Chapter Text
Only after the door slid closed after them, Torian felt at ease.
As much as he could anyway, with all the tension of the night still surrounding him. But here they were, with Nino who kept looking at him warily from the bed she sat down fully armoured; waiting for him to say something; as she usually did. He opted not to join her - he couldn't as he somehow felt frozen in his armour; he tried to give her a smile instead to ease the worry off of her face...anything to make it go away but his face also did not work; it felt like it was stuck to this semi-nervous, tense expression he had seen on his reflection on the glass, he took a deep breath and lifted his hands.
Shaking..he thought, Haar'chak!
Not as strong as the day he asked Nino to marry him but still visible enough that he understood there was something seriously off about himself. Torian had always been proud of his stoicism in the face of any trouble, so tonight worried him, how easy it was it’d be to just give in to his urges; to attack the man after...that.
Man being the Mand’alor made all of the problems much bigger.
Like father like son whispered a part of his mind and he found himself gritting his teeth against it and ripping apart the clasps to his chest peace brutally, throwing it to the ground as a way of silencing his very disturbing thoughts.
The clanking noise reverberated in the room and he felt guilty when he noticed Nino flinch visibly; still sitting on the bed, hands clasped on her lap. ‘Sorry.’ he mumbled before she could say anything and took the armour where he threw it down, gently setting it down to the other side of the room where they usually placed their armour. He felt restless, agitated and angry; dragging his feet slowly, Torian quite literally collapsed beside Nino and put his hand between his hands, trying to calm himself. After a moment, he felt then saw her take his hands to unclasp his gauntlets.
She kept at it until he was down to his bodysuit and again sat down beside him, it touched Torian deeply,this simple act of kindness, intimately and he suddenly felt a lump in his throat, unable to speak with tears threating to spill down; tears of frustration, of hate, of old grudges and finally of a love he didn't think he’d ever have the capacity to show in all its force. She smiled at him then, one that caused him to took off the top part of his suit to toss it to a corner to be never seen until the morning. He could be bad at words but showing? That he could do.
Torian shuddered when the cold surface of beskar armour touched his chest; contracting with the warmth of the room or her mouth; he carded his fingers through her hair, forcing it down and the tangled, curls matted with sweat and dust bounced down on her shoulders and around their faces. He felt reckless and odd, he felt like he wanted to put her under his skin like he wanted to merge them together. He gripped her hair with the frustration of it all bringing her even closer, even closer and breathing deeply. He heard her swallow in his trance-like state and then she gently, very gently put her hands on his cheeks, stroking his skin down to his throat and chest, making him shudder more violently this time and angling his face carefully to lick on her lower lip.
He could feel the implied questions behind her kiss, yet he still didn't know what to say...You’re mine, not his? This is not fair? He thought Nino might have had her share of people who treated her like a something to be owned yet he couldn’t stop this feeling of primal passiveness. He leaned back after moments later; feeling considerably calmer and warm; Nino was still armoured but her blushed face was always a pleasure to see although he suspected he was red to toe as well; always one to blush far too fast, something that seemed to amuse Nino to no ends.
Quickly working on her armour, he put them all away neatly like she had done before; he noticed her flamethrower by chance; not activated during...-thankfully. It’d definitely be a way to go.
‘I don’t really care what he says.’ Nino said suddenly just as he unzipped her top; revealing a mess of purple bruises on her side and gently touched the skin there; must have happened that time...-She really needs a jetpack. Nino shimmied out of her trousers and boots as he got up to get some kolto, but to be honest he was only thinking of how to handle the situation. He did not want to be the reason of a coldness between Nino and Artus yet he secretly revealed in the fact if she had to choose it’d always be him. His clan. Maybe not officially, he thought....yet.
‘Shouldn’t say that.’ Torian quipped despite what goes in his heart; ‘He is your clan leader. Chieftain. Don’t let my issues get between.’
‘Is that what you think? Don’t lie to me.’
‘What I think doesn’t matter.
‘It matters to me!’
Torian stopped for a second in applying the gel as the lump returned to his throat although this time he could force it down; ‘I know’ he said, ‘I know. Don’t want to get you into trouble.’
He felt her shrug under her hands, distractingly naked even with all the issues in his head; she jabbed a finger in his chest; ‘You’re my family, not him.’ He had to laugh at the childish sincerity of the statement but he couldn’t deny how it warmed his heart; ‘I’m honoured.’
He cupped her face then and gently lifted her up and he got himself up too; true it was an issue but there was no way to resolve it now, no reason to get upset over it, not worth it. In the end, he decided if they’d have to fight for a name they would...but not now. Nino peered at his face;
‘No Plan B, then?’
‘Nope. Well... at least not now.’ he pretended to think deeply; ‘We’ll pick a time later...’
‘Got it...But Torian...Do you feel okay?’
He smiled widely, the first time that day and leaned in to hold his forehead against hers; ‘More than ever.’ She didn’t say anything but exhaled a small huff of a laugh. They stood together for a moment, naked skin to naked skin and Nino suddenly leaned back; ‘You look filthy.’
‘Says you.’ he quipped back which wasn’t actually a false accusation but Torian knew he looked no better. Possibly worse.
She gazed at him mock-hurt for a moment but shrugged and backed until her back hit the door to the refresher; then she slid off the remainder of her clothes putting an end to any arguments.
And as he was about to follow; he heard her call;
‘You know how he talked about children? Maybe that’d quicken the procedure...Just an idea...Righ - Torian? Damnit. I’M ONLY JOKING DON’T BRING THAT DATAPAD HERE!’