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Scarif truly embodied bliss in all it's forms. Even apart from its white sandy beaches and pleasant seas, the simple grasslands that peppered the planet also maintained a certain level of peace and relaxation, attracting a weary pair of traveling Chiss to the waves of rolling green for a respite. No other beings breathed for miles in any direction, just as they wanted it. Their small ship rested within its dock while the occupants enjoyed the sensation of the grass beneath their bodies as they rested atop it, napping for a short time before one awoke the other via a loud raspberry to the stomach.
A gentle breeze carried the bright echoes of their laughter, as joyous and warm as the setting sun beyond the rolling hills surrounding them. That laughter quietly rescinded into soft hums and the tender smacking of lips, the act as reverent as it was passionate. The cool blades of tall grass gently grazed their skin, offering sensations of comfort and pleasure as their union seemed to be blessed by the very earth cushioning them. A loving sanctuary could be formed anywhere they decided, and with the fullness of their hearts navigating their actions, the universe permitted and nurtured their relationship wherever it bloomed, as though thankful for the reprieve their love invited.
Their love, their loyalty, their peace, their trust, their sanctum – the tangibility of it rivaled the ethereality of the Force itself.
Perhaps it was even stronger.
As dusk began to fall upon the world and streaks of fiery magenta painted the darkened sky, the Chiss pair of Nihil nestled into one another, basking in the glow of post-coital relaxation. They enveloped one another, their faces only parting from a final barrage of kisses to look up into the void of glittering stars in tandem. They each purred and pondered within their individual senses of wonderment, enjoying the pleasure of existing in one of many wholesome moments together in which they shared their very breath, blessed by the galaxy as a whole.
They spoke about everything and nothing, conversation ebbing and flowing as naturally as water through a trickling stream. Their hearts were entirely open to one another, virtually no barriers unconquered between them left, with the exception of organic variables coinciding with the unpredictability of life popping up here and there.
Mitth'ot'turi rested her head atop Kivu'aru'mivis' curved bicep, the delight in her face fading with gradual weariness as she kissed his skin and sighed with contentment. His lips in turn met her forehead as their fingers interlaced, inviting a more solid foundation for the next round of conversation. Her eyes met his, each with the exception of one a softly glowing crimson, and within that veil of security, she spoke.
"I've been meaning to ask you about something."
"Anything."
The sincerity of his invitation made her heart flutter, grateful for the ease at which she could address a potentially awkward topic. She sighed again, the smallest bit of apprehension in her tone.
"Thaler has decided he wants to attend an academy on Colonial Station Camco. They're already accepting applications for midagers around his age…" She trailed off a moment, distracted by the melancholy of how much her son had grown within only a few short years, then returned her focus. "I support his decision. If he's going to attend, his citizenship needs to be readjusted. We obviously can't remain Mitth. I can forge and submit the necessary documents, but…"
Vuarum raised a brow, listening intently. His silence gave her permission to continue.
"...I was wondering if you would be willing— if you would be alright with him claiming the Kivu name. He told me if he could choose, he'd pick your family. I told him it would depend on whether you felt comfortable with it."
The latter smiled. "Thaler wants to be a Kivu, huh?"
Thott returned his smile, still somewhat hesitant. "Mm. In order to do that, his parentage needs to be documented on his birth chart. It will be fabricated of course, but still, it will be a legally viable certificate, and—"
Vuarum chuckled, interrupting her. "You need me listed on there as his father."
She blushed. "That's part of it, yes."
"And the other part?"
Thott tensed, averting her gaze for a moment. "I would…I would also need to be listed as Kivu. I'd need to have viable documentation of my own. And…um…"
Her partner shifted to give a modicum of space between them. A smile still tugged on the corners of his lips, despite the seriousness of the request.
"You're talking about a marriage license, right?"
The woman froze, defensively biting her lip. "A fabricated one. It will be viable for the duration of his schooling at the Academy, then wiped from the database as though it never happened. It's paperwork, nothing more."
Vuarum took the opportunity presented to him to do what he did best – tease the ever living daylights out of his girlfriend.
"Hm. So, what I'm hearing is that you want to know if I'd be okay with adopting my own unofficially adopted son, as well as being married to the person I feel like I've been married to for years, now. Is that right?"
Thott uttered a playful scoff. "We've already talked about how we feel about marriage."
"Mm," Vuarum nodded, "how it's a social construct and limiting to our values and also worthless considering we don't follow any governing body's rules in the entire galaxy?"
She smirked. "Yep. So, you can see why I figured I'd ask."
He laughed. "You're asking me to marry you."
"No! Uh, no. Not like that."
"But we'll be married in the eyes of the Ascendancy."
