(A/N: So yes, to start off: I do sincerely apologize to anyone who has read certain of my previous works and were waiting for new chapters/installations that at this point are years overdue. I am hoping to get back to some of those, but cannot make any concrete promises at this time. What I can say for certain is that Maul: Shadow Lord reactivated something in my brain chemistry and copaganda elements aside, I am immensely enjoying the show. This chapter takes place roughly two months before the first episode. Certain elements will definitely not align with canon. Unbeta'd, may be cross-posted to AO3 later. General warnings for mentioned offscreen character death, Maul's trauma, utter lack of healthy attachment styles, and understanding of boundaries.)
I will help you.
Anger comes first, burning the back of his eyelids red. Familiar. Then bitterness that sours his tongue. And last... Longing. So sharp that it transforms his ribs into a durasteel vise, mercilessly wringing every drop of air from the lungs beneath.
I will help you.
She had meant it, then. For mere moments Maul had held that last, flickering ember of hope within his grasp; That Sidious might yet be harmed or eliminated altogether. Or failing that, seeking a death that would at last hold some meaning. Before it had guttered out entirely.
I will help you.
Nearly a year, since Sundari. And still those words haunt him. Maul exhales softly, exasperated as his rage slowly recedes. There will be no further sleep tonight. He may as well use the time more productively to-Someone is here. All of his senses are brought to sudden sharpness at the possibility of a threat, lids snapping open to see another's form laid out upon the scant padding that serves in place of a bed. No movement. Too small to be Savage or Mother. Another visit from the Duchess's spectre, perhaps. Until his eyes lock upon the unconscious face of Ahsoka Tano, features slack in peaceful repose.
Is this real? Once, he might have been certain , but now...After Lotho Minor, after the grief and the loss and the scream of thousands of dying Jedi, his grasp grows ever more tenuous. He reaches out carefully, fingers wracked by faint tremors, to circle around her wrist. Warmth. A beating pulse. A shade too much pressure has the touch passing through her skin, not dissimilar from a holo-projection. He eases his hold, thumb skimming over the radiocarpal joint.
The instincts of the former padawan are still well-honed. Her eyes open, clearing rapidly from sleep to focus on him. Confusion first, chased by the shade of anger and ending in something approaching acceptance.
"Guess I should have expected something like this."
"You survived."
"Yes. You have a lot of deaths to answer for."
"And you do not?"
"Not from you."
"Hm."
"So, what now. I dodge bounty hunters and gangsters until you're ready to finish the job?" She sounds...tired. Resigned. The fire went out for her as well.
Does he want her dead? His spite certainly demands suffering, but the thought of standing over her lifeless corpse brings no satisfaction.
"No. Chasing you ends...poorly."
"Hasn't stopped you before."
"Everything you have ever known or loved is dead. Any harm I could inflict is meaningless by comparison."
Ahsoka Tano remains quiet for some time. He takes the opportunity to observe. There is a slight hollowness to her features. Not starvation, though neglect is certainly possible. Her garments consist of a sleeveless undershirt and shorts, gray and clearly meant for utility. Some form of oil or grease has embedded itself into the creases of her knuckles. Manual labour, then. Most likely mechanical repairs. While a respectable choice, the thought still rankles. Perhaps it is simply a cover of some kind. A front to allow her to gather information from unsuspecting sources.
"This really shouldn't be happening." She remarks, voice still carrying a flattened edge. The lack of...life is beginning to rouse his anger. "I cut myself off from the Force months ago."
His speculations are incorrect. She is not biding her time in anticipation of striking back against their mutual foe. The woman who kicked him out of a window, who refused to give up pursuit or surrender even when inches away from certain death, who fought him thrice and came within a hairsbreadth of slicing his head off is running. Rage boils over, mixed with grief, possession, and a myriad of other emotions he does not have the time or patience to parse through. "What."
That earns him a raised brow. "It's not that hard to figure out."
"Do not insult-" His teeth clench and grind together in an effort to tamp down his aggression. "It does not take great effort to reason out why." She cannot be tracked if there is no Force signature to be sensed in the first place, and those in the Light leave ghosts behind when they pass. So many dead Jedi will have swelled their ranks considerably. "But why you?"
"You should answer that first. Out of everyone else in the galaxy: Why me?" The unspoken questions linger under the surface like colo claw fish waiting for prey. Why a Jedi? Why someone connected the man you hated? Why me, when you left me for dead?
"This was not intentional. I was not aware you had avoided what appeared to be an inevitable and violent end." That much is truth. Though it does not change how often he has...considered how events might have unfolded differently.
"But you hoped that I did." She remarks. Kenobi, Kaitiss, and her. All share the same damnably perceptive blue eyes. Though Tano's are the only pair still left amongst the living. "Why."
If this is a dream, then there is no one to hear his confession. Just another one-sided conversation in the dark. If not...She is very far away, and cannot divulge the information to anyone of substance.
"My family has been slaughtered. My forces are reduced to a shadow of their former strength, and whatever I manage to regain will be built on filth and sand. You lived. You survived me."
"That isn't nearly as much of an accomplishment as you think."
"Everything, everything I have touched, Sidious has tainted or destroyed. I will not-" Desperation slips out. She does not know. Was not cursed since birth to endless loss and ruin. To terrible visions beyond his ability to control, to change. Forever struggling to push on as the bones of any who mattered crumble beneath him. "He cannot have you. Not his dogs. Not Skywalker." He tightens his grasp too far, and once more ends up with nothing at all. What he expects is withdrawal, disgust flayed open and raw upon her face. Instead she seems pensive, sifting through the stream of madness to find some speck of hidden truth beneath.
"Vader." Ahsoka Tano goes stiff, eyes widening in revelation. "You think Anakin-." Horror takes on a tangible weight, saturating the air and choking the words from her throat. The arm formerly within his hold curls inward, an instinctive shield against harm.
Maul takes a breath, half a dozen responses crowding the tip of his tongue before her distant gaze sharpens and snaps to him. "Just- Don't. Not right now." She states, the tone caught somewhere between command and plea.
"As you wish." Carefully, he shifts closer, brings the backs of two curled fingers to brush the line of her jaw. She accepts the contact, grudging but silent. Her eyes close, expression pained as she holds his wrist in place. Unable to bring herself to cry in front of him, yet in desperate need of some shred of compassion.
Maul waits. As her eyelids open to pits of wet misery before shutting once more. As she receives the touch that traces one of her facial markings, feather-light and languid. Eventually her breathing slows and evens out, fully returned to slumber once more. There are preparations still to be made, ones that will require him and the few remaining loyal warriors to move to another temporary base. Traitors to be made example of and an Empire to break. The beginnings of legacy. "Yes. I hoped." A whispered prayer from the damned, head bowed to her steadfast heart. "Prove that it was not in vain." If he is not utterly lost to madness, she will return. And he will do whatever he must to re-ignite the spark that was stolen from her.
