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cashmoneyyysstuff · 27 days

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in which : you and your classmates surprise katsuki for his birthday !

day seven of the explosive birthday collab event hosted by @queenpiranhadon !

fem reader, i dog on kaminari a lot in this one lmfao sorry kami fans i promise i luv him, kissing, lotsaaaa fluff, mentions of food, mentions of drinking but its not specified to be alcohol or anything ! cuddling, teary eyed sentimental katsu, soft katsu for the soul, teary eyed reader, class A bein silly, lmk if i missed sum else !

a/n : HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATSUKI KATSUKI DAY GRAAAAAHHH-

and so, finally bakugou’s big 18th birthday party had arrived.

and you could absolutely not be more nervous.

you’d barely slept a wink, too giddy but also terrified as you kept on thinking about everything that could happen that you lost track of time. you'd checked and rechecked to see if the gifts you'd prepared where ready, checked with your classmates to see if all the decorations in gym gamma where still okay and checked the fridge five times to see if the cake was still intact aka if kaminari or mineta hadn't gotten their grubby little hands on it. tokoyami had told you not to “let the chains of anxiety shackle thy restless soul”, which you think meant you didn’t need worry yourself too much. you didn't quite get it at the time but you were thankful nonetheless.

you’re in bed now. nervous, sure. but you can’t help excitedly kicking your feet nonetheless. you were so excited to see katsuki’s reaction to the surprise and to your gifts, of course.

you check your notifications one last time, smile at your homescreen picture of you and your boyfriend, and turn on your side to finally go to sleep.

the day goes by with no hiccups. despite your friends wishing katsuki a happy birthday, with him grumbling in a sort of appreciation, he didn’t seem like he’d caught on. and he hadn’t noticed the sneaky mischievous glances you sent your friends every once in a while, everything was going off with a hitch.

you’d, of course, waken up extra early to be sure you were the very first person to send him a happy birthday message, getting ready at lightning speed to greet him at the door with a warm hug and plenty of kisses. which he reciprocated after quickly getting over his stupor.

the day had gone well, but now it was time for the surprise. and while you gather up the last finishing touches and finish bringing the food, operation : extract the payload was a go.

kirishima had been tasked to go retrieve katsuki and drag him over to the gym, claiming he wanted to try a brand new move and knowing katsuki you knew there was little to no chance he’d pass up training. but just in case, you’d encouraged kirishima to egg your boyfriend on a bit, that usually gets him going and you smirk proudly at your phone when you get a text from the red head himself.

“he took the bait ! the payload is on the way >:)”

and there you have it.

“alright guys, payload’s on the way !” you exclaim. your classmates start taking action, there aren’t many places to hide in the gym even with all of the changes you’d all made, but everyone had managed to find a pretty good hiding spot. some, like kaminari following others because they had nowhere else to hide and exchanging whispered complaints of “why’d you follow me ?!” and “ow, don’t step on my feet !” you giggle at how much your friends treat this like a game of hide and seek rather than a big surprise, before bounding away to find a hiding spot for yourself near the entrance.

it's so quiet you can hear a pin drop. denki clear his throat and yelps immediately afterwards, you assume someone must’ve punished him for the noise and you almost snort. until you hear voices approaching.

you recognize the loudest one clear as day. your heart starts racing when you hear the door open and kirishima and katsuki sounding impossibly close. katsuki’s complaining, as usual and it should be about time for—

“let’s hurry this up shitty hair, got other shit to do later.” you hear your boyfriend grumble.

“yeah, yeah i got it man.” kirishima replies “i’ve been working on this move for a looong while, so i think you’ll definitely be in for a treat.”

the trigger word.

“why’d you put so much emphasis on the—“

“SURPRIIIIISEEEE!!!”

bakugou’s next words get caught in his throat and he makes a little spluttering noise when all of his classmates pop out from almost every single crevice, nook and cranny in the room. his eyes are wide as saucers and his stance screams he’s on high alert, ready to fight, only to be met with his entire class screaming at him.

he stays frozen in his spot, eyebrows twitching and you all silently wait for him to react until denki shouts “kacchan’s shut down, guys !” in an instant time restarts its course and while you all burst out laughing katsuki splutters again.

“shut the fuck up dunce face !!” he shouts, but it doesn’t hit the same as it usually would, he’s just a bit quieter “w-what the hell is all this ?!”

“obviously it’s a surprise party.” sero sasses with a smirk, mina rubs it in by adding a snarky “duuuh !”

kirishima takes pity on his friend and places a hand on his shoulder comfortingly "we knew your birthday was comin' up, so we wanted to throw you a birthday party !"

"and actually keep it a secret this time.." kaminari snickered not so quietly. him, and the majority of the class side eyeing todoroki and mineta, the smaller boy immediately spluttering out excuses while the other only tilted his head in question.

katsuki's flabbergasted expression has settled just the smallest bit, his eyes shoot over to you and you offer him a sweet smile "18th birthday's are special, y'know ? they should be celebrated with class." you joke. the redhead next to your boyfriend nods aggressively fast. you feel a hand on your shoulder and turn to see kaminari again. you snort when he opens his mouth to speak again—does that guy ever stop talking ?

"i helped plan everything." he smirks, leaning against your shoulder and nodding proudly. only to wince when jirou materializes behind him, accompanied with a fist to his head. "we all did, idiot."

"hey, don't go taking all the glory for yourself !" mina chimes in a little further in the crowd, shoji places a hand on her shoulder in support.

you can't stop your lips from forming into a silly smile at your friends antics, and you giggle when katsuki only rolls his eyes, trying to hold back one of his own.

