#boba fett blood ties | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lamaenthel · 1 year ago

Text

Tivaevae | Chapter Three: Paper Piecing

Still struggling to emotionally recover from Master Obi-Wan's deception, Ahsoka discovers in the aftermath that twelve-year-old Boba Fett has been locked up among adults in the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center. After convincing Chancellor Palpatine to grant him a pardon, she manages to secure his release on the condition that she serve as his legal guardian. Now, with the help of Master Plo and the Wolfpack, she vows to help him track down what family he has left.

| AO3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |

Fandom: Star Wars Characters: Ahsoka Tano, Boba Fett, Plo Koon, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Kanan Jarrus, Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious, CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives, CC-1119 | Appo, Dexter Jettster, FLO | WA-7 (Star Wars), Shaak Ti, ARC Commander Blitz (Star Wars), CT-6922 | Dogma, Original Clone Trooper Character(s) (Star Wars), CC-3636 | Wolffe, Clone Trooper Sinker (Star Wars), Clone Trooper Comet (Star Wars), CC-2224 | Cody, CT-5597 | Jesse, CT-4860 | Boost, Aurra Sing, Tobias Beckett, Null-11 | Ordo Skirata, Kal Skirata, Original Mandalorian Characters (Star Wars), Original Droid Characters (Star Wars), Original Jedi Character(s) (Star Wars) Total Word Count: 123,000 Chapter Word Count: 7,367 Chapter TW: CSA Mention Chapter Summary: Anakin returns to Coruscant with a new initiate, Ahsoka discovers a horrifying truth about Boba's past, and Boba tries to reconnect with Rex.

Anakin had been on Coruscant for a grand total of six hours before being gravely approached by Master Yoda with a solemn request; hurry to unstable Toydaria and retrieve a Force-sensitive toddler. Toydarian was his first language, after all, and perhaps the old toad had sensed that he wanted to be on the opposite side of the galaxy from his lying, backstabbing, heartbreaking, dick-for-brains Master.

Padmé, ever the opportunist, had jumped to offer her diplomatic cruiser for the mission. Since they had just averted the assassination of her mentor and oldest ally, it was the least she could do. It could fit a grand total of fifteen passengers; two pilots, three navigators, four guests, and six guards. They'd passed on the guards and had instead taken Dormé, Moteé, and Ellé along with Artoo and Threepio.

And, of course, little Taarak Na'Hane-Bata.

Anakin had been shocked upon landing when he discovered that instead of a Toydarian baby, he was collecting the adopted Togruta son of a pair of Toydarian physicians. They'd been devastated, despite having been the ones to contact the Temple in the first place, and the goodbye had lasted so long that even Padmé was creeping out the door in an effort to finalize their farewell. Now that he'd spent some time with the boy, though, he couldn't blame them. He was kriffing adorable, and well-behaved to boot.

Obi-Wan had once warned him about how dangerous Togruta toddlers were. They were thick with pheromones and notorious cuddlebugs who loved nothing more than to stare adoringly at their caretakers, hypnotizing them into catering to their every whim with their big sad eyes. Taarak certainly had those.

Though the two year old had cried pitifully for his parents until he had passed out from overexhaustion, when he awoke he seemed to have accepted the separation and allowed Anakin to comfort him. They sat in the lounge now at the padded bench surrounding the dejarik table. Padmé had turned it on to amuse him; he was frightened at first, but he'd quickly become fascinated with the tiny figures. He ran his little fingers up and down Anakin's tabards like he was typing on a keyboard as he stared at them, singing a nonsense song to himself and purring just like Ahsoka did when she was content.

He even looked similar to her; his skin was more blood than orange and both his lekku and eyes were a darker blue, but the resemblance was close enough to make Anakin's heart ache. He wished he could have seen Snips as a baby.

"Wanjala?" he asked Taarak with a smile.

The boy looked away from the figures on the dejarik table and nodded, grinning a wide grin that made his dimples pop. He had a blunt chin with a deep cleft that was visible even through the baby fat.

"Ndimatafuna, Taarak, inde?" Anakin popped a nuna nugget from the pile Padmé was busy unpeeling the breading from into his mouth. If Yoda had warned him ahead of time instead of just giving him a name and a pat on the ass to go get him he would have stopped at a butcher first. The nuggets were the only thing they had on board that was animal protein besides Ahsoka's carnivore rations, but Anakin didn't want to feed rations to a baby.

Padmé rested her chin on her folded hands and watched Anakin spit out the chewed-up nuna nugget and feed it to the toddler. "That doesn't seem sanitary," she said mildly, wearing an expression that looked torn between amusement and disgust.

"He doesn't have molars yet," Anakin said defensively, taking another nugget from the pile. "Their parents chew their meat for them for the first three years."

"So you said," Padmé replied, watching Taarak swallow enthusiastically.

Anakin fed him the second chewed nugget. "He also has to have Togruta formula until he's five. It's critical for their hearing development, Togruta breastmilk is very high in collagen and if they don't get enough of it the resonance chamber in their montrals won't develop properly. And we don't want that, Taarak, inde? Nyanga zathanzi, Taarak, inde, inde mwana–"

Padmé threw her head back and laughed, delighted. "Ani, I know you did research for Ahsoka, but my goodness."

"I didn't just do research, Obi-Wan made me take four different trans-xenoparenting modules on Togruta younglings. I'm pretty sure that I am the most qualified person at the Temple to take care of one." He didn't mention it was a direct consequence of almost killing Ahsoka that one time that he forgot to order her carnivore rations and she got enterocolitis from eating the troops' fungus-based nutrition bars. She'd gotten so sick that Kix had to collect a liter of Anakin's blood, mix it with red bacta, and flood her digestive system with it.

He still liked to occasionally pretend to open a vein for her when she complained about being hungry. It made her stripes turn black every time.

"I have to admit, seeing you like this is…" she smiled at him. "Intriguing."

Anakin frowned. "Like what," he asked, trying not to sound too annoyed. "Capable? Knowledgeable?"

Padmé shook her head and gave him a soft look. "Paternal."

Anakin looked at Taarak's montrals instead of his wife with a cold feeling in his stomach. "We agreed we'd talk about it after the war," he said quietly.

Padmé grasped his hand. "I want this with you, but I agree. After the war."

"I just can't bear the thought of you having to go through a pregnancy while I'm on a siege, or, or–" his vision got a little blurry and his eyes stung, " –raising one without me. And that's not even taking into account what you said about your mom–"

"Ani," she tried to interrupt.

" –how she had to use surrogates because the last try almost killed her, and you have the same mutation and I-I… Force, Padmé, if something happened to you because of it I don't know what–"

"Anakin!" she said urgently. "Taarak is getting upset, love. Please take a breath."

Taarak was squirming in his lap and his big eyes were fully porged out. Anakin centered himself in the Force and imagined the feeling of Ahsoka's aura, that calming projection she did so well; soft, silky rain riding a cool desert wind, an alkaline shower that quelled the rising acid in his blood. It worked. Not nearly as well as the real thing, of course, but enough for Anakin to bolster his shields and stop disturbing the baby. "Pepani, Taarak, pepani mwana. Chapino mwana."

Padmé reached for the bag of temperate formula bottles, shook one, and handed it to Taarak. "I didn't mean to upset you, love. I'm sorry."

Anakin huffed. "Let's blame it on the baby pheromones. They're giving us mommy brain, or whatever."

Padmé rested her head on his shoulder and watched Taarak contentedly suck. "After the war, yes, we'll talk about it. But I want this for us. I want a piece of our love to take on a life of its own. And I just know that you're going to be an amazing father, Anakin. Every second I watch you with Taarak proves that."

Anakin closed his eyes, unable to comprehend how it was possible for someone to own his very soul in the way that Padmé did. She knew exactly what to say to make him feel like the most treasured thing in the galaxy. He didn't know what he did to deserve it, but he'd do anything to protect it.

"My lady, I'd be happy to give the two of you a break if you'd like," Dormé called from the base of the ladder that led from the lounge and into the guest bunkrooms.

"That would be a good idea, I think." Padmé held her hands out for Taarak.

Anakin glanced down and met Taarak's giant eyes. He didn't really want to give him up.

"Hey now." Padmé snapped her fingers and giggled. "Don't get hypnotized again."

Anakin sighed, booped Taarak's nose, then handed him over. Padmé walked the suckling toddler down to Dormé and Anakin slumped on the bench, suddenly feeling very cold and unsnuggled.

His wife climbed back up the ladder and promptly took a seat across his lap.

"Oh," he said, blinking, then slipped his hands under her dress and up her thighs.

Padmé giggled and put a finger on his puckered lips. "I was asked to tell you that Obi-Wan has commed now for the eighth time, and is saying he urgently needs to speak to you about Ahsoka."

Anakin sat frozen for a few seconds. "What about Ahsoka?" he asked, trying to sound normal and not like he had guilt and panic writhing together like dying worms in his stomach.

Padmé raised an eyebrow. "That's all I know, love."

He reached around Padmé and brought up the message center on his commlink. He had thirty-six unread messages from Obi-Wan. Reluctantly, he slid out from underneath his wife and started paging through them, full of dread and praying to the Force that it wasn't about what he feared it was.

– [𝟶𝟷:𝟶𝟻:𝟿𝟾𝟶] – [𝟷𝟸𝟺𝟼] 𝙹𝙶𝟹𝟶𝟸𝟾𝟸𝟻𝟸𝟶!𝙺𝙴𝙽𝙾𝙱𝙸> 𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝙰𝚑𝚜𝚘𝚔𝚊'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎. [𝟷𝟸𝟻𝟶] 𝙹𝙶𝟹𝟶𝟸𝟾𝟸𝟻𝟸𝟶!𝙺𝙴𝙽𝙾𝙱𝙸> ~~ [𝟷𝟹𝟶𝟸] 𝙹𝙶𝟹𝟶𝟸𝟾𝟸𝟻𝟸𝟶!𝙺𝙴𝙽𝙾𝙱𝙸> ~~ [𝟷𝟹𝟶𝟾] 𝙹𝙶𝟹𝟶𝟸𝟾𝟸𝟻𝟸𝟶!𝙺𝙴𝙽𝙾𝙱𝙸> ~~ [𝟷𝟹𝟺𝟷] 𝙹𝙶𝟹𝟶𝟸𝟾𝟸𝟻𝟸𝟶!𝙺𝙴𝙽𝙾𝙱𝙸> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎, 𝚝𝚘𝚘. [𝟷𝟻𝟶𝟶] 𝙹𝙶𝟹𝟶𝟸𝟾𝟸𝟻𝟸𝟶!𝙺𝙴𝙽𝙾𝙱𝙸> 𝙰𝚗𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝. [𝟷𝟻𝟹𝟶] 𝙹𝙶𝟹𝟶𝟸𝟾𝟸𝟻𝟸𝟶!𝙺𝙴𝙽𝙾𝙱𝙸> ~~ [𝟷𝟼𝟶𝟶] 𝙹𝙶𝟹𝟶𝟸𝟾𝟸𝟻𝟸𝟶!𝙺𝙴𝙽𝙾𝙱𝙸> ~~ [𝟷𝟼𝟹𝟶] 𝙹𝙶𝟹𝟶𝟸𝟾𝟸𝟻𝟸𝟶!𝙺𝙴𝙽𝙾𝙱𝙸> ~~ [𝟷𝟽𝟶𝟶] 𝙹𝙶𝟹𝟶𝟸𝟾𝟸𝟻𝟸𝟶!𝙺𝙴𝙽𝙾𝙱𝙸> ~~ [𝟷𝟽𝟹𝟶] 𝙹𝙶𝟹𝟶𝟸𝟾𝟸𝟻𝟸𝟶!𝙺𝙴𝙽𝙾𝙱𝙸> 𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚌𝚎, 𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝙿𝚊𝚍𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚗. [𝟷𝟽𝟹𝟶] 𝙹𝙶𝟹𝟶𝟸𝟾𝟸𝟻𝟸𝟶!𝙺𝙴𝙽𝙾𝙱𝙸> 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚜. 𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢. 𝙰𝚑𝚜𝚘𝚔𝚊'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚕.