(A/N: Someone's projecting~. Anyway, I realize this is probably a bit rusty, but hopefully not too jarring in terms of quality. Cheers, everyone!)
So I am unfortunately as the kids would say, 'back on my bullshit' and might be in the process of writing a Maulsoka Forcetiming fic. Mainly because the new show is interesting and the clip from one of the trailers that had Maul stumbling through a very Underworld-esque tunnel before collapsing woke up the muse. (Not sure if I'm going to go back and finish other projects at this time, sorry.) Posting a rough sample below. Hope someone enjoys this.
"Guess I should have expected something like this."
"You survived."
"Yes. You have a lot of deaths to answer for."
"And you do not?"
"Not from you."
"Hm."
"So, what now. I dodge bounty hunters and gangsters until you're ready to finish the job?" She sounds...tired. Resigned. The fire went out for her as well.
Does he want her dead? His spite certainly demands suffering, but the thought of standing over her lifeless corpse brings no satisfaction.
"No. Chasing you ends...poorly."
"Hasn't stopped you before."
"Everything you have ever known or loved is dead. Any harm I could inflict is meaningless by comparison."
…..not even six hours later i got an offer of a well paying full time long-term job with free room and board in queens in nyc, allowing me independence and a way to escape an abusive situation and an unhealthy environment
likes charge reblogs cast, folks, this is the good luck post
the last time I reblogged this post right before I got a great job, in a permanent work-from-home position, with benefits, retirement, and a salary literally 3x what I was making before, doing something I really like.
Hello Everyone. It’s Wednesday… And it feels like a Wednesday.
How about we do a little share project to support one another and ourselves. Because damn it, we matter to.
Share one fic of yours and tag a few people so they can share a fic or series (You wrote a whole series? Hell yea thats impressive) maybe some artwork you are proud of? Anyways the point is promote yourself, when this crosses some ones dash, who knows, might be just what they are looking for today. Much love always. 💙
My share-
Summary- 1.7k Detective Paul Diskant x Y/N. Paul passed his detective exams and first day on the job. Although he's been an officer since yo
Tagging @navybrat817 @ohthankevans13 @what-is-your-backupplan-today @slothspaghettiwrites @gotnofucks @ladywitheclecticheart @the-soulofdevil @sagechanoafterdark @princess-evans-addict @myoxisbroken @just-the-hiddles @thorfanficwriter @babiiface95 @happygowriting and anyone else who would like to share something for others to see.
So I’m dumb and reblogged this without promoting myself🙃 so here we go again.
This is my most recent fic that I just posted yesterday that’s apart of a mini series featuring the one and only Sam Wilson! There’s a link to the first part in this one as well.
The first part of this mini series, the playlist that goes with it, as well as a little info nugget.
@indyluckycharlie @upcloseandchaotic @malloryharris @tellmealovestory @drabblewithfrannybarnes @bitchassbucky And anyone else who’d like to participate!
I’m going to switch it up and share writers that I don’t think have enough attention. We keep seeing (or maybe it’s just me) the same people shared and promoted again and again.
I don’t think that @maddiewritesstucky has enough attention and I think she’s the best writer here. I think her words are like damn poetry.
I think @fishcustardandclintbarton is an excellent writer with a wild mind that comes up with the best pairings and Shrinkyclinks thoughts.
I think @buckyandthejets is an incredible person and writer and I cannot wait to have to time to read her Love Island fic.
I think @baseballbatbucky is working on wonderful things and has one of the wildest smuttiest minds I’ve come across.
I think @softestziam deserves more attention, as do @hawkeyeandthewintersoldier, @martelldoran, @slothspaghettiwrites, @fandomfluffandfuck @doctorenterprise, and @thiccbuckybarnesfic.
I know this isn’t what the point of this was, so if I’ve tagged you you can ignore it! I’m sure I’m forgetting people and I’m so terribly sorry; if I remember them I’ll come back. But I’m not in a mindset to self-promote and wanted to direct attention elsewhere. 💕
thanks to the gorgeous mama k and @becassine for the tags.
i’m truly awful at self-promotion because it makes me feel so flippin’ awkward but hey, the gauntlet has been thrown down so here is my offering.
tis the damn season
i’m proud of this one and when it came careening into my head it took me a wild four day writing bender.
i’ll tag @nitheful, @hawkeyeandthewintersoldier, @dreadlockholiday, @romanovrogers and @the-hoziest if they fancy doing a self promo or two but no pressure of course. 😘😘😘
thanks for the tag ali! <3 i love ‘tis the damn season!!
i’d like to promote a fic that me and a friend worked on together in collaboration to make a podfic (with a text option of course):
think only this of me
this is an umbrella academy canon divergence fic where vanya doesn’t fly off the handle in season one and they instead try to work it out together…to varying degrees of success. it’s a gen fic with an open ending, and sort of a relationship/character study of the tua siblings!
also, alstroemeria_thoughts is a wonderful podficcer with a very soothing voice so i recommend checking out her other works!
i’ll tag @evellyncelia @carmenjulia @redassassin @saricess @octobertown @tigrassao3 if you guys want!! <3
Maven, you’ve got a very diverse portfolio of fandoms and mediums. Consistently impressed by your range. (And podfic is awesome.)
I’m gonna plug an AU reylo fic I haven’t touched in some time, but has been on my mind lately. Stuck my toe back in a few days ago and swished things around a bit to see if it was time for me to get back in the deep end, and I think I’m getting there.
It falls in-between folk horror and midwest gothic. My partner – who’s originally from the midwest – fed me a few stories from a place near where he grew up to lend a layer of authenticity, folding it into the Star Wars universe (effective rewriting Chandrilla and Junari Point to become a rural backwater.)
It’s a haunted house story at its core, and uses folk horror tropes of oppressive landscape and the revival of ancient beliefs in a modern setting.
I am particularly proud of the cover art I scrapped together for it.
It’s on Ao3: it’s called A Salted Field.
Tagging: @dinsbeskar @dayenurose @nominolinasinns @saricess (I think Maven tagged you but you’re getting a double from me), @reynesofcastamere @kathat
Finally getting around to responding to this sort of thing. Hmm...This is a tough choice, but I can’t decide between Broken Shards and Queen of Ash and Dying Dreams . The first is a maulsoka fic, the second is gen (at least, for now). Shards is one of the first request fics I wrote, and is essentially a standalone hurt/comfort piece that incorporates a lot of elements (dealing with trauma, unholy matrimony, Hades/Persephone symbolism, Grey Jedi code, Force meddling, etc.). Whereas Queen is going to be a major overarching ‘what if’ scenario involving Ahsoka becoming the rightful owner of the Darksaber during the Siege of Mandalore. And all that entails.;)
Tagging: @sachidiva (Have fun!)