"you guys are idiots..complete fuckin' morons.." he mutters under his breath, shaking his head and rubbing at his nape almost shyly. he looks up at the red head next to him, then at the rest of his class with the faintest of pink on his cheeks, hand still pressed awkwardly on his nape like he doesn't know where to put it.

"i-i appreciate you guys..or whatever..thanks."

a beat passes. and then squeals resonates throughout the room.

"AAAWWWW—" kaminari and mina both squeal.

"aww man, you're blushing !" kirishima laughs, his cheeks also tinted pink.

"S-SHUT THE FUCK UP. NO I'M NOT—yer seein' things, you fuckin' weirdo.." katsuki spits, but his embarrassment and appreciation refrains him from insulting his smiling friend too agressively.

"aaand he's back.." sero quips, causing absolute choas filled with laughs and screams..the screams coming more from your boyfriend but you digress.

you're all smiles, this couldn't have gone any better for you and you feel a little silly for feeling emotional. katsuki's absolutely not the first person others would call sweet, but him actually putting in the effort and putting his feelings into words make your heart grow more than three sizes.

"alright, enough with the mushy stuff. let's party an' eat cake !" kaminari, always being the life of the party, exclaims. you're thankful that he's so aware and always able to set everything back on course so naturally, you almost envy him for it. you and your classmates excitedly cheer. between the cheers you lock eyes with katsuki, who was already looking at you. you smile at him brightly because you really can't help it and you feel your heart beat and dance around in your chest when he offers you a handsome smile in return. not his usual boastful one, the one only reserved for you. the one that makes your heart beat intensely, but more sweetly and makes it melt like liquid honey.

this is the best.

you're a few hours ( and a lot of slices of cake) later into the evening, when you lean against the wall to take a breather. you're cheeks hurt with how hard you've been laughing and you sigh happily, the noise being drowned out by the loud speakers booming as you take a sip of your favorite drink.

"yo." you turn to see sero right next to you, "hey !" you chirp loudly, trying to get him to hear you over the music. he smiles easily at you, taking a sip from his drink before he continues

"looks like blasty's havin' fun." he chuckled, pointing his cup to where your boyfriend had been dragged into an impromptu conga line. you burst out laughing, pulling out your phone to record. and while you're recording he notices and glares right at you, you offer him a taunting little wave and cheer him on. and his narrowed eyes need no words as his hands tighten on deku's shoulders in front of him. the green haired boy's eyes widen in surprise as his mouth open in surprise.

"you're gonna pay for that." you chortle.

"looks like this party was a succes, huh ?" sero utters softly, going to take another sip before leaning his red cup over to you. you laugh with a shake of your head.

"yep !" you agree, knocking your cup against his.

a warm hand wraps around your wrist. you don't know if you ever stopped smiling since the beginning of the evening, but you smile wider when his warmth practically engulfes you, his chest pressed to your back as he pulls you against it. you look up at him to see him trying to supress a smile, not well, but he's trying. "finally caught you." katsuki growls.

"you havin' fun ?" you sing. he scoffs "bein' dragged around playing limbo with those fuckin' cheaters ? yeah, plenty." the words come out bitterly at the memory of kaminari 'setting him up' during your game of limbo, competitive as always. you laugh at his sarcastic remark.

"i think you looked real handsome during the conga line," you sigh sweetly to sell the act, "so dreamy.." his words get caught in his throat and he pokes at your stomach in punishment to make you squirm around, then he's reaching to grab your hips shuffles around in your pockets while you try to keep him away. "i saw you recording me, freak ! gimme the phone."

"no !"

"give it !"

"leave me be, it's a m-momento for your 18th birthday !" you wheeze, giggling and shrieking as he takes his chance to tickle you. you hear him chuckle into your ear and he finally relents. "m'getting to that phone while you're asleep." you fake gasp in shock, wrapping your arms around yourself.

"you wouldn't !"

"don't test me." he snarks, throwing you a teasing grin. however, his expression morphs into a soft one, he shoves his hands into his black baggy jean pockets.

"heard you planned all this, huh ?" your eyes widen.

"no, no we all did."

"but it was your idea." he insists, and cuts you off before you can continue "don't bother, kirishima already told me." as thankful as you were for his help, you cursed kirishima in your head for throwing you to the explosive wolf like this. it's not like you were angry, but you really couldn't have done all of this on your own and it was definitely a team effort.

"well, i mean..yeah.." you admitted shyly, fumbling around with your hands. it's silent, then he chuckles at your humbleness and you're slowly, agonizingly slow at that, being backed up against the nearest wall. and his forehead maes contact with yours, you're tucked away into a corner of the gym where the rest can't see you, he places his arms against the wall next to your head.

your eyes dart from his to the floor "i just thought..it could be fun, you know..? m'sorry for lying to you about the bookstore.." you spilled, trying your best to stutter out an apology, until he stops you, raising your head up with his finger.

"you're really somethin' else, you know that ?" he smirks softly " i knew you were planning somethin', you were being too secretive. hanging out with my mom and shit, sneaky brat."

"i like hanging out with your mom !" you defending the older woman has your boyfriend roll his eyes "should like hanging out with your boyfriend first." he quips. you roll your eyes as well, but it doesn't take you long to burst into a fit of laughter and he follows quickly. your chest feels warm, tucked away giggling in this small corner of the bustling party, just you and katsuki.

"i have something i wanna show you." katsuki raises a brow at your sudden words. "oh, yeah ?" you nod. "but it's in my room." you offer him your hand shyly, and he smiles softly, huffing through his nose. grabbing your hand as you pull him out of the gym and walking silently into the night back towards the dorms.