Anakin kept scrolling. Nothing indicated Obi-Wan knew. He exited Obi-Wan's message log and went to Ahsoka's. There was nothing new from her.

– [𝟶𝟷:𝟶𝟻:𝟿𝟾𝟶] – [𝟸𝟶𝟺𝟽] 𝙹𝙶𝟾𝟷𝟷𝟿𝟷𝟿𝟶𝟺!𝚂𝙺𝚈𝚆𝙰𝙻𝙺𝙴𝚁> 𝙰𝚁𝙴 𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝙾𝙺

Ahsoka's typing dots appeared after a few harrowing seconds.

[𝟸𝟶𝟺𝟾] 𝙹𝙲𝟽𝟿𝟷𝟿𝟶𝟻𝟶𝟿!𝚃𝙰𝙽𝙾> 𝙸'𝚖 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎, 𝚠𝚑𝚢? [𝟸𝟶𝟺𝟾] 𝙹𝙶𝟾𝟷𝟷𝟿𝟷𝟿𝟶𝟺!𝚂𝙺𝚈𝚆𝙰𝙻𝙺𝙴𝚁> 𝚆𝙷𝚈 𝙸𝚂 𝙾𝙱𝙸 𝚆𝙰𝙽 𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙼𝙴 [𝟸𝟶𝟺𝟾] 𝙹𝙶𝟾𝟷𝟷𝟿𝟷𝟿𝟶𝟺!𝚂𝙺𝚈𝚆𝙰𝙻𝙺𝙴𝚁> 𝙰𝙱𝙾𝚄𝚃 𝚈𝙾𝚄 [𝟸𝟶𝟺𝟿] 𝙹𝙲𝟽𝟿𝟷𝟿𝟶𝟻𝟶𝟿!𝚃𝙰𝙽𝙾> 𝙷𝚎'𝚜 𝚞𝚙𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚖. [𝟸𝟶𝟺𝟿] 𝙹𝙶𝟾𝟷𝟷𝟿𝟷𝟿𝟶𝟺!𝚂𝙺𝚈𝚆𝙰𝙻𝙺𝙴𝚁> 𝙽𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙴𝙻𝚂𝙴

Anakin's finger hesitated above the straight-line-dot key and the curly-line-dot key, suddenly unsure of which one was for questions.

Padme gingerly reached over the hologram and pressed curly-line-dot.

"Thank you," he said, his cheeks burning.

[𝟸𝟶𝟻𝟶] 𝙹𝙶𝟾𝟷𝟷𝟿𝟷𝟿𝟶𝟺!𝚂𝙺𝚈𝚆𝙰𝙻𝙺𝙴𝚁> ?

Anakin watched her typing dots linger for a concerning amount of time.

[𝟸𝟶𝟻𝟷] 𝙹𝙲𝟽𝟿𝟷𝟿𝟶𝟻𝟶𝟿!𝚃𝙰𝙽𝙾> 𝙲𝚑𝚞𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚊 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚖𝚒.

Anakin frowned; was that Huttese? It took him a second to sound it out, but then he huffed a laugh. He'd never seen the saying spelled out in Aurebesh.

"What does that mean?" Padmé asked, squinting at the holographic interface.

[𝟸𝟶𝟻𝟸] 𝙹𝙶𝟾𝟷𝟷𝟿𝟷𝟿𝟶𝟺!𝚂𝙺𝚈𝚆𝙰𝙻𝙺𝙴𝚁> 𝙱𝙴 𝙷𝙾𝙼𝙴 𝚂𝙾𝙾𝙽 [𝟸𝟶𝟻𝟸] 𝙹𝙲𝟽𝟿𝟷𝟿𝟶𝟻𝟶𝟿!𝚃𝙰𝙽𝙾> 𝙾𝚔𝚊𝚢 :)

Anakin closed his message center after recieving his response. "She said 'his tail is on backwards' in Huttese," Anakin smirked, then wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders. "Means he's got his panties in a twist. She's fine, he's just throwing a fit about her giving him the silent treatment. Now, where were we?"

"I think," Padmé began, running her fingers through his hair, "You were about to give me a kiss."

"Sounds about right." Anakin leaned forward but she stopped him again.

"Actually," she breathed, then traced his bottom lip with her thumb. "Let's take this to the– eep!"

Anakin had already lifted Padmé, planted her bare ass on the dejarik table, and thrown her skirt over his head before she could finish her sentence.

"You know you have to name him Robert, right?" Ahsoka joked. She bumped Boba with her hip. They had stayed uncuffed on the ride home and Boba finally seemed at ease, far more than he had been since they'd left the prison. She held his visitor's pass up to Disk and he unlocked the gate for them with an eye-roll.

Boba's aura rippled with the tiniest ribbon of golden humor and he tightened his arms around the rancor plushie. "I was already going to name him Robert," he snapped. "It's not because you said it." His aura went a little yellow with embarrassment.

Ahsoka put her hands up. "Hey, name him whatever you want. I probably picked up on your thought and didn't realize it."

Boba snorted. "You reading my fucking mind, Tano?"

"Only if you think really loudly," she grinned, then stuck her tongue out at him.

He stuck it out right back.

"Alright, we're gonna bunk in the rec room tonight." She took a chance and gave him a pat on the back, which he didn't flinch away from.

"Fine."

"We leave for Tipoca City first thing in the morning."

Boba stumbled and his aura flashed lily-white with panic.

"Boba?" Ahsoka asked.

"Why the fuck are we going there?" Boba snapped. His breathing sped up and she could hear his heart pounding. Why would he be so scared to return to Kamino?

"Kamino is the only place I know of where we might be able to find information on the Cuy'val Dar," Ahsoka answered, frowning. "Is there a reason you don't want to go back?"

Boba looked down, clinging to Robert like a lifeline. "Are you going to make me donate?" he asked in a harsh whisper.

Ahsoka's heart sank. "No. No, Boba, that's not why we're going there." She took another chance and put a hand on his shoulder, projecting soothing green calm-serenity towards him. "I give you my word as a Jedi, the Kaminoans will not take a single hair from your head. Okay?"

Boba bit his lip and nodded. He looked so young in the dim, ambient light of the barracks hall. "They take bone marrow," he mumbled. "That's where the best cells are, Dad said. They'd drill into his hip and he would walk funny for a week."

"Well, they're definitely not going to take that." She patted him on the back instead of hugging him like she desperately wanted to and started walking. "Plo got us a Consular cruiser, but it's halfway through a module conversion so half of the bunks were taken out for dual laser cannons. We'll have to double up."

Boba's lip twitched. "Great, I gotta listen to your snoring the whole way there?"

She laughed, relieved that he hadn't shut down. "I don't snore, but even if I did it would be better than listening to Plo all night. He whistles if his mask slips down."

They reached the rec room and Boba plopped himself on the couch. Ahsoka stayed standing and crossed her arms. Logically she knew that she shouldn't leave him there alone, but she felt oddly certain that he'd still be there when she returned. It was the same certainty that she'd felt in the diner right before she uncuffed him. "I've got to get some stuff together. Are you going to stay put, or do I have to lock the door?"

Boba stretched out like a cat, his bruised patches making him look like a calico. He waved a dismissive hand at her and crossed his legs at the ankle. "I'm too tired to run."

"I'll be right back with some pajamas for you, then." She winked at him. "And I'll grab some pillows and sheets. We can make a fort and have a proper sleepover."

Boba stilled. His aura hardened and lost the tint of green that was so faint that Ahsoka hadn't even noticed it until it was gone.

"What's the matter?" she asked, furrowing her brow. His aura was going staticky with anxiety around the edges.

"Nothing. I-I just didn't realize that Jedi did that." Boba shrugged. "I don't give a fuck. Fine by me. I haven't gotten laid in a minute."

Ahsoka stared at him, sure that she hadn't heard him right. She rubbed her montrals and shook her head to make sure. "What?"

"What's wrong, tailhead, is it your first time?" he sneered. He hopped to his feet and swayed toward her, full of false bravado and his aura a staticky thunderstorm of flashing green disappointment and gray anxiety and yellow embarrassment and underneath it all, a familiar shade of bruise-dark violet sadness-guilt.

She stood still, warily watching Boba approach with her brow raised until he was close enough for her to smell his breath. There was no way he meant what he'd just said to sound that suggestive. He was just hopped up on sugar from dinner or something, he couldn't possibly be propositioning her.

She believed it up until he grabbed her by the lekku and yanked her down into a sloppy kiss, all clumsy tongue and teeth. She squealed and shoved him back, spitting and sputtering in panic and revulsion. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she shrieked, wiping her hand across her now-wet mouth.

"You just said you wanted a sleepover!" he barked, quickly backing up with an aura cringing in on itself with neon orange-yellow mortification-anger. "Make your fucking mind up!"

Ahsoka's jaw dropped to her chest. "What part of sleepover said 'shove your tongue in my mouth?' "

"The sleepover part, you stupid cunt!" Boba shouted back. "The fuck do you think a sleepover is?"

"What do you think it is?"

"It means you want to fuck!"

"No it doesn't!" She was going to be sick. Boba was twelve, he was twelve. "Who told you that?"

Something switched off in his eyes. The bravado drained out and left him looking smaller than ever. The backs of his knees hit the couch and he curled up on it in a ball, hugging Robert the Rancor. "Aurra," he mumbled. His aura was dripping yellow with humiliation.

"That's… that's not what it means," Ahsoka choked. "It just means that you sleep in a place that you normally wouldn't, with a friend. Just sleeping. L-Like a slumber party."

Boba tucked himself deeper into the sofa and stared at Robert. His aura was drawn so close to his skin that she could barely see it, but the humiliation and hurt she saw there cracked her heart like an eggshell.

"I'll be right back. Just– just stay here. I'll be back." She paused. "I'm not mad. It was a misunderstanding, okay? Please don't run away."

He nodded without looking at her.

"I'll just be a few minutes," she said, backing out. "I'll be right back." She activated the door panel and hesitated with her finger over the lock; it was unintentional but she had just hurt him deeply, and she no longer had the certainty of a few minutes ago that he would stay.

