#Crosshair Bad Batch | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thecoffeelorian · 1 day ago

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Not gonna lie...I saw the word "breeding" and goofily thought "reproduction" when...they've got a lot of STAYING ALIVE to do first.

Ignore me, I'm silly. 😅

Also, off I go to Chapter 7.

Disgrace Chapter 6 : Crosshair x F!OC

Where is the man Tah'nyem had come to know? Reserved, cautious, definitely not one to take risks... well there was that one time... and then... well... Regardless. Despite the ensuing chaos, she's told him to do as he likes and he has every intention of showing her exactly how he likes it.

Chapter Specific Warnings: Canon type Violence (Blaster fire, blood, strikes) stampede, attempted SA, a variety of kisses, light bondage, oral (m receiving), deep throat, inappropriate use of tools, car sex(?) overstimulation, forced orgasm, orgasm countdown, piv (unprotected) w/cπ, breeding press.

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Authors note: Off to the races! and other such corny lines. I got this done in time for Kinktober AND my deadline! Woo!

Word Count: 10,500

Dynamic: Princess x Guard, Speed running Co-dependancy, A Mangy Cat and his Aggressive little Chihuahua. She's a damsel, she's in distress- she can handle it.

<-Previous Chapter - Read On Ao3 {START HERE}

Music Inspo- Love You Madly, CAKE

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Chapter 6 -Madly

We debated staying in the box but the reality of being cornered with a several story dive onto an active raceway as the sole escape was only an attractive idea to one of us. There was time before Bly would be able to traverse the roundabout path from the opposite side of the track, though not a lot. I brought up the map of the casino compound while we figured out our next move.

“Bly'd have goons looking for me anyways once he figured I was here, but after that little display, you he might actually want dead… fun part, killing him in turn would be a major political incident,”

“So we find somewhere to hide for the next,”

He tapped the pad to check the time again.

“Two hours,”

Was that really all?

“Maybe we could catch a holofilm… as long as no one sees us slip in.”

I pointed to the holoplex in the west wing, not too far from the stadium.

“Let's stay in the arena, go down to the general seating and keep moving,”

“The day's races will be wrapped in an hour, where do we have to be to meet our connection?”

“The track loading bays,”

“It'll take a while for the crowd to filter out… sounds like a plan,”

I closed the map and made for the door, but hands pulled me back from the panel, turning me into another kiss, slow, firm, a delay in pulling away.

“I'm glad he saw,”

“Mm, Let's see how long that sentiment sticks,”