"hey.." katsuki starts, you hum. "uhm, y'know—fuck.." he fumbles with his words and pulls you along when you stop walking to listen to him, wanting to continue so you wouldn't notice his embarrassed state too hard.

"thanks for this." your eyes widen and it's like he sensed you were about to speak because he interrupts you "yeah, yeah i know you all did." he mimicks your words, squeezing your hand in his warm one "but you thought it all up, so..thanks." he glances down at you " when i said i appreciated it, i really did. i really do."

your heart thump, thump, thumps against your chest, you feel it hammer in your ear. your hand squeezes his and he squeezes a second time. you don't know what you can say, so you smile at him. it's late at night and tiredness has finally started kicking in now that the music fades further and further away, but you're so, so happy and you think he can see it too. his smile slightly dimmer but still there and it makes you feel so warm and loved despite the slight chill of the outside. you wish you could see him smiling like this all the time with all your heart. and you hope he'll like your gifts and all of a sudden your at the entrance of the dorms. you make your way to your room in comfortable silence. your hand getting slightly clammy in his when you finally reach your floor and make your way to your room.

"what did you wanna show me ?" bakugou asks, closing your door behind you. you sit down on your bed and pat the spot next to you. he questions it with a raise of his brow, but doesn't any further and sits down next to you. you inhale, and reach underneath your bed to grab the gift and hand it over to him. his eyes widen, he narrows his eyes at you when your lips curl into a bashful smile.

"yn."

"i know.."

"i told you not to get me anything, stupid." he utters breathlessly, placing his hand onto your head and noogieing you. you reach up to stop him with a whine.

"i knooow !" you moaned "but just open it, please ?" you give him your best puppy eyes. he scoffs but finally relents. grabbing the thin box from your hands. he shakes it softly and you make a noise, reaching for his wrists.

"katsuki !" you giggle "don't shake it !"

"m'just trynna hear what it is."

"then open it !"

finally, he opens his the box. his eyes widen and he places it down on the bed to get a better look at the book you'd made for him. you perk up nervously when he inspects it thoroughly, running his fingers over the stickers you'd stuck to the front.

"i-it's a recipe book, see ? i know you love to cook so i figured you could add all of your favorite recipes in it." he flips the book open while you explain away, skimming over the pages " you can detach the rings too, so if you wanna add pages you can—"

before you know it you're interrupted and practically slammed onto your bed, a pair of warm bulky arms incasing you into your boyfriends chest. you shriek, but it melts into a giggle when he kisses all around your cheeks and nose softly, causing a ticklish sensation and when he lands a particularly wet kiss against your eyelid you laugh.

after moving his recipe booklet to your nightstand to keep it intact, he places you further onto your bed to kiss you again, obnoxiously loud at that, and you try to kiss back to the best of your ability but constantly huffing through your nose and smiling. he leans up to give you a break from his love attack, only for you to be hit dead on with all the love in his eyes.

"i'm gonna assume you're happy with your gift.. ?" he rolls his eyes at your joke, nudging his nose with yours.

"yeah, happy doesn't even begin to cut it. thanks, babe." he simpers, his eyes are bright and you make sure to commit his expression to memory. he leans down again, promptly kissing you deeply, you let yourself get carried away by his love and affection, kissing him back passionately but you remember your last gift for him.

"mm, there's—" he hums, continuing his flurry of kisses "there's something taped—" one more kiss cuts you off "—on the last page of your book, suki." one last loud peck and he pulls away to stare at you incredulously, you never stop surprising him, do you ?

he quickly retrieves it from your nightstand, and if his eyes widened before they practically bulge out of their sockets at the little holographic card neatly taped in his book. he carefully removes the tape and lifts up the card, looks at you, and looks back at the card in shock causing you to giggle.

"i remember how bummed you were after your card got all messed up during the war, so..." you're heart squeezes at the horrific memories of what had happened those few years ago, and how upset your katsuki had been when the card he'd kept close to his heart since he was a kid ended up crumpled up and bloody. he still has it, hidden in a box under his bed, but he never got to bring it to all might to get it signed. so you decided to do it for him and after racing neighborhood kids to get as many packets as you could get your hands on and a few packet of cards, you'd finally pulled it. you knew what you needed to do and the bewildered look in his eye was most definitely worth it.

"holy fuck..holy shit." he insists "how did you even—i—what ??" you burst out laughing at his disbelief, he could be so cute when he wanted to be.

"i just asked mr. all might if he wanted to, and he happily agreed, by the way." you answer simply with a shrug. however your smile fades just a bit when his eyes turn glossy.

"hey.." you crooned. quickly he shoves his head into his shoulder, furiously wiping at his eyes. he sniffles and grabs your wrist. you think he's about to pull you towards him only for him to crash against your chest again. you let out a 'oof !' sound, chuckling breathlessly. you don't say a word as you feel his arms wrap around you tighter, his face and hands heating up against you and the collar of your shirt growing wet. you don't mind, running your fingers through his hair until he's ready to speak again.

"yer gonna be the end of me, woman." his voice is just a little scratchy and he clears his throat, you giggle.

"this..i know i'm not the best at all this emotional stuff but—m'real thankful y'know.." he rambles against your neck, you nod "mhm." you urge.

"a-an' this is honestly more than i could ever ask for. ever." he looks up just enough to make sure you see his slightly red eyes "this is the best gift ever given to me. you're the best gift ever given to me, and i dunno what i did to deserve you, but i'm definitely not taken it for granted" he half jokes. you feel your whole body heat up and your eyes burn just a bit at the sincerety of his words.

