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wild-karrde · 1 year ago

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HI HELLO IT IS I, WILD KARRDE, WHO IS PERPETUALLY BEHIND ON ALL FICS FOREVER. I HAVE COME TO REMEDY THIS ISSUE AND SCREECH AT YOU BECAUSE IRIS, YOU, YOU WILL BE HEARING FROM MY THERAPIST.

I adore the conflict within Rex that you show here, because I ABSOLUTELY believe that he felt so conflicted going after Echo. But he had to, because he's Rex, and after so much loss, he deserves this one second chance, this one brother. I love that so much.

And OOOOOF the reminiscing with Jesse and Kix. You are so good at writing these moments that I so wish we'd gotten to see in the show, and you do it BEAUTIFULLY. It's CRUSHING for Echo to just know that there's no way Fives wouldn't have come to see him if he was alive. Just OUCH MY HEART. And Rex immediately goING TO SEE CODYYYYY. And Cody being antsy??? He's PERFECT. Iris this is SO HIM.

And REX'S GUILLLTTTT AUGGGGGH. AND CODY BEING A GOOD BIG BROTHER. KNOWING HIM SO WELLLLLLLL. I know we got a good amount of them, but I wanted more (because I am selfish) SO THANK YOU FOR SATING ME.

“Rex, we aren’t going to sit here and act like you haven’t been a miserable piece of shit since you two ended things.”

This line of dialogue is perfection and I CACKLED. And Cody reversing course because he saw how good it was for Rex? My heart is growing ten sizes from this chapter.

He had seen many incredible things done by the Jedi, but to see that amount of raw power coming from someone he cared about… it was mesmerizing, inspiring, and terrifying all at once.

I LOVE THIS. Rex has seen this sort of power of course, but there's always that degree of separation with Anakin and Ahsoka and Obi-Wan. But to have it be Talia? Someone he's been so close to? UUUGH I think you capture this so well.

It hurt to think that she might have moved on so quickly, but Rex couldn’t fault her for doing what made her happy. In fact, the only thing he wanted for her was happiness.

HE IS SO GOOD AND KIND AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH UUUUUGH.

Talia stopped in her tracks and turned on her heel to face him. “Your enhanced senses can’t work like that.” Hunter snorted at how she didn’t even deny it, a grin curving on his tattooed face. “They don’t. Anyone with any sense can see it.”

I adore this exchange and just how Hunter is with Talia. I've always liked the notion that as awkward as Hunter is in some situations, that he's still perceptive and gets people. I think you have to be able to in order to be a good leader (which by all accounts, he is). And him seeing how they look at one another and pointing it out? I am CLIMBING THE WALLS OH MY GOOOOODDDDD.

Talia’s words were cut off as Rex’s lips pressed into hers, her eyes widening in shock but fluttering closed as she melted into the kiss.

God dammit I love unresolved tension that snaps and is still confusing and ends with JUST DESPERATION I DON'T THINK THAT'S ACTUALLY A TROPE OR JUST A VERY SPECIFIC ONE BUT HEY HELLO I LOVE THIS LET'S GO. THE APOLOGIES, THE WORDS TUMBLING OUT, THE ADMISSION THAT NEITHER REGRETTED THE KISS (I know this comment is devolving, but I am just losing it with happiness/excitement at the moment. Please stand by.)

She lost her train of thought, any words of reassurance or doubts of herself that she was about to say we lost as she looked into his eyes. Instead, she blurted out words she should have said long ago-“I love you.”

I AM A PUDDLE ON THE FLOOR. AND THEN HE SAYS "I KNOW". GOD DAMMIT IRIS (affectionately).

AND THEN THE DESPERATION. THE NEED. THE MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME. THE FIGURING EACH OTHER OUT ALL OVER AGAIN. THE AWKWARDNESS. THE TEASING.

“Take them off before I rip them off of you.”

I have ascended to another dimension no one try to contact me I just am SCREAMING. POSSESSIVE REX? EVERYTHING. HE CAN HAVE WHATEVER. I JUST...

AND HER OFFERING TO LEAVE THE ORDER FOR HIM?????A;OLIHSDG;AD;SLKGHKAL;SGH;KLASDHG;LDKSAGLKASHDFHGOIAPSDHGOPSdfFUCK

“We should go back to the island.”

SCREAMING. CRYING. LOSING MY FOOKIN MIND.

As you can see, I had a very normal and measured response to this chapter and am just panicking over what is to come. VERY PANICKED VERY WORRIED.

Illicit Affairs - Chapter 21

Captain Rex x OC

Previous Chapter

Chapter Summary: The battle for Anaxes has reached its breaking point. As the Republic and Separatist forces face off, will Rex and Talia be able to get past their history or will the rising tension between them lead to further broken hearts.

Chapter Rating: E (18+)

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Smut, Oral (f receiving), PiV, creampie, canon typical violence, mentions of death.

A/N: Thanks for your patience with the wait on this one. It's a long chapter, but I in no good conscious could split it in half and make y'all wait (which for me, who loves good cliffhangers, is saying something.) Thanks to my darling @galacticgraffiti for beta reading, and for being with me on this journey for TWO YEARS. Won't be much longer for the next chapter.

Ao3 Link

Series Masterlist

19 BBY - Anaxes

The Republic suffered heavy losses on Anaxes, something that Rex couldn’t help but feel a bit of guilt for as he walked through the medical station at camp. Given the chance, he wouldn’t do anything differently, he would always go back for Echo; but he couldn’t ignore the nagging thought in the back of his head that he should also have been in the field for the rest of his men. It was hard for him to not feel like he had the responsibility of the war on his shoulders. After so many years of command it was impossible to not feel that burden. Part of his mind told himself that he should be used to it by now, that this was the way of war. But the other part reminded himself that he was feeling that guilt because he was human.

Echo had been in medical care since they arrived back on Anaxes the night before, and Rex hadn’t seen him since. He had to get caught up on the siege and was also encouraged by Kix to give the medical team some time, and Echo a chance for much needed rest. But Rex came as soon as he had a moment, he wanted Echo to know he had someone there for him. As soon as Rex walked in to see him, he was greeted by the sound of raucous laughter.

“-and that’s not even all of it,” Jesse was saying as he stood in front of Echo, a grin overtaking his face. Kix was leaning on a table to the side, shaking his head but smiling along, Echo sat on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands as he shook with laughter. “You know how Hardcase could never say no to anything. So, when he was dared to try a sip, he downed the whole bottle-”

“And the whole barracks regretted the dare with how much he puked that night,” Rex added, remembering the story Jesse was sharing as he walked in. Jesse and Kix laughed at the memory and Echo smiled along. “We were lucky to be shipped out the next morning: I feel bad for the cleaning droids that had to deal with that.”

“I’m sure the 501st is responsible for half the contraband rules in the GAR,” Echo joined in, the smile on his face making him look livelier than he had the day before. Jesse and Kix said their goodbyes, giving Rex a chance to talk to Echo alone.

“How are you feeling?” Rex asked tentatively.

“As good as I can be,” Echo replied simply with a small shrug. “Medics say I’m fine, I’ve just been getting some nutrients and solid food for the first time since…well, since it happened.”

Rex nodded, glad to know that there weren’t any flags raised. Echo would still have to go through some conditioning and a psych eval before going back to combat, but there was some relief in knowing Echo would be ok. Echo shifted his seat, a frown creasing on his lips as his face scrunched in thought. He glanced at the door where Jesse and Kix just walked out, then back at Rex.

“Fives is dead, isn’t he?”

Rex exhaled heavily. Of course, Echo was too smart to not figure out why Fives hadn’t come to see him yet.

“I’m sorry. That’s one of the reasons I was coming to talk to you today.”

Echo nodded, his head tilted down, so he was looking at his hand and the scomp link the Techno Union had attached. “The last thing I remember was him calling my name. Next thing I knew-”

Echo’s words choked in his throat, but he swallowed whatever he was trying to say. He glanced back up at Rex and forced a smile. “Figured he would have been on the mission with you guys, that’s how I knew he was gone.”

“I’m sorry,” Rex repeated, because once more guilt was taking over him. It felt too simple just to say ‘sorry’. That one small word couldn’t encompass all the guilt he was feeling, and how it connected to Fives. He forced a low chuckle, thinking of a different world.“Fives would have been the first volunteer, and he might have single-handedly taken on the Techno Union if he’d seen what they did to you.”

“How did it-” Echo started to ask but a knock sounded on the door. Rex and Echo glanced to see Talia standing in the doorway. A pit formed in Rex’s stomach at her sudden appearance; he hadn’t spoken to her since their conversation on the Havoc Marauder.

“Sorry, I can go if I’m interrupting,” Talia quickly said, her eyes flicking once in Rex’s direction before locking on Echo. “I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“It’s fine. I was just leaving, General,” Rex said quickly. Echo’s eyes darted between the two of them, but he smiled politely at Talia. In truth Rex did have to leave - he was supposed to be in command for a briefing on his next assignment. And Cody was still injured, so he was going to stop by his quarters to see him after checking on Echo. He was also being selfish, because he hadn’t thought of how he would explain how Fives died to Echo before he stepped in. Everything around Fives’ death was painful, and he didn’t want to cause Echo any more potential stress. It was just another burden for Rex to carry.

Since Cody was out of immediate danger, he was allowed to rest in his officer’s quarters and attend briefings, but much to his chagrin, he wasn’t cleared for combat. When Rex entered Cody’s room, the commander was out of the bed, sitting at his desk with a datapad in front him. Rex knew no medical orders could keep his brother from work. Cody didn’t look too bad anymore, he was just bandaged around his chest; it was probably precaution more than anything that kept him on rest. Cody looked up as Rex entered and offered a mumbled greeting.

“How are you feeling?” Rex asked, sitting on the edge of the bed that Cody had abandoned.

“I’m fine,” Cody grunted, uncharacteristically grumpy. He sighed and looked at Rex. “I should be cleared for duty already. It’s ridiculous being cooped up here.”

“I’m sure Kenobi has things under control, and wouldn’t want you to rush yourself,” Rex offered. Cody grunted again.

“You’re right. Hell, he’s probably the one ordering the medics to keep me here no matter how much I try and pull rank,” Cody’s tone had lightened a bit. “Still, I can’t imagine I’ll be out of action much longer. I heard things went well on Skako.”

Rex nodded. “Echo’s still being looked over. He seems to be holding things together well, after everything he’s been through.”

“That’s good to hear, he was always a good kid,” Cody said. He sighed as he leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. “Never deserved for that to happen to him.”

Rex nodded. He couldn’t think of anyone who would deserve what the Techno Union did to Echo.

“How’ve you been holding up?” Cody asked.

“It’s not easy to see brother in that state, or to know I’m partially responsible for him being left behind-”

“You’re not,” Cody interrupted. “You know you can’t think like that. It was a mission from hell, and we couldn’t have known what would happen to him.”

“Still doesn’t make it any easier.” Rex replied darkly.

Cody seemed to accept that and nodded.

“Still, that actually wasn’t what I was talking about,” Cody said slowly, as if Rex was missing something more obvious. Rex just stared at him in mild confusion. Cody put his datapad down and fixed Rex with a serious stare. “You looked like you saw a ghost when you saw General Riva the other day, Rex.”

“I don’t see what that has to do with anything.” Rex frowned and shook his head.

“Rex, we aren’t going to sit here and act like you haven’t been a miserable piece of shit since you two ended things.”

Rex scoffed at that, “Bold of you to call that out.”

Cody sighed and pushed his chair back. “Honestly… seeing how you’ve been since and watching you two dance around each other in command meetings this past week, I’m surprised no one else called either of you out before.”

“There’s nothing to call out, we ended-”

“I know it’s over,” Cody waved him off, “But Rex, come on. You look at her like the stars shine out of her ass. How the hell did I never see it?”

Rex stared at him in disbelief. “What does it even matter now?”

Cody sighed and fixed Rex with an imploring look. “I’m saying you do everything you can to look after the 501st, all of our brothers. Maybe I was wrong to call out the one thing you did to look after yourself.”

“What, suddenly I have your blessing or something?” Rex scoffed.

“I don’t give a shit what you do. All I care about is that you take care of yourself. We’ve lost so much. All of us. And we need to fight for something that we believe. Not because we were trained to fight for it, but because we chose to fight for it. It’s what makes us human.”

Rex frowned and looked at his hands, already warring with himself. He opened his mouth to try and find a reply, but nothing came out. He was rescued by his comm beeping - General Skywalker ready to brief him on the next assignment already. Rex sighed heavily, and glanced back at Cody who was still giving him that frustrating, knowing look. If he hadn’t been injured, Rex would have had an urge to slap it off his face. And yet once again, Rex was leaving Cody’s room after a conversation that would stick in his mind.

