clone fic gift exchange

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Snow on Pabu was a rarity. The tropical island planet stayed warm almost all year round. But on the occasional instance the temperature cooled just enough, the snow was truly a sight to behold.

It seemed that the island wanted to give the Bad Batch the full experience. Earlier in the day, the temperature began to fall and grey clouds rolled over the horizon. By evening, the first snowflakes began to drift down.

Omega had been overjoyed when she noticed the white crystals outside the windowsill. Accompanied by you and Hunter, the young girl stood outside on the porch, marveling at the sight before her.

The delicate flakes falling down captivated her, and when the time came, you barely had the heart to tell her that it was time for bed. The practiced tooka-eyes she gave you made you promise her that she could play in the flurries tomorrow.

With that promise, the girl was in a rush to get into bed, eager to wake up and have fun in the morning.

After getting her settled (she was asleep before her head hit the pillow), you wandered into the kitchen to find Hunter leaning against the counter.

After getting Omega back from the empire, her, Hunter, and yourself had moved into a small house on Pabu. The three of you were adjusting to a more domestic life than what you had previously when you were all on the run from the Empire, with Hunter as the stoic sergeant, you as the Batch’s reliable medic, and Omega as a starry-eyed and curious young girl.

Crosshair and Wrecker had also settled into another small house just down the street, wanting to explore life with a little more independence, but still be within a short walk of you three.

Echo had stayed with Rex and the Clone Underground after Omega had adjusted to being back. While he loved his Batch family fiercely, he still held tightly to the loyalty he had to the rest of his brothers as well, and you all respected his passion and determination.

And Tech…well he was truly gone. And you all had to find your own ways to cope.

Yes, the Empire had taken its toll on you all, on your family, but small moments like these, seeing the way life carved out a small slice of peace for you on Pabu, gave you hope that the darkest days might be behind you.

You smiled at Hunter, allowing a sense of calm rush over you, a feeling you were growing more accustomed to.

He returned the smile and nodded towards the door. You sent back your own nod in agreement, and soon the two of you were wearing coats and walking down the cold street.

While there was barely any snow, just a dusting, the street somehow looked magical. It didn’t help that the island was starting to decorate for Life Day, with shimmering and sparkling green decorations peppering doorways and porches.

The light from nearby houses reflected off the snow, making you grin. It had been ages since you had seen Life Days celebrated, and the nostalgia hit you like a wompa.

An easy smile rested on Hunter’s face as he walked beside you, your hand resting in the crook of his elbow. For the first time, maybe even ever, in his life, he felt truly at peace. Just watching you admire the scene around you, he forgot everything for a moment.

For a moment there was never a war, he was never created simply to shoot a blaster. There was no Empire. Echo and Tech were still here on the island with them. Crosshair never left. And you, Omega, and him had always lived together, like a family.

Even his enhanced senses seemed to dampen out everything around him. Except for you. You seemed to glow next to him in the dark street, snow falling delicately onto your lashes.

He didn’t even register he had stopped walking until you turned to him, concerned look on your face. He barely thought about his next words before they came tumbling from his lips.

“How about we get married?”

You sucked in a breath, and the world seemed to stop. The snowflakes and Hunter’s words seemed suspended in mid-air.

His eyes were wide as he waited for an answer. Both of you stood, waiting with baited breath, seemingly frozen in time.

And instead of saying anything, you stepped up to him, pressing your lips to his in a kiss, a silent “yes” when in reality your heart felt like it was screaming it for the whole galaxy to hear.

When you pulled back, you smiled at him. “I’ll make you happy.”

“You already do. More than you know,” he whispered.

“It’s for the Senate Guard,” you said. “This isn’t the usual location I drop off to, but this is where the delivery instructions indicated.”

“Kriff,” the man muttered.

You detected a world of frustration in that one syllable.

“This is the area for the Coruscant Guard. I’ll comm a droid to come take the order to the proper location.”

“No need,” came a voice from your left.

Two men in the blue armor of the Senate Guard were swaggering toward you, grins on their faces.

“My buddy here is new,” said one of the men, slinging his arm around his slightly shorter companion’s shoulders. “He put in the wrong delivery location. We’re here to pick it up, since it’s our mistake.”

The irritation you’d been feeling bubbled into outright anger. If you were reading the situation right, you’d just been used to make this man in red the butt of someone’s joke. One hand tightened on the hovercart and you picked up your datapad.

“No, sorry,” you said, shaking your head. “Delivery is for this location. Instructions say, ‘For the Guard’.” You looked at the man in red. “You said this is the Coruscant Guards’ area, right?”

The man in red nodded.

You turned back to the idiots in blue. “So, the meal’s been paid for with Senate funds, and I’m at the location I verified with whoever placed the order. I can’t let you take it without getting the okay from my manager. It’s my job on the line if someone complains. Gotta have proper authorization.”

The men in blue just stared at you.

“B-but it’s our food,” the shorter one finally stuttered.

You shrugged and pulled out your comlink. “Shouldda got the delivery location right. Especially since we commed you to verify. Now I gotta involve my boss.”

“Don’t bother,” the first blue Guard said. “We’ll be using another catering company from now on.”

You hid a grin as you watched them stomp away. Then you turned back to the Guard in red.

“Where would you like this?” You indicated the food. “It’s paid for, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.”

He cocked his head to one side. “Don’t you have to comm your boss?”

“I run my own business,” you said, winking at him. “So, where do you want the food?”

“I can’t let this post be unattended. Can you wait while I get a replacement?”

“Sure,” you said.

The Guard spoke into the comm on his vambrace. As you waited, you checked on your next order. You could still make it on time if you left in the next ten minutes.

Ahead of you, the double door suddenly opened and two figures in white armor with red accents came into the hallway.

“Rys and Jek reporting for duty, sir,” one of the men said.

The man in red armor passed his ‘pad to one of the new arrivals. “Take over deliveries. I’m escorting this order to the breakroom.”

“Yes sir, Commander,” the Rys and Jek said in unison.

You followed the Commander as he led you through the back hallways of the Senate.

“So, is there a name I can call you?” you asked. You offered him your name.

“My name is Fox,” he said after a moment.

“Do the Senate Guard pull this sort of thing often?”

Fox tipped a shoulder in a shrug. “The Coruscant Guard has taken over many functions that the Senate Guard used to do. There’s bound to be some rivalry.”

“You seem pretty calm about that,” you said.

Fox’s noncommittal grunt gave you more insight about his feelings than he probably meant to. A minute later, you arrived at a large room where several men in the white and red armor were lounging at tables scattered around.

“At ease,” Fox said when a few of the men started to rise. To you, he said, “You can set up anywhere in here.”

You smiled and nodded. “Great.”

“The boys in blue ordered lunch for us today,” Fox told the men.

There were whoops of excitement and the Guards descended on you and your hovercart. Instead of grabbing food and going back to their seats, the men helped you pull tables together and lay out the food.

There were a variety of hot and cold sandwiches. Rolls of thinly sliced nerf steak filled with pickles and creamy cheese. Flat bread that could be stuffed with yet more meats, cheeses, and vegetables. Platters of fresh fruit and veggies from around the Galaxy. Tureens of soup. And a variety of chilled drinks.

When everything was ready, you pushed your empty hovercart toward the door. Fox was at your side. You handed him a little holocard with your business information on it.

“In case you want to have another meal catered,” you said. “The dishes are all disposable, so you don’t need to worry about getting them back to me. I’d stay around and help serve, but I have another order I need to deliver.”

Fox tucked the holocard into a pouch on his belt. “I’ll show you the way out.”

He didn’t talk as the two of you walked back toward the entrance. But even with his helmet on, you could tell he was sneaking glances at you. You wondered what he was thinking. As you passed through the double doors that lead to the loading dock, you smiled at Jek and Rys.

“I hope you guys get a break soon, though there should be plenty of food,” you said. “The Senate Guard didn’t skimp on their order. See you around.”

As you pushed your hovercart toward your speeder, you heard Fox say, “Jek, Rys, go eat. I’ll keep watch.”

You smiled to yourself. Fox seemed like a good guy.

The loss of the Senate Guards’ business didn’t hurt you in the least. Many of the senators and their aides knew of your company and contacted you for meals. And the senators even had you cater some of their smaller parties; your business wasn’t huge, but you could handle hors d’oeuvres, a couple of entrées, and dessert for a hundred or so people. You also had a shop in the market district where any being could stop in for breakfast and lunch.

As you made deliveries around the Senate over the next few days, you noticed the Coruscant Guardsmen more often. And you saw them around the market district too. You knew they’d probably been there since the start of the war, but now you were hyperaware of them. You started packing extra sandwiches and packets of fruit snacks or crisps when you made deliveries to the Senate. You’d hand out the treats to the Guard whenever you could. You also told your employees to let any Coruscant Guards eat free if they came into the shop, and to flag the Guards down whenever they saw them so they’d be able to get the word around.

You didn’t see Fox often during your deliveries, and when you did, it was usually from afar. You figured you were pretty lucky to have run into him that day at the loading dock. You tried to slip him sandwiches and goodies, like you did for the other Guards, but he always seemed to be on the move, or in the company of very important people. You’d end up giving the food to the other Guards and asking them to get it to Fox if they had the chance.

It was a Taungsday when you received an order for Mas Amedda’s office. The Vice Chancellor had never ordered from you before, but several of his aides enjoyed your food, and they would order when their boss made them stay late.

You stood in front of a turbolift, waiting for the car to arrive, juggling the insulated bags of food. The lift was rising from some lower level, and seemed to be taking forever to arrive. When the lift dinged and the doors finally opened, you were surprised to see a red armored figure inside.

“Fox! I’m so glad to see you.” You smiled.

You stepped into the lift and reached out to press the button for your floor, only to find it was already lit. Apparently, Fox had an appointment on the same floor you did. You set the bags down and turned to him.

“How have you been?”

“I’m well,” Fox replied.

“Good. Did your men get you the sandwich I made for you the other day?”

He nodded. “You know, if you keep feeding my men, they won’t fit in their armor anymore.”

You chuckled. “That’s the best compliment a cook can have. I—”

The turbolift juddered suddenly, sending you crashing into Fox. The lift ground to a halt, then the lights went out.

“What the kark?” Fox muttered. His arm went around your waist, steadying you.

Red emergency lights came on.

“Are we under attack?” you asked, breathless with worry.

Fox tapped his comm. “Thire?”

Only static came back.

“Thorn? Stone? Anyone?”

More static.

“Someone knocked out the power and communications,” Fox said. “Not good.”

You didn’t hear any sounds of explosions or screams. In fact, it was so quiet your ears were ringing.

“Do we just wait for someone to find us?” you asked.

“There should be a hatch on the roof of the car,” Fox said. “We could climb to the next floor and find out what’s going on.”

You ended up on Fox’s shoulders, pushing on the ceiling of the lift car and running your fingers along the edges where the walls met the roof. Nothing moved. If there was a hatch, it was stuck.

“Now what?” you asked.

Fox removed his helmet and ran his fingers through his hair, which was long enough to start curling around his ears and neck.

“Now we wait,” he said with a sigh.

You’d never seen Fox without his helmet on. You studied his scars, the curve of his cheek, the line of his nose. When his eyes met yours you blushed, but didn’t look away.

After a minute, you started telling Fox about yourself. How you’d gotten into the food business. Where your family was from. Childhood stories.

When your words ran dry, Fox hesitantly began to tell you about himself.

You broke out the food as the time dragged on, handing Fox a carton with pasta mixed with meat and veggies in a thick cream sauce.

After you’d eaten, you regaled Fox with stories of you and your friends escapades during college. He told you of pranks he and his brothers had pulled on each other.

You were just starting to think you’d end up falling asleep in the turbolift, when the emergency lights flickered off, and the main lights came back up. Fox jumped up and punched the button for the nearest floor. The lift started moving. Fox jammed his helmet back on.

“Thank all the little gods,” you said, shoving trash into the insulated bags.