"I'm trusting you, kiddo," Ahsoka muttered to herself, then walked away with her hands balled into fists. She wasn't going to lock him in. Boba would stay put on his own. He wasn't going to run, he was going to stay with her and his brothers where they could protect him.

Her blood was boiling. Aurra Sing was a monster, a demagolka, sgudal fhaighean, hule lopusa, a demonic, piece of shit nonce–

"Bad time?" Cody joined her power walk to the bunkrooms, his aura bright orange and blurry around the edges. He was visibly tipsy and he stumbled a little trying to keep up with her.

"Very," she said, looking him up and down. Cody had only one reason to be waiting for her in the 501st's barracks and she didn't have time for Obi– damn it, Kenobi's banthashit. "I'm guessing that he sent you?"

"No, I'm here on my own." He threw his arm around her shoulder. His breath smelled like tihaar and caf. "You gotta make up with him, 'Soka. He's driving me up the wall with his moping."

"Not my problem." She shrugged his arm off like a big, heavy slug.

He frowned at her. "He apologized, didn't he?"

She snorted. "Yeah. It was very touching and heartfelt. Totally made up for making me go to his funeral."

"At least you got to go," Cody mumbled, his aura flooding with purple grief.

"Why are you even here?" Ahsoka asked, exasperated. "He lied to you too."

"It's called being an adult," he grouched. "Try it sometime."

"Maybe he should try it."

Cody rolled his eyes. "Listen, it was a karked thing he did and we both know it, but you can't hate him forever."

He said it like Obi-Wan had forgotten to show up to her saber demonstration. He had no idea how hard she'd had to cling on to Anakin to keep him tethered to reality and safe from his own grief, how she had to constantly glean off the dark miasma that infected his aura like poisonous black oil.

She had felt like there was something watching him curiously from the shadows, like a patient nexu waiting for its prey to tire and fall from the tree it was hiding in. She refused to leave him, no matter how many times he'd tried to force her out of his quarters. She wouldn't abandon him to that hungry shadow. She'd rip and tear it up with her teeth if she had to, but she would not leave Anakin.

She had the bruise to prove it.

And then Obi-Wan Kenobi had waltzed out of the Royal Palace at Theed wearing the face of his own killer like nothing had changed and it was all a grand ruse that they were in on. Like he hadn't triggered the most terrifying crisis of her life. Like she hadn't spent three days in the darkest hell she'd ever been in, drowning in the icewater of not just Anakin's grief but the grief of every Jedi who knew him.

The only time she'd been able to mourn Obi-Wan were the pitiful few seconds she had been alone before Anakin had shown up, begging the bastard to open his eyes. He'd hid his aura so well from her, blocked their bond, he'd even projected a fake aura as Rako Hardeen in that motel room. That was a skill that he'd learned specifically to fool her, because it had absolutely no other practical application in the entire universe. Nobody else could bloody see it.

Ahsoka stopped in front of the bunkroom door. "How have you forgiven him so easily?" she demanded. "I ate a few of your jerky sticks on the way back from Geonosis and you didn't talk to me for an entire day, but he fakes his death and you're trying to rebuild his burned bridges for him?"

Cody's already pink cheeks flushed puce and his hands found his hips. "I'm a clone, Os'ika. I don't have the luxury of holding a grudge."

She mimicked his pose. "Well, I do."

"Come on. Just talk to him so he stops whining at me about how unreasonable you're being."

"I'm being unreasonable?" Ahsoka asked in disbelief. "Oh that– no, you know what? I'm done, I don't have time for this. I've got more important things to worry about than bandaging the wounded ego of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Goodnight, Cody."

She spun to leave and he grabbed her left arm to stop her, right over where the bruise was deepest. She gasped as pain shot down her arm, and she barely resisted snapping her teeth at Cody like a massiff.

His mouth hardened into a grim line and she realized that he'd done it on purpose. "What happened to your arm?" he asked harshly.

"None of your damn business," she snapped. She spun her arm out of his grip and slapped away the wrist that moved to replace it. "Stop it!"

"Commander Tano!" Cody barked, his aura flaring silver with authority. "I am ordering you to tell me what happened to your arm."

There was no arguing with that tone, even if he was half off his shebs from the tihaar she smelled on his breath. Ahsoka stood at attention, inwardly seething at the gall of him pulling rank on her now of all times. "Training accident, Sir."

"What sort of training?"

"Mechanical ordnance, Sir." It wasn't technically a lie.

"Conducted under who?"

She glared at him. "That's classified, Sir."

"I've got higher clearance than you."

"I cannot release classified information without General Skywalker's permission, Sir."

"So Skywalker knows." Cody's eyes narrowed. "Was it him?"

"I didn't say that, Sir," she snapped.

"Then who?"

"As I said, Sir, that's classified."

Cody's eyes softened and his aura went teal with protection. "Ahsoka, did Skywalker hurt you?" he asked gently. He wasn't asking as her commanding officer, he was asking as her vod. It infuriated her and made her want to cry at the same time.

Why couldn't he just mind his own shabla business? Why did he have to be the concerned big brother now, of all times? "Are you accusing General Skywalker of abusing me, Sir?" she asked, forcing her voice to sound cold so she wouldn't lose her nerve.

Cody stared at her, both of them knowing damn well that he couldn't outright say yes without crossing into insubordination. He blew air slowly out of his nose, his aura humming and glowing neon chartreuse with annoyance-anger at being outmaneuvered. "No, Commander."

Ahsoka nodded and kept her face neutral. "Was there anything else, Sir?"

Cody jerked his head. "You're dismissed," he muttered.

"Goodnight, Cody." She slipped into the bunkroom and closed the door behind her, trying not to grieve the damage she knew that she'd just done to their friendship. It would be nice if everyone would just leave her the hell alone for five minutes and let her take care of Boba instead of obsessing over something they didn't know anything about. He needed to be mothered a lot more than she did.

The bunkroom was virtually empty. The majority of the guys were out carousing at 79's and making the most of their shore leave but Jesse, Kix and Tup were squished into Kix's bunk watching Daiun's Anatomy on her holoprojector. "Hey," she greeted them.

"We're leaving as soon as this episode is over," Jesse said, holding a preemptive finger up. "Calliope's pregnant again."

"And she just did a tracheostomy on herself with a droid scomp. Her speeder crashed after she was stung by a spider and her throat closed up," Kix said in a monotone. "Which is shabla impossible, in case you were wondering."

"I wasn't." Ahsoka clapped her hands together. "I need the projector, though. We're sleeping in the rec room tonight."

"We?" Tup blinked at her.

"Yeah, me and Boba. We're in–"

"You and–" Jesse reared up and sent her holoprojector flying. She barely caught it before it hit the floor. "I thought Appo was joking when he said you adopted that little shabuir, Commander." Jesse's aura quickly flooded with red anger.

She took a step back in shock, not expecting another argument immediately after the last one. "Woah, Jess–"

"Tell me you're joking, Commander," Jesse said, his face all scrunched up in anger. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes; not to intimidate her, that wasn't it at all, he was begging her with his eyes to tell him that she wasn't serious.

Her heart sank. She really hadn't thought through any of the consequences of springing Boba, had she? Jesse was fanatically loyal, almost to a fault; of course he was going to hate the boy who attacked a Republic ship and killed hundreds of their brothers in the process. He was a traitor to both the Republic and the vode, and Jesse had no reason to feel sympathy for a traitor.

"I couldn't leave him in there–" she started, but she stopped when Jesse's shoulders sagged and his aura darkened to deep purple with sadness-disappointment. "Jesse, I couldn't!"

"Har'chaak!" Jesse broke away, pressing his palms into his eyes.

Kix and Tup hadn't yet moved from the bed, but their eyes flicked between Ahsoka and Jesse like they were watching a limmie match.

"He's so little, he–"

"I don't care how short he is, he killed three hundred and four of my brothers," Jesse said harshly. "And trust me, he doesn't look at us like his brothers."

"Jesse–"

"No. You're not thinking clearly. All you see is a little boy but he's manipulating you, Commander." Jesse took her hands and squeezed. "He's a killer. He used you to get out of prison, don't make the mistake of thinking that he cares about you even a fraction of how much we do."

"I know he doesn't. That's not why I did it." Ahsoka gave Jesse a pleading look, begging him to understand. She expanded her aura with a gentle, flowing wave of sage-green serenity so he'd calm down a little. "Boba was manipulated by a disgusting, evil dalgaan into doing what she wanted by promising him revenge for Jango. She was evil, Jesse, please believe me." Ahsoka swallowed hard. "I'm not saying he had no agency or was incapable of making different choices, but he's–"

"A killer," Jesse repeated with a growl.

"No– yes, but Aurra Sing, Jesse, she…" Ahsoka bit her lips, hesitating. It was Boba's truth to tell if he wished, not hers, but it would help if Jesse understood just what a hold she'd had on him. "She abused him," Ahsoka said quietly, saying the truth without actually saying it.

Jesse was smart. His face scrunched up even further, his aura went sick-green with disgust, and he looked away.

"He needs you," Ahsoka continued. "All three of you. He needs his brothers, even if he doesn't realize it." She turned to Kix and Tup and gave them a pleading look. "Please, he's barely holding it together." She didn't add that she'd made it worse. "I can see how badly he's hurting. Please, Jess." She laced her fingers with his and squeezed.

Jesse glowered at her. "You know, you're going to try to help the wrong person someday, and they're going to go for your throat." He pulled her into a spine-cracking hug.

Ahsoka relaxed, nearly dizzy with relief, and buried her face in his neck. "Thank you," she said in a muffled voice.

"Yeah, yeah." Jesse pulled back and touched her forehead with his own in a gentle mishmure'cya, then looked over her shoulder at Kix and Tup. "You two are coming, right?"

"I am!" Tup said brightly. "It'll be nice having a cadet around again. I miss being around them on Kamino. I always liked being asked to fill in for rec supervision."

Ahsoka couldn't help but smile. Tup had such a gentle spirit. If he'd been born a Jedi he would have made a natural Crèchemaster. Maybe if the stupid war ever ended he'd have a chance to live a gentle life. She could easily see him teaching younglings.

"He's not staying, Tup," Ahsoka said apologetically. "We're leaving for Kamino tomorrow."

"Wait, really?" His brows went up. "Can we come?"

Ahsoka bit her lip. "Unfortunately, because I'm a Padawan Commander and not a CC, I don't actually have clearance to authorize off-world missions."

"Aww."

Kix started yanking sheets off of random, unoccupied beds.

"That a yes for you then, Sarge?" Ahsoka asked.

Kix shot her a look over his shoulder. "Obviously, Sir."

"Anyone seen Rex?" Ahsoka asked, accepting a pile of pillows from Tup.

"Oh, he's in the commhub. He got called in by General Kenobi."

"You have got to be kidding me." Ahsoka tossed her head back and groaned aloud. "Why won't he just leave me alone?"

"He'd be a shit ba'buir if he did," Kix shrugged.

"He's a shit ba'buir regardless," Ahsoka snipped.

"Alright, alright. One problem at a time." Jesse physically turned her and pushed her towards the bunkroom door, carrying his share of sheets draped over his shoulders like an ancient Onderonian pharaoh. "You can bitch to me about Kenobi later, I promise."

