#askbri

“It’s been a few months and you’ve never told us any details from your mission with the Commander.”

“Nothing happened. We scouted the area, obtained the intel, and returned to the ship.” You replied, tightening your grip on your utensil. 

“We all know that’s a load of bantha fodder. You two were undercover as a married couple and you’re telling me nothing happened?”

“What makes you think it’s any of your business, trooper?” A new voice cut through the noise of the mess hall and in your surprise, your utensil clattered loudly against your tray as your eyes shot up. 

Commander Wolffe stood nearby, his bucket tucked neatly under his arm as he stared at your table. 

“Sorry sir, we were just-”

“-leaving. Good idea.” The Commander left no room for argument and the troopers around you ducked their heads as they hurried away, leaving you alone again. Well, alone save for the Commander.

“Sir.” You said, back straightening. 

“Sorry to interrupt your meal.”

“Oh no, no need to apologize, sir. I was finished anyway.” You replied quickly, pushing your tray further from you. 

“Good timing then. We’ve been called to the Bridge.”

“We?”

Commander Wolffe nodded. “Seems like there’s another mission. I was on my way, so I offered to pick you up on the way.” 

Your stomach twisted as you barely covered your cough of surprise. “Understood. Let me take care of my tray.” 

You could feel his gaze on you as you hurried to dispose of your tray, which you only managed to barely fumble. Commander Wolffe was still waiting in the same spot when you returned, already holding your datapad. He offered it to you and you replied with a quick thanks, hands only slightly trembling. 

The walk to the Bridge was uneventful. You only passed a few troopers who saluted as the Commander passed with whispers following in your wake. Despite your best efforts, word of your mission with the Commander had spread and the fact you were pretending to be married was a secret that did not stay secret for long. You had never spilled anything beyond that to anyone and you were positive Wolffe hadn’t either, but that only seemed to fuel the rumor mill even more. 

It was a large ship with a lot of personnel, but you still managed to catch snippets of the rumors that were spread. One suggested that the two of you secretly, actually got married while on the mission and were hiding it. Another suggested that the intel drop had gone bad and Wolffe had beaten the contact when he so much as looked at you too closely like a trooper in shining armor. Another even suggested that you had been dating long before this mission and it was all a cover. 

There were still a few troopers who seemed unconvinced. They were few and far between, but you occasionally heard protests stating there was no way anything had happened or was currently happening. 

You didn’t know whether to be relieved or offended. 

Before you knew it, you arrived at the Bridge where General Koon was already waiting. He gave the both of you a nod when you entered. 

“Thank you for bringing our Officer to the Bridge Commander.” The Jedi general stated and Commander Wolffe saluted before approaching the holotable. You followed, keeping further back, and clutching your datapad in your hands. 

“I appreciate the both of you coming on such short notice. After the success of your last mission, another more delicate situation has arisen and I believe the two of you are the best for the job.” General Koon began and you took a deep breath at the praise. “You will not be required to go undercover for this mission, but you will need to blend in. We believe our contact has been made by the Rodian you encountered on your last mission. Your job is to get in and arrest the Rodian before he completely destroys our contact’s position. We cannot afford to lose the intel provided by our contact.”

General Koon continued, “The two of you were chosen because you work well together. Officer, I assume you feel confident with a blaster.”

You quickly swallowed the surprise of being spoken to directly to nod. “Yes sir. I have kept up to date with my certifications.” 

“Excellent. Hopefully, neither of you will have to resort to violence, but I will rest easier knowing you will watch each other's backs.”

“You can count on us, General.” Commander Wolffe stated and you could practically feel the smile radiating off of the General. 

“I know I can. You leave at 1600 hours. May the Force be with you both.” 

You checked the time and saw you had about an hour to get ready. You saluted the General as he passed and shared a glance with Wolffe. He gave you a nod before pulling on his helmet and striding off the Bridge. You let out a breath. 

Maker, help you.

Several hours later, Commander Wolffe and yourself landed on the planet below you aboard an unmarked non-Republic ship. 

The two of you hadn’t spoken much since this mission began. It would be the first time that you were alone together since the last mission. Your treacherous heart skipped a beat at your memories from the last time and you shook your head in an attempt to throw them from your mind. 