The air around the base was tense. One didn’t need the Force to sense that something was about to finally give in the battle for Anaxes. They had been stuck in this stalemate for too long, and now both sides were getting ready for a final push. Rex trusted Echo’s plan to feed false information to the Separatist forces, even if Rex was worried Echo was pushing himself back into action too quickly. Rex would also stand by Echo, no matter how much the Batch seemed wary of his intentions, worried that he had spent too much time working with the Separatists to truly be on the Republic’s side again. Rex knew Echo, knew he’d had no choice in what his mind was used for. But now, he did.

The Batch and Anakin had already boarded the Havoc Marauder, and as Rex turned to join them a voice called out, “Wait a second!”

Rex turned as Talia was running over, a little out of breath. She halted in front of him as Rex stood next to the walkway.

“Aren’t you leading the 412th into the assembly complex?” Rex asked bluntly. Talia frowned, but shook her head.

“Storm has it under control. I figured you all could use some extra support here,” Talia’s tone turned stiff. “Is that going to be a problem for you?”

Rex couldn’t ignore the slight crack in her voice. He sighed and shook his head, “It’s not my call what you chose to do, General.”

Talia pursed her lips but nodded, “Then we best get on our way.”

She sidestepped him and boarded the ship, leaving Rex looking on as he once again found himself berating every little action he took. Just like when they went to Skako Minor, he knew her help was always an asset. And he didn’t want it to be this way, but he was still thinking about his conversation with Cody, and what had happened on Skako.

It wasn’t his place to question her, especially not anymore, but Rex could still feel the terror-filled awe that had overtaken him when he watched Talia take down the tri-droids with lightning. He had seen many incredible things done by the Jedi, but to see that amount of raw power coming from someone he cared about… it was mesmerizing, inspiring, and terrifying all at once. He had always known how powerful Talia was, even when she doubted it herself, but this was beyond anything he could ever have imagined. And what had scared him the most was that Talia didn’t seem to care about the cost it took on her. He saw how the lightning lit up her body, encasing her in a frightening glow, only for her to fall weak to her knees, exhausted and drained instantly after. Rex was a practical man, and Talia was right that a power like that had its use. He just didn’t think it was worth risking anything that could cause her pain.

As he contemplated this, he was only left more frustrated afterward, unable to convey his worry as anything more than irritation. Especially when it seemed like there had been a chance for normalcy between them again with how they had talked on the mission.

He didn’t want to hurt her, that was never something Rex desired. But he couldn’t resist throwing her words back at her, because even though Rex knew Talia hadn’t meant to be cruel, she had to know how horrible it made him feel. But now he felt even worse for the pain he saw in her eyes, seeing that she obviously felt guilt for the way things had ended between them.

And then there was what Cody said. As frustrated as Rex was by his brother’s sudden change of tone, Rex couldn’t go back on his decision just like that. For all he knew, Talia wouldn’t even want him anymore. Rex had surely done enough to keep her at arm’s length in his own misguided sense of duty, but he also worried he may have lost his chance. Crosshair’s teasing remarks to Hunter still rung in his ears, and he thought of how comfortable she seemed with the Sergeant. It hurt to think that she might have moved on so quickly, but Rex couldn’t fault her for doing what made her happy. In fact, the only thing he wanted for her was happiness.

If only there was time to work out this mess between them before it complicated things on missions even more. But Rex couldn’t ignore the rushing feeling around him, that the galaxy was heading in a certain direction and couldn’t be stopped. He, his brothers, and the Jedi were caught in the middle, ready to crash when this all ended.

Sneaking onto the Separatist dreadnought went almost too smoothly, something that kept Talia’s nerves on edge. They didn’t encounter any droids on the way to the comm vault, aiding their plans for a stealth mission - even if Wrecker seemed to be tired of all their sneaking around. The vault was a small, circular room lined with wiring and electrical lights, and a tall console in its middle that Tech was rigging an interface in so Echo could safely log in. Anakin was checking to make sure there were no other entrances to the vault, ensuring that they couldn’t be attacked by Separatist troops. Talia held her blade in her hand, twirling it in her hand, ready to ignite at a second’s notice.

Talia was playing things close to the chest with this mission. Storm had already sent her a message conveying that the other Generals were not so understanding of her decision to abandon the plan that she should lead the 412th into the assembly complex, and that she had left Storm to command in her stead. But Talia’s mind was in too many places, and her judgment told her this was the place she needed to be. She could deal with the council later, even though she could guess that she would be under criticism for her rash decisions.

Once Tech gave the go ahead, Echo scomped into the mainframe, instantly accessing all the data. He intercepted a request from Admiral Trench, which Tech pointed out they would need to reroute the message to make it seem like the call was still coming from Skako Minor.

Talia stepped into the corridor that was leading to the mainframe, giving some space from the small room. They were lucky to have been undetected this long, but Talia knew that luck would eventually run out. She tapped her foot, glancing around as she tried to keep her mind focused.

“You doing alright?” Hunter’s question cut into her nervousness as he stepped up beside her in the corridor.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Talia shrugged off, her voice more curtly than she had intended, earning a raised brow from Hunter. She exhaled, and attempted to sound more at ease. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I’ve just noticed how…tense you get whenever the Captain’s around.”

Talia stopped in her tracks and turned on her heel to face him. “Your enhanced senses can’t work like that.”

Hunter snorted at how she didn’t even deny it, a grin curving on his tattooed face. “They don’t. Anyone with any sense can see it.”

Talia cursed under her breath. “Here I thought we were always good at hiding it.”

“You probably were before,” Hunter shrugged. “But whatever happened between you two…it’s still hanging in the air.”

Talia huffed a laugh at that, it was such a simple observation, but she couldn’t ignore the truth behind it. “You don’t even know half of it.”

“Well, I know one thing; even if you had never told me you had a history with a clone, I would have still known you were in love with him by the way you two go back and forth. In battle, and in conversation,” Hunter stated as simply as if he were recounting a mission. He made it sound so obvious, , as if it were the most natural thing. “Hell, even the way you look at him when you think no one else is noticing. Same for him.”

Talia let out a mirthless laugh at that, “I think we’re long past the days where he looked at me that way.”

She berated herself for letting that slip. She had already overstepped with Hunter in too many ways to count, but he just looked at her with a somewhat exasperated look. “He’s doing it now.”

Talia frowned and glanced over her shoulder, just to see Rex’s head turn the other way. Talia’s cheeks burned and her heart ached, she couldn’t give herself that hope, even if Hunter was trying to make it feel better. Shaking her head, she mumbled, “We should check what’s going on.”

Walking back into the room, Rex’s eyes flicked in her direction once more, to Hunter, then back to Talia. His lips flickered to an almost imperceptible frown, something anyone but Talia wouldn’t have noticed. She must be imagining it, though. Interrupting her musings, Tech made a confused noise as he looked at his datapad.

“I’m intercepting a transmission,” Tech said, suspicion in his voice, “Trench is ordering all his troops to the assembly complex.”

“All right, Echo, what are you trying to pull?” Hunter asked doubtfully.

“Don’t worry, that’s what I told him to do,” Echo answered with an assuredness only an ARC Trooper possessed.

“But our troops will be vastly outnumbered?” Rex deduced doubtingly.

“Not when I send the feedback pulse that shuts down all the droids,” Echo explained.

“How do we know that’s what you’re really going to do?” Hunter asked suspiciously. Both he and Tech were sharing a doubting look, as if they had been expecting this all along.

“We have to trust him,” Rex jumped in, frustration mounting in his voice as he tried to placate Hunter and Tech.

“Rex is right,” Talia joined, knowing that nothing would be accomplished if the squad was arguing amongst itself. “If Echo says the plan will work, it’ll work.”

“We’re counting on you, Echo,” Anakin said as he lifted his wrist to call General Windu, warning him that things were going to get a lot heavier for the troops in the assembly complex. Echo returned his focus, and Hunter and Tech seemed to accept that if it was a good enough plan for the Jedi, it was good enough for them, even if Talia could still feel the lingering suspicion on them. Rex on the other hand, didn’t waiver in his trust. In fact he seemed grateful that the tension had dissipated.

“We should be on guard,” Talia said aside to Rex, “With what I know of Trench, he’ll probably be suspicious the second things don’t work out as planned.”

“You’re right,” Rex agreed, glancing down at Echo, “I hope he didn’t play his hand too strong.”

“Keep an eye on things here, I can patrol outside and be ready at the first sign of trouble,” Talia ordered, already turning to the exit.

“What?” Rex asked, following her, “Let one of the Batch do it, I know Wrecker is itching for a fight.”

“And that’s a surefire way for us all to be discovered before anything happens,” Talia joked, earning a light huff of laughter from Rex. “Don’t worry: they won’t see me until it’s too late to do anything about it.”

Rex nodded as Talia turned away, her hilt in hand and ready for action.

“Talia,” Rex called, and she stopped; she had almost forgotten how sweet her first name sounded off his lips. She glanced back at him, his hands clenched at his sides, his brow furrowed as if he didn’t know why he called for her in the first place. He exhaled softly and met her eyes, “May the Force be with you.”

Talia nodded in return, a warmth settling in her, “May the Force be with you.”

The eerie calm of the ship was something that might have unsettled a younger Talia, new to war and battle. Hell, even a few hours ago she would have been more unnerved by the prospect of sneaking around, waiting for the calm to break. But she had to be prepared, she knew this calm would not last. It never did. She hid in the ventilation shafts, out of reach of any droids who passed by on patrol, waiting for any sign or signal that would propel her into action.

Talia’s comm chirped and she answered quickly, hearing Rex on the other side.

“Talia, they know we’re onboard. We’re going to have to make a quick evac,” Rex said rapidly.

“Got it, I’ll clear a path for you,” Talia answered. Sure enough, the sounds of clanking footsteps were starting to fill the corridors. Talia kicked open the grate beneath her and dropped below, landing with a thud and ignited her saber. She held the blade in front of her, the glow lighting the corridor as the steps approached. Talia stood still, breathed in and out, and waited for the first droid to round the corner.

Once they turned, they immediately fired, but Talia was ready, redirecting their shots effortlessly with her saber. The hall was narrow, preventing more than two droids from lining up side by side as they approached. Talia sprinted forward, her momentum carrying her up the side of the wall, and she leapt in the middle of the group of droids. Before they could turn back to fire at her, she tossed her saber at the front group, slicing them in half before calling it back. She twirled her blade rapidly, redirecting the shots the second group was firing at her, slowly pressing forward to make it to the end of the hall.

Blaster fire echoed down the corridor; more droid forces must have corned the rest of the squad. Still, Talia pushed forward, hoping that her presence as a Jedi would call more of the droid troops to her position.

She sliced droids in half, used the force to crush them into the durasteel walls of the ship. Their shots danced around her, narrowly missing her as she carved a path through them. Her comm beeped, but she ignored the sound as she focused on the droids. Rapid metal footsteps behind her proved her plan worked, as a pair of commando droids stormed towards her. She held up her hand and slowed them with the Force, still using her blade to take out the droids closer to her. As she lost her hold, they sprinted toward her, but she moved quicker, sliding to the ground on her knees and slicing the droids at their calves, making them crash to the ground. The disassembled droids tried to push themselves up, but Talia Force-pushed them backwards, into the pile of miscellaneous droid parts her fighting had caused.

Talia ran forward down the hall, getting closer and closer to the port the squad had used to enter the ship. Blaster fire still sounded, and she hoped the squad had made it back unharmed.

Another squad of droids found her, and Talia had to give their programming credit for their tenacity. A few more, and this might even grow to be a challenge for her. She raised her blade, ready to strike again when a small round device rolled towards the droids from behind her.

The droid popper went off and the droids crumpled to the ground from the shock. Talia’s blade disengaged as she turned in confusion to see Rex standing behind her, one hand holding a blaster that pointed at where the droids previously stood.

“The rest of the squad is already on the ship, we need to go,” he explained shortly.

“I had it under control,” Talia answered irritably; she didn’t need to be rescued from a handful of battle droids. Rex sighed as he turned.

“You weren’t answering your comm,” Rex said as he stepped away. “And I wasn’t going to leave you.”

Guilt wrapped in Talia’s gut for how harsh her tone was. She quickened her steps after him and grabbed Rex’s forearm. He halted his steps, his helmet locked on where her hand grabbed him as she said, “Thanks…for having my back.”

His helmet lifted and she stared into the back of his visor. “Always will.”

Talia didn’t know what to say. She just nodded, and finally released his arm when she realized she was holding it for far longer than she should have. Rex nodded and turned back down the hall, his blaster raising once more.

