#chivr

Quinn hesitates but eventually follows with his original plan, and comes to sit next to you. “You have work,” you insist. “That can wait,” he counters and takes your datapad from the table with your hesitant permission.

He looks through it and you can’t help but keep your eyes on him, searching for any sign of disappointment. It never comes. “What you have done here is amazing,” Quinn says, and you roll your eyes, even though a blush rises to your cheeks. You take the datapad from him.

“It’s not good enough. No one is going to like it,” you say and look at your work frustrated. You immediately pick up all the mistakes that are in it. “I like it,” Quinn offers.

“You always say that.”

“Because it’s true,” he says. He sounds so confident, as if what he’s saying is a fact and not just his opinion. You look at him, not really knowing what to say. Quinn’s brows furrow and he thinks hard. “You know why I was hesitant to share my feelings with you?” he asks. 

“You feared that I wouldn’t feel the same way, and that even if I did, I would eventually grow to hate you,” you say. He has told you this before, and you still find it odd. How could he have thought that you wouldn’t like him? He is everything that you have ever wanted in a partner.

Quinn nods. “Fear,” he says, taking your hand into his own. His intense blue eyes peer into your soul. “If I had not gotten over my fear, I wouldn’t now be able to share my life with the most wonderful person in the galaxy.”

He kisses you, but it’s cut short when you let out an embarrassed little laughter. “Don’t you think that’s a little extreme example?” you ask. Quinn’s cheeks flush but he shakes his head. “The principle is the same. The more you fear, the less you get to experience everything life has to offer you. Even if it seems hard, sometimes you just have to look past all the flaws and throw yourself out there.”

“Like you did with me,” you say and smile, starting to understand. Quinn answers to your smile and wraps his arms around you, looking at your datapad. “So?” he asks. You let your gaze drop to your work again. The mistakes are still rather glaring, but when you look at Quinn’s reassuring face, you nod.

Whatever your superior’s grudge against you is, you just had to endure it for now. You had clawed your way up in here, guarding the Empress’ place, and curse all if they thought you would give up this position for minor bullying.

You rouse from your thoughts when you hear a sound of footsteps to your left. You turn your head and forget to breathe upon seeing who it is. Empress Acina. 

You had always found siths enticing. Even if you couldn’t see or use the Force, you could feel it. That caressing, burning sensation under your skin and the tightness of your throat. It was terrifying and thrilling at the same time.

You swallow, pushing all thoughts aside and stand straighter when Empress passes you. You can smell her perfume, and feel her power that leaves you rather light-headed when the familiar sensations passes through your skin.

“Who are you?”

You let out a small, near non-existent yelp at the back of your throat. Empress Acina stands in front you, only arm’s length away. You stutter out your name and rank, while your heart keeps bounding faster. “Ah, I remember you,” Acina says, a small smile appearing on her lips. “You’re one of the new additions.”

You nod, embarrassment slowly turning into excitement. You never imagined that you would talk with Empress, let alone that she would show interest in who you are. “If it’s not too much trouble, would you like to escort me back to my room?” Acina asks, the tone of her voice making it sound more like a command than a question. “I would love to have some company.”

Disregarding your post without a second thought, you follow Empress through the intricate corridors towards her bedroom. You talk about menial things on your way there, feeling happier and happier each step you take. However, everything good must come to an end sometimes, you think bitterly when you arrive at your destination.

“You were an excellent talking companion. Thank you,” Acina says and your heart jumps. You say your goodbyes to her and turn around to leave. However, her sharp, commanding ‘Stop’ makes you come to a halt. You slowly turn around and before you can react, Acina’s lips are pressed against yours. They are soft and full, and after the initial shock, you answer almost too eagerly.

But now, when you are standing in front of him in an outfit that probably costs more than you could ever make in a lifetime, you start to suspect he might want you to do something other than take his calls and map his daily schedule. Or, he could simply be bored too, which wouldn’t be surprising. It had been unusually quiet few weeks.

“You look absolutely lovely, my dear,” he says smiling. You shift your weight awkwardly from one foot to another. “Thank - ah - thank you, my lord,” you say, gasping a little when he adjusts your suit. His long, graceful fingers linger on you before he takes a step back.

You continue to stand awkwardly, waiting for him to say something. He regards you with amusement and then goes to his desk, scrounging its contents. He comes back to you soon and gives you a gold-wrapped gift. You furrow your brows. “Open it,” Vowrawn insists.

You began unwrapping the gift with slight hesitance, your heart beginning to bound faster. You occasionally glance at Vowrawn’s smirking face which, not surprisingly, makes calming down harder. You wonder what sort of gift it might be but, knowing him, it could be anything.

“Oh.”

You shake your head and turn to look at Jadus and Mortis, who are casually flipping through non-exam related books. You know that they already handle the subject quite well, and are merely helping the rest of you catch up to speed. Or, at least Mortis is. You aren’t really sure what Jadus is doing here.

Aside from sharing the table with literal geniuses, overachievers and one latecomer, you also share it with Vowrawn. You aren’t sure how the man has been able to pass all his classes, as you have never seen him open a text book. In fact, instead of studying right now, he’s on his phone, appearing to be texting someone.

You turn your eyes back to your book but aren’t able to read a single sentence, because your phone suddenly vibrates. You take it and furrow your brows, seeing that an unknown sender has send you a text. You open it and gasp out loud. You stare at a picture of a naked man with a full hard on, who is on his knees on top of a bed. Wait. Vowrawn. The man in the photo is Vowrawn.

You sharply raise your eyes to the man, who’s already looking at you. “Sorry,” he says casually. “I didn’t mean to share that with you.” You continue to stare at him, feeling your cheeks start to burn, when the man’s grins and leans over the table closer to you. “But if you want, you can get a closer look. I don’t mind because you look quite-”

“For fuck’s sake, Vowrawn,” Marr says, slamming his book against the table. “Even if you can fuck your way through these exams, the rest of us aren’t you,” the man snaps, his every word filled with venom. However, Vowrawn just leans back and laughs.