The lift stopped with a ding, and the doors opened. The hallway was full of bodies in red and white armor.

“Fox!” one man said, coming forward to grab Fox by the shoulders. He bonked his wing emblazoned helmet to Fox’s with enough force to make you wince. “Thank the Force! We’ve been trying to get the two of you out for hours.”

“What happened?” Fox demanded. Then he held up a finger. “Wait one. Riot, Raze.”

Two Guard troopers stepped forward.

“Escort the lady wherever she needs to go,” Fox said, indicating you to the troopers.

They saluted. “Yes, sir!” Then they turned to you.

“Oh. Uh . . . Can we go to the Vice Chancellor’s office?” You lifted the lighter insulated bags. “I have a delivery to make.”

“Yes, ma’am,” one of the troopers said. “Right this way.”

You turned back to Fox. Hoping he was looking at you, you winked and mouthed ‘Thank you’.

The tip of his helmet in acknowledgement made your heart flutter.

With Riot and Raze’s escort, you made it to Mas Amedda’s office in record time. The office was dark and the doors were shut. You looked at the bags in your hands. You turned to the men escorting you.

“Are you guys hungry?”

It so happened, one day a couple of weeks later, as you were setting up a lunch in Senator Bail Organa’s office you overheard the senator and a few of his friends discussing plans for Life Day.

You were planning to work a half-day at the shop, then close up early and go home to a nice nuna dinner and your favorite comfort show rewatch.

“I wonder if the Coruscant Guard gets to do anything for Life Day,” you wondered quietly to yourself as you set out the drinks.

“What was that?” Senator Mothma asked.

You felt your face heat up. “Sorry, I was just talking to myself.”

“You said something about the Coruscant Guard,” Senator Chuchi said.

With all the senators now looking at you, you kind of felt obligated to say something.

“I was just wondering if the Coruscant Guard got any time off for Life Day. Or a party. Or anything, really.”

 “Many of the senators and their aides will be gone for the holiday,” Senator Breemu said. “There are no sessions of the Senate schedule for a couple of weeks before and after Life Day.”

“I’ll be the clones don’t even know about Life Day,” Senator Amidala said with a bitter note to her voice.

You bit your lip. Was it your place to speak up in this group? Well, you’d started the discussion, so why not add to it.

“We should do something for them,” you said.

All eyes turned to you again.

“I mean, they protect you senators. They patrol the streets and neighborhoods of our planet. They do so much for us. Let’s do something for them.”

“A celebration,” Senator Chuchi said.

“A Life Day celebration,” Senator Organa agreed.

You were invited to stay and plan the celebrating with the senators. By the time lunch was over, you had the biggest grin on your face and a catered dinner to plan.

With just a week to go until Life Day, you had a lot to do. And not just for the Guard. You and your small staff worked over time to get meals ready for those who’d ordered them. Breads were baked. Meats roasted. Side dishes of every kind were crafted with all the skill and care your team could muster.

By the time the second to last order was out the door on Life Day, you were exhausted. Your staff members urged you to go home and rest. You promised you would after you made the last delivery. You wished your people a happy Life Day, and locked up the shop. Then you drove your speeder to the Senate building.

A veritable army of protocol droids met you at the loading dock along with Senator Amidala. She directed the droids as you loaded them up with insulated bags, boxes, tureens, carafe, and all manner of paraphernalia for a feast.

 The senator lead the way to the huge meeting room that had been decorated for the occasion. There were more droids adding the final touched to a large Life Day tree. Brightly colored streamers were strung around the room, and tables had been set up with festive decorations. The food was set out on a long buffet table, and the scene was set.

You joined the senators who’d been able to put off their own plans for a few hours to be there.

“Our guests should be arriving soon,” Senator Amidala said, checking the chrono on the wall.

Unsurprisingly, Commander Fox was the first to appear. He stepped into the room and stopped. Putting on your biggest smile, you moved forward to greet him.

“Welcome to your Life Day party, Commander,” you said.

“My Life Day party?”

“Well, it’s for the whole Coruscant Guard, but since you’re currently the only one here . . .”

Fox touched the comm on his vambrace. “It’s safe.”

You gave him a mock sorrowful look. “You thought the whole Guard would be invited to something not safe? In the Senate?”

“To be fair,” he said, “we’ve never been invited to anything before.”

You grimaced. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault.”

His fingers brushed yours where your hands were hidden by your bodies.

Just then, the doors to the meeting room opened wide to allow a flood of troopers in red and white armor. Protocol droids directed everyone to seats and the senators gave a quick speech about the origins of Life Day and what it meant to people around the Galaxy. You and Fox stood side by side throughout the speech, and as his men cheered and descended on the food.

“You’d better get some before it’s all gone,” you said, giving Fox a nudge with your shoulder.

“I think I’d rather stay here with you,” he said. “Besides, I know a great cook and I just might place an order with her later.”

You leaned into his side, grinning at him. Then you took his hand and dragged him out into the hallway. No one was around and you figured everyone inside would be busy with the food for a little while at least. You tapped the cheek of Fox’s helmet.

“Take this off? I have something I want to give you.”

“And this requires me to remove my helmet?”

You nodded. “Definitely.”

There was a soft hiss as the seal broke and Fox lifted his helmet off. He was smiling. You really liked his smile.

“Now, close your eyes, and hold out your hands,” you said.

Fox did so, and you placed a little velvet bag in his palms.

“Okay, you can look.”

Fox opened his eyes then opened the bag and turned it over, dropping a little stone carving into his hand. The stone was deep red with a faint gold shimmer. And it was carved in the shape of a fox.

“It’s lovely,” he said, running his thumb over the carving. “Thank you.” Fox looked up and met your eyes. “I didn’t get you anything.”

He placed the stone fox back in its bag and placed it in a belt pouch.

“I didn’t expect you to. The party was kind of a secret.”

“What if I could give you something?” Fox asked, taking a small step toward you.

Your heart began to beat faster as he leaned over you.

“It’s not something you can hold in your hand,” Fox said.

He reached out and took your hand, placing it on his chest.

“But it’s something that has been yours since that first kindness, though it took me a little while to realize it.”

“Fox,” you said, breathless.

His other arm went around your waist.

“Would you accept this gift, if it were offered to you?”

Your faces were inches apart and you could see the hope in his eyes.

“I would,” you whispered. “With all my heart.”

“Then,” he said, “my heart is yours.”

Fox leaned in and you met him halfway. Your lips met in a rush of warmth and joy as your arms went around his neck to hold him close.

When the two of you broke apart you were met by hoots and wolf whistles.

You turned to see Thorn, Thire, and Stone standing there. Your face flushed to the tips of your ears.

“Back inside, now!” Fox ordered.

The other three commanders cheered and grinned, throwing congratulations over their shoulders as they complied.

You were just pulling Fox down for another kiss when you heard Thorn say, “I told you if we trapped them in a lift for a few hours they’d figure it out.”

Fox closed his eyes and dropped his forehead against yours.

“I’m going to murder them,” he growled softly.

“Later,” you urged, brushing your lips against his.

Omega's eyes widened at the thought.

Her brother, Crosshair, on the other hand... His eyes rolled and he sneered as he placed a new toothpick in his mouth. “Goody,” he replied snidely.

Omega ignored him as she was used to his no-fun demeanor and her attention returned to the tree she was assigned by Mayor Shep Hazard to decorate for Life Day festivities.

You, however, had trouble ignoring Crosshair, even though many times that's exactly what he deserved. It was true. He could be mean, sarcastic, smug, and anti-social.

But there was another side to him that you noticed that maybe others didn't. He was very protective of Omega, doting even. He seemed loyal to his brothers and stoic as well. Maybe all of those good traits overshadowed the bad because you couldn't help finding him to be attractive. Tall, confident, and eyes that were dark and mysterious as they were contemplative and sensitive.  You often wondered what he was wondering about as his eyes mindlessly focused on nothing at all.

There was a smattering of silver that covered his head and reflected just as brilliantly as one of the Life Day baubles, but when you first met him, he had been bald and a scar peppered the left side of his head that you didn't know too much about, perhaps the same way he lost his hand.  He never mentioned much about it and you were too polite to ask.  It seemed he had many scars besides that, hidden beneath his gruff exterior, and you felt like you wanted to know more, maybe so you could attempt the hopeless cliché of fixing him. You huffed a laugh to herself. How silly. He didn't need to be fixed, but maybe you did.

His brother, Tech strolled up, goggled eyes glued to his datapad. “I was under the impression that Life Day ornaments should represent the blue orbs they have on Kashyyyk. These gold and red toned globes are not traditional nor are these other variously shaped oddities.” He picked up a scalloped seashell with fish etched on to it.

“Oh, Tech!” Omega chided. “Life Day isn't about the color of the ornaments. It's about being together!” She hooked one arm with Crosshair, and the other with Tech, holding them close so they formed a line facing the decorated tree. “I think it looks great!  And anyway, we aren't the only ones with oddities!”

In his mind, Crosshair thought, speak for yourself.  In general, he had been indifferent to Life Day, but just to be at annoyingly at odds with his equally annoying brother, and also supportive of Omega, he grunted a slightly more positive than neutral agreement.

Tech tweaked his goggles and acquiesced. “I suppose it does look acceptable. A tradition that originates in one location with one culture may evolve in to many over time and space.”

“That's the spirit!” Omega hugged her brothers' arms closer to her. She let go and picked up the tree topper, a golden 'star' with many pointy protrusions, and got on her tippy toes. The ornaments jingled as she brushed against the tree branches trying to reach the top, but she was just too short.

“Auuughhhhh...” Crosshair sighed as he came up behind her, grabbed her waist and lifted her so she could finally place the star on top.

For a moment you felt a little jealous, but just a moment, because after Crosshair gently placed Omega back on the ground and stepped back, you marveled at how lovely the tree looked and how it sparkled as much as Omega's eyes and smile when she turned to you excitedly.

“Looks amazing. Good job, Omega!” you complimented her eye for detail.

“Couldn't have done it with out you two!” she chirped cheerily. “I'm going to take the leftover ornaments to Mrs. and Mr. Junperi.”

Crosshair picked up the crate before Omega could. “Why don't you go help those two,” he said referring to Tech and Phee. “I'll take care of this.”

“Really? Okay! Thanks, Crosshair!” Omega ran off, excited to be able to decorate more.

You watched Phee greet Omega from afar with delight, knowing Omega would get a cool story about pirates or legends and definitely more Life Day history from Tech. And Crosshair was doing the favor for the Junperis which left you alone and kind of not knowing what to do next. You squinted at the glistening ornaments thinking about it.

“You coming or what?” Crosshair half turned as you lingered behind.

You thought he had left already! He stood there staring at you as your mind flustered. “Um.... Sure. Or do you want me to take it so you can spend time with your family?” You looked over toward Omega, Tech, Phee, and Wrecker who had joined them.

His eyes squinted as he looked toward them, all chatting and enthusiastically decorating. Out of all of his brothers, he had not expected it to be Tech to have a sweetheart, let alone attracted one in the first place. Crosshair heaved a sullen sigh. Maybe he was jealous which made him even more distraught because it was Tech after all. “I've heard my fill of Life Day trivia.” He rolled his eyes with boredom.

Those eyes now met yours and kept their gaze for a few moments, waiting for you, pleading for you to take the lead because ever since getting back from Wayland, he realized it wasn't his strong suit. He might have been envious before of Hunter's rank as sergeant, but Crosshair's own play at Commander ended up hurting a lot of people. Besides, you were better at the small talk that went along with living on a small tight knit island community.

The more he stared, the more mesmerized he became, your eyes sparkling just as much as the ornaments on the stupid tree. “Well?” he prodded again.  "You have something better to do?"

"Better than tagging along with you?"  You made a mock disgusted face and rolled your eyes like he was a champion at.  When the ever faintest sign of a smile appeared on his lips, you grinned and walked towards him. 