Cody was thankfully gone when she opened the door. She led the boys through the empty barracks at a pace just under a jog, painfully aware that she'd left Boba alone for sixteen minutes, then bumped the door panel open with her hip since her arms were full of pillows.

Robert the Rancor sat abandoned on the couch. Boba was nowhere to be found.

Tup craned his head over her shoulder. "Uh, Commander? Where is he?" he asked, confused.

"Fuck," Ahsoka said faintly.

Boba hadn't realized that water showers were a luxury until he'd left Kamino for good. Sonic showers were easier to install, easier to clean, faster to use, and didn't use up water rations. He wasn't sure if the troopers actually had water rations, but if they did then he'd used up at least half a battalion's worth. He'd been steaming for half an hour.

"Fierfek," Tiarek cursed from around the corner. "You done yet? We're locked down again, which means Ahsoka thinks you ran for it."

Boba's stomach seized up at the Tog's name. He felt so fucking stupid, but she was the one who'd started it. Why'd she have to push? He'd actually been thinking about something besides how much he fucking hated being alive for once, and then the jetii had to go and ruin it because she didn't know what a fucking sleepover was.

Or he was the one who didn't know. It didn't matter now. He looked like an idiot and she pitied him now, and that pissed him off even more. He didn't need some do-gooder's pity. He was a man, damn it! He was a beroya and the only living son of Jango Fett, the greatest bounty hunter that had ever lived. He didn't want the Tog bitch to sit blinking her big, sad eyes at him like he was a pathetic, three-legged street pup covered in fleas.

"No, I've got him, lift the lockdown. We didn't mean to be this long. Go ahead and get started, we'll be there soon." Tiarek was on a holocall with somebody but Boba couldn't hear the other side. "Come on, Bo'ika, time to go."

"In a minute!" Boba yelled back.

"Now." Tiarek turned the shower off and threw a scratchy towel at his face.

"Shabla bev'kovid," Boba mumbled under his breath as he toweled off.

"I heard that."

Boba toweled faster then wrapped himself up when he was done. Tiarek patted him on the back and led him out to the lockers. A set of Kaminoan cadet blues sat waiting for him on the bench.

Boba glared up at Tiarek. "Didn't have any blacks in your size," he smirked at him. "Hurry up. Ahsoka's having a heart attack."

"I don't care," Boba said darkly.

Tiarek looked at him, disappointed. "I do," he said softly.

Boba dropped the towel and reached for the blues. They were too big for him, he could already tell. He knew he was underweight but more importantly, without all of the genetic upgrades from the longnecks, he was just plain smaller than the other clones at the same physical age. Dad was half a head shorter than the grown-up troopers, and Boba was a perfect copy of him.

"What's that?" Tiarek was frowning at him; specifically, his ass.

Boba quickly yanked the oversized drawers up. "Nothing. Don't be bloody nosy." He hadn't meant to let him see the scar.

"Then why are you being cagey about it?" Tiarek asked with a raised brow.

"I sat on my knife, alright? It's embarrassing." Boba slipped his shirt on.

Tiarek leaned against the lockers. "Look, Boba, I know you've been through a lot since Jango died, but–"

Boba flinched at his dad's name.

Tiarek softened. "Just promise me that you're going to try. Nobody expects you to be a model cadet, but at least stop cussing her out every time you open your mouth."

"Fine," Boba mumbled. He tugged at the bottom of his tunic, trying to make it hang less awkwardly on his narrow shoulders.

"You can trust her. I promise you can. She's the best, right alongside Skywalker." Tiarek smiled sadly. "We're not just numbers to them. They truly do care for us. Ahsoka is my vod'ika, do you understand? You trust her just like you trust me."

Boba scoffed. "So much for vode an. You know, the meaning of the word doesn't change just because you use it to bloody adopt each other."

"Of course not." Tiarek blew air out of his nose hard, frustrated. "It just means I watch out for her, I teach her, I keep her alive. And she has my back in return, no matter what."

"Whatever," Boba said, looking away. Tiarek wasn't going to let it go until he agreed. "Fine. I'll stop being a dickhead to her, alright? Doesn't mean I trust her."

"Good man." Tiarek clapped his hand on his shoulder and guided him towards the door. "Let's go."

Boba felt his banzaii burger start to work its way up his throat as they walked back to the rec room. Should he tell Tiarek what he'd done? Boba didn't want him to hate him too, but he wasn't sure what he'd be angrier about; kissing Tano, or lying about it.

"What?" Tiarek was looking at him with those same knowing eyes Dad had when he knew Boba was squirming about something.

"I kind of…" Boba hesitated. "Fuck it. I kissed Tano and she's gonna make it sound like I just made a move on her out of nowhere and–"

"Hold on, hold on!" Tiarek went to one knee so they were eye level. "What are you on about?"

"Tano," Boba mumbled. "I kissed her. I thought she wanted it."

Tiarek was staring at him with his mouth open. "You did what?" he asked sharply.

"She said she was gonna go get pillows to have a proper sleepover, so," Boba shrugged. "Obviously I thought that meant she wanted to fuck. But she didn't know what that's what sleepover really meant because she's a Jedi, I didn't mean to piss her off."

"She… she didn't–" Tiarek stood and turned away, his hands on his head. "Boba, no." He turned, and Boba felt his heart sink into his guts at the look on his face.

"I didn't hurt her! I just kissed her, she didn't want it so I didn't push it–"

"Boba, who told you that a sleepover meant that?" Tiarek's voice was so sad that it made Boba flush, embarrassed all over again.

"Fuck, not you too." Boba turned away with a groan. Why was everyone so damn stupid? Why was he the only fucker under the roof who knew Basic? "Sleepover is when you want someone to sleep in your bunk, it's not a fucking slumber party like she thinks. Aurra told me what it meant when some asshole asked me in a bar on Nar Shaddaa–"

Tiarek sighed and huffed out a relieved laugh for some reason.

" –and then, you know, I started having sleepovers with her–"

Tiarek's face fell and he turned away with his fists balled up.

"Oh not you too, why is everyone such a damn prude?" Boba moaned, rolling his eyes. "I'm a year away from doing my verd'goten, I'm not a fucking baby."

Tiarek turned and he almost scared Boba with how angry he looked. "Listen to me," he said, going back down on one knee. "People might say sleepover to be cute, but that's not what it means. And if Dad knew that Aurra had done that to you he would have taken her skin off slowly, do you understand?" Tiarek grabbed his shoulder and squeezed. "She never should have been allowed within a mile of you."

Boba bit his lip. "You called him Dad," he said quietly. "You haven't called him that in a long time."

"I meant to say your dad." Tiarek flushed and looked away. "Not… I know, trust me."

Boba looked up. "Don't you remember–"

"There's nothing to remember," Tiarek said quickly. "It was just a few weeks, Bo'ika, okay? Don't get it mixed up again. We've been through this."

Yeah, they had, and every time Tiarek was more and more certain that whatever lie he'd been fed by Kal while he was recovering was the truth. "So I'm old enough to wet my blade, but not my dick?" he asked crudely, changing the subject.

Tiarek turned purple. "Yes," he growled.

Boba waved a dismissive hand at him. "Whatever you say, Tiarek."

"Come on." Tiarek stood. "And I told you to stop calling me Tiarek. That was never my name."

Boba resisted the urge to argue. It was pointless. If any part of Tiarek remembered, it was buried so deep down under the lies that it may as well have never existed at all.

"Now behave," Tiarek warned him, then opened the rec room door. Three unarmed clones sat lounging in their blacks inside a pile of pillows, couch cushions and sheets that had been built up into a tent. One of them was the medic that had rubbed that stink-ass bacta gel on him. Tano sat on the edge, cross-legged and pinch-faced. As soon as the door slid open she popped to her feet and rushed to Tiarek.

"Gar ru'hibii ner ad? Ne'din'kartay?" she snapped. "Rex, do you have any idea how scared I was to find him gone again?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize he was–"

"Gar johaar'i Mando'a?" Boba interrupted, stunned.

She raised a brow marking. "Waad'choruk," she said wryly. "Rex taught me."

Boba flushed and looked down. He should have expected that, if Rex had adopted her as a little sister.

"As I was saying, Boba here needed a shower, but I didn't know he was going to use half of the monthly ration for the whole GAR." Tiarek popped him gently in the shoulder.

Tano's shoulders slumped and she took a deep breath. "I'm sure he was just happy to take a water shower. I know the prison only has sonics." She bent down and looked him in the eye. "So. Ready for bed?"

Boba peered around her to look at the troopers reclining in her pillow fort. The one with the Galactic Roundel tattooed on his face looked unimpressed, the medic looked bored, but the final one with a tear on his cheek sitting cross-legged was practically beaming at him through his long hair.

"Why're they here?" Boba asked suspiciously.

"Well, since you've never had a real sleepover, I thought it might be fun to have one. And for a real sleepover you need friends, but you also need a pillow fort–" she turned and gestured to the limp tent, " –holofilms, and snacks." She held up a projector in one hand and a bag of nerf rinds in the other, smiling like an idiot.

Boba looked up at Tiarek, who shrugged. "Fine," Boba said dismissively.

"Great!" Tano dove into the tent between the long-haired one and the one who looked like he'd just bit into an unripe meiloorun. "I've already got the holo loaded. Get the lights, Rex."

Boba glanced at Tiarek, who did as he was told with a soft smile for Tano.

"By the way this is Jesse, Kix, and Tup," she added, pointing to each clone as he and Tiarek crawled inside the pillow fort. She and the three troopers were already squished together, cuddling like sleepwalking tubies. Tiarek stayed on the outside and Boba ended up sandwiched between him and the medic, Kix.

"Wizard," Boba said in a bored voice. "What are we watching?"

"March of the Porgs," Tano said cheerily.

"Finally!" Tup crowed.

"What do you mean finally? We just watched that on the way home from shabla Naboo," Jesse grumbled.

"Language," Tiarek drawled.

Boba snorted. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously." Tiarek chuckled and pushed Boba's head down to his chest.

"Wait, Commander, you're sleeping over here?" Tup asked, looking confused. "You always sleep with Rex."

Boba froze. Wait, had he kissed Tiarek's girl? Why hadn't he shabla said that, why'd he go through the vod'ika banthashit instead of just saying he was screwing her? And where did Tiarek get off telling Boba that he was too young for it if he was shagging his own al'verde? Boba was older than all of them, except for Tano.

"Not tonight," Tano said nonchalantly. "Oh, by the way, Boba, you forgot somebody." Tano tossed Robert the Rancor at him over Kix, then started the projector.

Boba cleared his throat. "Thanks." He hugged Robert to his chest and adjusted a little so that he could fit the plushie in between him and Tiarek, hiding a small smile.

