BISEXUAL'S FOLLY

It's also one of the few episodes in the earlier seasons where he is able to build those bonds with his crew and sustain them -- he's usually someone that builds up an impervious set of armor and refuses to get distracted by anyone or anything, but because of the successes they've managed to garner over the previous few months and the high of securing his place under Baras, he's willing to melt a little for them. They're fun people to be around, and he's kicking off his budding relationship with Malavai the first time around. Zanya's letting people in, little by little, and it culminates in a night where he takes off his plate armor and let's them see him for who he really is. To some degree. He still keeps his secrets and all.

So, of course he wants to kick back a little. Vette brings up the idea, the rest of the crew supports her, and they're off to a few hole in the wall places that Zanya knows of.

Given, if one wanted to find the real underground Imperial music scene, you would have to ask Khrora who's been slinking through there since his fake IDs worked. Zanya takes them to places where he's the one with the open tab, but no one is complaining. Especially a few drinks in where the zeroes no longer carry as much meaning for someone from the upper echelons of Sith society.

He and Jaesa get people to buy them drinks, with and without the help of the Force. She probably takes at least one of them home. He and Pierce really get into whatever the Star Wars version of darts is, and while Pierce barely eeks out a win over him, he does swear the Lieutenant to absolute secrecy. He and Vette escape onto the dance floor once he's a few cocktails (with the umbrellas, specifically, Zanya only drinks things that are sweet enough not to taste and he likes the little umbrellas that come with them) deep, and he doesn't think he actually has ever felt this free before. The alcohol makes the edges of his mind really fuzzy, and his inhibition fades out as the night wanes on. Zanya's dancing really is nothing to write home about when it's the kind done in a club with his friend yelling over the music, but it feels good. Feels both real and like a dream all at once. He isn't performing for anyone, he doesn't need to worry about where his body is or be scared someone will use this to get one over him. Zanya feels like the young adult he still is, and for a brief moment, experiences some normalcy grinning like an idiot with Vette while his eardrums rattle in his head because of the bass.

His laughter is something the crew is still processing hearing, but they're down for the ride all the same. It's fun. This is the most fun all of them have had together since they were all signed to the Fury.

It's the very-much-drunk, "You are looking lovely tonight" that digs its claws into Malavai and just doesn't let go. Somewhere towards the end of the night when they're preparing to return back to Zanya's apartment, sans Jaesa, where he is far too close and Malavai is pretty sure he's about to get devoured. Part of him is considering it, the other half is very aware of his station and the situation that they're in that eventually overrides the traitorous desire to let Zanya lead him wherever the night was going. He almost does. Let's himself get dragged into his bedroom and have his breath stolen away by a Sith that very much wants him in a way that he hasn't expressed before. That sliver of control that both of them are barely clinging onto is the only thing that keeps this night from turning into a very different direction.

AND. The "You have had a little too much to drink" line that I mentioned Zanya parrots back at Theron during Chapter 9? That was Malavai's line first. He said that first. Same gentle palm over mouth too. Whether Zanya realizes this in the moment when he does it later, I have no idea.

(...And it may come full circle around for Malavai with Theron I'm not sure yet. The idea makes me laugh.)

It isn't as if he's offended this particular night, maybe a little annoyed that he got stopped, but he waves him off to let himself out of his bedroom while he flops back on the bed to doze off. I don't know if they would've gone all the way to sex that night if they hadn't paused on that (on the caveat that Zanya is demisexual and probably would've stopped himself), but maybe. The episode implies it.

But I do know Malavai takes a really cold shower later while Zanya is out like a light. I choose to believe that Baras's contingency plan existed even before Quesh, so Malavai doesn't really want to engage with Zanya on an intimate level at this point because he knows what's coming. Were I better at drawing masculine people I would've drawn this shower scene already because, and I cannot lie, it's hot to me when Malavai is suffering because of Zanya. Alas.

(The music playing over this scene is "HELL ON ME" (Johnny Huynh) if you were curious. It's also on their ship playlist.)

The other reason I love this episode? Because it closes on a scene of them all nursing hangovers in his kitchen, and Zanya leans back against a counter with a mug musing internally that nothing could be better than this. Surprises him, clearly, to even have that thought, but he doesn't take it back. He closes his eyes, smiles, and tips his cup up when the screen flickers to black.

Then the first episode of season four opens with him gasping for air and his eyes blinking open in the wreckage after the Quesh cave-in. Hilarity to me, personally, if you were to watch these episodes back to back.