From the WBW AU, even though I should be trying to finish the next part of Surface Breach. OTL.
The longer the fight goes on, the angrier she gets. Not just because he’s refusing to quit, but...Karking sithspit, she wants to shove Sidious through an entire garbage planet and then some.
Uh...That’s over 30 words. Pretty sure I don’t know that many people who’d be interested. So whoever wants to, really.
So this is a...thing I’m seriously debating whether to write at all, considering all the other WIPs I have at the moment. Buuuuuut I really love both fantasy as a genre and Bioware’s Dragon Age games, so: Maul as a demon(either Rage, Pride, or Terror, haven’t decided yet) and Ahsoka as a City Elf Circle mage.
Tagging: @fyeahmaulsoka and whoever else is interested.
‘Hm. Fresh livestock for the slaughter. And so soon.’ Ahsoka freezes. The wards carved into the walls of her room-decades old and thrumming with infused magic- are set up correctly, she’s certain of that. Yet there is a demon’s voice in her ear and dread in the pit of her stomach. This isn’t like her Harrowing, and if it succeeds in trapping her mind in the Fade...She can only imagine what level of horrors this thing will wreak, wearing her flesh like an ill-fitting robe. ‘The old martyr must be desperate to keep his remaining charges out of the dragon’s jaws.’
(Hm. In the interest of fairness, I’ll put it up to a vote as to whether I should finish writing this [at some point in the future] or leave it on the cutting room floor. Either leave a message in my inbox, a note on this post, or a like; depending on preference and/or inclination. Cheers, everyone. 8) )
(Ask and ye shall receive. I don’t have a lot written out for this right now. Mainly because action scenes are not my strong suit, lol. Suffice to say it takes a lot of effort on Ahsoka’s part to nudge the ‘all Jedi scum must die’ switch in Maul’s brain into a more neutral position.)
Kark, he’s fast. She’s never had more respect for Master Kenobi, or been more thankful for the decades of combat experience she has under her belt. Maul is genuinely trying to kill her, his hate a seething, freezing mass that seems to leech all heat from the air around him. Even unarmed, this is not an easy fight. She recognizes some of the techniques that his older self had utilized, but now in his prime his style is far more acrobatic. Ahsoka avoids one kick to the face only for another to sweep into her ribs seconds later.
She throws him back with a Force push, taking the split-second reprieve to check the point of impact, despite the pain radiating from it. Not broken, but likely fractured. The Sith Lord is already on his feet, teeth bared in a silent threat display. He’s barely said anything since he woke up. Very eerie, since the version of him she’s familiar with almost never kept his mouth shut. Still, he has to be getting frustrated with his lack of success by now.
rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you and interests you and i’ll post a little snippet of it or tell you something about it!
Tagged by the deliciously dark @zoycitem, thank you! <3
I have a lot of ideas and absolutely no time/brain to write them all. Here we go:
- the love that moves the sun and the other stars: Potential Pinefest/DCBB fic. Semi-canon.
- Dial M: Paused WIP ‘Dial M for Monster’ (currently 10 chapters posted on ao3).
- Horror Movie AU: Lazy AF title for ‘Number 1 Crush’ (currently 5 chapters posted on ao3).
- sorry about the blood in your mouth, i wish it was mine: Mostly complete part 8 of the ‘i only come when you scream’ verse.
- but here we are in the weeds again: Partially complete part 9 of the ‘iocwys’ verse.
- Killing Strangers: John Wick AU.
- tea & pronouns: WIP for the Profound Meetings series.
- counterfeit gods: WIP for the Profound Meetings series.
- Skeletons AU: Working title for paused WIP ‘the lost art of keeping a secret’ (currently 1 chapter posted on ao3)
- Claire’s Tattoo: Working title for a timestamp in the ‘Bitch Better Have My Money’ verse.
Tagging: @friendofcarlotta, @contemplativepancakes, @rabidbinbadger, @latter-alice, @writinginthesecrettrees, @trekchik, and @destielstuffandthings. I’m really sorry if I missed anyone; it’s been a loooooong, shitty day today. Consider yourself tagged if you’d like, and as usual, to those I’ve tagged - no pressure!
Thank you for the tag, @duckyboos-blog! Unfortunately, I have exactly zero WIPs right now. I haven’t even started on the @starspangledsecretsanta yet. But I WILL tag a bunch of lovelies because I want y’all to know what they’re working on.
Ok I’ll name the ones that are the most complete. This is excluding prompt fills and headcanons, btw
trouble with a capital t and tiny gold shorts
newspaper daddy
goodbye
you’ve got mail shrunkyclunks au
when will seb’s reflection show how horny he is inside
meow
(These are just the file names, I’ll most likely rename all of them before posting)
Send me an ask with which one intrigues you most and I’ll post a tiny snippet!
I’ll tag @hbalbat @darter-blue @kalee60 @its-tortle @infinitecrime @musette22 And whoever else wants to do it. To the people I did tag - as always - no pressure!
You’re calling me out @ixalit and I love it - but I honestly have too many ATM to put them all (as I have outlines and some paragraphs for the next 26 AU Fics I’m writing 👀) I’ll pop the next few that’s I’ve got almost ready down…
Kickstart my heart (hospital AU)
Dial B for Bucky (shrunkyclunks)
Santa’s secret (shrunkyclunks)
Not all relics are 100 year old supersoldiers (shrunkyclunks - I sense a favourite theme here 😂)
Somebody that I used to know - working title (childhood friends AU)
Model behaviour (AU not part of challenge but a small gift for @darter-blue)
Feel free to ask for a paragraph/sneak peak if you’d like! 😊
Tagging with no pressure @allegedlyann @buckyandthejets @martelldoran @sissi2d @howdoyousleep3 & @hbalbat
Kel you’re calling me out like this? Really? Okay, damn @kalee60 here are my wips I have currently in my google docs. All titles subject to change because, obviously.
a pinch and a dash (stucky bingo ‘coma’ fill, bucky recovery fic)
room to breathe (stucky bingo ‘fake dating’/’slow burn’ fill, au, tiny tank!steve x beefy(ish)!bucky)
Becca Barnes: the hero we need (title to be changed because oh my god i didn’t expect anyone to see the name of this doc, Pre-war/war, Becca POV, psychic Barnes Siblings and possible start to a series that has a core audience of exactly one (1) person ie me)
alias. (possible stucky bingo fill for ‘stalker’/’hunter’, bucky pov for i don’t want to set the world on fire, again with the core audience of exactly one person because it’s just him chilling with a bunch of ocs)
Not listed are the numerous notes and idea I have written in notebooks atm. Including but not limited to Arabesque (Clintasha Budapest fic) and Fantasy/Skyrim style AU which thanks to @darter-blue is now living rent free in my mind.