"Whose rules we don't adhere to. It won't be real ." Thott froze, catching herself in her own passionate defense before releasing a long sigh. "I'm sorry. I'm…I'm embarrassed. I want Thaler to be able to live whatever path he chooses, but also…"
"You're worried about me being uncomfortable with the idea of marriage, even if it's fake."
Thott rested her head in the crook of Vuarum's neck. "Can you blame me?"
"No," he admitted. "If it were anyone else, I'd high-tail it outta here. But…" He kissed her hair and drew gentle circles between her bare shoulders, purring contentedly, "If I'd ever want to be married to anyone, it would be you."
He felt the heat rise in her face before he saw it through the infrared. She refused to lift her head, instead burying herself even deeper into his skin as she clenched onto his bare flesh, a light tremble suddenly coursing through her. A soft sniffle confirmed her emotional state, and after a moment, she spoke with the highest sincerity of the evening.
"I want to be Kivu, too, Vuarum. I'm done with the Mitth, and Ot'turi is dead to me. I'm done being Thott."
She collapsed even further into his arms upon this revelation, and Vuarum was quick to comfort the sobbing woman, his glowing chest painted with her trailing tears. This was clearly an announcement that had been a long time coming.
"Babe," he soothed gently, bringing his mouth to her ear, "Baby. You can have whatever name you desire. If it's mine you want, then take it. It's yours."
Thott continued to tremble in his arms, voice barely above a whisper. "If I do that, I'll really be like your wife."
Vuarum considered that for a moment. "You mean, people will assume that a person I have sex with and cohabitate with and raise children with and share a name with is my spouse ? Disgusting."
That managed to elicit a chuckle from her. "I suppose it already happens often enough." She lifted her tearful gaze to meet him, vulnerable as she'd ever been. "I don't hate the idea."
He gently swiped a lock of hair from her face as he whispered. "I don't hate it, either. If we need to be married on paper so Thaler can go to school, we can be married on paper. And if you want my name…"
Thott held her breath a moment, her heart pounding out of her chest. "Vuarum…will you give it to me? Will you speak it into existence?"
He smiled, his tone bearing all the reverence and wonderment he could upon the name. "Kivu'ot'turi."
A single sob escaped her smiling lips. "Kivu…ot’turi."
Vuarum smirked. "I like it. I can do you one better though, I think."
Vuott raised a curious brow, watching while her partner shifted downwards and planted a trail of kisses down to her abdomen, his hands resting on her hips as he gazed up at her with all the love and wonder in the universe. "Will you marry me, Kivu'ot'turi?"
Her breath seized inside her chest. "Are you…are you for real?"
He snaked back up to be level with her face again, a hand now caressing the side of her cheek. "If we're going to have an official document saying we've been married for years, it'll be weird that I never actually asked, right?"
Vuott grinned from ear-to-ear. "I suppose you're right."
"I'm not asking your dad for his blessing, though. Fuck that guy."
She laughed. "I wouldn't want you to. Oh, what if your mom finds out? Or your brother? The license will be housed within Kivu records, so any family member could potentially look it up…"
Vuarum was stunned into silence. He hadn't considered that. His mother would be delighted, no doubt, and he'd never hear the end of it from Vuanik. Even if he explained the true nature of the situation, he was almost certain his family would choose to only see it as legitimate no matter what.
Vuott frowned. "It's not too late to change your mind. It won't make a difference to me. I can find another solution—"
The woman was interrupted by a sudden raspberry to her bare chest, and she erupted into a barrage of laughter. Vuarum soon joined her, and after a few moments of relentless joy, he gave her a long, passionate kiss. His answer was given – he only awaited hers.
She whispered the most delicious response he'd ever received against his lips. "Yes."
He only had one question after they parted, the dark of night now blanketing their ceremonious milestone with cosmic approval from the shimmering sky.
"Cool. Care to find out if 'married' sex feels any different?"
Kivu'ot’turi laughed, already hooking her leg around his thigh as she flipped him onto his back with a dangerously delighted purr. Stars, she loved him.
"I promise I'll never call you 'husband'."
"Aw. You sure? I kinda like it. Hey, you think we should tell Marchion?"
Vuott paused. "Tell him we're real-fake married?"
Vuarum shrugged. "I like when he gets jealous."
The pair shared a mischievous grin. "I suppose it couldn't hurt," Vuott purred.
With that, the unconventional spouses consummated their unconventional marriage, reveling in the wholly familiar experience that was their lovemaking – and yet, they both felt they'd unlocked something new and wonderful all the same. Their love, their loyalty, their peace, their trust, their sanctum – and now, their certifiable oneness as a family. The document wouldn't matter much in the long run; however, the bonds sealed within it would last for eternity.