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mercurydancer · 2 years

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An Unexpected Chance Pt. 14

On Love and Sunshine

_

Savage took in his little brother curled up on the rock with his back pressed against Healer Tiq’s and found his hearts were warm.

He remembered what Tiq had said about not liking touch…he remembered that the rock that Tiq was sharing was his favorite. He also recognized the word ‘hatchling.’ Nightbrother hearing was acute, sharp enough to pick up the mumbled word. Savage knew in that instant that Maul was loved here. That Maul had been taken care of and he felt that weight on his shoulders, compressing his chest begin to ease.

They had been trying. They may not have always been right or known what to do with Maul, did not know that they could and would be welcomed to take him to a communal bath for instance, but they had done what they could. They had shared what they could, even if that was just a flat rock beneath a sunlamp. Even if it was just sharing space, and the barest of touches.

Maul was loved.

Savage was grateful. He could also sense the way Maul gradually drifted off into sleep, the way Tiq’s soothing aura settled around them like a balm.

The longer they soaked, the longer they were in the room it made everything hazy.

He finished washing Agen’s hair, the Zabrak rinsing it completely before taking a smaller towel and wrapping his hair in it.

“Thank you, Savage,” Agen smiled, “is there anything I can assist you with?”

Savage took in the question before smiling, “Can you tell me what Maul was like?”

“Oh,” Agen said, and there was such delight in his face, Savage very aware of Feral’s own interest, the way he perked up slightly. “Maul was…Fire.” Savage tilted his head slightly and Agen laughed. “Gosh, it’s hard to explain…” he leaned back against the side of the pool, frowning. “He was just so much. He gave so much, and he loved so much, and he did so much. He came in our Temple as a Sith Lord, and he sparked, his aura sparked, flicks of flame of power…all of him was heat and that came out in so many different ways.”

“He was always amazing with the younglings,” Eeth said. “Ahsoka met him when she was five and he…saved them. He used…” Eeth paused, “you have to understand that there is one thing about Maul that you need to know before you see the Holocrons that he left and that is the fact that Maul is one of the most proficient and absolutely deadly hand-to-hand combatants the Jedi have ever seen.”

“We had a traitor in our walls,” Agen said softly, “a traitor that decided that he was going to destroy our younglings, sacrifice them to the man who had been Maul’s Master, a man that we all believe to be dead… And if it was not for Maul he would have succeeded. His name was Pong Krell. He…had two saberstaffs. You are familiar with a lightsaber, yes?”

“Yes,” Feral said, “those are…dangerous weapons…”

“A saberstaff is worse,” Agen said.

“They have two blades on either end,” Eeth said, indicating, “and Pong Krell was a Besalisk who naturally have four arms. He used two saberstaffs, had four arms, not including the use of his legs and the ability to use the Force, and Maul…who was unarmed…challenged him.”

“That’s insane,” Feral whispered.

“You say that,” Eeth said, pointing at him.

“But he won,” Agen stressed. “It cost him…it cost him dearly for a while. Krell managed to cut Maul open from here to here,” he indicated, drawing a line across his belly just over his navel. “Maul…and I cannot stress this enough, Maul not only killed Krell, he killed him by first strangling him with Maul’s own intestines, and then taking Krell’s saberstaff which he had bled, and cutting him in half through the heart.”

“Holy SHIT!”

“You said that Maul was twenty-six now?” Agen asked.

“Yes…?” Savage said, and his voice was hesitant, worried…

“He was seventeen when he did this,” Agen said, tilting his chin up, “and that’s so much worse and yet more impressive than it was when I thought he was eighteen…”

“By the Light,” Eeth breathed, “he would have been sixteen when he was on Naboo.”

“He might have been an early seventeen?” Agen offered.

“I don’t want to think about it, my soul hurts,” Eeth said, waving a hand. “The point is, your brother killed a being that was three times as big as he was, had twice as many arms, and had twice as many weapons as he did because Maul had himself and the Force. And he destroyed him.”

“Maul bled two Kyber crystals at once,” Agen said, his words hissed, “I know this might not seem like much, but in order to do that you have to have so much hate, so much pain… But what was amazing about those crystals is the fact that they do not hurt.”

