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Ice knew they would cause a scene. Mav knew they would cause a scene. It seemed the only one oblivious to the stares was Bradley, which was understandable. His joy was probably outweighing every other emotion he could possibly feel.
Bradley had kept up a constant stream of questions on the journey to Coruscant, and it was enough to make even Ice, who was usually overflowing with patient energy, develop a tick in his jaw. Mav had done his best to help his partner out by having Bradley recite navigation coordinates, a game they’d been playing ever since Mav started teaching Bradley to read star charts, and thankfully that kept him distracted for a good hour.
Mav wasn’t force sensitive, but even he could feel the relief that emanated in waves from Ice. The hand that reached over to squeeze his own helped too.
But now here they were, for better or worse, ship docked at the public starport and navigating the maze that was Coruscant. Mav was grateful for Ice’s knowledge of the city-planet, because he was too busy scanning for pickpockets and other threats. So sue him for his caution, it made him feel better.
Finally, they made it to the temple steps. Here, more Jedi congregated, and Bradley perked up, tugging on Mav’s hand eagerly.
“Come on, come on, Mav! You’re too slow!”
Mav turned to tilt his head in question at Ice, and after receiving a nod, he let go of his son’s hand. “Be careful on the steps, Gosling!”
“He’ll be alright,” Ice said softly, but Mav noticed Ice was paying extra attention too.
“I know he will. I’m sorry, I’m just—“
“Being a parent? It’s okay, Mav,” Ice soothed. “Considering the circumstances, your worry is rational. But there’s nowhere in the Galaxy that Bradley could possibly be safer.”
Mav sighed. He didn’t know how to explain that that wasn’t as reassuring as Ice probably meant it to be, and he knew he was stressing everybody else out. Ice meant well, it wasn’t his fault that Mav’s upbringing made him over-conscious of the feeling of safety. He settled for taking a shaky breath and reaching out to squeeze Ice’s bicep in thanks, before picking up his pace slightly to catch up to Bradley.
The Temple was enormous. The fact that it had been visible on their descent planetside should have really clued him in, but now, climbing the steps, he felt really small.
Next to him, it didn’t seem that Ice was having the same existential crisis. Instead, he seemed relaxed, losing some tension he’d been carrying that Mav hadn’t noticed until it was gone. Ahead of them, Bradley had paused, staring back, on a landing almost three-quarters of the way up. He yelled at them to hurry again, and Mav sighed, shrugging off his melancholy, and put on a burst of speed to catch up to his nephew. Bradley exploded into delighted laughter and turned to sprint the rest of the way up the stairs. Mav caught up to him at the top, grabbing the boy and swinging him up and over his shoulder as they both giggled and heaved gasping breaths. Ice caught up to them a few moments later, having launched himself up the remaining stairs using a boosted force jump.
“No wonder you Jedi make gigantic staircases for no reason,” Mav huffed, “you can just avoid them.”
“Normally, such displays are considered frivolous,” Ice said, smirking.
“Showing off then, are we, Iceman?”
“I won’t tell if you don’t. Come on you two, you haven’t seen anything yet.”
They proceeded inside, both Bradley and Mav’s jaws dropping at their first glimpses of the inside. Light streamed through from the windows which spanned entire stories. There were exposed walkways above their heads, Jedi milling about, younglings running this way and that. Most of all, the sound of voices, conversations, community. Something Mav hadn’t known he’d missed and something he hadn’t realized he’d been denying Bradley. Bradley, who’d lit up immediately, in a way even Mav could see.
“Mav,” Bradley murmured, reaching for his hand, “it’s so warm here.”
Mav smiled, giving Bradley’s hand a squeeze. “You like it?”
“Yeah,” his little voice still sounded awed.
“Come on,” Ice prompted again, and they kept going. Past training salles where the sounds of lightsabers echoed, past one of the largest archives Mav had ever seen, and finally, they reached what Mav gathered to be the true heart of the temple. The Room of a Thousand Fountains.
