Alternate Start (ARCHIVE)

Chapter Forty: Process

Droidbait hit the medical override for Kaar's room, stepping in with food and water. "Kaar?"

He was curled in his thermal cloak. That faraway look in his eyes as he stared at hyperspace. Droidbait set the tray down in front of him, hesitating for a moment before he gently touched Kaar's horn. The Kaleesh leaned into it. Droidbait moved his hand closer to carefully start scratching Kaar's head.

"Cyare alor?" Droidbait said softly, tilting his head and pulling up a chair.

For the first time in a week, a soft purr rumbled in his General's chest. A smile graced the clone's lips as he finally got a reaction out of the man.

"Osik, you had me worried there for a while, Kaar." He took Kaar's hand into his free one, now scratching just behind his general's ear. Kaar managed to get out a soft "mh..."

"Ni ceta..." He mumbled, relaxing even more deeply into being petted. Droidbait nudged him into sitting up.

"C'mon sir," he coaxed softly, pressing their foreheads together, "You need to eat before you sleep, Bones' orders."

Kaar let out a groan, and Droidbait gave him a pointed look. He unexpectedly tilted his head up and almost brushed their lips together, causing Droidbait to jolt back and Kaar to whine. Eventually, Kaar eats the bland nutrient rations, but still grumbles about it. "Hey, I'll get you some fresh meat as soon as possible, okay Kaar?"

"M'kay..."

Kaar slowly got up and moved from the windowsill to the bed. He collapsed onto his chest, rolling more onto his side and curling up. Droidbait headed towards the door, only to feel a tug on his sleeve. He looked back towards the General, who made a little grabby motion with his hand.

Droidbait gave a fond huff, walking over and laying next to him. "This what you wanted sir?"

Kaar pulled Droidbait closer. It wasn't like he was going to object, or wanted to. But, the clone's face darkened with blush, keeping his hand away from the General's earned name and sitting up to lean against the headboard. Droidbait lightly patted his chest, which Kaar wasn't shy about resting his head on.

Droidbait sank his fingers into his General's hair with a content sigh. If this is what Kaar wanted, he would oblige happily, even if it only made him fall deeper in love with the man. It was overall probably bad. He didn't know Kaar's tastes, but he deserved so much more than a man born from a test tube.

Did he even like men? He displayed no intrest in women really, that much had been made very clear in a conversation with Fives. Fives had asked Kaar his opinion on some model making the rounds and Kaar had said,

"Well, she is beautiful Fives. I may not have a thing for women, but I'm not blind."

That didn't exactly narrow down his taste at all. Droidbait was yanked from his thoughts as Kaar draped an arm over his abdomen, other arm pressed between his side and Kaar's stomach. Droidbait had to resist the urge to press a kiss to the crown of his forehead. He thought back to earlier, when their lips had almost brushed together. It can't have been intentional. There was no way, no matter how much Droidbait hoped it was.

But, he had contained himself this long. As long as he kept control of himself he'd be fine. Cutup called the "And One Day I'll Die" technique. Supposedly Cody used it with General Kenobi. Astra said it was how the Coruscant Guard got through their days without strangling anyone.

"DB?" Kaar mumbled sleepily.

"Yes sir?"

The General muttered something in Kaleeshi that Droidbait couldn't understand. He hadn't really picked anything up like his brothers, and he didn't hear it very well. Oh well. He was asleep now, and Droidbait wasn't going to wake him up and ask him.

In some daydreams, Droidbait imagined what something like this would be like. Being a civvie, with Kaar at his side. To some of his brothers, the ones who'd asked him what he thinks being a civvie would be like, he was weirdly domestic. But, something about the things he heard about civvie home life just... felt right. Waking up with Coruscant sunlight streaming through the blinds, covering the room in a golden glow, while he's enveloped in his partner's loving embrace.

He craved it. Droidbait didn't like fighting, from the very first sim. He was good at leading, but hated battle despite how his wiring left him itching for action.

The blue glow of hyperspace would do for him, until the war was over and he was free or dead.

But here and now, in the present, he had Kaar in his arms and a wanting in his heart.

He sleepily shut his eyes, sighing deeply with contentment.

Kaar was safe. His cyare alor was here, resting.

So should he.

•—END OF CHAPTER—•