Title: Into Substance and Hue
Fandom: Star Wars
Pairings: Quinlan/Fox, Stone/Feemor, Dormé/Thire
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Star Wars. It's not my toy box and I'm merely playing.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Quinlan Vos is tasked with finding the Sith that's hiding in the Senate. Fox agrees to pretend to date him to get Quinlan access to the Senate building.
A/N: Thanks to![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thesecondbatgirl and MapleOwl18 for all the encourage. Also thank you to MapleOwl18 for the beta.
A/N2: Dormé and Padmé are pregnant in this fic, but their pregnancies will not be the focus. The topic will get brought up and discussed, but there will be no pregnancy drama unless you count Thire suing the Republic for paternity leave.
Chapter 1:
Love, Quinlan suspects, is very much in the air. For a moment he’s grateful he isn’t Kit, that he can’t sense the pheromones around him. Couples and moresomes stroll languidly, stopping to admire flowers or trees. He can sense their focus on each other or their pleasure in watching their companion’s delight. Quinlan smiles slightly and tilts his face up towards the sunlight. He lets himself enjoy the warmth while breathing in the scent of the greenery and flowers around him. The gardens are an oasis on Coruscant, a place where the press of minds isn’t a hum of desperation. Quinlan knows he can find that at the temple too, but he likes to visit here when he can. It’s also the perfect place to put his new mission into motion.
Fox is easy to parse out through the crowd. He feels tired and resigned. He’s not stopping to admire the scenery, doesn’t even seem to be giving it an admiring glance, except to acknowledge what dangers might be lurking. Quinlan sighs. He’s having such a pleasant moment, but duty comes first. He turns as Fox approaches. “Commander.”
Fox stills. “Sir.”
Quinlan waits a beat, to see if Fox will ask any of the questions Quinlan can feel bubbling just below the surface. Fox doesn’t say anything. Quinlan tilts his head so he’s meeting Fox’s eyes, despite the helmet. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”
“I was told it was important.” Even through the vocorder his voice is bland, almost flat.
“Yes,” Quinlan agrees. He shouldn’t find Fox not giving into his curiosity annoying and yet it’s irritating. It’s a reminder that he’s not sure how successful this mission will be. He understands why the Jedi Counsel thinks trying to root out the Sith in the Senate is a worthwhile cause, but Quinlan would prefer the direct approach of trying to infiltrate Dooku’s inner circle.
“I’ll be unable to help you sir, if you don’t tell me what exactly you need help with,” Fox points out.
Quinlan grins. Fox’s voice is still bland, still polite, and yet there’s an edge of impertinence there that Quinlan can’t help but find intriguing.
“Would you mind taking off your helmet?” Quinlan asks. “I’d like to walk while we talk.”
“Someone will overhear your plan,” Fox points out.
“Not if we keep our voices low. Most people here are focused on each other and I know several paths that will keep us from the crowds,” Quinlan reassures.
From the resigned annoyance that radiates off Fox Quinlan thinks he might be rolling his eyes. Quinlan meets his eyes through the visor and tries to give him a reassuring smile. Fox removes his helmet and holds it under one arm. Quinlan feels his smile turn flirty as he takes in Fox’s curls and the bit of gray at his temples. Fox’s expression is still carefully neutral. Quinlan sighs, this will be so much easier if he and Fox can work together to make the experience a pleasant one. Quinlan quells his instinct to flirt, he won’t if that’s what is putting Fox on edge. Instead he guides them down the path that will lead to the part of the garden that is devoted to tulips. Once they’re mostly secluded Quinlan says, “I could use your help on my latest mission.”
“Mission,” Fox repeats. For a moment Quinlan thinks Fox is trying to prod him on, but then Fox’s mind goes completely and utterly blank. Quinlan stops walking and turns towards him, eyes widening slightly. Fox stops. There’s no emotion, just a sense of blankness and waiting. It’s almost as if Fox isn’t there, even though Quinlan can see him with his eyes. Quinlan frowns. He knows what this is or rather he should know what this is. He’s read about this, he knows he has, even if at the moment he can’t parse out what’s in front of him. Quinlan isn’t Mace, he can’t see shatterpoints, but he knows that this moment will make sense to him later, that it’s significant.
“Fox?” Quinlan asks.
Fox scowls at him momentarily, then schools his features, as he corrects, “Commander.”
Fox is back to being tired, but also curious. Quinlan smiles at him in relief. “I’m sorry Commander. I was worried about you for a moment.”
“Why?”
“It seemed as if you weren’t there,” Quinlan explains.
There’s a flair of worry in Fox, but also calculation. Fox’s expression is still neutral as he points out. “I’ve been standing in front of you this whole time, sir.”
“Yes,” Quinlan agrees. “You have.”
He doesn’t want to upset Fox further and he can recognize not wanting to broach a subject so Quinlan starts them walking again, trying to decide how to describe the mission so Fox will find a guard member that will be willing to help him. Fox matches his stride. Quinlan glances over. He feels a flare of interest and admiration from Fox as he pauses them in front of the spiral of yellow tulips, the yellow gives way to yellow and orange tulips, then moves onto only orange before spiraling out into red.
“It’s pretty,” Fox comments. “And there aren’t so many trees that they’d hide an incoming attack. I suppose there could be a sniper in one of the buildings, but we’re far enough away that I wouldn’t be as worried about that.”
Quinlan isn’t sure if he wants to build off Fox’s observations on the relative safety of their location or the attractiveness of the flowers. He holds his tongue and watches as Fox continues to survey the area.
“Banks would be able to handle the location. Ponds, Cody, Wolffe or Crosshair would also be capable,” Fox continues. Fox opens his mouth again, then shuts it. A wash of grief runs through him.