“Kybers when you bleed them are…bled, they hurt, you have to pour enough hate and pain into them that it corrupts them…these…they roared, they screamed, but they were filled with such a desire to protect, such a desire to get Krell to stop, to save the younglings that were within the crèche… They are warm. They feel like Maul. They are the strangest things, but they are also beautiful. Your brother was an utter powerhouse of ability and I…” Eeth paused, “I cannot overstate just how powerful he actually was.”

“Once he created a saberstaff…” Agen paused, “we will show you your brother’s weapons. I believe it will give you an idea of… You are Force sensitive, correct?”

“Yes,” Feral said nodding slowly, sounding about as dazed as Savage felt.

“He…” Savage paused, “his own intestines?”

“Oh yes,” Eeth said, “we have the fight recorded. We will absolutely allow you to watch it.”

“How is he still…?” Savage could not say it, horror and so much…

“Alive?” Agen laughed quietly, “well that’s easy, you see, Maul said it himself: he was always just too angry to die.”

The laughter that burst out of Feral was something that Savage could not help falling into himself, the statement so startling in the wake of everything else.

“You would be proud of your brother,” Eeth said, and his voice was certain, but there was so much warmth in it. “I am certain you are already, but you do not know even half of what he has done.”

“He called the Jedi on our bullshit more than once,” Agen laughed. “There is so much that he has done for us. He is…” he paused, “he was always family.”

“He is,” Savage said softly, “he is your family still.”

“If…if you would like,” Feral added, his voice so quiet. “We always raised our children communally and if…if you…?”

“We would be honored,” Eeth said softly, “but that of course just means that you are both now my little cousins as well.”

“Truly?” Savage asked, narrowing his eyes at the Iridonian before him. “How are you so certain that we are the younger?”

“Unless you are over one-hundred and eighteen years old I rather think I have you beat,” Eeth said with a raised eyebrow.

Savage did a spit-take without anything in his mouth.

Eeth laughed. Eeth laughed so hard he bent over double and had to get Agen’s help to keep from completely dunking himself in the water. Agen held him, also laughing, before with narrowed eyes, looking to Savage, “You said you were twelve when Maul was handed to you?”

“Yes,” Savage mumbled, staring at him in something like horror.

“Then I believe I would have you beat, too,” Agen grinned, “I’m forty-five.”

“Oh,” Savage said, feeling tension bleed from him, “I thought you were going to say you were something like one-hundred and ten. I would not have been able to handle that.”

Agen and Eeth both lost it, until from the rock, a very distinct hissing shush was heard, and the Iridonians put their hands over one another’s mouth, trying to hold back the laughter, tears in their eyes. Savage turned to see Tiq glaring at them from a single eye, the other still closed. “He’s still sleeping,” Tiq said, petting a hand softly across Maul’s small head. Savage could feel that soft reassurance, the gentle calm spreading from the Rodian, and he found himself asking softly,

“How old are you?”

“Sixty-two,” Tiq answered brightly, smiling.

“I need to lie down,” Feral mumbled briefly, flopping onto the side of the pool, which started a brief bit-down laugh from everyone. Savage lay next to him.

They were in tears.

Finally, Savage managed to get ahold of himself, sitting up slightly.

“How old are you, Savage?” Agen asked.

“I claimed thirty-eight for him,” Feral said, putting a hand on the heart of his hearts.

“Is that common for Nightbrothers?” Agen asked.

“The oldest count the years that the young are with them,” Savage said, “and the youngest choose a year for the old. I was younger than my peers when I was given twins, and the youngest knows how long the older can bear before them.” Savage smiled.

“Twelve years before Maul and I were given to him,” Feral said. “In order to keep Savage from being too lonely.” Feral paused. “Though we…we were both deprived of a brother. Of a half.”

“Twenty-six years is a long time,” Agen said.

“It is as long as I have been alive,” Feral said, softly. “It is more than you can imagine being able to be here like this.”

“It is,” Agen agreed softly. “And I am sorry for it.”

“But you are here now little cousins,” Eeth said, and the words were as much balm to Savage’s soul as anything else that had been said, the soft claim of kin, of family…

“Thank you,” Savage whispered.