Feel free to ask me about any of them! I have scenes written for them all! 👀👀👀
i’ll take a stab at it ali @martelldoran ahaha. so here are my current wips. gonna reblog this to my star wars blog because most of my wips are star wars right now haha. all my wips have the word “wip” at the beginning so im going to cut that out though! also excluding headcanon/prompt dumps:
rexsoka forced bedsharing what it sounds like lol. i’ve had this request in my inbox for months, since my last follower celebration. i’ve hit another hundred since then which really shows how long it’s been. im sorry to the requester!! it’s coming soon.
happiest ppl a one shot taking place in my the end of everything (rexsoka, order 66) au. a fluffy “im pregnant” one shot
The Banquet a smutty helnik/grishaverse one shot
Empire of Our Own a maulsoka darkfic that is canon divergence from the phantom apprentice. basically a lot of killing and smut and power dynamics
How to Fall (Back) in Love During a Pandemic my barrissoka enemies to lovers quarantine/modern/coronavirus au. probably problematic and definitely unhealthy, but it’s going to eventually dissolve from hate smut into domestic fluff and protesting the government. so yeah.
tomyrtle something i need to write for the @/hprarepairnet / @/hpslytherdornet obscure character event. i’m running out of time oof. basically a tom riddle x myrtle warren one shot of some sort. probably will be dark.
until i met you a lunar chronicles/kaider soulmate au. very fluffy.
Jeté my darklina/grishaverse dance school au that i havent updated in a year lmao. i’m sorry to everyone who has begged me to update it. i will when i get the motivation
some of the general ideas i have with things scribbled down in no direction include: tlc star wars au (a crossover that i am very excited to write) // tomarry fic outline // snily? narily? snarissa? sevnarily? // and wolflet cheating? angst?
feel free to ask me about any of them :eyes: also can you tell that i love ahsoka??? hahahha
i tag: @saricess @octobertown @anakinswhore @spookymatthias @edmundrex @cindersnightmare @artino-nova but only if you want to! also if anyone else wants to share their wips!
(if you dont recognize me, this is my star wars blog. im maven! @/sanktaleksander!)
Hi Maven!! I’ve had wine, so this is gonna be a party. Welcome to my Ssssscrivener folder.
THE RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. You may send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you or interests you and I will either post a little snippet, or tell you something about it.
Tagged by @aniidala
A Salted Field: Reylo, Midwest Gothic x Folk Horror AU
“College AU”: Reylo, what it says. Background ships a-plenty. Shelved? Maybe? I think about it once in a while before I get reylo-bitter again and I decide not to work on it.
Serve: Maulsoka, sequel to Reign (has been partially Frankensteined for “Heartsong” and may not see the light of day.)
Heartsong: Maulsoka, Gothic Romance, canon-divergent AU. This is some dark shit, heavily front-loaded with story. Super slow burn enemies-to-lovers, and Maul is literally THE WORST. I love it. I will put money on this: two people, apart from me, MIGHT read this fic once I let it into the wild. It’s super niche. I’m worldbuilding and crap. *huffs* “New Dathomir.” Sex and death. Unf.
Iridonian Funerary Rites: Maulsoka, based on one of @fyeahmaulsoka‘s prompts, specifically the mortuary technician one. Didn’t quite hit the right note I was looking for so I shelved it, but it’s still sitting there, taunting me.
“Jenny Greenteeth” AU: Reylo, I think this was originally based on a prompt, but I sure as hell don’t remember what it was. Weird folk horror x fairytale thing set in the UK. I liked it until I didn’t? Like, I could potentially take the first couple thousand words and turn it into original fiction but I’m stuck on the conclusion so I haven’t.
“Oathbreaker” AU: Maulsoka, Sword & Sorcery AU. Will likely pursue this once I’m done Poison Garden/Heartsong. This is staunch enemies-to-lovers slow burn. My old stomping ground. But with magic and swords.
Other Worlds Than These: Reylo, I think this was multiple crossovers that started with HP but I didn’t get very far. I wanted to follow-up with Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, and pull from a couple of different other universes like ACOTAR, X-Men, the Mortal Instruments, and Ready Player One. Likely not gonna happen. Too much brain required to link things together and I don’t have it in me.
The Modern Prometheus: Reylo, Frankenstein AU but it’s a Frankenstein AU set during the summer without a summer where Frankenstein was conceived by Mary Shelly at the Villa Diodati in Geneva because I’m such a slut for Lord Byron that I can’t help myself from attempting a horror history AU. I might come back to this. It’s so snobby that it’s kind of funny.
The Poison Garden: Maulsoka, Corporate AU *snicker* “Corporate AU” I’m really going to need to update the tags on this soon, but I like keeping my cards close to my chest.
The Ante: Rogue/Gambit, totally almost forgot about this. Yes, I am way behind on the revision. Yes, there is new material in the draft. Are you sure you want a tease if you can’t get it right now? Be aware. It’s going to be a while.
Tagging: @sachidiva @saricess @fyeahmaulsoka @reynesofcastamere @phelfromgrace @kathat @nominolinasinns @carmarthenfan and whoever else wants to jump in. @botherbother-blog I’m looking at you. Did you do the thing? You should do the thing.
This seems pretty interesting. All right, let’s give it a shot. Fair warning, all my WIPS are Maulsoka right now. *has a one-track mind* I’ll be sure to mention the secondary/background pairings, though.
THE RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. You may send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you or interests you and I will either post a little snippet, or tell you something about it.
Tagged by: @octobertown, who is amazing. ^_^
Alternate timeline AU: Ahsoka grabs a younger Maul from the World Between Worlds and has to deal with the fallout. Not sure what direction I’m going to take this in yet, but a fair amount of hurt/comfort will probably be involved. (Timeline-wise Maul is taken shortly after the Age of Republic comic, so references to Eldra Kaitiss are likely to pop up.) Possible background Kallus/Zeb and Ezra/Sabine, though the latter might be more platonic.
Surface Breach part 3: Mostly smut, but also taking the opportunity to explore certain (sometimes darker) facets of the characters and play around with themes and tropes that I really enjoy. 8D
Mando!AU(Wrong Jedi): Without spoiling too much, Captain Maul Wren of the Clawbirds and ex-Padawan Ahsoka Tano having a discussion after the events of ‘The Wrong Jedi’. Later installment in this series, the relationship is still platonic.
