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Miles from the small village where they were currently hiding, the Mantis crew sabotaged a small BlasTech manufacturing plant. This facility was meant to supply weapons charges for blasters, and thankfully it would not be fulfilling any shipments any time soon. It was a small victory, and it had a somewhat high cost; Cal had taken a blaster shot to the shoulder from one of the guardsmen.
The crew had managed to keep their faces off of imperial wanted posters this long, so winding down locally wasn’t an issue. Greez parked the Mantis at a landing pad that was offering tune-ups, giving him a reason to step away and visit the local cantina. Cere wanted to peruse the shops and pick up local gossip to see how else they could help while on the planet. She was carrying BD-1 with her for navigation and general company. In the meantime, Cal and Merrin grabbed a room at the local inn to have a bit of privacy while Cal recovered.
It was a quaint little dwelling. It had a large bed in one corner, a holotable, a kitchenette, and a small refresher with only a shower. It was also private, which was ideal.
“You were careless today,” Merrin commented as they both sat on the large bed. She was sitting behind Cal, dabbing his singed flesh with a bacta-soaked towel. It was ritualistic. Cal would go and get himself maimed in some way, Merrin would tend to his injuries.
“I.. OW,” Cal hissed as he jerked away slightly.
“Sorry, the cloth from your tunic is somewhat melted to your wound,” Merrin replied softly. She was doing her best to peel the ruined shirt from Cal’s torso without causing more harm.
“It’s fine, do what you have to do. I just… I thought you were in trouble and I had to act fast,” Cal replied
Merrin rolled her eyes even though Cal couldn’t see them. “I have told you many times you do not need to come to my rescue. I will tell you when to do so,” she said in a half-mocking tone. “I draw their attention so you can strike.”
Cal sighed, his shoulders drooping. He was completely shirtless now, showing off his various other scars along his back and neck. Merrin placed a soft hand on the largest gash, thinking back to when Cal had fallen off a small cliff, landing on a spiky skungus plant. He managed to roll away from it before it expelled its disgusting gas, but a large thorn had embedded itself in his back and Merrin had had to carefully extract it.
Cal broke the comfortable silence. “Sometimes my mind plays tricks. I see things that are about to happen, or at least things that I perceive to happen, if that makes sense. Like my biggest fears are about to come true,” he said awkwardly. He turned around and faced Merrin, taking one of her hands. “If I even have an inkling that you’re going to get hurt, I can’t take it. I just react… without thinking.”
“I know that is what you fear, and that I cannot change it. Just please take more care. It could have been your chest or your head this time,” Merrin chided, squeezing his hand.
They both thrived on physical touch. In the months since they’d met they found comfort with one-another. They would hold each other at their lowest moments, hug at their highs, even hold hands while strolling markets on various planets. This touch, however, felt different. Neither of them could figure out why, but they both allowed the feeling to bloom.
“My Jedi,” Merrin said softly, cupping a hand on Cal’s cheek. “I cannot lose you either. Now, let me finish taking care of this,” she gestured to his wounded shoulder, “it must be getting stiff by now”
After applying a bacta patch to the wound, Merrin coaxed Cal to lay down. She carefully removed his boots and belt for him to help him be more comfortable.
“Mer,” Cal mumbled. He held out his good arm, inviting her to join him.
Unable to hold back a smile, Merrin kicked off her own boots and crawled into the bed. Cal immediately wrapped his good arm around her torso and held her close. They’d done this before, but it was on the cramped cot in the engine room of the Mantis.
“Thank you for taking care of me,” Cal muttered into Merrin’s neck. “You’re too good to me.”
Merrin closed her eyes, letting a slight tingly feeling wash over her. “You always find a way to return the favor, Cal Kestis.” She carefully rotated her body until she was facing him, their foreheads touching. “As I said, I cannot lose you.”
Cal stared into Merrin’s eyes as if he was searching for any sign of sarcasm. When he’d obviously found none, he closed the gap between them, his lips pressing softly to Merrin’s. Once again, not the first. They never spoke of any sort of relationship, they just sort of fell into it. This kiss, just like the touches, felt different.
Merrin melted into the hunger of Cal’s embrace and kissed him back. She allowed his hand to travel from her back up to her neck until he reached for the pins holding her hair in place.
Cal broke away from the kiss. “Is this…” he began to ask.
“Yes,” Merrin replied quickly. He’d never wanted to take down her hair before. She pressed her forehead into the crook of Cal’s neck as he carefully removed each pin and tossed them aside. When her hair was freed, he moved his fingers through the silvery strands. She felt a shiver run down her spine.
Before long, Merrin had removed her robes, tunic and trousers. All that remained were her underwrappings. For a moment she felt exposed and embarrassed, but Cal was already running a hand along her thigh with a contented smile on his face. “Beautiful,” he whispered, pulling her closer. He obviously didn’t mind his injury anymore.
More soft kisses and meaningful whispers, and then they were both fully unclothed. Merrin hadn’t let her guard down like this in a very long time, but with Cal it just felt so natural. Her head was buzzing with each touch, each kiss, each tender word. They hadn’t planned this, but it was happening and she was so ready. She guided him into her, and she let out an involuntary gasp which in turn made Cal drive himself deeper inside.
The sun had set, and they stayed tangled up with each other all night. By morning Merrin was laying on one side of Cal’s chest, her hand held tightly by his.