It didn’t take them long to reach the Marauder, which dislodged from the dreadnought as soon as they were safely on board. Anakin handed a detonation device to Wrecker, who let out a loud cheer as the dreadnought exploded, and Talia internally echoed his joy: after so much back and forth, it was good to have a victory that meant this siege was over. She stepped out of the cockpit, going to sit in the back of the ship for the quick trip back to base.

“Talia,” Rex’s voice called from behind her, she turned to find him approaching her, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. Talia flicked a simple grin back at him, ignoring the way her gut flipped as he came up.

“For the record,” he started, and Talia tensed, preparing for some other fault he had suddenly discovered in her. But to her surprise, Rex;s hand was scratching the back of his neck, his tone more apologetic as he continued. “I know you could have handled those droids. I wasn’t trying to overstep-“

“You were trying to show off,” Talia interrupted, deciding humor was the best way to dissolve yet another moment of tense awkwardness. To her relief, Rex smiled. “I meant my thanks. You know more than most how stubborn I can get.”

Rex laughed at that, then asked, “So, what’s next for you? I’m assuming the 412th will be shipped out pretty quickly.”

“I’m sure I’ll be getting orders from the council as soon as we land,” Talia shrugged, not letting herself feel hope at the twinge of something akin to sadness she felt coming from Rex as he asked her, “That is, of course, if I’m not grounded on Coruscant again.”

Rex raised a brow at her, and Talia sighed, biting her lip before continuing, “I kind of went rogue to join you guys here. Storm covered for me, and things ended up working out, but I can bet I’ll be getting an earful about recklessness.”

“Why would you do that?” Rex asked. His brows were cinched as he tried to read her face. For such a smart man, he could be truly oblivious at times. Talia was sure the same could be said about herself.

Talia glanced around the ship, making sure the Batch and Anakin were still otherwise focused before she met Rex’s eyes. “Look, Rex, I know things are complicated between us right now. But I still care about you, and I was worried.”

Rex didn’t say anything, his brows still furrowed as he listened. Talia gulped and couldn’t hold back the words spilling from her mouth.

“It’s just, I can tell how much stress you’ve been under, and I know I haven’t helped with that, but when you went to Skako I had to be there for you in case things with Echo didn’t turn out as well. And today, I was just still so nervous that something would go wrong, and even if you didn’t want me here I had to make sure-“

Talia’s words were cut off as Rex’s lips pressed into hers, her eyes widening in shock but fluttering closed as she melted into the kiss. His hand was placed against her lower back, holding her close to him; Talia had weirdly missed the uncomfortable way that plastoid pressed into her as her body was against his.

Rex pulled back slowly, his eyes drifting open, that soft, warm brown that still made her gut twist in the best way. For a moment, he looked content, then his eyes widened, and he removed his hand from her back.

“I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t-“ Rex shook his head softly but the way he looked at her told Talia that he didn’t believe a word he was saying.

Talia opened her mouth, trying to say a million things back to him. It’s ok. You have no idea how much I wanted that. I missed you.

I love you.

“We’ll be landing shortly, everyone should get seated,” Tech called from the cockpit. Rex pushed away from Talia, returning to the cockpit. She was frozen, still feeling him on her lips and cursing herself for not saying more, terrified that she had lost her last chance.

Some people hated goodbyes, or at least Rex had heard that in sayings tossed around by natborns. But Rex had always felt differently, mostly because he couldn’t count the number of people he never had the chance to say goodbye to. He couldn’t let himself linger on it, it wouldn’t help anything, but sometimes he found himself wondering what he would say with one last word. But Rex was beginning to understand what the sayings meant, as he watched Echo leave.

He knew it was the right call, that Echo knew where his place really was. It just felt like Rex was saying goodbye to a part of him, even though Echo hadn’t been back for long. But Echo was something to hold on to from the early days of the war, ever since he was that overeager shiny from the Rishi Moon. Just a kid when he joined the 501st, now he was a man forged by the harsh clock of war. And with him left one of the few things that tied Rex to an older version of himself he could scarcely remember.

Rex informed the generals that the Bad Batch had already departed, not being the types for the ceremonies of the medals they had earned. The generals didn’t comment, and Rex stood tall as General Windu handed him the medal he had earned. It sounded egotistical to say, but Rex couldn’t count the amount he had gotten in the last three years. He kept them of course, but he never knew what to think of them. At first there was an honor that came with them, and he still felt that, but now he couldn’t ignore the way he was shrouded by a bit of jadedness. After everything that had happened, this was just another campaign to add to the countless he had been in. He saluted as Windu gave him the medal, but the one thing on his mind was Talia, and wondering why she wasn’t there.

Dusk had quickly settled over the encampment, its golden glow and the harsh shadows casting over the men who already worked to pack up equipment. A small force would remain on Anaxes, as was protocol, but the cog of GAR couldn’t slow down, and most of the forces would be quickly redistributed to wherever else in the Galaxy they were needed. Rex had assumed the 412th would be one of the first groups to set out, something seemingly confirmed by the amount of troops wearing black and gold armor that still hustled around the base.

It was reckless and stupid for Rex to kiss Talia, not just because they were in plain view of Anakin and the Batch, but because he had done it without thinking. His feet carried him across the compound, somehow more determined than his own confused mind as they led Rex in a direction with no idea what course of action he could even take.

Three heavy knocks pounding on her durasteel door shocked Talia out of her meditation, or more of her attempt at it. She should be packing; she was heading out first thing in the morning, but when she got back to her room she couldn’t focus on anything. Not the report she needed to fill out, not the fact that she was clearly in trouble with the Council from the tone that Windu and Kenobi had used with her. The only thing she could think about was how she could still feel Rex’s lips on hers, could still feel the pressure of his hand against her lower back, the remnants of his essence tattooed in her memory. She practically bolted to her room after speaking with the other Jedi, trying to rid the confusing moment from her mind to no avail. So when the knocks sounded, in the way that only he ever did, she stared at the door as if that would will it to open, for she was frozen to the ground and unsure if she could even handle being in a space alone with Rex.

Slowly, she rose from the ground, approaching the door with heavy steps before opening it. Rex stood on her step, his helmet clutched tightly in his hands, doubt and questioning etched into his face. His eyes met Talia’s, and for a moment she half expected him to excuse himself and turn away, instead he blurted, “Can I come in?”

With a lump in her throat, Talia nodded and stepped to the side, allowing Rex to enter, quickly shutting the door behind him. It was strange how easily he fit into the room, she was so used to sharing spaces with him that she hadn’t pinpointed how empty her quarters felt without him until this moment. His eyes scanned over the room, shifting his feet uncomfortably as he fiddled with his helmet in his hands. He exhaled, and set it on Talia’s desk, before returning to face her.

“Echo left,” he said with measured words. Whatever he was going to say, that wasn’t close to what Talia expected, and she sensed it was not what he planned on saying first.

“I’m sorry,” Talia offered sincerely, knowing how conflicted Rex must feel about it. “I’m guessing he joined the Batch?”

Rex nodded. “I told him to go, and said that if it was where he felt his place was, then that’s where he belongs.”

“Not everyone’s path is the same one they started on,” Talia said sagely, “After everything Echo’s been through, I’m glad he’s able to choose his own way.”

“You know, it’s funny,” Rex said slowly. “’Choice’ was never something us clones would have thought of. From the moment we’re created, our whole plan is set ahead of us. We train, we fight, and then we die for the Republic. Or atleast, that’s what I used to think. Once I got out here, once I lived, I knew nothing could be so simple, no matter how much my training tried to tell me there was just one goal for me. In fact, the longer I’ve survived, the more confusing it all seems.”

“That’s living,” Talia mused softly, “Even the wisest seers in the Order can misread the future. That’s because there’s no accounting for how people grow, how they can change their minds and their wants.”

“Or how they can be pushed in different directions,” Rex added. He shook his head, then glanced back at Talia. They stood in silence, just the low thrum of the air running through the vents of the quarters, the faded sounds of the camp outside the walls. Rex shifted his stance, and took a breath before addressing Talia again.

“I had to see you before you left,” Rex started, his words weighted and heavy. “I owe you an apology-“

“Rex don’t-“ Talia interrupted, crossing her arms and avoiding his gaze. She gulped. “Emotions were running high, and that can be confusing enough for anyone.”

“That’s not-, I’m not here to apologize for the kiss,” Rex took a deep breath, “I mean...yes, if it upset you, I’m sorry for that. But I’m not sorry I kissed you.”

Talia’s heart pounded, “It didn’t upset me.”

Rex was trembling slightly as he approached her, as if the weight of all the burdens he had been carrying of late were finally releasing from him.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” Rex said softly, his voice rough and sincere. “That’s the thing I want least in the galaxy.”

“I didn’t mean what I said,” Talia pleaded, the gap between them closing. “Rex, you know I think so much more of you, of all of you, than that you’re just soldiers-“

“I know that, “ Rex offered, “I know you too well to think you meant it. But at the moment, it hurt.”

“I regretted it the second I said it,” Talia continued, “But you left and I realized I ruined everything.”

“You didnt-” Rex took a deep breath, shaking his head as he insisted, “I was the one who fucked it all up.”

“What a pair we are, huh?” Talia forced a laugh before toying with her lip. She glanced back up at Rex, and hesitated before admitting. “We had everything, but it fell apart so fast.”

“We knew it was too good to last.” Rex muttered, but he knew he was lying to himself, trying to comfort the guilt he was feeling.

“Did we? I think I was so blinded, I couldn’t see anything other than you. But then you were gone and…I realized how much of a fool I was…” the words were beginning to roll off Talia’s tongue, faster than her own mind could comprehend what she was saying to hold herself together. “I realized how much I held back and wished I didn’t. How much more we could have had if I hadn’t been such an idiot. Now, when I think of you I’m in pain; because I had something perfect, something amazing. And I lost it because I felt like I didn’t deserve it.”

Rex was silent, and fear crept into Talia that she had admitted too much. That she was speaking to a lost cause, that he had lost any ounce of feeling he once had for her and this conversation was doing nothing but making him pity her.

“I’m the one who pushed you away,” Rex offered, cutting through Talia’s thoughts. Rex avoided her eyes, as if the piercing gaze would be too strong for him to face as he searched for his own explanation. “All because I got scared that we could never have what we wanted, that no matter what I felt, it wasn’t possible. You called me a coward, and you were right. Just… after you got hurt, I was so terrified. I couldn’t deal with the pain of losing you like that. And when Cody confronted me, I gave in. Almost as if I felt that if we weren’t together, that it would hurt less than the fear of losing you.”

“Rex,” Talia said softly, lifting a hand to his face. Rex tensed at the contact, and Talia almost retracted her touch, but his eyes met hers and they were those same soft, warm eyes that she loved. She lost her train of thought, any words of reassurance or doubts of herself that she was about to say we lost as she looked into his eyes. Instead, she blurted out words she should have said long ago-“I love you.”

Her heart pounded as the words escaped her lips, fear and doubt creeping into her mind as she worried if she lost her mind for even saying it now, the same fear that had kept her from saying it before. But now it was out there and couldn’t be taken back.

“I know,” Rex replied softly, stepping so close to her now that barely inches separated them. “I’ve always known. Just like I’ve always known I’m in love with you.”

Talia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, whether to keep spouting her feelings, dating back to all the times she should have said it before, but she just did the thing that felt most natural to her, which was to pull Rex closer and kiss him.

Rex’s arms were around her in an instant, holding her tightly against him, his grasp so tight it was clear he had no intention of letting her go. Talia’s hands wrapped around the back of his neck, fingernails scraping against that small patch of skin not covered by his undersuit or armor as their kiss deepened, hard and needy. Rex pushed her back into the wall, the cold durasteel firm against her back as Rex’s armor pressed into her front. She gasped as they pulled back for air, at first overwhelmed by the closeness, but when she saw Rex in front of her, she just felt comfort and longing. She pulled him back in, desperately seeking his lips, moaning into his mouth as his thigh slotted in between her legs.

The noise awakened something in Rex, and he rushed to start taking off some of the armor from his upper body, his fumbling hands unlatching the pieces as Talia held him for the kiss. He needed to be out of his armor, needed to feel the warmth of her body against his. Talia realized what he was doing and pulled back, freeing her hands so she could help. But Rex’s lips found hers once more as they both clumsily grasped at the armor, dropping pieces of plastoid without a care to where they landed, only separating for air.

“Wait,” Rex gasped once as they pulled back, his lips swollen but a confused look on his face, before he hesitantly asked. “What about Hunter?”

