The jungle spins around in a kaleidoscope of greens and purples as I stumble over yet another root. My balance abandons for the fifth ti in as many minutes, but I don’t hit the ground. I never do. Vae’s arm tightens around my waist, catching with that supernatural strength of hers.
“Careful, my love,” she purrs into my ear, her breath hot against my skin. “We wouldn’t want you breaking that pretty face of yours.”
I giggle, actually giggle, and imdiately hate myself for it. Whatever drink she kept pouring down my throat back at the outpost has turned my brain to mush and my legs to jelly. Four kiloters through dense jungle to reach our ship, and Vae decided I needed to be thoroughly intoxicated for the journey.
“You got drunk on purpose,” I accuse, my words slurring together despite my best efforts to sound indignant.
Vae’s crimson lips curl into that evil smile I’m becoming dangerously accustod to. “Perhaps.” Her free hand traces lazy patterns on my hip as she guides forward. “You’re more... pliable this way.”
Another root appears from nowhere. Vae’s grip tightens again, her body pressed flush against mine as she steadies .
“I think I’m the girl in this relationship,” I blurt out, the alcohol demolishing whatever filter normally exists between my brain and mouth.
Instead of being offended, Vae throws her head back and laughs, the sound echoing through the jungle canopy. “Does that bother you, Ty-Lar?” she asks, her red eyes glittering with amusent.
“No,” I admit, surprising myself with the honesty. “Just an observation.”
A massive fallen tree blocks our path, too large to climb over in my current state. Before I can suggest we go around, Vae extends her free hand. The massive trunk shudders, then rises slowly into the air, hovering there as if suspended by invisible cranes.
“The path is clear for my husband,” she announces with theatrical grandeur, guiding beneath the floating tree trunk.
Once we’re safely past, she lets it crash back to the jungle floor with a thunderous boom that sends nearby wildlife scattering. I jump at the sound, nearly losing my footing again.
“Show-off,” I mutter, but there’s no heat in it.
Her arm around my waist feels like it belongs there, her fingers splayed possessively across my side. She’s practically glowing with satisfaction, like she’s won so cosmic lottery and I’m the grand prize.
It should terrify how quickly she’s claid , how thoroughly she’s inserted herself into my life. Instead, I find myself leaning into her touch, craving the security of her embrace.
“Fuck, she’s so hot,” I accidentally whisper under my breath.
Vae’s ear twitches, and she glances at with those smoldering red eyes. “I’m too warm for you?” She misunderstands, her brow furrowing with concern.
I can’t help but laugh, the alcohol making everything funnier than it should be. “No, no. I an, you’re very attractive. Like, ridiculously attractive.”
Her expression shifts from concern to pleased predator in an instant, and she pulls tighter against her side. “As are you, my Ty-Lar.”
The jungle finally begins to thin, and through the clearing ahead, I spot the familiar silhouette of The Handso Gentleman. The circular hull gleams dully in the filtered sunlight, its faded blue accents barely visible under layers of jungle dust and gri.
“There she is,” I say, relief washing over at the sight of our ticket off this planet.
Vae steps forward, tugging along. “Co on,” she says, her pace quickening as we approach the landing ramp.
We climb up together, her steady hand keeping from tripping over my own feet. The familiar sll of tal and recycled air hits as soon as we step inside, a strange comfort in this bizarre new life. It feels both foreign and familiar, like a childhood ho visited after decades away.
“Welco to my humble abode,” I announce with a drunken flourish, nearly smacking my hand against a bulkhead in the process.
Vae looks around with calculating eyes, taking in every detail of the ship’s interior. We’d only been aboard briefly earlier to drop off supplies, not even long enough to unpack anything. I barely know the layout myself, just the bits and pieces from Rax’s fragnted mories. This was Bana’s ship, after all. I’d only ever been a passenger when he flew us from job to job.
“It’s... cozy,” Vae says diplomatically, running her fingers along a control panel.
“That’s a nice way of saying it’s a piece of junk, but it’s our piece of junk now.”
She follows behind , her footsteps nearly silent on the tal flooring. “It will serve our purposes.”
I lead Vae through the ship’s narrow corridors, my hand trailing along the wall for balance. The alcohol is still swimming through my system, making everything slightly blurry around the edges.
“Let give you the grand tour,” I say, gesturing dramatically as we move deeper into the ship. “Kitchen’s that way, though I use the term ‘kitchen’ loosely. Refresher is down there. The cockpit too.”
Vae follows silently, her eyes taking in every detail like she’s morizing escape routes.
We reach a small junction, and I point down another corridor. “And sleeping quarters are this way.”
Vae’s expression darkens suddenly. “Speaking of sleeping arrangents, that outpost was utterly disappointing. Not a single decent sleeper in the entire marketplace.”
“Yeah, that sucks,” I say, genuinely feeling bad about it. We’d hoped to buy so proper bedding for the ship since Bana’s old stuff was... well, let’s just say it had seen better days.
Her features soften as she reaches out to touch my face. “It’s fine. Show your bed.”
I guide her to my quarters. The door slides open with a protesting hiss, revealing a cramped room barely large enough for the narrow bed bolted to the wall and a small storage locker.
“Ho sweet ho,” I announce, trying to mask my embarrassnt. “It’s not special, but it’s better than that cot from last night.”
