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Tup groans frustrated once more.
Today was going to be a bad hair day or at least that’s what it looks like for him. He couldn’t get his usually perfect high bun the way he likes it and that was pissing him off. Usually, when that happened it meant he was going to have a bad day in general, and for a clone trooper that meant disaster.
He sighs once again in front of the refreshers’ mirror before he tries to make his bun again.
“Tup! Hurry up, we are going to be late!”, he hears Fives yell from the barracks.
“I’m almost done!”, he yells back, yet he was far from done.
The hair tie wasn’t stretching the usual way and before he could give another turn to secure the bun, it broke.
Tup sighs frustrated…again.
“Why the hell you take so long doing a damn bun?”, Fives asks, appearing suddenly behind him. He was still putting his armor on.
“If you kept it short like regulation, says, you wouldn’t take so much time doing it”, Echo complains from the door, being the only one of the three already set and ready to go.
“Respectfully, can the two of you shut up?”, Tup snaps and Fives gasps offended while Echo rolls his eyes.
“Echo is right on this one, kid”, Fives says, approaching the mirror next to Tup’s. “Shorter hair is way too boring, but it’s easier to deal with”, then he starts flexing in front of said mirror.
“Thanks for making me feel better, guys”, Tup remarks sarcastically while Fives winks and smirks at him.
“You’re welcome, ad’ika”, Tup rolls his eyes and returns to his mirror to see if he could try again since there wasn’t a way in this galaxy, he was reporting to duty with a hair like this, when a very known voice yells from the barracks.
“Echo, Fives, Tup, Skywalker is on the move!”
Their eyes go wide for a second before they all started moving at the same time. Not because they were afraid of being left behind, but because you angry wasn’t a very good idea.
You were a Jedi that usually worked with the 501st and you were usually liked within the troops but you were also known for your no-nonsense attitude toward serious matters. You were nice most of the time and Tup has seen you joke around with Fives and Hardcase, but the Force forbid everyone from making you angry.
Apparently, angry Alderaanians Jedis were a big no no.
Tup grabbed another hair tie from his things and put his hair in a very badly made and super messy bun before he took his bucket and his blaster.
“C’mon vod”, Fives hurries up putting his last pieces of armor on in a second before running behind Echo.
Tup sighs exasperatedly before following him out of the barracks but then Fives stops suddenly, and Tup was about to ask why they stopped when he pops his head to the side of Fives and finds that you’re standing in front of Echo.
And you’re not looking as calm as a Jedi should.
Well, kriff.
“What it’s taking the three of you so long?”
“Uh, bad hair day, sir”, Echo answers, quite unsure.
“Bad hair?”, you ask, incredulously. “You don’t even have that much hair to worry about”.
“Well, yes, but Tup does, sir”, Echo gulps, and Tup wants to believe Echo does feel bad for putting him in a tight spot like that.
Yet, you move your head to the side to see behind Echo and Fives and find Tup all tensed and uncomfortable.
You walk to him and blink a few times at his hair.
“What on Force’s name happen to your hair?”
Tup is about to answer when Jesse’s voice comes through their comms saying that they are about to leave without them.
You sigh, before turning to Echo and Fives.
“You two, go now. You stay here”, and Echo and Fives look unsure for a second or two before they put their helmets on and run to the main hangar.
Tup feels terrible already but even so more when he must stay with you.
“You’re definitely having a bad hair day and that’s unacceptable”, you say and Tup looks at you incredulously.
“What?”
“Inside now”, you say pointing to the barracks he just got out of. “You can’t go anywhere with your hair like that, I refuse”.
“But sir we have to-“.
“There is a gunship for me and it's not leaving until I tell them so. Now, inside you go, I will fix your hair myself”.
And Tup blinks at you confused.
Alright, he must accept that as a clone trooper defending the Republic, he was curious about what it was supposed to be so in his free time, he read all about it. He knew most of the planets of the Republic by now and he also knew that Alderaan was one of them.
He also knows that you’re from that planet and that hair is a big issue there, especially braids. Alderaanians usually have braids in their hairs, and he is not very sure what they mean but he has seen them on yours (every day) even when you’re not a Padawan anymore and when you’re supposed to be detached from your home planet.
But yes, Tup understands that hair and braids are like a very great deal in Alderaan and that it's probably offensive to have a bad hair day in your presence, but they were about to be deployed to battle, and technically no one was going to see his hair with the helmet on. Yet he couldn’t exactly complain because you were stubborn, his superior officer, and clearly wasn’t a good idea in general if he wanted to live.
He, then, simply takes the wisest decision and enters the barracks again.
“Sit here”, you say, moving a chair Echo always uses to write his reports.
He sits down, hugging his blaster and bucket way too tightly.
“Where is your hairbrush?”, you ask but before he can answer you’re speaking again. “Never mind, there is no time, I will use my own comb”, and he is about to complain about that too when you interrupt him once again. “Relax, Tup. I know no one is going to see your hair today, but your bucket can be uncomfortable if you don’t style your hair”.