“You know about Hunter?” Talia asked, guilt and apprehension filling her.

“I do,” Rex swallowed and nodded. “I’m not upset…at least not with you. I let you go, and that’s the biggest mistake I ever made. If he’s what you want, I’ll step away now. You’ll never hear from me unless you want to. I’m sure he could make you happier than-”

Talia shut Rex up by stepping up on her toes, cupping her hands on his cheeks and catching his lips with hers. Rex's eyes bugged wide, until they fluttered closed, his arms wrapping around her once more, holding her, taking comfort in the soft warmth of the curves of her body she pressed against the grooves of the remaining parts of his armor.

“I just told you I love you,” Talia reminded him with a slight, teasing giggle. Her face softened as she caressed his cheek with her thumb, “I slept with Hunter, but it was just so I could try and forget you for a moment.”

“I - really?” Rex asked. Talia could almost laugh at how surprised he was, as if he had already accepted the worst. His face then became more serious. “I…you should know. I slept with someone else too. It was just a one night thing, I haven’t contacted her since.”

“It’s okay,” Talia nodded, ignoring the hypocritical way she was hurt. “It doesn’t matter, we don’t have to talk about that now. Just…shut up and keep kissing me.”

“More than happy to follow that order,” Rex leaned in with a smirk and kissed her with a renewed hunger, his hands tightly gripping the curve of her hips. Talia groaned into Rex’s mouth as she pressed as close to him as possible, her hands fumbling for the latches on his chestplate. Rex pulled back to help her lift it away, and dropped it to the floor with a loud clunk. With only his lower armor still on, Talia’s hands ran up Rex’s chest, feeling the firm muscles and warmth of him in her grasp. Her fingers clenched around the fabric, using it to pull him to her once more. Rex’s hands slid down her waist, gripping under her thighs and picking her up, making Talia yelp in surprise.

They stumbled to the desk, Rex clumsily setting Talia on the edge of it, their lips barely separating for air. They were frantic, needy, desperate, as if they were afraid the other would disappear if they stopped. Rex pulled at the wrappings of her tunic, exposing Talia’s heaving chest. His mouth only left her lips then, trailing to the soft skin of her neck, his teeth nipping along the exposed skin and down to the breasts about to fall out of her bra. Talia moaned as Rex slid her bra cup to the side, and sucked at her now exposed nipple. His other hand slid under the other cup, groping at the soft flesh. The cold air left goosebumps over her skin, contrasted by the warmth of Rex’s hands and mouth. Rex could spend hours like this, slowly exploring the body he knew so well yet hadn’t been able to appreciate in so long. In fact there was little else on his mind at that moment besides what he wanted to do to her just in this state of undress, except he had other ideas in mind.

Rex lowered to his knees, kissing down Talia’s stomach and dragging his hands down her torso, relishing in the sweet gasps for air that were leaving Talia’s lips. Rex’s hands stopped as he began to tug her pants down. Pink scars lingered on her hip, trailing down her leg from the flame licked path. He paused, his fingers caressing the slightly raised skin, Talias breath hitched, Rex’s eyes flicked to her face, searching for any sign of discomfort. Talia’s eyes had squeezed shut, enough for Rex to push himself up from where he was kneeling. Talia’s eyes opened.

“I’m fine,” Talia reassured quickly, but Rex was still frozen, searching her face. She pressed a hand to his cheek, “Really, I’m ok. I just didn’t think about them.”

“I didn’t either,” Rex explained, “I just don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t,” Talia leaned in to peck his lips, then checked, “Are you ok? We can stop if you want.”

Rex shook his head, “I’ll only stop if you want me to.”

“Please don’t,” Talia said quickly, earning a smirk from Rex for how desperate she sounded. His fingers toyed along the waistline of her pants where they rested on her thighs.

“Someone’s needy,” Rex teased lowly, his voice thick as honey, slowly pulling at her pants. “Tell me what you want.”

Talia leaned back resting her elbows on the desk, offering up a sweet look, “I think you know what I want. And I think you want to do it.”

Rex offered a low noise of agreement, but taunted, “That some Jedi instinct?”

He slowly pulled the pants down a little further. Talia wiggled her hips, trying to shrug them off, but his hand held her firmly in place. She let out a frustrated noise, but Rex just smirked.

“Use your words, princess,” Rex ordered lowly. Talia’s cheeks burned, and she felt the pit of desire grow in her gut. She was half tempted to curse him for teasing her, and for how well he knew to play her. But she didn’t want to drag this out, they didn’t have time for a back and forth.

“Please,” Talia started sweetly, only to get slightly desperate as she ordered, “I want your mouth on me.”

“Hmm, I could ask you to be more specific,” Rex murmured, to which Talia made an indignant noise when he smirked, tugging her to the edge of the desk, making her squeak and falling to his knees. “...But I’m not patient enough today.”

Rex tugged her pants and underwear down with one swoop, wasting no time to press his face between her legs, his tongue swiping over her slit. He groaned at the wetness already there, and Talia moaned as his tongue flicked over her swollen clit. One hand held to the edge of the desk, the other leaping to the back of his head. It took everything in her to not hold him still as she ground against his face; she knew he wouldn’t have minded. But Rex licked at her like a man possessed, like she was the best thing he ever tasted. His hands held her firmly against him, grasping at the top of her thighs as he positioned her where he wanted her. He may have been the one on his knees, but he was the one in control.

It was surely a talent of Rex’s to have barely started but to already have Talia a whimpering mess. Her tunic was still half undone, her chest still half exposed as a red flush settled over her pale skin. She was biting her lip, trying to restrain her noises in some way but she would fail as Rexs tongue flicked over her clit, eliciting louder moans from her. And all he would do was grin up at her, his eyes almost taunting, before he continued his work.

His grip was tight around her thighs, nails practically digging into her skin as he held her in place. His tongue slid up and down her slit, teasing her by flicking at her clit in between each swipe. Her breaths hitched higher each time, her body reacting so easily to the simplest touch. Rex knew how to set her off, and there were few things he loved more than making her fall apart with just his mouth. He could feel every twitch of her thighs in his hands, hear how she failed to keep herself quiet, and taste just how aroused she was. He wanted her to feel good, wanted to feel her let go, and he worked as if he had something to prove, that he needed to remind her that only he could make her feel this way.

He circled his tongue around her clit, then wrapped his lips around it and sucked, sending jolts of pleasure up Talia’s spine. The wet heat of his mouth was intoxicating, Talia could hear herself begging him not to stop. Her arms shook so much she struggled to hold herself upright. But her gaze was locked on Rex’s face and how he devoured her. She couldn’t look away, even as tears sprung in the corners of her eyes and her whole body trembled. It was impossible to tear her gaze away, she was fixated even as she was falling apart. It was almost embarrassing how quickly she was coming undone, but she couldn’t help the way her body was lit aflame from every swipe of Rex’s tongue. He was precise, practiced, as dedicated to bringing Talia pleasure as he was in every other aspect of his life. He didn’t let up as her breath quickened, as her body tensed and he didn’t stop even as she cried out his name and quaked, coming from just the quick work of his mouth.

Talia’s moans faded, but her breath was still heavy as Rex rose from the ground, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve. He leaned in and kissed her, pulling her off the desk as he did. Talia’s legs were like jelly as she stumbled with Rex to the bed. Her knees hit the frame of the bed and Rex gently nudged her back, causing her to land with a soft flop against the mattress.

“Take your clothes off,” Rex ordered gruffly, his own hands tearing at the strips holding his remaining armor on. Talia pressed herself up on the bed, still breathless and flushed, but not moving quickly enough for Rex’s liking as he glanced over her, his heaving chest bulging through his undersuit. “Take them off before I rip them off of you.”

“You would just be finishing what you started,” Talia quipped as she gestured to the state of her tunic, still loose around her torso. Rex’s eyes flashed as she still played with the edges of fabric. He stalked to the bed, slowly taking his shirt off; Talia’s mouth went dry as she glanced over his chest, taking in the scarred and muscled form. He lowered himself to the bed, and slowly crawled on top of Talia. Her heart pounded in her chest as his hands ran up her sides and found the edge of her robes. Talia cocked an eyebrow in a challenge as his eyes met hers. Rex rolled Talia over roughly so she was on her stomach, and her hands braced herself against the mattress as Rex’s hands at the top of her tunic’s back and tugged. With a shredding rip, the fabric pulled off her back and slipped off her arms, leaving Talia in just her bra. She half expected Rex to tug that off as well, but instead his lips met the back of her neck, kissing her softly as his hands deftly undid the clasp. Talia sighed as his lips traveled down her skin, the stubble on his face tickling her.

For a moment Talia thought Rex would take her like this, that he would shuck his pants off and roughly enter her from behind, pounding her into the mattress as she sheets muffled her cries. And she wouldn’t have minded; her body was coursing with need, prickling with the desire of his touch. But Rex instead gently flipped her over, opposite of the man who had moments ago torn her clothing to shreds. Rex’s lips met hers as soon as her back hit the mattress, a soft, exploring kiss, the moment slowed once again, as if savoring the moment before they delved back into their pure need. But this was what Talia loved about him, how there could be both sides when they were together. The tender with the tough, the smooth against the rough. She could see the switch flip in his eyes whenever they made love, see how his own desire kicked in. But he was always there for her, reading what she wanted and adjusting off her energy.

The kiss deepened, grew more hungry as they pressed against each other; Rex’s body pining Talia down as she squirmed beneath him, trying to angle her hips so she could relieve some of the tension settling back in her core. Rex ground against her, his still clothed, hard cock pressing against her pussy. Rex groaned into her mouth as he felt how wet she still was, dampening the fabric of his pants. Talia’s hands ran up and down his back, feeling the way Rex’s muscles flexed as he moved against her. Her hands slid down to his waistline, as she tried to nudge down his pants. Rex’s hands met hers as he helped pull them off, rushing to remove them so he could finally have her again. Once they were off, he pressed down against her again, the flame reignited as their naked bodies pressed together, already sweaty and burning with want. Rex’s cock pressed against Talia’s stomach, weeping with precum as he rutted against her, their tongues meeting as they moaned into each other’s mouths.

“Rex,” Talia whimpered between breaths, “Please. I need you.”

He pulled back slightly as he readjusted, a thin line of spit connecting their mouths. Rex was panting, his eyes blown out as he looked down at her. But he spoke with such an assured, put togetherness as he said in his rough voice, “Anything for you.”

Rex entered Talia quickly and forcefully, her breath hitching and her legs spreading wider to ease his access. Rex waited until her body relaxed and her eyes opened, then Talia nodded her head and Rex began to thrust. His hips slammed against hers, his cock thick and hot as it stretched her cunt, her walls gripping around him and practically pulling him in. Rex’s eyes rolled back from the warmth of her, ready to be lost and never come back but he had to last longer, he didn’t want this feeling to end.

His arms wrapped tightly around her, squeezing her against him in a near crushing grip. Her nails were marking his back as she whimpered beneath him, her breaths punctuating every move of his hips into hers. The room was filled with the loud smack of flesh on flesh, the squelch of their bodies meeting, and the moans and grunts leaving their lips in near unison.

This wasn’t the way this should have gone, it was rushed and needy, with no time taken to care about the little details. They were still dirty from the mission, but the time taken to tidy up might have raised more uncertainty between them than either could stomach just yet. But yet this rushed state was perfection, pure desire coursing through and guiding them, an unstoppable force pushing them together.

Talia cried out as Rex’s cock hit a spot deep inside her, making her head bend back in ecstasy. Rex did it again, wanting to see the way her face contorted in pleasure.

“It feels good, doesn't it?” Rex said, continuing to thrust.

“Yes!” Talia quickly responded, her cheeks flushed. “So good.”

“Who’s doing this to you?” Rex asked, a cocky possessiveness creeping in his tone.

“You are.” Talia gasped, her eyes meeting his. Rex’s hold around her loosened, and before Talia could whine from the change of pace, Rex’s hand gripped under her thigh and pulled her leg up to rest on his shoulder, his other arm still wrapped around her. His dedicated pace resumed, each thrust like a promise, punctuated with gasps, moans and words escaping lips like a prayer.

“Who’s the only one who can make you feel this good?” The possessive side of Rex was coming out stronger, as if he had something to prove, or that he needed to hear Talia’s response as much as he knew what it was.

“You are!” Talia answered. She swallowed, her breath heavy as pleasure crested within her. “I’m yours, only yours.”

“That’s right, you’re mine.” Rex echoed, firm and unyielding. He pounded into her harder, a renewed surge of need running through him. “Mine.”