But I smiled as I turned. I've never seen someone turn the shade Bly had. The memory was almost worth whatever issues it might cause.

~~~

We settled on the top panel of complimentary seating five floors down from the balcony. The rows were crowded as we navigated the smaller stairs between the benches.

I rolled my eyes at Cross's suggestion to share a seat and picked out a spot middle left where we could both fit. Side by side. I was curious about this sudden cavalier attitude and lack of caution.

Did someone spike the drink I gave him?

I pulled my hood lower as the familiar buzz of a droid flew overhead, cursing Jar'ath's name again.

The man next to me was relaxed, watching a brutal collision on the holoscreens, the resulting explosion blooming hot in the distance to thunderous applause. The pods pit crews were running to retrieve the cockpits.

“Did they survive that?”

He was watching the crews pry open the ejected compartments.

“Likely… not without injury, but people don't die in these races like they used to. Ejectors and inertia dampeners became regulation,”

Plus other safety features that made getting a pod up to code very expensive. It was no wonder Riot Racing was finding an audience, but that was the natural progression of any sport.

“If you want to see the hardcore stuff you’ll have to tune into the Safa Toma races starting off the underground in a few months,”

He didn't answer and I turned to find his attention elsewhere entirely.

“What's up?”

“Security, on the steps, three paces back,”

I glanced without turning, catching a tall shadow looming over the stairs.

“What about him?”

“Suits nicer than the staff downstairs, I think he's one of Bly’s boys,”

“That didn't take long,”

There wasn't a way to get up and slip out without drawing attention.

“Maybe he'll just, gloss over us and leave,”

“Maybe,”

But he had slid his left hand between my legs to squeeze my thigh, making me jerk on the bench.

“Hey! The varp are you doing? Are you looking for a fight?”

“Maybe.”

This time it was purred into my ear as I was lifted to stand and ushered back into the aisle. The figure had already started moving towards us. We could get to the dark alcove marking the exit but we've been made. There could already be back up on the way.

Swifty up the steps and into the shadows. The through traffic was light now that the race had begun and once we were around the corner we were relatively alone.

Crosshair pulled us to a stop and pushed me against the wall behind him, waiting.

The security guard rounded the corner at a casual pace… Cross pressed his side arm into the man’s ribs as he came into view, squeezing the trigger before he was even noticed. The bodyguard was down, and we stepped over him to hurry in the other direction.

Down two flights of stairs into a busier hall and back out into the rows of spectators. There was only standing room here, and we pushed ahead to be closer to the track.

As we hit the barrier, the pods zoomed by with a high, metallic whine and a gust that made my hair fly into my eyes. I turned away to try and straighten it, catching Crosshair craning his neck to look at the balconies above.

“Looking for something?”

“I was hoping for a line of sight where we were, but the boxes are more steeply oriented than I thought,”

“Trying to see if more showed up?”

“If they did and I could see we could take care of this quickly,”

“Not sure that much blaster fire would go unnoticed…”

One or two shots maybe… guess you could do that though couldn't you?

I scanned the crowd around us but couldn't see any more fancy suits so I let myself relax a little, aiming my attention back to the other side of the track.

The stands across the way were elevated over an open middle section allowing a view of the horizon. Trailing lights against the dark backdrop gave away the pods darting through wilder bends away from the cheering onlookers.

Below the panoramic view, a wide area of standing room, also flooded with people.

Half of Nohct City must be here tonight…

A glint caught my eye in the crowd. There were glitters and flashes everywhere, but this one sent a chill through me, like I had just met eyes with someone I couldn't actually see.

“Cross… somethings down there…”

He caught the timid tone and pulled me against him, following my gaze to the lower levels, scanning quickly.

“Shyte,”

His hand went to the back of my neck, pushing my head down, kneeling us below the barrier. I felt dust and small debris rain down on me.

“What the kriff?”

“That's not one of Bly’s security… looks like we have two problems,”

Did someone just shoot at me?!

The tourists around us were mumbling excitedly, thinking the sharp crack to the divider wall was somehow part of the show. We were stuck in a sea of people, unable to tell where the pursuers were behind us and a new player training their sights on our current position. Stuck.

“We have to try to move, stay as low as possible, use the crowd to hide yourself,”

“What if they get caught in the crossfire?”

“That's not my problem,”

He shifted me to move, tucking me to the inside of the aisle as we squeezed behind a group of tourists leaning dangerously far over the rim.

We shuffled carefully, moving back up the way we came in a zigzag, shifting with the moving crowd to keep bodies between us and the open side of the stadium.

I could still see the rim of the large, lower viewing area, which erupted in raised hands as the pods passed through the channel of the arena once more.

It wasn't heard, but the first sign was a smell of burnt flesh. A man that had been standing in front of me as I moved up another few steps crumpled, crying out at the blaster wound suddenly smoking through his shoulder.

There was a ripple of silence as heads turned to the fallen man.

It started slower than you would expect. The audience members closest to the scene were the first to turn, wedging themselves hard between Crosshair and I as they rushed the stairs. Others forwent the stair aisles and simply started to hop up and over the stadium benches.

I whipped my arm out to snag Cross’s outreached one as I was dragged by the sudden surge of people that began to flow between us. His hold on my wrist was strong but I was still being jostled and at this rate, might fall and halve my chances of getting out of here.

“Wait for me!”

He had to shout to be heard over the din, and had more to say, but time had run out. I nodded and we let go, allowing me to turn into the current with better control.

I tried not to worry at the new blaster fire opening up behind me, focusing more on keeping my footing, half carried by the throngs of panicked tourists.

The pack was moving illogically, continuing upwards and past the turn offs that would lead back to the inner corridors. I fought the current, getting tangled and shoved as I tried to angle myself into a path out of the stadium.

Screams were confused with cheering as a pod lost control and slammed into the barrier wall just under the commotion, causing a plume of flames to cast the sickening scene into a flickering show of obscene shadow puppets. Our section was in complete disarray and the occupants of the private boxes suspended above leaned over to better observe the spectacle.

I couldn't see Crosshair. Couldn't even tell exactly where the blaster fire was coming from, if it was him or not, and then visual was cut completely as the throng pushed me into the exit tunnel and out into the wide hall overlooking the Casino.

The crowd broke and scattered allowing room to breathe finally. I backtracked to a wall near the exit, security was rushing to the area and I was suddenly hoping Cross hadn't actually started to return fire.

A few of the suits began to coralle guests into composure while another set slipped easily through the stampede and into the stadium.

“Miss, if you would come with us,”

A pair had sidled up to me while I was scanning faces for the token tattoo.

“I'm fine, really, just separated from my escort,”

I tried brushing them off, not turning to address them. One stepped in too close for comfort causing me to tense. The telltale press of a blaster in my side warned me too late of my mistake. These weren't casino security.

I jerked my arm away from the fingers attempting to close around it.

“Go ahead and shoot me,”

I snarled, but the big men only chuckled as they snatched at me, getting a hold of an arm and my neck. They shifted my struggling form between them, making a more discreet profile as they carted me off. Not that anyone in the confusion was paying any mind.

“Let go!”

My screeching barely broke the din, left helpless and fluttering like a bird in the stoney hands holding me firm.

A well dressed pair of Muun chuckled as they caught my struggle. They probably thought I was a drunk being detained, observing with amusement as I was dragged into a roped off bar.

The noise of the casino hall grew muffled as I was pushed past tables stacked with chairs, up a stylish set of metal stairs to a raised platform overlooking the silent dance floor.

The lights were off, but the whole club flickered in a harsh blue cast from floor to ceiling tanks lining the walls. Colorful fish the same size as myself swam lazily behind the glass casting eerie shadows in the already inconsistent glow.

I was dumped on the floor by a darkened booth in the corner, table pulled away, leaving it open to the wide, suspended floor. A flashy shirt sat silhouetted by one of the large tanks, legs crossed, and a look of controlled fury across familiar, handsome features.

“Lady Ra,”

“Duhanis…”

He stiffened at my omission of the adopted honorifics,

“That was… humiliating… Are you proud of yourself? Did you make your point?”

“This might come as a shock, Bly’ju, but not everything’s about you,”

“Hmm, so you didn't put your little friend up to that? That vulgar display, you in the arms of that…”

His words cut off as anger made his jaw clench. He stood up, prowling towards me with a dangerous air.

“Your behavior is unacceptable as one of my intendeds. What’s next little Can’gulia? Spreading your thighs for Clones and Katjarls ?”

I stiffened, Crosshair passed as natborn to the unskilled observer so of course Bly'ju missed it. A wicked smirk broke through my practiced gray expression.

“Already there Bly’ju… or did you not notice my escort is cloned? Should I describe what those Kaminoan enhancements can do?”

Even if they do marry me to you, you won't own me Bly. I'll kriff who I want.

His face darkened in a momentary rage that he repressed with a determined clench of his jaw.

“…I've been asking politely, Tah’nyem, but what's the point when you'll just give yourself away to anyone?”

I didn't ever like his tone, but he was rubbing my nerves raw today. I sneered, making my contempt more than known,

“Oh no, Not anyone… just anyone but you,”

I spat in his face.

The backhand was expected, an angry strike was a telegraphed one, and I rolled with it, minimizing the sting. I wouldn't be able to take many of those though, and flexed my jaw to work the burning out faster. This bantha brain wasn't gonna get the satisfaction of seeing me scared. I forced a dry laugh,

“I see we've improved that temper,”

He looked down at me coldly, loosening the buttons at his wrists.

“You should be grateful li’ha, a half-blooded off worlder like you still holds my attention, your Vah'hadarr, I'm sorry, the governor, will give in eventually, but perhaps it's time I forced his hand…Hold her down.”

I tried to dive away, scrabbling under a table but hands were already closing on my ankles, dragging me out and back to the open floor. I shrieked in fury as I was pinned, kicking out frantically to make a connection with any part of my assailants. A few soft grunts was all I managed to elicit as my arms were easily restrained.

Bly stood over me, an ugly expression painted over him as he made for my hips. I aimed a kick at his knee caps which was caught with a cold laugh.

“This was always inevitable li’ha, I'm just done being nice, this was the last kriffing provocation,”

I yanked my foot in an attempt to break his hold, instead, pulling my leg free of the loose, old boot. Bly stumbled slightly as the tension released, letting his guard down. My heel connected with his groin next and this time I was rewarded with a bellowing howl of pain.

“Idiots, get her legs,”

He was wheezing, his tall form hunched and… wide?

His shadowy silhouette seemed to double in size… It took me a moment to register through the horrid adrenaline that a figure had materialized behind Bly, erupting from his shadow,

Crack

Bly's head snapped to the side as a fist hooked into his jaw. Before he could react, Crosshair aimed another swing to land with a wet crunch into his nose, sending him backwards to sprawl on the club carpet. Blaster fire, and the security holding me down fell limp.

I struggled up, angrily stumbling to the disheveled suit gurgling on the floor and ground my heel against the man's crotch, crushing the family jewels and ripping an undignified squeal from the battered Bly.

“You sick Kark!”

Swinging my leg back in a swift kick for good measure, I jumped when gentle hands slid about my upper arms, pulling me back.

“You okay?”

No.

“...I'm fine, we should go.”

Forcing the adrenaline making me shake away, I picked up my boot and made towards the stairs.

“You want to give him another kick?”

I looked back at Cross who gestured invitingly to the whimpering form of Bly on the ground.

…

“Yeah…”

I slowly put the old boot back on and circled the large, quivering shyte stain of a man, surveying the available surfaces before giving him a hard, firm kick right to the ass. I wanted to go for the gut but the coward had curled up in fetal position. Blood was pouring from his nose which was crooked from the hard strike Cross had delivered. It was the best he had ever looked.

“Better?��

“A little,”

He pulled me to him, cradling me as I stared down at the bloody mess. Stroking my hair and arms, but I was antsy to get out of here.

“We should go,”

“Soon,”

His answer had an odd tone to it. I stepped out from his hold but was spun back, lifted to be held against his armored chest plate.

“Kiss me,”

“Now?”

He just squeezed me, eyes filled with a playful peevishness.

This man’s insane, isn't he?

I pressed my lips to his, evoking a happy little groan deep in his throat as I played along. I thought I might be going a bit insane too, something new alighting within me at his possessive display.

A gurgling, frustrated growl came from the man on the floor as he struggled to find his feet. Cross answered by squeezing my ass in an exaggerated way before setting me down again.

Bly had finally managed to stand but before he had a chance to move or speak a blaster pulse hit him square between the eyes.

“Crosshair!”

“Relax, he's stunned,”

“Oh…”

I had forgotten military weapons could do that and turned to the security out on the floor. They didn't seem to be breathing.

“Those ones are dead,”

“Ah… good…”

He chuckled, leaning to brush his lips lightly across mine. It was quiet now, and as much as I wanted to revel in the daring rescue I could once again hear the distant voices of the crowded walkways.

“What happened out there?”

He sighed, standing straight again and turning to look off where my attention had been pulled.

“Management seems to be working wonders in crowd control. No ones too concerned about blasters going off during the races… I didn't get the gunman though,”

“You missed?”

“No, just… once one person started shooting others joined in, I couldn't get a fix on the original, so they're still out there,”

“Sounds like a podrace… how much time do we have,”

“45 minutes,”

It would take some time to get to the loading area of the track from here.

“We should grab lunch,”

I picked up my bag from where it had been cast aside unnoticed and pulled up the holomap. I was half joking but my stomach perked up at the thought of food.

“You think there's time,”

He moved closer to me again, fingers playing lightly over my shoulder, the touch was casual, but was becoming constant. Perhaps blanket permission was a bit hasty, I didn't account on him being so… handsy.

“No, but I'm hungry, One of these quick stands should do, The staginging area is just past this pavilion, We’ll snag something we can walk with,”

He nodded, and grabbed a napkin off the bar, cleaning the blood off of his knuckles before taking the bag off my shoulder. I put my hood up and followed his lead, leaving the mess where it was.

