong behind enemy’s lines or attack the CIS’s positions without first getting a comprehensive picture of the situation.”
“Isn’t that the job for clone intelligence?”
“Pfft
” Niner gives a dismissive sound, rolling his eyes. “If I’d rely on their information, we’d be already dead by now.”
Your gaze involuntarily flickers to the wall, towards the direction Ordo and Mereel are presumably sleeping, and he hastily adds that he doesn’t talk about them. The Nulls are outstanding in what they do, but they can’t be all-pervasive. Even though Ordo tries.
“Sometimes, when we locate our target, we spend hours motionless on a look-out til it's the apt moment to strike.”
At least it’s certainly safer than being in the line of fire, still it sounds less exciting as you thought a commando’s life would be. You don’t complain though
 katarn or not. You don’t like the thought of Niner being trapped in heavy clashes. When you question if they don’t get bored, he chuckles.
“Usually not. There’s always plenty to discuss with my brothers.” Gossip. Fears
 Desires. “But nine times out of ten my back is killing me.”
An extremely trained soldier, and still he has to suffer the most ordinary ailment due to all the strains of war. You wonder how ‘ordinary’ people would deal with the circumstances. People who would have been given the opportunity to decide whether they want to fight or not.
“Poor boy,” you appease him with a smile, and curse yourself for making it sound possibly gleeful. You mean it. You do feel sorry for him and you hope he knows. His expression tells you that much. But then he resumes speaking, thus stealing the air from your lungs.
“Sometimes I wish the kaminiise had left out most of the sensory perception altogether. Given all the things they coded out of our DNA, that wouldn’t have made things worse.”
His words are downright agonizing. All the injustices cast to the clones: the denial of any individuality, a future, Force knows even hope itself
 all the years in which they never had the choice of what they wanted to do with their lives. And they were programmed to be loyal and diligent, drilled to obedience and ultimately influenced by the war to the point that they now even deny themselves these rights, or even basic instincts.
“You’re not serious, are you?” Your smile falters slightly as you look at him, but at least you manage not to stare open-mouthed at him. While you wait for him to speak, you listen to his heartbeat, steady but rapid. Something’s changing. Hanging in the air between you.
He turns to look at you, so that he’s lying on his right side, your faces only inches apart. And there it is again, the spellbound gaze, challenging, laced with confidence, full of contrasts. Just as Niner.
“I am.”
“But you would miss out on all the soothing aspects of perception.”
Are you
 implying what he thinks you do? Fierfek, indulgence has never been more tempting, seduction never took such a gorgeous shape. It's awing. Ohhh Niner, hold strong
 and yet he needs you to be with him right now.
“There’s not much. Isn’t it?” He rasps, exactly aware of what he’s about to conjure.
The warmth of your expression causes a strange, soft feeling in his chest. He is smitten. No. He has fallen for you since the moment he saw you and his emotions got more and more profound with every day in your orbit. The more he denies, the more he’s going to hurt himself. Now he knows what Dar was afraid of on Quiilura.
Your body betrays you, melting with just his proximity and the warm, husky cadence of his voice. And, stars, there’s no denying the tingling sensation down deep in your core.
“What about touch?”
Niner swallows thickly, a gasp caught in his throat. His experiences in terms of touch are basically narrowed down to Fi examining him for injuries on the battlefield, Kal’buir ruffling his hair, and himself
 uhm
 There’s this long moment of silence in which he considers his words. Niner needs to know how far he can go until his heart races. Until desire becomes so strong it’s almost painful. You have this effect on him
 he knows that and he doesn’t want to change a thing.
“There are not many occasions for me to be touched anyway,” he says to you truthfully, something sincere and tender in the way he looks at you. Again, the truth he leaves out is what he hopes you’ll still understand. It feels like he’s on fire at that point, blazing under your closeness.
As you speak, your voice sounds almost innocent. And yet the question isn’t at all. “Would you want me to touch you?”
Your words are too much for him to handle any longer. Fierfek, he’s so turned on, reached the point of no return. And he looks at you with darkening eyes, ever so slowly drags his pleading gaze down your body to where your hand rests in your lap. You blush and blink softly at him, shattering the tension and doubts that Niner has felt on his shoulders.