He closes his mouth and blinks a few times, sighing defeated.
You were right on that, but he wasn’t going to say it out loud, so he held his bucket and blaster with his life instead while he feels you behind him.
“Let’s see, you’re always wearing a bun which is not bad, but it can be better. I think a braid here and here and two more here ending in a bun will do”, you say like he is not there at all. “We don’t have time to waste, so stay still”, you take his head in your hands to put it looking straight ahead.
He wants to believe his heart didn’t skip a beat at the contact.
He tries to relax, then, but he has never trusted someone with his hair before and he is a little bit (more than that actually) worried for his hair, even if it's in the hands of an Alderaanian.
“Tup”, you call before you take his hair tie, and his hair falls over his shoulders again.
“Yes sir?”, he asks, trying not to sound so unsure but fails anyway.
“I can sense your anxiety”.
“Sorry, sir”.
“No worries, just relax. I will finish in a moment”, and even if he would have liked to say something he wouldn’t have had the opportunity because at that moment you started combing his hair.
His mind went blank, his heart skipped another beat, and his shoulders relaxed way too soon for his liking.
No one has ever brushed or combed his hair before, not even his vode (especially them) so you doing this, made him feel weird but in a good way that almost made him relax and feel…safe (?).
You comb his hair for a while and he struggles not to relax too much, but then his eyes start getting heavy and he starts fighting the sleep that suddenly rushes over him. Until you stopped. He then blinks a few times and remembers where he is and what is happening around him.
He was starting to get back to himself when he feels your fingers separating his hair into sections to braid it. His shoulders start relaxing again and he starts fighting it again. He can’t relax again, or he’ll fall asleep and that would…not be ideal. He decides to talk then since the silence and your fingers working in his hair are getting on his nerves.
“Sir”, he whispers, like he is afraid of being disrespectful or something.
You hum in answer, so he continues in that tone.
“May I ask why you braid hair if you’re not supposed to be attached to your home planet?”
You don’t answer immediately, you instead chuckle.
“I guess you have been reading”.
“Yes, I’m sorry if-“.
“No, it’s okay, Tup. Being curious about what surrounds us is only natural and, as a clone trooper, you have all the right in the galaxy to know about the Republic you’re defending. I’m not offended by your question, I’m just…amused”.
He doesn’t say anything then, waiting for you to answer his question.
“I arrived at the Jedi Temple much later than I was supposed to. The Jedi Master that found me had a few problems with the people in charge of me and so when I arrived at the Temple in Coruscant, I had a cultural identity, contrary to most younglings. I learned the hard way to give up on that attachment or more like I covered up the whole thing saying that braids were useful keeping the hair away, and I used them for that and not because I was Alderaanian”.
There is a pause where he feels you grabbing a little hair tie to hold the first braid. You then start doing the second one at the same time you start talking again.
“Of course, no one knows this, so please don’t say anything”, you say like it’s a secret and he chuckles because he can’t hold himself from it. You chuckle too and he feels privileged.
There is silence for a while and Tup lets himself close his eyes while he feels your fingers moving fast and expertly around his hair. When you finish the second braid you tie it up too and starting the third one soon after, close to the back of his head.
“Is this the first time someone does something with your hair?”
“Yes, sir. It's that bad?”, he asks, unsure again.
“No, it's not bad, Tup. I just imagined that your brothers would take advantage of it since you’re the only one with long hair”.
“Believe me, sir, they have wanted, but I always keep them away. Fives and hair are things we don’t want to mix after an accident”, you chuckle again.
“Why it’s always Fives?”
“He is one of his kind, sir, even we are all clones”.
“All of you are one of your own kind, Tup. You may share the same face and the same voice, but you are all unique".
He wants to believe his heart doesn’t skip a beat or that he suddenly feels shy and proud at the same time. Or that he isn’t enjoying this moment with you, not only because you just said to him something kind, but also because your fingers in his hair make him feel…safe.
“However, will you be interested in me teaching you how to braid your hair? That way it will be easier to live with it”.
Tup suddenly freezes because he is not sure if he heard right or not.
Did you just offer to teach him how to braid his own hair?
He is 99.9% sure that that question means more than it should if it comes from an Alderaanian.
“You don’t have to accept if you don’t truly want, it's just a mere suggestion”, you add, putting a hair tie at the end of the third braid.
You start doing the fourth and final braid close to the third one and he still is frozen thinking things through.
“It would be nice to know how to do something besides a bun every day”, he chuckles, and he can’t see you but he sure as hell feels you smile behind him. “But wouldn’t that be problematic for you?”
“If it was problematic for me, I wouldn’t be offering, Tup”.
“Yes, I know, but braids are important in Alderaan, right? Teaching me how to braid my hair wouldn’t be considered, uh, disrespectful?”
“Maybe back in Alderaan it will be a scandal, but I’m a Jedi and I gave up my identity as Alderaanian a long time ago (or at least most of it) therefore, learning how to braid hair will be just a useful knowledge for you and anyone else in the galaxy”.