"There is a mysterious ritual that dates back thousands of years. No living creature has survived it, except the porg. They have wings but can barely fly. They're birds without beaks that act like clowns. And every year, they embark on a nearly impossible journey to find a mate. For twenty days and twenty nights, the porg will march…"

Notes:

MANDO'A TRANSLATIONS ba'buir: grandfather Os'ika: Little shit (Cody's [affectionate!] nickname for Ahsoka, a pun on her normal diminutive of Ahs'ika [Little Ahsoka] ) dalgaan: bitch Har'chaak: damn it mishmure'cya: brain kiss, aka keldabe kiss shabla bev'kovid: fucking dickhead Gar ru'hibii ner ad? Ne'din'kartay?: You took my kid? Without telling me (lit. no sitrep)? Waad'choruk: Obviously (lit. diamond, colloquialism for "crystal clear") Al'verde: Commander TOYDARIAN TRANSLATIONS Wanjala?: Hungry? Ndimatafuna: I chew it Inde: Yes Nyanga zathanzi: Healthy horns Mwana: Baby Pepani: Sorry Chapino mwana: Okay baby Hule lopusa: stupid bitch HUTTESE TRANSLATIONS Chupanka keepa manmi: His tail is on backwards (Huttese colloquialism for someone acting irrationally) MAOR-GRÁSTA TRANSLATIONS sgudal fhaighean: garbage cunt OTHER NOTES I just really like it when Anakin speaks Toydarian okay. Also I mentioned this in another fic but he didn't learn Aurebesh until he was ten and he hates it so he types in all caps and doesn't like punctuation Yes, Boba refers to Rex as Tiarek in his head. We'll find out why just hang in there lol

Taglist: @starwarsficnetwork, @soliloquy-of-nemo Dividers: @saradika-graphics

6 notes · View notes

lamaenthel · 1 year ago

Text

Tivaevae | Chapter Eleven: Sashiko

| AO3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |

Fandom: Star Wars Characters: Ahsoka Tano, Boba Fett, Plo Koon, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Kanan Jarrus, Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious, CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives, CC-1119 | Appo, Dexter Jettster, FLO | WA-7 (Star Wars), Shaak Ti, ARC Commander Blitz (Star Wars), CT-6922 | Dogma, Original Clone Trooper Character(s) (Star Wars), CC-3636 | Wolffe, Clone Trooper Sinker (Star Wars), Clone Trooper Comet (Star Wars), CC-2224 | Cody, CT-5597 | Jesse, CT-4860 | Boost, Aurra Sing, Tobias Beckett, Null-11 | Ordo Skirata, Kal Skirata, Original Mandalorian Characters (Star Wars), Original Droid Characters (Star Wars), Original Jedi Character(s) (Star Wars) Total Word Count: 123,000 Chapter Word Count: 8,258 Chapter Summary: Anakin and Ahsoka have a long-awaited talk, Boba bids goodbye to his brothers and Master Plo, and Obi-Wan and Cody escort Ahsoka and Boba to Corellia.

Ahsoka had lathered up three times already but the water still swirled pink around her feet. She squeezed more gel soap into her hands from the dispenser and scrubbed at her montrals and lekku again. The soft, stretchy skin was going dry and scaly from the harsh GAR formula, but the damn water was still pink. She wasn't sure if it was only Jesse's blood or if Aurra had splattered on her too, but it was certainly reluctant to wash away.

She scrubbed underneath her rear lek and tried not to think about the way the side of Aurra's head had exploded like a rotten melon. She'd forgotten how different a firearm worked than a blaster. They were even more uncivilized in somebody's opinion, so the only experience she'd had with one before Kal Skirata's sniper was when she'd gone through the standard projectile-weapon safety course that all Initiates had to take before undergoing their Gathering.

She hadn't fired one, then, but she did remember being amused by what it had done to the sǫnkë squash that her instructor had used as a target. Strings of the vegetable's magenta guts had flown out like confetti and stuck to the rock wall behind it as Master Skoll had grimly explained the third law of motion and what happened when a bullet came to a very sudden stop against organic material. At the time it had been funny, but Ahsoka hadn't expected a humanoid skull to explode so similarly to a squash.

She realized now that that was probably the point of using it. Master Skoll was a very practical man.

She rinsed off one last time, choosing not to look at the water again, then shut the water off. She was as clean as she was going to get, though the barracks shower was a far cry from the hot soaking bath she longed to indulge in at the Temple. She wandered out to the wall of sinks and gently patted her montrals and lekku dry with the scratchy towel. She tried not to wince at how tender they were from all of their activity – the reflexive swelling, the aposematic undulating, and especially the spine-bongo she'd been playing with her rear lek had taken a toll on the normally languid organs – then she massaged the preen glands at the base of her lekku tenderly, trying to spread a little bit of her natural oil back into her skin.

She needed some caara spray or she was going to crack right open, she could feel it. She fought the urge to scratch at her montrals. The skin felt tight there, too tight and too dry and it stung and–

"Ahsoka?" Anakin called from the locker room, and she felt a warm tingle go down her spine from his little reassuring nudge in the Force.

"Almost done!" Ahsoka called back and began to pull on her clothes, still warm from the laundry pod. She took a deep breath and breathed her anxiety out into the Force. She was hyperfixating on how uncomfortable she was so she couldn't linger on the emotional baggage, her brain so exhausted and wired at the same time that it couldn't stop racing. She had to calm down before she resorted to stealing Anakin's t'bac sticks.

It wasn't like he could tell her not to if he was smoking again.

Anakin sat on a bench in the locker room, guarding the door against any wayward troopers that might wander in so she could shower undisturbed. He looked up from the message he was typing on his commlink to smile at her as she turned the corner. "Better?" he asked, closing his message center and patting the bench beside him.

"Much." Ahsoka plopped down beside Anakin and rested her head on his damp shoulder. His hair was still wet from his own shower. "What time is it?"

"Just after 0100." Anakin scratched between her montrals and she started purring. "You doing okay?"

Her purr stuttered and she raised her head. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" she asked after clearing her throat.

"Big night. And what happened with Aurra Sing." He glanced down at her. "I already told you, you made the right call. She's been arrested dozens of times. Clearly the Republic is incapable of keeping her in custody."

"Yeah." She picked at her cuticle. Anakin gently separated her hands before she drew blood. "I don't feel bad for ordering her death, but I feel bad that I don't feel bad," she admitted. "And… she had surrendered. It wasn't the Jedi way."

Anakin took her hand and squeezed it. "When Obi-Wan trained me, we were keepers of the peace. To make sure that you survived this war, I had to train you as a soldier." He smiled sadly, and that wine-dark stain of guilt was back around his aura. "The way you fearlessly called Kal Skirata's bluff, then charged off to save Boba with Jesse's blood still wet on your hands… You're a magnificent Jedi, Ahsoka, but you're also the soldier I trained you to be. Sing may have only planted a few pipe bombs, but the place was packed. You didn't just protect Boba, you prevented a massive amount of civilian casualties. You made a Commander's call."

"I'd already destroyed the detonator," she confessed, feeling conflicted. She'd been a soldier for so long that it almost felt more natural than what her lifelong teachings told her.

"Do you know for sure that she didn't have a backup? Or that she couldn't have rerouted the command to her commlink?" Anakin watched her carefully, his aura muted green with sympathy-pride. "I'm telling you that you chose correctly, Ahsoka."

The endless compassion that her Jedi upbringing had instilled in her was arguing with Anakin's logic. On one hand he was completely right, she had eliminated a dangerous and immediate threat to not just Boba, but all of the innocent people at the fairgrounds. Aurra Sing wasn't just a bounty hunter or even just a monster, she was a terrorist, and a repeated one at that. She'd tried to turn Boba into one too. She needed to be put down, but Ahsoka would be lying if Aurra's history of terrorism was anywhere near the forefront of her mind when she'd raised her fist and signaled for Skirata's sniper to fire. It had been about protecting Boba from her, forever.

Ni ven'kyramu ad kebbur.

"It was the right call," she agreed quietly. "Even if it wasn't… wasn't what I was thinking about at the time."

"And that's exactly what I'm going to tell the Council in the morning." Anakin smiled down at her. "The first part, anyway. Somehow I have to make time to testify about it first thing, even though we're deploying at 1100."

"We're deploying?" Ahsoka squawked in alarm. "Kriff. I guess Boba can stay in my quarters on The Resolute, but I didn't even get a chance to tell Rex about my cuirass yet so it's still–"

"Ahsoka." Anakin interrupted her with a very pointed look. "You are not bringing Boba into an active warzone."

Ahsoka's shoulders sagged. She didn't even know how Master Plo's dinner with the headmaster had gone yet, what if he had said Boba could shove off? She'd seen advertisements for luxurious boarding houses for pets on the holonet, did they have something like that for children? Would Boba even stay in one of those, or would he run away? What if–

"Commander." Anakin snapped his fingers to get her attention. "You're not going with us. You can't be deployed until you find a place for Boba to stay."

"Oh," Ahsoka said, dismayed. "Can… is he even allowed to stay at the Temple?"

"Not long term. But you're going to Corellia to find Kaisa Skirata, so hopefully it won't be necessary."

"I don't know if I want to leave Boba with the woman who abandoned him," Ahsoka said, biting her lip. "I need to meet her first and get an idea of who she is, and see if I can even trust her with him."

"Well, she is his mother." He rolled his eyes at her giggle. "You can't blame me for thinking you meant she was his biological mother without context, brat."

She giggled again. "It was still funny."

Anakin shook his head and dug a little leather pouch from his pocket, flipping it over in his hands. "I got you a present," he finally said, then handed it to her.

It made of soft, black leather that smelled strongly of chandanam oil, and it had a little marg sabl flower embossed on the front of it. The top had a drawstring closure and was on a cord so it could be worn around the neck or tied to a belt. Something rattled around inside of it. "This is pretty," she said, examining it. It felt like mosasaur leather, which was surprising. He had to have gone to a Togrutan artisan to get it. She opened the top curiously and let the contents spill into her hand.

Her soul fell out of her body and straight down to the planet's core at what she saw.

"It's Aurra's." Anakin's hands fidgeted in his lap in stark contrast to the way she'd frozen. "I thought you might want to do that ceremony thing with Boba." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, his aura suddenly vibrating with pale orange anxiety-indecision-unease.

She stared at the long, bloody tooth in her hand. It had been rinsed off but was far from clean, and had a gold filling in it. "How…" she asked, barely able to wrap her mind around it.

"Well, it was a pretty long fall, and the coroner didn't get there right away." Anakin shrugged and looked at his knees.

Ahsoka carefully put the tooth back into the bag and pulled the drawstring shut. "You were furious when I took Krell's teeth," she said after her brain rebooted and she remembered how to speak out loud. "You glued them back into his head because you said I had mutilated his corpse. Why would you–"

"I was never angry about you taking his teeth, Ahsoka. Hell, I almost told you to go get a shotgun so we could blow his face off and cover it up that way, but they'd already submitted the autopsy report." His lip twitched. "It was because you took so many." Anakin's aura went soft gold with humor. "Aurra's tooth was sort of an… impulsive grab," he continued quietly. "The pouch is the real gift, even if the purpose is the same. I got it for you to keep Krell's tooth in."

Ahsoka slowly met her Master's eyes.

"You thought I didn't see you snag that molar?" he asked wryly.

Ahsoka felt her stripes go black. "No," she admitted.