"i love you, katsu. s'the least i can do." you sniffle. he leans up to kiss you almost immediately. it's soft and sweet and so perfect. it's just passionate and slow enough where you can practically feel the love he's trying to give to you, you know what he's trying to tell you without him even having to speak, because you love him and he loves you.

"i love you." he responds against your lips, you love him and he loves you, and you kiss him again. you hope he can feel how much you love him and how happy you are he enjoyed himself at his surprise birthday party. you hope you can keep seeing him smile like he did tonight and enjoy himself and his cake every year. you hope you can try every single recipe he adds to his recipe book and see the way his eyes light up at his signed holographic all might card every single year.

bakugou pulls away to look at you with all the love in the world and he thinks that any birthday he has in the future will be more than perfect if he can have you by his side for as long as he lives, every year.

aaaand it's done !! tysm to @queenpiranhadon for allowing me to participate in this event, and the last day no less ! such an honor ! i advise you go read my other collab partners chaps to get the context for this one, so please go read their parts as well, cus theyre all so good and so adorable, i had sm fun writing this and i hope yall enjoy <3 happy birthday katsuki !!

taglist *if your name is pink i unfortunately couldn't tag you :(* : @gina239 @mystic60 @meowze4r @icedemon1314 @bigsimpo343 @ah-mya @wheezdostuff @berryvioo @seonne @slayfics @food8me @katsuisbaby @azzo0 @kieran-rhoades @xnorthstar3x @le000xxgrd @tr-mha-fan

day one: you make a birthday gift for katsuki ! - @zanarkandskylines

day two: you invite all of class 1-A to the party ! - @xbabyd0lli3x

day three: you and mitsuki go shopping for decorations ! - @angels-fantasy

day four: katsuki tries to figure out what you’re planning ! - @starieq

day five: you set up gym gamma for the party ! - @lowkeyremi

day six: you bake a cake for the party ! - @queenpiranhadon

day seven: you and your classmates surpise katsuki ! -@cashmoneyyysstuff

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queen-scribbles · 5 months

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Unwise

Haaaappy birthday to the Blueberry Jedi, as I simultaneously embarrass her and write the last piece standing between her/Arcann and the official "begin a relationship" step. >:3 I've mentioned before that she can be surprisingly horny, right?

---

Her heart pounded in her chest, the pulses of emotion she could sense from him making it beat faster, faster. His fingers brushed the juncture of her hip and she twined a leg over his to keep them close, a kiss pressed to the hollow of her throat had his name falling from her lips on a gasp--

She jerked awake, heart actually pounding, heat still twisting in her core, and very much alone. No company, least of all him.

Stars above, where did that come from?! Endrali wondered. She ran both trembling hands through her hair, clenching them around fistfuls at her nape, then immediately let go as if it had burned her.

Not a good idea with that dream still fresh in her mind's eye. Not that he would ever...

Endrali sat up, tenting her knees, and willed all her focus into clearing her thoughts. Slow, deep breaths. In. Out. She was on a planet full of Force users, some almost as strong as she was; the last thing she wanted was for these emotions to linger long enough someone picked up on them. In. Out. Calm your mind.

The meditative quiet that usually came easy was elusive this time.

She'd never had a dream like that before...

Sparring. That's where this came from, sparring yesterday. Tank tops. More single blade practice for her. Arcann was more comfortable with it now, more convinced it was not an unwise course of action. (The fact she'd playfully shoved him halfway across the room with the Force probably helped. As reassurance.) He'd actually smiled helping her back to her feet when they finished. "You are improving."

That's what had done her in, that smile, she mused. That he was comfortable enough, relaxed enough, to drop his guard around her, if not on the base as a whole.

The--imagined, she reminded herself sternly--memory of fingers tracing skin mingled with the feel of his hand around hers as he hauled her up and Endrali bit her lip. This wasn't helping. She shoved the dream down and buried, but it kept poking through, heat shimmering in her thoughts.

That wouldn't do; someone--stars forbid Arcann or Senya--would pick up on it at this rate. She needed to do something off-planet today, and the sooner she could leave the better. Endrali flicked on the lights and pulled up Alliances messages on her datapad as she dressed.

Right at the first, there was an urgent alert, forwarded by Theron at an hour that tempted Endrali to yell at him about his sleep schedule again--a pirate gang ambushed a patrol and got their hands on Odessen security data. They were selling to the highest bidder, from their base on Tatooine.

Good distance for taking a whole day without keeping her away too long. She finished shrugging on the tan and ochre robes and turned her attention to the main conundrum.

Who did she ask to come along and how did she explain it not being Arcann?

She'd dragged him everywhere for months, because they were friends now, because he'd been first choice for watching her back ever since she realized how well they clicked, because she was comfortable with him. It was going to raise eyebrows if she took someone else along for 'no reason'.

(There was, of course, a very good reason--no way she could hide these emotions from the object of them. But she couldn't say that. 'You didn't do anything wrong, Arcann, I just had a really vivid sex dream about you--us--and need some distance to clear my head!' She valued his friendship and trust too much to blow it apart like that.)

So. She couldn't bring Arcann, for obvious reasons. Couldn't bring Senya, for equally obvious reasons. Lana and any other Sith or Jedi were probably also a bad idea; it was proving nigh impossible to banish the curl of lingering heat. Theron or Vette would notice her agitated state and badger her until she spilled details, Koth and Felix were handling something for Admiral Aygo...

Wish Nadia was here. That would be the perfect solution. She wouldn't mind spilling her guts to her best friend, and Nadia's Force sensitivity was such she'd catch the meaning of any emotion Endrali couldn't put into words.

But she wasn't here. She was Force only knew where, hopefully alright. Safe.

