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From Brute to Silly: the Life of Ald


irishfino

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Is there an orange version that can be crafted? Or is it an item we need to suggest as adaptive gear in the cartel market? I have a hankering to put my mara in an Imperial uniform now...

 

Ald is wearing the TH-16 Master Medic top. I think it starts at level 47. There is the Hooligan set, which is craftable, that is wearable at level 27. Sniper leggings are level 19 and look pretty good. I had a hell of a time finding Quinn a pair of good pants, but I finally did. They are RD-O6B Eliminator leggings. Ald Jr. is wearing the Clandestine top with a pair of Sniper's leggings and maybe Sniper's boots, I forget which.

 

I went to great lengths to get the right look, but his bum looks fantastic!

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I'm going to be super, super lazy and reply with an all encompassing: the Imperial uniform rocks my socks.

 

 

It’s a Slippery Slope to Madness

 

 

 

The damned drink droid came by for the twelfth time. He’d cursed it out starting the seventh time. The damn thing never learned.

 

“I said ‘No’ you useless, motorized pile of slag. Stop asking!” he hissed at the poor thing. It beeped, slightly insulted, and sped off. It would return. If only to make the man angry.

 

“You’re right pissed tonight, aren’t you?” Ald asked from across the small table.

 

“I have been propositioned by no fewer than seven women since entering this establishment,” Quinn hissed quietly.

 

“Don’t forget those three guys.”

 

“I would rather forget all of this!”

 

“Drink more.”

 

“That is not funny, Ald and you are far too comfortable pretending to be an officer,” Quinn hissed.

 

“You sound like a snake,” Ald said lightly.

 

“Oh, shut up!”

 

Ald laughed for a few moments then quieted when Quinn’s glared became unbearable.

 

“Lighten up, won’t you?” Ald asked innocently.

 

“I could be killed for this and you find it hilarious,” Quinn hissed.

 

“Baras won’t do anything.”

 

“It’s not him I’m worried about.”

 

“I’ll protect you.”

 

“I should hope so.”

 

“So,” Ald said quietly, looking around the cantina, “which one are you bringing back to our lodging?”

 

Quinn’s nose wrinkled. “I am not so hard up that I would resort to a random on Nar Shaddaa. In a cantina named Slippery Slopes, no less. I do have dignity, Ald.”

 

“Really? Where do you keep it hidden?”

 

Quinn threw up his arms and stood. “I’m not enjoying myself, you’re insulting me, and there are at least ten people staring at me. I’ll be on the ship, recalibrating the engine.”

 

Then he was off, his cape whipping about him. Ald was quick to follow, just in case there was a Sith watching them.

 

A figure in a dark corner, one of the ten sets of eyes Quinn felt on him, followed them after Ald’s shadow disappeared from the hall.

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I’m Here

 

 

 

“Ald?” Malavai queried softly. “Ald, it’s Malavai.”

 

“I know,” Ald replied groggily. He turned around to face his waker. “I know who you are. I know where we are. It was just a dream.”

 

“You were crying in your sleep. I couldn’t leave you to suffer.”

 

“You should have.”

 

Malavai propped his head up on his left hand and stared at Ald.

 

“I’m serious. You should have. You should have left me to suffer in that dream. Vette suffered every day. Every single day until her last moments. And those were filled with terror. Terror, Malavai, terror. I terrorized her. I made sure her last moments with me were filled with fear and pain and loathing. You should have left me in that dream.”

 

“I’ll not leave you to suffer, Ald. Not while I still draw breath,” Malavai said firmly. “Dreams like this become frequent the more you avoid an issue. It’s your mind’s way of forcing you to deal with something.”

 

“How am I supposed to deal with it when the person I wronged is dead!?” Ald shouted. Malavai didn’t flinch, he simply stared with that damn knowing look in his eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it, don’t even ask.”

 

“Then may your mind be merciful, because this isn’t going away anytime soon, Ald. Not while you still struggle with the guilt and anger.”

 

Damn him. Damn him for being so calm. Damn him for being so accepting.

 

“I envy you,” Ald whispered hoarsely. “You don’t know what it’s like. It hurts.”

 

Malavai made noise between a chuckle and a sigh. “Do you honestly believe that?” he asked quietly.

 

“I do.”