Mando!AU(And then there’s THIS asshole): An installment that’s basically an excuse for the Zabrak brothers and the Main Trio to ruin Pre Viszla’s day and indulge the grand old Star Wars tradition of undercover/disguise missions. Featuring gender-nonconforming Feral, Maul, and Savage inspired by Rae Geiger’s concept sketches for alternate Hordak outfits. Among other things. Background Rex/Feral and Savage being in a poly marriage.
Next installment of main series: Ahsoka confronts some recent trauma as well as her feelings regarding Maul and the ‘break-up’. Also some worldbuilding concerning the Nightbrothers, Mandalore, and the state of the galaxy at large.
Fallen Order/Rebels AU: In the past, Maul has to request Ahsoka’s help regarding Taron Malicos. In the future, the events of ‘Twilight of the Apprentice’ play out a bit differently. Exploration of Dathomiri culture, possible background Kal/Merrin.
Field Testing part 1: Second installment of the Mando!AU. Ahsoka starts learning the ropes...Along with a story or two concerning the Clawbirds and how Obi-Wan and Maul first met. Background Feral/Rex.
X_X Holy crap but I really need to finish and/or publish some of these.
Tagging: Whoever wants to, really. I’m not fussy.
Spent half the night staring at the ceiling rolling around forgiveness VS. redemptive character arcs, and how you might pardon/redeem the Kylo Rens and Mauls and Vaders of the world after everything they’ve done without playing the death card.
Reblogging because otherwise I’d probably end up writing waaaay too many notes. This sort of topic is...hard. And if these weren’t fictional characters, it’d be difficult to rationalize any sort of redemption or forgiveness for them at all. Come to think of it, Kallus from Rebels might be one of the few(if not the only) character on the side of evil who got a redemption arc sans death, and even a happy ending. And while I do have some nitpicks with how that was executed(particularly given certain themes involved), he was shown time and again putting his life on the line to not only doing good, but seriously committing to penance for his past crimes. (I’d like to think that continued in some capacity after the series ended and not just resting on his laurels, but I digress.)
And that’s the thing: Dying via sacrifice is noble in certain circumstances, but it’s also final. The character in question doesn’t have to deal with repercussions for their previous actions, nor go through the time and effort involved in actively becoming a better person. That doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be nice, per se, just devoted to doing the right thing. Given Vader, Maul, and Kylo Ren’s individual rap sheets, while they were all manipulated to some degree or another...That defense only holds so much weight against the severity of their misdeeds. Even trying to make up for any of those would be a lifelong endeavour, and while some people might forgive them eventually, the majority would not. (Not to mention the almost-certain assassination attempts.)
So the question then becomes: Could they face that reality? Or is it more likely that they’d slip back into what they were before, even with a stable support system in place? Of course, there’s also the possibility of having said characters sent off somewhere far away, either to deal with an outside threat or for other purposes. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’, as it were. Forgiveness might be easier to achieve in that circumstance, especially if they were to come back having clearly gone through hell to protect the greater good. Anyway, I’ve rambled on long enough, but hopefully some of this is helpful. Cheers, you’re awesome!
Rules: If you are tagged in this post you have to post the last seven sentences of the last WIP you’ve worked on and tag seven more people to keep the challenge going!
tagged by: @tigrassao3 and @fyeahmaulsoka (Thanks very much!)
This is from a Fallen Order/Rebels timeline mashup fic that I’ve been working on for a bit, but needs a lot more work and research before I’ll be ready to finish/post it. My drafts are kind of...odd? I either write full paragraphs or just bare-bones dialogue(labeled for convenience) that I either add more to later on or leave as-is.
“Why is a Sith so interested in helping us?” (Kanan)
“Former.” (Maul) “Your Padawan is very fond of you, and my {soul} cares a great deal for the last traces of your pathetic, decimated Order.”
“Those can’t be your only angles.” (Kanan) “No Darksider could ever be that selfless.”
“Ah yes. Only a Jedi knows what true loss and sacrifice are, because they are never motivated by greed, vengeance, or fear. Such emotions are far too petty.”(Maul)
tagging: Again, whoever might be interested, as I’m not sure who in the fandom hasn’t been tagged or has done this already. -_-()
Rules: Tag 9 people you want to get to know better/catch up with and answer these questions.
I was tagged by @olive-mockingbird
Tagging: Er...I guess whoever might be interested?
3 Ships: Darth Maul/Ahsoka Tano[Star Wars](Obviously, considering the number of fics I’ve written/have in progress XD.) Dr. Julian Bashir/Elim Garak[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine](It took me a while to get into Trek, but DS9 is my favourite so far. The dynamic between Julian and Garak is fantastic and I absolutely love the fan-written plays the actors have participated in.) Katara/Zuko [Avatar: The Last Airbender] (Might be one of my original OTPs. Even if I wasn’t weak for all the symbolism attached to them, their canon development and interactions were just...*chef’s kiss*, even when Zuko was still an antagonist.)
Last Song: Phantom(Alastor’s Song) by natewantstobattle. (I’ve listened to this song at least once every day since I first heard it.)
Last Movie: Hm. Can’t remember the last new movie I watched, but I recently re-watched Deadpool 2. And have been meaning to re-watch Black Panther, given recent events and the fact that it’s one of my faves.
Currently Craving: Hawaiian pizza, katsudon, and/or Tequila Rose.
Currently Reading: Re-reading A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. [Waiting impatiently for The Winds of Winter to be finished.] Recently read Miranda and Caliban by Jacqueline Carey and re-read Maul:Lockdown by Joe Schreiber.
No worries, mistakes happen. 8) And to answer your question, yes I will be doing a part 3 of ‘Surface Breach’. Fading to black after that incredibly lewd exchange seems a bit rude, heheheh. The first part of ‘Jagged Crowns’ may also get a sequel at some point, though I make no concrete promises for when that will happen. Thank you for your compliments and hope you have a good day!
(A/N: Good grief but it has been a while since my last contribution to the ship. Sad to say I’ve been caught up with several irl things, including moving and settling in to the new place. Rest assured, I do have several drafts in the works for other projects and I am hoping to set up a regular writing/submission schedule. Now that that’s out of the way...Warnings for: possessive behaviour, emotional manipulation, (negotiated) bondage, blindfolding, edging, cockwarming, blood, masochism and mentions of polyamory, coitus interruptus, and non-consensual play. Unbeta’d and NSFW.)
Ahsoka knows the second she sets foot on her ship that time is up. She could still flee, drag this game out a bit longer and drive up the level of his frustration...But what would be the point, really? It’s been months since they parted ways, and while she hasn’t avoided his calls, she’s also made a point of not meeting with him in person. A reprimand for his behaviour, and a reminder of the challenge she’d issued.