Rex’s pace continued, hitting Talia right where she needed him. Each thrust was a jolt of pleasure that licked up her gut, so deep she could practically feel him in her throat. She was twisted around him, and he was all encompassing. Their skin was dewed with sweat, their chests almost clinging together as they pressed into one another. Talia would give him anything in this moment, ready to sacrifice all of her as long as he brought her that sweet release.

“Fuck Rex, don’t stop please.” She begged, cheeks burning and eyes watering. “ I love you.”

“Say it again.” Rex ordered, his pace unfaltering and his chin set, gritting his teeth as if he was barely holding himself together.

“I love you.”

“Again.”

“I love you!”

Tallia cried out as she came, her breath ragged and her body tensing as Rex lost what last bit of self control he had and he released inside her, hot spurts of cum filling her cunt. Rex’s thrusts slowed, exhaling as he hilted himself inside her. Their foreheads met, sweaty brows and panting breath meeting as their lips barely touched. After a moment that they wanted to last a lifetime, Rex pulled out of Talia and fell to the side, their bodies squeezed next to another in the tiny bed. The space was as small as they were used to sharing, but somehow there was a rightness in the way their bodies fit next to each other, even after all this time.

“This doesn’t change anything, does it?” Talia asked, still breathless. The air shifted, the calmness that had settled between them now filled with the unknown. Rex tensed, and exhaled a large breath.

“I don’t see how it can,” was all Rex could think to say. A lump formed in Talia’s throat, tears brimming at the corner of her eyes as she nodded. She rolled over to her side, already pulling off the covers to slip out of the bed and pull her clothes on. Rex’s hand gripped her arm, preventing her from leaving. “Wait, I don’t want-”

“What do you want, Rex?” Talia snapped, “I can’t do this again. I can’t let myself think there’s a chance for something just for you to change your mind. I’m not strong enough to hurt like that again.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Rex repeated for what felt like the hundredth time that day. He meant it, but he knew he had failed that promise in the past. And he didn’t want to mess this up again, to cause her any pain, but he didn’t know what promises he could offer her. Rex sat up, still holding Talia’s arm as he tried to work through this.. “I…I know that things haven’t changed in our situation, but I also know ending things was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made. I want you, Talia.”

“I want you too,” Talia sighed, leaning back against the headboard. They sat in silence, stuck in the same moment as a million thoughts rushed through their heads. Talia knew there was only one answer to this, at least only one that had a chance to make them happy.

“What if I left the Order?”

Rex shook his head, “it was wrong of me to ever ask that of you, it’s not fair-”

“You’re not asking it of me - I’m suggesting it. Rex.” Talia said softly. She looked down at her hands, wringing her scarred wrists as she worked to the realization that has been hidden from her for so long. “I’m not happy. This war has taken so much from me. The Jedi were the only thing I knew, and the only possibility I saw for a future. But Rex…I know so much more now. I know you, that you’re what makes me happy. I can’t lose that again.”

“But you could have so much more than me.” Rex insisted. His hand rested on her face making her meet his eyes so he could make sure she wouldn’t lie to him just to make him happy. “ You could be a Master Jedi, could go on to do great things.”

Talia silenced him by leaning in to kiss him, she pulled back and didn’t let her gaze falter. “Rex - you’re the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me - there’s no more that I need.”

“But still-”

“Being a Master was never in my cards.” Talia cut him off before he could go on about plans for a different future for her. “ I had a vision about it once, but I think I understand it now. I was always on the outside looking in, never quite fitting in with the rest of the order, or what the council expected of me. But I can find my own path without them. When the war ends, I’ll leave the order. And I’ll be yours, if you’ll have me.”

“You’ll always have me.”Rex answered quickly, a firm promise. “But, what about now? Our situation hasn’t changed.”

“Now is…more complicated. We need to be more careful than before. So. Not really together but…” Talia’s voice trailed off, still not sure what guidelines they could set. Because it was too complicated. She wanted Rex with everything in her, but she couldn’t abandon her men and leave while the war still raged on. And being with Rex while she was still in the Order was too risky now, they’d had too many slip ups already, too many chances that they would be exposed. “Now just…Just hold me, for a few minutes more and we can pretend like everything is okay.”

“We’re not pretending.” Rex said as he pulled her into her arms. His lips brushed against her forehead, lingering there as he continued. “It’s not perfect, but it’s something. I’ll wait for you, whenever you’re ready to leave. I know it’s a big thing.”

“It is, but I think it’s the right thing,” Talia answered. They settled back lower into the bed, a strange kind of peace laying between them. “This mess has to be over soon, so now we have something to look forward to once it’s done.”

“What do you want to do first?” Rex asked tentatively, allowing himself to think of an ‘after’ the war for the first time in a way that wasn’t dimmed by darkness.

Talia hummed thoughtfully, her lips pursing in before a grin curved on her lips. She glanced up at Rex, a twinkle in her eye as she said, “We should go back to the island.”

Rex huffed out a light laugh, “Better prepared and without the crash landing this time, I hope?”

“Duh,” Talia mocked. She wrapped an arm over his chest, her fingers tracing along the edges of his scars like she had done that first time on the very beach they were talking about. “It’s where we began, it’s where we can start again.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” Rex mused, a lazy half smile on his lips, “How about we meet there, once it’s all over.”

“Sounds like a plan, captain.” Talia pressed her lips to his again. “Or a promise.”

“Have I told you how beautiful you are?” Rex murmured, his hand cupped on the side of Talia’s face.

Talia thought her cheeks would ache from smiling, that they were burning from the blush that lingered on them. “You might have mentioned it sometime.”

“Not enough, I daresay,” Rex offered with a sly grin. He leaned closer to her, the coarse hairs of his scruff grazing along her neck in a way that sent shivers down her spine even in her exhausted state. He pressed a kiss in the curve of her neck, trailing up to her ear where he whispered once more, “You’re beautiful.”

“I love you so much,” Talia sighed.

Rex huffed a low chuckle. “So that’s all it took? Me calling you beautiful?”

“It’s a fair trade, I think,” Talia teased, lightly smacking his arm. But she set her face straight as she met his eyes again. “I mean it. I love you, Rex.”

“I love you too.”

He leaned down to kiss the spot just below her ear, repeating his words once more. He trailed his kisses, followed by his adorations up her neck, to her jaw bone, as if tattooing the words upon her skin to leave his mark evermore. His lips traced to the end of her scar, pausing when Talia slightly flinched from the contact against the slightly sensitive skin. His eyes scanned hers, waiting for Talia’s nod that it was ok, and he leaned in, tenderly kissing over the raised skin, “I love you, Talia.”

Talia sighed, a warmth of contentment filling her she hadn’t been sure she would ever feel again. She curled against him, feeling the warmth of Rex’s skin beneath hers, listening to the thud of his heartbeat. Her lips grazed the scar in the center of his chest, from the bolt that just missed his heart all those years ago. They laid together under that rough spun blanket, in the far too small cot, their arms wrapped around each other, their skin clinging to each other as they didn’t want to leave the others grasp. They fought off sleep, savoring the small moment they had with one another. It had been so long without the other's touch, but that absence only created a craving, a burning desire for the other’s comfort that would never be satisfied. They didn’t have the answers, not completely anyway. This simple impassé would be enough to hold over, to bridge the road to repair what they’d had before. There was the promise of something stronger, the unknown path of destiny and fate a sweet calling. What further doubts they had were buried beneath the surface, vanquished at the broken walls of their greatest barrier. As she drifted off, Rex’s hand brushed over Talia’s back, fingers grazing over the scars she received at the hand of the Zygerrians. The soothing action propelled her into sleep, no nightmares to be had tonight. Her dreams were filled with contentment and comfort, something the promise of a future with Rex held.

Next Chapter

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#fic rec #IRIS THIS WAS A LOT #SO GOOD #AND ALSO #JUST GONNA GO LAY ON THE FLOOR NOW AND STARE AT THE CEILING AND THINK ABOUT THINGS #captain rex x oc #OC Talia Riva

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adoremp3 · 4 years ago

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Such Great Heights — Part four: Had

“Oh, please. We both know how this goes.” Kimber rolled her eyes. “We’ve all seen Friends with Benefits and No Strings Attached. There’s no going back from here, H.”

“And we’ve all also seen Just Friends and 13 Going on 30, Kimmy. You and I are living the biggest cliche of all and seem to be doing just fine,” Harry replied with a slight tug on his lips.

Story Page // Masterlist // Wattpad // Taglist

Lugging herself through the front door, Kimber was ready to collapse on the couch and eat her weight in chocolate. Or pasta. Or pizza. Or whatever was already in the fridge because she was not in the mood to cook anything. It had been another long day at work, and they were in the works of a new campaign, so Kimber had to constantly be on her toes and check in with what was posted on their social media profiles and what the response was.

Kimber kicked her shoes off just inside the door, ignoring the fact that Harry told her on many occasions that maybe her bedroom was the best place for her to do that, and made her way into the lounge with her handbag still held high on her shoulder. As she turned the corner, she walked right into Harry.

“Jesus Christ,” Kimber grumbled, jumping back as she blinked and double-checked neither of them had been hurt. “You’ve got this massive house, yet you must be right under my nose at all times.”

“Lost time to make up for, remember?” Harry said as his lips tugged into a cheeky grin, one that Kimber could never help but reciprocate whenever she saw it. Sometimes she hated that Harry had that kind of power over her.

“Mhmm, okay.” Kimber pulled her handbag off her shoulder as she rounded the corner, setting her bag down on the floor beside the couch she flopped on. “Please tell me I don’t have to deal with any more idiots on social media ever again. I’m sick of them.”

Harry laughed, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned up against the wall. “Pretty sure if your customers heard you say that—or even your boss, for that matter—there would be an awful amount of unhappy people out there.”

“They deserve it after all the stress and frustration they put me through,” she replied, letting one arm drape across her forehead. “Okay, I mean, that’s probably a bit dramatic, but some of these people online have really been testing me this week. Like, this one person literally DM’d us today—our main account, not our customer service account, by the way—asking if I could translate the site into Russian for her. I mean, I get the whole language barrier thing, but there’s a bloody option on the side of the website to change to whatever language you want! God, what would the point of even shipping internationally be if we couldn’t even reach non-English speaking countries?” Harry let out an amused chuckle at that, resulting in Kimber peeling her arm back just enough for her to glare at him. “Don’t you start, mister. If I have one more person asking in our replies how long their order will be, even though the bleeding tracker is on their order history page and the order confirmation email they would’ve received, I am personally going to take it out on you. Haven’t decided how yet, but you should watch out and maybe start wearing a cup.”

Harry looked mortified, his lips parting as he crossed his ankles and covered one hand over his crotch. “I’m not so sure I’m proud of you taking this job anymore if this is the kind of behaviour I have to put up with,” he said, furrowing his brows.

“Yes, well, deal with this shit on a daily basis, and then we’ll see if you’re still sane.”

“Need I remind you of who I am?” Harry pointed out. “I don’t like to play this card often, but I am Harry Styles, remember? I literally deal with the scrutiny of media and backlash from my supposed fans daily, y’know.”

Kimber began to regret being dramatic, even if it were for just a moment. Of course, she knew who he was and what he had to put up with—she saw it firsthand and even copped a lot of backlashes herself. “All right, you win,” she replied with a sigh. “But just this once,” she added as she pulled her arm from her face completely, rolling onto her side to actually take in the boy she was talking to. He wore his favourite Gucci trousers and boots, while on top he wore a shirt Kimber hadn’t seen before, but knowing him, it was probably Gucci as well. “You look fancy. Going somewhere?”

“Yeah, was just going to meet Olivia,” he said like it was the most casual thing in the world. But given how the prior couple of weeks were spent, there wasn’t anything casual about it at all.

When Kimber had spotted Olivia in the kitchen that morning, wearing nothing but one of Harry’s shirts and a pair of knickers, she was in complete and utter shock. She expected maybe Lillian to have some kind of romance blooming with him, considering their suspiciously friendly nature during the party, but she definitely did not expect Harry to actually spend the night with Olivia. It wasn’t as if she was an awful person or anything, Kimber was just surprised more than anything. She really did not see it coming.

“Oh, shit,” Olivia had said, her eyes widening in a way that Kimber couldn’t ever forget—she hadn’t anticipated Kimber finding out that way, it had seemed. Harry said something quite similar when he walked in not long after wearing only his pants. After Olivia had left, awkwardly saying goodbye to Kimber in the process, Harry tried to explain the situation although Kimber wasn’t so sure she wanted to hear it. Apparently, after putting her to bed, Olivia and Harry ended up sitting down and talking for quite some time, then with a few more drinks inside them, one thing led to another, and the rest was history—or so Kimber wished it would simply be just that.