~~~

We only got lost once on our way to the shopping pavilion that stretched in all directions once you decended into the underground cavern of the spiralling complex.

As soon as we entered the wide entrance plaza, a family of Toydarian tourists tried to stop us for pictures. They were under the mistaken impression we were a celebrity couple, apparently recognizing us from the holoscreen display. It took a moment to untangle ourselves, letting them snap a few quick shots to keep from making a scene, before being allowed into the marketplace proper.

An internal fountain sat at the center of the forked halls, the bubbling liquid changing hues from a brilliant sea green to turquoise and back. Projections of little figures made of light danced across the surface, performing complicated acrobatics and romantic plays. Younglings delightedly tried to grab at the shimmering sprites as they splashed in the vibrant pool vaguely unattended by the tired and distracted adults around them.

Sound echoed off the hollow stone roof filled with whispy artificial clouds painting a false pastel sky shimmering against the ceiling.

I checked a posted stand marking our location and gestured for Cross to follow me to the left passage. As I turned away I felt him take my hand, falling in stride next to me.

“What are you doing?”

“If they think we're a couple wouldn't it be strange to just trail around after you?”

“That was one group of tourists…”

“Was it now?”

Something in his tone had me scanning the crowd.

Ah, varp…

The occasional group was casting glances at us, whispering behind their hands excitedly. More than a few.

“Well that's definitely not good,”

He chuckled, leaning in to whisper,

“Just play the part.”

“We should duck into the service tunnels, there's still a shooter out here somewhere,”

“Easier if they come to me,”

“Careful now, almost sounds like you're using me as bait,”

He wrapped an arm around my waist and ushered me along the hall past storefronts with dazling displays of poor taste and kitch.

“Best bait around, besides, you're hungry, right?”

Kark it. I can chew the scenery.

I leaned into him, pressing against his side suggestively.

“Something sweet, okay?”

I set my stride to something more confident suiting a debutante flaunting her affair. Heads definitely turned to watch us make our way, more than just the giddy whispers from before. It was wonderous what a change of posture could do when it came to commanding attention.

You better know what you're doing, Cross…

My pace faltered as we passed in front of a clothing store, high fashion displayed in minimal stands. I glanced down at my tailored clothes, or rather, my father's tailored clothes.