“Lose a good sniper recently?” Quinlan asks.
Fox’s nod is curt.
“I’m sorry,” Quinlan tries.
Fox shrugs and then frowns as he decides not to say what’s on the tip of his tongue. Quinlan suspects the bitterness he can almost taste in the words that Fox is holding back would help Fox if he’d say them. Quinlan shifts close, waits until Fox’s eyes meet his before he asks, “Who else would you use as a sniper, if you could have anyone?”
Fox considers the question a moment, then answers, “Stone, Thorn. Boba too, if we’re talking hypotheticals. His scores were always near the top when he’d sneak in to compete with us. Any of the Alpha’s.”
There are others Quinlan is sure, if the sharpness of Fox’s thoughts is anything to go by. Quinlan lets himself smirk, maybe a bit of a challenge then. “Anyone you’d trust to be a sniper who isn’t a clone?”
“Sabé, Dormé, but those are the only two of Senator Amidala’s handmaidens who I’ve seen practice. If Senator Amidala is as good as her handmaidens, then her too. I’ve seen Senator Organa’s scores and he’d definitely have the patience for it. If I can include trainers, there would be more,” Fox says.
“But no other senators or Jedi?” Quinlan asks.
“I’d have to see scores and how they are on a shooting range,” Fox tells him.
Quinlan smiles. Fox feels more relaxed now, maybe he won’t dismiss Quinlan’s proposal as absurd now.
“You didn’t ask me to meet you here to discuss potential snipers,” Fox points out.
“No, I didn’t,” Quinlan agrees. “It was interesting to hear your assessments though. I asked you here because we’ve been warned that there is a Sith in the senate and the Jedi Council would like me to investigate.”
Fox goes still and calculating again, ready to help him work this problem. He doesn’t question Quinlan’s information or ask where the Jedi got the information. Should he find that odd? Quinlan isn’t sure.
“Obviously I can’t just borrow some armor,” Quinlan starts.
“Obviously, eventually someone would ask you to take your helmet off,” Fox agrees.
“Also, as I understand it, your armor tends to be very personal,” Quinlan says.
Fox nods in agreement.
“I can’t try to be a senator’s aide because we want to rule out everyone we can and this would limit my movement,” Quinlan continues.
“They do tend towards their clichés,” Fox comments.
“I’m thinking that if someone in the Guard were willing to pretend to date me that this would give me a reason to visit the senate building and freer range to move around,” Quinlan finishes.
“How would just moving around the senate building help?” Fox says.
“The Force feels clouded right now and it’s more difficult to sense the dark side, but I’m also Kiffar,” Quinlan points out.
“If you touch the right object you might be able to see what the Sith is up to?” Fox surmises.
“Exactly.”
“At the least you might uncover some corruption or traitors,” Fox comments.
“Got any ideas who you’d like to point me at?” Quinlan asks.
Fox’s smile is slow, mischievous, and it makes Quinlan feel greedy: he wants to see more of Fox’s smiles.
“I’ll agree to date you, as long as I get to tell Cody this is his fault for saying you’re fun,” Fox smirks.
“I am fun,” Quinlan agrees. “Cody and I had fun.”
Fox rolls his eyes.
Quinlan grins.
Fox arches an eyebrow, then challenges, “And this isn’t just to distract from that ridiculous picture of Bly the holo-news is currently obsessed with?”
Quinlan snorts and rolls his eyes. The picture Fox is asking about is Bly watching Aayla with a ridiculous besotted look on his face. The Separatists are using it in propaganda to smear the Jedi as taking advantage of their positions and the clones in their chain of command. It’s starting to raise awareness of the clones as individuals, who deserve rights. “I trained Aayla and we remain close, but distracting from them isn’t my priority, though I wouldn’t object to this helping them, especially if it keeps the discussion about clone rights going.”
“Bly wouldn’t act on anything, not when there’s the chain of command issue,” Fox says.
“Aayla wouldn’t either, if they are attracted to each other she wouldn’t act on it until the war is over,” Quinlan agrees. He knows neither Cody nor Obi-Wan would act on their attraction either, of course he knows more about this from Cody’s end of things. Obi-Wan evades or changes the topic when Quinlan tries to bring it up.
“Not sure if it’d help, but Stone’s got a thing with one of your Temple Guards and he’s even keeled enough that the attention likely wouldn’t phase him,” Fox informs him.
Quinlan raises his eyebrows, this is gossip he hasn’t heard before. “Do you know which one?”
Fox shakes his head. “I can find out. Would finding this Sith help end the war?”
“It should,” Quinlan answers. “They’re definitely pulling strings, but they aren’t the only ones driving this war forward.”
Fox nods. “When did you want to start?”
“When do you have to get back to work?”
Fox checks his chrono. “I can be here for another half an hour.”
Quinlan reaches to take his hand and Fox flinches. It’s instinct. Quinlan tilts his head as he withdraws his hand.
“What were you trying to do?” Fox frowns.
“To hold your hand,” Quinlan answers.
“Will that hurt you?”
Quinlan shakes his head. Fox’s concern is sweet. “I tend not to get visions spontaneously anymore.”
Fox nods, then holds out his hand, letting Quinlan fit their fingers against each other.
“The tulips are pretty,” Quinlan comments.
Fox agrees, but it’s absent. His gaze is on their hands intertwined and there’s a melancholy, almost reminiscent, sadness running through him. His face is still blandly neutral. If he couldn’t feel the sadness emanating from Fox Quinlan wouldn’t be able to tell it’s there. Still, this isn’t going to work if his presence upsets Fox.
“Are you able to take a holo?” Quinlan asks, seeking to distract.