Since then, Olivia had spent the night a few more times as well. Harry tried spending the night at hers the week before, but leaving her building without being spotted quickly became quite an issue after word got out about Harry Styles potentially being in the area. Olivia going to Harry’s house was much more practical, though Kimber just did her own thing and pretended things weren’t happening down the hall from her. She liked life a whole lot better when she could pretend things didn’t exist.

“Olivia and Harry, huh?” Kimber pondered out loud, sitting up on her elbows a bit. “That’s a thing now, is it?”

Harry shrugged. “I mean, it’s sex more than anything.”

“Oh, please. We both know how this goes.” Kimber rolled her eyes. “We’ve all seen Friends with Benefits and No Strings Attached. There’s no going back from here, H.”

“And we’ve all also seen Just Friends and 13 Going on 30, Kimmy. You and I are living the biggest cliche of all and seem to be doing just fine,” Harry replied with a slight tug on his lips as he pulled his phone from his pocket, checking something and sliding it back in. Meanwhile, Kimber had blinked about fifty times the normal amount and was too busy trying to process what he said. “Right, she’s ready to be picked up from the gym so I’m off. There’s some food in the microwave if you want it, otherwise, I’ll see you tomorrow sometime if you’re not up when I return. Bye, Kim!”

Kimber barely had time to say goodbye before Harry was out the front door, leaving Kimber feeling extra small inside such a big house. Their whole exchange seemed such a blur to her, though her mind couldn’t help but wander to his comment about them living the biggest cliche. It wouldn’t have been the first time someone insinuated the possibility of them being something more.

***

When Kimber was seven years old, there was this one girl in her class that she considered to be her best friend. They spent many times in the schoolyard playing games and talking about their favourite dolls and toys, and they also spent many hours at each other's houses—laughing and giggling as they ran around outside, eating meals cooked by their mothers, groaning and moaning about the homework they were made do, and planning the tricks and twists they would pull on a boy in their class they didn’t like. At that point, Kimber still considered boys to be icky. It was funny how things always turn out.

Kimber couldn’t have been happier to have found a best friend in this girl, hoping to one day live together in a house with no grown-ups and rules and they could eat all the chocolate in the world. But that dream was ruined the second the girl's father had been offered a job in Leeds, the family packing up and moving across the country not long after, leaving Kimber by herself and without the best friend she thought she would have forever.

Going to school was a nightmare for Kimber after that. Everyone already chose their best friends and who they were going to live together with when there were grown-ups, and it was a sad reminder to Kimber of what she had lost. She didn’t have a best friend anymore. Really, she wasn’t so sure she had a friend anymore.

During lunch one day, Kimber was sitting under a tree on the field, watching all the little and big kids playing and having lots of fun with their friends. Jealousy was the biggest emotion she felt, but it only took two seconds for that to switch to surprise as she felt someone tap her shoulder. To her surprise, it was Harry. She had seen him many times since she had first met him at Mrs Finchurch’s funeral—their parents developing a friendship had been the main reasoning behind that—but they would go through phases when they wouldn’t talk all that much. Boys were icky and gross, even those who were named Harry and who Kimber’s mum promised were just fine.

Harry smiled at Kimber at that moment, his missing front tooth taking the show, but it was a smile she knew she could never forget. He told her that she could play with his friends, saying that his friends were nice and wouldn’t leave her as her other friend did. But Kimber didn’t mind if they did—the only person Kimber cared about leaving after that was Harry. As long as Harry was around, she knew she would always have a friend.

Asking whether Harry could come over to play was nerve-wracking for Kimber the first time she did it, not wanting to make it weird because usually whenever Harry came around, it was because his mum was visiting. But seeing as it would be just Harry, and Kimber was the one initiating it, she wasn’t so sure how her mum would take it. As it turned out, Ashana was thrilled that Kimber found a proper friend in Harry. She couldn’t have decided on a better friend for her daughter than little Harry Styles himself.

“He’s a good boy, you know,” Ashana told her one night when she was in bed, Kimber curled up beside her.

“I know, Mummy,” Kimber replied.

“And I think he’s going to be a very good boy for you one day,” she added, and though Kimber hadn’t understood what she had meant back then, it was a memory that still sat in the back of her mind and she swore it got more and more vivid whenever she thought about it.

***

Sitting at the kitchen table, Kimber stuck her fork into a piece of chicken and left it the second her phone let her know of a new message. It was from Max, of course, and they had since moved on from their little confrontation a few weeks prior. Though Kimber knew Max claimed to forgive her, she wasn’t quite so sure he actually had, but in order to try and make things right again, she made sure to never bring up Harry. It hadn’t taken long for her to realise he was quite the touchy subject.

Max had asked how her day was and what she cooked for dinner, which she replied with her honest answer immediately: Wasn’t actually shit today so I guess that’s something. And I cooked up some chicken and veggies. I know, I’m boring as hell.

As she clicked the send button, Harry walked around the corner. “Mm, thought I smelt something delicious,” he said with a smile spreading across his lips.

Kimber raised a brow at the sight of him. “Are my eyes deceiving me or is Harry Styles actually home?” Kimber asked, holding her hand to her heart and being the melodramatic person she really was.

“Ha ha, you’re so funny,” Harry replied dryly, slugging his jacket off as he hung it on the back of the chair opposite her. “I know I’ve been a shit flatmate recently, but I have a good reason.”

“First of all, let’s call me a housemate and not a flatmate because, I mean…” She gestured her hands around her, letting Harry make the realisation for himself—his house really was far from a flat. In fact, his lounge room alone was almost the entire size of the last flat Kimber lived in. “Second of all, I know, I know,” she added, waving her hand at him. “If it’s not meetings for your next album or whatever, it’s magazine stuff, and if it’s not magazine stuff, you’re sticking it in Oliv—”

“Kimber!” Harry cried.

She shrugged, stabbing her fork back into the piece of chicken again. “It’s not exactly a lie, though, is it?” Harry’s parted lips of horror were enough of an answer for her. “Also, I wasn’t sure how late you’d be, so I stuck some food for you in the microwave to keep it warm. But I’m also lazy, so you’re going to have to fetch your own food from the kitchen.”

Harry scrunched up his nose. “But I just sat down,” he whined.

“You’re rich and famous, H. Hire someone to do your dirty work.”

He frowned, the thought alone most likely exhausting him. “How about I just hire you?”

“You make me sound like I’m some kind of prostitute,” she replied with a laugh, shoving a piece of chicken into her mouth.

“Ah, but you’d be the classiest of them all,” Harry said, grinning cheekily.

“I’d be a damn expensive one, that’s for sure.” Kimber set her fork back down on her plate as another message from Max came through, this time telling her he wished he could be there to make her feel better. That’s when Kimber got a bright idea. “Hey, Harry…” she drawled out, which was enough for him to glance up at her with narrowed eyes—he knew she wanted something with that tone. “I have a question for you.”

“And I may have an answer for you. Will try and make it a good one, but I make no promises,” he replied, sitting forward in his chair and clasping his hands together.

Kimber followed suit, pushing her nearly empty plate to the side and copying his stance. “How would you feel about a visitor this weekend?”

“A visitor?” He raised a brow. “Tell me more.”

“Max.”

Harry blinked. “Max?”

“Yeah.” Kimber nodded. “Tall guy, dark hair, answers to ‘my boyfriend’.”

“Didn’t realise things were so good between you two again,” he replied, shifting his hands from being clasped together to twisting one of the rings around a finger on his right hand.

“It’s been a couple of weeks, H,” Kimber reminded him. “We’ve had plenty of time to sort things out, y’know? Besides, I figured actually seeing one another in person would really help us out a lot.”

Harry didn’t look that convinced, but he nodded slowly anyway. “I mean, sure, if that’s what you want.”

“This is your house, Harry,” she said, reaching out across the table to clasp her hand over his reassuringly. “If you don’t want him here, then say the word. It’s why I asked you first.”

His eyes followed where her hand sat on top of his, brushing her fingers against the back of his hand and against his cross tattoo—it reminded him of the first time she saw it, her fingertips soft against the fresh ink and sending goosebumps up his arm. “No, it’s fine,” he said eventually, flicking his eyes back up to her face just in time to see a smile spreading across her lips. “He’s your boyfriend, Kimber, and you’ve not seen him for nearly two months. I would be an idiot to deny you of that. And, quite frankly, a really awful friend.”

Kimber squeezed his hand as she grinned widely, ecstatic that she got his permission—it wasn’t like she felt the need to be under his control and he had to tell her what to do, it was more about common courtesy because, in her mind, she was still a guest in his house and guests do not simply invite random people over for the weekend. “Ah, you’re the best!” she exclaimed, jumping up from her chair. “I’ll ask him later when we FaceTime, but the least I can do now is fetch you your food,” she added as she made a beeline for the kitchen, but pretended not to notice the way Harry let out a loud sigh the second she was out of the room.

***

“My head officially hurts. It’s time to finish up for the week, I think,” Lillian said, as she flopped back on her desk chair, sighing loudly enough for the people around her to hear and chuckle to themselves.

“It is nearly five,” Kimber pointed out.

Lillian sat up a little straighter and grinned. “Perfect! By the time I shut down all the open software on the computer and, y’know, the computer itself, it’ll be time to leave,” she informed Kimber, rolling her shoulders a little and placing her fingertips atop the keyboard.

“You’re a wise woman, Lillian Giles.” Kimber laughed, ready to do the exact same thing.

By the time she did exactly that, it was time for everyone to leave for the day—some stayed a little later on Fridays, wanting a breather and cooling down after a long week, and sometimes Kimber was one of those people, but not this week. She had very exciting plans to attend to. It took her all of two seconds for her to shove her essentials into her handbag and wave a quick goodbye to Fearne and Gale on the way out, but Lillian and Olivia met her at the entrance, so the three of them left together.

“Any plans for the weekend?” Olivia asked them both, smacking her lips together after a quick lip balm application.

“My sister wants me to babysit the twins again, but other than that, not really,” Lillian said as she shook her head. “But we all know what Kim’s getting up to,” she added with a cheeky smirk as she nudged Kimber’s shoulder. “Or should I say…what she’s getting down to.”

“Lillian!” Kimber cried, but she couldn’t help the smile that pushed through—it wasn’t as if Lillian told a huge lie or anything. Kimber suggested Max visit her during their FaceTime call like she told Harry she would, and he instantly beamed and said it was the best idea she had ever had. Ever since then, they talked about all the things they could do while in London, all the sights they could see, but Max had been super cheesy and said the only sight he truly wanted to see was Kimber herself.

Olivia stopped on the road, ready for them to go off in different directions, and the two other girls followed suit. “What time’s Max supposed to arrive?” she asked, pulling the strap of her handbag up higher on her shoulder.

“He was leaving as soon as he finished work, so he’ll probably get in around seven,” Kimber explained. “Or maybe a little later, depending on traffic.”

“I’m sure it’s nice that Harry’s getting out of your hair for the night, then,” Olivia said, her lips pulling into something that Kimber really didn’t like. But, to be fair, she wasn’t sure she liked anything Olivia said when it came to all things Harry Styles. It wasn’t as if Kimber hadn’t heard anything in the past about his sexual endeavours, but it was different hearing about it from someone she called a friend. It was a whole new situation for her that she wasn’t all that comfortable with, especially whenever Olivia brought up Harry around the office or even when they were in public.

Kimber wanted to roll her eyes the second Harry was mentioned again, but she then furrowed her brows when the realisation of what was said hit her. “Wait, out of my hair?” she asked. “Harry’s not gonna be home tonight?”

“Oh.” Olivia pursed her lips together, her eyes flickering to Lillian for a second as if she had the answer—she didn’t and she looked almost uncomfortable standing there. At least that was a feeling she and Kimber had in common. “He’s spending the night at my place so you and your boyfriend can have some alone time… Did he not tell you that?”

“I, uh—I’m gonna head off,” Lillian piped up, smiling at the two of them before bidding her farewell and heading off around the corner. Kimber knew that Lillian would probably message her later and see if everything was okay, but confrontation had never been her strong suit. But then again, was it anyones?

“Kimber, I’m so sorry,” Olivia pleaded, placing a gentle hand on Kimber’s wrist she wasn’t sure she even wanted there. “I thought Harry told you he was coming over.”

Pressing her lips together in a tight line, Kimber forced out a smile. “It’s fine,” she tried to brush it off, though it was a complete and utter lie—she only hoped Olivia didn’t see through the facade. “Harry must’ve forgotten to mention it to me.”

“Yeah, he must’ve,” she replied. “I’ve, uh—I’ve gotta go if I wanna make it to the station on time, but we’re, um, good, right?”