Anakin smirked. "I know everything, Snips."

She almost snorted. If that were true, then Rex would have been transferred to another battalion by now before she could do something stupid, like obey her stupid heart and tell him how she felt. "Well, you didn't know that I lost it on Geonosis," she said glumly. "I think it fell out of my belt when Boba used it as a sling for my arm. It must be still down there, but if it's the will of the Force that it rests there, then so be it."

"Really?" Anakin looked very surprised. "You could just… give it up like that?"

Ahsoka shrugged. "It's a shame, considering how long I've been carrying it, but it was never for me. It was for Dogma, for whenever he returns to us."

Anakin's face softened and his aura darkened a redder shade of violet with grief. She knew he didn't believe that Dogma would ever return, but she refused to give up hope. "You have a very, very big heart, Ahsoka." Anakin took her hand. His flesh one shook a little. "And I'm so sorry. You have every right to hate me–"

"Master, no!" Ahsoka immediately protested. "You made a mis–"

"You need to let me say this, because it's all I can think about and I'm going to explode if I don't get it out," Anakin interrupted her.

She shrank. "Okay."

"I messed up. I completely betrayed your trust and I left you swinging in the wind when you needed me the most, and then I broke your kriffing arm because you wouldn't abandon me to rot in my own self-pity. It doesn't matter if I meant to or not. I still did it." He looked away, his aura deep green with disgust-regret-guilt at his own actions. "You know… you know how I grew up," he continued quietly. "That was the kind of thing Watto would do, and later say he didn't mean to go that far when my mom was splinting my fingers or begging him to let me see a medical droid. And I did it to you." His aura was one thing, but it was the self-loathing in his voice that killed her.

She threw her arms around his neck so he couldn't see the tears welling up in her eyes, but she could do nothing about the sound of her heart breaking clean in half. "You're forgiven, Master," she said softly, breathing in the warm, clean smell of his neck. "But I haven't forgotten about that Gungan shaak roast. You're still taking me to Naboo."

Anakin laughed quietly and squeezed her in a wampa hug that pushed the air out of her lungs. "I'll make sure Jar-Jar clears his schedule. But not until I get back from Goran, and you from Corellia." He squeezed her one more time and then let her go. "I promise, Ahsoka, it will never happen again."

"I trust you, Master." Ahsoka watched his aura lighten like a sunrise at hearing her say it out loud. "As for Corellia, I have no idea what to expect there, and I hate that."

'"Skirata said she really hates Jedi, so you'll need to be on guard. Expect the standard Mando gear– flamethrower, whipcord, all of that."

"Well, Master Plo will hopefully have some ideas on how to deal with–"

"Master Plo is providing air support on Goran." Anakin bit his lip and looked down, going taupe with apprehension. "But you are not going to Corellia without an escort."

"Hm." Ahsoka paused and tried to think who was at the Temple and could go with her. Maybe Master Billaba? She was pretty busy with her own Padawan, though, maybe Master Beq could get away from the crèche long enough to…

Ahsoka looked at Anakin with a sudden feeling of dawning horror, realizing he'd already chosen an escort for her. "Nooo," she said, whining like a youngling.

"Yep."

"No, not Obi-Wan!" She almost kicked her feet.

"Yes, Obi-Wan," Anakin smiled. "This will be good, Snips. You'll have a chance to talk it out."

"Is that who you were messaging?" she asked him crossly.

"Maybe."

She did kick her feet at that. "Well, I don't wanna," she complained. Her rear lek swished irritably across her shoulders.

"Well, too bad."

Ahsoka crossed her arms and glared at the floor.

"Don't be like that. It's time to release your anger at him and move on." Anakin's aura faded to a light green with curiosity-apprehension. "How can you forgive me so easily and not him?" he asked softly.

She stared at the floor and counted the tiles instead of answering. "Master Plo said it's like a wound I'm refusing to let close up," she finally said. "But I feel like every time I do, something happens to rip the scab off. We meditated together on the way home, and he helped me release a great deal of my pain about it, but then we ended up in that alley again and…" She bit her lip. "I smelled his blood and everything came rushing back. It feels like it just happened all over again."

Anakin nodded and thought for a moment. "You need to yell at him," he said decisively.

Ahsoka gaped at her Master. "I can't yell at him," she said after a few moments of staring.

Anakin shrugged. "Always helps me."

"He's a Jedi Master, he's on the Council, I can't just yell at him–"

"Ahsoka, he used to change your diapers." Anakin rolled his eyes. "You can yell at him. I promise, he'd actually prefer it if you did. He thinks you hate him."

"First of all, I was potty trained by the time I came to the Temple," Ahsoka said defensively, and her Master started snickering. "And second, second–" she said loudly over Anakin's laughter, " –the problem is I don't hate him. If I hated him, I wouldn't care."

Anakin wrapped an arm around her shoulders and shook her. "Snips, listen. Boba just saw his molester's brains get blown all over a roller coaster, and tomorrow you're taking him to go meet the mother who abandoned him. You need to pull it together for him, and if that means yelling at Obi-Wan and getting it out of your system once and for all, then that's what you are going to do."

His words reached inside her chest and squeezed the blood from her heart like a hand around a jogan fruit. He was right, again. She was being selfish. Boba needed her support now more than ever, and to be there for him properly she needed a clear head. "Fine, I'll yell at him," she grumbled. "And then when he grounds me to the Agricorps for ten years, you can explain to him why I was so insubordinate."

"Good girl." Anakin squeezed her and gave her a cheery peck on the forehead, his aura a deep, rich orange with pride-affection-humor. "Let's get going."

"Okay." Her heart sank a little, knowing she wouldn't see him again until they were both back. "Thanks for the talk, Master. I know you're eager to get out of here and go to… well, you know." Ahsoka stood up and fidgeted with her new pouch.

Anakin goldened with amusement and he stood with her. "I'm not going anywhere, Snips."

Ahsoka blinked at him in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. I haven't seen you in almost two weeks," Anakin said easily, pulling her back under one arm. "Come on. Let's go see if that pillow fort is done yet."

She tried and failed to hide her smile. Anakin choosing to spend time with her over Padmé? She almost peeked out of the hallway window to see if the sky had fallen.

"It sounds like they're having a good time," Anakin said with an eyebrow up and an aura like burnished gold. She recognized the Toydarian drumbeats vibrating through the rec room walls from Anakin's podracing hologame and there were at least a half-dozen loud, raised voices that were either really excited, or really angry.

That was fairly par for the course for that specific podracing game. Anakin had programmed in features capable of fracturing even the deepest of friendships.

"I'm glad," Ahsoka said. "He needs the distraction." She keyed the door open and felt the wave of bright yellow-orange excitement from the boys practically blow her lekku back like a strong wind. The pillow fort had been rebuilt and was even more elaborate than before. They'd propped up the sheets high enough to encapsulate the couch, where Jesse and Tup had been left elevated in places of honor given their injuries. Fives, Boba, and Kix were all cross-legged in the front of the tent, hollering over one another and debating the race, while Rex and Cody laid back on their elbows and were eating from a massive bag of caramel bang-corn, their auras bright gold with humor-amusement at the ruckus.

"I would have won if you hadn't thrown that hydrospanner, you little–"

"Don't blame me!"

"Oh I'm blaming you, you didn't have to–"

"Ahsoka!" Boba tossed his controller down and darted across the room, nearly knocking the wind out of her as he hit her like a meteor. His aura resonated with blue relief as his arms snagged around her waist and squeezed her tight.

"You okay?" she asked him softly, wincing at his two purple eyes. His nose was fine but he still looked like he'd gone three rounds with a rancor, and his aura was practically vibrating around him. He was overtired, but she sensed he didn't want to go to sleep and face his dreams quite yet.

"Obviously," he scoffed. "You look like shit."

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks. Having fun?"

He shrugged. "Fives is being a bitch because I beat him four times in a row."

"He threw a hydrospanner at my podracer five meters before the finish line!" Fives whined.

Behind her, Anakin chuckled. "I distinctly remember you doing that to Echo and him not speaking to you for a full week after."

Fives rubbed the back of his head and pouted. Ahsoka made eye contact with Rex over Boba's head; his aura had gone a brilliant copper with affection-happiness and his smile was soft enough to make her pulse quicken.

Boba had his head on her chest; he glanced behind him at Rex, then flared bright orange with smugness-validation. He glanced up at her with the sneakiest, shittiest little smirk she'd seen on him yet.

"Ne'johaa," Ahsoka mumbled into his ear, making him cackle and flare gold, then crossed the room and gently plopped down between Tup and Jesse. She gave Tup a sympathetic kiss on the cheek next to the bacta patch plastered over his stitches first, then stretched out between Jesse and the sofa back and hugged him tightly, careful of the IV still sticking out of his arm. "Thank you," she said into his thick neck, too aware of the fact that she knew what it looked like on the inside. She closed her eyes and tried to pretend the smell of his blood didn't still linger in her nose. She'd nearly lost Jesse before; breaking his neck on Carmexa, splitting up on Xior-Cal to blow the spaceport, the nightmare that was Umbara, but this time was the closest call. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She punctuated every sentence with a rub of her lek against his cheek.

"Anytime, Commander," Jesse said drowsily, his aura deepening with copper and blue. He scratched between her montrals and made her purr. Her arm snaked over Jesse's chest and pulled him closer.

"That's a good time." Anakin stood with his arms crossed, looking at the scoreboard on the hologame. He gave Boba a friendly smile. "You play a lot of racing games?"

Boba shrugged and looked at his feet, his aura pale yellow with anxiety-embarrassment. "I guess," he mumbled. "I like this one though. It's funner than most."

Skywalker's smile widened. "Thank you." Boba raised a confused eyebrow at him and he laughed. "I made it. It was my final project for my advanced programming module."

"You made the game?' Boba asked, bright blue with surprise.

"Yeah." He smirked down at Boba. "Wanna race?"

"Please put him back in his place, General, he's been kicking my shebs for the last hour," Fives whined.

"We should go to sleep," Ahsoka said, a wave of exhaustion suddenly hitting her like a speederbus. She was warm, clean, had a belly full of meat, and was surrounded by clan. She was safe.

"One game, then we'll tuck in. What do you say?" Anakin tilted his head at Boba.

"You're on," Boba grinned, going bright orange with excitement-competition.

"No offense, Commander, but I've got a bruise the size of you on the side you're laying on." Jesse kissed her on the forehead then rolled her over him and off of the sofa before she could react, letting her fall directly into Rex's lap with a surprised squeak. "Special delivery, Captain."

"Oh." Ahsoka blinked up at Rex, disoriented from the new and unexpected position. "Hi."

"Evening, Commander," Rex said stoically, then broke into a grin.

She smiled back like her heart wasn't broken. She couldn't help but think about what had been done to him. He deserved to know that he had parents who loved him, that he had not just one but two little brothers – or big brothers, technically – who had meant the world to him, but if there was any chance of getting through whatever the Kaminoans had done to his mind to make him so resistant to even thinking about the truth, then it had been stolen and sent to Corellia in the datafiles of Boba's armor. Those holopics were all they had outside of their word to convince him. They'd even taken the kriffing tooka doll. It would have to wait until she got back from Corellia. Whether or not Boba came back with her, she'd at least have the holos to show–

Her eyes snapped onto a small orange stone on a string around his neck that smelled like the Togruta who had left the scent mark on him. A small growl escaped from her before she could stop it.