He closes his eyes for a moment, and when he opens them again they shimmer with certainty. “Yes. Please. If you want to,” he confesses, letting out a breathy laugh.
“I do.”
You carefully reach out your hand, letting your fingertips ghost over his neckline, not touching him just yet but he can already feel the warmth of your hand, the anticipation prickling on his skin. His heart skips in his chest, both of you trying to maintain composure. And then
 finally
 you touch him.
A strangled sound gets caught in his throat as you slowly brush over the ridge of his collarbone, the particularly sensitive spot just above. He shudders under the caress long craved for, and exhales the breath he was holding.
“So
 Do you like it?” You whisper, the tips of your fingers softly dragging along the curve of his neck and across the edge of his jawline. The soft grating noise as you stoke across his five o’clock shadow, the only sound to be heard in the room. You trace his cheek bones and brush over his lips, leaving a trail of fire wherever you touch.
Hmmm
. It feels so, so good. It’s almost overwhelming, the spark of heat that singes his nerves, and he can’t find his voice underneath all the flames engulfing him. Instead he’s nodding, his eyes glazed with lust and his mind clouded with need, he’s catching your hand with his, ever so slowly leading it down his torso to the hem of his shirt. He wants so much more of that gorgeous sensation. ‘Give me more,’ his silence pleads.
Tuning your head, you watch him intently as your fingers grab the smooth fabric hugging his waist to push it up, up and further up. You don't miss the way his breath hitches as you bare his lower abdomen and your fingertips skim over the feverishly hot skin, but his eyes burn with fervor. Suddenly, you become aware of the dampness that has pooled between your legs by now. All he had to do was to breathe a few words. And oh the thrill that you’re about to do what you longed for since you met him. Then you gently splay your fingers and rest your hand on his firm abs. It’s not only him sighing quietly and your fingers tremble as you gradually slide your hand higher, trace the ridges on his stomach and the crevice leading up his torso, spread out across the sturdy curve of his chest and feel his heart beat in a frenzy beneath your palm. He shudders as you butterfly his pecs. His red tunic is rucked up so much that his upper body is practically exposed. Your gaze drops to the tan skin.
“Stars, Niner! The dreams I had about this
 they didn’t even come close.”
The words leave your mouth before you even consider them properly, but they are enough to dissolve any shred of self-composure he thought he had. He grasps your face, digging his fingers in your hair at your nape, and pulling you flush against him. Niner kisses you like he’s wanted to do it for a lifetime, like you’re the air he breathes. You gasp at the sensation as your clothed body presses against his only covered by a thin layer of fabric. In the heat of the moment, your thigh brushes against the bulge that has tented his pants and it's making him moan, the sound getting lost in your opened mouth. Your hands scrabble to find purchase in his tunic, struggling to anchor yourself.
Whenever you daydreamed about kissing him, you imagined it to be kind of soft and tentative. Testing the waters. But this
 this is desperate. And better than any imagination could ever be. His hands start to travel across your shape, your neck, your arms, the curve of your ribcage. Curious and eager, but never too brazen. Hands that are used to handle a DC and take out any menace in an instant, are so soft and so gentle on you. Desperate and tender alike. Inexperienced, but passionate and loving. And so is his kiss. The contrast is making you dizzy.
After what feels like eternity, Niner eventually pulls his mouth away to look at you. For a split second he is afraid that he went too far and now needs to apologize. And about the same amount of time he curses himself for giving in to his desires and getting weak. Losing control. But both thoughts dissolve the moment he feels you chasing after his lips. He chuckles and nibbles at your bottom lip as you whimper in regret.
“Can I ask you something
 selfish?” He wants to know. His brown eyes flick over to look at you through his lashes. Still breathless and not trusting your voice right now you only nod in response, prompting him to ask whatever he wants to know.
“May I take off your tunic?” Osik! Why does he suddenly feel shy after kissing you so fiercely? “I promise it won’t be more. I
 I just need to look at you and
 feel you
 c-closer.”
“Yes, Niner. Yes you may,” you whisper quietly after a moment, stroking his cheek. His eyelids flutter.
“Thank you,” he responds, feeling his own body subtly tensing at your answer, and ever so gently closes his teeth around your bottom lip once more. Then he rolls you on your back and hovers over you.