Endrali sighed and ran her fingers along the etched hilt of her dualsaber. Although, thinking of Felix and Nadia turned her thoughts to the rest of her old crew....

Qyzen. Qyzen was here, he wasn't Force aware to pick anything up, and he wouldn't prod for her thoughts. And they'd spent plenty of time fighting together, and he'd done several hunts on Tatooine, which gave him familiarity with the terrain.

Qyzen was perfect. Trusted ally, skilled warrior, perfectly happy following the Scorekeeper's Herald without needless personal questions. Now she just had to track him down and get out of here without running into certain people.

Fingers traced the curve of her spine, metal warm from prolonged contact--

Endrali bit the inside of her cheek, shook her head, tried to take a few deep breaths and push the thought away. And the faster she could get off planet the better. Lingering seemed unwise.

---

Qyzen was, thankfully, not hard to find. He and the Warstalkers tended to keep to the military wing. He did, however, seem surprised by her request.

[Something is wrong, that you need me?] he asked, examining her keenly.

Endrali shook her head, tucking hair behind one ear. "I have to get back some data a pirate gang stole, and they're based on Tatooine. You've hunted there several times, I thought your knowledge of the planet would come in handy."

[Whatever the Herald needs] He inclined his head. [I have all that is needed.]

Her brows twitched and she looked him over again. Sure enough, even for a quiet day on Odessen, he was armored and carried his techblade. "Alright, then."

She thought she caught a glimpse of Arcann as they headed for the Cadence, but didn't dare look, lest her tenuous, desperate grip on those thoughts unravel entirely.

The door whooshed closed behind them, the fresh air a welcome change even if she didn't slow to enjoy it. She did smile at the sight of her snow orchids bobbing in a breeze.

Scarred skin under her wandering touch, down jaw, neck, shoulder. Nails digging in to leave her own marks as they pressed close-

Stop. It. Endrali scolded herself, face hot. She wasn't sure what she'd do for all the empty hours between here and Tatooine, but hopefully she'd find something, or she was in trouble.

---

Arcann happened to reach the hanger bay just in time to catch sight of Endrali, fully dressed and geared, heading toward the door to her personal landing pad.

It was early to be starting for somewhere. Even if the purposeful stride of herself and her Trandoshan friend made it seem important. He hadn't even had time to process Endrali was going somewhere without him when a voice spoke next to him.

"Must be dealin' with the pirates." When he flinched and turned, he saw the underworld liaison. She took his glance as curiosity and elaborated. "Dust Vipers hit a patrol, stole security data. They went to ground on Tatooine while they try to auction it off. Commander must be dealing with it." She cocked her head. "Gotta say, surprised she didn't take you, way you two've been joined at the hip the past few months."

As am I. He buried the thought. "She is free to choose whoever she wishes to accompany her."

Visz snorted. "I know that. She'd just been pickin' you a lot. Guess there's somethin' makes Qyzen a better fit this time." She shrugged and kept walking. Arcann stared at the door that had closed behind Endrali and Qyzen.

He instinctively started combing his memory for anything he had done wrong, then caught himself.

Endrali was not Valkorion. On the--rare--occasions someone hurt or displeased her, she talked to them. The cold shoulder as a punishment was not her way, and it was unwise to let himself worry for no reason.

Driven by curiosity than anything, Arcann reached out through the Force for a sense of her-

-and ran into an impenetrable wall that made his brow furrow. Endrali was never so closed with her emotions. Protecting deeper thoughts, yes, but she'd never barricaded even the surface so tightly, not in all the months since he'd joined the Alliance. And even before.

The dull roar of her ship's engine came through the door, and Arcann waited for it to fade before heading that direction. He'd wanted to meditate(--with her, but that part was not meant to be now--)and she clearly wouldn't need the space.

---

However difficult it was to clear her mind during the journey, Tatooine's heat alone was enough to distract her once they arrived.

[Herald, where is our quarry?] Qyzen asked.

"Oh, um..." Endrali fumbled to pull out the datapad with information. She'd been in such a state she hadn't really focused on anything beyond 'stolen data', 'Tatooine', and that it was urgent enough to get her off Odessen quickly. She could sense Qyzen's concern as he watched her.

[To be unprepared, is unusual.] he said. [Everything is alright?]

"I'm fine," Endrali promised. "Just didn't want to waste time before leaving, this sounded urgent."

Both statements were true, even if the connection wasn't, per se.

Qyzen seemed to accept it, though she wasn't sure if his not pointing out the hours she could've read it en route was decorum or not recognizing the opportunity.

"The Dust Vipers are based in the Dune Sea," Endrali said, finally locating the info in Hylo's report.

[I follow you,] Qyzen said. [Are prepared?]

"Mmhm." She better be, heading into the Dune Sea. It would swallow the unprepared whole, and she didn't want that. So they were prepared, and she would stay focused on the task at hand. They didn't have much on the Dust Vipers and she didn't want to make assumptions of their capabilities.

Hope they're enough of a challenge to satisfy Qyzen and distract me, Endrali thought as the speeder headed out from Anchorhead.

---

She got her wish. While not as tough as Commander Tassar's forces, or fanatical as the Sith on Ord Mantell, the Dust Vipers were no pushovers--through sheer numbers if nothing else.

They must run some recruitment drives, she mused dryly before considering maybe they'd simply pulled all their forces to protect the base, knowing the Alliance would respond. Many of them hadn't been expecting her, personally, to handle it, if their panicked oaths and the ripple of shock in the Force were anything to go by.

It's their bad luck I needed the distraction. Endrali ripped a chunk of rock out of a precipice and hurled it at one set of hasty barricades. It knocked them aside and flattened the pirates using them for cover. Qyzen swept through the new opening to reach more pirates further up the slope.