Rex's eyebrows went up and his aura turned yellow with caution-unease. "What?" he asked her warily.

"What is that?" She flicked the stone.

Rex's aura went almost neon yellow with embarrassment. "It's uh, a good luck charm?"

"Helps enhance his fertility, too," Anakin quipped with a grin and an aura bright gold with humor.

Ahsoka blinked a few times and resisted the urge to rip it off his neck.

"Do you want it for your rock bowl?" Rex asked hesitantly, untying the string and handing it to her.

"Thanks," she said stoically. She tucked the stone into the pocket of her leggings and resolved to throw it off the nearest rooftop at the first opportunity.

Cody moved the giant bag of bang-corn so she could properly nestle between them. She ended up with her head on Rex's chest and her legs strewn across Cody's lap, watching the hologame through half closed eyes. "Take it easy on him, Master," she murmured sleepily.

Anakin sat down on the floor next to Kix and relieved him of his controller. "Absolutely not," he said with a wink at Boba. "Did you do the Canto Bight track yet?"

"No." Boba plopped down on the floor next to him.

"Perfect." Anakin's smirk only grew as he quickly thumbed through the maps. "This one is fun. You have to avoid running into the fathiers."

"What happens if you do?"

"You explode." Skywalker wiggled his eyebrows and grinned. "Ready?"

"Just one game," Ahsoka reminded them. Her eyes were already fighting to stay open, Rex's chest far too comfortable and familar of a pillow for her to stay awake on.

"Yep." Anakin winked at her over his shoulder.

She lost her battle with sleep before they'd finished their first lap.

Boba blearily blinked his eyes open at the sound of something falling to the floor and the whispered exclamation of kriff. He focused enough to make out Skywalker's lumbering silhouette in the door of the tent, making a face at his fallen lightsaber and standing with only one boot on.

Sorry, he mouthed apologetically to Boba, then pulled on the other boot, picked up his lightsaber, gave a little wave, and tiptoed out of the room. The chrono above the doorway was barely visible, but it looked like it was right after 0500.

"Skyguy," Ahsoka mumbled into Boba's forehead. She snuggled her face closer to his in favor of waking up, her lek warm and dry against his cheek. Tiarek lay at his back, an arm thrown across them both. Boba didn't actually remember falling asleep; his mind had been spinning and anxious, but Ahsoka's ba'jurur had been more than happy to play hologames with him until everyone else was asleep and he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. He vaguely remembered falling asleep sitting up during the Bespin level, then nothing. He had been too exhausted to even dream.

He laid very still so he didn't wake either Tiarek or Ahsoka. He wanted to just listen to their breathing for a minute and pretend that everything wasn't about to change. His mother was alive, and she had his armor. He didn't understand how it was possible. Had the Geonosian shaman somehow known with his Force powers, or was it just a coincidence that he'd told him that his mother and Cassus were alive?

He didn't want to go to Corellia. He didn't want to see her. His mother had left him behind, why did Ahsoka think that she wanted him anymore? She'd clearly made her choice, been willing to fucking die for it. She hadn't taken him or Tiarek with her, she'd taken her biological child. Jango's vat scum obviously didn't mean the same to her.

He didn't want to ditch Ahsoka but he definitely couldn't live with the fucking monks, and he wasn't stupid enough to think that he could tag along on a warship. Maybe he could find a job? Something that would be safe and wouldn't take him off world, since that would definitely give the overgrown tooka a panic attack. He could fix things, he was a good slicer, and while he had a feeling that she'd have a lot to say about him using his blaster to make money, once he was thirteen and had gone through his verd'goten she wasn't allowed to tell him no.

'Course she probably would anyway, since she wasn't Mandalorian and had a decent-sized stick up her ass; even if she did have more mando'kar than Kal and all of his sons combined, she was still a Jedi.

"Rise and shine, boys." Cody sat up and yawned. "You too, Commander."

Ahsoka and Boba made protesting grunts and snuggled closer. Tiarek's arm tightened around both of them.

"Oi." Cody took Tiarek by the shoulder and shook him. His brother's arm popped up and whacked Cody right in the face. "Chakaar!" Cody protested as Tiarek wrapped his arm back around them and snickered.

"We've got a few minutes," Tiarek rumbled, his voice an octave lower from sleep.

"Mm." Cody snaked an arm around Tiarek's neck and wrapped his legs around his waist, putting him into a headlock from behind. "Wake up, vod'ika," he said sweetly over Tiarek's surprised choking noises.

Ahsoka wrapped her arms protectively around Boba and rolled them away from the chaos. "Di'kute," she mumbled, then yelped as Tiarek accidentally kicked her in the shebs. "Will you two knock it off–"

"What's happening?" Tup asked sleepily from the sofa above them; his hair was still in its usual bun, but now hung on the left side of his head like a saggy ear.

"Stay out of it until I check your stitches," Kix grumbled, still face-down on the blanketed floor.

"Commander," Tiarek wheezed, and Boba wasn't sure if he was asking Ahsoka for help or begging Cody to stop, but regardless his ori'vod rolled her eyes and slunk over Boba like a big cat to join the spontaneous wrestling match.

Boba crawled up to the sofa and took refuge with Jesse, who snickered and gave him a hand up. "Who usually wins these?" Boba asked, wincing as Ahsoka shoved her bony knee into Cody's spine.

"It's pretty even odds, actually." Jesse shrugged. "They're obviously bigger, but she's bendier and has the Force."

"Ke'day'duumi, chakaar!"

"Make me, vod'ika–"

"Gar dushne, Cody, you overgrown shabla thimiar–"

"L…language…"

"What in the world is going on here?" Plo sighed from the doorway. He held a large, brown paper bag with handles and stood with the posture of a disappointed father.

Cody blanched and immediately let Tiarek go. "Atten-tion!" he barked, causing the room to explode into motion as the half-asleep troopers all leapt to their feet on pure reflex. Boba was accidentally thrown off the couch by Jesse as he popped to his feet and saluted.

"Hi, Master," Ahsoka said sheepishly, getting to her feet last. She held out a hand to help up Boba, who accepted it with a wince. Jesse had tossed him right onto a hologame controller.

Plo chuckled. "At ease, gentlemen. And koh-to-yah, little 'Soka." He accepted the kiss she planted on his cheek. "I am very relieved to see all of you in one piece." He nodded at Boba. "Especially you, young man. By all accounts, you handled yourself bravely last night."

Boba blushed and looked down. He'd ended up in Ahsoka's lap crying like a fucking baby again, but maybe Plo didn't know that.

"Why is it that the moment I leave you alone, you get into trouble?" Plo teased Ahsoka.

She shrugged. "Trouble seems to find us, Master."

Plo shook his head. "I regret that I cannot stay longer, I must hurry to the Council chambers and then to The Triumphant. But I wanted to let you know, Ahsoka, that if things do not work out with Lady Skirata then contact Yeen Lah at the Tabori Academy in the Mah-Lo-Dahn district. Tuition has been taken care of."

Boba furrowed his brows and let Jesse reach behind him to retrieve a wayward plastoid gauntlet. "What are you talking about?"

Plo gently maneuvered his way through the dressing troopers and sat beside Boba on the sofa. "I have an old friend who is the headmaster of a boarding school here on Coruscant," he told him gently. "He has agreed to allow you to enroll on a probationary basis. As long as you behave yourself, you may attend on a scholarship."

Boba stared at Plo. "You're not worried I'll run away?" he asked bluntly.

Plo shrugged. "I would hope not. It would reflect quite poorly on Ahsoka and myself."

Boba almost asked why he should care on reflex, but bit his lip and nodded instead. It was time to grow up and stop slapping away help when it was offered genuinely. Not everyone was out to get him.

Most people, yes. But not everyone.

"I was very unhappy to learn of what had transpired regarding your armor, but I still wanted you to have these." Plo handed him the bag.

On top was a brand-new leather holster for a WESTAR. Boba picked it up, grinning, and examined it. It was buttery soft and a few shades darker than the ones his father used to have. "Wizard," he murmured.

"Is that bantha leather?" Fives asked, slipping on his pauldrons. Boba handed it to him to see, and he let out a low whistle.

"Indeed." Plo nodded. Next, Boba pulled out the package wrapped in plain brown paper that had been underneath the holster; inside was a dove-gray flight suit meant to be worn underneath his beskar plates.

"Cin vhetin," Plo said with a good-natured rumble. "A fresh start, yes?"

Boba nodded, staring speechlessly at the flight suit. He could feel the roughness of the armor weave embedded into the top layer of canvas, and it had several snaps on the arms and legs that would allow the length to be adjusted. Clearly, it was a garment meant to grow with him. "Why?" he finally asked Plo softly.

Plo's weird face squinched up in a smile. "We all deserve a second chance," he said, then patted him on the shoulder and stood. "Unfortunately, I must hurry, as I believe I'm already late for the Council meeting." He bowed at Boba. "I hope this is not the last time we meet, Boba Fett, but if it is, then let me tell you what a privilege it has been to know you."

"Koh-to-yah," Boba mumbled, his cheeks burning at all of the attention.

Plo's face squinched up even further. "Koh-to-yah," he bowed one more time, excusing himself.

"Hey," Ahsoka said softly after the door slid shut, placing a hand on his knee. "No matter what happens with Kaisa, we're getting your armor back. I'll bite her if I have to."

Boba nodded and tried to smile. "Are Togs really venomous?" he asked in a small voice.

Ahsoka burst into surprised laughter. "Some of us, yes. It's a recessive trait, almost exclusive to Togrutas from the southern continent. I had my glands removed when I was five."

"Really?" Fives asked, crestfallen. "Why?"

"I bit another Initiate," she said with a grin. "Our venom doesn't do anything but cause pain, but I was still deemed too big of a bite risk for them to remain."

"Lame." Fives helped haul Tup and Kix up to their feet. "Let's grab a transport before the lines start, 'lek? See you later, Commander." He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek punctuated with a snozzberry. "And as for you ad'ika," he began, an evil twinkle in his eye.

"Don't fucking kiss me," Boba warned, leaning away.

"I was going to say don't let your dinii'la buir hurt my Commander," Fives snickered.

"I won't," Boba promised. "I don't even know that she's my buir anymore. She'll have to prove it."

"Don't go easy on her. Make her work for it." Fives rubbed his scalp roughly, then gave him a little salute and followed Kix and Tup out the door.

"You're not actually dropping in this condition, are you?" Ahsoka asked Jesse, frowning.

He made a face. "I have no doubt Kix will chain me to a cot in the medbay. You know what a ba'buir he is." He leaned over and gave Ahsoka a hug, then winked at Boba. "See you around, squirt."

"See you." Boba watched him go with an unexpected longing heavy in his chest. His eyes turned on Cody, who was lazily lounging in halvsies. "You're not going?" he asked.