You had spent a decent amount of time together after getting to know him when he came to the bar you worked at. First he came in for drinks to do as most beings did, drink away his sorrows. Then you would catch him at the docks with Wrecker and nod respectfully at each other in passing. Then he would help to bring crates of supplies up to the bar for the owner. Then he would come around to do odd jobs every now and then with Tech, and that is when you really got to know him and he got to know you. After hours, you would sit and have a night cap with him. Though you made sure he knew what he meant to you, it never went beyond that, and you didn't press it. You knew he had been through a lot and he needed his space.

But you also didn't want him to think you were disinterested in accompanying him. After all, you knew he wouldn't have invited too many other people along, probably only Omega come to think about it, and that flattered you. You stepped beside him with a smile and his shoulders seemed to relax a little.

With an upturn of his chin, he gestured for you to lead so you did. Once there, Mrs. Junperi asked Crosshair to help get their tree in its stand since her husband had a bad back and also hang some garland. He wasn't necessarily eager, but he willingly did, as you cordially chitchatted with the old woman.

Crosshair didn't like to say more than he had to to the other refugees on the island, but he found himself listening to your every word, your voice seemed to have a soothing effect on him that he could not explain.

As you chatted with Mrs. Junperi, you watched from the corner of your eye how Crosshair diligently helped the older woman and her husband despite being unenthusiastic about the holiday. It also warmed your heart because of how standoffish he was when you first met him.

“Is there anything else Crosshair can do for you?"  you grinned and playfully elbowed him in the ribs.  You got the reaction you hoped for which was an apathetic roll of his eyes.

Mrs. Junperi retrieved a square dish with lid and handles and held it out.  “If you could be a dear and take this casserole to Galia. I think she is such a wonderful addition to our community, such a good nurse.” 

Crosshair wasted no time accepting the task, and took the casserole dish. Maybe he thought of it like a mission, orders to follow. Trying to grasp for that part of his life when he felt like everything was sorted out and his existence meant something.

But lately he had been feeling meaning in his life. Not only because of Omega and even being reunited with his brothers, but because of you. He watched you smile and wish the old couple well as you gently took the dish from his awkward hold on it due to his prosthetic hand which still gave him trouble grasping delicate items that required a double hand hold.  Maybe the mission was just to spend more time with you.

Once at Galia's residence, the young woman accepted the dish with great enthusiasm. She then asked the two of you to deliver a homegrown herbal medicine to Dr. Belsing, one of the island's doctors.

Crosshair once again accepted the task, allowing you to take the jar and you were on your way.

You wondered how many tasks you two would get asked to do, it was almost like the chain missions in the hologame you played. Crosshair seemed at ease with the tasks though.  Maybe he just liked to help. Either way, it only reimbursed the feelings you had for him.  And made you feel like you were a good team even if he didn't do much of the speaking.

Dr. Belsing accepted the medicine with care and gratitude.  "Thank you ever so much.  Won't you please do me a favor and hand these extra decorations to someone who needs them?"  He handed the crate to Crosshair before even receiving an answer.

"Sure!" you smiled and waved goodbye.

Crosshair looked down at the ornaments and other odds and ends he carried.  “We started out with a crate of decorations and ended with one,” he mused.

You hummed in agreement and shrugged.  “As the old saying goes, right back where we started.”

“Story of my life,” Crosshair mumbled under his breath with a despondent sigh.

You shook your head disapprovingly at him and tried to lighten the mood. “Maybe we should just randomly use these decorations ourselves.  Then we end the chain of command.”  You raised your eyebrows at him and tried to smile with your eyes like Omega, because you knew he wouldn't be able to say no.

“Chain of command?  You've been hanging around us too much."

"Is that a bad thing?"

For me?  No, Crosshair thought unable to help himself.  Even if he didn't want to admit it.  Even if he wanted to play it cool and definitely standoffish.  Why did he have to behave that way?  You were someone he enjoyed being around, a friend even if he didn't deserve to have any no matter what Omega said. 

Finally he replied, "It could be if you get stuck near Wrecker after he's had Shep's chili."

You could not stifle your snorting laughter.  You didn't know what was funnier, the joke itself or Crosshair's deadpan delivery of it.

There it was again, that relaxed and relieved feeling Crosshair had when you smiled or laughed.

"Ok, Crosshair, here."  He stopped and you scrounged around in the crate he still held.  You pulled out some boughs of holly and hung them along the wall where steps led to the commons.  You continued on for several more random places until you come upon an arch which was the perfect place for something that caught your eye earlier. Maybe you could give an innocent hint that you wouldn't mind being more than friends.

"Last one, I found the perfect spot for this."  You held up the green leaved twig with trailing shimmery gold ribbon.

"Knock yourself out.” Crosshair dropped the crate and leaned against a wall, fidgeting with the toothpick in the corner of his mouth absentmindedly as he observed you.  

As you tried to reach upwards to place the decoration, you quizzed him. “Do you know what mistletoe is?

“Don't really care."  He twirled the toothpick between his slender fingers and bit down on it.  He started to feel a little nervous.  His heart beat a little faster.  Couldn't possibly have anything to do with you stretching your body and bouncing up to hang that decoration.  "I told you I heard enough Life Day trivia.”

“You're supposed to kiss under it.”  You ignored his pessimism.

Crosshair froze a moment and then rolled his eyes. “You've been hanging around Tech too much. I didn't ask for a history lesson.”

Your heart deflated a little bit. Why did you have feelings for this man, when all he did was rain on your parade. Maybe that was fitting since he was from Kamino, you pondered.

But then you thought of the smiles he unwittingly caused today and you knew why, because you knew deep down he was a good person. Maybe he just didn't know it or believe it.

“Can you at least help me hang it, please?” You got on your tippytoes and demonstrated how you were having trouble.  

Crosshair took the toothpick out of his mouth and made a sarcastic gesture toward you with the little wooden splinter. “It's not my fault you're so short,” he drawled. The corner of his mouth lifted in a smug smirk as he inserted the chewed up toothpick back in and lackadaisically stared you down with his arms folded across his chest, completely unwilling to help.

That was it. You narrowed your eyes at him. The corner of your mouth twisting into a disgusted sneer. You've seen him begrudgingly help other people all day, but when you ask for help, all you get is sarcasm. You didn't have Crosshair's great vision, but through the annoyed slits of your eyes, you did notice a sudden sobering of his expression, as if he had gone too far. You didn't care though. You were done with him. “Kriff you, Crosshair!” 

You grabbed the crate and turned it over, stepping on top of it precariously as it had uneven edges and was a little wobbly.  Once you got used to keeping your balance, with your feet teetering back and forth, you lifted your arms to hang up the decoration. You saw out of the corner of your eye, that Crosshair moved toward you, in a half assed way to spot you.

“I said kriff off!” you turned to him sharply. His face straightened, and maybe for the first time since you had known him, he seemed genuinely regretful. But you only noticed in a split second, because that little outburst put you off balance and you had to make a series of comical arm swings and back arches to keep your balance. Only thing was, the more you tried to compensate, the more balance you lost.

It seemed to all happen in slow motion. Your arms flailed out wildly, your right leg flung upward as your left toes made a futile attempt to maintain contact with the flat surface of the crate. The ribbon of the mistletoe sailed in slow streaming waves as it got flung from your hand. You closed your eyes as you braced for impact with -

Crosshair's arms?

You opened one eye and then the other as you stared up at Crosshair who was staring down at you. Your heart was racing, but you weren't sure if it was from the fear of falling or feeling Crosshair's arms protectively squeezing you to his chest.

“Are you all right?” There was actual concern in his voice.

For once you didn't have any words. “Uhh....ummm....” Your mind fluttered with all sorts of vowels and consonants, but none of them coherent as your heart. Warmth flushed to your face from a mix of embarrassment and adoration.

Crosshair found his mind doing the same thing. Holding you, actually embracing you in his arms and feeling the softness and warmth of your body against his seemed to jolt his senses. You were right to tell him off earlier. Why had he been standoffish when he had been trying to impress you all day? Couldn't he do anything right? Was he going to have to ask....Tech? For relationship advice!?

Auuuughhh!  He growled, much to his chagrin out loud because he saw the surprise in your expression. He set you back on your feet and then picked up the fallen decoration and handed it back to you. He then turned you around so your back was to him and lifted you up by your waist, taking care to grip you firmly, but not enough to hurt you just as he had with Omega earlier.

You finished hanging the mistletoe and Crosshair set you on the ground and looked down at you awkwardly and maybe a little too sarcastically, said, “Happy now?”

You looked into his eyes and seemed to get lost in them a moment until you realized that with his sarcastic demeanor and reaching into his pouch for a new toothpick that he had no intention of kissing you under the mistletoe as you had been clearly hinting for him to do.

He asked if you were happy and you could answer that question honestly. No. No, you weren't. You and Crosshair had such a good friendship. You knew that he knew that you knew just how caring he was. Yet, you must have misread him; he seemed to not care for you as much as you cared for him.

“Happy Life Day, Crosshair,” you blurted out with just as much sarcasm as he ever used. Before he could reply, and before your stupid tears fell, you turned to stomp off unhappily.  Maybe your day would have been better spent staring at that tree you helped decorate on the commons instead of tagging along with him.

But before you could take your first step, you felt a hand firmly grip your arm and hold you in place. Crosshair spun you around and pulled you closer to him, making sure you were directly under the mistletoe. Again, it all was happening so fast, yet in slow motion. He spit out his toothpick.  His hands framed your face and directed your eyes to stare into his. All of the emotions you had sensed in him before seemed to flood from his gaze.     

Crosshair didn't know quite what he was doing.  He never cared if he made anyone else angry, with few exceptions. He couldn't just let you march off unhappily.  He'd rather you didn't march off at all.  He knew what you were hinting at, he just couldn't shake off that part of his character that seemed to weigh him down.   But the thought of you being mad at him was a little more than he could take.  He wasn't Tech, but he knew he had to fix things.       

He always thought it was endearing how much shorter than he you were, but now it seemed a little inconvenient.  Nevertheless, he leaned further down until you both closed your eyes, signaling that you were both ready to not only feel each other's lips, but savor the moment as well.  And savor it he did, a combination of softness, warmth, passion, and what could only be described as love poured from your heart to his. 

You melted into his embrace.  You weren't falling to the ground this time, you were most assuredly falling in love as his hands grasped your waist and brought you closer to him.  Weren't you mad at him, shouldn't you be telling him to kriff off?  

Crosshair realized he had been kissing you for a little longer than he had planned.  He gently broke the kiss and looked down at you, up at the mistletoe, and then back to you.  “Happy now?” he asked.

There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice, but more charming than offensive so you let it slide.  As tempting as it was to answer that question sarcastically yourself, you answered honestly.  "Yes.  I guess it's a happy Life Day after all?" you grinned mischievously.

"Auuuughhh..." Crosshair sighed and rolled his eyes.  "I'm not saying it."

"You don't have to," you let him off the hook.  "But we are still standing under the mistletoe."

"So we are..."  Crosshair studied you a moment, taking in all of the subtle expressions that made you you.  

The streets are packed with people heading to the city center for the communal celebrations, but you don’t have the time to think about it or join in. Many of the Clones are still too shy to join large public gatherings. Despite this, you still don’t want them to miss out on some of the Life Day traditions. That is why you have a cart so full of food that you could cook an entire feast yourself.  The wheels of your cart clatter against the cobblestones as you round a corner. Droids and speeders zip past you like lightning, surely headed to their own parties and gatherings. There is also a young couple heading down the street, hands clasped together tightly. 

Seeing the couple makes you wonder what your relationship is with Howzer. The two of you have kissed before and have spent time alone together in the city. He has even slept the night over at your apartment. He had only slept there - nothing exciting had happened - but it feels sort of like you’re a couple, despite neither of you having formally asked the other out. You’ve been so busy making sure all his brothers get what they need out of the center’s programming that you haven’t had the time to ask him what he wants from your relationship. As you get close to your destination, you decide you’ll finally take the initiative and ask. Life Day can be interpreted as being about love and bonds after all.