Fox’s gaze slants towards him and he smirks slowly. “So I can send it to Cody?”
Quinlan grins and nods. Fox holds up his comm unit and Quinlan leans in slowly to wrap his arms around Fox’s shoulders. He presses a kiss to Fox’s cheek and waits until Fox says he’s taken a picture he’s pleased with to pull away. As Fox shows him the picture he’s going to send to Cody Quinlan slides his hand down Fox’s arms to take his hand again. In the picture Fox is slanting a slightly pleased, but curious, look at him. Briefly, Quinlan is grateful he tied his dreads back since it makes him easily recognizable. They look like they’re having fun, as if they are on a date. Maybe this will work after all.
Quinlan grins as he watches Fox send the holo to Cody with a note that this is his fault. They're both looking forward to seeing how Cody reacts.
“How about I get you a souvenir and we can decide when to meet tomorrow?” Quinlan suggests.
“A souvenir?”
“I like their chocolate and the ones they sell here have tulips on them,” Quinlan tells him.
“I like chocolate,” Fox agrees as the two of them turn towards the souvenir booth. They discuss chocolate preferences briefly, but quickly move on to caf vs tea. Quinlan wants to know what to bring Fox in the morning so his showing up at the Senate building will look more like trying to spend time with Fox before his shift rather than investigating. They decide on a time and Quinlan notes Fox’s caf preference with his comm unit. Fox is less picky about chocolate than he is about caf so Quinlan gets two boxes of his favorite: truffle covered in dark chocolate with yellow tulips painted on them. He also gets Fox a yellow tulip magnet.
“I know red is more your color, but yellow for hope,” Quinlan offers as he holds out the magnet and box of chocolate. Fox takes them with his free hand as they step away from the booth.
Quinlan’s lips turn up as he realizes Fox is holding back a sarcastic comment. Fox smirks slightly before teasing lightly, “Are you going to continue to ply me with food?”
“I like eating and I like sharing,” Quinlan says non-committedly as he lets go of Fox’s hand to open his chocolate. He holds out a piece towards Fox. “Only you know where your gloves have been, so maybe let me help you with this one so you know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”
Fox snorts, then agrees. His lips brush Quinlan’s fingers as Quinlan feeds him the chocolate. Then his eyes widen and Quinlan smiles at the rush of pleasure Fox is feeling.
“It’s good chocolate,” Quinlan comments. Fox nods as he slowly savors his piece. Quinlan reaches out and touches his armored arm and leans in to press a kiss against the corner of Fox’s mouth. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Fox swallows. “Tomorrow.”
Quinlan grins before popping a piece of chocolate into his mouth. He gives Fox a thumbs up before he heads towards his favorite exit. By the time he makes it back to the Jedi Temple he’s got a message from Cody: Make him get some sleep!
Any suggestions on how? Quinlan sends back. He expects Cody to tease him or their conversation to devolve into something filthy.
Quinlan doesn't get a reply until he's skimming through a text on how different mind abnormalities feel in the Force when one is more empathetically inclined. He settles the datapad down and looks at his comm.
Really? You can’t think of anything? You??? Cody doesn’t disappoint with the teasing, but then he adds: He sleeps deeper if he’s got a wall against his back and someone between him and the door, less on alert, don’t let him tell you otherwise.
Quinlan sends Cody a dancing pot of caf emoji, then checks to see if the book is one he can transfer to his personal datapad. After making the request he heads to his room to move his bed. Cody’s right, Fox did seem exhausted. He’ll have a clearer head to help Quinlan sort through clues if he can get some sleep.
*
Fox looks up as Stone drops down into the chair across from his desk. Stone raises his eyebrows, then observes, "You feel weary."
"Usually you say tired," Fox volleys back in his best droll tone. Stone never asks how anyone feels, he just states how they feel and then prods them to tell him the specifics. The frustrating part is that Stone is usually right and talking with him usually helps.
"Weary is basically the thesaurus version of tired, but there's something else," Stone pushes.
Fox regards him quietly for a moment. When he needs to discuss an idea he usually runs it by Thorn or Thire, but Thorn is patrolling and Thire's shift starts at the same time as Fox's does. Fox sighs through his nose. "I'm meeting Vos. He's bringing me caf."
"Vos?"
"Master Vos. Quinlan," Fox figures he should get used to usings Quinlan's first name if they're going to pretend to date. "The Kiffar Jedi with the dreads."
Stone's eyes widen slightly with shock and recognition. He tilts his head. "He's bringing you caf?"
"If you haven't noticed, I'm attractive."
Stone snorts. "I've noticed that I'm attractive. That doesn't mean anyone is looking at you."
"If you were going grey in your twenties you wouldn't shave your head," Fox says as he reaches for one of the many datapads littering his desk.
Stone reaches over and pushes the datapad down onto the desk. "You're not supposed to be working yet."
"I'm meeting Vos before my shift, but if that runs over I should get some paperwork finished," Fox explains as he tugs at the datapad.
"So, it's a date?"
"Why else would Vos be bringing me caf?" Fox points out, then reconsiders. Would telling some of the guard Vos' intel put them at risk or help Vos find answers. Fox can't help but think that a Sith in the Senate would help explain several things.
"Does he know about Keeli?" Stone asks. His tone is all concern and sympathy and that grates at Fox's nerves. Fox wants to retort, wants to deflect, but Stone is sitting across from him, hand on top of his on the datapad and a look of understanding on his face.
"I don't talk about Keeli," Fox manages. "He died saving people's lives on Ryloth and I miss him."
"You loved him," Stone says softly.
Fox looks away. For a moment he wishes he had a window or at least art on the walls. "Yes, but he's dead."