The catwalks up to this point had been bad enough, doubling back repeatedly to climb the rock face in a zigzag that gave the Vipers a decided advantage. But more rock walls blocked in the climbing path, funneling them in one direction--toward a healthy scattering of pirates, beasts and barricades.

However, Endrali and Qyzen had quickly fallen back in sync, fighting together. (Even if it was a little odd fighting with someone not Force-aware after so long with Arcann--)

None of that, she scolded herself, flinging a pair of pirates into the canyon wall and spinning to cut down another behind her. Not a good idea to undermine the distraction.

They gained the summit and Endrali paused to catch her breath.

[Is all broodlings so far,] Qyzen commented, looking back at the bodies left in their wake. [Barely worth points.]

Endrali chuckled. "They do add up, though. And I'm sure we'll find someone worthy to fight soon; no way they'll let us just waltz inside the walls of their base." She fell silent, nudging the carcass of a sand tusker with her boot.

[What thoughts, Herald?]

"These are known for their hostility," she said half under her breath, "they should be attacking everything, not just us."

Qyzen nodded thoughtfully. [Agreed. Is odd.]

"Maybe if we can figure out what they're doing, we can wreck it, and then the beasts will go after the pirates, too."

[Whatever small prey uses, is unwise to stand against Scorekeeper's Herald,] he said, scanning over the bodies of men and beasts who had paid for doing so.

Endrali smiled and gave a rueful snort. "Am I still Her Herald? I did get captured, wouldn't that...?"

Qyzen paused, the scaly ridges that crested his head twitching, but the clouded eye turned toward her gave nothing away. She knew he still struggled to reconcile that she, the Scorekeeper's Herald, had suffered the highest disgrace--live capture. His reply was measured when it came. [Once, small hunter said to me, not to dwell on points lost, but on reclaiming. Now I say same to you, Herald. Not to worry for lost points--you earn many more. And defeat one who captured you, make him serve.]

She shook her head and chuckled. They'd had this terminology debate before. "He doesn't serve, Qyzen; Arcann's an ally now. A friend."

One she was trying very hard not to think about right now, so they really should change the subject.

[Is sign of strength, boldness, to trust one so long an enemy,] Qyzen said. [Let him enter your den, guard your back.]

"He's earned it," Endrali said softly, tracing channels through the sandy dirt with her boot.

[Have seen is so,] Qyzen nodded. [So I trust Herald's instincts.]

A deep, breathless kiss, her name mumbled low, started creeping back into her thoughts. Endrali shook them off and pushed to her feet. "Right now my instincts are saying to press on before they regroup." It wasn't like resting in the suns heat helped that much.

Qyzen nodded, taking his weapon in hand. [I follow.]

They found the compound gates nearby, guarded by a Kaleesh warrior and flanking pair of scyk. He summoned more beasts to his aid when those were killed, making Endrali think he might have that control method they needed to wreck. When a whole gang of wraids followed the scyk and sandtuskers, she was pretty convinced of it.

The one big change fighting with Qyzen rather than Arcann was Qyzen's penchant for attacking the biggest visible threat, meaning she handled the lesser ones. Her lightsaber hummed and crackled and the air smelt of burned flesh by the time she'd finished off the wraids. She barely had time to assist Qyzen's fight with a few strikes when the Kaleesh's cry of 'To me, to me!' had the earth erupting and a massive sandworm flung itself at Qyzen.

It slammed him into a boulder, he snarled and clawed at it in retaliation. Endrali took over fighting the Kaleesh, deflecting blaster bolts, flinging rocks, until she finished him off.

Qyzen gave a triumphant cry a moment later and when Endrali turned he was yanking his techblade free of the beast's head.

It was in rifling the beastmaster's pockets and pouches she found the small hexagonal transponder. Near as she could tell, this was how he'd controlled the creatures. Figuring Oggurobb would want to have a look at it, she tucked it in a belt pouch and turned her attention to the gates.

They were huge and sturdy. Impregnable, some would say. Endrali reached out with the Force, hefted a boulder thrice the size of her and Qyzen combined, and hurled it at the gates.

Durasteel shrieked and voices clamored beyond as the gates bent, snapped, and caved inwards. The debris and her boulder flattened a few of those closest. It was a good thing they got a moment's respite; throwing something that large so hard took an effort. Endrali swayed, paused for a couple heartbeats to recover before following Qyzen's charge.

She'd just deflected a small barrage of blaster bolts back at the pirates who fired them, the hum of her daulsaber's whirl in her ears, when the sense of danger tugged at the Force. Endrali lunged to the side immediately, tucking herself behind a shipping crate as something small hit where she'd been standing and erupted in flame.

"Guess Jai wasn't as tough as he thought!" a voice rang out. "I'll have to take a crack at ya!"

Endrali reached with the Force to sense where the woman speaking was. Grated ramp to an outbuilding all the way across the workyard. Too far to do anything direct. She still levitated a boulder and threw it in the general direction of the new threat as she curled around the crate to run for Qyzen.

There was the bark of blasters firing in unison, a shower of stone fragments that stung the backs of her arms, and the rapid spitfire of blaster bolts dancing behind her footsteps. Endrali pivoted as she reached Qyzen, spinning her dualsaber to deflect the attack.

"Hey, boys, we got the Commander's attention herself!" the pirate hollered, jumping down from her vantage point. She vanished as she hit the ground, reappearing on an overseer's platform in the middle of the yard, so close Endrali could see her grin as she fired again.

