Good morning and happy (almost) New Year! I see there’s some ship-hate flying around this morning. Most the time I just ignore this, but today, look: Bix this, Jyn that, blah blah, meanwhile we aren’t even talking about Windi the mother of Cassian’s child? What?!
This absolute crack fic brought to you by the delirium of a (covid) brain past midnight and the amazing humor of the discord crew 💚 (it has been awhile since I laughed so hard, thank you). Anyways, long live Keef Greene Jr our unhinged, chaos brainchild --and may 2023 be the year we learn ‘to each their own’ and let peeps be in fandom... I mean, a gal can dream, right?
Peezo Destiny
There’s something oddly familiar about the kid sitting across from Melshi. He can’t place it. Niamos is barely recognizable from the place he briefly visited after escaping Narkina 5, and yet for some reason this wide-eyed boy staring at him seems like someone he should know.
He’s not sure why he calls out -he should really be focused on collecting the intel he came for and getting back to the Rebel base as seamlessly as possible- but he does. “What’s your problem, kid?”
The boy blinks. He can’t even be ten years old. He might not even be nine, Melshi can’t tell, he’s never been good at reading that sort of thing -if it’s short it’s young if it’s taller it’s old. It’s why he insists on poking fun at Jyn every chance he can get it.
“What are you staring at?” Melshi prompts again. He’s getting worried now, he’s not supposed to be attracting attention. What if the Imps have paid the boy to spy or report on unusual visitors or something?
The boy silently lifts a hand and points to Melshi’s pack where a bright spot of green is poking out. A fruit. Maybe he’s hungry.
Melshi reaches into the pack and throws the fruit in the boy’s direction, hoping it’s enough to get the kid to leave him alone, walk away.
The kid has good reflexes, Melshi will give him that, he catches the fruit easily, but then, unexpectedly, walks over to Melshi and sits beside him on the bench.
Melshi groans as the boy begins to slowly eat his green treat.
“Thank you,” the boy says. “Green’s my favorite.”
“Sure. Okay.” Melshi tries looking away, maybe the kid will leave if he just ignores it. He’s regretting engaging in the first place. What were you thinking, Ruescott? Fool.
Five minutes later and the kid still hasn’t moved. He’s still nibbling at the green skin of the fruit and kicking his legs contentedly, shaking the bench they sit upon. Melshi decides it’s time to leave.
He stands and begins to lift his pack to his shoulders, but the boy calls out, “Wait. Where are you going?” and now he has to look at this kid who can’t take a hint and those eyes are locking onto his face again and there’s still something so familiar about it.
“Don’t you think you should head home, kid? Your parents are probably worried about you.”
“No. My mom’s gone.”
“Gone?” Melshi asks, exasperated. “Gone where?”
The boy shrugs. “Gone. She told me I had to stay while she got more greenie greens.”
What the fuck... “Uhh… okay. Is she coming back soon?”
The boy shrugs again and takes another bite.
“How long has she been gone?”
Another shrug. “A long time.”
Melshi sighs. Trying to get information out of the kid is like trying to get Cass to... His train of thought hits a brick wall and keeps rolling, because he thinks he’s realized what it is about the child that’s so familiar. “What’s your name, kid?”
“Keef. Keef Greene Jr,” the boy says rather proudly -though Melshi’s not sure what there is to be proud of, it’s kind of a shit name. It does however, give him resolution to the nagging familiarity of the strange child.
A grin spreads across Melshi’s face. “Keef, kid, you’re coming with me. There’s someone I want you to meet...”
——
Melshi marches Keef across the hangar, the young thing with the short legs barely keeping up with his long ones.
Cass is working on his ship with Jyn and K2, his legs sticking out from under as he messes with something underneath.
“Keef!” Melshi calls loudly and there’s the thunk of head hitting metal and a stream of loud curses as Cassian startles.
“I told you not to call me that-“ Cassian begins, sliding out from under the ship, rubbing at his forehead. He stops short when he sees the strange boy standing beside Melshi. “Who’s that?”
“This? Oh,” Melshi places a hand on Keef Jr’s shoulder. “This is Keef. Keef Greene Jr.”
He waits for the news to register with his friend, but it is Jyn who reacts first with a laugh. “Didn’t you say Keef was your alias when you met... Oh. Oh by the force. Are you serious?” She steals another glance at the kid, squinting. “You are serious.”
“Cass, you were on Niamos for what, a day? Before you ended up in Narkina 5?” Melshi prods.
“I..”
“It is not statistically improbable depending on frequency of-“
“Nope! You can stop there, Kay!” Cass shouts loudly and he’s as flushed and flustered as Melshi has ever seen him.
“The physical appearance suggests shared genetics,” K2 adds, unable to help himself.
“He’s right, Cass,” Jyn says. “That kid looks alot like you.” Her face softens and she steps towards Keef Jr who has not said a word this entire time. “Hi, my name is Jyn.”
“I’m Keef Greene Jr.”
“I heard!”
Cassian approaches Melshi while Jyn continues to converse with the boy. “You couldn’t have given me a little heads up, Melsh?”
“Where’s the fun in that, Dad.”
“Stop. This is serious.”
“You’re right it is. You’ve passed on a truly terrible name to this sweet innocent child. How could you?!”
“Melsh!”
“What?”
“What am I going to do?”
“Well, first things first,” Jyn jumps in, a hand resting on the boy’s head. The kid seems to have already taken a liking to her. “Keith here says he’s hungry.”
“Keith?”
“Keith,” Jyn repeats. “The kid’s already lost a mother, I’m not making him suffer your horrible alias on top of that.” Her eyes flash to Melshi. “Keith Ruescott Andor.”
“Hey! He’s not my kid.”
“No, but you knew his father so well.”
“Oh, you mean his father Keef Girgo?”
Melshi barely avoids the hunk of metal Cassian chucks at his head.
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