She recalls the first, trembling breath of relief she’d taken after the medical scans were complete. He has no further hold over her than this. Nothing burrowed and secreted away beneath her skin to...Do any number of things, really. Most of which she’d rather not consider right now.
Maul is of course perfectly at ease in the pilot’s seat, already turned to face her. “Lady Tano. I trust that your last assignment was successful.” He’s being neutral, bordering on pleasant, even. But the tension is there, kept in check by the slimmest thread of restraint.
“And I trust that you’re not here for small talk.” Ahsoka makes certain to keep a few feet of distance between them, arms crossed. The corner of his mouth twitches, the speed of it leaving her unsure of whether he meant to smirk or grimace.
“You have business on Nar Shadaa, and I have certain...interests that need tending there.”
“So you decided to catch a ride. Without asking.”
“You would have refused even if I had offered compensation. This is the most expedient method of travel.” Maul’s eyes narrow, attempting to pierce through and determine her intent. “Unless you plan to run in order to spite me.”
“I’m not running anywhere.” Ahsoka retorts. “But I’m also not going to spend three whole days in hyperspace...entertaining you.”
“Naturally. However, when we are not occupied with tasks and other essentials, you will make good on your promise, my Lady. Now please, sit.”
She takes up residence in the navigator’s seat, given that he’s obviously not willing to move. “I told you to stop calling me that.”
“What does it matter, if you are not truly mine? Just a monster’s delusion. Unless...”
“Don’t. Start. You can use either of my names. Just not...that.”
“As you wish.”
Nothing else is said for some time. Even after the ship takes off, the course is set in, and space has blurred into blue lines, there are other responsibilities that need to be taken care of. Ahsoka has to stop herself from dragging out the time. She’s not looking forward to this. The discussion she needs to have with him, not what might happen afterward.
“Look, if this is going to continue, there need to be some ground rules.”
“Explain.”
“First off: Unless I’m badly injured or in immediate danger, you’re not allowed to just...carry me back to your lair, no matter what your reasons are.” He’s more than capable of coming up with a multitude of excuses to do so. Which is why she’s cutting him off at the knees, figuratively speaking. “Second: This arrangement doesn’t interfere with work. Ever. Third: I decide when anything starts. You’re not allowed to grab or molest me in any way before that.”
Maul appears mildly amused, but the small tics that betray his impatience are growing. “This seems rather excessive for a casual arrangement.”
Ahsoka pins him in place with a look and a hint of a Force hold. “I’m not finished. Fourth: Any marks left behind have to be concealable.” She’d walk away from this ‘business trip’ with more visible punctures in her than being dropped into a giant cacti forest on Yavin 13 otherwise. “Fifth: No matter how far along we are, if I say ‘kyber’, we stop what we’re doing. No questions, no persuasion, nothing. If you don’t have a safeword, then pick one and tell me.”
“Is ‘stop’ somehow inadequate?” The question is soft as she releases her unseen grasp on him. Even seated, something in him reminds her of a hunter in the moment before a kill; tense with anticipation and bloodthirst.
“No.” She wets her lower lip. There’s no going back from this confession, hard as it had been for her to admit it to herself. Much less him. “When I use ‘stop’, it usually means ‘go harder’.”
Maul’s grip is practically throttling the armrest at this point. He is trying, from the shudder in his breath, to follow the rules she’s set out so far. That’s a good sign. His eyes, though? There’s a flicker in them that she used to see from the people she’d helped or rescued during the war. The ones who fully believed that the Jedi were capable of miracles and could do no wrong. A kind of...awe. Achingly soft, and in his case, almost buried beneath avarice and raw desire. She fights the urge to squirm, and it’s not entirely from discomfort.
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
“Good, ‘scimitar’ should suffice. I have some conditions of my own.” Every word is a caress, heavy and deliberate. “You are, of course, free to object.” He produces the blindfold she’d given him from within his shirt. She remembers exactly how he’d taken her apart; bound by choice and utterly enthralled. “So long as you wear this, you will obey.” Maul purrs, heat suffusing her body as he winds and pulls the fabric taut between his fingers.
“I’m not going to call you ‘Master’.” Ahsoka is certain he’d like almost nothing more. She gets far too much pleasure out of denying him, however. So he’ll have to earn it first.
“Yet.” Maul responds, overconfident ass that he is. “I have no desire for you to dull your tongue. But you will submit to my commands.” He leans in, nearly closing the gap between them, but not quite. “Such as if I tell you to get down on your knees and show me how you pleasure yourself.” He’s only saying it to provide an example, yet her thighs rub together all the same at the thought. Sightless, her cunt exposed and dripping while he watches, giving obscene praise and instructions on how to bring herself to orgasm.
“Should you want to take control, all you need do is remove it. Or ask that it be taken off.” Of course he’s not done yet. Has to finish having his say first, and bring her arousal to a fever-pitch with the only options currently allowed. “Any amount of marks you receive from other paramours, I will match in number, and I will take first priority.” There is a jealous glint, a madness in his eyes that should terrify her. “Regardless of your position and how close your mutual release is.”
Ahsoka sucks in a sharp breath. “You really expect me to just...make someone leave while they’re-”
“Yes.” Maul snarls, hushed and vicious in a way that brooks no refusal. Much as she might like to, if she does not compromise, give some inch of ground...He will lash out. Ultimately, he’s not asking for much. So far. “And should you draw a weapon on me again-” His left hand circles her jaw without actually making contact, though the intent is clear. “-be prepared to use it.” Her gaze falls to his throat, his markings almost concealing the burn scar she’d given him. But not quite. That he’d chosen to keep it at all is- “Do we have an agreement, Ahsoka Tano?”
A small eternity seems to pass between her indrawn breath and the resulting answer. “Yes.” Ahsoka looks at him again without fear. Straight into the eyes of the monster, the murderer, the tyrant she has and will be taking into her bed for the forseeable future. “Go ahead.” The first kiss is nothing short of a conquest, taken with broken vocalizations and sharp bites.
She lets him pull her in, straddling his lap in the pilot’s seat while they break for air, and offering no resistance when he ties the blindfold securely in place. “Undress. Completely.” Softer now, his lips ghosting along her jawline. It takes a bit of effort, but before long she is bared to him, nipples pebbled from arousal, the air, and the cold presence of the Dark Side. The body beneath her, the bare hands that trace and mould her form are nearly white-hot by comparison. “Perfect...Turn around, and place your hands behind my neck.” Ahsoka obeys, shuddering in pleasure as he purrs. The cuffs he attaches to her wrists are made of some kind of leather, and she instinctively tests the give of the metal chain between them. Sturdy, but nothing she can’t break out of.