The Community Center is in a quiet part of the city and you arrive safely, unlocking the front door with your keycard and slipping in. The lobby is dark when you enter and you instinctively move to flick the lights on. No response comes from the overhead lights and you flick the switch a few more times, trying to force it awake. When the lights simply refuse to turn on, you sigh and start wheeling the cart through the dark. It helps that you’ve walked through the lobby a thousand times before, so your steps come certain. 

There is a strange smell of vanilla in the air as you approach the large multiuse room that attaches to the lobby. You approach slowly. Is someone playing a prank on you? Then there is a hiss and the lights flicker on in a bright, blinding flash. You cover your eyes for a moment and then pull your hand away as you grow accustomed to the light. 

“Welcome home, Boss!” calls out a myriad of voices.

Before you are the dozen or more Clones that you have been working with. Each of them wears their armour, polished to perfection. They stand in front of a table that has been pulled into the middle of the room. A giant, amateurish cake sits on the table, surrounded by a wide variety of other foods like Norrick loaves, blue puff cubes, and channelfish sandwiches. Did they make all this for you?

Behind the Clones is a large Life Day tree, decked out with lights and ornaments. It looks beautiful and fills up the room with a welcoming glow. You let go of the cart and take a few steps forward, thinking of how to express your gratitude for their hard work. Before you get the chance to say anything, Howzer slips out from behind the tree and says to his brothers:

“C’mon, boys, help her with the groceries and then we can dig in!”

Two of the Clones approach and take the cart away from you, pulling it through one of the doorways that leads to the kitchens. The others set about taking portions of the food for themselves, pulling at plates and cups and jostling silverware that lies on the table. Music plays in the background and laughter fills the air as the Clones start to enjoy themselves. Howzer slips around the table and approaches you, his hand reaching for one of yours. His hand is calloused and rough against your skin as you interlace fingers, but you don’t pay attention to that. Instead, you look into his beautiful brown eyes as he smiles shyly at you.

“Me and the boys wanted to do something to thank you for all your hard work this year. I know many of them aren’t ready yet for big celebrations like Life Day, but we… I hope this is okay.”

“It’s wonderful, Howzer. Thank you.”

“There’s ah… one more decoration I’d like you to see before we eat.”

You raise your eyebrow at the mystery decoration, but Howzer just smiles and leads you to the other side of the tree. Behind it is a small bundle of leaves hanging from a red ribbon that attaches to the ceiling. Little white berries dot the plant and the leaves themselves are very, very green. It is nothing like the plants you have seen here on Chandrila. You turn and give Howzer a questioning look.

“When I served on Ryloth, I learned that Twi’leks have some of their own traditions for Life Day. One of them is to hang a mistletoe and… well, it’s supposed to bring good luck if lovers kiss under it.” 

He gently leads you under the mistletoe.

“May I partake in that tradition with you?” he asks, his eyes crinkling as he smiles. 

You nod and close your eyes, waiting for him. You can hear him let out a breath and then he is leaning forward, lips meeting your own. The first thing you notice is how warm he is, like he’s your own personal heater on a cold winter’s night. Then, as you lean into him, you notice his sweetness. You savour his taste, snaking your fingers up over the lip of his breastplate and pulling him closer to you. Kissing him now is like making a promise for the future. You promise to keep working hard at rehabilitating the Clones and you promise to make the most of every moment. Smiling against his lips, you promise to keep loving him. 

The kiss seems to last a lifetime, the rest of the world blurred out of distraction around you. His heat, his sweetness, his arms around you as he holds you tight to himself. You could lose yourself in this moment. Then you hear a holler and a whoop and you open your eyes to see a few of the other Clones grinning at you and Howzer. Your cheeks heat and you part from Howzer, taking a few steps back. He laughs and waves them off.

“Alright. Get going! There’s nothing to see here.”

His brothers laugh in response and turn away, returning to their meals. Maybe one day you’ll catch them kissing someone special on Life Day. You look forward to returning the teasing. Howzer turns back to you and takes your hands in his once more. His face is a little shy now, but he continues to smile at you.

“I should have said this earlier,” he starts, looking down at the ground in embarrassment before returning his gaze to yours. “But I want to say it now. Thank you for helping me with the other Clones. It means a lot to me to have you at my side and helping me with getting everyone prepared for civilian life. I know with the Empire breathing down our necks, it isn’t easy, but you’ve done a great job and… and… well. I love you and you’re the one I want to spend my life with. If you’ll have me.”

The silence is broken by a unit of Clones coming through. They eagerly head to the part of the supply storage where a makeshift canteen has been erected. You close the package and set it on your lap just as Wolffe comes your way, holding a couple ration bars in his hand. He holds one out to you and you eagerly accept it. It is dry and almost tasteless, but you bite into it happily as your stomach rumbles from the long day of work. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Wolffe looking at the package.

“What’s that?” He asks, motioning with his ration bar at the box.

“My ex sent me a Life Day gift. It’s some music I like.”

Wolffe hums thoughtfully and takes a bite of his food, eyes looking out past the great storage crates and busy troopers. Then he turns to hold his hand out to you.

“Come with me for a walk? The quakes seem stable for now and I’d like to show you one of the Aleen colossi.”

You finish your ration bar and nod, taking his hand. He pulls you to your feet and continues to hold your hand as he leads you past the supply station and out into the fields of Aleen. His hand is warm even through the soft fabric of his gloves and you savour the feeling against your skin. Other troopers notice the two of you and salute to Wolffe who returns the motion with a nod of his own. You’ve been accepted into the Wolf Pack like family and none of them question your relationship with their Commander. They all know well that you have spilt blood, sweat and tears to keep them supplied and functioning. It feels good to have their friendship.

Aleen is a dry and rocky planet, full of mesas and canyons. Here and there, Arbozoic trees dot the landscape and Wolffe leads you to a patch that grows close to the local settlement. The trees are strange and shaped like tentacles reaching for the sky in tight-knit bundles. Some pulse with a strange, purple glow that contrasts sharply with the dull brown of the sky and ground. One has been hollowed out so that a large opening yaws down to the ground. It is through this opening that Wolffe leads you. 

Inside the tree is a myriad of carvings and petroglyphs lining the internals of the tree. You approach one of the tree’s walls and run your fingers over the carvings in the wood. It feels rough against your skin and you can tell the cuts go deep into the tree. Some of the carvings are of animals native to the planet and others portray Aleena going about ritualistic tasks. Wolffe steps behind you and places his hand on your shoulder, sending a delightful shiver down your spine.

“That droid… C-3PO says these colossi are important to Aleena culture. They record their history here. I thought you might like seeing their artwork.”

“It’s beautiful,” you say, leaning yourself back against his chest. He feels solid like a wall and it has you feeling safe. If another groundquake comes, he’ll surely scoop you up.

“How have you been sleeping?” 

“Well, the quakes make it hard to get a whole 8 hours.”

He hums thoughtfully again and wraps his arms around your waist, holding you tight. 

“Is this… ex someone you’re looking to get back with?”

You laugh at first. The thought of getting back with them is absolutely absurd. You left for a reason and Wolffe has been such a great boyfriend. Then you realize he’s being serious with his question. You put your hand on one of his and run your thumb over his gauntlet, looking at the damage engraved deep into his armour.

“No, I’m happy with you, Wolffe.”

“It’s… With the war, it isn’t easy to arrange something for Life Day whether that be a gift or an outing. I just want to make you happy and take care of you. It’s all I ever want to do - you deserve so much more, but all I can give is myself. And I really hope that’s enough.”

“Oh, you’re more than enough. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than by your side.”

Wolffe turns you around so that you are facing each other. There is a serious look on his face and he leans in to place a kiss on your forehead, lips warm and soft. Then he pulls back and a rare smile lights up his face.

“We’re in route to you now. Should be with you in about five hours.”

I nodded from my place between Obi-Wan and Cody, the three of us staring at the holographic version of Anakin Skywalker in front of us. I heard Cody sigh from beside me as Obi-Wan responded.

“We’ll be waiting for you as planned.”

Anakin nodded. “I’ll keep you updated if anything changes.”

Obi-Wan nodded, and then a moment later, the hologram shut off.

“Cody, you know the drill,” Obi-Wan said, turning to face the two of us. “Prepare to link up with the 501st’s fleet five hours from now, and keep your communicator on for any updates or delays.”

“Yes, General.”

Obi-Wan gave us both a smile and a nod, then headed off the bridge. I moved to follow him, but Cody caught my arm before I could.

I turned to give him a raised-eyebrow look, only to find him looking much more visibly stressed than I’d seen him in a long time. And I’d seen Obi-Wan make him visibly stressed often.

“Are you okay?” I asked, brow furrowing as I took a step closer to Cody. I heard the door close somewhere behind us as Obi-Wan headed off to do whatever he needed to do, but my eyes never left Cody’s face.

We’d first met a long time ago, before I’d even been assigned to work regularly with Obi-Wan, when Cody had been visiting Coruscant on shore leave. We’d absolutely hit it off, and had been inseparable for the few weeks he’d been on-planet. When I’d been assigned to the 212th to assist General Kenobi, alongside Cody, I’d taken it as a sign from the Force that we made an unbeatable team, and nothing the Jedi could say would be enough to keep me away from him.

Although, we did a much better job of hiding it than Skywalker and his wife.

Cody sighed heavily, bringing me back into the moment as he looked away from the door Obi-Wan had disappeared through to meet my eyes.

“I’m fine, for now. But…” He shook his head, and I frowned, slipping my arm out of his grip to take his hand instead. “You haven’t seen the kind of chaos the 501st brings in the field yet, have you?”

“No, can’t say I have. I’ve heard some stories here and there, but… don’t tell me that’s what this expression is about?”

Cody sighed again. “Undeniably, they’re a talented group, and they accomplish things that should otherwise be impossible.”

“But? Is Skywalker really that bad in the field?”

“It’s not just him. He pulls focus, maybe, but Ahsoka, Rex, and every other member of that unit… they’re chaos magnets, and they’re happy about it.”

I snorted. “Cody-”

“I know you’re well aware of how insane it can get with us in the 212th. General Kenobi’s a lot more chaotic than his reputation, sure enough. But the 501st is always… so much worse. If we’re going to get through this with our ship intact, much less our General and our men… I’m going to need all hands on deck high coordination from you.”

“…Is it really that bad?”

Cody gave me an exhausted look I’d only ever seen from him once or twice, usually after Obi-Wan did something that made me seriously question how he got his reputation as calm, level-headed, or rational. I took a deep breath, then squeezed his hand.

“Well… consider me warned. I’ll be ready for whatever chaos the 501st bring. No matter what, we’ve got this.”

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

“CODY! COME IN!”

“I’m here! Problem on deck seven is dealt with, I’m heading to you now!”

I paused for a split second, just long enough to close my eyes and let out a sigh of relief. We weren’t out of the woods yet, but Cody’s comms had cut out to static and shouting about five minutes ago, and I’d been toeing the line on panic the longer his radio silence stretched on.

I didn’t have time for a longer sigh of relief, though. We were nowhere near out of the woods yet.

My eyes snapped open, I ignited my lightsaber, and then I charged around the nearest corner to continue dealing with the chaos the 501st had managed to bring with them.

Somehow, in the five hours between our call on the bridge and the arrival of the 501st, they’d managed to fly their capital ship through a dormant fleet of vulture droids that had apparently lost contact with whatever Separatist apparatus had been controlling them. They’d been floating in space in a giant debris cloud, completely neutralized, until the 501st had flown straight through and managed to wake them all up.

They’d covered the remaining distance to us as quickly as possible, giving us a heads up about the problem about thirty minutes before their arrival. Now, like Cody had predicted, we were fighting just to keep our ship in one piece.

I shouted as I turned down a hallway where three of the droids had burrowed deep into our ship, and were actively trying to keep tearing in further. I rushed them, lightsaber flashing, and managed to take down the first one before the others even recognized my presence.