“I need to make a stop…”

~~~

We reached the alcoved pavilion in swaggerish stride, a small bag with clothes that would actually fit me hanging off my arm. Semi permanent food stalls lined the walls and a few snack carts were littered throughout the large, circular room between hundreds of scattered cafe tables. The noise was almost unbearable, voices bouncing off the domed ceiling, the clatter of cutlery, and the occasional babbling infant.

Cross was already dragging me to a cart near a service entrance. It was a practical choice, the loading dock was a short ways through those doors.

I looked over the pastries on display, flakey rolled crust with caramelized spices sprinkling the tops.

“Sweet enough?”

“Mhmm, it looks good,”

We stepped into the short line, Cross keeping me close with a hand at my back. He was standing casually but I could see his eyes systematically checking our surroundings. We were vulnerable while standing still and I silently urged the couple ahead of us to hurry the kark up.

I took the time to really look at the room. Pillars divided the wall, disguising projection systems that were casting the illusion of being outside. It looked like the holo images were of Naboo with it's waterfalls and old, elegant architecture. As I watched the images faded, replaced with new scenery; as if we were overlooking Coruscant under the sparkling lights of night.

I looked over the planet I had lived half my life. The projections had a convincing amount of depth to them and I wondered if the feeds were live. This particular section of skyline looked familiar…

If that gold glow over there is the memorial…

I turned slowly, scanning the horizon till I saw the obvious red streak staining the sky in the distance and tapped my companion’s side.

“Cross, you see that over there?”

It took him a second to refocus and realize what he was looking at.

“Is this supposed to be Coruscant?”

“It is, but you see that tall tower off in the distance… the red one?”

“Yes,”

“That's The Red Spire, the club at the top is called The Red Crown… it's where you can find me,”

His eyes narrowed, memorizing the point and landmarks. Coruscant was a massive place after all. The eagerness of it was charming me and I leaned against his chest just in time for the couple in front of us to move.

I stepped up and motioned for two orders from the attendant, turning to relax against the pick up counter. Crosshair leaned over me, keeping his body mostly turned to the room.

“You live at the club?”

“No… I live where you picked me up, you won't find me there though, I usually stay at Kahtzi’s in The Spire, No one looks for me there…”

“But you want me to?”

“Sure… if you don't die in some gruesome way or another,”

He made an amused tone, but his eyes went distant, then flicked back to the smear of red in the far off projected sky before it shimmered out of focus again, casting a new illusion of a distant land.

“And Kahtzi, she's gonna… fight me?”

“Hm?”

“Jar'ath… he said she'd want a piece of me,”

I choked on the guffaw that tried to escape me.

“Oh, oh no li’nen, she'll wanna kriff you,”

He looked stunned.��

“Because… you like me?”

“Mm, it's a twisted kind of protectiveness, wants to make sure I'm not being too nice and faking it to spare your feelings or… something,”

He raised an eyebrow trying to process this… complication?

“I don't really get it either, I think she wants to give the guy I end up with pointers or something,”

“You and yours are… strange.”

“Welcome to Strange, here I thought you were a resident yourself,”

That earned a chuckle, and it seemed like processing my ‘strangeness’ was put on a back burner.

I was handed our snacks, two spice rolls in each little paper tray, and put Cross’s next to his hand on the bar before taking a bite of my own. The flaking crust dissolved with whatever fat they used to make the layers, the spices salty and slightly acidic, all rounded off with a sweet cream filling.

It was divine and I moaned deep in my chest in delight, closing my eyes as I savored the dessert.

I had taken another bite before the feeling of being watched became apparent and turned to look at the man looming over me. He was once again stern with intensity. I struggled to swallow the over zealous chunk of pastry, wiping the bit of cream that had landed on my chin and licking it from my finger.

“What? You see the guy?”

He leaned down, growling in my ear,

“You didn't make noises like that when I was inside of you,”

The sudden plain vulgarity sent a heat through me, crashing to my core. My guard had been down and I could feel my cheeks flush, my eyes glazing over with sudden need… his voice was husky,

“What do I have to do, to make you sound that satisfied?”

I couldn't answer, his whole demeanor had changed. The kisses had been playful, daring, and charged with mischief… but this was a possessive lust tinged with a bit of hurt pride. He leaned in closer so that his breath tickled my neck, his lips brushing my ear.

“I don't plan on holding back with you…”

“Ooh, you better not…”

…

A child let out a high pitched scream, snapping us back to reality. We separated partially, and I finished the sweet I had been working on while Cross picked up the first of his. He took a bite and made a similar noise to my groan of pleasure, eyebrows raising at the mix of flavors.

“Good, right?”

I chuckled, and he went back to scanning the crowd.

“Let's move,”

He said suddenly, picking up our paper cartons and quickly shifting me to the other side of the stand, weaving us towards the service doors.

I casually glanced over my shoulder and caught what had spooked him. A slight figure, dressed plainly for the tourist crowd, walking swiftly in a little too straight a line in our direction.

Show time.

I picked up the pace to be even with Cross as we got closer to the double doors that would lead to a wide tunnel for staff and deliveries.

We didn't look back as we pushed through, the heavy doors hissing on their hydraulics, shuffling quickly passed workers who turned their heads questioningly as we went by.

“You got a plan?”

“Working on it,”

We had looked over the public blueprints of the back halls. Most things weren't listed but the outlines of rooms had to be shown for emergency purposes. There would be a few turn offs before we reached the side entrance to the loading docks.

“We need to get rid of them before meeting our connection, for now, act normal like we don't know they're there,”

I quickly ate my remaining pastry roll, somewhat skipping along to keep up with Cross’s long stride. He kept his arm around me though, squeezing me occasionally to his side and leaning to give my temple little pecks as we walked. I could feel him scanning behind us whenever he did.

“Alright, we'll end this quickly,”

He gave my ass a squeeze as we passed the last few employees, backing me against a door alcove, leaning in as if to kiss me. Instead he whispered,

“Once we're through get on my back, and hurry,”

I nodded and he pressed the panel opening the door behind me.

As soon as it shut he knelt, and I climbed on, crushing my bag between his back and my front. The charging pack concealed under his cloak pressed into me uncomfortably but there wasn't much time to adjust as I wrapped my legs around his hips.

“Can you hold on?”

“Easy,”

He nodded and after sizing up the gap in the hall, put one foot on the wall, braced himself and then the other foot on the opposite. We climbed carefully like this, upwards like a spider, till we were nestled into the space above the door. He found foot holds on the framed doors, and leaned against me in the ceiling corner.

“Hold. Very. Still.”

I didn't move as he carefully braced against me, taking his hands off the walls and drawing his side arm, aiming it below us.

A few, shaking breaths, and the door swished open. The slight figure from before stepped into the narrow connector hall, carefully sweeping and seeing nothing. Cross squeezed the trigger, and they were down without even a whimper.

“Brace yourself,”

Crosshair let go of the footholds and we dropped to the floor. He stumbled a little from the uneven weight but we landed sound and I was put down again.

The assassin's pockets were turned out; nothing but a small data stick and their petite blaster in a leather holster.

“Here,”

He undid the belt and handed me the small gun.

“I’m not sure I should… not exactly trained like you,”

“Take it, next time someone grabs you just shoot them, it's not like it's hard,”

In today's headlines, Elite Sniper, shot in back of head after too much sass…

Eyes narrow, I took the belt and drew the gun, gripping the small handle, feeling the weight of the little pistol. It felt nice… right.

Crosshair had hit the projection on the data stick, the file inside was simple. A list of names.

Lieutenant Jerimnah Hervos - Confirmed Petty Officer Kuregt Talosi - Confirmed Aviation Specialist Kerna Holotsa - Confirmed Petty Officer Suito Jurlois - Confirmed Comms Specialist Gurino Frasolti - Confirmed Clone Commander CT-9904 - Unknown Comms Specialist Hailla Jua - Confirmed Nav Specialist Tai Kinu - Confirmed Civilian Tah’nyem Ra - Unknown

“What is that?”

Kerna’s name was on it, and mine, but Crosshair's was the only clone code on the list… it couldn't be a complete ships dossier.

As I watched, the status by our names switched from ‘Unknown’ to ‘Active.’

“I don't know…”

I wasn't sure he was telling the truth.

“Let's hope we don't have to find out,”

He pocketed the data stick, and before I could blink my back was pressed against the wall, hands in my hair pulling my head backwards as my lips were roughly claimed by the tall figure pressing against me.

He lifted me slightly, pinning my hips with his to grind his codpiece between my legs. The hard metal hurt in a delicious way and I groaned as the embers from earlier were breathed into new life with my desperate gasping against his lips.

Hands slid over my breasts, the silk of the fabric transferring the heat from him to feel more distinct than if it was direct contact.

I let out a little whine when he pulled away, his raspy voice coming to me as a pant,

“Soon… soon,”

He nuzzled my hair as I slid back down to standing. I didn't want to wait, waiting was making me… irrational; Reaching for his belt, sliding fingers around the edge of the codpiece, feeling how tight the fabric underneath had gotten.

He found my lips again, unhooking my fingers from his armor.

“Soon, we have to go,”