 

“Then you have forgotten the Transponder Station entirely. I haven’t. Not one detail. The look on your face when I raised my blaster against you. The hurt in my chest as it landed a shot in your shoulder. I hurt you. I struck out at you.” He paused and looked to Ald for a reaction. There wasn’t one. “It’s not exactly the same as I left of my own free will and we parted on cordial terms for the most part. But it’s there. The guilt, the dreams, the hurt. So I do know, on some level, what you’re going through. And I am here if you need me.”

 

Ald stared at him. He didn’t deserve help. He didn’t deserve mercy or pity or understanding. He deserved to be cold and alone with his regrets. He watched Malavai shift closer to him, but he didn’t move. He wanted to. He wanted to grab Malavai and hold him and be held.

 

Malavai didn’t move close enough to touch without moving, he was just there, waiting. He didn’t want to push Ald. He knew he would come to him when he was ready. He was a patient man. Even still, he wanted nothing more than to grab Ald and force him to accept comfort and understanding. Love.

 

“True Sith don’t cry over slaves,” Ald murmured quietly.

 

“True men grieve their mistakes, accept their faults, and push through the hard times,” Malavai replied.

 

“I am a Sith. I am the Wrath.”

 

“You are a man with emotions. You’re silly when it pleases you, you kill when necessary, you spare when it makes sense. Your station and your blood do not define you. You are Aldrdinar, the Emperor’s Wrath. You are Aldrdinar the Caring. You are Aldrdinar and you decide your fate. You decide who you are. If you are truly dedicated to this new path, I will follow you unquestioningly.”

 

“You would follow me into darkness?”

 

“I would follow you to certain death,” Malavai said firmly. “You are my General; I will back you up. You are my lover; I will support you through anything.”

 

Ald cracked and slammed his chest into Malavai’s. The force of his needy hug flipped Malavai onto his back and forced a breathy chuckle from him.

 

“I am here, Ald,” Malavai said gently.

 

Ald lifted his head from Malavai’s chest. “Say it.”

 

“I love you.”

 

Ald’s heart fluttered in his chest. “I love it when you say that.”

 

“I do believe it’s your turn.”

 

“Oh, right,” Ald chuckled. “I love you, you stiff bastard.”

 

“I’m not-”

 

“Not that!” Ald laughed.

 

Malavai joined him in laughter as Ald settled into their improvised cuddle. Malavai was right, he was there. Here. Here with him. Here being silly and serious and loving and understanding.

 

Here was anywhere as long as they were together.

 

 

Notes:

 

 

Ald and Quinn just sapped all over the thread. That sounds wrong. But I don't wanna be right.

 

NO REGRETS!!!

 

Edited by irishfino
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D'awwwwwww. :o

They're so cute when they're in private. I should put them out in public sometime... lol.

 

The sap is adorable, but I also really like that Ald feels guilty over Vette. It's a very cool look into his character and also gives much more insight into why he was able to forgive Quinn. It ties together really well.

Ald still has a lot to work through when it comes to his dynamic with Vette and the things that happened between them. If I ever actually write down what happened between them, lol.

 

I think this close to Valentine's Day, they are allowed a little sappiness!

I forgot about Valentine's Day, lol.

 

 

Thanks for reading everyone!!

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Valentine’s Day or How to Kill Your Mate in Four Words

 

 

 

“Darth Valentinus was an idiot,” Malavai said stiffly.

 

“He believed in love beyond barriers like species and status in society,” Ald said defensively.

 

“Yes, but announcing that to the Dark Council was just asking for death. And he had a terrible name for a Darth.”

 

“You’re ruining this lovely meal.”

 

“You’re the one who decided to make a nice meal on this day and claim it to be special. It’s any other day to me.”

 

Ald slumped in his seat. “You’re ruining the romantic atmosphere.”

 

“I don’t need a day to create a ‘romantic atmosphere’ and I certainly don’t need some idiot Darth to commemorate anything. It’s a silly holiday, Ald.”

 

Ald pouted.

 

“Don’t give me that look,” Malavai said stiffly. Ald pouted harder. “I’m serious. I hate that look. You look like I just kicked your akk puppy.”

 

“You might as well have kicked my akk puppy.” Ald paused. “Then knifed my favorite pillow.” Another pause. “Then peed on Inusitus’ remains.”

 

Malavai set his fork down and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “You are being far too dramatic. This is just another day, Ald. There’s nothing that makes this day any different from any other day. I do not need a designated day to do something nice or to reinforce my fondness. I don’t need the ghost of some dead idiot Darth hanging over my meal while I’m trying to enjoy our time together.”

 

Ald perked up a little. “You enjoy just spending time together?”