Fox doesn't want to think about how much those words hurt, even now, years later.
"Fox," Stone says, tone pleading.
"Vos is..." Fox starts, then sighs. "Quinlan is looking for a way to distract from Aayla and Bly."
"You're going to sacrifice yourself for Bly?" Stone asks doubtfully. "Do you even like Bly?"
"I suggested you and your Temple Guard." There, now Stone will think he’s willing to sacrifice him, especially after all the impertance.
"He's not mine," Stone protests. "He's just really hot and I'm going to seduce him."
"How can you even tell them apart with their armor?" Fox asks as he raises his eyebrows.
"You haven't seen his shebs or his biceps."
"Do you even know his name?" Fox prods.
"Feemor." That's at least one thing to tell Quinlan.
"And you can tell him apart from the other Temple Guards how?" Fox needles as he tries to imagine Stone attempting to seduce the wrong guard and maybe getting roughed up for his trouble.
"I told you, he's got a very distinctive ass," Stone retorts dryly.
Fox snorts. Stone smirks as he relinquishes the datapad.
“Haven’t Thire and Dorme been dating? I don’t think Thire would mind posing as distraction,” Stone suggests.
Fox thinks about calling Stone out on his clear subject change, but he doesn’t really want to discuss Stone’s crush on a Temple Guard anymore, so instead he points out, “Dorme is one of Amidala’s handmaidens, not a Jedi.”
“Yes, but it could distract from the Seperatist’s smear campaign, isn’t that the goal?” Stone says.
Fox shakes his head. “It’d call attention to Amidala’s handmaidens and maybe some of their skills that the general public or Separatists aren’t aware of.”
“And the goal is to make everyone safer, not put anyone but you in harm’s way,” Stone surmises with a grimace.
Fox nods, then sighs as he makes a decision. "This doesn't go farther than you and me, but the Jedi think there's a Sith in the Senate."
Stone sits up in his seat as he considers this. Carefully, slowly, he says, “That would explain why some of you lose time and have scars you don’t remember getting.”
That’s always difficult to talk about, it’s easier to allude to. Fox stares at Stone. “You don’t?”
Stone frowns as he considers. “Not like the rest of you. Once, maybe, when I first got here.”
“So we can exclude senators you regularly work with?” Fox considers
“We really would’ve suspected Binks, Amidala, or Organa?” Stone asks.
Fox shrugs. “The only idea we have about how a Sith acts are Dooku, Ventress, Maul and old reports on Savage.”
“You have a point,” Stone concedes grudgingly.
Fox acknowledges that with a grunt as he checks his chrono. He sets the datapad down. He didn’t even get any work done. As he stands he tells Stone, “I’ll tell Quinlan to talk with you.”
Stone waves him off and Fox rolls his eyes. Quinlan meets him by the main entrance. He hands Fox a travel mug and for a moment all he sees is the cartoon fox sitting on the black travel mug, then Fox reads the words. Above the fox it says “Oh For” and below it says “Sake” and it only takes Fox a moment to realize the tongue-in-cheek swear. He smirks. Then he takes a sip of the caf inside and closes his eyes in bliss. It’s a small thing, to get his caf preference right, but he means a lot to Fox that Quinlan remembered. When he opens his eyes Quinlan is standing back far enough to give him space, but also holding out a scone.
“Would’ve agreed to this sooner if I knew you were going to feed me,” Fox comments, more for the benefit of the aide walking past them than Quinlan, as he takes the scone. He raises an eyebrow at Quinlan. It smells like cinnamon.
“Cinnamon,” Quinlan confirms. “I figured it’d go good with your caf, but if you prefer I have lemon blueberry and raspberry almond.”
In answer Fox takes a bite. It’s delicious and Quinlan is right, it will taste good with his caf. As they enjoy their breakfast Fox leads Quinlan towards the lift. When he’s sure they’re alone in the hallway he says in a low tone. “I figured we’d try the publicly available areas last and communal senate areas first, the ones that aren’t available to the public, then move on to the office areas.”
“Sounds like you have a plan,” Quinlan says. “I’ll defer to your knowledge.”
Fox takes a sip of his caf so he doesn’t roll his eyes at the flirty grin Quinlan is giving him.
“Did you talk to Stone?” Quinlan asks. “About the Temple Guard he’s dating?”
“They may only be dating in Stone’s dreams. He said his name is Feemor.”
Quinlan nods. “So I shouldn’t ask him his thoughts on public distraction?”
Fox shrugs. “We’re attempting.”
Quinlan’s lips quirk up. “And Stone can tell them apart without using the Force?”
“Stone claims he has a very distinctive ass,” Fox informs him dryly.
Quinlan laughs. Fox feels himself start to smile. He wants to tell Quinlan that Stone doesn’t lose time, doesn’t have scars he doesn’t remember getting, but the words can’t seem to reach his lips. His smile fades as he realizes he’s unable to tell Quinlan.
Quinlan tilts his head, his own smiling fading. “Fox? Something you want to tell me?”
“No,” the answer is rote, automatic, but Fox should’ve thought of this. They’re barely able to allude to this among themselves, of course he wouldn’t be able to talk about it with anyone who isn’t a clone. Fox sighs through his nose, maybe there is one thing he can manage. “I suggest talking to Stone.”
“Alright,” Quinlan says, head tilting. For a moment Fox thinks Quinlan is going to reach out and touch him, but he aborts the movement. Fox shoves the last bite of scone into his mouth, it doesn’t taste as delicious as a moment before, not when there’s a bitter sort of suspicion running through him. He can’t do anything about that though, not yet. He can get them back on track though. With that in mind Fox moves them towards the lift again.