The position leaves her undeniably exposed and at his mercy. She expects none, yet he grants it anyway. With each stroke, squeeze, and tug of his fingers down her body, he steadily tunes her nerves to exquisite sensitivity. He never quite touches her core, preferring to caress and grip her inner thighs and the curve of her breasts even as she pants and shifts restlessly. She can feel him against her, hard and unyielding, the cloth barrier separating them gradually being saturated with her essence. And still he makes no effort to hurry things along.
“I thought you wanted to -haaaaahhhh- punish me for making you wait this long.”
“You made a game of testing my patience. It is only fitting that I return the favour. I will keep you here, on the precipice between agony and bliss...Until, in your desperation, you beg me to ‘stop’.” Maul pinches her throbbing bud and she whines an incoherent stream of vowels. “Although...Hm. Your impulsive side is endearing.”
“What are you rambling on ab-AnnnnnH!” He bites down on her shoulder while slightly twisting the bundle of nerves held captive between his digits. She’s bleeding and the pain between her legs is pure torture, but she still wants-
‘I will grant your release early. If you ask to be fucked.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Three simple words are all that stand in your way.”
“Why not just order me to say it?”
“Why should I, when you so clearly want to? Despite your self-denial.”
There’s no longer anything gentle about his touch, how his nails dig in and rake across her inner thighs while her shoulders and upper back gain a rapidly-growing collection of teeth-marks. His shaft is still there, still covered and rigid, rubbing against her hot and sodden core. Ahsoka is on the verge of sobbing. Or breaking her restraints to just seize what he’s dangling in front of her. But if all it takes is a couple of words...”Please, fuck me.” She whispers, rough from repressing her whimpers.
“Again.” His lips on her throat, feeling the command rumbling against her vocal cords.
She grits her teeth and snarls. “Fuck. Me. Please. You smug, overbearing bastard.” Maul’s fingers curve over and tug her recently-abused pearl, and she is lost, sent tumbling and screaming into the abyss.
Her body is still quivering in the aftermath when he presses in. A slow invasion, one that encounters no resistance until he is fully secured within her walls. At first, she thinks he just wants her to ride him. Yet before she can start...
“I will give you a choice.” Maul’s voice is low enough to feel in her bones. “If you can keep relatively still for fifteen minutes, you will be taken against the control panel. And if you are very good, Ahsoka-” Her name on his lips is electric and scandalous, her body arching as if pulled by unseen strings. “-I will get down on my knees and devour you first.” She should never have given him permission to use it in the first place. His other...’endearments’ are easy to brush off. Somehow, hearing those three syllables in this moment is more intimate than having him inside her, feeling the incremental shifts between their bodies with each breath.
Ahsoka raises herself up, almost to the point of letting his shaft slip out, then drops back down. She can feel him hiss, how his hips jolt up on instinct once before he stops himself. “Mmmm. Think your other option is bad enough to stop me from putting this to better use?” She’s teasing now, circling and rolling her hips in a way that takes him deep, but not all the way in again. Having Maul relatively immobile is a new experience. Even when he’s not being rough, he’s hardly still. It probably won’t last, but so long as his patience holds out...Using him like a sex toy is doing a lot to rev her up right now.
He seizes her head-tail and pulls, bending Ahsoka’s neck back at an uncomfortable angle, free hand grasping one of her thighs to force a stop to her movements. “Keep this up and I assure you, ja’ti mirtis{my death}, you will not enjoy sitting when I am done with you.” Maul rasps, his mouth so close to her left montral that she can feel his lips brushing against it with every word. Her core trembles, breath coming in short, sharp pants. “I wonder which would bring you more pleasure? Being bent over the edge of your cot to be mounted and used...Or disciplined until that option becomes a mercy?”
Something like insanity seizes her. It’s the only explanation for what she says next. “Both.” Ahsoka breathes. “I want-Take these off, please.” The light is harsh for the few seconds it takes her eyes to adjust, wrists slightly chafed from the cuffs as she carefully turns to face him. “I need both.” Her hands gently circle his face. “Can you do that? Get me ready with your mouth, and take me nice and slow right here?” He seems transfixed, almost unable to believe the words falling from her lips. “Think of how wet I’ll be, when you’ve finished your ‘discipline’ and I’m just aching to be ruined.”
Ahsoka can taste the hunger when he captures her mouth, how similar it is to her own. Her nails claw at his shoulderblades, seeking purchase, to bury herself in him, anything. “Yes, Ahsoka.” Maul whispers, between their lips meeting in repeated, feverish collisions. “You have only to ask.”
(A/N: Some of you may have noticed a slight change in the numbers up top. So yes, there will be one more chapter to this particular story. 8D Cheers, everyone!)
before this fight and before he went through Jesses mind he was like, “Fuck jedis I gotta run and i’ll kill anyone in my way”
to seeing Ahsoka and going “🥺 Plz be my apprentice, I like u a lot- my favorite non jedi. i’ll be nice!! here’s all the warnings and information you need to be safe, and i’ll even tell you about Sidious and Anakin and everything just take my hand!!! 🥺🥺🥺💔”
AND EVEN WHEN SHE ALMOST FAILS HES STILL LIKE “Hey you can still take my hand i still like u a lot and i wanna work with you plz 🥺 I spare u because ur my fav so far.”
What the HELL did he see in Jesses mind that he immediately liked her so much? I’ll be damned if i’ve ever seen Maul act this way with anyone
Agreeing with the notes that have been made so far, just wanted to add some thoughts.
So my take on this is that, through the Siege of Mandalore and Order 66, Maul has three key motivating factors: Desperation, manipulation, and connection. And all of these are at play both when he makes the initial offer as well as when he keeps trying to win Ahsoka over to his side.
Now we know that the Son of Dathomir comics are at least somewhat canon, given that Maul makes reference to Death Watch rescuing him from Sidious. So at this point Savage, Mother Talzin, and an unknown number of Nightbrothers are dead even before this all goes down. He’s been recently tortured and has had to confront both his enemies and himself. The cracks in his psyche are showing, and while he still has a power base, time is running out before Sidious enacts the final step in The Grand Plan. Killing Anakin Skywalker won’t even necessarily stop that from happening, but it will hurt his former Master in some way, and that’s what Maul cares about most.