Both his hands slip beneath your tunic, the white, gauzy linen he already drew, going around your waist. He lets his fingers sink against your skin, squeezing gently. And you shiver as his hands slide further up, revealing you inch by inch, his thumbs curling around to skirt the underneath of your breast. He can't remember ever touching something so soft. Then, finally, he pulls off the tunic and sends it flying towards the floor.
He could have watched you forever
 but it’s you who dips your finger under the straps of your bra, undressing it. As he laid down to not-sleep this evening, he never thought he’d be graced with such a breathtaking view tonight. Smiling silently to himself, he lets his gaze linger on you for a moment, admiring every inch of your exposed chest. Maybe someday he’s going to ask you if he could draw you again, wearing nothing more than his lovebites on your skin.
Niner lowers his face to yours, mouthing against your lips: “You have no idea what you do to me, cyar’ika.”
No you have no idea
 Not only are you shattering his worries, his constraints and convictions, things he took for granted and lived after. You’re revealing dreams he never was allowed to have and sate desires he denied himself for so long. You chuckle in response, your hands falling into the tufts of his black hair, pulling him down on you to seal your lips with his in a loving kiss. And your bodies meet. It’s such a foreign, overwhelming feeling, warm skin against warm skin on such a usually shielded part of him. No katarn to save him. No katarn to detain him.
Niner watches, enraptured, as you lay beneath him. Such a beautiful sight: your pupils blown wide, mouth agape, your chest heaving as you try to ease the ache by grinding against him. He’s lost in the way your eyes sparkle, and his own reflection within them.
Everything becomes blurry. For hours, at least that’s how it feels like, his half-naked body is pressed tight to yours. His mouth is always slightly opened, kissing, licking and tasting wherever you would let him, wherever he dares to explore. He drowns in your scent, buries his face in your hair, breathes against your ear to whisper sweet praise and never, not even for a single second, lets you forget that he’s bare and hot
 and vulnerable just for you. And, wayii, your hands venture on him, feeling everything he’s offering you in return. He never wants it to end.
You feel like you’re floating in sensations. Absolutely amazing how turned on but equally satisfied you are, just by touching and teasing. Kissing and caressing. Your hands roam his body shamelessly, the strong, rippling muscles of his back as he props himself up over you. They flex beneath your palms. With every touch you make him shiver, and he coaxes soft moans and goosebumps from you by rocking against you. Your fingers play with the soft hair at his nape, and run up and down the length of his spine that’s shielding you from the small room. You grind against him a little more insistently, desperate to give him the friction he needs. The intimacy you both chase after. He feels so incredibly good, his arousal, under his pants. So alive.
Your quiet sighs fill the room, needy sounds and pleads of Niner’s name as he follows his instinct and sends delicious surges of pleasure throughout your body. And he’s unbelievably gentle about it, dexterous, even though you know he never did anything like this before. You hold on to his shoulder blades and you both gradually get tired while he savors you in that precious moment, easing you both to relax and surrender to the rest each of you so desperately need.
At some point during the night, when your kisses get more and more lazy, he eventually lays down next to you and catches you in his arms to pull you close, not leaving an inch between you like he can’t bear to lose the contact of your skin for even a second. With your eyes closed, you rest your head on his chest and listen to his breathing, rough and shallow and loud against the quietness of the hotel room. Again, it feels so natural and familiar.
Both of you lie there, a lingering calm in the air as the minutes drip by. You don't require anything beyond his hands on you and the protection he provides as you are dozing off in his arms.
“So
 You were dreaming about me, hm?” he murmurs, dragging his hand over your back.
“Mh-hmm,” you hum. Even though you are barely awake anymore, the way he asks stirs something in your consciousness.
“I was dreaming about you too,” he confesses, mouthing at your temple. He pulls you tighter against him, starts rocking ever so gently against your hip. And as you make a soft sound, nuzzling his chest, he quietly adds: “Was dreaming of having you in my bed. Of how I’d fuck you through my sheets.”
You stop breathing, and your fingers, wrapped around his waist, grip him tighter. Are you already asleep and in dreams? No.. you can feel him, so warm and strong pressing into you. Feel his heart beating rapidly under your cheek. Is he
?