A second later, Cody appeared at the end of the hallway, blaster blazing. Like we’d been training for it all our lives, we synced up perfectly, making short work of the other two vulture droids.

“This is ridiculous!” I shouted, in lieu of a hello. “How did they even find these things?”

Cody just shook his head. “Like I said, they’re chaos magnets. Any updates on whether these droids reconnected to a Separatist control station?”

“No, but I don’t think so. They’re not acting with enough coordination for that. It’s like Skywalker and his crew drove their ship through the crowd and flipped every single droid’s switch to “destory as much as possible” at once.”

Cody snorted. “…I’m not sure I’d be surprised if they’d somehow managed that.”

I huffed a laugh, the sheer insanity of the situation getting to me. I made eye contact with Cody, and then I couldn’t hold back a wave of laughter anymore. Even Cody smiled, shaking his head like he also couldn’t quite believe the situation we’d found ourselves in.

“No wonder you looked so exhausted the first time I met you,” I finally managed, taking deep breaths to recover from the laughter. “I’d chalked it up to being Obi-Wan’s fault, but now I know the truth. And I know why he’s got such a shining reputation for level-headedness and anti-recklessness that doesn’t fit him. It’s because Skywalker, Ahsoka, and the 501st are absolutely insane outliers destroying everything in their paths.”

Cody snorted. “Well… on the bright side, lights are still on.”

As if he’d willed it into being, the entire ship went dark the split second the words had left Cody’s mouth. In the now-eerie glow of my lightsaber, the only light source on the entire deck as far as I could tell, I shot Cody a look.

“…Yeah. I should’ve known better than to say that out loud.”

I couldn’t help it. I started laughing again. This time, Cody actually joined me, shaking his head at himself. I managed to straighten up after a few moments, and I nudged his shoulder with my own, my lightsaber still casting a faint glow on both of our faces. He sighed, and leaned right back into me.

“Honestly, Codes, you don’t need to sweat it. Yeah, that wasn’t your finest move, but look around you. By comparison, you’re literally infallible.”

Cody snorted, then took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh.

“We need to get moving again. Let’s head down to the electronics bay with your lightsaber, see if we can’t get power restored.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me. Just give me one second.”

Cody paused, standing just over my shoulder as I lifted my arm to type something into the localized communicator and computer. I waited just long enough to see my message had sent, then looked up at Cody with a smile.

“Okay. Let’s do this.”

“…What did you do?” asked Cody, the two of us falling into step reflexively as we headed for the electronics bay. I shot him a grin.

“I just put in an official shore leave request for the two of us. Felt like we could both use a light at the end of this literal dark tunnel of chaos, you know?”

Cody barked another laugh, and even though he shook his head, I could see the somewhat rare grin that I absolutely loved on his face.

“That’s a fantastic idea. All the more reason to get this taken care of quickly, so we can get out of here.”

The two of us shared one last grin in the glow of my lightsaber, before our focus shifted to the bright red lights that had just appeared ahead of us, marking another round of vulture droids. Not even the chaos of the 501st stood a chance when Cody and I stood shoulder to shoulder, taking on all-comers, together.

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

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen @misshale21 @diego42 @crepuscola

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

Despite your best effort to hide your limp, you only make it back to the Marauder thanks to Echo, who’s helping you stand, his good arm around you to hoist you up. You look down at the bleeding gash on your leg and pull a bit of a grimace; you can already hear the ‘I told you so’ coming. 

The team is in a hurry to leave the place; an enemy base the teams has just infiltrated. The voices and stomping of several Stormtroopers get louder as they approach your location. It’s only because you split up earlier that Tech doesn’t immediately notice you’re hurt, instead reading through the intel they just got from the base on his datapad as he walks up the ship’s ramp. 

Every clone goes to their assigned spot for a quick take-off, with Hunter at the helm. You want to help Wrecker secure some crates, but you’re unable to take a proper step, as the ship’s shaking and rumbling has you holding onto Echo for dear life so as not to fall. He lets you, and he would be more amused if it weren’t for the fact that you got hurt on his watch. 

Finally, Tech looks up from his pad when he hears the sharp intake of your breath through gritted teeth, and the device is quickly discarded on a shelf to come check on you. 

“What happened?” he asks, more towards Echo than you. 

Wrecker appears behind him, and he and Echo talk over each other, the bigger clone taking the blame, while the other remarks you were being reckless. It’s a jumble of words and accusations and apologies, and Tech swiftly lifts a hand to shut them up. He takes you from Echo’s hold and brings you over to some crates where you can sit down.

“Are you okay?” he asks first, and you nod. “Let’s hear your side of the story,” he offers. His tone is gentle but you know he’s not happy about this, obviously. 

Tech grabs the first aid kit from one of the crates and then takes a seat in front of you. While he tends to your injuries, you start your retelling of what happened on the mission.

– – – earlier – – –

Tech tells you to stay put on the ship, but you insist on going; you don’t like being left behind, and in enemy territory no less. Sure, you started out as a civilian attaché many missions ago and kind of never left and just stuck around, but that doesn't mean you don't pull your weight with the team. And Tech knows that. He says it’s for your safety, since they’re not entirely sure how many enemy forces they’ll encounter on this mission.

You try to pull rank and go the “If Hunter says I can go, I go, because he outranks you” route, but Hunter takes a step back with raised hands; he’s staying out of this discussion.

So you assure Tech that you can take care of yourself, pointing to the blaster at your hip and Wrecker standing on your other side, which makes the bigger clone give a proud smile. That seems to reassure Tech enough to allow you to go on the mission. You quickly peck his cheek when he finally gives in.

The plan is clear: get in, do some recon, extract info, plant the bombs and leave.

The team decides to split up to cover more ground. You go with Echo and Wrecker, who are in charge of the bombs and keeping watch outside, in case reinforcements arrive unexpectedly. 

The intel they got was good enough, and the team quickly makes their way around the base while Hunter, Crosshair and Tech infiltrate it.

You make your way to one of the platforms and realise that while the intel was right about the location of the platforms, they omitted the state of them; completely run down, rusty, seeming to creak under the light breeze.

It dawns on you that there’s no way Wrecker can make his way over to the main building to plant the bombs. When going over the mission plan earlier, he and Tech already pinpointed the structural weak points, and this is the only way to access them, from the outside at least. Without a word, you take the charges from Wrecker’s hands.

“What are you doing?” he asks, confused.

“Are you seeing how flimsy these look?” you retort, pointing at the thin metal structure leading to the main building. “There’s no way you’ll make it. No offence.”

“None taken,” he shrugs his shoulders lightly. “But it’s not like I can let you go either.” 

“I’m lighter and more agile than you, and I’ve watched you plant these a hundred times,” you point out, flipping the charges over between your fingers. “Besides, you have the detonator, so it’s not like they’ll blow up in my face or anything, right?”

Wrecker is about to say that’s a good point when Echo interjects.

“Actually, comms are jammed,” he says with a sigh as he puts his comlink away after failing to contact the others. “All of them, including the detonator frequency.”

You try your own comlink, and sure enough, there’s no response, only static. Biting the inside of your cheek and with furrowed brows, you look around, your wavering optimism perking up just a bit as you spot something in a wall.

“Well, we can sync these to a timer, right?” you ask, looking up at Wrecker and pointing to the bombs.

“Sure can,” he responds, and he immediately gets to work.

“Good, because we’re out of time,” you say as you check the chrono on the mini datapad hanging from your belt loop. You point to the socket you just saw in one of the walls and look up at them. “Here’s what we’ll do: Echo, try to lift the jamming signal. Wrecker, make sure we have a swift exit, and I’ll go and plant the bombs.”

Echo and Wrecker share a look, hesitating for a second too long, in your opinion.

“Watch out!” You suddenly point behind them, and they fall for it, turning around to face possible danger. Snatching the bombs again, you make a run for it.

Wrecker groans, urging Echo to get comms working again so he can contact the team. The other clone kneels down and plugs his scomp link into the wall, trying to find a way in, but it’s tougher than anticipated.

When you’re done attaching all the charges, you start making your way back. The structure creaks under your weight, but it seems to hold. It’s only when you’re just about to reach the platform where the others are that a pole finally gives in despite your careful movements, and you hear a hollow crack as it snaps. 

The two clones call out for you, and you fall with a shriek, Wrecker barely manages to catch your hand midair. Compelled by the urgency, Echo manages to lift the jam, which triggers an alarm; everyone in the base knows you’re here now. Echo pings the rest of the team so check on their status.

When Wrecker pulls you up, they both see the gash on your leg; the broken up pole sticking out from the ground at a low angle, now ending in a sharp edge, evidently cut over your thigh as you fell. You hiss through your teeth at the sting when you try to take a step, but put on a brave face nonetheless. Without missing a beat, Wrecker picks you up and the three of you beeline back to the Marauder. If you counted right, there’s only a few seconds until the bombs detonate. You really hope that the team didn’t go into this side of the base, which would have been against the plan anyway.

You hear Hunter’s voice on Echo’s comlink, informing him that they’re all done and on their way back to the ship. Echo says you’re on your way as well, though there was a bit of an unforeseen situation. Cue the explosion in the background.

– – – – –

When you finish your retelling, your wound is disinfected, cleaned and dressed. Tech looks over it for a moment in silence to make sure everything is to his satisfaction, then he gives you a stim despite your protests. The whole time you talked, he was silent, and despite how good you’ve become at reading his face, there’s been nothing but focus on it for the task at hand.

Only when he’s done patching you up does he allow himself to take a deep breath, and his shoulders slump slightly as he exhales.

“That was very reckless,” he finally says, and you pout. You feel like a kid being scolded.

“Well, what else was I supposed to do?” you retort, crossing your arms over your chest. “We were on a tight schedule and we couldn't contact you to change the plan.”

“So you improvised.”

You look back at him and see the glint in his eyes, it betrays the seriousness in his voice.

“Learned from the best,” you say with a smile, placing your hands in your lap.

Tech barely manages to bite back a smile of his own with a slight roll of his eyes. Then he goes silent, deep in thought, looking to the side. You wait for a moment, the lean forward to catch his gaze.

“Are you mad at me?” you ask, voice small.

“Of course not. I’m glad you’re safe,” he says earnestly.

You smile again, placing your hand on his. 

“I’ll allow it just this once, but you can say ‘I told you so’.”

“What?” he asks, genuinely confused. 

“Well, you told me to stay on the ship, and I didn’t listen, and…”

“That’s not…”

You tilt your head ever so slightly.

“Then what is it?”

Tech turns his hand around to properly hold onto yours. He takes a moment to gather his thoughts.

“I didn’t tell you to stay in the ship because I think you're not skilled or that you couldn't take care of yourself. I asked you to stay because… I knew I dread the mere thought of you coming back hurt. Seeing you bleeding like that only confirmed my suspicion. It gave me quite the scare, to be honest.”

“But I’m fine,” you offer, giving his hand a squeeze. “Besides, I know you'll be there to patch me up if anything happens.”

He gives you a meaningful look, and you know it well. What he's trying to say is not coming across clearly. So you raise an eyebrow in question.

“What I’m trying to say is that I don’t want to see you hurt again.” He pauses for a moment, then adds in a small voice, “I don’t know what I’d do if… There is no future for me without you in it.”

You take a second too long to process what he's saying, and before you can reply, he continues.

“So let’s just be more careful from now on, okay?”

You decide to leave it at that for the moment; there'll be plenty of time to discuss your future together some other time. Together, you think. After all of this is over and he'll be free to actually live a life. You smile to yourself. 

“I promise,” you assure him. “But only if you also promise to be careful yourself, okay?”

“When am I not careful? Every step I take is thoroughly thought through.”

You laugh, about to start counting on your fingers every time he's done something that could have gone very wrong, but he takes your hands instead and places a quick kiss to your knuckles.

“I’m always careful,” he says. “Every risk I take is calculated.”

You chuckle, about to retort when Echo quickly pops his head into the room to announce you're about to drop from hyperspace.

You try to get up but fail, instead remaining seated where you are. With your hands still linked, Tech offers to help you up, but you shake your head.

