Stuck With Me: A Cad Bane Novel

Chapter 22

Warnings: wounds, canon typical stuff, swearing probably, cad is secretly whipped,

Word count: 1.1k

'Hey, Cad?' You say as you begin to clean up a small gash on his side. 'I don't think it's worth us arguing about it again, but can I ask you if I can come with you on one of your hunts soon?' You smile hopefully. 'Maybe even prevent you from getting injuries like this while you're out there. I can change into anything and anyone you like. I could change into a bug and sit on your shoulder, if you want.'

He glances over at you, a sheepish look in his eyes. Outside, the stars streak past, the Justfier's engines a steady hum as you travel through hyperspace, finishing cleaning him up from his hunt - evidently an easy one, judging from his lack of heavy injuries. The silver light falls across his face, outlining it in blue lightning, and you see him struggling to find the right words. To you, your old fight on this subject seems near childish - not in the sense it holds no importance, but in the sense that both of you have grown out of it. He's already told you why he was so stubborn about it anyway, and you have no problems with reminding him that you want to stay - with him, and him only.

Cad cocks his head, playing with your hair as you begin to bandage up his wound. 'Should'a stopped diggin' my heels in a long time ago, izrin. Ya deserve more freedom than the life of a hunter will give ya, but ya can do what ya want with yerself and I know now that I ain't the one to control that, 'cause I don't own ya. No one owns ya. I never shoulda tried to keep ya away.' He shrugs, lightening his tone a little. 'Won't hurt to teach ya some self defence too.'

Smiling widely, you pause your meticulous work to grin up at him. At your joy, his eyes seem to soften, and he lets them drift close when you lean forward to give his lips a peck. Hands sliding down your back, he gives your ass a near affectionate squeeze. His breath tickles your face as he pulls back a little.

'Anythin' to make the li'l lady smile,' he says.

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Cad's constantly amazed by you. You picked up the mechanics of the Justifier in less than a week, and you've picked up how to handle a blaster in just over that. Understandably, your aim isn't as good as his, but when you shoot, you hit things - most of the time. Your hand to hand is even better; it must have been the third day after, when he'd just deemed you adept enough to grapple with him, and there'd been just enough time for you to throw him a devilish smile before you melted away beneath him into what - a womp rat? - before you'd scampered onto his back and pinned him down in the form of a Trandoshan. He's pretty sure your potent mix of Human and Shi'ido genes help you pick up things at higher speeds, help you to adapt to your situations and make you the fastest learner he knows.

At the moment, you're sitting on a crate, talking to Todo about something, your smile bright on your face as you practise spinning the blaster he bought you in your fingers. Pride shoots through him as you repeat the motion, and he watches as it gets smoother by the second. He knows it's something you noticed him doing - a perfect movement to catch the eyes and warn the observer just how futile it is to run. It's his signature move, along with the hat tip, and it looks... it looks very fucking attractive on you.

You glance over your shoulder at the feel of his eyes on you, and you grin at him - a grin that's become familiar to him as a warning signal that you're going to jump him - or his bones - in the next second. He just manages to brace himself before you launch yourself into the air in the form of a Toydarian - the prettiest Toydarian he's ever clapped his dirty eyes on - before you fall in a wide arc, your outline blurring away into something larger, something bigger -

The air wheezes out of Cad's lungs as you plop on top of him in the shape of a massive, heavy Hutt, the same smile turning up the corners of a wet, slobbery mouth. He makes a weak sound, and you shift into what seems to be your favourite form to attack him in - himself. A familiar smirk stares him in the face - you've got the expression down, and it's minorly terrifying how you haven't even missed one scar on his body. He can see the scar from that Trandoshan peeking out of the collar of his duster, the precise punctures of a Karkadon on your - or his - wrist from where he almost lost his hand, the faint slash across his brow from that dastardly Dug... He's amazed to see that you've included the countless scars that he hasn't told you about yet - every single one.

'What's goin' in yer head, Bane?'
He starts at the sound of his own voice, wrinkling his rostrum at you. 'Ya gotta stop with the accent. Yer tryin' too hard.'
'That so, li'l man?'

Okay, well he has to admit that attempt was pretty spot on. He's not giving it to you, though. 'Not so, li'l lady.' He grins up at you before twisting his hips, flipping you under him. You're expecting it, or at least you're fast enough to appear ready, and you shift in such quick succession that he can barely keep his eyes or hands on you as you change your shape into species he doesn't even know the names of. At some point, you make your way on top of him until you're straddling him, and when, eventually, you stop, materialising in your own form, a wide grin on your lips as you curl your arms around his neck and look up at him with your wide set eyes, batting your lashes at him.

'Pretty good, huh?'
He shrugs and inclines his head. 'Dunno 'bout good, but definitely pretty.'

Propping himself up on his elbows so he can kiss the corner of your mouth, he knots his long fingers in your hair and holds you close. You grin against his lips, grabbing one of his breathing tubes to keep him there, letting him drown in the taste of you. He runs his hands down your back and ass, grabbing your warm thighs and shifting you lower down on his body so he can seize your hips and grind them into his own -

'Excuse me, sir and ma'am,' Todo's voice pipes up. 'But I think it would be safer to continue these activities back on the ship.'
Cad growls under his breath. 'Fuckin' bucket of bolts, that droid.'
You laugh. 'He's only speaking in our best interests, Cad.'

side note i think i keep on reuploading the same pictures of cad at the top so sorry about that