“But I won’t, cyar’ika,” he murmurs, pressing a soft kiss to the delicate skin on your temple.
You whine softly, making him smile in response. Niner reaches out and tilts your chin up towards him, making you meet his eyes. Most of the time during the last days he averted his gaze, though for an entirely different reason than you expected, and you only threw him stolen glances in return, but tonight you can feel the weight of his eyes on you, the meaning behind.
“Not yet
 Not when I haven’t been out on a date with you,” he says.
Your cheeks burn at the awareness of him staring at you so closely, of asking you

His brothers always thought he’s not into women or relationships at all. He gave them the expression that all that counts is the bond they have among clones and their duty to the republic. And most of the time that was exactly what he believed. They were wrong.
“When it comes to you, cyar’ika, I want to do it right. You deserve to be treated right.” He pauses, letting his fingers brush over your chin, while you watch him with glassy eyes. Being responsible and patient has never been so difficult
“So
 Do you want to go out on a date with me?”
He doesn’t even know when he’ll have the time to go out with you. But Kal’buir always finds a way for his sons. And if nothing else works
 he’ll take Fi’s advice and have dinner with you at Quibbu’s, making it a date. Period.
“Yes,” you say, slowly following his movement as he tilts your chin up, and bump noses with him. “I want to go on a date with you.”
Not only one. And what’s about to follow.
He smiles and bends down to kiss you. “Sweet dreams.”
And for the first time in a while, you both fall into a deep slumber.
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“Has anyone seen Niner this morning?” Atin asks as they prepare to go down to the bar and have breakfast.
The concern is written on his face. Niner is usually the first to be up and actuating his squad mates. The fact that he’s absent is so out of the ordinary that it’s almost frightening.
“I'd better check on him in his room.”
But Skirata smiles knowingly and that again induces Fi to grin. “You’d better knock before you enter.”
However, Atin doesn’t. Just as the door slides open he remembers something that his subconsciousness tried to tell him - you haven’t been there either this morning. Only a split second later his eyes fall on a view he never expected to see. Niner is still fast asleep. And so are you. Snuggled up close to each other, your limbs are entangled under the duvet. Your clothes scattered on the floor. The room is filled with quiet breathing.
While he still stands rooted to the spot and open-mouthed watches the scene, Dar and Fi appear next to him. “Told you so,” the latter whispers and Dar smirks suggestively. Niner stirs slightly in his sleep.
Atin feels Fi’s hand on his shoulder, turning him around and prompting to leave the room with a tilt of his head.
“We should leave them alone and have breakfast brought to their rooms,” Fi says.
“We should bring the food up for them ourselves later, “ Dar answers. “The service droid has a habit of showing up at the most inopportune moment.”
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june-girl-86 · 2 months
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june-girl-86 · 2 months
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Chapter 56
While the catastrophe has befallen Boro-Borosa, they still don't know about it on Nevarro. But they also have to deal with small problems until something happens here too.
Pairing: Din Djarin x OC Female!
ReaderRating: Mature/Explicit (+18)
Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence / Love / Action&Adventure / Blood&Violence / Drama & Romance / Slow Burn / Fluff&Smut
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Cara replayed the recording for the third time and smiled. She was sitting alone in the office, she had sent Mythrol away when the encrypted message arrived. She wanted to check it first before anyone else saw it. As a result, no one had seen the tears of joy that welled up in her eyes when she first saw it. Cara was very happy for Din and Liara. And this child was so lucky that they had found her. A child's laughter made Cara look out into the street. Since the Mandalorians had arrived, the streets of the city had become even livelier. At first, the inhabitants of Nevarro had watched the new arrivals with suspicion; there had been a lot of damage and casualties last time.
Now the fighters were back, but they no longer seemed as dangerous as they all remembered. Probably also because they were no longer hiding and showing their faces. It also helped that the children had no reservations about each other and treated each other normally.
As a result, there were soon twice as many children in the school and just as many rushing through the streets and getting up to mischief.
Yesterday they had a lot of work to do when they opened the cages with the monkeys at the market and then they ran away. It took hours to catch them all again. Another laugh rang out and a horde of children ran past.
"Are they plotting again?"