 

“Stars above, Ald, how long have we been together now? If I didn’t enjoy your company by now, I would have left.”

 

“That’s comforting,” Ald murmured.

 

“Dammit Ald,” Malavai sighed. “Don’t put so much stock in a day. It will do you no favors.”

 

Malavai went back to eating.

 

“Malavai?”

 

“Yes, Ald?”

 

“We should get married.”

 

Malavai choked on his bite of food.

 

 

 

Notes:

 

 

I've never been a big fan of Valentine's Day. My husband knows this and waits until the day after to buy me chocolates. Om nom, cheap delicious chocolates.

 

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The image of Quinn choking on a piece of meat. Adorable.

So... many... ways... to... respond... none... forum... appropriate...

 

Ack! The images in my head!

[giggles; imagines possible images; giggles some more]

 

 

Thanks for reading everyone!!

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For Now

 

 

 

A liberal helping of wine helped Malavai soothe his throat after nearly choking to death on a bit of meat. That might have been a bit of an embellishment, but one does not spring such a thing on someone when they are eating.

 

Ald was dismayed by Malavai’s response to say the absolute least. Downright disheartened by it was more an apt description of how he felt in that moment. Perhaps he was simply being dramatic. Perhaps it really hurt. Perhaps it was a strange mix of both. It didn’t matter. What mattered was Malavai’s reaction. Provided he could speak.

 

“Our relationship is perfectly fine the way it is, Ald,” Malavai said stiffly.

 

Ald eyed him from across the table. There wasn’t a flicker of doubt in that man’s mind and he maintained the correct level of eye contact. Had he slipped into officer mode? The thought bothered Ald to no end.

 

“You haven’t considered the possibility of marriage long enough to ascertain the benefits,” said Ald.

 

Malavai set his wine glass down, placed both elbows on the table, and steepled his fingers under his chin.

 

“I have considered it,” he murmured. Then he sat up straight, grabbed his wine glass, and drank.

 

“Afraid it will fail?” Ald challenged.

 

Malavai calmly set his glass down. “Of course. The relationship we have now is perfectly adequate.”

 

“I don’t want adequate.”

 

“Then find someone else.”

 

Ald started. He hadn’t been expecting that response at all. He did not dare hope the man across from him would leap into his arms and happily accept, but this outright rejection was too much.

 

“You don’t mean that,” Ald said firmly.

 

Malavai broke eye contact then, shifting his gaze to his wine glass. Half-full. Or half-empty depending on one’s mood.

 

“Let’s let the dust settle on your last marriage before we even begin discussing the possibility of our relationship evolving into a marriage.” Malavai paused and shifted his eyes back to Ald’s. To his credit, Ald kept his face blank, but his eyes were fiery with rage. “Let us get through this first. When it has been sufficiently dealt with, we can discuss it then.”

 

“You’ve ruined this entire evening,” Ald spat harshly.

 

Malavai grabbed his wine glass again and swirled it. “I told you not to put emphasis on a single day, my Lord.” He sipped his wine. “You end up disappointed when your plans fail.”

 

Ald left the table at that, leaving Malavai to his wine and cold plate of food. He was right, in some ways, but he didn’t need to be such a pompous arse about it. Damn him and his pompous arse.

 

 

 

Notes:

 

 

I am entirely convinced that Quinn shuts down in emotional situations when they are applied to him. Sudden marriage proposal? Too serious, brain melts, run awaaaaaay.

 

Edited by irishfino
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Sudden, serious emotional situations and Quinn don't seem to mix well. I can full well imagine he's had extensive thought on the subject, but I have to agree with Ald.

 

Quinn, you're an arse.

He means well, he's just an incompetent arse when it comes to emotions and comforting people.

 

Forever and always :D

Not always. He did tell Ald he loved him that one time...

 

 

Thanks for reading everyone!!

Edited by irishfino
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Think On It

 

 

 

“I’ve upset you,” Malavai said the next morning over breakfast.

 

“Really?” Ald asked quietly. “I hadn’t noticed.”

 

“Sarcasm. Wonderful.”

 

“What did you expect, loving words, saccharine sweet as I ignore what an arse you were?”

 

“No matter what you think, you cannot spring that sort of conversation on a person and expect an immediate result other than disappointment.”

 

“You’re upset because I surprised you,” Ald said quietly.

 

“Considering recent events, I would think a thought like that would be far and away from the forefront of your mind. I suppose I must realize you think quite differently than most people, let alone Sith.”