~~~

We casually slipped into the loading dock, passing droids operating sparking tools. The wrecked pods were in the middle of a wide track running the length of the hangar style structure being loaded into a larger towing barge. There were hundreds of participants, and they scattered about sorting out their pods and dock numbers.

“What do we do now?”

“Loading dock 54, we're meeting the captain of team 88,”

I scanned the bays. Luckily the entrance we used dropped us in the middle of the docks, we were already in the fifties.

“Wait!”

I let out a delighted little squeal and pranced over to the pod parked at dock 54, throwing myself over its shiny yellow nose.

“Hey baby, did you miss me?”

Crosshair was slowly tailing after me, puzzled by my draped form over the racing vessel. I felt silly not noticing, but a lot had been happening since the race started.

“Cross, meet my baby, Cowardly Jyck,”

“It's yours?”

“Mhmm, I'm not allowed to pilot it… obviously, but it’s mine, I own the team,”

Well, my father does, and manages it. Explains why they didn't bother to send anyone for me, we were already here.

“Why would you name a racer ‘cowardly?’”

“Mm, it's fitted for defensive piloting,”

I stroked the paint job, noticing a large gash in the black and yellow stripes on the back hull.

“Oh baby, what'd they do to you?”

“Oi, ger’off me pod, woman!”

I sighed, sitting up to straddle the vehicle.

“Hello Sevill,”

The small woman looked up at me.

“T… I sai’ geroff,”

“You know damn well it's my pod,”

“Like varp, I'm d’pilot,”

I gyrated my hips against the hood of the pod sticking my tongue out, causing Sevill to roll her massive eyes.

“Ya finna ruin d’paint job,”

“Looks like you already did,”

Crosshair cleared his throat, raising his eyebrows in amusement, but also pointedly glancing at the living mechanics who stopped working to stare in our direction.

I slipped off the pod.

“An who's dis, den?”

Sevill stepped back so she could see more than Cross’s codpiece.

“Don't you recognize T’s scandalous new squeeze?”

A Ga'haiian I recognized had approached after Sevill.

“An ‘ow I'm s’posed ta do dat, den?

“You're telling me you kept your eyes on the track the whole time?”

She pointedly cocked her head at the gash in the side of the pod.

“Dunny' see what dat's got to do wit it…”

Sevill grumbled, but stepped away to start working on strapping the pod's engines into the loading flat.

“How've you been Ger’nahei?”

“Not as good as you apparently, your team places top ten and you've got yourself a new toy,”

She was pacing about Cross, scanning down his sleek armor. To the Clone’s credit, he seemed to be getting used to my peer’s lack of boundaries and base level respect. It was amusing seeing how small he looked next to Ger’nahei, who stood a full head over him.

Being full blooded Ga'haiian, her skin was slightly darker than mine, her hair pure white and tied into braids that pulled the silvery strands away from her face. Her frame was built to handle the strenuous life of being on the move with tons of mechanical equipment in tow. She was the Captain of team Yellow Jyck, and I gave her a big hug around her middle.

“If I knew you guys were racing today I would have come down here sooner,”

“Well, as we established, you had your… distractions, besides, your Vah'hadarr has never been very specific, wouldn't be the first time he left out important details,”

“Mm, it's like he thinks no one will actually have to use his contingencies…”

It was a bad habit of hubris, overconfident that his first plan is foolproof and no one needs to know about the details but himself.

“So we're hitching with you guys?”

“Sort of, the cab can only fit the two of us, and we're supposed to keep you off the check point registry,”

Sevill had popped the pit team and the little droids began guiding the flat packed pod onto the small freighter through gate 54.

“You two will be riding with the pod, you'll need to be loaded in before they weigh the crate so… load up Missy,”

“I'm riding… in the back?... The back of a freighter,”

“That's right,”

Ger'nahei laughed at my miffed expression.

“C’mon, I'll show you,”

Cross leaned in as the tall woman walked ahead, trailing the pod as it locked into place in the truck’s hold.

“Looks like we'll be alone,”

He walked ahead to follow her, introducing himself as I had failed to, leaving me with the implications of what was to come once these doors closed on us. I shivered in anticipation, the incredulity of riding in cargo melting into something dull witted and needy.

