Work Text:
Smoking Gun (phr) - conclusive evidence, unshakable proof.
Jedha, The Archive.
Bode watched Cal as he headed back out of the archive and towards the Mantis with Merrin at his side, their heads close together, deep in quiet conversation. He didn't want to examine the shiver of jealousy that settled low in the pit of his stomach, even though he couldn't hear what the pair were saying. So he shoved down the ugly emotion and took off after them, studiously ignoring Cere and Cordova's eyes on his back. “Hey! Cal...hold up.” He caught up when Cal and Merrin stopped just inside the hangar, both of them turning to look at him curiously. Cal has the faintest of blushes on his face, and Bode tried once again to clamp down on the jealousy. Cal was a mark, not someone whose feelings actually mattered. Bode needed to focus – if he wanted Tanalorr to be his way out from under the Empire, he needed a real in with Cal, and he had yet to find it, the young Jedi trusted him, he knew, but there was still something the kid was holding back, and Bode needed Cal on the same page.
He stopped beside them, and pulled out his first blaster, the one he'd picked up less that half a rotation after the Purge, still young and terrified of drawing his lightsaber. “I've had this since I started freelancing.” He told Cal, voice low. “It's gotten me out of some bad situations, and I figured it might do the same for you.” He extended his hand, and Cal blinked down at the blaster, glancing quickly at Merrin and then back to his gloved hands, reaching to take it. His hand brushed the back of Bode's glove and lingered for a moment before he drew the weapon into his hands almost warily, turning it over. A soft little snort drew Bode's attention to the Nightsister beside him as Cal pointed the blaster towards a training dummy. His form was dreadful, and it took everything Bode had not to wince. Instead, he aimed a winning grin at Merrin, who looked effortlessly and frustratingly attractive in her leather jacket, her countenance lazy and confident. It was easy to see why Cal liked her.
“It's Merrin, right?” He ventured, trying to get a read on her. “Well...I could get another one, if, uh...”
Her lazy grin turned sharp, dark eyes glittering as she drew a wickedly sharp knife from nowhere and flipped it once, the blade glinting in the dim light. Bode blinked at it, unnerved despite himself. “No need. Bode.” She was smirking at him, her eyes burning a hole right through him and for Force's sake, Bode should not be this nervous. She was just a kid, like Cal, but damned if her fierce self-assurance wasn't a little intimidating. There was something deeply protective in the way she had shifted ever so slightly in front of Cal, too.
He let out a short laugh, covering his unease. “Yeah you're...you're good. Okay.”
Cal was still wafting the blaster around like an idiot beside them, and he turned when the young Jedi spoke “My Master always frowned on using blasters.” Yeah, that tracked. Most of the older generation of Jedi were very against weapons that weren't lightsabers, despite the kriffing war they were fighting. Churning out their Padawan-soldiers with no advanced weapons training had been so damned irresponsible. Most of them wouldn't have stood a chance in a fight without a lightsaber. He was about to fire off a snarky retort, when Merrin beat him to it, unexpectedly lending him a hand.
“You once said it wasn't the weapon that makes you a Jedi.” She pointed out, quietly serious, and something passed between them, an inside story Bode wasn't privy to, their eyes meeting. Once again he fought down the little swell of annoyance at how easily she had slipped back into Cal's orbit despite all the kid's hang ups and abandonment issues Bode had been carefully cataloguing. Beedee chirped what sounded like an agreement from Cal's shoulder, and the redhead frowned a little, staring down at the blaster.
Bode tilted his head. “It's us against the galaxy, Cal. We've got to use every advantage we can find against the Empire.”
Cal looked up at him then through long red lashes, turning the blaster over in his hands. He seemed to realise he'd been given something important, catching the meaning behind the gift, and he blushed. “Ah, sorry. That was rude, you...thanks, Bode.” He managed, smiling that soft smile he always gave when he was just a little bit startled.
Bode grinned back. “Now lets show you how to use it.” He gestured to the training dummy.