Kimber blinked. Were they good? Was Kimber even upset with Olivia? Did Olivia think Kimber had a reason to be upset with her? So many questions and yet no answers in Kimber’s mind. She wasn’t sure what to make of the situation, she was still trying to figure out why the concept of Olivia and Harry didn’t entirely sit right with her, so in the end, Kimber just forced out a smile. “Yeah, we’re good,” she told her. “No issues here at all. I’ve got a boyfriend to see and you’ve got, uh—you’ve got a cute boy to spend the night with.”

“And do naughty things with,” Olivia said with a grin. Kimber clenched her jaw at that. “But I should definitely head off now. I’ll probably talk to you over the weekend anyway, but see you Monday, yeah?”

Forcing an even bigger grin this time, Kimber gave her a sharp nod. “If I want money to live, I’ll be here,” she said with a laugh.

Olivia waved her goodbye and set off down the path, while Kimber took a few seconds to blink and gather her thoughts and feelings—not that she even knew what they were, but all it took was a few seconds for her to remember she had to get home in time to ensure everything was ready for Max’s arrival. That alone was enough to put a genuine smile on her lips. Kimber tried not to think about things after that, because they would only ruin what she hoped would be an incredible weekend.

***

Kimber forgot how much she loved waking up beside Max until she finally had the chance again. Not seeing her boyfriend for two months really put a strain on their relationship, but after seeing him again, being able to kiss him and hold him, it was as though they hadn’t spent a single moment apart.

“I missed this,” Kimber murmured as she curled into Max’s side, one arm draping across his body as he had his arms around her.

“I missed you,” he replied, pressing a kiss to her temple. “And I missed what we did last night,” he added cheekily.

Kimber’s lips tugged into a smile. “The first or the second time?”

“Hmm,” he pondered for a moment. “Not sure… But maybe the third time’s the charm?”

“Max!” she cried, even if she couldn’t help but think about it as well. Spending so much time with Max when she was on campus meant she was able to have sex most days of the week if she really wanted to, but being without her boyfriend for weeks, it was safe to say there were a lot of orgasms to make up for. Sure, she got herself there on the odd occasion, but it was still no match for what Max could do with his fingers. That was something Max agreed with, though Kimber had no doubt in her mind he wanked one-off more often than she did. A few dirty messages, and the odd photo, were solid proof of that.

“As if it’s the worst thing you’ve ever heard,” he mumbled into her ear, reaching around the front of her body so he could put his hand on her breast. There was only the sheet covering their top halves by that point, having not put their clothes back on before they fell asleep, and Kimber knew without looking that her nipples were already beginning to harden. If asked, she would definitely have blamed the cool air, but she needn’t be asked because Max was pinching and flicking her nipple within seconds and her cool air theory went down the drain.

Kimber tilted her head back so she could glance up at Max, finding that cheeky twinkle in his eye that she quickly learned what it meant all those months before. She pressed her lips up against his seconds later, their lips moving together as one, and it didn’t take much longer for things to heat up even further. Kimber grabbed his hard length at first, pumping him as he continued to grow harder until eventually he couldn’t take it anymore. A condom was on not long after Kimber straddled Max’s lap, and they both soon learned that the third time really was the charm.

It was nearly ten by the time they wandered out to the kitchen for food, a much later start to the day than Kimber originally wanted—she had plans to go sightseeing with Max, but his plans mostly involved staying in bed with her. In the end, they decided that they would head off to bed early in the evening, watch some Netflix and see where things went from there. Of course, Max made a comment about “Netflix and chill,” but Kimber couldn’t deny that was probably what was going to happen anyway.

“Went and bought stuff for that breakfast scramble you li—oh,” Kimber cut herself off as she walked into the kitchen, finding Harry standing beside the kettle with a cup of coffee he was stirring on the bench. “Good morning, H,” she said slowly, unsure about how a conversation between the two would go. By the time she got home from work the night before, Harry was on his way out the door and barely said two words to her—Kimber may have also sarcastically thanked him for telling her of his plans himself, but that was as far as things went. There was still this mild tension between them at the time, so Kimber wasn’t sure whether it had all eased out overnight.

“Oh, uh…morning, Kimber,” he said, taken by surprise as he looked up at the both of them. “And, um, Max.”

“Yeah, morning.” Max didn’t seem to care for pleasantries, only wrapping an arm around Kimber’s waist as he murmured, “What about this breakfast scramble?” into her ear.

Kimber pulled away from him with a grin, ready to set off to make breakfast for the two of them, but it was not before Max grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her in close enough so he could press his lips up against hers in a quick kiss. Suddenly, Kimber didn’t feel so comfortable around him anymore. She only hoped Harry didn’t notice.

“So, what’s going to be in this wondrous breakfast scramble?” Max asked after he pulled back from Kimber, his lips pulled into a slight grin that Kimber couldn’t decide whether was evil or not.

“Um, I got some chorizo and spinach,” Kimber said, stepping back slowly and making her way towards the fridge. She couldn’t help but notice the way Harry watched her every move cautiously, leaving her to feel even more uncomfortable than she was seconds before.

“It’s a really good one,” Harry piped up, leaning back against the bench and folding his arms across his chest. “Kimmy’s made it for me a couple of times already.”

If the ground wanted to swallow Kimber up whole, she wouldn’t say no to that. Or maybe she would, because leaving Harry and Max alone didn’t seem like the brightest idea. Something began to bubble up inside her, slowly making its way through her body, and she wasn’t entirely sure what it was, but she could tell already that the end result wasn’t going to be pretty.

“Maybe I’ll have something different, then.” Max stood up a little straighter, folding his arms across his chest in a similar fashion.

“No need to, mate,” Harry said, his tone anything but warm and welcoming. “Mine also had kale, so don’t worry, you’re still getting your own Kimber van der Berg special.”

Kimber clenched her teeth together as her eyes flickered between the two, a little worried about what was going to happen—if anything was going to happen. She knew Max could be standoffish at times, and even a little too protective sometimes, but she had never seen Harry like this before. Max wasn’t the first romantic partner in her life Harry had met, but Max was certainly the first Harry was acting like a dick around. She thought about asking Max to fetch something from her room so she could ask Harry privately to play nice, but that was soon forgotten when she remembered he hadn’t even spent the night and was back rather early—if neither Harry nor Olivia had anything to do during the day, Harry never made an appearance at least until after lunch. He liked to exercise or work in the morning as it was when he felt the most motivated.

“Wait, I thought you were at Olivia’s?” Kimber piped up, moving the conversation along and praying the tension in the room eased even the slightest. She did notice the way Max still stood tall beside her as if he needed to be the bigger man in the situation, but Harry softened a little, and, for that, she was entirely grateful.

“Yeah, I was, but Liv had to meet her mum for breakfast,” Harry said, returning back to normal as he picked up his mug and took a sip of his coffee.

Kimber raised a brow. “Had to?”

“I mean, she probably could’ve said no, but like most people, I’m sure it’s nice to see their mother,” Harry replied as if it were a complete mystery to him as to why Kimber was so phased about it, which was proof to her that Olivia hadn’t opened up to him yet. Maybe they weren’t as close as she led her to believe.

“Wait, who’s Olivia?” Max piped up, raising a brow as he glanced between him.

“Harry’s gir—” Kimber cut herself off, realising her mistake. Olivia was not Harry’s girlfriend, he made that clear multiple times over the previous few weeks. “I mean, she’s, uh—”

Harry rolled his eyes. “A girl I’m sleeping with,” he finished for Kimber honestly, unable to listen to her ramble for another second. “So, yes, by the way, I’m kind of involved with someone, in case that’s what you’re worried about.”

Max blinked. “No, I, uh—okay. Good to know.”

Kimber was ready for the ground to swallow her up whole again, but Harry then chose that moment to excuse himself because he had a call to make. She knew he didn’t have a call to make, though; he sensed the tension and, well, the daggers Kimber was probably unknowingly sending him. It was times like these that Kimber was glad Harry knew her well.

“So, breakfast?” Kimber asked with a smile as she turned back around to Max, hoping that he got the hint and moved on just like Harry. He seemed a little on edge at first, like there was more he wanted to say, but he kept it at that and just smiled in return. His stomach was rumbling and so breakfast was a must, especially if his gorgeous girlfriend was involved.

***

By the time breakfast came and went, Kimber showered, and got herself ready, it was nearly noon. Kimber and Max left the house with every intention of being tourists for the afternoon, but a spot of bad weather put a damper on things. She tried to act like it didn’t bother her, especially when Max said it was perfectly fine and he expected it, but she couldn’t deny how awful she felt about it not being a perfect day. Maybe she thought a perfect day would fix any issues in her relationship, but either way, her mood became drastically worse as the day went on.

Lunch was at a small cafe she liked to frequent in the past just after half one, but her meal hadn’t been quite right and, to her, it just seemed awfully fitting. Max’s seemed to be fine and offered her some of his, but Kimber shook her head and said not to worry. On the way out, she slipped in a puddle, but thank God Max was there to catch her fall—and, yes, he did make a cheeky comment about her falling for him. It was moments like those that Kimber really cherished the most. Max may be a jerk to her sometimes, but when he was sweet, it made her heart melt and she remembered all over again why she fell in love with him in the first place.

Their sightseeing was cut even shorter when it began to storm outside, thunder and lightning being the real damper on their day. But Max told Kimber over and over again that it was fine because as long as he was with her, he was already having a great day. Cheesy, sure, but again it made Kimber’s heart race.

Kimber and Max walked in the front door of Harry’s house just after five in the evening, ready to head up to her room and order some takeaway to share—probably pizza—but got their own little surprise when they found Harry on the couch with Olivia. They weren’t exactly caught in a compromising position or anything, but if Olivia’s smudged lipstick and Harry’s strategically placed pillow were anything to go by, they very well almost had.

“Shit, uh—hey, you two,” Kimber spluttered as soon as she saw the two of them, stopping in her tracks.

Harry looked absolutely mortified from his spot on the couch, which Kimber had a feeling was a place he wasn’t going to move from any time soon. “Didn’t, uh—” he paused to clear his throat. “Didn’t expect you back so soon.”

“Clearly,” Kimber replied. “And I, um, didn’t expect you here either, Olivia,” she added, glancing over at her friend who sported very pink cheeks.

“Yeah, it was kind of, uh, a spontaneous thing,” she informed Kimber, clearing her throat also. “But you must be Max,” she added as she stood up and stepped a little closer to the two, though not before straightening out her shirt a little. “So nice to finally meet you.”

Max, who barely moved an inch since they walked inside, stepped forward and greeted Olivia with a smile Kimber knew was nothing more than fake. “You too,” he said, then placed his hand on the small of Kimber’s back. “Ready to go on up now, babe?”

Kimber furrowed her brows as she glanced up at him. “Don’t you want to meet my friend?”

“I’ve said hello,” he said with a sigh.

“Technically, you didn’t,” Harry piped up from the couch, which was enough for Kimber to widen her eyes as she glared at him—she did not want another repeat of the morning, especially when they were in the presence of a guest.

“Fine,” Max said through gritted teeth. “Hello, Olivia,” he added with a forced smile, then glanced back down to Kimber. “Now, can we go?”

Olivia looked as though she felt the same way Kimber had only hours before, ready for the ground to swallow her up whole. Kimber felt bad for her, especially since it was Kimber’s boyfriend that made her feel that way. Harry must’ve sensed it as well because out of the corner of her eye, Kimber could see the way he furrowed his brows and frowned, lips parted and ready to have a few choice words to say. Before he did, though, Kimber spoke up.

“I’ll meet you upstairs in a few minutes, Max,” she said, then held out her handbag. “I just want to show Olivia the bracelet from the Camden market you got me first.” Kimber grinned at him, hoping he bought it—he did, or at least he pretended to, and placed a quick kiss to Kimber’s lips before rounding the corner to head upstairs. As soon as he was gone, Kimber swore there was a collective breath of fresh air between them all. “Olivia,” she said, turning to her friend, “I am so sorry about that. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”

“He’s a twat, that’s what,” Harry scoffed from the couch.

Kimber could feel that same feeling from earlier beginning to bubble inside of her. Maybe it was anger, she wasn’t sure, but whatever it was, it was about to erupt. “Do you really have to be such an ass, Harry?” she asked, placing one hand on her hip.

“You’re asking that to the wrong person, Kim,” he replied, sitting forward on the couch.

“No, I’m really not.” Kimber’s voice held a harsher tone, one that she couldn’t even remember the last time she used when it came to Harry. It wasn’t often that she felt angry at him, but his behaviour was not how a good friend should act around a significant other.

