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Zeb and Kallus had been at the Yavin IV training grounds, sparring, as usual, and as had become usual in the past few months, playful jabs and banter had quickly escalated into something much more heated.
Zeb was expecting their normal spot, crammed chest to chest in a nearby supply closet, purple-striped fur settling a tad in disappointment when his opponent didn’t so much as slow at the door. Only for a moment, because meeting Kallus’ gaze made it apparent the human simply had another plan in mind.
And indeed, he had. Grabbed his wrist, so much as his tiny human hands would allow, and gently tugged, leading him out into the forested unknown.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zeb had followed him. The thought would have made Kal’s heart flutter were it not already pounding against his ribcage.
The lasat had him pressed against a relatively intact section of a brick wall, nestled in one of the many swaths of soft, vibrant green moss that had begun to consume the ruined structure below them.
It was certainly more comfortable than the cold durasteel surface of their usual make-out closet. Enough so that Kallus found himself letting his hands wander from their place against the wall, fisting into soft purple fur and petting along velvety ears until the lasat purred, trusting Garazeb’s encircling arms to keep him aloft.
Kallus himself was strong by any species’ standards, more than capable of defeating an honor guard captain in combat or carrying him bridal-style as the need called for it.
But these reminders of the raw strength stored in those rippling muscles, the effortlessness with which Zeb could just— throw him around — would never fail to send a little thrill through Kallus.
Zeb kissed him hard and deep, his long, roughly textured tongue intertwining with the human’s, Kallus meeting him with all the skill and enthusiasm with which he’d fought him earlier.
The pair separated briefly, foreheads resting comfortably against the one another’s as they caught their breath. “Not that I’m complainin’…” Zeb said, his panting not quite subsided. “But how’d you find this place anyways? You been explorin’ the jungley depths of Yavin IV on your time off, Captain?”
“Ah— not quite.”
Zeb quirked a questioning ear at his vague response, and Kallus’ already smooch-addled resolve damn near melted onto the ancient stone beneath their feet.
“A previous, er, partner ,” Kallus supplied with a blush. “Another rebel, one that worked on a survey team back during this base’s initial establishment. That was months ago, of course, but I took note of the location in case it was ever… relevant.”
“ Again , you mean,” Zeb teased.
“Well, I— as I said, that time has long passed, and—“
The lasat grinned, waving the words off with a clawed hand. “Don’t worry ‘bout it, Kal! Who else you make out with in these or any other ancient ruins is no business of mine.”
“R-right. Of course,” Kallus replied, the unsureness in his voice making Zeb’s ears reflexively twitch.
“But— ah, that actually reminds me of something I have been meaning to bring up with you… for some time now.”
“If this is about the smell, Kal, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Kallus’ scowl would have made his old ISB agent self proud, even as, per usual by this point, Zeb shrugged it off with a grin. “ No, Garazeb , I—“ his voice faltered, indignation melting into something softer and kinder, but no less steeled with conviction. “I want to be with you, just the two of us, from here on out. Partners, both in the romantic sense, and… otherwise. Exclusively, that is.”
“Oh.” Zeb tilted his head to properly meet his human’s gaze.
Amber eyes stared right back, their corresponding expression impassive, save a brow scrunched up into something between hope and worry.
“ Oh .” The significance of the proposal finally dawned on Zeb, quickly followed by a wider smile and a flush of deep purple to the lasat’s gratefully fur-covered cheeks.
“Yeah. Of course, Kal. Wanna be with you too.”
The ex-agent’s features broke into a relieved smile of his own. “Excellent. Kriff , I mean— Stars above ~“
Kallus was spared the indignity of finishing that, Frankly, sad attempt at a sentence, he grimaced to himself, by the press of soft lips to his, drawing a moan from the human as that tongue curled into his eagerly parted mouth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The pair broke apart with soft, mingling gasps, the beeping noise from Zeb’s wrist comm quite rudely dragging them back to reality.
“Hera,” Zeb relayed after reading the message through. “Just, ah— checking in.”