They relaxed quietly, lounging or swimming through the water, Feral content to lay stretched along it and dangle his fingers in it periodically, the steam rising from it wonderful. It was good and the longer they lounged together the more relaxed Savage felt, the tension bleeding out of him. He could trust these men, Savage knew. He knew that they would not have hurt his brother. He believed Maul when he said that he had never been hurt by them…but…

But…

“Why…” Savage broke the silence softly, looking to his brother to see that he seemed to be fully asleep, and then looked back at them, “why is Maul covered in scars?” he asked. “Why was he able to stand against this Krell? Why wasn’t he armed?”

There was a pause, before quietly, “The questions have the same answer,” Agen said. “They all begin and end with Maul’s Master.”

“Maul…” Eeth paused. “I knew Maul from the beginning…I was one of the first to talk with him, but you have to understand… Maul did not start out as a friend. Maul was a foe.”

“His Master…fashioned Maul into a weapon,” Agen said softly. “He beat him, tortured him. Fed Maul on a steady diet of hate and pain and fear to the point where hate and pain and fear were all Maul knew.”

“Maul was…” Eeth paused, “trained as an Assassin. Maul was not a Jedi. He was not taken into our Temple until he…until he was defeated by Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan on Naboo and brought back.” Eeth was quiet for a moment, “Maul is a Sith, and Sith have long been considered to be the enemy of the Jedi, Maul was taught to be our enemy.”

Savage was quiet a pit slowly opening in his belly. “All he knew…was hate…and pain…and fear…?”

“His Master…” Eeth was quiet, “Maul would say ‘I do not understand’ constantly. But what he did not understand was often why would we want to help him, why would we care, why would we do this to help others, why would we love him? He did not understand…so much…”

“He did not understand affection,” Tiq’s voice drifted over towards them, the Rodian shifting on the rock, his voice so soft, so hurt. “I would try and let him feel it, feed it to him, and he asked me…he held a modicum of the feeling up to me and asked me to identify what it was. He had never experienced it enough to name it. There was so much that we talked about, so much that we worked together on. Maul was so hurt and so broken… He was one of the most difficult patients I have ever had… He wanted so much, he needed so much…and I do not think that we were entirely enough.” Tiq looked at them then, his gaze so soft, so thoughtful. “Maul needs someone that loves him enough to burn the world down in order to save him. He needs someone to put him first no matter what. We are Jedi, we cannot and will not. It is not in our training, and it is not in our natures, and he knows this. He knows that we would have to let him go. It is antithesis to his Sith training and similarly something that I believe has been a source of anguish since it was realized.” He paused, “I am pleased that he has brothers. I am pleased that he has those that will love him unconditionally.”

“Thank you,” Savage said softly, “for doing what you could for him. Thank you for teaching him about affection…about care…”

“Tiq taught him much more than that,” Eeth said, smiling.

“We all did,” Tiq countered, rolling over to better face them, his eyes much more lucid than Savage had yet seen them. It was clear that Tiq was finally warm, his blood up and remaining lethargy gone. Savage was glad. He smiled at Savage and Feral. “Hello,” he said, “I do not remember all that much initially, forgive me any confusion, or questions if you do not mind.”

“Oh, no issue at all,” Feral said, sitting up properly to smile at him. “You have done nothing to cause the need for forgiveness. Biology is what biology is.”

“Thank you,” Tiq smiled, “it is good to meet you a bit more now that my mind is clearer.”

“It is the same, Healer,” Savage said, dipping his head, “though you were pleasant enough company before.

“That is a relief,” Tiq grinned, he paused and then frowned, “did I really punch someone in the face?”

“Only someone who deserves it,” Eeth laughed.

“I did rather suppose so considering we were in here,” Tiq said, and Savage smiled, and then turned his attention to Maul that was still pressed against his side. Tiq followed his gaze and gave a soft sound. “He is sleeping,” he smiled. “Should I wake him up? Do we wish to stay here for much longer, or should we go for breakfast?”

“I believe we can go for breakfast, Healer, now that you are up for it,” Agen grinned.

“Agreed,” Feral laughed, “I am very hungry.”

Savage nodded, moving to stand up and finding…the slightest wobble. He had a moment where he really took stock of his state and found… Savage had initially thought that he was feeling the soft security and warmth from the Jedi here, the idea that they were spreading feelings of safety in order to reassure them, but now he rather thought… Savage looked to Feral who had that particularly relaxed look that he usually only got…

But that did not make sense? There was no reason, nothing to suggest… What would have even caused…?