Cara flinched, startled, as Sona stood in the doorway and her hand went to her gun. She hadn't noticed the woman. Sona raised her hands reassuringly, annoyed. Seeing Cara smile after all these weeks was progress. So was the fact that she was working again and yet every shock sent fear through the young woman's limbs and made her freeze.
"I'm sorry," Sona apologized and Cara shook her head. There was another alarm in the room and she tried to calm down. She was safe.
Cara took a deep breath, then nodded to Sona.
"I'll probably be busy again soon!" Cara joked, before asking Sona to join her. She pointed to the holoscreen and played the message. Now Sona realized why Cara had smiled, she felt the same way. "Din has finally found his family again and started a new one in the process! It's so nice that we Mandalorians are growing again!"
The news that the Hidden Ones would soon be making their way to Nevarro made Sona happy. And she hoped that everything would be peaceful, they had fought each other too often in the past. Cara stood up and reached for the hologram stick.
"Then I'll show Greef and the others the good news!"
Sona shook her head vehemently and stopped Cara. She stood in her way.
"No!"
Cara frowned. Sona sighed.
"There is someone I no longer trust. So please keep this information secret, I'm afraid Bo-Katan will know immediately!"
Cara looked at Sona in astonishment and she suddenly looked very tired.
"I just hope I'm wrong. I don't want to voice my suspicions either, so that you can continue to have a clear view of things!"
Cara nodded in understanding and turned away. In the next room, she locked the flash drive in the safe. A brief sting on her temple made her lean her head against the wall. The memory of the torture and this situation confused her. A reassuring, warm hand touched her on the shoulder. Sona knew about everything, she had told her, and the weaponsmith had just listened at first, before talking to Cara and helping her out of the clutches of nightmares.
"Here you go and I've put some sweets in your bag," said the shopkeeper, winking and handing Ziv the purchases. He thanked her and held the bag close to him.
"And give my best wishes to your mom!"
Ziv nodded and said goodbye. He had picked up the things he had ordered after school had finished, as his mother didn't get home from work until late. Ziv meandered through the hustle and bustle with his heavy school bag on his back and his shopping. He noticed two of his classmates who had just reached home and waved to him. The delicious smell from one of the cooking areas caught his nose and Ziv hurried, as he was hungry. Once home, he stowed away the groceries and took his food out of the fridge to warm it up. He threw his school things into his room and devoured his meal. He had the radio on in the background. When it was so quiet, he felt uncomfortable, but he would never tell his mom that. It had been difficult for her to go back to work, but it had to be done, the support from his former employer after his father's death had run out. Now his mom was looking after the old people who couldn't afford the droids. It was also no problem to take his little sister Izy with him. So Ziv spent most of his time alone at home, but conscientiously did various chores at home or homework so that his mom could rest a little after her work and she didn't have to worry. Above all, Cara had refrained from telling her about the monkeys. Since the Mandalorians had come back, with all the children, he had made new friends. Every now and then they did a few things that weren't allowed.
Like freeing the monkeys from their cages. It was great fun at first, but then they caused more and more chaos and one of them escaped to the Anzellans' workshop. The little creatures made a louder racket than all the monkeys put together.
Cara had all the culprits line up and clean up. Ziv's job was to help the Anzellans and apologize to them. They were a little vindictive and he now had a few more afternoons to show up there to work off the damage. Although, it wasn't that bad there. There was a lot to discover in their collection. Ziv sighed and picked up his backpack to do his homework.
They hadn't had much to do, so he didn't think twice and ran outside. He wanted to go to the tunnel, where he had lost his Mandalorian necklace a few days ago, which he had been given by Din when he had been rescued by him. When the Mandos came back and reported on how Din and Liara were doing and what they had already experienced on their journey, he had been pleased to hear from them again. He was also glad to hear that they would be back here soon, once they had finished their search for Din's family. Ziv scurried down one of the side streets that led to the old entrance. You weren't supposed to go down there anymore, there had been cave-ins from a few eruptions of the volcano, but Ziv knew where to go and it was safe.
He walked down the steps, the dusty, dirty smell greeted him. His flashlight lit the way for him and after a few minutes it did indeed glitter in the light. Ziv whooped and picked up the chain. The ribbon was torn, but the pendant was still on it. He put it in his pocket and was about to go back when he heard voices. They were coming from the old smithy. Curiosity got the better of him and the boy crept towards the vault.