 

“You’re babbling.”

 

“You’re acting rashly. You haven’t thought this through at all. You’ve suffered quite a few serious blows in the recent months. The situation with Vette, its terrible conclusion, the immediate aftereffects, and the aftereffects you still seek to avoid: your guilt, your anger, your rush to make things normal, to make things right. Your marriage to her will not be finished until you deal with what happened, what you both did to each other. I’ll not have that carry over into a deeper commitment between us. It would drive us apart and serve no purpose other than a constant irritant we strive to avoid to keep the peace. That situation is poor at best and has no hope of working in the long-term.”

 

“You’re afraid of failure.”

 

“I’m afraid of watching you become twisted in your grief and anger into something I barely recognize. I have told you before I will not leave your side, but watching you become someone else, something else would pain me greatly. And there wouldn’t be a thing I could do about it. You think of only yourself in these moments then lash out in anger when I refuse to go along with your poorly thought out wants and desires. You’re trying to patch a hole in a dam without the proper equipment then rage at nature when the dam crumbles and your fields are flooded. You expect too much without dealing with the actual problem with the proper materials.”

 

“What do you suggest, then?” Ald asked acidly. “What materials should I use to FIX THIS MESS!?”

 

Malavai flinched then, recoiling into his seat. Rage washed over him and fear gripped him deep in his chest.

 

“I suggest,” Malavai said bravely, but quietly, “you revisit your entire relationship with her.” He paused and shifted in his seat. “From the time you met until the time she died. Think on it. Honestly think on it and when you’ve thought on it, when you’ve dealt with what you’ve done, what she did, then we can speak of furthering our commitment to one another. Not before.”

 

“And if I don’t want to?” Ald challenged quietly.

 

“I cannot force you,” Malavai admitted, “but I can guarantee our relationship will never evolve past the current stage.”

 

Ald went quiet, turning his attention to the table of food in front of him. He wasn’t hungry anymore. Instead, his stomach was filled with discontent and the food in his belly felt like hot lead. Malavai was right, in his own stiff, I-don’t-care-about-your-feelings-right-now, slap-you-in-the-face sort of way. Still, it hurt. But, if he wanted the hurt to stop, he knew what he had to do. He didn’t want to do it. He didn’t want to tear into what used to be good memories now soured by both he and Vette. They reeked of death and regret. Of sorrow and sadness. Of lost hope and shattered dreams. They were rancid and rotting, festering in the back of his mind, growing a stronger stench by the day. They needed to be disposed of the only way he knew how: meditation and remembering. Only then could these things be dealt with. He didn’t noticed Malavai leave the table until some minutes later when he looked up, his mind made, the words dangling from his tongue. They tasted bitter, those words dangling teasingly upon his lips. He left the table, then, and found a comfortable spot on the floor to enter into a deep meditation.

 

He could only hope he wouldn’t regret this.

 

 

 

Notes:

 

 

Nothin' like the ol' one-two-eff-your-feelings-because-I-love-you from ol' Malavai "Arseface" Quinn. Dude's a heavyweight feel puncher, that one.

 

Edited by irishfino
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Ald, for all his openness, friendliness and willing to help and just be with people, is amazingly selfish and short-sighted sometimes.

 

Quinn, conversely, comes across as a pompous arse, but a selfless pompous arse.

Ald really, really, really wants to avoid dealing with it. It's hard to accept blame for something, and he is struggling with harming both Vette and Quinn. Two people who mean (or meant in Vette's case) a lot to him.

 

Ouch... some brutal tough love from Quinn, but coming from a healer-specialist with his particular personality, it's fitting enough. You can do it, Ald ;_;

Quinn is mean because he cares. There's no point in spinning his wheels, trying to convince Ald to actually deal with matters. Best to be brutal and to the point. After all, trying to spare feelings is what got them into this mess.

 

 

Thanks for reading everyone!!

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Striking Out

 

 

 

He was protecting himself. That’s all it was. He had his knives raised in the way Ald had taught him. It was purely self-defense. He would never – could never strike out at Ald. He loved him. And, yet, here he was defending himself against a brute. He had drawn himself up to his full height, and now he was towering, a figure of rage and muscle and power. But he had to fight him. He didn’t have a choice. In the end, it was him or Ald. He could at least make the effort. Pretend as if his movements couldn’t be countered. Pretend as if he stood a real chance against the fury of a Sith. It had come down to this, this moment, this stretch of time. Ald hovered studying him, calculating his weaknesses. They were many, he knew, but he still had to put up a fight. When Ald chuckled, he knew. He knew it was over. He had said the wrong thing too many times with too much vehemence, too much insistence that Ald deal with his situation. Deal with everything. And now, he would be dealt with. Dealt a death blow from an unlikely source.