I snapped out of it and hurried into the open truck. The pod was locked into the back nearest the door, it's engines folded underneath. Connector cables were strewn about everywhere and after I picked my way through them I found Crosshair and Ger'nahei chatting over a bank of heavy tools clipped into the wall. Sevill popped through a smaller door on the side of the truck towards the front… I noticed there wasn't direct access to the cab.

Alone indeed.

“Dunny touch me tools,”

Sevill harrumphed as she passed the chatting pair.

“Dunny touch d’pod, in fact dunny touch any’ting, including me cot”

She gestured to the small bunk tucked near the tools.

The front end of the hold was set up like a makeshift workshop, besides the tools and the cot, there was a low workbench clean and tidy and a small cubby behind a folding door.

“Freshers ‘hind the door here, just a piss pot but better dan notin’... Enjoy”

She bowed in a sarcastic manner, collapsed the pit droids and left out the side door again.

Ger'nahei and Cross finished their exchange and she moved to close the back doors, locking them in place.

“Touch whatever, just be quiet and sit tight till we're on the road, if you jiggle the scale the jigs up early,”

She walked to the side door glancing back in at the two of us,

“It'll be three hours till we get to East Station, More if traffic goes to shyte, You'll be let out there before the container is loaded to the border train, get comfy it’s gonna be a while,”

The door was shut and bolted from the outside, leaving us in muffled silence.

Crosshair dumped the duffle on the cot, followed by his rifle, placed more carefully, then the cloak falling in a rumple over everything else. The engines rumbled to life beneath our feet, causing us to sway as it started to pull from the slotted bay.

His gaze fixed to me, poised across the bay against the shifting pulls of gravity. He crooked his finger in a beckoning motion. I raised my brow in challenge,

“Maybe you should use your words,”

His eye gave a small twitch, then the corner of his mouth. Words fell between his lips in a hiss,

“Come to me, Tahny,”

A demand that would normally make me bristle instead sent a ripple down my spine, warming me, spurning me into motion. One step, across the rocking floor, another, and I was in his waiting arms.

As his lips fell upon me, hot against mine, lacking in the careful restraint that had floated through us throughout the day, a sliver of reservation dropped through me. Almost as if my instincts were calling in one final check, one more, ‘Are you sure?,’ in the form of old Hyretta’s voice from a smoke laden card game ages ago…

“Never invite a man into your bed twice unless he's paying,”

The old call girl had chuckled, puffing on her death stick.

“You'll never get rid of him, baby girl,”

I had lived by that till now, well not the… paid part, but as there's yet to be a bed maybe I've found the loophole.

Cross seemed to notice my distracted air, biting my lip to bring me back to him and I wrapped my arms about his narrow hips. Confident my attention was where it was supposed to be he darted his tongue out to sooth the nipped skin before slipping it into my mouth. I sucked on it, greedy for the chaos that was whatever we had started doing with our lives.

He shifted to lean back against the hood of the strapped in pod, pulling me to rest against his chest. I cradled his head, elbows to either side of his slim face and stroked the tender scar over his ear. His hands dropped to grip my ass, pulling my hips in to grind against his still armored groin eliciting a pathetic mewl of need as he kissed me rough and unrelenting.

“Just take me Cross, I need this…”

“Mm, not yet, I'm too worked up to last long like this…”

He pulled back in an attempt to cool off slightly, I had different ideas.

“We'll just…”

I slid off him, fingers going for the edge of his codpiece. He didn't protest as I clumsily pulled it from the magnetized fasteners, dumping the metal piece and his belt with the growing pile on the cot.

“...reset a little,”

I smirked triumphantly as I leaned back in, stroking the obvious bulge straining against the tight black fabric before slipping my fingers into the waistband. He groaned as I undid the pull strap and eased them down over the dark patch of hair they hid, letting his cock swing free. I took him in hand, biting back a soft moan myself.

He was already heavy with blood, the vein along the underside swelling as my fingers gently caressed the velvety length of him. His eyes were on me, I'm sure he knew of my intentions long before I slid to my knees to nuzzle his exposed member.

His eyes fluttered as he fought the urge to close them, sighing low as I slowly, teasingly lapped my tongue up the main vein, flicking over the edge of the swollen head before letting it rest against my lips. He was musky from the sweat of the days activities, the masculine scent sending little waves of lust through me.

“Should I continue?”

My lips brushed his head, causing his cock to bob from a violent twitch, tapping my lips as his breath got heavy.

“Kriff, Tahny, please do something…”

His hips bucked in frustration wanting in my mouth already. I obliged, opening with a little ‘ah’ allowing him to thrust in, massaging him with my lips as his head ground into my pallet and he sighed in relief. I bobbed shallowly at first, pressing against the ridge of his head with my tongue, working his shaft at a comfortable depth.

The trick was not to overstimulate him the first time, I relaxed my tongue to a more passive role, guiding him away from my teeth, bobbing a rhythm matching his shallow thrusts against the softer tissue near my throat earning me a series of soft little moans as he desperately pressed against the resisting tightness. He was right, not gonna last long at all.

Something was going on outside the truck, we shuddered as the vehicle stopped and a loud whine echoed around the hold, though it didn't do much to distract us.

His hands found their way into my hair, lacing into the shorter strands in the back. He kept me at pace, thrusting and pushing me down on him as his breath slowed to a ragged pant.

The cargo bay suddenly dropped, not far, but enough to displace us, bouncing against the hood of the pod and thrusting his cock past the barrier of my tonsils. I whimpered at the sudden stretch, tears pricking my eyes as air was cutoff, but held fast at the strangled cry that had Crosshair twitching in my throat. He came, pushing as far as he could till my nose was tickled by the soft patch of hair at his base.

Easy… easy.

I calmed the instincts that wanted to clamp down at the invading rod, desperately seeking the balance needed to sooth my muscles from spasming.

We both tensed as someone jiggled the side door to a sharp reprimand from what sounded like Ger’nahei.

I tapped the plate on his thigh and he jumped, releasing me and sliding his softening manhood out from where it was still hugged by my throat allowing me to gulp air.

“Better?”

I finally asked once my breathing was again even. He was looking at me, kneeling between his legs; Eyes teared up, wiping at the glistening saliva that had dripped down my chin with the back of my hand.