Tiq gently began nudging Maul softly, “Hey, little Mauler,” he said softly, “it’s time to get up. We have to go get food.”

Maul snuffled quietly, mumbling, and then opened his eyes slowly, and the look of such…

Oh.

Maul pushed himself upright slowly, wobbling, his eyes half-lidded.

“Maul?” Tiq asked softly, concern in his voice, and Savage could feel the general brush against Maul, could see…

“’Lo,” Maul said softly, “s’goin’ on?”

“Maul, are you feeling alright?” Tiq asked, straightening, and shifting so he could look at Maul closer.

“Feelin’ funny…” he answered, frowning, looking up at Tiq, “everythin’ spinny?”

“How are you feeling?” Tiq asked, looking to Savage, to Feral, even as he brought a hand to Maul’s forehead, reaching out with the Force.

“Um…” Feral paused, “a…a little…I’d almost call it tipsy now that I think of it.”

“I had not noticed until I stood up,” Savage said, “there is…but what could cause that? Is there something in this room?”

“We have similar enough physiology if it affects you it should affect us,” Agen denied, “at least if it was a drug or a gas…and I noticed neither. I have felt no danger.”

“I do not feel danger either,” Savage noted quietly, “but I do not understand…”

Tiq was in the middle of carefully bundling Maul up in a towel, hushing him as he moved him.

“We used the same soaps,” Agen said softly, “you did not notice it before?”

“What could it possibly be?” Eeth asked softly.

“It seems to me that Maul got the worst of it,” Tiq noted, “but the only…” Tiq paused, and then looked towards the sunlamp. “None of you are used to a yellow sun…”

“Would sunlight cause this?” Feral blinked.

“You are used to a red sun, you have…” Tiq paused, “if your bodies are developed to handle a red sun, and they are, then a yellow sun could theoretically…” he paused. “Agen, shift the spectrum!”

Agen got out of the water and headed towards a control panel that Savage only now noticed on the wall, hidden behind foliage to try and keep the illusion of being within a sunlit grove as real as possible. Agen pulled it open and began mumbling as he worked at the controls, and Savage watched as the lights finally dimmed and shifted until the lights above them were as red as the sky that Savage had grown up in, red as a sky in Dathomir.

Savage took in Feral as he would usually see him, the familiar red hue playing across gold eyes, looking to Eeth and Agen who seemed suddenly strange in a way they had not before.

Neither of them belonged upon the surface of Dathomir. Neither of them belonged under this sun.

And then Eeth made a brief sound, a bright laugh, “Tiq, you look absolutely horrifying.”

Savage turned to the Rodian, balancing a towel-covered Maul on his hip, his red eyes distinctly bloody in hue, and then Maul looked up, and Savage felt his heart stop.

His brother was made for Dathomir, and it was something that Savage had known, but seeing his skin in the red light of Dathomir, seeing the way he blended in, the black of his tattoos scattering his silhouette, forming him to something other…

Maul was not on Dathomir.

Maul was free.

They were all free.

_

Tiq had never in his life expected for this to happen.

Now that it had he didn’t initially understand why he had not thought of it being possible. Tiq had known that Maul came from a planet with a red sun, and similarly he knew that Maul would sometimes get a bit…looser when sitting in direct sunlight for long periods… But Tiq had never suspected that it was because his physiology was reacting to it.

The only times that Maul had remained in the sun for long periods had been when he was comfortable, when they had time to spare, and he had been with good friends. It had made sense that he would be less guarded, would in fact relax enough to settle down around his friends, but this… This was more than that, this was almost…

Tiq was not sure how much he liked the prospect that Tiq had had more than one conversation that entered into the deeply personal with Maul while he had been in direct sunlight for a while. Tiq as a rule did not tend to discuss personal matters when his patients were in altered states of mind. There were caveats of course, but the idea that Maul had been potentially leaning towards tipsy was not something that Tiq was very pleased about.

However…Maul had always continued to discuss whatever he brought up, even after it had faded, and Maul contained enough of his faculties to tell him when he was not interested in discussing something, and the combination made him think that perhaps it was not as truly severe a breach as he feared.