This was a serious mission and you couldn’t afford to lose focus. 

Both of you had donned civilian clothes and you had checked your blaster a dozen times on your short trip. You were correct in being up to date on your certifications, but you didn’t feel the least bit confident in your abilities, especially compared to the Commander. You could only hope that should the need arise, you’d be able to deliver. 

The intelligence officer had sent a coded transmission with instructions on where the Rodian was last spotted. The two of you cut through the crowded streets, moving quickly, but cautiously. 

Wolffe was walking quicker than you and you struggled to keep up in the dense crowd. To your surprise, a hand found yours, enveloping it entirely. Your feet stumbled beneath you and you looked up to see Wolffe glancing back, his hand now clamped around yours. 

“Stay close.” His voice was low and quiet, but you heard him loud and clear. 

His hand never wavered and with him holding on, it was easier to stay together within the busy crowd. A few times, it felt like you’d lose him, but then his fingers would tighten around yours and you’d be back in his orbit. 

All you could manage was a weak nod. Wolffe’s eyes searched your face for another beat before he released your arms, allowing some distance. Except he didn’t go far and his hand once again enveloped yours as you began pushing your way through the streets. 

There was a shout nearby and you looked up to see a large cart pushing through the crowd. Before you had a chance to react, hands gripped your arms and yanked you out of the way, just in time for the cart to pass by. You thumped against something solid and looked up to see Wolffe already looking down at you.

“Okay?” 

You were nearing the last known location of the Rodian when you spotted him. Your fingers tightened and Wolffe turned to look at you. You motioned with your head and Wolffe followed your gaze. He turned back with a nod and the two of you blended back into the crowd, keeping your target in your sights. 

The Rodian seemed oblivious, continuing to shop the vendors on the street before turning down an alleyway with a fruit in his hand. Wolffe spared another glance at you, taking out his blaster. You mirrored his actions and nodded once. 

The Commander moved almost immediately and you trailed after him, keeping your attention sharp. You followed his signals as you approached the alleyway. The Rodian still seemed to not notice the two of you and Wolffe counted down before the two of you pressed after him, blasters raised. 

The Rodian stopped when the two of you entered the darkened space. He spun, a glint in his eye. 

Your face flushed involuntarily and you could almost feel the way Wolffe had pressed you up against the cool wall all those months ago. Your jaw clenched as your fingers tightened on your blaster. 

“I wondered when I would see the two of you again.” He said. “You nearly had me fooled last time.”

“No matter. The two of you will make for an excellent payday to the Separatists. No hard feelings.” He said and then the mission fell apart spectacularly. 

Another Rodian you hadn’t spotted, emerged from seemingly nowhere and collided with Wolffe, sending them both flying. 

How could you be so stupid? There were two Rodians last time. Not one.

You recovered from your shock to turn and see the Rodian you followed lunging at you. Your blaster clattered to the ground as he grabbed you, sending both of you into the dirty ground. You spotted your blaster and made a move for it, only for the Rodian to knock it further away. 

Behind you, you could hear Wolffe fighting off the other Rodian. You couldn’t risk looking, but hoped that he was winning. Your survival depended on it. 

There was a shout and you rolled out of the way, just barely avoiding the Rodian’s foot. You scrambled to your feet, this time not dodging your opponent’s punch. Pain exploded at your jaw and your vision whited out for a moment. Your hand hit the cool wall next to you as you strained to get your bearings. Your hand closed on a small piece of durasteel and considering it was your only option, you swung. 

There was a loud bang and the Rodian stumbled backwards with a yell. Your vision fully cleared and you froze. 

Oops. 

What you had found was a discarded can of paint and now your opponent was covered in neon paint. He sputtered, staring down at the paint covering nearly every inch of him and dripping onto the darkened ground. 

His eyes fixed back on you and flashed. 

Before you could react, the Rodian’s hands clamped around your throat and pure panic immediately shot through your entire body. You tried to pull his hands off of you, tried to kick and knock his arms away, but he held firm. You couldn’t see or hear Wolffe. All of your senses dulled until all you could process was the Rodian trying to kill you. 

You kept struggling, but your vision was starting to darken at the edges and you knew you only had seconds left. 

