#i rly fluffed this last part up

[anagrammaddict]

Five times Baze had to endure tarine tea & that one time when it wasn’t so bad

a continuation

(one)

(two and three)

(four)

(five)

(and that one time when it wasn’t so bad)

“Chirrut!” Baze called as he entered their shared quarters at the Temple. Sunlight streamed through the window, warmth pooling on the floor. Chirrut had his back to Baze, his hands laid on the sill. He didn’t answer.

“You were supposed to help me take some of the novices out to the city,” Baze grumbled. “Didn’t you say you’d meet me after midday in the courtyard? Really could have used your help controlling that lot.”

Chirrut still didn’t say anything.

“One of them kept trying to persuade a merchant to give them a pipe for free, in exchange for a blessing from the Force,” Baze continued. “Reminded me of you, actually.”

Chirrut turned his face slightly, but remained silent.

“And three of them tried to run off—just run off like that! No subtlety, just outright rebellion! I had to threaten the rest of them to stay put while I ran after those three and dragged them back by their collars. Only to find one of the older ones trying to sneak into a cantina.”

Chirrut made a low humming sound.

“What is wrong with you?” said Baze, irritated. “First you stand me up, and now you won’t even talk.”

Chirrut turned around. He was smiling. A real idiot dopey smile. The kind of idiot smile that instantly sent Baze on high alert. His cheeks looked a bit warped, his lips pursed.

“Alright. What are you up to?”

Chirrut took Baze’s hand and squeezed it tenderly. He traced a fingertip on Baze’s palm. Featherlight letters. A message.

BAZE MALBUS, Chirrut wrote with his gossamer touch, I LOVE YOU.

He took Baze’s chin, stroked his thumb over his bottom lip and prised it downward. And when Baze’s mouth opened, Chirrut drew him closer and kissed Baze, and at the same time, transferring a warm mouthful of tarine tea into Baze’s mouth. Tea that Chirrut had been holding in his cheeks all this while. Some of the tea slopped over Baze’s chin.

Baze spluttered. “Chirrut! I told you not to do that ever again!”

Chirrut only shouted with laughter, even as Baze grabbed him and ruffled his shorn head mercilessly, poked him in the ribs and all the parts where he was ticklish, even as they wrestled each other to the ground, laughing like the ill-disciplined children the Temple Elders used to accuse them of being.

“I know how to make it up to you,” Chirrut said at last.

He disentangled himself from Baze, went to the kitchen and when he came back, he held one of the sweet limes on his open palm, peeled already, as an offering. It was from Baze’s new crop of lime trees, the ones not contaminated by tarine.

“To kill the taste.”

“Hah! You know me well.” Baze was still rather disgruntled, but he reached out to take the lime.

Before he could, though, Chirrut flicked his hand, sending the lime spinning upwards, before catching it between his teeth.

“Eh, not so fast,” said Chirrut, his words slurred as he spoke around the shape of the fruit, “You think you can take this from me without squashing it? No hands allowed ah!”

Baze smiled this time, his grin big and his teeth showing. “Let’s see.”

And he kissed Chirrut, mouth open, their tongues scrabbling for the fruit, a tiny sugary sun sparkling between their shared laughter.

.

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Parts: one, two and three, four, five

And this is the last part! that is all for this mini-series of...of...whatever this was meant to be. I had more fun than I should’ve had doing this. Thank you so much for reading! It is muchly appreciated. :)