“I've never used a blaster before. I don't even know how to hold it...” Cal glanced at him, and Bode could have sworn that was a coy look in the redhead's eyes. If he didn't know better, he'd say the Jedi was...gently flirting with him, his green eyes bright and very much pinning him in place.
“Well, I can...I can help.” Bode just about managed not to stammer despite the complete emotional crisis he was experiencing. “Here, uh...” He stepped up behind Cal and took the Jedi's shoulders, moving him into position in front of the dummy, his hand sliding down to Cal's elbow to lift his arm, then following through to adjust his grip. “Ah, you're going to wanna start with two hands just to get used to the recoil. This blaster's kind of oldschool. Don't worry, you'll be able to fire it single handed after a few shots, but...here, like this.” He covered Cal's hand with his own and tried not to think about how warm the young man felt, even under his gloves. His left hand stayed on Cal's left arm, holding it steadt, his heart thumping against his ribs as Cal eased back into him, straightening his back, and Sith hells, that had been very purposeful, that step back. Bode took a moment to force himself not to react. Then he cleared his throat. Cal laughed, soft and pleased.
“Should I leave you two alone?” Merrin asked wryly, one elegant silver eyebrow lifting towards her hairline, and she shot a look at Cal that inexplicably, Bode could only describe as victorious.
“Oh I think we're good. Right, Bode?” Cal teased, and now Bode knew he was flirting, and what in the Force was he supposed to do with that? It was like a switch had been flipped. Unbidden, he thought back to all their interactions. Cal was reserved with him, but...when he thought about it, the redhead initiated touch constantly. He touched Bode's shoulder, grasped his arm, took his hand...and it was all so easy and fluid Bode hadn't even noticed.
He was damn well noticing it now. “Uh...yeah, Scrapper, we're um...we're good.” He croaked. “Come on, concentrate.” He gathered back some control of the situation, voice as stern as he could make it, ignoring how both kids laughed quietly. “Alright.” He leaned in closer and smirked when Cal froze, bravado slipping at Bode's sudden proximity to his ear. He dropped his voice lower, soft and just a little filthy. If the kid wanted to flirt, well. Now he wasn't having a breakdown about it, Bode could meet him half way. “Now...don't pull the trigger. Squeeze it, keep both eyes open, and - ”
Cal fired off a bolt, and it went wild, hitting the metal stanchions of the lift behind the training dummy. Bode cackled. “Oops.” He hummed, utterly unrepentant. Cal was flushing furiously, and he shrugged him off, unable to hold back his own grin, green eyes wide and pleased. “Go on, try again.” Bode encouraged, folding his arms across his chest and standing back, pleased he'd regained a little high ground. Cal nodded, aiming again and firing off another shot. This one was better, hitting the training dummy near the bottom, and Cal crowed.
“Yeah. Just like that. Good job, kid.” He grinned, stepping in and sliding his hand back up Cal's arm, resting it on his shoulder for a moment and then patting it, pulling back. “Keep going.”
"Yes, Master Akuna." Cal smirked, his eyes positively glittering, and Bode wanted to throw him on the floor. And probably kiss him.
At least with his hands no longer touching Cal, he could think again, and he drew in an unsteady breath and brought the urge under control as Cal fired off half a dozen bolts in quick succession. He'd started this, hadn't he? On Coruscant, and now Cal was actually doing something about it. Which left Bode in a sticky situation. Because the poor kid had no idea Bode was betraying his every move to the Empire, and suddenly that was a much bigger problem that Bode had considered. Because this reciprocation meant Bode had to actually acknowledge that his feelings weren't an act.
And he didn't know what he was going to do about it.
Cal was getting the hang of the blaster now, switching to a single hand, drawing his lightsaber to practise dual wielding the two weapons, and Bode watched, shaking his head slowly at how effortlessly beautiful the man was when he moved.
“Bode.” Merrin broke him from his thoughts just as they began to get sinful, and he jumped. “Don't make me give you a shovel talk. I won't make it fun.” She smirked, her hips swaying dangerously as she walked into the Mantis, leaving Bode staring after her, utterly dumbfounded.
Oh, Bode Akuna was in so much damned trouble.