I just love tattoed traumatized antagonistic characters

Merrin is his niece and his sister asked him to take care of her and raise her, he accepted because at least she won't turn into their mother if he does raise her.

Boba was his friend kid and the only ever indication he got that he was his problem too was Jango saying: You're the plan B if something ever happens to me. And then it happened.

Anakin's mother is right there actually, she helps a lot and is a very lovely lady. But that just means she gets the easy part and Maul is the one who has to deal with when he starts levitating people and stealing speeders.

I think every time I wrote a line about Fives in this story, in 70% of them he was crying.

In this scene, his whole arc already happened, he's been going crazy for days now because of the chips and when he is cornered, just like in canon, Fox shoots him in the leg instead. (and theres a whole different lotta reasons why he did that) He managed to run again on pure adrenaline, he's terrified and doesn't know what to do and drags himself to some secluded alley because his leg is bleeding a lot and he doesn't have anywhere to go.

The alley is from the tea house, and despite how confused Maul is, he brings him inside (or shouts for him to, it's not the point) and then gives him food and water. Fives is suddenly hit about how thirsty and hungry he is and just starts to wolf everything down.

And that's when everything hits him.

Everything that happened to him till now just hits him as he takes a moment to eat and the adrenaline lower. And he cries. Because what else can you do in this situation? He is too tired to be going crazy about it, he has to many emotions to act on only one of them and there's no much on the line here that he doesn't know what to do— so he cries. Because crying isn't gonna hurt him, crying is easy and the not-quite-stranger just let him cry despite how confused he also is. He can cry because he feels safe.

And he keps crying, because he continues to be safe. He starts to live in the Nocturne after it, and it's like nothing he ever did before. There is no threat, there is no expectation, there is nothing but the normal working day to day of a tea house.

He helps Savage cook, he gets close with Boba and Merrin, he manages to work things out with Anakin and Shmi is just the angel that she always is— and he cries. He cries because he is in a place where he can cry if he needs to and no one blames him for it. He found a coping method that doesn't hurt and won't put him in danger like on the war or of being decommissioned like in Kamino and still let's him let out what he has to, and he has a lot to let out.

And he cries to Maul because he's the one that accepted him in there, he's the one who he can trust to say everything that happened and what he discovered, he's the one he apologizes to when he starts to work with Quinlan Vos. Because he's scared. Because he doesn't wanna lose this new life he got, he doesn't wanna endanger all these people he started to care about so much, but he stills feels very guilty about it. But he feels even more guilty about knowing about the chips and staying quiet about them, he has to do something. And he can still cry if he needs to.

And it's not like all he does is cry. He's in there in the Sidious fight, he puts all his traning to work to fight and protect him and the other two and somehow revert order 66, he jokes with Merrin that they now have matching wounds, he helps other clones alongside Fox the best he can after the war.

1. Farewell gift.

His first piercing was on a whim, a way to keep a memory of his two friends when he left Orsis, made by older students who were trying to get some extra credits for graduation.

It was an industrial piercing on the upper part of his left ear, in the inner part the point had a blue stone with the same color as Killindi skin, and the outer part had a diamond shaped gem of a pale fuchsia hue that was originally in a ring Daleen gifted him.

He also got a bracelet with the alumni symbol of Orsis in his right wrist, an large O with an S in the middle on a withe background.

The last thing he got from Orsis was a surprisingly, and a bit unwanted, vibro-blade made of pure beskar from Meltch Krakko. He kept it hidden in his waist at the time.

2. Dathomir to Coruscant.

In Dathomir, the first gift he received was an amulet, the same one used by his brother in his past life to find him, given by his mother. He was able to contact his mother through it and give it to anyone so they would be able to find him. He kept it on a loose necklace usually hidden beneath his clothes.

The second piercings were a pair of two orbital conch on the middle part of each of his ears. The right one was shaped like claws arranged in a counter-clockwise pattern, painted black and yellow one after the other, to represent Savage. The left one was shaped in fangs arranged clockwise, painter brown and cooper, to represent Feral. Both of them were handcrafted by the younger brother and a gift of when he learned of his brothers farewell gift, giving them as a way of Maul always carrying them with him.

The third gift were a pair of modified goggles, specifically for night brothers eyes, given by their transporter, captain Sooth, due to Feral insistence that this became a tradition of Maul having gifts of everyone of the family. The ardennian agreed after he became close with the three brothers and a constant visitor once they settled down on Coruscant. The straps were also changed so he would better fit to stay on the neck, rather than the top of the head, due to Maul horns.

The next gift was from Jango Fett, his left vambrace, polished and repainted in black, chosen after the mandalorian noticed Maul was left-handed yet didn't use anything on his left arm. It had an empty slot meant for a retractable blade, in which Maul puts Krakko blade and then it stays there after it.

And the final gift was a black and and red apron, with the same pattern as Maul tattoos but with the colors reversed; given by Dexter Jettster after he became close friends with the three brothers and also became part of the family.

3. Old to new roots.

The first gift he receives of the journey back to Dathomir, is actually from a baby. An small piercing, a vertical helix stud with an A at the tip that stay on his right ear. It was originally from Boba Fett, the A meaning Alpha, the baby had a matching one in his left ear.

He then receives a small earring, wing-shaped, that stays on his left earlobe; an amulet to the Winged Goddess of Dathomir, which matches the necklace of the Fanged God of Merrin. Both the Boba piercing and Merrin earring were tokens for the two babies, following the now estabilished tradition of Maul carrying gifts from family and loved ones.

The third gift was a matte gold ring, obtained after years of hard work from both Shmi and Anakin; the ring contained the engraving of 'Bunky Dunko' meaning Home in Huttese. It stayed permanently in Maul's right ring finger from the day he received it.

And even though not his, by Boba request, he keeps Jango's armor after his death, maintain it clean and polished till the boy takes it.

4. The final memories.

One of the last gifts Maul ever receives is another helix stud piercing, this time with a 5 at the point, he keeps in his left ear; it's a gift from the clone Fives, who becomes a member of the family and Maul's unofficial fourth child.

The last gift is a small, silver ring with a little red fox on his left ring finger. A gift from Fox, after the galaxy goes up on flames and he leaves the republic to go alongside his new family. It also a signal from any clone who needs help that they can find Fox through Maul if they see the ring.

And, not quite a gift, or even something material, but Maul’s inherited all of Plagueis fortune after his death. Being the only one able to access the old sith bank accounts.

@nocturnalgremlingiant @fandom-sarlacc-pit @batsyl taggin all of you specifically because you all hyped me when I posted the first wip of this story 😔✊🏽 (I am so glad this is over but I also love this so much I'm gonna miss it)

Go to my A0E profile (testing something to see how tumblr reacts when the other site is mentioned and when it's not...) the link is in my profile, it's the one I just posted.

Anyway here it is my very late submission to the first day of Maul week based on the prompt piercings!

I did it! Posted the first chapter of the fic even!