( Maul tells his apprentice that theyâre a contradiction and they are very confused about that and eventually confront him and there is kissing. @the-flying-elephant gave me this idea a long while ago, so enjoy, love!)
Itâs the sun, more than anything, thatâs driving you crazy.
You can deal with the sweat and the burning of your muscles, the sting of blows landing on you when you werenât fast enough to dodge them. You can deal with moving so fast the world blurs around you.
But this heat - itâs making you angry. Which, possibly, was Maulâs intention, since you are training with the Dark Side and all.
The wooden staff smacks into your shoulder. âOw!â you hiss, and bring your own up to knock it away.Â
âPay attention,â Maul growls. âIf this were a true fight I couldâve slain you nine times already.â
âThen get it over with,â you snip back, grinning at him as you swing your staff at his head. âSince Iâm such a disappointment and all.â The staff glances off one of his horns, and the snap of sound echoes around the stony courtyard.
âFunny.â He takes your staff, then throws it, along with his, off to the side. âHand to hand. No Force tricks. Fight me, apprentice.â
âYouâre on, red man,â you pant, and lunge at him.
Thereâs a chaotic blur of heat and pain and motion. You grit your teeth, shut down, and react. Let your instincts take over, blocking and lunging. Youâre doing better than usual, but it still ends the way it always does - with your back slamming into the ground with his forearm pinned across your shoulders. The breath huffs painfully out of your lungs and you cough, turning your face aside.
âGood one,â you croak. âAlmost got it that time.â
âOh, did you?â He smirks as he helps you to your feet. âCouldâve fooled me.â
âWell, maybe youâre easy to fool.â You shake the dust from your hair and clothes. âMaybe Iâm letting you win.â
He laughs - an unexpected sound, loud and ringing and clear. Youâve made him smile before - quick, reluctant smiles mostly - but this is different. Youâve never heard him laugh like this. He looks you up and down, every dusty inch of you, and you really, really hope the heat creeping up your neck and face is from the sun. For a minute, youâre distracted by the vivid gold of his eyes.
âYouâre quite the contradiction, my apprentice,â he says, and then turns on his heel and leaves.
WaitâŠwhat? You blink, staring after him and wishing youâd asked earlier. Just as youâre about to call after him, he shuts the door behind him.Â
Ooookay. You kick at the ground, frowning. âWhat does that even mean?â
Hours later, youâve had about all you can take of pacing and wondering and thinking. And for some reason (you suspect heâs avoiding you, but why?) he left the house soon after your sparring session ended, saying nothing more than for you to stay there and wait.
âWait, my ass,â you mutter venomously, watching the front gate with narrowed eyes. âHeâs gonna get it when he gets back.â
âOh, am I?â Maul strides through the gates, locking them behind him as his golden eyes flare. âPlease, enlighten me as to how.â
âWith a hacksaw,â you fire off automatically. Part of you cringes, but youâre miffed enough at him that you donât stop; you stomp forward to meet him. âYou canât just say cryptic statements like that about me to someone so curious! I need to know things, okay?â
He narrows his eyes at you. âCareful,â he growls. âYou know to whom you speak.â
You huff and look down. âFine. Sorry. But please, just tell me what you meant? Iâve been going mad thinking about it all day.â
âHave you now?â he muses, the corner of his mouth lifting. âWell, thatâs useful information.â
Unable to stop the reaction, you stomp your foot and whine at him. âTell me! Come on, please?â
With his arms crossed, the zabrak tilts his chin up and considers you - again. With that raking gaze that makes your stomach flip. He so does that on purpose, you just know it.
âWhat did I mean?â His voice is quiet as he meets your eyes, and you canât look away. âJust what I said - youâre a contradiction made flesh.â
âThanks,â you say weakly. âThat really clears it up.â
âYouâre powerful, but vulnerable. Strong in your anger, but stronger in your laughter.â He smirks. âYou hurl your petty insults at me, always ready with a clever comment, and yet I sense you crave my approval.â
Okay, your face is definitely too hot now. You look down. âI do not,â you mutter lamely. Itâs a total lie.
âAs you should,â he purrs, stepping closer to you. âAm I not your master, and you my apprentice?â
âY-yes,â you mutter, swallowing hard. âAnd thereâs maybe kind of a little bit of truth to that? Just a bit, though.â
âOf course.â His eyes flare and he smirks, stepping even closer. âThat is also a reason, you know.â
âWhat is?â Youâre hypnotized by him. Your voice is barely a whisper.Â
âYou act like you feel nothing - like an accursed Jedi. And yet any fool with even the slightest Force sensitivity could sense the depth and intensity of your feelings.â
âGreat,â you mutter, finally breaking his gaze. âSo you know then.â You donât have to say what he knows. Heâll - well, heâll know. Know how much you love him.
âOf course I know.â Suddenly heâs inches from you - you can feel the heat of him, and look up sharply to meet his eyes just as he grabs your face and crushes his lips to yours, breaking away only seconds later. âHow could I fail to see?â
And with the most smug face youâve ever seen, he walks away from you for the second time that day. Only this time, youâre quick enough to go after him.