Chapters: [1] [2][3][4]
Fandom: Star Wars
Pairings: Quinlan/Fox, Stone/Feemor, Dormé/Thire
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Star Wars. It's not my toy box and I'm merely playing.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Quinlan Vos is tasked with finding the Sith that's hiding in the Senate. Fox agrees to pretend to date him to get Quinlan access to the Senate building.
A/N: Thanks to
thesecondbatgirl and MapleOwl18 for all the encourage. Also thank you to MapleOwl18 for the beta.A/N2: Dormé and Padmé are pregnant in this fic, but their pregnancies will not be the focus. The topic will get brought up and discussed, but there will be no pregnancy drama unless you count Thire suing the Republic for paternity leave.
Chapter 1:
Love, Quinlan suspects, is very much in the air. For a moment he’s grateful he isn’t Kit, that he can’t sense the pheromones around him. Couples and moresomes stroll languidly, stopping to admire flowers or trees. He can sense their focus on each other or their pleasure in watching their companion’s delight. Quinlan smiles slightly and tilts his face up towards the sunlight. He lets himself enjoy the warmth while breathing in the scent of the greenery and flowers around him. The gardens are an oasis on Coruscant, a place where the press of minds isn’t a hum of desperation. Quinlan knows he can find that at the temple too, but he likes to visit here when he can. It’s also the perfect place to put his new mission into motion.
Fox is easy to parse out through the crowd. He feels tired and resigned. He’s not stopping to admire the scenery, doesn’t even seem to be giving it an admiring glance, except to acknowledge what dangers might be lurking. Quinlan sighs. He’s having such a pleasant moment, but duty comes first. He turns as Fox approaches. “Commander.”
Fox stills. “Sir.”
Quinlan waits a beat, to see if Fox will ask any of the questions Quinlan can feel bubbling just below the surface. Fox doesn’t say anything. Quinlan tilts his head so he’s meeting Fox’s eyes, despite the helmet. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”
“I was told it was important.” Even through the vocorder his voice is bland, almost flat.
“Yes,” Quinlan agrees. He shouldn’t find Fox not giving into his curiosity annoying and yet it’s irritating. It’s a reminder that he’s not sure how successful this mission will be. He understands why the Jedi Counsel thinks trying to root out the Sith in the Senate is a worthwhile cause, but Quinlan would prefer the direct approach of trying to infiltrate Dooku’s inner circle.
“I’ll be unable to help you sir, if you don’t tell me what exactly you need help with,” Fox points out.
Quinlan grins. Fox’s voice is still bland, still polite, and yet there’s an edge of impertinence there that Quinlan can’t help but find intriguing.
“Would you mind taking off your helmet?” Quinlan asks. “I’d like to walk while we talk.”
“Someone will overhear your plan,” Fox points out.
“Not if we keep our voices low. Most people here are focused on each other and I know several paths that will keep us from the crowds,” Quinlan reassures.
From the resigned annoyance that radiates off Fox Quinlan thinks he might be rolling his eyes. Quinlan meets his eyes through the visor and tries to give him a reassuring smile. Fox removes his helmet and holds it under one arm. Quinlan feels his smile turn flirty as he takes in Fox’s curls and the bit of gray at his temples. Fox’s expression is still carefully neutral. Quinlan sighs, this will be so much easier if he and Fox can work together to make the experience a pleasant one. Quinlan quells his instinct to flirt, he won’t if that’s what is putting Fox on edge. Instead he guides them down the path that will lead to the part of the garden that is devoted to tulips. Once they’re mostly secluded Quinlan says, “I could use your help on my latest mission.”
“Mission,” Fox repeats. For a moment Quinlan thinks Fox is trying to prod him on, but then Fox’s mind goes completely and utterly blank. Quinlan stops walking and turns towards him, eyes widening slightly. Fox stops. There’s no emotion, just a sense of blankness and waiting. It’s almost as if Fox isn’t there, even though Quinlan can see him with his eyes. Quinlan frowns. He knows what this is or rather he should know what this is. He’s read about this, he knows he has, even if at the moment he can’t parse out what’s in front of him. Quinlan isn’t Mace, he can’t see shatterpoints, but he knows that this moment will make sense to him later, that it’s significant.
“Fox?” Quinlan asks.
Fox scowls at him momentarily, then schools his features, as he corrects, “Commander.”
Fox is back to being tired, but also curious. Quinlan smiles at him in relief. “I’m sorry Commander. I was worried about you for a moment.”
“Why?”
“It seemed as if you weren’t there,” Quinlan explains.
There’s a flair of worry in Fox, but also calculation. Fox’s expression is still neutral as he points out. “I’ve been standing in front of you this whole time, sir.”
“Yes,” Quinlan agrees. “You have.”
He doesn’t want to upset Fox further and he can recognize not wanting to broach a subject so Quinlan starts them walking again, trying to decide how to describe the mission so Fox will find a guard member that will be willing to help him. Fox matches his stride. Quinlan glances over. He feels a flare of interest and admiration from Fox as he pauses them in front of the spiral of yellow tulips, the yellow gives way to yellow and orange tulips, then moves onto only orange before spiraling out into red.
“It’s pretty,” Fox comments. “And there aren’t so many trees that they’d hide an incoming attack. I suppose there could be a sniper in one of the buildings, but we’re far enough away that I wouldn’t be as worried about that.”
Quinlan isn’t sure if he wants to build off Fox’s observations on the relative safety of their location or the attractiveness of the flowers. He holds his tongue and watches as Fox continues to survey the area.
“Banks would be able to handle the location. Ponds, Cody, Wolffe or Crosshair would also be capable,” Fox continues. Fox opens his mouth again, then shuts it. A wash of grief runs through him.