Short range teleport. That was enough of a problem with Force users, where you knew there'd be a short break between shifts so they could regain expended energy. She had no idea what limitation a technological version may or may not have.

[I will take broodlings,] Qyzen said, gaze on the cluster of men who had spilled from the building. [And you the mighty one.] He was moving even before Endrali's nod of confirmation.

She drew on the Force to rush the pirate's position, crossing sand and metal alike in a blink.

The pirate had good reflexes; she dodged the swipe at her chest. Her blasters each spat a shot as she spat a curse--Endrali blocked one, but the other grazed her arm--and she slammed a hand to her belt, vanishing from sight.

Endrali deflected a wild shot from the last of the group Qyzen was fighting and reached with the Force, sensing where the pirate would be even as she reappeared. The pirate flung something and Endrali jumped the railing to avoid it, the chill of flash-cryo at her back as she hit the ground and rolled.

The pirate's new position gave her a clear line of sight on Qyzen, and she grinned as she spun her blasters before lining up a shot. From the glow of the barrels, Endrali didn't need the Force to sense danger. Too far to reach him in time...

"Qyzen!" she hollered in warning, but he didn't seem to hear her. In a last-ditch effort to protect her friend, she threw her dualsaber at the pirate, guiding it with the Force as best she could.

(If it worked for Arcann, it should work for her, even if hers had an extra blade to worry about when catching it.)

One of the whirling blades cut deep into the pirate's back and her shot went wide. Qyzen spun as the large energy bolts slammed the sand next to him.

Endrali caught the returning dualsaber above her head as she ran to close in on the pirate. Qyzen got there first, swinging his techblade in a backhand strike at her gut.

Still reeling from Endrali's thrown saber, the pirate was too slow to fully dodge. Her cry, however, was more dismay than pain as she backpedaled into the bunker behind her.

He broke her tech. Endrali called on the Force for speed, not wanting to waste this chance. They had the door covered, but stars only knew if there were any sort of passages out of the bunker.

A salvo of blaster fire greeted her as she sped past Qyzen and she felt the heat of one she didn't deflect whiz by the side of her neck. Qyzen grunted behind her as another bolt found its mark.

Trusting in the Force, Endrali flung out her hand, throwing a couple of footlockers in the direction of the shots, following in a rush to cut down the pirate before she could fire again. Her blade cut deep into the woman's unarmored chest, and she let out a choked-off groan of surprise as she fell. Something dropped from her hand-

[Herald!] Qyzen's finger closed around her arm, yanking her away just as the detonator went off. She instinctively threw up her free arm, and the wash of heat made the skin tight.

"Thanks," she said with a grateful smile, breathing hard as she turned to Qyzen.

[Was owed.] he replied, still on guard until sure the threat was past.

Endrali winced at the blaster burn that cut through the brow ridge of his good eye. "Sorry I was a bit slow."

Qyzen shook his head. [Is mark of fine hunt, strong prey, even if points are yours.]

"Couldn't have done it without you," she said, shaking her head. "They're your points, too."

He'd traveled with her long enough to know protesting the unconventional sentiment was pointless. [I thank you, Herald.]

Endrali nodded a distracted acknowledgement even as she crouched to free the damaged teleportation tech from the pirate's belt. I'm gonna be Oggurobb's favorite person in the whole galaxy at this rate... "Now to figure where we go next," she muttered. Probably up. There were some other buildings scattered around, but since none of them showed guards or signs of being ready to spew forth more pirates, she wasn't inclined to drag this out by doing a door to door search.

So they headed up the sloping cliffside path, until they found a large warehouse with guards posted outside the loading bay doors. They were easily dealt with.

The walker waiting inside clearly intended to be a little more of a challenge.

"Wondered when you'd poke your head in, Commander!" a voice boomed from the walker. "I am Bel Nerodia, chief of the Vipers and soon to be destroyer of the Alliance!" He fired off a rocket salvo as he finished his boast, and Endrali and Qyzen ducked in opposite directions for cover behind shipping crates.

Endrali peeked around her to take in the scene. Not enough space or incline to use the same method she had for the Zakuulan walker on Rakata Prime. ('Course, there she'd also had a fellow Force user to help disarm it before her stunt.)

She ripped the end off a shipping crate and threw it at the walker cabin. It staggered but didn't go down. Not big enough, then. Time to try something a little crazy. Probably unwise. But those plans tended to work the best.

Endrali stepped into view of the walker, yanking with the Force to throw it off-balance. As Nerodia struggled to get it stable again, she darted in close, dodging the massive feet until she could get a good strike at one of the legs. She sheared halfway through on her first hit, then finished the job on the backswing.

"Hey! No! You can't-!" Nerodia's bellowing protests were cut off as the walker crashed to the ground. Between the impact and debris she'd thrown at it, the hatch looked jammed.

That should hold him while I get the data, Endrali decided. Theron and Lana--mostly Lana--would have questions for the man; she'd rather take him alive. She used the Force to crush the hatch release a little farther. Just to be safe. She and Qyzen headed upstairs, dispatching a few more guards and droids as they went.

The computers weren't heavily encrypted. The data stolen and list of prospective buyers were both easy to find. Lana and Aygo would appreciate knowing who was willing to pay--obscenely--for Odessen security data. Endrali downloaded and wiped the data, then jammed her lightsaber in the console for good measure.

"Time to go," she told Qyzen.

Nerodia was still hollering and banging on the walker's jammed hatch when they made it downstairs. "Hey! Hey! You can't leave me in here! HEY!!"

"Didn't intend to," Endrali called back, voice raised so he could here her. "Might want to scoot back!" She waited a few heartbeats for him to comply, then ignited her lightsaber and sliced open the hatch.