Just as you could feel your limbs growing heavy, a blur of grey invaded your limited vision and hands clasped around your throat vanished. 

Your legs gave out as you crumbled to the ground, coughing loudly as you gasped for breath. Your lungs rattled in your chest as your vision started to return to normal. You glanced over to see Wolffe grappling with the Rodian you had been fighting. A quick glance down the alley revealed the other Rodian sprawled out, seemingly either dead or unconscious. Your eyes landed on your discarded blaster and you crawled over to it, picking it up with shaking hands. 

You rose to your feet, using the wall beside you to support you as your focus shifted back to Wolffe and your original target. It seemed as though Wolffe was winning again, until the Rodian pulled out a blade and swiped at him, causing him to pull back, catching the hand that held the blade. They continued to struggle, both using all their strength to try to get the upper hand, but failing to make any progress. 

Panic began to seem into your bones, but this time not for you, for him. 

You raised your blaster, letting out a slow breath as you waited for your opening. 

There.

You pulled the trigger. 

A stun bolt hit the Rodian dead center and he dropped to the ground in a heap. Wolffe’s eyes were wild as he spun to face you, panting and in shock. You lowered the blaster, the stress of the last few minutes finally wearing off as your hands began to tremble.

Nearly every part of your body was sore and you knew your neck was starting to bruise, but you were mostly uninjured. Wolffe also seemed to be okay, despite a few scrapes and a forming bruise on his cheek. 

“You okay?” You asked, voice raspy. 

Wolffe still had yet to move, his gaze focused entirely on you. 

You let out a breath, looking around at the carnage around you. Your heart was thundering in your chest and you knew it would be a few moments before the adrenaline wore off. 

This was not how this mission was supposed to go. You were not looking forward to writing that report. 

“Commander, we should-”

You began to speak, starting to piece together what you needed to do now that your suspect was in custody, when you heard rapid footfalls approaching and turned to see Wolffe walking fast in your direction. 

You again barely had time to react as Wolffe approached and entered into your space. Where everything that had just happened to you was violent and harsh, Wolffe was the exact opposite. He crowded against you, but it wasn’t unwelcome. His hands gently wove into your hair, cradling your head like you were the most precious thing in the galaxy. 

He didn’t press forward right away, instead, he hesitated, his gaze searching yours for any signs of discomfort or reluctance. But there was none. 

It was all so familiar. It was just like that moment all those months ago. While that had started as a cover, it didn’t end that way. At least not for you (and it seemed not for Wolffe either). You had thought about it so much, you thought that if you ever had the chance to be with him again like this, it would feel the same. But it didn’t. It was familiar, but still so new. 

But this time, this time you weren’t pretending. 

Your hand reached up, brushing against the stark bruise that had grown on his cheek. You felt Wolffe shudder beneath your palm, his eyes closing only briefly before opening and fixing back on you. The corner of your mouth ticked up and he surged forward, slotting his mouth against yours. 

You inhaled with him, nerve-endings on fire. Your hand fell from his face and fisted in his jacket. One of Wolffe’s hands slipped away from your hair and wrapped tightly around your waist, pulling you as close as he could. Momentum had you sinking backwards. Wolffe followed, eager to stay as close as possible. 

This time, when you found yourself pressed against the cool wall, it was entirely welcome. His lips moved incessantly against yours like he couldn’t get enough. Your stomach was twisting and you could feel your face flushing. When you felt his tongue press against your lips, you didn’t even hesitate. 

He groaned against you and the sound shot right down your spine. You could feel his heart pounding beneath your palm and you felt yourself smile against his lips. 

Wolffe seemed to reluctantly pull back, likely due to lack of air. Your eyes fluttered open to see that he was already looking at you. He was breathing hard and you struggled to catch your breath too. A soft smile spread across your face as you looked up at him. His hand brushed aside an unkempt piece of hair, again beyond gentle. 

Then his hand fell to trace the bruising you knew was growing across your neck. You inhaled sharply at the soft contact that was the direct opposite of what had caused them. Then Wolffe leaned down, pressing his lips against the bruising. Your hands tightened against his jacket, holding your breath as he hovered for a moment before raising his head again. 