"Nope." Cody smirked at him. "I'm your escort to Corellia."

"Oh good, I'll have a buffer," Ahsoka sighed, then dramatically leaned against Tiarek. "Don't suppose I can commandeer you?" she asked teasingly, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

He laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "Some of us have to work for a living."

Boba rolled his eyes so hard that they nearly fell out of his head. We're not like that, she's my Commanding officer; Boba almost laughed out loud. Ahsoka clearly knew what was happening – the way her heartbeat had jumped like a blaster bolt had gone by her big head last night the second he smiled at her proved that– but she was a Jedi. She was ignoring it until it became background noise, like the way Dad's knee would ache in the rain that never stopped on Kamino. Tiarek, on the other hand, was just a fucking idiot and didn't realize he was in love with her. He probably thought it was totally normal to look at his little sister like she had invented sunshine.

Boba glanced over at Cody, who looked as exasperated as Boba felt. He gave Boba a weary nod of acknowledgement and crammed a handful of caramel bang-corn in his mouth.

"I guess we do at some point. Pretty convenient that we all had shore leave at the same time, though." Ahsoka scrunched her nose and giggled. "The 501st, 212th and 104th? Wild odds."

"Will of the Force," Tiarek deadpanned, then looked over at Boba. He frowned. "What?"

Oblivious says fucking what. Boba readjusted his face so he wasn't looking at his brother like he was the stupidest motherfucker in the galaxy and smiled. "Nothing."

Tiarek let go of his Commanding Officer and yanked him into a hard hug. "You be careful and watch her back, 'lek?" he said sternly.

"What I've been doing, vod," Boba said, his voice muffled by plastoid. He knew they had to let go at some point, but he was willing to wait for Tiarek to do it first.

Given Corellia's proximity to Coruscant, it had been deemed prudent for Obi-Wan and Cody to escort Ahsoka and Boba to the planet on a commercial transport rather than try to beg a ship off of a benefactor. The transport was surprisingly empty, with only a Twi'lek family with a set of very hyperactive little girls running up and down the aisles screaming play songs in Ryl, and a trio of very strongly-scented Chagrians in the aisle nearest the door. All in all, he'd certainly been forced to travel under worse conditions.

He had once had to stow away with Qui-Gon and Satine on a nerf transport. Sometimes he could still smell it in his dreams.

Ahsoka wasn't quite as frosty with him, but she was still quite stiff. She was making an active effort to act normal with him, Obi-Wan could see, but it was almost worse than the cold shoulder. He didn't like that she had to try.

Boba, in contrast to how they'd left Coruscant the first time, was now glued to her side. Every few minutes he'd throw Obi-Wan an unnerving glare before going back to watching something on the datapad he had propped on top of a rancor plush. It appeared that the two had become quite close during their short journey together.

He shouldn't have been that surprised. She had done a great deal for him, and clones seemed to be drawn to Ahsoka, regardless of age.

He finished up the last stitch in the sleeve of her robe, tied off a square knot, and snipped the thread. "Good as new," he said, smiling as he handed them to her.

"Thank you very much, Master." Ahsoka tucked them into her satchel and gave him a small nod and smile, then returned to her homework.

Obi-Wan met Cody's eyes and silently pled for his help. Cody's cheek twitched and he cleared his throat. "What're you working on?" he asked Ahsoka.

Her eyes flicked up. "Trigonometry Three." She looked back down.

Cody looked at him and raised his eyebrows.

"You're on the third module already?" Obi-Wan asked, seizing his opening gratefully. "I was under the impression you were still on the second."

"Started it a month ago." Ahsoka gave him a flat smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, like he was a stranger she was about to ask to squeeze behind in a crowded shopping aisle.

Boba glanced between them, working his jaw. "Gar'copaani ni rejorhaa'i ke'shab?" he asked her.

Ahsoka's eyes went wide. "Boba, no."

"Tion'meg? Ne'baati. Kaysh ne'vegyc chaabi gar. Gett'se'kovid ni ne'chaabi." The boy was looking at him like he was deciding whether or not to bite him.

"Boba, kaysh johaar'i Mando'a," Ahsoka sighed.

Boba met Obi-Wan's eyes fearlessly and dared him to say something.

"My Huttese is quite passable if you'd prefer to swear at me in that," Obi-Wan couldn't help but quip.

"Or I could just tell you to leave her the fuck alone in Basic," Boba snapped.

"Okay." Ahsoka yanked the datapad out of Boba's lap and put it and her homework on the empty seat opposite of them. "Let's go get a snack, 'lek? I know I saw a vending droid."

"Do you need money?" Obi-Wan dug in his pocket and offered her his credit chit.

"No, I–"

"I insist."

Ahsoka took it reluctantly. "Would you like anything?" she asked.

"I'm fine, thank you. Get whatever you'd like."

"I wouldn't say no to a biscuit," Cody added, moving his feet out of the way as she shuffled across the seats. Boba kept direct eye contact with Obi-Wan as she dragged him down the aisle.

"Well, this is going well." Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"I agree."

Obi-Wan turned his head to look at Cody. "I was being sarcastic, Commander."

"She let him curse you out to his heart's content before, didn't she?" Cody asked, smirking. "I'd say that was an improvement."

"True," Obi-Wan said. "But still." He watched Boba scroll through the menu, all the way to the bottom where the most expensive snacks were usually listed, then repeatedly press a button until Ahsoka smacked his hand away.

"Just give her a bit more time, Sir. She…" Cody made sure the duo was still far enough away to not overhear them. "That Null she chased down led her straight to the alley. I think it's all a bit fresh for her again."

"Which alley?" Obi-Wan asked, confused.

He got the sense that Cody was actively refraining from rolling his eyes. "The alley, Sir."

"The–" Obi-Wan trailed off, crestfallen. The alley in which he'd faked his death. "Oh."

"Yep."

Obi-Wan crossed his legs and frowned. "Why would he lead her there?"

"His exact words were 'I thought I could use the advantage.' "

"Why would that give him an advantage?"

Cody blinked at him. "Sir."

Obi-Wan enjoyed the expression Cody was making when it was directed at clueless shinies, but certainly didn't appreciate it being turned on him. "What?" he asked, trying not to sound offended.

"He did it so she'd be distracted, Sir," Cody patiently explained.

Obi-Wan busied himself with an invisible thread on the end of his sleeve so he didn't have to look at Cody's exasperated face. "Did you ever find out what happened to her arm?" he asked.

"I–" Cody started, but made a quick motion of head at the aisle. "They're coming back."

Ahsoka shuffled back into her seat with an armful of snacks, closely followed by Boba. He had an armful of a luxury brand of Pantoran chocolate treats and he kicked Obi-Wan in the shin as he scooted carelessly by.

Ahsoka tossed a sleeve of chocolate biscuits to Cody, a packet of shortbread cookies to Obi-Wan, then a can of tea to both of them before opening her pouch of jerky. "Thank you, Master." She handed him his chit. "I'll repay you for Boba's hyunakadi. He misunderstood the instructions on the droid."

"No I didn't," Boba said, shoving a chocolate-coated cookie into his mouth. "If you ask me nice I'll let you smell my breath when I'm done."

"Boba!" Ahsoka snapped. "Gev, vod'ika, tayli'bac? Chak'miit'la ne'gaat'tayli. Ni ru'tioni cuy'ehn. Ni nari dar'tioni'an."

Boba frowned and chewed his chocolate with a sour look on his face.

"How much longer to Corellia?" Ahsoka asked, biting the insides of her cheeks and hugging herself tightly. Her knee jiggled at hyperspeed. She looked like she wanted to jump out of the airlock.

"Two hours," Obi-Wan answered.

"Great." She stared out the window into hyperspace.

Obi-Wan watched her silently for a moment. She was stressed, clearly, it didn't take the Force to sense that. Her lekku lay limp and lifeless down her chest and her eyes were tight at the corners. She had forgone her Shilian sash and had chosen a set of dark-brown robes instead of the white and red she usually favored; Obi-Wan knew for a fact that the set he had just repaired weren't her only ones, so it had to be a conscious choice. There was a little black pouch on her belt that he'd never seen before. Despite snapping at the boy only a few moments earlier, she snuck her hand over to Boba's least-chocolatey one and laced their fingers together tightly.

"Do you remember the crèchetale about the purrgil and the oswaft?" Obi-Wan asked her softly.

Boba's expression shifted from hostile to curious for the first time in his presence.

Ahsoka glanced at Obi-Wan without moving her head, and her lip twitched just a tiniest bit at the corner. "I believe that's one of Huyang's favorites," she said quietly.

Cody put his boots up on the empty seat across from him. "How's it go?" he asked.

Obi-Wan looked back at Ahsoka. "Care to do the honors?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sure I remember it right. Maybe you should."

Obi-Wan recognized an olive branch when he saw one. He tried not to smile too wide, then cleared his throat. "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…"

Notes:

MANDO'A TRANSLATIONS Ni ven'kyramu ad kebbur: I will kill anyone who tries Ne'johaa: shush Mando'kar: a zest for life, big metaphorical balls Ba'jurur*: teacher Chakaar: general insult, used like asshole Ke'day'duumi: Let go! Ori/vod/ika: big/sibling/little Gar dushne: you're the worst Ad'ika: Little child, kiddo Dinii'la buir: Crazy mom Gar'copaani ni rejorhaa'i ke'shab?: Want me to tell him fuck off? Ne'baati. Kaysh ne'vegyc chaabi gar. Gett'se'kovid ni ne'chaabi.: I don't care. He shouldn't scare you. Scrotum head doesn't scare me. Boba, kaysh johaar'i Mando'a: Boba, he speaks Mando'a. Gev, vod'ika, tayli'bac? Chak'miit'la* ne'gaat'tayli. Ni ru'tioni cuy'ehn. Ni nari dar'tioni'an: Stop, little brother, understand? Assholery doesn't help. I asked three times. I am no longer asking. OTHER NOTES Sǫnkë squash: A medium sized, hard-skinned squash with a light blue background, dark blue stripes, light pink freckles, and magenta flesh. Native to Felucia and very bitter, but sweetens with fermentation. Often grown as feed for domesticated tamtam birds Mosasaur: large marine reptile native to the equator of Shili, invasive on the Aagani coast of the northern continent Caara: An evergreen tree with needled leaves, native to Shili's southern continent but widely cultivated off world, visually similar to a pine but with a brighter smell like ragweed. Produces between 10-20, 100-lb stonefruits that take a full summer to mature. Caara butter and oil is a popular skincare export from Shili Shunka: Small canid native to Shili (the dogs from Ahsoka's village in TOTJ) Hyunakadi: crispy Pantoran cookie, basically yakgwa but dipped in chocolate Oswaft: Legends creature, similar to a purrgil but resembling a manta ray instead of a whale. Native to the ThonBaka nebula Preemptively for nitpickers: I know that The Triumphant was destroyed at Abregado, Plo's Venator is The Triumphant II Electric Boogaloo Back on my random Togruta anatomy bullshit again ✌️

Taglist: @starwarsficnetwork, @soliloquy-of-nemo Dividers: @saradika-graphics

5 notes · View notes