Qyzen reached in and dragged him out, scolding, [Struggle not wise, after Herald showed mercy.]

"Some mercy," Nerodia scoffed, still struggling. "Better you just kill me."

"Not how I operate," Endrali said cheerfully. "And by the way, if you make a walker to fight Jedi, should invest in cortosis plating. Makes it harder for us to do" --she gestured to the walker--"that."

They secured Nerodia's hands with binder cuffs, and Qyzen shepherded him along as they headed for the door. A warning sense rang through the Force, and Endrali used it to shove Qyzen and Nerodia to the side as a volley of mortars pounded where they'd been standing.

"Crush 'em to dust GeeNine!" Nerodia whooped before Qyzen stunned him with a thump from the hilt of his techblade.

Their opponent was indeed a very large battledroid, clanking and creaking as it struggled across the sand.

Well, we can use that, Endrali mused, zipping in to slash at a cluster of exposed wiring. The droid was so large; clumsy and slow, it was easy to stay at a range to avoid both its heavy limbs and the artillery mounted on its back. It did get in a hefty smack that sent her tumbling and spitting sand with ears ringing before Qyzen jammed his techblade into its center and ripped out enough vital components to render it inoperable.

"That wasn't so bad," Endrali said, despite the bruise forming on her shoulder and the reek of singed hair from a rocket volley that cut it a little close. And it wasn't; the mining droid she and Arcann dismantled on Ord Mantell had been worse. "Let's go home, huh?"

[Is wise plan] Qyzen nodded.

Nerodia was just beginning to revive his struggles when they returned to him, and for ease of traveling Endrali stunned him again with the Force. Better than listening to him yell and posture the whole flight back to Odessen.

Qyzen slung the insensate pirate leader over his shoulder and they headed to the ship.

Fingers tracing the lower edge of her ribcage, hers dancing lightly along his collarbone, hearts pounding in unison as-

"So how do you account points for droids?" she asked hastily as they walked. "Are they the same as organic prey, or is there a difference because they're programmed...?"

---

The trip back to Odessen was uneventful. she and Qyzen took turns watching the prisoner and the controls, and there were no incidents of note.

Endrali was proven correct on their return--Lana was thrilled to have a prisoner for interrogation, Aygo was thrilled to have data on the pirates' ambush tactics, and Oggurobb was thrilled to have new tech to examine.

She herself was just thrilled to be home so she could wash off the lingering sweat and sand, get some proper sleep rather than a catnap in the pilot seat--

She walked into something and her mental checklist came to an abrupt halt even as she did. Her reflexive "Oh, sorry-" when she realized it was a someone strangled off when it registered who.

Arcann.

The galaxy did have a sense of humor.

His smile reached his eyes(and made her lips curve upward as well) as his hand brushed her arm in an instinctive move to steady her if needed. "It's alright. I did not realize you had returned."

"Just got back," she confirmed, trying to ignore the gooseflesh prickling her arm, the curl of warmth in her stomach--and, above all, the previously banished images starting to swirl in her thoughts.

Tangled-together fingers, breathless-mumbled names, hips rolling--

Stop it, he's right there, she scolded herself, frantically pushing the thoughts away and hoping Arcann hadn't picked any of it up. From the fact he wasn't going red and avoiding eye contact, it seemed nothing got through.

"I, um, had some deliveries," she explained, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Captured the leader; Lana's very happy I got this one alive for her to question, and they had some tech Oggurobb's dissecting."

"I'm glad you had such success," Arcann said. "Considering your rushed departure, it seemed rather urgent."

She nodded. "Wouldn't've been smart to wait. And I'm also glad that if I had to go to Tatooine, at least it was successful. It's good Qyzen knows the terrain so well, that was a big help navigating the Dune Sea." A sheepish chuckle. "Though it was... odd not having you to back me up," she admitted, and cocked her head at the near-imperceptible twinge to his sense.

He exhaled in a hum that might've almost been a laugh. "It was odd not going."

"We'll, ah, we'll both have to look forward to next time, then," Endrali said playfully, and bit her lip at the sincerity radiating from him as he nodded.

"We shall," he said, studying her face.

"That'll have to wait, right now I need a nap," she laughed. "Well, shower then nap. We hit a couple duststorms and I feel like I'm still wearing half of Tatooine."

One corner of Arcann's mouth curved back and he reached--as if he couldn't help it--to lightly brush something off her cheek. His breath hitched ever so slightly as his touch passed over her scar.

Hopefully it covered hers doing the same.

Endrali had to clear her throat before she could joke, "That dusty, am I?"

Arcann's answering chuckle was stilted as he let his hand fall. "Perhaps it's just as well I did not accompany you."

She watched the fingers of his left hand curl and wrinkled her nose. "Mm, true." Sand and cybernetics weren't a fun mix, no matter how many precautions you took. "Hopefully the next malcontents will use a more hospitable planet. And hopefully you found things to do with me gone?"

He nodded. "I did. Sana-Rae needed help in the Force Enclave, I meditated and worked on a... personal project. My time was occupied." He swallowed as if holding back from saying more and she didn't dare reach for the sense of it.

"Good." Endrali fought back a yawn. Probably wise to make her exit before exhaustion and her pounding heart made her say something stupid. "I'm gonna go take that nap. But I'll see you around?"

Arcann nodded. "Of course."

"Good." She skittered for the elevator, heart still pounding and warmth of dream-memory filling her mind. So much for this being a distraction. She could leave things buried for now, but it was unwise to let such a development... fester.

Scared as she was of damaging their friendship, she was going to need to talk to him soon.

Stars help her.

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