Kal had to have picked up on Zeb’s hesitance. “I suppose… we should be heading back to base.”
“I ‘magine there’s plenty of work that could use doing… in both our sects, for sure.”
“The Rebellion comes first,” Kallus agreed, stiff even even by his ex-Imperial standards. The ever-present shadows under his eyes seemed to replace the pleasant blush as it receded from his face. He looked about as enthusiastic about the idea as his purple-furred partner did.
He thinks one comm’s all it takes to get rid ‘a me , Zeb thought, chest rumbling and ears flexing in dissatisfaction. Gotta fix that.
“Yeahhh,” Zeb sighed, seizing the opportunity to stretch out his muscular limbs, before settling them once more around his human. “But as far as it knows, Captains Kallus and Orrelios are still sparring.”
A smile twitched anew at Kallus’ lips. “Of course. Keeping our strength up and skills sharp is vital to the success of our cause.”
Zeb nodded theatrically. “Of course… the cause ain’t the only one benefiting, I should think,” the lasat smirked, running an idle thumb along the still-tender surface of Kallus’ lower lip as he recalled a distinct coppery flavor on his tongue, flecks of blood he was positive had nothing to do with the marks he’d carefully worn into the soft skin of his human’s neck. “My skills sharp enough for ya, Alexsandr ?”
Zeb’s smile grew into a smug grin as Kallus’ shifted into an expression of shock and confusion.
“What’s with that look, ‘sandr? I’ll happily call ya whatever you’d like, y’know that, love.”
“No, I— it’s fine,” he responded, in a tone that suggested this realization was recent, and it surprised him. “It’s just that no one’s called me that since the Academy—“
The human raised an eyebrow. “Actually— how do you even know it? I haven’t told anyone in the Rebellion, that I recall.”
“Same way you knew mine, darlin’,” Zeb replied, chuckling as Alex blinked back at him. “Name’s in your file.”
“Ah.”
“ I suppose I deserve that one.”
Zeb flashed a toothy smile. “Yup.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
Friendly jabs and flirtatious remarks continued for several back-and-forths past the exchange devolving into raucous giggling on both sides.
Kallus leaned back against the brick wall, arms crossed, and sighed contentedly as he looked up to meet Garazeb’s gaze once more.
“What is it?” the human asked, noting quite a lot of adoring staring and eye-crinkling that did not correlate with lust or laughter.
“Mhm? Oh, nothing,” Zeb responded, running a hand idly through his golden beard.
“Garazeb,” Kallus insisted, all the while melting into his partner’s touch.
Zeb huffed, tightening the curl of his claws into the man’s fur. “Yeah, yeah, bossy. It’s just, your, ah—“
“Your nose gets all scrunched up when ya laugh.”
“And?” Kal asked indignantly.
“ Happens when yer mad too, ” Zeb chuckled, stepping forward to give the baffled man a peck on his freckled cheek.
“Come to think of it, it did that back before ya joined us, too—when ya’d get real pissed, ‘cause us rebels outsmarted you again or somethin’.” He hummed in consideration. “‘Spose it wasn’t quite as cute then, though.”
Kallus huffed in return. “So that’s what it is, then? You think my facial reaction to certain emotions is— ‘cute’?”
“Always such a romantic, Alexsandr~. But yeah. Yer real cute, sunshine.”
He could practically hear the gears turning in the human’s head as Alex mulled the idea over, just as he’d done after Zeb had called him by his first name earlier.
“I, er— Thank you, Garazeb,” Kallus said tentatively, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips. “I daresay you have your moments as well.”
“C’mere you,” Zeb growled with no malice, tugging the Coruscanti in close by the shirt.
His Alexsandr laughed softly, giving readily into his Garazeb’s ploy for snuggles.
The Rebellion would come first, in the end. It had before, and they both knew it would again.
But here, in the depths of the Yavin IV forest— atop a flourishing ruin the pair had scaled together— the war couldn’t reach them if it tried.