He doesn’t answer, because when you finish up the last braid, you start getting the braids together in a bun similar to the one he wears every day. You use his hair tie to tie them all and then you brush your fingers around making sure there aren’t any loose hairs.
“Everything looks in place in here”, you announce. “How does it feel? It's too loose, too tight?”
“There are fine, sir”, he answers, and then you appear in front of him.
Your fingers brush with his hair for a bit more, making sure everything looks in place from this side. While you stand so close to him, Tup tries not to get drunk in your smell or the warmth you radiate. Of course, it's too late and he does anyway, snapping out of it only when you talk again.
“Very well, we are finished. C’mon, we have a battle to win”, he stands up from the chair and the last thing he sees before putting on his helmet and running behind you is your grin.
The battle was over, and he was alive (and very much relieved of being that way, thank you). He was tired and hungry too, so the first thing he did when they were back at the Cruiser was rush to the mess hall. The food was awful like always, but he was too hungry to care.
He sat between Fives and Echo, and while Fives had a silly argument with Hardcase, Tup got his helmet off to dig in because he could hear his stomach growling already.
But then, when he was about to get the first bite in his mouth, the table goes completely silent. Tup looks at his vode, freezing when he realizes they are all looking at him.
“What?”, he asks, forgetting his food and straightening his back again.
“Why those braids are familiar?”, Hardcase asks, frowning like he is deep in thought.
“No, the real question here is, why are you wearing braids?”, Jesse asks, stopping his eating too.
“Where did you even learn how to braid your hair?”, Dogma asks, with an accusatory tone.
Tup was about to answer, when he realizes that Fives is way too quiet and that he knows, from experience, that quiet Fives is never a good thing.
He looks at him and finds him wearing a shit-eating grin he doesn’t like in the slightest.
“Did I forget to mention our encounter with General Braids this morning?”, Jesse and Dogma, who started arguing too, stopped suddenly to look at Fives.
Tup prays for the floor of the Cruiser to swallow him.
“You did, dear vod”, Jesse, answers with the same shit-eating grin Fives had on his face.
“Force, here we go again”, Echo murmurs at the other side of Tup before he starts eating again.
“But I think you forget to tell us something”.
Fives opens his mouth to talk, but at that moment, Tup puts his hand over his mouth, silencing him immediately.
“He didn’t”, Tup rushes to say.
“Then let him talk”, Hardcase complains.
“No, Fives will exaggerate everything like he always does”, Fives frowns, looks at Tup offended, and says something, but it’s muffled by Tup’s hand.
“Then you tell us”, Jesse insists like the damn king of gossip he is.
Tup opens his mouth to say that he will not say anything because that’s nothing of their business when he suddenly sees you standing next to Hardcase at the end of the table.
He panics, forgetting what he was going to say.
“Hello, boys”, every clone on the table turns his head in your direction.
“General Braids”, they all greet in unison. You nod in answer, and then your eyes land on Tup.
He panics more but tries to act cool.
“Have you given thought to what I asked you?”
He gulps when every eye on the table is suddenly on him again.
“Uh, I, uh, yes I mean, yes, I think I will like it”, he answers, feeling his heart about to burst out of his chest. He hopes he is not red.
You smile at him, but he isn’t sure if it's because he accepted or because of something else.
“Very well, we will start whenever you like. You know where to find me anyway”.
“Yes, sir”.
“Eat your rations, boys, and stop teasing each other”, you say in the last part looking at Fives.
“Yes sir!”, they all answer, and you nod again before you go.
Once Tup is sure you’re far enough, he gets his hand off Fives and sighs.
“Force, that’s where the braids come from!”, Hardcase exclaims.
“What the hell was that about?”, Dogma asks, looking at him disapprovingly.
“Nothing. Return to your food and leave Tup alone”, Echo intervenes, and everyone returns to their food, except Fives, who leans a little in Tup’s direction.
“Who will have thought you’ll score that high, eh?”
Tup rolls his eyes.
“It's not what you think”.
“Then what it is? You arrived late because you were with them, weren’t you?”
“Fives”, Echo warns from the other side of Tup.
“Aw, c’mon Echo, you wanna know too”.
“Leave Tup alone”, Fives rolls his eyes mumbling something about Echo not knowing how to have fun before returning to his food.
Tup sighs once again, about to eat food again when he hears Echo beside him talk.
“They did the braids, right?”
“I swear to the Force”, Tup says, hitting the table suddenly.
Everyone at the table starts laughing, not knowing of what, but laughing anyway.
Everyone except Tup of course.
Tup wants to believe that his brothers’ teasing didn’t matter at all.
That his lessons with you didn’t make him feel like an idiot or that he didn’t enjoy them way too much.
He wants to believe that he didn’t wear the braids with pride after that, that he didn’t make them every day just to see your smile, or that he didn’t catch feelings for you in the process.
He wants to believe too that he wasn’t the one that shoot that blaster when his chip activated.