 

The first punch landed just under his diaphragm. It knocked the wind from his lungs and water from his eyes. He wouldn’t let himself drop. No. He would fight even if it meant nothing in the end. He slashed through vision blurred by tears and pain. He missed and another punch landed in his ribcage, just off to the side. He felt his lung quiver and coughed. He couldn’t catch his breath, but he tried. He tried and failed. Another blow to the chest and he was down on the floor, sprawled and gasping for air. Still, he moved. He shimmied out of the way, kicking his heels, trying, trying to get away. Ald was on him, pummeling him into submission, beating him until he yielded. He cried out until his voice was hoarse from his cries, his gasps for breath, the blood now clogging his throat in horribly sticky clumps. He was vaguely aware of darkness creeping into the edge of his vision. He felt cold. Numb. Then he was warm and there was a bright light. It was blue and comforting. He looked toward it and waited. It came closer and closer still until the blue light extinguished all thought from his head. And it was over.

 

***

 

Ald snapped from his meditation with a gasp. What just happened? Was he the attacker or the victim? Was he both? Was he in Vette’s body as he himself destroyed her? No. No. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. No. He was in Malavai’s body while he himself destroyed him. Was that – stars above – was that a possible future? He didn’t want to believe that. He had more control than that. But, he wondered, if he had more control than that why was Vette dead? Why was Vette beaten to death by his own hand? He knew why, but he didn’t know why. He had killed her in his haze of rage and grief. Broonmark too. He had killed them both brutally because of what they did to him, to Malavai. But what of what he had done to Vette. He had used her to balance himself, to push through Corellia and get to Baras before he was confirmed the Voice. He knew it was wrong, but he needed her for that final push. He was weakened by loss, desperate for a sense of normalcy.

 

But she wasn’t guiltless. She knew he was still reaching out to Malavai. “Captain Betrayal,” she called him. She hated the way he looked at her with that strangely soft expression whenever she verbally rebuked the absent Captain. He wasn’t angry with her when she spoke out against him, but he never joined in. She tried not to dwell on it, but she knew. She knew she was being used, but, dammit, she finally had him. He was hers and that disgraced Captain wouldn’t dare so his face again. Until he did.

 

They used each other to achieve some sort of normalcy. And it failed. There was always that piece, that person driving a wedge between them. Even in his absence, he cast a shadow over their relationship, their marriage and, in turn, became the object they kept silent about to maintain the peace.

 

Said object, or rather man, was staring at him now. Silently watching for any sign of trouble, any sign he should run. Any sign he should monologue Ald into submission. But those signs never came. Instead, Ald gathered his wits about him, drew himself up from the ground and sat on the couch next to him. Neither wanted to break the silence first, but one would have to in order to speak. Ald decided to speak first.

 

“I’m sorry,” Malavai said.

 

Ald blinked hard. Or he could speak second. What mattered was that conversation had been started, created from the silence and strain of nothing.

 

“You were right,” Ald admitted quietly. “I never realized the scope of the shadow a recently ended relationship could cast from so far away.”

 

Malavai didn’t speak, but didn’t waver either. He turned and wrapped his arms around Ald’s shoulders, pulling the other man into him for a hug, for comfort. For understanding. It felt good. There was a weight slowly lifting itself from both their shoulders. A burden rising into the abyss. And it felt good to finally chip away at the mess they had all contributed to in some way. It was time to make this mountain but a stone in the face of their relationship. It was time to strike out and strike back at the darkness that had descended into their ranks. It was time to move forward. Together.

 

 

 

Notes:

 

 

Ald has two cyan-blue crystals in his lightsabers.

 

That's really all I have to say. I hope the piece speaks for itself.

 

Edited by irishfino
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  • 2 weeks later...
*whibble* Aww, they're so cute and yet so terrifying in places I just want to cuddle them all night long!

 

Ald and Quinn plushies plz.

I would make some actual plushies if I could, but I do feel like drawing some. Soon

 

I second this. :D

I'll draw some, lol.

 

 

Thanks for reading everyone!!

Edited by irishfino
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Crosspost from the SFC Thread!