Ultimately, Tiq knew better now, and he would keep it in mind for next time, he would also make sure to discuss it…if…if he ever did get an opportunity to discuss it with the Maul that had been his patient for five years. If he had the opportunity he would apologize. As it was…Tiq was now rather focused on the small body curled up against him, the soft, “I feel funny,” he said softly, Tiq giving a low click in sympathy.

“I know, little one,” he said softly, “it’s alright, you’re perfectly safe. We will take care of you.”

Maul shifted back in his arms, staring up at his eyes for a moment and then smiled at him, a lopsided, but warm and ultimately the most trusting look that Tiq had ever had given to him. “I know,” he said, “you always take care of me, Tiq, I love you.”

Tiq felt a bit as though all of the air had been sucked out of his lungs, staring down into the face of a boy who smiled up at him, and then turned immediately to his brothers, reaching out with his hands. Tiq immediately walked towards them, shushing Maul’s quiet rumbles of discontent, laughter intertwining with tears that were pooling in his eyes. Feral took Maul in his arms, still wrapped in that towel, pulling him close, “I love you,” Maul said, “I love you!”

“I love you, too,” Feral said, “I love you so much…”

“I love you!” Maul called to Savage, reaching out his hand to him, Savage gripping hold of it, “I love you,” he said to Agen, “I love you,” he said to Eeth, “I love Plo. I love Plo, can I…can I call him? Can I tell him? I want to tell him.”

“Later, little one, later,” Tiq said, “he’s still sleeping, he will. He will want to hear later though.”

“Can I tell Mace? Please, please?”

“Let’s get dressed first, okay? We can…we can contact him, and…maybe we can go for breakfast at the Temple?”

“Want to see Dex,” Maul frowned. “Love him, too.”

“We were thinking of going there for breakfast,” Tiq hummed, frowning. “I still think we technically could. We will probably hit that dead zone if we go now,” he said, looking at the chronometer. “Basking took enough time, I believe.”

“Breakfast!” Maul called out, leaning back to the point Feral had to stoop to catch him, roaring with laughter, even as Maul called out, “FOOD!”

“Alright, alright,” Eeth laughed. “Let’s all get dressed and go.”

“Oh, yes, we are very naked…that is not good for diners,” Maul stated very grandly, nodding.

Tiq nearly snorted up a lung.

The rest just howled.

They trooped into the changing room, Tiq pulling his robes on over his body, checking the insulator layer very carefully before pulling his over-tunic on. He hummed in contentment, turning his attention to Feral and Savage who were helping a very distracted Maul into his own robes, the little boy decidedly squirmy. He was finally dressed and was very insistent in helping Savage and Feral with their own clothing. They let him help with their shoes and straightening out their collars, his little face scrunched in concentration, and when they were finished Savage scooped him up gently, working on not going too fast to overwhelm him. It was probably a good idea seeing as how Maul made a soft, “Oh, weird, spinny…” comment, and Tiq was grateful that Maul had nothing in his stomach to throw up.

Maul should be able to settle on the shuttle over to Dex’, which would make the little one able to actually eat.

“Shall we call Mace?” Eeth asked, reaching for his comm.

“YES!” Maul called out, immediately reaching out towards him, his eyes narrowed. “Call Mace! I want breakfast with Mace!” He paused, “pleeee~ase!”

“Alright, alright,” Eeth laughed, “I’ll call him, hold on.”

Eeth called him, receiving a soft, “Eeth,” as Mace answered, taking them in. “Hel-”

“I LOVE YOU!” Maul called out, and Mace stilled, blinking, before looking to Maul. “I love you,” he said again, “come to breakfast! Dex, please!”

“I…” Mace said so softly, “love you, too, but…?”

“Get to Dex’s Diner,” Eeth said, quietly laughing, “we will explain there.”

“I will be there,” Mace said, and his voice was still so choked, so startled…

“Don’t worry, he’s quite safe,” Tiq said.

“I’m safe!” Maul called out, leaning over into view of the comm again, “they’re taking care of me, I’m okay!”

Mace laughed quietly, “I would never doubt it,” he said. “Would you like me to try and wake up Plo?”