It lived up to its name; water, grass, and plants stretching into seeming infinity. Probably hundreds of Jedi were lounging in various spots around the room and a group of younglings frolicking in the water under the careful eye of a Wookiee who must be their caretaker. Bradley took it all in with wide eyes, but maybe due to being faced with other children his age, he seemed to draw closer to Maverick.
Maverick couldn’t help but feel a little relieved.
After a few more long minutes staring at the greenery, Ice nudged them along again. “Time to meet the Council,” he said. They went up, this time, up many a floor until they reached the lift that would take them to the antechamber of the Council Room. Mav couldn’t help but note how calm Ice looked, even with what they were about to face. Sensing his eyes on him, an uncanny ability Ice had even when Mav was wearing his helmet, Ice turned and smiled at him, squeezing his shoulder.
“It’ll be fine, Mav. Besides, I’ll do most of the talking.”
Then, they were bid to enter.
The room was circular, Jedi seated with their backs to the windows, facing whoever came in. At the center of the circle sat a little green man, a species Mav had never seen before and that his HUD had trouble identifying.
“Greetings,” the green man said.
“Masters,” Ice replied, bowing. Mav didn’t bow, just inclined his head. “Thank you for receiving us today.”
“With pleasure, we do.”
Bradley tugged on Mav’s hand. “Mav. He talks funny,” he whispered. Mav felt his face go scarlet under his helmet, even though he had been thinking the same thing, as a flutter of laughter made its way through the room. He knelt down next to his boy, running his hand over Bradley’s hair.
“Baby Goose,” he said, hyperconscious of the fact that his helmet didn’t allow him to whisper very well, and thus that everyone would hear his next words. “Even if he does, it’s not polite to say that to anyone’s face. That’s one of those things we think, but don’t speak, okay?”
“Oh. Sorry,” Bradley said, nodding to the little green man.
The green man nodded back, a sparkle of amusement in his eyes. “Alright, it is, young one. The first to say so, you are not.”
After a pause, the human man sitting next to the little green one spoke up. “Knight Kazansky, who have you brought before us today?”
Ice stepped up, placing a hand on Bradley’s shoulder. “I am here to ask the Council permission to take Bradley Bradshaw as my padawan. I have spoken with his guardian, who is also present here, and we have agreed that the next step in Bradley’s education is official padawanship. However, in order to continue his learning in both of his heritages, his education will not be conventional.”
“Hm, unconventional, not the first to be so, he will be,” the little man said, and Mav really needed to learn his name at this point. He should have paid better attention when Ice was explaining the council seats to Bradley. “A proposal, you must have, hm?”
“Yes, masters. I suggest that Bradley’s time be split between the temple and studies with his guardian in two-week intervals. As he gets older and his studies more complex, he can choose for himself the proper ratio, or choose to complete more temple studies by holo. I believe we have the resources to support him in this way.”
The man studied Ice with a pleased twist to his lips. “I see you have thought this through.”
“Yes, Master,” Ice said, bowing again, but this time specifically towards that man. When he stood, he seemed to draw taller, prouder. Mav was in awe of him, the way he commanded this room even as it was full of Jedi that ranked higher than him.
“Good,” the master nodded. “I’m glad to hear it. Taking a padawan is a commitment, Knight Kazansky, as you know. Though I’m glad to see that your bond with young Bradshaw has been nurtured and developed over the last months you have spent together. That will make the process easier.”
“Yes, Master.”
“And you, Mandalorian,” one of the Jedi spoke up, a woman on the end of the half circle. Mav turned to look at her straight on, because he knew how it made people uncomfortable and ignored from not seeing his eyes through the helmet. Though, Ice had never been bothered, and he was now realizing that maybe the Jedi just used the force for that. But better safe than sorry.
“Yes, master Jedi?”
“How do you feel about the care of your ward at the Temple?”