“Let’s stay here for a while longer?”

He furrows his brows slightly but agrees nonetheless, moving to sit next to you instead of across.

“And thank you. For patching me up.”

“Of course. Any time.”

He leans in to press a kiss to your temple, and you’re quick to hold his face before he can fully pull back to kiss him properly. 

“What do you mean it’s cancelled?” You asked the poor airline desk associate who looked as flustered as you felt. 

“The weather does not allow for any flights to leave or arrive at your destination.” 

You waved your hand. “Okay, I understand that. But the next available flight isn’t until after the holiday? And there’s no rental cars available and hotels are fully booked?”

“Unfortunately, that is correct.” 

You squeezed your eyes shut and slumped against the counter. Your hands clenched as you let out a deep breath. 

“Alright. I’m sorry for getting upset. Thank you for the information. Happy holidays.” You breathed to the poor associate, knowing it wasn’t her fault your likelihood of making it home to your family was in hell, before turning and passing the long line of disgruntled passengers. 

You found a quiet corner near baggage claim, having just obtained your checked bag. You slumped into a chair, your backpack hitting the ground at your feet as you buried your face in your hands. 

No sooner than you had begun to wallow in your own self-pity did your cell phone start ringing. You let it ring twice before digging it out of your pocket. Your heart sank when you saw the contact photo of your mom.

Because you weren’t going to be able to avoid this forever, you picked up the phone.

“Hey Mom.” 

“Sweetie! Did your flight land okay? Your other one should be boarding soon right? We’re so excited for you to get here. Your siblings are already getting everything ready to make gingerbread houses as soon as you get here. They’re adults now, but I can’t seem to talk them out of it.” As your mom talked, you squeezed your eyes shut and felt them start to burn. “Your old room is already ready and waiting. I changed the sheets just this morning-” 

“-Mom, mom.” You quickly interjected.

“What is it sweetie? Is everything okay?”

You took a deep breath. “I’m not sure I’m going to make it tonight. Or tomorrow.” 

“What happened? Is there something wrong with your flight?”

“It was cancelled. I’m trying to find a car to rent or something, but I won’t make it tonight.” 

“Oh sweetie. It’s okay. As long as you’re safe that’s all that matters. Obviously, we want you here, but please, if the weather is bad enough to cancel your flight, be careful. If it’s better you visit after the holidays, then we’ll make it work. Okay? We want you here, but we want you safe the most.” She said, her voice soft like it was when you cried as a kid. 

“Thanks Mom. I’ll keep you posted. I’m going to go check on a rental car.” 

“Okay. Be careful, okay? Love you.” 

“Love you too.” Your voice was tight, but you hoped your mom wouldn’t pick up on it. 

You hung up, feeling sick to your stomach. You already knew the likelihood of finding a rental was slim to none, emphasis on the none. You hated lying to your family, but sometimes a little hope was what everyone needed during the holidays. 

You brushed a hand under your eye, sniffling as you pulled up the bus and train schedule. Which also wasn’t looking promising, but you had to at least try. 

“Excuse me?”

A voice called and you looked up to see a man with a small bag over his shoulder and a carry-on suitcase. He was wearing a winter coat, a deep blue beanie, and a scarf around his neck. His skin was dark and his eyes were a deep brown that immediately drew you into him. The easy smile on his face had your heart stuttering in your chest. 

“Sorry to bother you, but I overheard your conversation. If you don’t mind me asking, where are you heading?”

You swallowed, still reeling from the conversation with your mother and feeling overwhelmed. But something told you this guy was trustworthy, so you answered honestly.

“I’m trying to get to Naboo, but my flight was cancelled and there are no rentals left. I’m looking at the bus and train schedule, but that’s also not looking promising. And there’s no hotels. So I’m thinking I should have stayed in the terminal since they have more benches to sleep on.” You said, sniffling again. “Sorry, I don’t know why I’m dumping all of this on you.”

“Oh no, it’s okay. I asked, remember?” He teased. “Forgive me if this is forward, but I’m driving to Kamino. I’d be happy to drop you off in Naboo on my way.” 

“Oh I don’t want to impose-”

“-you aren’t. I’m offering.” He said. “I know what it’s like to want to be with your family for the holidays and if I can help make that happen, I’d like to.”

You blinked up at him. 

This was a bad idea. This was a total stranger, no matter how desperate you were, it would be incredibly dumb to accept. But you thought about your parents, and your siblings, and your nieces and nephews, all waiting for you back home. You had been looking forward to this for months and it had been such a long time that you needed to be home, more than anything. And here was your knight in shining armor, well, knight in respectable winter attire.

“Are you sure?” He chuckled and you again were reminded about how attractive he was. “I’m positive. I wouldn’t be offering if I wasn’t positive.” 

“And you aren’t a serial killer?”

This time, he laughed loudly and you found yourself cracking a small smile. 

“Even if I was, it’s the holidays and you would have to be a true monster to murder someone before the holidays.” 

You scoffed, but stood up regardless. You swung your backpack over your shoulder and grabbed your suitcase. You took a step closer to him and held out your hand, introducing yourself. 

He smiled before taking your hand in his and shaking it. “Kix. It’s nice to meet you.”

You ignored the tingling in your hand and instead followed him towards his rental car. As you walked, you talked about your plans for the holidays. Apparently Kix had a very large extended family and they tried to all get together every few years. This year happened to be that year for them. You shared your own plans and how this was a yearly tradition for you, but occasionally you had to miss due to work. 

Before you could get too deep into conversation, you found the rental car desk, Kix added you as a driver, and you got the keys. The car was parked on the first level of the garage and you quickly loaded your bags into the back of the small blue car and headed out into the white wonderland. 

The drive ahead of you was a long one and it was already very late, almost 11pm. Naboo was about a five hour drive with good weather, but with the storm currently raging, it would likely be double that. Beyond Naboo, Kix had another three hours to Kamino. While he drove, you looked for hotels about an hour or so from the airport. Neither of you were super excited about driving all night with bad weather, so you decided finding a hotel was the best option. Upon your insistence, you booked two rooms at a very small hotel about an hour and a half away. It was the least you could do since Kix was going slightly out of the way for you, a total stranger. 

As the two of you drove, you continued to chat. You found out Kix was currently in his first year residency in Coruscant in the largest hospital there. He was a little old to be a first year resident, but apparently, he’d been a medic in the military, so his schooling was a little delayed. He was surprised to find out you were a nurse and the two of you bonded over your shared desire to help people and skills within the medical field. 

Talking with Kix was probably the easiest thing you’d ever done. He was kind, and funny, and the two of you just clicked. It was like you’d known him your entire life. 

It was a crazy gamble, taking a ride from a total stranger, but you had a very strange feeling accepting this ride was about to change everything about your life going forward. 

After a rough ride, you finally arrived at the small hotel, emphasis on small. It was more like a bed and breakfast than a hotel, but as long as there was a warm bed inside, you didn’t care. Holiday decorations covered the front of the building and warm lights welcomed the two of you. 

Kix parked the car and you both grabbed your bags before heading inside. The lobby was small, but a decorated tree stood in the corner and a warm fire crackled in the fireplace. There was a small desk off to the side and you quickly rushed forward, pulling off your scarf as you approached. A small older woman walked out from a door behind the desk. 

“Good evening, are you here to check in?” She asked and you quickly nodded, rattling off your name for the reservation. 

“Oh yes, I have you right here. One room, correct?”

You blinked. “Uhm, it should be two.” 

She tapped on their older computer before shaking her head. “Looks like there's only one in our system. We are fully booked regardless, so it’s all I have unfortunately.” 

Your mind was racing. You were exhausted and wanted to get some sleep, but maybe it would be best to go a bit further and try to find another place to stay. That was probably the best option-

“-we’ll take it. Thank you ma’am.” Kix spoke up behind you and you turned to look at him with wide eyes. He shook his head as the receptionist quickly checked you in. She took your card and returned it with your room key. She rattled off information about breakfast and the amenities, but it just sounded muffled to you. 

Was this really about to happen? Were you in a Hallmark movie? One room? Are you serious?

“Thank you ma’am. We’ll be sure to check it out.” Kix replied and you snapped back to reality. 

“Have a good night. Let us know if you need anything.” She said with a smile and almost in a daze, you followed Kix towards the stairs. Before you could react, Kix picked up your luggage and his and began climbing the stairs. 

“Wait, I can take it-”

“-already almost there!” Kix called in a sing-song voice and you let out a sigh before following after him. 

You were on the second floor near the end of the hallway. Kix opened the door with the key and pushed inside with your bags. You followed behind him and felt your stomach bottom out when you saw the treacherous one bed in the center of the room. 

The door clicked behind you as you spoke. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” 

Kix set down your bags with a huff. “Oh come on, where’s your sense of adventure?” 

You shot him a look and he chuckled. “Hurry up, set down your backpack, we’re going back out.” 

“Back out? Why?”

“Weren’t you listening?” He asked, but at your blank look, waved you off. “Nevermind, just trust me then.”

You weren’t moving fast enough for Kix because he practically pulled your backpack off your shoulders and tossed it on the bed before grabbing your hand and dragging you back out of the room. Your brain was in overdrive. It was still barely processing the path that led you here, let alone the single room and one bed and the fact that Kix still gripped your hand tightly in his, practically dragging you through the hallway and back down the stairs. 

The receptionist was still at the front desk when you passed by and she waved with a knowing, almost smug look on her face. Before you could say anything, you were back outside in the bitter cold. 

Kix continued to pull you along and if you didn’t know any better, you would think Kix had been here before by how confidently he was moving through the silent streets.

While you were exhausted, the cold kept you awake and you would be lying to say you didn’t enjoy this weather. The stillness of the snow around you and how, despite it being almost 1am, it felt so light outside with the glowing of the moon reflecting off the snow.

However, you still had no idea where you were going. 

You walked, trailing behind an insistent Kix for about ten minutes before he stopped and you nearly ran right into him. When you took a step around him, you froze as well. 

Ahead of you was a brilliant display of lights, lining and crossing lowly back and forth. It was quiet and empty, due to the late hour. But the lights were still shining brightly, bathing the small town street in a magical light. 

Kix looked back at you with a bright grin on his face that rivaled the lights behind him before tugging you forward. Your shoes crunching on the freshly fallen snow was the only sound you could hear as you walked further under the display. 

Your eyes were fixed upward, entranced by the lights. 

But you were pulled away by a tug on your hand. You looked at Kix who had a soft smile on his face. 

“May I have this dance?”

“Kix, there’s no music.” 

He shrugged. “Never stopped me before.” 

You didn’t fight the smile as it broke across your face and let Kix tug you in closer, his arm wrapping around your back as yours found his shoulder. Together, you began to sway to imaginary music, lights twinkling above you as a soft snow began to fall. 

You couldn’t believe the complete 180 degree turn your day had taken. One moment you were stranded at an airport hours from where you wanted to be, and now you were dancing under holiday lights with a man you’d known for only half that time. And yet, somehow, it was like you’d known Kix your whole life. 

“I’m not one to believe in fate.” Kix said, his voice low and his breath tickling your forehead. Your heart pounded in your chest as he began talking. “I believe in science, in fact. But no matter how much I think and try to find a solution, nothing makes sense. I think fate cancelled your flight and led me to rent a car when I normally fly direct.” 

Your hand tightened in his. “This is crazy, and if I’m wrong or alone in this, you can tell me and I’ll back off. But can I kiss you?”

You looked up to meet his deep brown eyes, the sound of your heart pounding in your head. “I don’t know, can you?”

He scoffed, a smile playing across his lips before he looked back at you. “May I?”

You returned his smile before nodding. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t..”

Without hesitating, Kix pressed forward, slotting his lips against yours like they were meant to be there. The sting of the cold wind faded as your entire body warmed at the contact. Your arms wrapped around his shoulders, trying to tug him closer. Kix seemed to want the same because his arms tightened around your waist, hands fisting in your coat. 