“Fine, I’ll admit it,” he said, resting his hands on his knees as he glared up at her. “I’m an ass, whatever, but your boyfriend needs to admit it as well.”

Olivia, who really did look as though she wanted the ground to swallow her up, started to back away slowly. “I’m just gonna, uh—I need a drink,” she said awkwardly before pretty much making a run for it towards the kitchen.

“Why do you say it like that, huh?” Kimber asked Harry, ignoring Olivia’s departure.

“Say what?” Harry raised a brow.

“‘Boyfriend’,” she told him. “Why do you say it as if you’re spitting out a bad taste?”

Harry laughed. “Funny you mention it…”

Kimber grit her teeth together as she squeezed her eyes shut for just a second, praying that a confrontation with Harry really wasn’t about to happen—except it was, because he needed to be put down a peg or two. “I’m serious, Harry,” she said, taking a step back to lean on the wall. “Max is my boyfriend. I love him. Why can’t you respect that?”

“I’ll respect it the day he respects you,” Harry responded, leaning back on the couch again.

“He has his moments, sure, but—”

“He’s an absolute wanker, Kimmy,” Harry interjected, running his hands through his short hair. “I try to be nice to him, but he’s not throwing anything back at me, so what’s the point?”

Kimber blinked. “He’s my boyfriend, that’s the point.”

“What do you even see in him?” he asked honestly. “He seems to have this hold over you that I really don’t like, and you’re better than that, y’know? I just—I don’t get it, Kim.”

“And that’s why he’s my boyfriend and not yours,” she replied, folding her arms across her chest as she tried to ignore the bubbling inside her from making its way up her neck. At this point, it was definitely anger and frustration. She knew Max wasn’t perfect—hell, nobody was—but she still didn’t understand why Harry couldn’t just respect her and her relationship. “And he has a lot of redeeming qualities, might I add. He makes me laugh, he knows when I’m upset and just what makes me feel better, he is loyal and honest, he doesn’t—”

“Respect you?” Harry cut in, raising a brow.

Kimber squeezed her eyes shut again, willing away every curse word in her mind she wanted to throw at her so-called friend at that moment. “Stop being such a fucking dick, Harry. Seriously,” she settled with instead.

“I’m just being honest with you, is that so wrong?” Harry asked it so genuinely that Kimber had to stop and think for a moment before realising that, yeah, one of her closest friends bitching out her boyfriend did seem a little wrong. But before she could speak up about it, Harry sighed and glanced up at her with a look in his eyes that she had only seen a few times before—when he was truly worried about her. “He treats you like dirt, Kimmy. I’m not saying this to be an ass, but he—and, I mean, you deserve the absolute world, y’know? Do you really think he’s going to give you that?”

Max had been Kimber’s boyfriend for a little under nine months, though they had an arrangement beforehand that was mostly about sleeping together until they mutually developed feelings for one another. And during all those months, there were talks about a potential future ahead of them. Max studied creative writing and could take his degree with him wherever he went, and if that meant going where Kimber went, then who was he to deny that? But alas, after they graduated, he managed to snag up a job locally and Kimber didn’t—not that she really applied anywhere locally, because London was her dream.

On a few occasions, they did have the serious talk about what they wanted one day—marriage and children specifically. It was mostly their own personal futures and not ones they planned together at that point, though Kimber couldn’t deny the twinkle in Max’s eye when she announced she always pictured having a daughter first, who would, of course, be named Ava. She always liked that name.

She never really admitted it to anyone, but there was a point where Kimber really saw herself having a future with Max, whether in London or otherwise. But after their constant back and forth and Max’s latest habit of acting as though he had control over their relationship, Kimber wasn’t so sure what she saw in her future anymore. She hoped that the weekend together would salvage their relationship, but it only continued to bring out the worst in Max—and, seemingly, Harry as well.

But Harry wouldn’t get the gratitude of knowing that.

“Would I really be dating someone for this long if I didn’t think so?” she asked, her eyes hard on Harry as a fire burned behind them. “You can say all the shit you want about him, but at the end of the day, this is my life, Harry, so you need to back the fuck off.”

Harry blinked a few times and parted his lips, as if he had plenty more to say, but didn’t do anything in any form of a reply except to nod his head in the end. That was all Kimber needed before she set off upstairs, not so much as giving Harry a goodbye, and planned to not leave her room again as long as Harry was home.

“There you are. Was just about to go look—woah, hey, you okay?” Max began to say but changed up his wording as Kimber walked in her room, shutting the door behind her and throwing her handbag on her bed.

“Yeah,” she said, though it was almost as big of a lie as telling Harry she still pictured a future with Max. “I’m just cold and tired. Can we just cuddle in bed for a while?” Kimber asked as she crawled onto the bed beside Max, wrapping her arm around his body.

“Of course,” was all he said before he curled one arm around her, pulling her in close to his side and leaving Kimber alone in her thoughts as she stared at the blank wall.

The weekend was supposed to be perfect, it was supposed to fix everything that was broken, but it had only gone and done the exact opposite. Nothing was fixed, everything seemed to be much worse, and the longer Kimber laid with her head on Max’s chest, the more she realised that it wasn’t just anger and frustration building up inside her. It was confusion and uncertainty as well. The mix of emotions only swirled around her body as time went by and she allowed them to consume her until she hadn’t realised tears were beginning to well in her eyes. She knew the second Max realised she was crying he would want to know what was wrong—he might have even gone straight ahead to blame Harry—but Kimber didn’t want that. She didn’t want to be asked what was wrong when she couldn’t even answer the question herself.

Instead, Kimber mumbled a quick suggestion to put on one of her favourite films, pretending that the second it got emotional and sad, that was the reason for her tears. Max seemed to believe that, cuddling her tight and wiping away her tears, but Kimber knew the truth, and that was how fucking messed up life could be when things didn’t go to plan.

***

The weekend flew by before Kimber could even take another two seconds to breathe and was then back at the office building the following week not long after. Fearne and Lillian were all kinds of curious about how the weekend had gone, but Olivia barely spoke a word and hadn’t mentioned at all what happened the day she was there. Kimber wasn’t sure whether it was because confrontation wasn’t a favourite topic of hers and she just wanted to avoid it at all costs or whether she was embarrassed about being almost caught in a compromising position with Harry, but whatever the case, she was thankful she hadn’t spilled the beans.

Kimber just told her two nosy friends that they explored the city Saturday afternoon but spent a good majority of the rest in bed together, which was enough to keep them going for a little while longer. Of course, they made a remark here and there about the eventful weekend Kimber had gotten up to, though they meant it in nothing but a sexual manner, but Kimber couldn’t help but notice the way Olivia always looked away or became very interested in her computer or food the second they did.

By Wednesday, Kimber finally found the courage to speak to Olivia about what happened on the weekend. Olivia straight up told Kimber that nothing happened if she wanted nothing to have happened, which kind of took Kimber by surprise that that was her choice of words, but she just reassured Olivia that it was fine. She tried to tell her that Max was just having an off day and she was awfully sorry about it, which Olivia claimed to believe and said she understood, but Kimber couldn’t help but wonder if she thought something different entirely. Maybe Harry said a thing or two about Max behind their backs.

As for Harry, Kimber had barely spoken two words to him since Saturday. It made it hard when they lived in the same house together, but Harry kept himself busy with preparations before he set off to LA for a month or so to write and record his next album. He had people to see before he left, he had plans to finalise for the Another Man magazine photoshoot and interview, and he was back and forth catching up with friends and family while he still had free time. Kimber, on the other hand, spent her days at the office, and then barely left her bedroom except for food whenever she was home. Netflix became her new best friend.

Come Thursday, the night before Harry was to head off to LA, Kimber was on her bed, debating whether she should try and make contact with him before morning. She didn’t know what time his flight was, but she knew he preferred flying either early in the morning or late at night to avoid a rush of people at the airports. Instead, she had an empty bowl that was once filled with pasta beside her and her laptop on her lap, watching a film she had barely even paid any attention to. She was also messaging Fearne, Lillian and Olivia in their group chat, helping Lillian decide what to wear the following day for a date her mum set her up on, which she was very reluctant about partaking in in the first place. Olivia encouraged her to go because she hadn’t dated in a while and that was enough for her to finally agree—but her messages were barely a few words long and quite sporadic. Unlike Lillian, who sent a new message every few seconds it seemed.

Kimber was in the middle of reading a screenshot of the conversation Lillian sent between her and her mum, which detailed when and where she was supposed to be on said blind date when there was a knock at her door. Taken by surprise, it took her a few seconds to realise what happened, then she called out, “Come in!”

As Harry walked in, wearing his joggers and a plain white tee, Kimber could have cried on the spot. “Truce?” he asked, holding up a plate of pancakes.

Kimber couldn’t help the smile that pulled on her lips as she nodded. As much as she didn’t agree with things Harry said and as much as they still needed to talk things out, she couldn’t deny how happy it made her that he was willing to try and make things okay again before he left. She wouldn’t see him for weeks and that worried her because she became so accustomed to seeing him every day, so it just felt nice that those feelings weren’t one-sided. It warmed her heart that he didn’t want to leave without at least trying to make things better between them. And, most of all, Kimber liked that Harry was the one that made the first step. It showed her that he was willing to both give and take because, at the end of the day, their friendship was more important than anything else.

“Yeah, truce,” she said, reaching her arms out and making grabby hands. Harry held out the pancakes closer to her, assuming that they were what she was going for, but she shook her head. “No, you idiot, I want you,” she said with a chuckle.

“Oh,” Harry replied, his cheeks flushing pink as he placed the plate of pancakes down on her desk. He barely made it to the side of her bed before Kimber wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug she didn’t realise how badly she needed. Following suit, Harry pulled her in close, his thumb rubbing back and forth against her back as he nuzzled his face into her neck. “I know it’s been weird between us,” he said after a while, his warm breath hitting her skin as he spoke. “But I’m going to miss you a lot, you know.”

Kimber could feel her heart warm at that. “’M’going to miss you a lot, too.”

“Yeah?” Harry asked as he pulled back, biting down on his bottom lip.

“Yeah.” Kimber nodded. “Who’s gonna make pancakes for me when you go?” she asked, her lips tugging into a cheeky smirk.

Harry pouted his bottom lip as he frowned. “Is that all I’m good for, huh? Guess I’ll just take them back downstairs to keep for mys—”

“No!” Kimber cried, shaking her head and pouting her bottom lip like a child. “My pancakes.”

Harry grinned so widely and wonderfully. “Good thing I made them especially for you, then,” he told her, poking her nose as he climbed back out of her bed and fetching the plate from her desk. “Couldn’t carry all the extra toppings, so I hope just jam and cream is okay,” he said as he sat back down on her bed, but furrowed his brows as he glanced back up at Kimber and the way she was staring at him. “What? Don’t tell me you actually want the other stuff, because I swear—”

“No, no,” Kimber interjected, shaking her head. Her mind may have been a whirlwind of emotions, still rather intense and overwhelmed from the weekend, but having Harry beside her again was enough to make her forget her worries so long as he was around. “I was just—I’ve missed you.”

“Missed?” Harry raised a brow as he emphasised the last two letters of the word. “I’ve not gone anywhere yet.”

Kimber frowned. “You know what I mean.”

At that, Harry nodded as his lips pulled into a warm and genuine smile. “Yeah, I do,” he said, then honestly added, “And I missed you as well. Kinda weird not talking to, or even seeing, my best friend every day.”

“Best friend, huh?” Kimber’s lips tugged into a smirk, though she couldn’t deny the warmth radiating inside her just from hearing Harry call her his best friend. She hadn’t had many friends in her life, seemingly always being the odd one out in whatever group of friends she had at the time, but Harry had always remained that one constant friend in her life. Maybe even after they lost contact here and there, only to pick it right back up a few months down the track, he had always been her true best friend.

Harry narrowed his eyes. “I’ll take these pancakes back downstairs, Kimberly. Don’t test me.”

“Fine, fine,” she said with a chuckle, then this time made grabby hands for the pancakes. “Now, gimme the pancakes, Harold.”

For the rest of the night, the two laid on Kimber’s bed eating pancakes and watching Stranger Things. Harry hadn’t seen it yet so Kimber told him it was an absolute must, but she couldn’t deny how amusing it was when he got creeped out at certain darker parts of the show. After a few episodes, they decided on something much lighter. 27 Dresses was the film of choice, though Harry barely made it halfway before he fell asleep. Kimber, not wanting to disturb his slumber, turned off her laptop and slid underneath the sheets beside him, facing away from him as she got comfortable and soon drifted off to sleep.

By morning, Harry’s arm was draped around her body and his face buried in her hair.

—————————————————

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