He considered for a moment, tilting his head. He settled on honesty. “I’m scared. Not for Bradley, for me. Decisions about a child’s life are hard to make. What if you get them wrong? This is a whole future I have in my hands. However, I know that Bradley needs to try.” There was a little chortle from the green man that Mav chose to ignore. “If he does not try, he will not succeed or fail. I want him to grow, and I want him to learn. I want him to be safe, and I want him to know how to protect himself and others. The Jedi can teach that in a way that I alone cannot. If I am assured he will be able to practice his beliefs as a mandalorian foundling while also becoming a Jedi, I have no further reservations.”
“Not even in the choice of master?” She prodded again.
Mav balked. “Ice is the only choice of master I would accept. I’ve seen how he treats my son and I trust him to do what is right.”
She nodded, and it was hard for Mav to read her, but he thought she seemed pleased. She turned to look back at the little green man and he nodded back, tapping his walking stick on the floor twice.
“A decision, it seems we must make. Though easy it is, confer, we will.”
“Of course, we will wait outside, masters,” Ice said, bowing again. Mav nodded and Bradley mimicked Ice’s bow.
Once outside, Mav felt himself physically deflate, shoulders dropping. Ice drew them both into a hug, pressing his forehead to the brow of Mav’s helmet. “You both did wonderfully. I’m sorry about Depa, Mav.”
“Who?”
Ice chuckled. “The Jedi who interrogated you at the end was Depa, my lineage-sister. I told her Master Mace would be enough, but she clearly didn’t listen. I’ll hide her socks later.”
“What?” Mav felt out of the loop.
Ice sighed against him, but Mav could tell it was fond.
“Master Mace Windu, Mav,” and now Bradley was piping in, and Mav felt a little like an idiot. “The man next to Yoda is Master Mace.”
Deducing that Yoda must be the little green man, Mav tilted his head. “Okay? And that means?”
“Mace was my master, Mav. He trained me.”
Well. Didn’t that explain a lot. “Oh, I get it. You’re a nepotism lineage.”
Ice scoffed. “If that’s what you want to call it, fine. But for the record, I’m older.”
“So you’re the failure, then?” Mav teased with a grin. “No wonder you are the way you are—“
Ice pushed Mav away with an eye roll, as Bradley giggled. “I was asked to be on the council before she was, I just said no.”
“No, I get it, Ice. Too much responsibility for you? That’s okay, I mean, I would never peg you to be the kind of guy to want to decide everything, keep the peace, make sure you’re fighting for the little guy, know everything that’s going on everywhere, delegate, send people places…need I go on?”
“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, Mav.”
Mav chuckled, stepping back towards Ice and wrapping his arms around his partner’s waist. Unable to resist one last jab, he giggled and continued. “It’s okay, Ice. I love you even though you didn’t make the cut.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Ice grumbled. “Or I’ll abandon you to find your way through this maze of a temple. Good luck getting out.”
“No!” Bradley cried. “Don’t leave me with just Mav, we’ll never leave!”
Mav’s jaw dropped. “Hey! That was uncalled for!” He grabbed Bradley and threw him over his shoulders like a, very giggly, sack of meilooruns. “Take that back, Baby Goose!”
“No!” Bradley shrieked again, laughing. “I’m right!”
“Is that so? Well, Baby Goose, you know the tax for that, the tickle monster’s gonna—“
Of course, it was just then that the council doors opened again and Mav turned around to see the whole council watching them with curious gazes. He, very carefully, lowered Bradley to the floor and followed Ice (who was concealing his amusement) back in, leaning down to whisper as best his ability to Bradley, “Don’t worry, I’ll collect later,” which earned him another giggle.
They stopped back in the center of the room, and Mav knew he wasn’t imagining the sparkle in Yoda’s eyes this time. “Decided, we have. Allowed to join the Order, young Bradshaw is. His master, Knight Kazansky shall be. For his schedule, Knight Kazansky shall decide, and speak to his padawan’s teachers, he will.”