“Not even close…”

“Good, we have time though…”

We had just finished being weighed and hadn't even left the loading station yet. I stood and wobbled to the tiny closet refresher as the truck set into motion again, splashing a bit of water from the sink on my face.

When I turned back, Crosshair was still sprawled on the hood of the podracer, everything tucked away where it was supposed to be. He was taking in the wall of tools for maintaining the pod, fingers taping his chest plate idly as if he was deep in thought.

“A credit for your accounts?”

“Hmm”

“Just looks like your brain’s whirring”

“I'll keep my schemes to myself,”

“Scheming is it?”

I slinked to him, lifting myself back onto his chest with a foot on the pod's bumper and laying my head against the plated armor. He wrapped an arm about my waist and I clenched my teeth, trying to suppress the jolts the touch was sending through me. He may have gotten some relief but my need had only grown hotter and more demanding.

He pretended not to notice but his fingers started to tap more deliberately on my waist where the fabric was thin, the skin underneath soft and vulnerable. I could hear a low rumble through the chest plate, an amused response to the little twitches, the attempts to mask what he was doing to me somewhat obvious.

He struck quickly, fingers grabbing into my sides and ass, hugging me tighter to him. The shock sent a wave of tingles snapping my spine to press into him more and I cried out from the sudden waves of ecstasy. My face flushed, I was getting too sensitive.

“Who knew such a brat could be so cute?”

“Euch… cute?”

“Cute.”

“That's it, put me down,”

I struggled against him, mockingly… but it took a bit of effort to make the show convincing.

Kriff he's strong…

He cupped my chin, tightening his other arm to still me.

“You’re cute. Deal with it.”

He cut off further protest, pressing his lips to mine causing me to hum into him. I caught his bottom lip with my teeth tugging it a little too hard. He just moaned softly as my teeth slid off the tender flesh, clicking as his lip freed itself.

“I'm done scheming,”

He announced, sliding off the hood of the pod, leaving me standing rather wobbly and bemused. Scooping something from between the cables, he lifted himself to the open cockpit of the pod and sat on the back of the chair, feet on the seat. A tap tap to his thigh to summon me and I picked my way over to the side of the racer.

“Up there?”

“Up here,”

“Little tight don't you think?”

His lips quirked at that and I crawled up the side and into the cockpit, kneeling on the seat between his legs. A length of knit cord was strung between his hands, being untangled and wrapped into a neater spool.

“And what are we planning with that?”

“Stand up and you'll see,”

I hummed incredulously and he smirked,

“Not used to being helpless?”

I looked up at him through my bangs. It's not that Kahtzi and I hadn't used restraints, it was more that Kahtzi was a harmless tooka kit in comparison to the man in front of me.

“Honestly, I've only really tied myself up… Kahtzi doesn't have a knack for it,”

“So you've never been in restraints you couldn't get out of…”

“Pretty much,”

He chuckled, stroking my hair reassuringly.

“Always in control, aren't you? Don't you trust me?”

…

“With my life,”

His eyes shone brightly, reflecting the dim work light from the bench as he scanned my face, searching… I tried again.

“I trust you Crosshair,”

I reached up from where I knelt between his knees, cradling his chin in my hands.

It's okay…

He swallowed hard, raising me to stand and lean back so that my hips nestled against the steering module, handles to either side of me. It slightly protruded over the edge of the pod's hood in its locked position.

Pressing one of my wrists to a handle, he wrapped the cord around loosely a few times, sliding the end back under the loops created to tighten the binding. This was repeated on the other handle till I was tightly tied leaning against the pod’s dash.

“Try those,”

He was focused on my wrists and I pulled at the ropes as requested. They seemed to tighten at my little tug. He made a pleased noise,

“Not going anywhere…”

He undid the holster at my waist and gave my hip a light smack, hopping out of the pod and walking out of view. He was by the tool wall, but I couldn't turn far enough to see what he was doing.

“And now you torture me for information, right?”

“Something like that,”

Very reassuring.

Some rustling, tapping, a few clicks and footsteps pacing back in my direction, Crosshair appearing before me again a moment later.

I raised my brow in question at the cord dragging after him. He whipped it around for more leverage as he climbed into the cockpit again, settling into the shallow bucket seat in front of me. He was holding something but I still couldn't figure it.

Our knees were about even like this, his tucked between mine, spreading them further as he pinned them with his own.

He brandished what he had brought with him… a sort of narrow sander with a soft pad buffer attachment. I was starting to put two and two together.

“I don't think that's what that's used for…”

He just shrugged, wrapping one of Sevill’s clean work towels around the padded head for more cushion.

“Don't think you can handle it?”

I wasn't sure anyone could, not like I'd ever admit that though, so I shrugged, the cords creaking around my wrists.

His hand slid up my thigh, settling into the joint that creased the soft fabric, thumb tracing the seam running up the groin of my pants. The tingles ran through me, delicious and warm as he gently massaged the soft mound underneath causing me to sigh from the ache of it all. He was subtly shifting the fabric, moving the seam from where it might cover the folds creating an even surface that clung to the shape of the labia beneath.

“If you need me to stop, say so,”

Leaning in, he kissed the outline of me and I inhaled sharp through my teeth as his skin warmed the suede over my barely guarded vulva. Then, the tool clicked on.

I looked down at him, that mischievous look back in his eyes as he drew his lips away from me replacing it with the towel dampened buffer.

My body jerked instantly at the intense vibration. It had more power behind it than the toys Kahtzi and I had and my knees tried to buckle at the zap to my nervous system. Cross still had my legs pinned in a splayed position, and I hung from the steering wheel a moment before the next jolt had my back arched.

I was choking on the gasps that tried escaping me as I thrashed against the bindings at my wrists. It felt good, it hurt, it was too much and my brain couldn't take it. My legs were working again, attempting to kick, propell me over the hood and away from the stimulation.

“Don’t run from it, Tahny.”

His voice was commanding as he pushed the tool against me. Applying pressure from the flat, vibrating surface in rhythmic beats, finding and matching the gasping breaths I was still managing between violent twitches. I was getting close fast, but it was almost difficult with just how strong the sensation was.

“You're gonna cum Tahny, you hear me?”

My back was arching, the ropes holding me in place getting tighter. I was trembling and taught and hooked on his words.

“Nod if you're still in there,”

He chuckled, started to push the vibrations into me with a rough, static pulse.

I nodded weakly.

“You're close, I can see it, so you're gonna cum -stop struggling- when I say so,”

His words sparked the fuse, the motions against my clit growing more forceful the rhythm staying steady.