He let out a shaky breath, clearly not wanting to step away but knowing he must. 

“I know.” You whispered. “Let’s finish the mission.” 

Wolffe nodded once before stepping back away from you. You missed him the moment he did, but you both still had a job to do. The pair of you quickly fell into your roles within this mission. Both targets were bound and propped up against the wall, still unconscious. Wolffe called for an extraction and you both waited for another ship to arrive to take them into custody.

When the Rodians were on their way back to the ship orbiting above the planet, you and Wolffe began the trek back to your own ship. You received numerous strange looks, likely from your minor injuries and also because you both were splattered with neon paint. But you didn’t pay much attention to them. 

After all, Wolffe had firmly taken your hand in his as you walked and there was absolutely nothing in the galaxy that could bring your mood down. You squeezed his hand tighter and didn’t even bother to try to remove the smile from your face. 

“I wish. But I have plans.”

“Plans? With who? You don’t have any other friends besides me.”

You pinched his side, ignoring his shout. “That’s a lie. I have other friends. No, this is a date.”

“A date?”

“Yeah. We met on the holonet. I figured I should probably start putting myself out there, so we’re meeting for caf tomorrow morning.” You replied, feeling Fives tense slightly.

“Are you worried about something going wrong?” He asked and you glanced up at him. 

“Not really, no. I mean I’ll be careful of course, it’s why I picked a public place. I’ll be fine. I know how to take care of myself.” You watched a muscle in his jaw tick. 

“If anything goes wrong, you’ll call me right?”

You sat up, eyes fixed on Fives. “Of course. Are you okay?”

Fives turned to look at you, a small smile on his face. “I’m always okay. Just looking out for you, bug.” 

You gave his shoulder a shove before slumping back against him. “I’m glad I can always count on you.”

He cleared his throat. “So, have you decided what you’re wearing?”

“I have a few ideas.” You sat up again. “Wanna see?”

He laughed. “Sure. We all know my fashion sense is top tier.” 

You shoved again before scrambling to your feet, almost tripping over the blankets in your rush to your room. “Wait there!”

“Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!” He called back and you laughed to yourself as you quickly pulled out what you were thinking and changing. 

With a flourish, you stepped out of your room. “Ta-da!”

Fives turned to look at you, resting his chin on his arm that propped up against the edge of the couch. He narrowed his eyes. “Isn’t that a little fancy for a first date? Especially one at a caf shop?”

You looked down. It was a little nicer, but it was your first date in years so you were a little excited about it. “Maybe a bit, but it looks nice on me and I want to make a good first impression.” You paused. “Maybe I should think of something else.” 

“No no no.” Fives said, quickly climbing to his feet and walking over to you, placing his hands on your arms. “If you feel good in it and that’s what you want to wear, you should. You look great.” 

You fought a smile, poking his side. “Look at you, you’ve gotten soft.”

Fives chuckled, wrapping an arm around you and tugging you into a hug. “Only for you, bug.” 

“You’ll have to change and come back to find out.” 

You let yourself relax for a moment in his arms before he gave you a shove. “Now hurry up and change, I found a new movie to watch.”

“What is it?”

You rolled your eyes, but quickly turned and ran back to your room to change. Your stomach was fluttering with nerves about your upcoming date, but you were still excited and proud of yourself for putting yourself out there. And knowing Fives, your best friend in the entire galaxy, was behind you, you weren’t afraid of anything. 

Fives

Fives arrived back at the barracks in the wee hours of the morning, slumping into his bunk with a huff. Most of the barracks were clear, but a few of the guys were still hanging out. He had stopped at the mess on his way back to grab a bite to eat before he slept for a few hours. 

There was some rustling above him and he cracked an eye open to see Echo peering down at him. “Seeing your bug?”

Fives nodded, letting his eyes close again. 

“Are you sure?” Came another voice from another bunk, Jesse if he had to guess. 

“Did you confess?”

“Kriff off. It’s not like that.”

“Positive. They are even going on a date this morning and I helped pick out their outfit.” 

“Woah wait.” Echo said, followed by a thump and his bunk shifting. “They’re going on a date and you’re totally okay with this?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

“You really are blaster-brained.” Jesse huffed and Fives barely resisted the urge to gesture inappropriately at him. 