Bradley beamed and grabbed Ice tight around the waist in a hug, making the assorted masters coo. “Does this mean I have to call you Master, Ice?”
“We can talk about it, Bradley,” Ice replied, smiling at him. The fond twist to his lips solidified Mav’s decision to bring Bradley here.
“There is also the matter of the Mandalorian’s accommodations,” Master Windu spoke up. “Will he be requiring separate lodgings?”
Mav watched in delight as the back of Ice’s neck flamed red as he glared at his former master, who didn’t look at all sorry. A quick glance to the side saw Depa muffling laughter.
“No,” Ice choked out. “Best not to separate him from his son.”
Mace’s singular raised eyebrow told Mav that the man wasn’t buying that excuse, but he accepted it nonetheless and moved on. “Good then, it seems all is sorted. Council dismissed.”
“Thank you, masters,” Ice said, bowing in synch with Bradley.
They went back into the antechamber, but instead of leaving like Mav expected, Ice signaled them to wait and they watched the council members file out, nodding at them as they passed. The reason showed itself when Mace, Depa and Yoda were the last to leave the room.
“Master Yoda,” Ice acknowledged, then turned to his sister. “Depa, Master Mace,” he smiled. “You’re not quite forgiven for the interrogation, but it’s good to see you both.”
Depa cackled and stepped up to wrap Ice in a hug. “Come now, Tommy. Would I be your younger sister if I didn’t push your buttons just a little bit?”
“No,” Ice grumbled, “You wouldn’t. But I’ll get you back for it.”
“As long as I’m not collateral damage,” Mace remarked, a twist to his lips as he watched his padawans.
“We haven’t gotten to you yet, Master,” Ice grumbled. “The accommodations comment? Really?”
Mace shrugged, exchanging a smirk with Yoda.
“See you lose your cool, very little, we get to,” Yoda said, with a small reptilian chuckle. “Blame your master for his opportunity, you cannot.”
“Oh, Master Yoda, but I can,” Ice muttered.
Mav chuckled and then suddenly the attention of three Jedi were on him, as if he’d reminded them of his existence.
“It’s nice to meet you, sir Mandalorian,” Mace said, extending an arm to shake.
“Maverick,” Mav introduced himself, gripping Mace’s arm in return. “Nice to meet you as well. Thank you for accepting to take Bradley in.”
“Strong in the force, he is. A shame to lose him, it would be,” Yoda remarked.
Mav looked down at the little green man and nodded. “I wouldn’t know, Ice has often remarked I’m very weak in the force.”
“Weak in the force you may be, but strong in mind, you are. Could you have been, a good Jedi you would make. A good father, you are regardless.”
Mav blinked, touched. “Thank you, Master Jedi.”
“So you’re the boyfriend?” Depa asked.
“Depa!” Ice cried, jerking his head in the direction of Yoda.
Mav, a little unsure of the right answer, but confident in what he and Ice meant to each other, nodded, straightening his shoulders and lifting his chin. “And what of it? Gonna grill me again? Or we could just spar about it, unless you’re too scared to lose.”
Depa’s eyes sparkled, and behind him, Ice rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “Oh I like him!” She crowed, throwing an arm around Mav’s shoulders. “While I’d love to, Maverick, I have a class to teach soon, and wouldn’t be able to give you the time and attention you’re due. Next time though, get ready to get beat up.”
He grinned in challenge, not that she could see it. “I look forward to it.”
She patted his shoulder with a grin of her own.
“Don’t you need to be leaving, Depa?” Ice growled.
“I suppose,” she smiled. “Don’t forget to stop by for dinner tonight, Tommy. Bring Maverick and Bradley with.”
“Of course.”
“Accompany you, I shall, Knight Billaba,” Yoda said, and Depa nodded. She bowed to them all, squeezed Bradley’s shoulder, and flicked Ice’s ear, then was off, Yoda in tow.