I sit on the edge of the bed and pat the space beside , but Vae has other ideas. She approaches like a Terminator that just found John Connor and straddles my lap. Her weight settles on , warm and solid, as her arms snake around my neck.
“Perfect,” she purrs, leaning in to capture my lips.
The kiss is hungry, demanding, and I respond with equal fervor. My hands find her waist, pulling her closer as her tongue teases mine. My drunkenness amplifies everything, her taste, her scent, the heat radiating from her crimson skin.
Suddenly, she freezes. Her body goes rigid against mine, and she breaks the kiss abruptly. I blink in confusion, following her gaze to the small data pad resting on the shelf next to my bed.
The screen is cycling through images, Rax’s images. Photos from a life I’ve inherited but never lived. And currently displayed is a holo shot, teenage Rax with his arm slung around the shoulders of a blue-skinned girl with bright golden eyes.
“Who is that?” Vae asks, her voice dangerously soft.
I have to think for a mont, my alcohol-soaked brain scrambling to access mories that don’t quite feel like my own. The girl’s face triggers sothing, flashes of laughter, skinned knees, and whispered secrets under Corellian skies.
“That’s Tinos Kan,” I say, the na feeling right on my tongue. “We grew up together on Corellia. She was my best friend until the Jedi took her when she was twelve.”
Vae’s weight on my lap suddenly feels heavier, her body tensing like a coiled spring. Her eyes never leave the image as I continue.
“She used to write to ,” I add, fragnts of mories surfacing through the drunken haze. “Holomail. She kept in touch until I was around twenty.”
Vae’s fingers dig into my shoulders, but I’m too caught in the mory retrieval to notice the warning signs.
“She told she wouldn’t contact again until she completed her training and beca a full Knight.” I squint, trying to calculate. “That was about four years ago, I think. Haven’t heard from her since.”
The shift is imdiate and terrifying. One mont Vae is on my lap, the next I’m airborne, my back slamming against the tal wall with enough force to knock the wind from my lungs. Her hand is at my throat, fingers digging into my flesh with supernatural strength. My feet dangle uselessly above the floor.
“A Jedi?” she hisses, her face inches from mine. Her eyes have transford, the crimson irises bleeding into a raging Sith yellow that glow with malevolent light. “You’ve been keeping a Jedi girlfriend from ?”
I try to speak, but her grip tightens, cutting off my words along with most of my air supply. Black spots dance at the edges of my vision as I claw ineffectually at her wrist.
“Please,” I manage to choke out, the single word barely audible.
Her yellow eyes narrow, searching my face with predatory intensity. Whatever she sees there must satisfy her, because the pressure on my throat eases just enough to let gasp a shallow breath.
“Explain,” she demands, her voice a low, dangerous rumble that makes the hair on my arms stand on end.
“Childhood friend,” I wheeze, desperate to placate her. “Haven’t seen her since we were kids. Haven’t heard from her in years.”
Vae’s face contorts with fury. “Yet you keep her image by your bed?”
“I didn’t put it there!” I protest, gesturing weakly at the datapad. “That’s Rax’s, I an, it’s my old stuff. I didn’t even know that picture existed until now!”
Vae releases abruptly, and I slide down the wall, my feet hitting the floor with a thud. I gulp air into my starving lungs, rubbing my throat where her fingers left what will surely beco bruises. The alcohol in my system has burned away, replaced by pure adrenaline.
She looms over , those yellow eyes drilling into mine with an intensity that makes want to shrink into the wall. “Which one of us do you prefer, Ty-Lar?” she demands, her voice eerily calm despite the rage radiating from her. “The Jedi or ?”
My heart hamrs against my ribs. This isn’t a casual question, it’s a test with potentially fatal consequences. I can see it in the rigid set of her shoulders, in the way her fingers twitch at her sides, inches from her lightsaber.
“You,” I say quickly, my voice hoarse from her grip. “Red skin is infinitely sexier than blue, for one thing.” I try for a weak smile, desperate to diffuse the situation. “Besides, I never even dated Tinos. We were just kids when she left.”
I swallow hard, wincing at the pain in my throat. “I have no allegiance to the Jedi, Vae. None whatsoever.”
Her eyes study for what feels like an eternity, searching for any hint of deception. Gradually, the sickly yellow fades back to their natural scarlet, though the dangerous edge remains in her gaze.
“To be even an acquaintance of a Jedi is disgusting,” she says, her tone dripping with contempt. “Their self-righteous hypocrisy, their arrogance... It’s revolting.” She steps closer, her finger jabbing at my chest. “I forbid you from ever contacting her again. Do you understand ?”
Before I can respond, her deanor shifts yet again. She pulls into an embrace, one hand sliding up to stroke my hair with surprising gentleness. The contrast is jarring, one mont threatening my life, the next petting like a beloved pet.
“Alright, alright,” I murmur against her shoulder, not daring to pull away. “No Jedi contacts. Got it.”
Her fingers continue their gentle exploration of my hair, my scalp, the back of my neck. The touch is soothing despite the circumstances, and I find myself relaxing into it against my better judgnt.
“Good boy,” she whispers, her lips brushing against my ear. “You’re learning.”
‘Fuck why is being called a good boy turning on…’
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