It sounded cheesy and like you were really a part of a bad holiday movie, but the world around you faded away as stars danced before your eyes. No one had ever kissed you like this before and you were more sure than ever that no one else ever would again. Kix was it for you. If this didn’t work out, you knew deep in your gut that you’d never find anyone as right for you as he is. 

But you were determined not to let him go. 

So you didn’t. 

You allowed yourself to get lost in the magical moment, kissing Kix with everything you had in you. Your gut swirled in affection and something more that had you pulling back out of breath. Kix was panting against you, a smile permanently etched on his face. 

“I don’t believe in fate either. This is not something I ever imagined doing, but frankly, I don’t care.” You gasped out, words tumbling out of you faster than you could process them. “We’ve only known each other for a few hours but I feel like I’ve known you for my whole life. And I’m not ready to say goodbye. I don’t want to. I want to see where this goes. If you’re in, I’m in.” 

Kix brushed a stray strand of hair from your face, tucking it behind your ear before he cupped your cold, but flushed cheek. “Oh I am so in, sweetheart. If you’ll have me, I’m not going anywhere.”

You couldn’t help it, you surged forward, kissing him again. He laughed against you and you joined in, absolutely euphoric as your lips remained pressed together. Without warning, you pulled back, stepping out of his arms, but keeping a tight grip on one of his hands. His face twisted into a pout and his eyes took on a very ‘wounded-puppy’ look that had you melting. 

“Come on, it’s late and we should head to bed.” 

He pouted further. “I don’t think I’m ready to sleep.”

A coy smile spread across your face. “I didn’t say anything about sleeping did I?”

His eyes drifted as his mind turned. Then they brightened and fixed on you with a look that sent another wave of heat through you. “Yes ma’am.” 

The sound of your voices and laughter bounced off the empty, lit streets as Kix scooped you up and slung you over his shoulder with a squeal. Your stomach hurt from laughing and your smile never faltered. You didn’t think it ever would fade, not when Kix was around. 

And the next morning, when the two of you showed up at your parent’s house, Kix was welcomed with open arms and bright smiles. The house was full, warm, and loud. Kix had almost immediately been pulled away by your family, no doubt being interrogated in the way a new member would be.

You caught his gaze from across the room and time slowed again. 

He smiled and then winked. You laughed lightly before giving him another smile. 

Your mother’s voice pulled you back and the spell was broken as time resumed. 

If General Plo Koon had heard the curses that left your mouth when you slammed your finger between the ship parts you had been working on, he surely would have reprimanded you. Luckily for you, there wasn’t anyone around to hear the foul words. Wincing, you pulled yourself out from under the ship to examine your injured finger.

“That’s gonna leave a mark,” you said, shaking your throbbing hand. “Hope it doesn’t mess with my form.”

You slid the rest of the way out from under the ship and got to your feet, wiping the grease from your hands on the shirt you were wearing. You hoped it wouldn’t stain, but given that the shirt was black, it didn’t seem likely. A hiss slipped from your lips as you grazed your injured finger in the process of wiping your hands off. You shook the hand again, muttering a few extra curses under your breath.

“Does your master know you use such language?” a voice said from the other side of your fighter.

You jumped at the sound and peered over the front of the ship to see who was speaking. Your gaze was met by a scowling face, mismatched eyes narrowed in reproof.

“To be fair, I said some things that were a lot worse a few minutes ago,” you replied. “But I’d like that to remain between us, if you don’t mind Commander.”

Wolffe raised an eyebrow at you, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I think you’ve been learning some bad habits from the men,” he said. “A young lady shouldn’t use such language, especially a Jedi.”

You scoffed at his words. You knew very well that there were Jedi that swore much more and used much worse words. Some in multiple languages.

“First of all, I’m older than you, Wolffe. Even with the accelerated aging.”

“Okay then,” he said, rolling his eyes. “A proper lady such as yourself shouldn’t say those things.”

“I hardly think of myself as a proper lady,” you retorted. “Even Anakin is more proper than I am. Although that might be from spending time with Master Kenobi.”

The tired sigh you got in response made you grin. You knew that he didn’t want to deal with your sass right now, but you enjoyed it nonetheless. 

“If you don’t need anything else, Commander, I will be heading to my quarters to take a shower.”

“What about your hand?” Wolffe asked, gesturing to your injured appendage. “Surely a wound that caused you to say such filthy things warrants medical attention.”

You waved off his concern, hiding your hand behind your back.

“I’m sure it’s fine. I’ll put a bandage on it once I’m clean.”

You moved to walk around the front of the ship, but stopped short when Wolffe stepped in front of you. It was your turn to raise an eyebrow at him. He held out his hand, clearly wanting you to do the same.

“Really, Wolffe, it’s fine,” you said, hoping you sounded reassuring.

He stood there silently, staring intently at you until you gave in with a resigned sigh, placing your injured hand in his palm. Wolffe peered down at the injury, turning your hand over with a gentleness that surprised you. 

“You should at least get it looked at,” he said. “Don’t want it to get infected. Or like you said, affect your form. Could be dangerous in battle.”

You narrowed your eyes at him as he spoke. Had he really heard you say that?

“How long were you watching me?” you asked. 

He raised his gaze to meet yours, something you couldn’t read flickering in his good eye for a moment before disappearing. 

“Long enough.” 

Wolffe released his grip on your hand and stepped out of your way so you could walk past him.

“You should go get yourself cleaned up and have someone look at your hand.”

You made a humming noise in response. As you walked past him, you could feel his eyes on you, following you to the door out of the hanger. You paused at the door when you heard him call your name and turned to face him.

“Is that my shirt?” he asked. “I’m missing the shirt from one of my sets of blacks. Thought maybe Sinker had taken it, but perhaps I was suspicious of the wrong person.”

“Maybe it is,” you said. “But right now it’s covered in grease so I don’t think you want it back at the moment.”

Before he could say anything else, you turned and walked through the door and down the hall. You hadn’t expected to get caught taking one of his shirts, and you didn’t feel like dealing with the consequences right now. 

After a few hours, you were clean, your hand had been bandaged and you had exchanged the dirty greasy shirt for a clean one from the laundry room. You made your way down the hall to Wolffe’s quarter with it in your hands. In your head, you tried to come up with a reasonable explanation for why you had the shirt in your possession in the first place.

Judging by the surprise lacing his question earlier, it seemed that Wolffe had forgotten the incident from last week when your tunic had torn during training, nearly exposing you to everyone in the room. He had noticed almost immediately and had quickly taken his own shirt from his body to give to you to cover yourself. You had never returned it to him after that incident. It seemed like the laundry droid had noted its absence amongst the dirty laundry and hadn’t seen fit to give him a replacement. 

The real reason you had never returned it yourself was a bit more complicated. It hadn’t been very dirty when he gave it to you, but it still held his smell. The clean, but slightly musky smell that you tried to ignore when he stood too close to you at briefings. The smell that made your brain shut down for a few seconds sometimes, which made you miss parts of important conversations.

You had no idea how to explain that to him without sounding odd or creepy. So you decided to go with the explanation that you had simply forgotten to return it to him. That would help avoid any awkward conversations that would have followed the actual truth.

When you reached his door, you lifted your hand to knock. Not even thinking, you knocked with your injured hand, sending a shooting pain down the length of your arm. A few more choice words slipped out of our mouth as the door slid open.

“Again with the language,” Wolffe said. “What is with you today?”

You peered at him standing in the doorway in front of you, missing the very article of clothing that you had come to return. Your jaw nearly hit the floor at the sight of his bare muscled chest. Given the state of mind you had been in on your way to his door, you weren’t prepared to deal with the feelings the sight inflamed in you. 

“Did you need something?” he asked.

Despite the ease of words leaving your mouth several times that day, at this moment you couldn’t find anything to say. Your mouth felt dry as you tried to form a coherent sentence. Clearing your throat, you lifted your eyes from his bare chest to meet his gaze.

“I came to return your shirt,” you managed to say. “Or at least bring you a new one.”

You held out the garment in question, your hand shaking slightly as you did. Wolffe’s eyebrows lifted in confusion at your behavior, but you saw realization dawn on his expression soon enough. Something that you rarely saw appeared on his face, a smirk lifted the corner of his mouth.

“Is there a problem?”

You shook your head and turned to leave. 

“I’m just a little distracted is all,” you said. “Sorry for keeping your shirt for so long.”

You almost swore you heard a soft chuckle as you walked away, your face heating up with embarrassment. Despite your careful planning, you didn’t think your attraction to him was a secret anymore. Which was going to be a problem.

This year was different. Oh, the event itself was still the same. Same lights, same music, same ambiance. But you were different. Your heart simply wasn't in it. In fact, if you had to venture a guess as to where your heart was instead, it was likely still on the doorstep of your ex's home from when they'd dumped you. Ripped out, torn to shreds, and left abandoned. 

There was no salvaging such a thing. But you were also stubborn and had insisted on maintaining the tradition of attending the Christmas Ball anyway.

I can do it with a broken heart, you'd told yourself that morning with a determined furrow in your brow.

I can do it with a broken heart, you'd insisted to your friends in a holo call, who'd all acted skeptical over your wellbeing, for some annoying reason.

I can do it with a broken heart, you'd repeated in your head as you tugged on each item of your outfit, your movements and determination weakening with each one.

"I can do it with a broken heart," you now whispered to yourself, unable to spark any emotion with the words. You stood in the foyer, looking through the grand arches into the ballroom with a numbness you would've never guessed to be possible. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year played in the background. Oh, the irony.

"Excuse me, ma'am," a strange voice sounded by your shoulder. When you didn't respond, it gave a cough and repeated.

"Ma'am?"

You turned, confused. You were no ma'am.

The stranger appeared to be a clone, which made sense. You hadn't interacted with many, but they did always seem so formal, even since the war had ended. This one was blonde, not so common, and wore a few medals along the lapel of his jacket to show he'd once held some status. He gave you a sympathetic smile and held out a gloved hand to show an earring resting on it.

"I found this just behind you. Is it yours?"

"Oh my goodness, yes. Thank you." You took it with a frown. You hadn't felt it fall off. Too caught up in your own feelings. Or lack thereof.

The clone nodded his head as if in a bow and then moved past you into the ballroom. You watched him get swallowed up by the crowd and sighed. You might as well make your way in now, too. The only other option was to wait outside for the carriage to return in five hours. So really, you had no other option.

The hours crawled by at an agonizing pace, made worse by the unfortunate mishaps you kept finding along the way. You located the first of your friends and begrudgingly returned a hug, only to get your bracelet caught in her hair. Your other friends came and went, swept up in their cheer, which left you defenseless against countless requests to dance from seemingly every man in the room. Each offer hit you just a little harder than the last, painful reminders of your newfound singleness. You numbly fumbled through each apology and tried to pretend you didn't notice the disappointed looks in return.

You knocked your champagne glass, still full, against a velvet-clad shoulder. You smudged your mascara trying to wipe away sudden tears as Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas played. On your sixth trip to hide in the bathroom, you accidentally walked into an occupied stall. Eventually you lost track of your friends altogether and found yourself standing alone in a group of strangers.

"Ma'am," one of the strangers stepped around the group to address you directly. It took you a few dazed blinks to recognize him as the clone from earlier, the one who'd found your earring.

"Sir," was your awkward reply.

"Please. Rex." He reached out to take your hand and place a gentlemanly kiss along your knuckles. "I worked hard to put an end to the war so I wouldn't have to hear that title again."

You gave a half-hearted chuckle. Your mind conjured a few comments you could've made in response, including the most obvious one of introducing yourself in return, but you didn't seem to be able to voice any of them.

The music changed to play a jazzy rendition of I'll Be Home for Christmas. Rex used it to help move past the awkward silence you'd created. He extended his hand once more.

"Would you care to dance?"

If you were being honest, all you really cared to do was crawl into bed and cry yourself to sleep, but a part of you felt like you owed him for your earring. So you obliged.