Mace watched her go, then turned back to their group. “How are you, Tom?”
“Well, Master. Content.”
Mace smiled as if that answer illuminated everything. Maybe it did, Mav mused. He wouldn’t have put it past the two to have some secret code. “Are you going to introduce me to my grand padawan?”
Ice snorted, but nudged Bradley forward. “Bradley, this is Master Mace Windu. He was my master.”
Bradley bowed slightly, looking a little shy as he glanced furtively in Mav’s direction. “It’s nice to meet you, Master Windu.”
Mace bowed back, smiling. “It’s nice to meet you too, Padawan.”
Mav knew Mace had been that formal on purpose when Bradley beamed at his new title.
“Tom, you’d best get your padawan outfitted with his new robes. Allowances can be made for his greave and other mandalorian armor pieces as they are added. While you’re doing that, I’ll let the hangar know to expect Maverick and the ship, and it’ll be properly tagged so we recognize him next time. Then, as Depa informed you already, you’re all invited for dinner.”
“Will do, Master. Thank you.”
“Of course,” Mace said, bowing to them all. “I look forward to seeing you tonight.”
When Mav returned with the ship, one of the hangars had cleared a place for him to land already. A Jedi met him once he disembarked and handed him a holopad with a map to what was apparently Ice’s new quarters. He was grateful for the foresight. When he arrived, after taking a couple wrong turns regardless of the map (he really would need to get a copy uploaded to his HUD) he found a simple two bedroom residence, Bradley and Ice nowhere to be found. He decided to make himself at home anyway, entering the master bedroom and dropping his pack in the closet. He took his helmet off too, and decided to remove most of his armor, since it wasn’t exactly necessary in the Temple. It would probably show his hosts that he was starting to trust them too.
Left in only his vambraces and greaves, he ventured back out into the living room to fiddle with the holo he had been given and see if he could get it to display on his HUD. He had a hunch that the Jedi wouldn’t have a map to their home just out on the holonet.
Before he could really get started, the door clicked as it unlocked, and in walked Ice and Bradley, arms laden with fabric.
“Mav! Look what I got!”
Mav grinned, putting his helmet and the ‘pad down. “Let’s see it, B!”
Bradley dropped all the fabric down in a heap on the couch next to Mav and then started eagerly holding up each piece of clothing he’d picked out. He’d chosen a lot of soft blue and soft red colored tunics and tabards, and a few of the more traditional tan colors that Ice favored.
Ice smiled at Bradley’s enthusiasm and helped him re-fold everything before nudging him towards his room. “Why don’t you try some on for dinner, Brad?”
With a whoop, Bradley gathered up all the robes into his arms and made a dash for his room.
“He seems happy,” Mav said, smiling up at Ice. Ice smiled back, then dropped down next to Mav on the couch with a released breath. “You okay?”
Ice hummed, shifting over to press a kiss to Mav’s temple. “Never better. You?”
“Good. You know, there’s only one bed in our room.”
Ice frowned, “Does that…bother you?”
Mav shrugged. “No. ‘S just a step, that’s all. Wasn’t expecting it, necessarily, and maybe I should’ve, but if you’re comfortable, I am too.”
Mav was right, it was a step. They’d slept near each other, they’d shared a bunk on occasion as well, but having Bradley in such close quarters made it so they hadn’t been able to do much more. And the single occupant bunks on Mav’s ship weren’t necessarily comfortable for two grown men. Mav could see in Ice’s contemplative look that he understood why Mav was asking about it. It would signify a larger commitment for them to share a room and a bed and living space and a son than it would have if there had been another bed or room.
“It’s a step, but one I’m willing to take.” Ice said, finally. “Are you?”
Mav surged forward to press his mouth to Ice’s. He pulled back after a second. “Does that answer your question?”
Ice was already reaching to pull him back in, teasing smile on his face. “Not sure. Let’s try again.”
Mav went gladly.