“Lose a good sniper recently?” Quinlan asks.
Fox’s nod is curt.
“I’m sorry,” Quinlan tries.
Fox shrugs and then frowns as he decides not to say what’s on the tip of his tongue. Quinlan suspects the bitterness he can almost taste in the words that Fox is holding back would help Fox if he’d say them. Quinlan shifts close, waits until Fox’s eyes meet his before he asks, “Who else would you use as a sniper, if you could have anyone?”
Fox considers the question a moment, then answers, “Stone, Thorn. Boba too, if we’re talking hypotheticals. His scores were always near the top when he’d sneak in to compete with us. Any of the Alpha’s.”
There are others Quinlan is sure, if the sharpness of Fox’s thoughts is anything to go by. Quinlan lets himself smirk, maybe a bit of a challenge then. “Anyone you’d trust to be a sniper who isn’t a clone?”
“Sabé, Dormé, but those are the only two of Senator Amidala’s handmaidens who I’ve seen practice. If Senator Amidala is as good as her handmaidens, then her too. I’ve seen Senator Organa’s scores and he’d definitely have the patience for it. If I can include trainers, there would be more,” Fox says.
“But no other senators or Jedi?” Quinlan asks.
“I’d have to see scores and how they are on a shooting range,” Fox tells him.
Quinlan smiles. Fox feels more relaxed now, maybe he won’t dismiss Quinlan’s proposal as absurd now.
“You didn’t ask me to meet you here to discuss potential snipers,” Fox points out.
“No, I didn’t,” Quinlan agrees. “It was interesting to hear your assessments though. I asked you here because we’ve been warned that there is a Sith in the senate and the Jedi Council would like me to investigate.”
Fox goes still and calculating again, ready to help him work this problem. He doesn’t question Quinlan’s information or ask where the Jedi got the information. Should he find that odd? Quinlan isn’t sure.
“Obviously I can’t just borrow some armor,” Quinlan starts.
“Obviously, eventually someone would ask you to take your helmet off,” Fox agrees.
“Also, as I understand it, your armor tends to be very personal,” Quinlan says.
Fox nods in agreement.
“I can’t try to be a senator’s aide because we want to rule out everyone we can and this would limit my movement,” Quinlan continues.
“They do tend towards their clichés,” Fox comments.
“I’m thinking that if someone in the Guard were willing to pretend to date me that this would give me a reason to visit the senate building and freer range to move around,” Quinlan finishes.
“How would just moving around the senate building help?” Fox says.
“The Force feels clouded right now and it’s more difficult to sense the dark side, but I’m also Kiffar,” Quinlan points out.
“If you touch the right object you might be able to see what the Sith is up to?” Fox surmises.
“Exactly.”
“At the least you might uncover some corruption or traitors,” Fox comments.
“Got any ideas who you’d like to point me at?” Quinlan asks.
Fox’s smile is slow, mischievous, and it makes Quinlan feel greedy: he wants to see more of Fox’s smiles.
“I’ll agree to date you, as long as I get to tell Cody this is his fault for saying you’re fun,” Fox smirks.
“I am fun,” Quinlan agrees. “Cody and I had fun.”
Fox rolls his eyes.
Quinlan grins.
Fox arches an eyebrow, then challenges, “And this isn’t just to distract from that ridiculous picture of Bly the holo-news is currently obsessed with?”
Quinlan snorts and rolls his eyes. The picture Fox is asking about is Bly watching Aayla with a ridiculous besotted look on his face. The Separatists are using it in propaganda to smear the Jedi as taking advantage of their positions and the clones in their chain of command. It’s starting to raise awareness of the clones as individuals, who deserve rights. “I trained Aayla and we remain close, but distracting from them isn’t my priority, though I wouldn’t object to this helping them, especially if it keeps the discussion about clone rights going.”
“Bly wouldn’t act on anything, not when there’s the chain of command issue,” Fox says.
“Aayla wouldn’t either, if they are attracted to each other she wouldn’t act on it until the war is over,” Quinlan agrees. He knows neither Cody nor Obi-Wan would act on their attraction either, of course he knows more about this from Cody’s end of things. Obi-Wan evades or changes the topic when Quinlan tries to bring it up.
“Not sure if it’d help, but Stone’s got a thing with one of your Temple Guards and he’s even keeled enough that the attention likely wouldn’t phase him,” Fox informs him.
Quinlan raises his eyebrows, this is gossip he hasn’t heard before. “Do you know which one?”
Fox shakes his head. “I can find out. Would finding this Sith help end the war?”
“It should,” Quinlan answers. “They’re definitely pulling strings, but they aren’t the only ones driving this war forward.”
Fox nods. “When did you want to start?”
“When do you have to get back to work?”
Fox checks his chrono. “I can be here for another half an hour.”
Quinlan reaches to take his hand and Fox flinches. It’s instinct. Quinlan tilts his head as he withdraws his hand.
“What were you trying to do?” Fox frowns.
“To hold your hand,” Quinlan answers.
“Will that hurt you?”
Quinlan shakes his head. Fox’s concern is sweet. “I tend not to get visions spontaneously anymore.”
Fox nods, then holds out his hand, letting Quinlan fit their fingers against each other.
“The tulips are pretty,” Quinlan comments.
Fox agrees, but it’s absent. His gaze is on their hands intertwined and there’s a melancholy, almost reminiscent, sadness running through him. His face is still blandly neutral. If he couldn’t feel the sadness emanating from Fox Quinlan wouldn’t be able to tell it’s there. Still, this isn’t going to work if his presence upsets Fox.
“Are you able to take a holo?” Quinlan asks, seeking to distract.