This Rex was one hell of a dancer, you had to give him that. You'd prepared yourself for a few minutes of stiff swaying but instead found yourself swept up into actual choreography. Lithe footwork, a steady hold of your frame, and exactly on beat. He smiled at you sweetly as he helped you twirl. His eyes twinkled with Christmas lights as he met your gaze. You felt so graceful. So... seen.

Wait, were you actually... maybe... having... a good time? For a moment, one blissful, magical moment, you relished that feeling. This man, this stranger, was dreamy. And he was looking at you the way you were likely looking at him. A blush creeped over your cheeks as he gave you another one of those gentle smiles.

And then the dance came to an end. Rex slowed down your rhythm before coming to a stop. His hand slid from your back and somehow that shattered the illusion. The illusion that you could be happy again. Those warm fuzzy feelings were replaced with panic and despair. How could you have been so foolish as to think you deserved something so lovely and, dare you say, romantic? No. This was wrong. You had to get out of here. 

Rex gave you another nod-bow and you returned the gesture with a hasty curtsey.

"Thank you," you breathed and then immediately turned tail, missing how he made to stop you with a concerned frown. You pushed through the crowd, through the double arches, through the front doors.

The cold immediately nipped at your bare shoulders. You gathered up your skirts and started descending down the cobbled staircase toward the carriage road. Your plan was to fake an emergency and take one of the parked carriages instead of waiting for your own to return. The sooner you could get yourself into bed with a box of tissues, the better.

Unfortunately, your bad luck this evening wasn't quite through. Mid-way down the stairs, your heel caught in a groove.

Snap.

You sucked in a gasp as you caught yourself from tumbling the rest of the way. Perfect, just perfect. You let yourself slowly sink, tears gathering along the way. By the time you sat down and fished out the broken shoe from beneath your skirts, the tears were in a steady stream across your frozen cheeks.

You imagined yourself staying like this until your whole body froze over. Guests would leave and admire the strange but intriguing statue of the lonely girl on the steps. You'd thaw out in the spring and maybe by then all your problems would be forgotten.

Of course, no such thing happened. You were painfully aware of how cold and alone you were, and how those feelings weren't going away. What you were not aware of, at least not at first, was the stranger that had been looking for you. He finally checked outside and found you hunched and shivering on the staircase. His approach was slow, with deliberately audible steps so as not to startle you. And well before he reached you, he was already shrugging off his coat.

You did hear the scuffing of shoes and prayed that whoever it was would take the opposite stairs. When the sounds got closer, you tried to tilt your head away and hoped they wouldn't pay much attention to the weird, sniffling girl hanging outside.

But then a warmth surrounded you from behind. Your head spun in surprise to find Rex carefully placing his coat around your shoulders.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" he asked softly, his breath visible in the cold. He sat next to you but kept a respectful distance.

"I, um," you stared at him, unsure of what to say. Had he really followed you out here?

You felt your lip wobble as you took in the concerned way he was observing you. You couldn't hold such a gaze and turned away to let out a sob.

You felt his hand run along the top of your back, wiping from one side to the next in a gentle rhythm. He didn't say anything; he didn't have to. You felt the care, the promise that whatever was troubling you was nothing to be judged or dismissed. You could feel what you needed to feel and he would simply be there.

"I'm sorry," you whispered through your tears, embarrassed to be acting this way in front of a stranger.

"You don't have to apologize," he quickly reassured. "Is there anything I can do?"

A man of action. You briefly thought of how your ex had been the opposite. How you'd become the nagging girlfriend. How it was probably a good thing you weren't together anymore.

"No," you responded to Rex, wiping your glove across your nose. "Everything about me is broken. A broken heart. A broken shoe. It's all too hopeless for you to concern yourself with."

Rex titled his head in thought. "I confess I don't know anything about fixing broken hearts. But a broken shoe..."

He reached out and motioned for the shoe in your lap. You handed it over and watched with curiosity as he inspected the damage.

"Hmm. Nothing to be done about the heel, I'm afraid," he said with mock regret.

"Is that your official report?"

He gave you a playful smirk. "Oh yes. I'm a cobbler now that I'm out of the GAR."

You couldn't help but laugh. "Wait, are you serious?"

Rex handed the shoe back to you and stood up. He held a hand down to you.

"No. But I do know how to fix your problem of not being able to walk barefoot in this weather. I'm guessing you were headed for your carriage?"

You took his hand, standing up but keeping your bare foot off the cold stone.

"Yes... I mean, I don't have my own carriage. My rental will be back soon, though."

"Ah. Well, you are welcome to use mine. And if you don't mind me being forward, I can carry you to it now if you still wish to leave."

You were still holding onto his hand from when he'd helped you stand. For some reason, you didn't want to let go. Even though you could still feel the frozen trail of tears on your cheeks and had a dozen voices in your head trying to convince you this was wrong. You couldn't accept his kindness. You couldn't be over your breakup this quickly. No man was worth your time ever again.

But somehow, you were back in that moment on the dance floor again. Feeling light and carefree and joyous... Feeling like a princess in the eyes of this kind man. Maybe those voices were wrong. And maybe your heart wasn't as broken as you'd thought.

"Okay," you agreed with a shy smile. You pulled his coat closer so it wouldn't fall as he repositioned himself to pick you up. He looked at you with wide eyes, asking once more if this was okay. You nodded.

In one smooth, confident motion, he gathered you up in his arms, bridal style. You continued to blush as he carried you to the carriages. His cheeks were pink as well, though likely due to the cold and the physical exertion of holding a woman in a large ball gown. But if he was struggling with the task, he certainly didn't show it. It was like you were floating down the steps, across the gravel roadway, between the row of sweater-clad horses. You pretended to be interested in the dark scenery, but secretly stole some glances toward him whenever you thought you could get away with it. Only a few times did you catch his gaze and were treated with one of those sweet little smiles of his.

His driver, a protocol droid, opened the carriage door and Rex set you down gently inside. You were surprised to see the door close behind you and Rex standing on the other side.

"Oh. You're giving me your carriage?"

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

You were about to protest - he was really doing the opposite, truthfully - but he motioned toward his coat that you were still wearing.

"There's a handkerchief in the left breast pocket. You know, for the broken heart. My driver won't bother you, and he can fetch you better shoes when you get home."

Gods, he was so sincere, you almost started crying just from that. You held the lump in your throat and nodded.

"How will I get your coat back to you?"

"You can leave it on the seat."

Duh. You wanted to kick yourself. But then Rex cleared his throat, seeming a lot more nervous than he'd acted all night.

"And um... if you wanted to leave... um, you know... your comm number or, or, some other way I could, you know... reach you. I mean, I know you said your heart was broken, and I really don't mean to ask for anything, I promise. I'd just... What I mean to say is... I'd like to see you again. As a new friend. If that's alright."

Your face was probably a rightful mess at this point, from all the tear stains and frostbite and blushing you couldn't control. And yet, he'd asked to see you again, anyway. As a friend. Of course. There was no harm in having one of those.

"I'd like that," you smiled back.

The carriage pulled forward, though only making it a few feet before it was stopped. Rex came up to the window again with a chuckle.

"Don't forget your earring." He held out the same one that'd fallen before.

You gave an incredulous laugh of your own. Leaning back into your seat as the carriage took off once more, you held both the stubborn earring and the broken shoe in your lap.

Odd, wasn't it? That such unlucky things could happen during a night you hadn't been thrilled about... and yet, because of them, that hole in your chest didn't feel so big anymore. In fact, if you were being totally honest about it, you'd say it was starting to fill up with a little bit of hope.

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Gift Note: Happy Life Day, Ghost! This is not nearly as long as I wanted it to be, mainly because I've hit a bit of a wall creatively in the past few months, but I really hope you like it! Thank you for putting this exchange together! <3

Snowflakes peppered the windshield, swept away every few seconds by the wipers. Frost clung to the side mirrors, decorating them like cliche holophoto frames. You looked to the treeline through your window and watched evergreens fly by in a blur. 

Somewhere behind your thoughts, Kix rambled on about some medical journal or other. You didn’t zone out intentionally—no, you never did—but it was rare you ever got to leave the city, and the landscape was mesmerizing. 

A chirp from the GPS drew your attention back to the road. “Right."

“So you agree? I knew it wasn’t just me.”

“No, make a right!” 

Kix all but slammed on the brakes, flicking the turn indicator on at the last second before he swung the speeder through the turn. 

You clung to the door handle and leaned into the turn, releasing a breath once the speeder straightened out.

"Little warning next time!" Kix huffed from the drivers' seat.

"Sorry," you sighed, fighting the upturn of your mouth.

Kix chuckled under his breath. "Add a tally."

You snapped your head to give him an offended look. "What?! That does not count."

"Does so."

"Does not!"

"You zoned out again!"

"And you rambled! Again!"

"Still counts for a tally."

You puffed in resignation, sinking marginally further into your seat. Begrudgingly, you swiped tabs on your datapad and marked a hash under your name. A proverbial "swear jar" of sorts. You shot a glance over at Kix, making sure his eyes were squarely on the road before ticking one under his name, too.

Another chuckle rumbled from Kix and you winced, looking back to him. His eyes met yours in a brief, knowing look before he turned back to the road. Your lips tugged up a grin. You left his tally there.

You both fell into a comfortable silence, letting the next hour pass in a blur of white and green as holiday music floated from the radio. The sun sank lower over the horizon, casting a golden light over the forests on either side of you.

Kix shifted where he sat, popping one arm over the wheel while the other dropped to the armrest. You leaned back in your seat and rested your head against it, looking over at him lazily.

From your angle, the lines blooming over his brow appeared softer than they ever had before. You couldn't be sure if that was the holiday glow taking effect, or if it was the end of the war finally hitting him.

Here you were, driving down wooded backroads on some outer-rim planet to visit his brother and his wife. Not down to another bunk in the barracks, not to some other room or corridor on Kamino, but to a whole house that his brother and sister-in-law owned.

There was no need to hide from the war, pretending it wasn't there. No more brothers dying on the front. No more hiding in the shadows, no risk of being found out, no being careful where you went just because he was a clone; none of it. You and Kix could be together openly. He was a legally protected person. Free.

And freedom was looking good on Kix.

His face had softened. His shoulders and chest seemed more relaxed. He actually bobbed his head along to the music, humming occasionally.

The sight alone made your heart swell.

How lucky were you to have him?

You directed him to another turn, this time down a dirt road. Golden sunlight filtered through the trees, dappling against everything it touched.

His hand moved back to the armrest. As it did, you reached yours out to grasp the underside of his fingers. He glanced over at you, a curious glint taking to his eyes, but he said nothing. Instead, he wove his fingers between yours, holding your hand firmly in his.

Stars were beginning to twinkle above by the time you reached the end of the road. Kix slowed the speeder when fence line came into view, bringing it to a stop at the end of the driveway.

Your boots crunched against snow as you stepped out. Fat flakes drifted from above and landed with light plicks against your coat while you put it on.

Closing your door behind you, you took careful steps to the back of the speeder. Kix balanced a short stack of colorfully-wrapped gifts in one arm and closed the trunk with the other. It slammed shut, pushing a rush of air out. Flakes scurried around each other, catching on Kix's coat as they flew.

You watched several climb higher than the rest, mesmerized once again. They slowed and started their descent, drifting back down over him. While he shuffled the gifts around, flake after flake struck his clean-shaven head, melting instantly. Some caught in his eyebrows, some in his lashes.

Your eyes shifted down to his, where you realized he had settled and was watching you. Your breath caught in your throat for a moment, each of you locked into each other.

Another stray flake landed on his eyelashes and triggered a blink. A ball of warmth settled in your chest as a grin spread across your lips.

He looked back at you, confused. "What?"

You shook your head and hummed, stepping towards him. You lifted your arms and pulled his beanie over his head, making sure to get the tops of his ears in.

His brow furrowed in slight confusion, but he said nothing else of it as you stepped away from the speeder and off toward the house. A lopsided smile crossed Kix's lips while he stood in place. A moment later, he followed your lead up to the door.