“PLO!” Maul called out.

“Maul is very insistent on telling him that he loves him, too,” Eeth said.

“LOVE HIM!”

“But he can sleep because he absolutely needs it, and that is a good way to express our love and care for someone, too,” Eeth finished.

“Oooooooooooh,” Maul paused, “let him sleep! I love him!”

“Okay,” Mace answered, laughing, “I…I’ll meet you at Dex’s,” Mace said. “We will tell Plo when we see him.”

“Thank you, love you,” Maul sing-songed, and Eeth hung up the comm.

“Well,” Savage laughed, “shall we go get breakfast?”

“FOOD!”

They double-checked that everyone had all of their belongings and were properly dressed, Feral still holding Maul on his hip, responding to Maul’s happy… It was babbling, Tiq realized, listening, the happiest babbling that he had ever heard from Maul, so close…

Tiq was reminded in that moment of Ahsoka, of her as a child talking to Maul, of a million questions all at once.

Tiq listened to Maul talk to Feral and Savage about the water, about the sun, about how he was learning from himself, discussing the weirdness of Jedi, about how he thought the Dark was better – meant to be a whisper but absolutely misjudged in the poor boy’s very addled state. Tiq laughed.

It was true that Maul was clearly suffering from something close to intoxication, but there was also no doubt that the words and the sentiment came from within Maul’s hearts, and more importantly when he was surrounded and loved. It was a lowering of inhabitations, not an erasing of them, and similarly Tiq had a feeling like it might be something that he had wanted to say for a long time.

The relief that was pouring off of the small boy was nearly as intoxicating as the warmth that he poured out, the utter love he tried to push towards them.

There was no lie there, and similarly there was no shame.

Tiq was grateful.

He would talk to him afterwards when Maul was more coherent, but for now…for now it was good to just listen to Maul babble.

_

Joric was having a good night.

He’d been getting good tips and good conversation, he’d been able to see and fly his absolutely favorite Jedi, and most importantly he had seen three Nightbrothers. Three Nightbrothers that included one of the most adorable kittens he had ever seen.

It was damn good to see them off the planet, good to see that they were free, and they had made it to safety. Joric knew that there was no place that would treat them better – evidenced too, by the way Tiq had immediately hauled-off and punched that fucker in the face. Joric had hooted louder than the rest of them he was sure, but the man had deserved it. Definitely going on the list of unwelcome visitors.

Ultimately though Joric had been circling the platform a bit more than he usually was…looking for…

Joric saw them, immediately hovering over them at a far enough distance that they wouldn’t be hit by the repulsors and thought really hard at them.

Joric was immediately delighted when all six of them looked up towards him, his usual three immediately recognizing him and pointing towards him, Joric gleefully touching down on the parking platform waiting for them.

Joric loved Force-Sensitives, always good at following his unvoiced-requests.

Joric watched as the usual crew walked towards his speeder, the hopefully new crew walking with them, kitten perched on Feral’s hip. As they approached Joric noticed that Maul seemed extra chatty and found himself grinning.

It was good that the little one had the chance to come out of his shell, Joric thought, and there was definitely no better place than at a spa with your loved ones to lead to that little push. Joric was happy for the little guy.

They walked up to the side of the speeder, Joric opening the side for them and letting them all climb in.

“To Coco Town, please,” Tiq said, leaning forward between the seats, “we would like to go to Dex’s Diner.”

“You got it, pal~,” Joric called out, grinning at him as the doors slammed shut and he took off. “Good to see you more coherent, bud,” Joric laughed.

“Good to be more coherent,” Tiq laughed, “you may turn your heat down now if you would like.”

“Appreciate that,” Joric called back, and lowered the heat to more of a happy medium in temperature. It was always good to make sure that his Rodian guests were comfortable before he headed out in case something happened. “Heard you caused quite a show,” Joric teased, looking into the rearview, watching as Tiq rolled his entire head in the most pronounced, utterly unimpressed way possible. Joric was not the only one that laughed.

“Speaking of, speaking of,” Agen called out, his voice pitched for stern but belied by the grin that kept pulling at the corner of his mouth. “We have to talk about your angry outbursts, Tiq,” his voice was trembling over the words, laughter in it, and Tiq huffed. “You need to learn to let things go. Your attachments are dangerous.”