Fox’s gaze slants towards him and he smirks slowly. “So I can send it to Cody?”
Quinlan grins and nods. Fox holds up his comm unit and Quinlan leans in slowly to wrap his arms around Fox’s shoulders. He presses a kiss to Fox’s cheek and waits until Fox says he’s taken a picture he’s pleased with to pull away. As Fox shows him the picture he’s going to send to Cody Quinlan slides his hand down Fox’s arms to take his hand again. In the picture Fox is slanting a slightly pleased, but curious, look at him. Briefly, Quinlan is grateful he tied his dreads back since it makes him easily recognizable. They look like they’re having fun, as if they are on a date. Maybe this will work after all.
Quinlan grins as he watches Fox send the holo to Cody with a note that this is his fault. They're both looking forward to seeing how Cody reacts.
“How about I get you a souvenir and we can decide when to meet tomorrow?” Quinlan suggests.
“A souvenir?”
“I like their chocolate and the ones they sell here have tulips on them,” Quinlan tells him.
“I like chocolate,” Fox agrees as the two of them turn towards the souvenir booth. They discuss chocolate preferences briefly, but quickly move on to caf vs tea. Quinlan wants to know what to bring Fox in the morning so his showing up at the Senate building will look more like trying to spend time with Fox before his shift rather than investigating. They decide on a time and Quinlan notes Fox’s caf preference with his comm unit. Fox is less picky about chocolate than he is about caf so Quinlan gets two boxes of his favorite: truffle covered in dark chocolate with yellow tulips painted on them. He also gets Fox a yellow tulip magnet.
“I know red is more your color, but yellow for hope,” Quinlan offers as he holds out the magnet and box of chocolate. Fox takes them with his free hand as they step away from the booth.
Quinlan’s lips turn up as he realizes Fox is holding back a sarcastic comment. Fox smirks slightly before teasing lightly, “Are you going to continue to ply me with food?”
“I like eating and I like sharing,” Quinlan says non-committedly as he lets go of Fox’s hand to open his chocolate. He holds out a piece towards Fox. “Only you know where your gloves have been, so maybe let me help you with this one so you know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”
Fox snorts, then agrees. His lips brush Quinlan’s fingers as Quinlan feeds him the chocolate. Then his eyes widen and Quinlan smiles at the rush of pleasure Fox is feeling.
“It’s good chocolate,” Quinlan comments. Fox nods as he slowly savors his piece. Quinlan reaches out and touches his armored arm and leans in to press a kiss against the corner of Fox’s mouth. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Fox swallows. “Tomorrow.”
Quinlan grins before popping a piece of chocolate into his mouth. He gives Fox a thumbs up before he heads towards his favorite exit. By the time he makes it back to the Jedi Temple he’s got a message from Cody: Make him get some sleep!
Any suggestions on how? Quinlan sends back. He expects Cody to tease him or their conversation to devolve into something filthy.
Quinlan doesn't get a reply until he's skimming through a text on how different mind abnormalities feel in the Force when one is more empathetically inclined. He settles the datapad down and looks at his comm.
Really? You can’t think of anything? You??? Cody doesn’t disappoint with the teasing, but then he adds: He sleeps deeper if he’s got a wall against his back and someone between him and the door, less on alert, don’t let him tell you otherwise.
Quinlan sends Cody a dancing pot of caf emoji, then checks to see if the book is one he can transfer to his personal datapad. After making the request he heads to his room to move his bed. Cody’s right, Fox did seem exhausted. He’ll have a clearer head to help Quinlan sort through clues if he can get some sleep.
*
Fox looks up as Stone drops down into the chair across from his desk. Stone raises his eyebrows, then observes, "You feel weary."
"Usually you say tired," Fox volleys back in his best droll tone. Stone never asks how anyone feels, he just states how they feel and then prods them to tell him the specifics. The frustrating part is that Stone is usually right and talking with him usually helps.
"Weary is basically the thesaurus version of tired, but there's something else," Stone pushes.
Fox regards him quietly for a moment. When he needs to discuss an idea he usually runs it by Thorn or Thire, but Thorn is patrolling and Thire's shift starts at the same time as Fox's does. Fox sighs through his nose. "I'm meeting Vos. He's bringing me caf."
"Vos?"
"Master Vos. Quinlan," Fox figures he should get used to usings Quinlan's first name if they're going to pretend to date. "The Kiffar Jedi with the dreads."
Stone's eyes widen slightly with shock and recognition. He tilts his head. "He's bringing you caf?"
"If you haven't noticed, I'm attractive."
Stone snorts. "I've noticed that I'm attractive. That doesn't mean anyone is looking at you."
"If you were going grey in your twenties you wouldn't shave your head," Fox says as he reaches for one of the many datapads littering his desk.
Stone reaches over and pushes the datapad down onto the desk. "You're not supposed to be working yet."
"I'm meeting Vos before my shift, but if that runs over I should get some paperwork finished," Fox explains as he tugs at the datapad.
"So, it's a date?"
"Why else would Vos be bringing me caf?" Fox points out, then reconsiders. Would telling some of the guard Vos' intel put them at risk or help Vos find answers. Fox can't help but think that a Sith in the Senate would help explain several things.
"Does he know about Keeli?" Stone asks. His tone is all concern and sympathy and that grates at Fox's nerves. Fox wants to retort, wants to deflect, but Stone is sitting across from him, hand on top of his on the datapad and a look of understanding on his face.
"I don't talk about Keeli," Fox manages. "He died saving people's lives on Ryloth and I miss him."
"You loved him," Stone says softly.
Fox looks away. For a moment he wishes he had a window or at least art on the walls. "Yes, but he's dead."