"... he wants to go to Aq Vetina and build the new home there..."
It was the voice of Paz, the great Mando, Ziv found him a little terrifying. He and Sona had come back with Cara, they hadn't been well for a while afterwards. Perhaps also because Ezer hadn't survived. There were several days of mourning for the young bounty hunter. Ziv wondered who Paz was talking to, he understood immediately that it was about Din as the place had been mentioned a few times by the other Mandos. A female voice replied.
"This is quite enough for me. I know where this place is. That's where I killed his parents and that's where his last hour will have come. Even if I have to wait many more rotations for them there, it will be a joyful wait!"
Ziv was shocked by the malice in his voice. He absolutely had to get to Cara and tell her about it. Slowly he walked backwards, caught on a beam and fell backwards. It was loud enough to alert Paz. He came rushing out and saw the boy struggling to his feet and staring at the man with wide eyes.
"You know what you have to do!" the woman's voice sounded from the holotransmission and Paz said yes. Ziv swallowed, then ran off, and from the sounds of it, Paz did too. The smell of sulphur increased and Ziv was aware he was running in the wrong direction, but there was another turn and he had to catch it. Unfortunately, his flashlight was flickering, the energy was fading and he would miss the path. He heard Paz shouting threats and, despite the warmth, he felt freezing cold. Ziv glanced backwards, noticing the glow from Paz's torch. When he turned back around, Ziv's eyes widened in shock, but he couldn't stop. There was a gaping hole in front of him, and he jerked his arms, hoping to catch his weight and fall backwards. But it was in vain, his body fell and Ziv screamed until he hit the ground. A wave of pain seized the boy and immediately sent him into a deep unconsciousness. Paz heard the impact, stopped at the edge and glanced down the few meters. The boy was lying next to some rocks, open wounds visible. That solved the problem, he thought and turned away.
Yazmin put the sleeping Izy in her bed and left the nursery. She was just as tired herself. In the kitchen, she noticed the bag of fruit bears and smiled. Ziv had received another present. She took a few and snacked on them. The sweetness was good for her now. When she had entered the apartment, everything had been dark and she assumed that Ziv was already asleep. She decided to leave the boy alone and went to bed too. Tomorrow was her day off and she would cook him his favorite meal.
The radio was on, scrambled eggs and bacon were sizzling in the pan and Izy was toddling around barefoot. Yazmin hummed along to the song, looked at her watch and sighed.
"Ziv, honey!"
After she had set the table, there was still no sound from Ziv's room. Yazmin knocked on his door, getting a little angry now.
"Get up!"
The murmur that usually followed failed to materialize and she opened the door.
"You're coming to..."
A few clothes were scattered around, but the bed was untouched. Yazmin was confused and ran to the bathroom, but it was empty too. Izy followed her mom laughing, she hadn't understood the seriousness of the situation. There was a rucksack in the kitchen, so Ziv hadn't left for school early. Yazmin ran her fingers nervously through her hair, then turned off the stove, grabbed Izy and knocked on the neighbor's door. She hadn't seen him since yesterday either. The neighbor took Izy from her, recognizing her mother's helplessness.
"I'll look after the little one. Go to Cara and find him!"
Yazmin nodded and ran off.
Cara was discussing today's appointments with Mythrol and Kadin, a new member of Nevarro's security staff, when a woman came rushing in, completely upset.
"Yazmin?"
"Ziv's gone!"
She reported everything, presumably that he had disappeared yesterday and she hadn't noticed.
"I wish I'd looked in on him again!" she reproached herself and sank into a visitor's chair. Cara shook her head.
"You couldn't have known. We'll go to the school now and ask everyone there if they know anything!"
Yazmin nodded and the women set off.
"Maybe the Anzellans didn't let him go yesterday. I wouldn't be surprised. We'd best go and check there now!"
Yazmin frowned irritably and stopped.
"Why Anzellans?"
Cara paused and sighed.
"He didn't tell you anything?"
Yazmin shook her head. Cara told her about the incident with the monkeys and Yazmin closed her eyes. When she looked at Cara again, she noticed how horrified her mother was.
