I hope you like trash!

At first, whenever you sat beside Maul as he meditated, you always made sure to keep a careful distance between your shoulder and his. He didn't look at you as you lowered yourself down beside him, nor did he acknowledge the way you folded your legs and tried to mimic his stillness. But he also didn't tell you to leave, which you took as permission.

Over time, the distance between you had become smaller incrementally. You started sitting close enough that your sleeve sometimes brushed his arm, and then you let your knee rest lightly against his. Then you leaned your shoulder into him, and although his breathing changed so subtly that anyone else would've missed it, he remained exactly where he was, as if pretending your weight against his side had no effect on him at all.

Eventually, it became routine for you to curl up against him while he meditated, with your cheek pressed to his chest and one of his arms settled loosely around you. He'd made some excuse once about how your nearness forced him to tolerate distraction, which you didn't argue with. Even when his arm started tightening around you, definitely betraying that he enjoyed the closeness whether he'd admit it or not.

That's when you started noticing the sound. Just a low, rumbling vibration in his chest that you could feel humming against your cheek. It always happened when Maul had been still for a long while and his expression had softened just the tiniest bit, when your breathing had evened out against him and all else was quiet.

The realization of what exactly was going on hit you one day when you were half-asleep, your head resting against the center of his chest while one of his arms was looped around your waist. You were listening almost absently to that low rumble that came from deep in his chest, too sleepy to really register it until it hit you all at once.

Your eyes opened. Maul's eyes snapped open immediately after, suspicious like he'd sensed your thought forming and was already irritated.

"You're…you're purring," you said, delighted by the realization.

Maul stiffened and the sound stopped so abruptly that you almost felt guilty. "Go back to sleep."

You tilted your head up to look at him, keeping your cheek pressed to his chest. Your mouth was slowly curving upwards despite your best efforts to keep your expression neutral. "That wasn't a denial…" you pointed out.

"It was an instruction," Maul replied lowly, just a little snappishly. His arm around your waist didn't loosen in the slightest, though. "One you would be wise to obey."

You ignored the order. "You were purring," you said again instead, almost to yourself. You pressed your cheek harder against his chest like it would somehow bring the sound back. "I didn't even know you could do that."

Maul inhaled slowly like he was forcing himself in check, his eyes narrowed at you. "Do not be presumptuous," he scoffed. "Is it so shocking that there are things you have not yet learnt about me?"

It was such an obvious deflection that you had to try hard not to laugh, because you were pretty sure that laughing would make him dump you on the floor out of spite. "Fair point," you agreed. "But this may be my favorite thing I've learnt so far."

You could swear Maul almost rolled his eyes. "A meaningless physical response?"

"Not meaningless," you mumbled, pressing your face into his chest affectionately. "It means you're comfortable."

"It means I am undisturbed," he corrected you pointedly, though his arm shifted a little higher on your waist to draw you more securely against him in a way that kind of ruined whatever point he was trying to make.

You hummed softly and let your eyes drift closed again, deciding you'd irritated him enough for now. "All right. I won't disturb you then."

For several moments, Maul stayed rigid, still staring down at you. Then, little by little, the tension eased from him. He exhaled quietly, his arm loosening a little around your waist, and eventually, that low rumble in his chest returned.

You kept your face carefully tucked against him, hiding the smile you knew he could probably feel anyway.

"Not," Maul murmured firmly above you, "a word."

You bit your lip to keep the words down and obeyed only because that purr meant you'd already won anyway.