Fox doesn't want to think about how much those words hurt, even now, years later.
"Fox," Stone says, tone pleading.
"Vos is..." Fox starts, then sighs. "Quinlan is looking for a way to distract from Aayla and Bly."
"You're going to sacrifice yourself for Bly?" Stone asks doubtfully. "Do you even like Bly?"
"I suggested you and your Temple Guard." There, now Stone will think he’s willing to sacrifice him, especially after all the impertance.
"He's not mine," Stone protests. "He's just really hot and I'm going to seduce him."
"How can you even tell them apart with their armor?" Fox asks as he raises his eyebrows.
"You haven't seen his shebs or his biceps."
"Do you even know his name?" Fox prods.
"Feemor." That's at least one thing to tell Quinlan.
"And you can tell him apart from the other Temple Guards how?" Fox needles as he tries to imagine Stone attempting to seduce the wrong guard and maybe getting roughed up for his trouble.
"I told you, he's got a very distinctive ass," Stone retorts dryly.
Fox snorts. Stone smirks as he relinquishes the datapad.
“Haven’t Thire and Dorme been dating? I don’t think Thire would mind posing as distraction,” Stone suggests.
Fox thinks about calling Stone out on his clear subject change, but he doesn’t really want to discuss Stone’s crush on a Temple Guard anymore, so instead he points out, “Dorme is one of Amidala’s handmaidens, not a Jedi.”
“Yes, but it could distract from the Seperatist’s smear campaign, isn’t that the goal?” Stone says.
Fox shakes his head. “It’d call attention to Amidala’s handmaidens and maybe some of their skills that the general public or Separatists aren’t aware of.”
“And the goal is to make everyone safer, not put anyone but you in harm’s way,” Stone surmises with a grimace.
Fox nods, then sighs as he makes a decision. "This doesn't go farther than you and me, but the Jedi think there's a Sith in the Senate."
Stone sits up in his seat as he considers this. Carefully, slowly, he says, “That would explain why some of you lose time and have scars you don’t remember getting.”
That’s always difficult to talk about, it’s easier to allude to. Fox stares at Stone. “You don’t?”
Stone frowns as he considers. “Not like the rest of you. Once, maybe, when I first got here.”
“So we can exclude senators you regularly work with?” Fox considers
“We really would’ve suspected Binks, Amidala, or Organa?” Stone asks.
Fox shrugs. “The only idea we have about how a Sith acts are Dooku, Ventress, Maul and old reports on Savage.”
“You have a point,” Stone concedes grudgingly.
Fox acknowledges that with a grunt as he checks his chrono. He sets the datapad down. He didn’t even get any work done. As he stands he tells Stone, “I’ll tell Quinlan to talk with you.”
Stone waves him off and Fox rolls his eyes. Quinlan meets him by the main entrance. He hands Fox a travel mug and for a moment all he sees is the cartoon fox sitting on the black travel mug, then Fox reads the words. Above the fox it says “Oh For” and below it says “Sake” and it only takes Fox a moment to realize the tongue-in-cheek swear. He smirks. Then he takes a sip of the caf inside and closes his eyes in bliss. It’s a small thing, to get his caf preference right, but he means a lot to Fox that Quinlan remembered. When he opens his eyes Quinlan is standing back far enough to give him space, but also holding out a scone.
“Would’ve agreed to this sooner if I knew you were going to feed me,” Fox comments, more for the benefit of the aide walking past them than Quinlan, as he takes the scone. He raises an eyebrow at Quinlan. It smells like cinnamon.
“Cinnamon,” Quinlan confirms. “I figured it’d go good with your caf, but if you prefer I have lemon blueberry and raspberry almond.”
In answer Fox takes a bite. It’s delicious and Quinlan is right, it will taste good with his caf. As they enjoy their breakfast Fox leads Quinlan towards the lift. When he’s sure they’re alone in the hallway he says in a low tone. “I figured we’d try the publicly available areas last and communal senate areas first, the ones that aren’t available to the public, then move on to the office areas.”
“Sounds like you have a plan,” Quinlan says. “I’ll defer to your knowledge.”
Fox takes a sip of his caf so he doesn’t roll his eyes at the flirty grin Quinlan is giving him.
“Did you talk to Stone?” Quinlan asks. “About the Temple Guard he’s dating?”
“They may only be dating in Stone’s dreams. He said his name is Feemor.”
Quinlan nods. “So I shouldn’t ask him his thoughts on public distraction?”
Fox shrugs. “We’re attempting.”
Quinlan’s lips quirk up. “And Stone can tell them apart without using the Force?”
“Stone claims he has a very distinctive ass,” Fox informs him dryly.
Quinlan laughs. Fox feels himself start to smile. He wants to tell Quinlan that Stone doesn’t lose time, doesn’t have scars he doesn’t remember getting, but the words can’t seem to reach his lips. His smile fades as he realizes he’s unable to tell Quinlan.
Quinlan tilts his head, his own smiling fading. “Fox? Something you want to tell me?”
“No,” the answer is rote, automatic, but Fox should’ve thought of this. They’re barely able to allude to this among themselves, of course he wouldn’t be able to talk about it with anyone who isn’t a clone. Fox sighs through his nose, maybe there is one thing he can manage. “I suggest talking to Stone.”
“Alright,” Quinlan says, head tilting. For a moment Fox thinks Quinlan is going to reach out and touch him, but he aborts the movement. Fox shoves the last bite of scone into his mouth, it doesn’t taste as delicious as a moment before, not when there’s a bitter sort of suspicion running through him. He can’t do anything about that though, not yet. He can get them back on track though. With that in mind Fox moves them towards the lift again.
Chapters: [1] [2][3][4]