Tiq rolled his head in a way that was even less impressed than the first time, and Joric was howling. “I have already let things go, Agen,” Tiq retorted, “you will even find that I don’t even remember it~”

“That’s unfortunate because it was a damn good punch,” Agen said, clasping Tiq’s hand in his own. Oh, that did it.

“But…” Eeth started, working his way through the laughter that had filled his cab, delighted and warm. “But you still have…you have too many attachments.”

“Name one,” Tiq retorted.

“Your favorite rock.”

“You will pry Debbie from my cold, frozen fingers,” Tiq stated very primly, tilting his chin up. “Quite literally, if you try and split my attachment to her, really.”

Joric was only saved from careening into the next lane by the feeling of the Force gripping hold of his steering wheel, Tiq’s expression in the rearview smug enough that he damn well knew exactly who had hold of it as Joric laughed harder than he had in years.

“Debbie?” Agen squeaked.

“Indeed, my Delightful Excellent Boulder Building Incredible Endurance by making it easy for me to properly lay in the sun and get fully heated.”

“TIQ!” Eeth shrieked, “Tiq, that is the worst acronym I have ever heard in my entire life.”

“It would be,” Tiq answered, “I literally just came up with it.”

Joric was in tears. Joric could no longer see the lane, trusting in Tiq to guide them as he held onto the wheel with the Force, tears flowing down his face, the whole of them just absolutely losing their minds. Joric could not breathe, and when he finally managed to put his hands on the wheel, he was still gasping for breath, but still so utterly delighted.

“Tiq,” Joric gasped, “Tiq, you blasted Rodian, you’re going to get us killed.”

“I’m not the one that let go of the wheel,” Tiq retorted. “What are we paying you for?”

“Please,” Joric said, reaching out, “have mercy, I’m but a poor cabbie!”

“Mercy granted,” Tiq laughed. “I’ll stop now.”

“Force be praised,” Joric said, and began taking them towards Dex’s Diner at a decent clip to keep Tiq from saying anything worse. Prevention was the best way to stop death of this sort.

“Tiq, Tiq,” Maul’s little voice called out, and Tiq made an inquiring hum.

“What is it, little Mauler?”

Damn cutest thing that Joric had ever heard…

“Why Debbie? Who…who is Debbie?”

“I don’t know any Debbies,” Tiq answered shaking his head.

“DON’T START THAT AGAIN,” Joric called out, and there was an immediate burst of laughter from Tiq, which started the rest in on it.

“In all honesty I don’t know anyone that is named Debbie,” Tiq said, “it was genuinely the first name that appeared in my head, and I went for it. Though I don’t know that it was the best I could come up with…unless…oh, basking boulder… Delightfully Excellent Basking Boulder Is Exceptional… I could have gone with that; it would have made more sense.”

“If you had said that I would have crashed,” Joric said simply and there was an immediate crack up.

“So, you didn’t actually name the rock Debbie?”

“Not before today,” Tiq chirped, “but I like it I think I’ll keep it.”

Joric saw the Diner, immediately swinging in for a proper landing. “You lot need to get out of my cab before I have a collision,” he said, laughing, “you all have a wonderful breakfast, yeah? I’m off for the rest of the night, but you’ll get another one soon.”

“Thank you, Joric,” Tiq said pleasantly as they finally came to a halt.

“Yeah, yeah, you crazy Rodian, get outta here.”

They laughed and exited, thank you’s given by all.

Maul tripped a bit climbing out, immediately caught in the arms of Savage, who laughed, scooping him up in the air high, and then squishing him close, pressing a few kisses to his cheeks, Maul shrieking in a combination of delight and surprise, pushing him away with laughter.

Joric was grinning the entire way back to turn his cab in. It was a good night.

#star wars #star wars fanfic #darth maul #healer tiq #agen kolar #eeth koth #this one sends me to the moon #i have been sitting on this for a while #i think it is so funny #oh my god dudes #the idea that nightbrothers cannot process yellow sunlight as well #is one of my favorite and most beloved of ideas #the idea that Maul would be a very huggy drunk #is one of the funnier ones #you are all welcome #thank you for reading #maul #savage opress #feral opress #an unexpected chance #twin sons

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