 

 

That’s One Way to Take a Bath

 

Malavai had convinced him to use the giant tub in the master refresher for a bit of relaxation. He considered turning on the jets when he got in, but he didn’t want to irritate his skin. Then again, maybe it would feel like the rushing rivers of the jungle, a little warmer, perhaps, but maybe. He dipped the tips of his fingers into the water and watched the tiny ripples distort his reflection. For a moment, a very brief moment, his face was as smooth as a human’s. His cheekbone ridges smoothed, the bone spurs jutting from his chin blended into the background, even the bone spurs along his jaw disappeared. A normal human for the briefest of moments.

 

Of course, the sheer amount of orange and copper in his skin tone was a giveaway that he was not a normal human. He had Sith blood. Sith blood he inherited from a pair of normal looking humans. He wanted to be normal after they left him in the jungle. He had never thought of it before, never considered himself strange. No, the pale beings that claimed he was their child, they were the strange ones. They had no powers and they were scared of him. What parent is scared of their child? Not his parents. There was no way these creatures were his parents. But, while he was with them, he loved them as if they were his parents. And they were. Until they got rid of him, dumped him in the jungle like an unwanted pet. No parent would do that to their child. Their normal child.

 

He turned off the water and stripped to his bare bottom. He raised his leg and dipped a toe into the water. It was hot. Very, very hot. Best to hurry in. Which, of course, was a terrible mistake. He shouted and stood quickly, a rush of water following his swift movement. The shout and resulting splash had a predictable result: Malavai knocked on the door.

 

“The water was hot,” Ald said to the door.

 

There was a quiet noise on the other side which sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.

 

“It’s not funny,” Ald grumped. Slowly, he eased himself back into the water.

 

“I wasn’t laughing,” Malavai replied, his voice light and still suspiciously filled with laughter.

 

“I can tell when you find something humorous and when you chuckle it’s hilarious.”

 

There was that noise again. Definitely a chuckle.

 

“You jerk,” Ald grumbled.

 

“I’ll assume you insulted me.”

 

“I did. You’re a jerk,” Ald said louder.

 

And now he was laughing. The sound delighted Ald’s ears. It was a very rare thing for Malavai to chuckle let alone laugh. Recently, at least. When they were in private, he was much more willing to open up after a few pokes and prods and outright requests of “Stop being such a stiff bastard.” He always found that request humorous and would laugh to indulge his Lord.

 

“Stop laughing and come in.”

 

“I’m not washing your back,” Malavai quipped as he entered the refresher. He immediately went to the closet and grabbed a few towels to clean up the mess Ald had made.

 

“You’re like a maid.”

 

Malavai dropped the towels to the floor and used his foot to move them around.

 

“I am a servant of the Empire.”

 

“Har har.”

 

The corners of Malavai's mouth ticked up. “It’s true. I am duty-bound to serve in any capacity, which includes cleaning up after an overly ambitious Wrath when he burns his bum on hot water in the bath.”

 

“You’re a jerk.”

 

Malavai’s laughter echoed softly in the refresher. Ald turned on the jets in an attempt to drown out the laughter. Naturally, the laughter increased in volume.

 

“Such a jerk,” Ald mumbled as he slipped into the water up to his mouth.

 

He wasn’t expecting a response from Malavai and he definitely wasn’t expected a splash of water to the face. But there it was, the end result leaving his face dripping and his brain trying to figure out what happened. To his credit, Malavai sat rather calmly on the edge of the large tub, but his smirk gave him away as did the rolled up sleeve of his tunic and his hand in the water.

 

Ald glared, and, for a brief moment, Malavai thought he had made a terrible error. Then he found himself under water being pummeled by very strong jets of water.

 

A very grumpy and very wet Malavai surfaced and stared at Ald. “The water is rather hot,” he said blandly.

 

“You look ridiculous!” Ald giggled. He brushed a lock of wet hair from Malavai’s face. “Next time you want a bath, just ask.” He paused. “And take off your clothes before jumping in.”

 

Malavai reared back on his haunches and removed his wet tunic. Then he splashed Ald with all his might.

 

“You’re dead!” Ald laughed.

 

The water was nothing like the water in the jungle. It was warm, hot even, and relaxing. But those waters in the jungle brought him here, to this point, one way or another. And he wouldn’t give that up for the Galaxy.

 

 

Notes:

 

 

This was supposed to be a serious post. As per usual, Ald sillied all over the place and dragged Quinn in with him.

 

Edited by irishfino
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