"I get paid well, but I hardly ever get to see my big boy. And the fact that he hides this from me..."
Cara ran her hand along Yazmin's arm as they were about to reach the workshop.
"At that age, you're always keeping secrets from your parents!"
She winked at Yazmin and she actually grinned as she thought about the past.
The little creatures were chattering loudly and Cara needed some time, she understood the language, but too much at once was borderline. She knelt in front of the entrance and nodded a few times. Yazmin was crouched beside her, but she had gotten out after the first few words and was just hoping the Anzellans could help them. Cara sat up and waved into the workshop before the door closed.
"He was supposed to show up today, they don't know where he is. If we find him, they'll insist he works off his debt!"
The women got up and walked on to the school. Lessons were already in progress there and Caz was reluctant to be disturbed. Cara explained the situation, pointing to Yazmin, who was pacing back and forth outside the window. The droid interrupted the lesson and they asked the children if they knew anything. But they all said no. Two said the last time they had seen him was when he was leaving the market on his way home. That didn't help Cara, since the shopping and his rucksack were at home, he must have left the apartment again afterwards.
Cara took Yazmin back to her office. She was still beside herself with worry. Cara informed Greef that they had a missing person case. Shortly afterwards, he appeared with several bounty hunters from the guild.
"We're going on a search now. Don't worry, we'll find him!"
Yazmin thanked them all and looked after them as they disappeared into the alleyways. Two of them wanted to search everything with their ships from above, on and far behind the lava fields.
Over the course of the day, more and more people came to hear about Ziv's disappearance. Yazmin was overwhelmed by the willingness to help and began to cry. She had been holding back the tears the whole time, but as time passed and they didn't find him despite the many helpers, her nerves were frayed. Sona, who had brought over some food, comforted the worried mother. She gave her hope, but the feedback was always negative.
"He can't just disappear into thin air!"
Cara secretly agreed with her, but there were plenty of places in and around the city to hide or find herself in a helpless situation. The day was drawing to a close and Cara sent Yazmin to her apartment, above the office, so she could get some rest. Izy was in good hands with her neighbor, who had immediately agreed to continue looking after the girl. Cara took turns with Kadin during the night, asking for situation reports from the searchers. A team would continue to search the tunnels in the morning, but it was not entirely safe due to the danger of collapse in some places.
Dark shadows had settled under Yazmin's eyes. Her sleep had been restless and now she hoped the coffee would give her a boost. Cara yawned furtively behind her arm before biting hungrily into a chocolate roll that Greef had brought them with a few other goodies. His bounty hunters were ready to help again today. There was a knock and a woman entered with a boy. Gry, one of the Mandalorian women, and her son Rufo, whose red hair looked almost more intense than his mother's. Cara knew Rufo well, he had a lot of nonsense in his head and was the one who had freed the monkeys. But he too would have to serve his sentence for a few more hours with the merchant.
"He has something to tell you!"
Rufo looked at those present, somewhat unsettled, while Gry put his hands on his shoulders to encourage him.
"Is it that bad?" Cara asked and Rufo shook his head. He swallowed.
"Did you find his necklace?"
Cara looked at Yazmin, who was now sitting upright and staring at Rufo. Cara answered in the negative.
"He lost it the other day when we were in the tunnel..."
Yazmin gasped, Gry raised his hand.
"I was down there with him, there was something in one of the quarters that once belonged to us. They didn't leave the secure area! Rufo confessed to me this morning that they were still there, otherwise I would have informed you yesterday!"
Rufo nodded.
"He noticed upstairs that the chain was gone. But as it was already time to go home, he wanted to look for it another time. But we only went to the old quarters, honestly!"
Sona shone her light over the dusty floor. Behind her, Paz moved around, looking into every niche they knew. The weaponsmith had immediately offered to search her old home. A strange feeling had accompanied her since they had entered the tunnels, she just couldn't grasp it. At the former smithy, she paused and noticed the many footprints. A search party had already been here, but had turned back as one of the paths was impassable. But there was another one and they were now walking along it. They kept calling for Ziv's name, but got no answer.
"If he was hiding here, he would have realized by now that we were looking for him," Paz grumbled and Sona noticed how the giant slowed down. She turned to him, shone a light in his face and blinked.