“Three…”

It was like a wave was rising in me, looming over the shore of my senses,

“Two…”

He was counting me down, the very act of it serving to push me further, the wave higher.

“One… Cum now, Tahny.”

He pushed the attachment against me, held it there, and the wave crashed, flooding in and over me.

“Oh kriff Cross!”

I stood rigid as the orgasm flowed through me like an electrical current, painfully intense. My knees tried to close around him like a vice only to meet the unyielding barrier of his legs holding me… then tension released me and I crumpled.

The tool clicked off.

“Good girl.”

His hand replaced the buffer, gentle and soothing against the swollen, overstimulated flesh. I whimpered as even the small brushes of his fingers rocked through me.

“How many of those till we break that pretty little brain of yours…”

My eyes widened and he chuckled, the sound more predatory than amused.

“Some other time, I've been wanting this all day,”

He grabbed my knees and flipped me up to lay over the hood of the pod with a thunk, anchored by the steering handles, hanging slightly upside down towards the sloped nose. My legs were pushed together and up over his shoulder as he stood, hands undoing the fasteners to the altered slacks.

The pants were pulled up halfway, a string of moisture clinging to them to glisten in the light. He eyed it hungrily as he twisted the cloth to bind my legs at the knee. His eyes roved down the backs of my thighs to the bud nestled between them, lingering on the slightly faded bruises from our previous coupling.

“You didn't tell me these were here…”

He ran a gloved finger over the discoloration on my flesh.

“I didn't think you were interested,”

“I'm interested.”

He leaned in to drag his teeth over the light bruise and I sighed at how good the gentle contact felt. He closed his mouth over one, sucking the soft flesh forcefully to leave another little mark.

Slipping his gloves off, he traced a cool digit up my folds, pressing on the sensitive button to pull a sharp squeal from me, before retracing it's track down to plunge into my wet slit.

I jerk violently again, the coolness of his skin feeling like ice against the blood hot walls squeezing around it. The pressure of it against the over stimulated nerves lining my depths made my legs tremble. I was far too sensitive, and let out a little, strangled cry.

“Don't over react… it's just. One. Finger.”

He punctuated each word by drawing out and then back into me none too gently and I moaned, squirming under his attention.

“You're gonna cum again as soon as I'm in at this rate,”

He had taken his cock from his blacks, stroking his length, recovered and rock hard for the task ahead. His finger kept working my cunt, dragging along where the nerves were thickest in painfully slow motions while he pumped his shaft.

I was panting already, the pleasure of being pushed so far making me nearly incoherent as I struggled to watch what he was doing, I wanted him more than ever.

He withdrew his finger, drawing over and lubricating the skin that was pressed together between my closed thighs. He licked the digit clean, holding my eyes to make sure I watched, before guiding his cock to my ready opening. Sliding it up and down, teasing me into making desperate little whines.

“Hurry Cross…”

“Eager for me?”

“Very,”

Dignity can go kark itself.

His eyes darkened with lust and he lined his head up to my quivering sex, pressing in slowly, letting me feel every stretch, every tantalizing inch as he filled me, pushing hard till he was buried to the hilt.

I sobbed at the sensation, the electricity that ran through me as I was massaged from the inside grew with every inch I took. With that final push the dam broke and my over sensitive tissue clenched around him as I came again, the stimulation already too much; voice strained from the horrid tension,

“Kriff…”

He didn't let me recover, instead, swinging his hips into motion, pulling out to slam back in hard and I arched my back moaning heatedly. It felt too good, my flesh hot and swollen to feel everything; the curve of his shaft, the flair of his head…I swore I could make out his veins as they pulsed against the walls that gripped him. He groaned, teeth scraping along the fabric on my calf before he plowed into me again, picking up pace.

My brain went foggy, the waves of pleasure swallowing me till I was blind with it, euphoric mist and glitter. His hand was tugging my top open, a button pinging off the metal as it popped from its thread, roughly grabbing my handful of bouncing breasts, pinching the nipple. His other arm was wrapped around my legs, keeping them braced to his shoulder as they shook with each violent thrust.

That false tranquility had fallen over me, my senses completely overridden by pleasure, the pod had become a cloud and nothing mattered besides the cock hammering into me, making me feel like this… light and airy and good.

His cheek was pressed against my calves and he smirked down at me. He had quickly picked up on the signs I was close again and was intent on driving me there. It looked like his stamina was holding strong.

I soared higher, my brain buzzing as my breath switched from gasps to a ragged heaving. The walls of my quim throbbing around him, making him groan as he brought me to climax. My back arched again, and I fell silent, lungs arrested by the taught muscles throughout me. The static from my brain spread hot over my skin, until my fingers and toes began to tingle.

Then I was limp, completely spent.

He wasn't finished with me, and shifted to hold the tight bunch of fabric at my knees down to my middle, folding me in half, leaning over me with a more animalistic ferocity. His hips snapped into me, ruining me with aggressive, wet pops of skin against skin and a vulgar, lost groaning from deep in his throat. I hung over the hood of the pod helplessly, feeling fluid running from my ravaged cunt down my ass onto the dash and hood. I didn't want him to ever stop, I didn't know what would happen if he stopped, if I fell from this high.

There was no more mounting pleasure, I had plateaued and now swam in a haze of ecstasy, tingles swirling into life with every stroke of him pressing against my insides. Pain didn't exist here, thoughts didn't either, just him and this strange little idea I supposed was me hanging above everything else.

“You still in there, Tahny?”

Barely

“Crosshair…”

It was more sighed than said, and I struggled to focus my eyes on him. His breath hitched in a feral groan and he grabbed my thighs, pulling me closer to sheath himself as deep as possible as he came. His twitches echoed through my own muscles, sensitive beyond belief to the small jerking motions against my clenched sex clamped around him.

Then he too, was still, besides the occasional kiss to the back of my calf between his ragged panting.

We were both gasping to catch our breath, easier once he could pull out to unfold me, and I willed my heartbeat to return to something resembling normal as he eased my legs to hang back in the cockpit around his own.

He had started tugging at the knots to undo the restraints while I finished gaining my composure.

“Whoever taught you that,”

I finally breathed, still partially upside down.

“Remind me to send them a ‘Thank You’ holo.”

He stopped his motions and stood up to lean over the dash, looking me straight in the eyes with nothing but befuddlement.

“Are you kriffing mad?”