“They are going on a romantic date with someone else and you’re cool with it. You hold hands with them, have a keycard to their place, sometimes sleep over with them, and you’re fine with them dating someone else.” 

“Yes I already said that, were you not listening?”

“Fives, you definitely like them more than a friend.” Echo said and he huffed before sitting up to look at his brother. 

“No I don’t. They’re my best friend. I just really care for them and think they're really cool and pretty and-” Fives trailed off, his thoughts swirling in his head. 

Hold on. Did he actually like them like that? It couldn’t be. Friends did those things with each other, right? I mean him and Echo didn’t, but they were brothers. But then again, Echo didn’t brighten his day every time he saw him or make his stomach swirl in a good way. He loved his brothers, but he definitely didn’t want to wake up next to them every day or see them smile at him for his bad jokes.

Echo patted his shoulder before climbing back into his bunk. 

Fives suddenly felt something wash over him. 

Fives had never run faster than when he was rushing back to your place. 

Oh kriff he needed to stop this date.

You hadn’t shared when the date was happening, but he hoped it wasn’t too early and he could catch you before you left. The turbolift you used to always make fun of for being slow seemed to sense his urgency and go even slower. He actually hit a floor lower than yours was and booked it for the stairs, taking them two at a time. 

When he arrived at your door, he was out of breath and feeling more frantic than he ever had. It took him three tries to get the door open because his hands were shaking so much. 

When he did finally get it open, he stumbled through the door, your name on his lips. But as he frantically looked around, he realized your place was empty. Fives rushed towards your room and he felt his heart sink when he realized the clothes you had picked out the night before were gone from their resting place. 

He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling sick to his stomach. It was so obvious now. He should have known and realized how he felt sooner. And yet, he was still too late. 

Fives shuffled over to your worn couch before slumping into it. If he closed his eyes, he could almost smell your shampoo embedded in the blankets. 

The sound of the door opening had him scrambling to his feet, eyes wide. 

You were standing in the doorway, blinking at him in surprise. You stepped inside and shut the door behind you. “Fives, what are you doing here?”

You were dressed for your date and he thought you’d never looked prettier. 

“I-I-uh-how was your date?”

No! Not that! Fives winced. That’s not what he wanted to say. 

You set down your comm and keycard on the table. “It was the funniest thing. They were very nice and we shared a lot of the same interests-”

Oh here we go. He’s already lost you.

“-but for some reason, all I could think about was you.”

Wait, what?

Fives’ eyes fixed on you as you looked at him with a fond expression with a hint of annoyance on your face. “The whole time we talked, all I could think about was you. I thought ‘Fives would like the caf here’ or ‘maybe I should get a sweet roll for Fives’. We had good conversation and I know that we would have made good partners, but I didn’t want that. Because I already have you.” 

You took one step closer. “I may be about to kriff everything up, but I realized that I didn’t want to be just friends anymore. My feelings have grown beyond that and I want to be so much more with you, if you’ll have me.”

The ARC trooper had been trained to handle surprise situations. He knew how to think on his feet and adapt to any circumstances placed before him.

But for some reason, his mind was absolutely blank. 

And before he realized what he was doing, he was bounding forward towards you. He only had a moment to revel in your wide, beautiful eyes, as he placed his hands on either side of your face and brought your lips to his. You melted almost immediately, slumping against him with a sigh that sent a shiver down his spine. 

Fives knew he wasn’t the smartest out there and he didn’t pretend to think that he knew everything. But as he stood here, in your kitchen, having just listened to a confession from his best friend, he thought, maybe, just maybe he was the luckiest guy in the galaxy. Everything clicked into place and he felt like maybe he did finally understand the meaning behind everything. 

Because everything that mattered in the galaxy was in his arms. 

He pulled away, not because he wanted to, but because he realized he should probably give you a verbal answer. His heart warmed when he saw you blindly chase after him, trying to pull him back down. “In case it wasn’t clear, I don’t want to be just friends anymore either.”

You laughed, tightening your grip around his middle. “Good, because I am never going on a date ever again unless it’s with you.” 

“I can do that, bug.” Fives said before leaning back down and once again capturing your lips with his.