"Maybe something's happened to him!"
She noticed the flicker in Paz's eyes, but suppressed it. The two of them continued to search, the smell of sulphur was very intense and it was getting warmer. Paz shone his torch along the corridor, pointed at the rubble and tore at the floor.
"This is as far as it goes!"
Sona nodded, but she didn't turn back. She sensed that Paz was desperate to leave this place and the uneasy feeling intensified. When she sat down in front of the hole and shone her light into it, she froze. Sona jumped up and pushed the astonished Paz against the wall. She screamed at him, it echoed off the wall.
"You son of a bitch. What did Bo-Katan promise you?"
Paz swallowed and pointed to his temple, the same scar as Cara's. Sona shook her head, then left him and climbed down to Ziv. When she touched the child, she couldn't believe it, but she felt a pulse beat and oxygen escaped from his mouth. She immediately relayed the location via the communicator and looked up at Paz, who was giving her light. His hand trembled and he closed his eyes. Hopefully he would soon be punished for this.
Ziv was already in one of the treatment rooms when Yazmin arrived at the medical center with Cara. She caught sight of Sona. The boy's blood was on her hands and clothes. Yazmin let out a scream and collapsed. Cara tried to hold her mother down, but it was only with Greef's help that they managed to maneuver her onto a bench in the waiting area.
"He was alive and I'm sure they'll be able to help him!" Sona tried to reassure her, but realized that she would further unsettle her mother in that state. She immediately left the center to clean up and change in her accommodation. Paz wanted to follow her, but Sona shook her head.
"Don't you dare leave here. You will speak to the Creator and hope the boy survives!" she hissed at him. Paz glared after her, then sat down in one of the rows of chairs to wait like the others.
Flora looked anxiously at the monitor, which showed them the boy's data. When the door opened and the Twi'lek entered, she handed the pad to the doctor.
"He must be operated on immediately. I will inform the relatives! Let Doctor Gago know and I'll follow!"
Flora nodded and set to work.
Yazmin saw a doctor coming towards her and she began to tremble. Cara squeezed her hand and stood by her.
"I am Doctor Loris. I'm going to operate on your son with my colleague. He has many fractures, but we will leave them untreated at first. His internal injuries are very serious and have priority!"
Yazmin swallowed and nodded, she had understood the doctor. He smiled encouragingly at her and then hurried into the operating theater.
It took a long time, new blood reserves were requested again and again, but they were able to stabilize the child. "He seems to be a bit of a fighter, lying somewhere for so long with these injuries alone..." said Gago, looking after the patient, who was now being taken to the intensive care unit.
"Let's hope he survives the next 24 hours and then we can repair the fractures. Only then will I be persuaded to have a drink of joy!" Loris tried to put the brakes on his colleague. But he also secretly hoped that the boy would recover. Hopefully his head hadn't sustained any damage...
"I'll talk to the mother and let her see him!"
Gago nodded and the two of them left the operating theater.
Yazmin sat next to her child's bed, cables and tubes everywhere. A machine was helping him to breathe. The doctor had explained to her that they had put him in an induced coma while they had not yet operated on him because of the fractures in his leg and arms.
"That way he is completely pain-free and his body can recover. He needs all the strength he can get!"
The wire mesh on his head was supposed to measure brain waves and pressure; his brain was swollen from the impact. So far, everything was still fine and he was given medication to help him lose weight. Despite the bruises and abrasions, his face was pale and Yazmin gently ran her trembling fingers over his skin. Her eyes watered again.
"I'm here, my darling, everything is going to be all right now!"
---
@the-rain-on-kamino
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june-girl-86 · 2 months
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Thanks for tagging me @the-rain-on-kamino
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You are already mentioned, but you have to be listed again đŸ€©
@the-rain-on-kamino , @ellielikesporgs , @dindjarindiaries , @wild-karrde , @ignorantarmiesclashbynight , @icedragoness , @omgreally , @theewokingdead , ...
REBLOG if you have amazing, talented WRITER friends.
Because I certainly do, and I love every single one of them and their work.
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june-girl-86 · 2 months
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RIP Carl Weathers (1948 - 2024)
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