Then that “plan” fails. Anakin and Obi-Wan don’t show up on Mandalore, and Almec is captured, ending his usefulness as a puppet dictator. Death Watch can’t possibly keep the entire planet under control. Maul’s options keep shrinking. So he probes Jesse’s mind for information. Ultimately, I think that-to some degree-it affected him more deeply than he realized. He’s not, by and large, a selfless person. There are very, very few times where it could be argued that he willingly put someone else’s safety and well-being above his own, and those people were taken away from him.(Sheev doesn’t count because of the emotional abuse and systematic brainwashing). The clones are almost the exact opposite. Trust and loyalty are literal matters of life and death for them from the get-go. Jesse is an individual with his own personality, sure, but the programming/training he went through is still there.
So Maul sees Commander Tano through the eyes of one of her ‘boys’. Someone like him, a discarded tool of an uncaring authority, yet also a saviour. Not flawless, but certainly not as cursed and wretched as his existence has been. His loneliness is soul-crushing, whether he consciously recognizes it or not. And in this dark hour, the universe presents him with a counterpart both deeply compassionate and tempered by steel. Whom he does not hate with blind, ceaseless fury like Kenobi, Skywalker, or the rest of the Jedi. It might almost seem like fate.
His sympathy is tangled up in his defense mechanisms however, one of which is a need to control others. Which is exactly what he attempts to do. Maul is more truthful and even vulnerable with her than he’s been with anyone besides Savage, but getting Ahsoka on his side is purely to his benefit. Either he succeeds with a new ally/potential apprentice and achieves his endgame, or he fails: Yet at least he will have someone who he can almost trust by his side while he re-gathers his strength and plots.
The lines “You made the right decision by coming to me.” and “Now if you will follow my lead.” are incredibly telling in that regard. He expects her to turn to him now that circumstances have forced her back against the wall: To abandon everyone and everything despite having point-blank refused to do so when he was inches away from killing her before. What he so admires in her that he wants to hoard to himself is also a wall between them. Maul’s first priority is his own survival. Ahsoka might not be able to save all the clones, but she is damned well going to rescue Rex.
Anyway, that’s just my take on the whole, glorious mess. Thank you all for your patience. Cheers!
My personal take only here: I think a lot of the interest in Feral lies mostly in the realm of ‘what if?’. Since Savage and Maul are both characters that people like and have interest in, writers and artists enjoy playing around with various scenarios for them, including Happily Ever After and Everyone Lives AUs. Feral tends to get included in those because he was one of the essential parts to Savage’s character pre-brainwashing and for the AestheticTM (smol cinnamon roll, medium murder boi, and tol bara). And at the opposite end of the spectrum you’ve got AUs where Feral falls to the Dark Side and exploring how that would affect him and/or anyone else. On his own, he’s nearly a blank slate.(-insert free real estate meme here-) It’s who he’s tied to and what that means which give him any significance. Anyway, I’ve rambled on long enough. Hope you don’t mind.
(A/N: Apologies for the longer-than-usual wait on this one. I went back and forth a LOT on which direction I wanted to take this in. and both the weather and irl things have not been cooperating with my muse. X_X. Anyway, the prompt for this was ‘Ahsoka completely breaking down and Maul comforting her’. Sequel to ‘Pressure Points’, so set about 2-3 years after ROTS with circumstances being closer to canon. Warnings for: Non-consensual abduction, emotional manipulation, possessive behaviour, intrusive thoughts, violent outbursts, violation of physical autonomy/boundaries, mentions of possible body modification/invasion of privacy, major character death and some internalized shame regarding sex and sexual practices. Once again, potentially triggering sections have been marked off with ‘****’. Unbeta’d.)
Ahsoka...drifts for an uncertain amount of time. She gets vague impressions of eating and performing other necessities as if through a thick haze. There’s a...person who helps her with these things. Someone with warm hands(which are very appreciated, wherever she is, it’s cold) and a low, pleasant voice that she could curl up and listen to for hours. Mostly she sleeps, deep and untroubled by nightmares or immediate concerns.
When she comes to, there’s an overwhelming grogginess and a slight chemical tang on her tongue that she only gets from prolonged bacta treatment. Not full tank immersion, but there are a fair amount of patches stuck to her skin under the loose robe she’s currently wearing. Peeling them off carefully, she finds that most of the bruising and other marks that covered her body-like a tribute to poor decisions- are either gone or greatly reduced. And she doesn’t feel...sore in any tender places. Kind of a welcome change. Which now brings up the question of Where the kriff am I and how long have I been here?
Ahsoka catalogues her surroundings: Simple bed, storage unit, two doors presumably leading to a refresher and an outside corridor. It’s very...bare. Easily left behind or packed up. Whoever is staying here doesn’t plan to do so for long. She finds her lightsabres, clothes, and armour in the top drawer, and her boots placed neatly at the foot of the bed. Only when she is nearly finished getting dressed does she take out a long, even strip of black fabric. For a moment, she thinks that there must have been an error of some kind, until the memories of her most recent slip-up rush in like floodwater through a broken dam.
There’s a hot, tight feeling in her gut that balances precariously between desire and shame. Maul has an obsessive personality. She knows this. So why am I encouraging this disaster by-Ahsoka can’t even finish the thought. It makes her sick. And so very angry. She’d made the mistake of seeking him out for something other than business, and he had flat-out abducted her. Any number of people or her objectives could be in danger right now. Her fingers fumble slightly on her wrist-comm as she checks it for tampering. Still functional. She’ll have to disassemble her equipment later, to ensure there aren’t any tracking chips or other unwelcome additions.
He might have embedded something in me while I was under. It rattles her, not remembering, not knowing what Maul could have done, given the opportunity. And he’s close. Even with apprehension curdling in her veins, she can tell that much. Slipping the blindfold into a pocket, she pulls her boots on and pauses for a moment in front of the door. So. Time to find out whether she’s a prisoner or a...’guest’. It opens seamlessly, and she almost gives a sigh of relief. Until she realizes that it leads directly into his office.
Ahsoka steps through into a moderate, dimly-lit space. The glow from the screen of the datapad he’s perusing throws Maul’s left side into sharp relief. “Sit.” No need to guess whom he’s addressing, or that he expects to be obeyed. And as there are no other chairs in the room -besides the one he’s currently occupying-, her options are limited. She folds her arms and prepares to stand her ground, only to find herself pulled forward. There is a struggle, though the distance is so short that by the time she breaks out of his Force grip, she’s already right in front of him. Ever the image of arrogance, he sets the ‘pad down, only now raking his gaze over her body. If it’s just to assess the state of her injuries, she might not mind. As much. Except this is Maul, so his motives are guaranteed to be awful at best and downright terrifying at worst.
She takes the opportunity to loom over him, gripping the back of his chair with one hand. “You have one chance. Tell me why in the name of a Hutt’s karking diseased brood pouch you thought any of this was a good idea.” The odds are heavily in favour of him lying, or any facts being filtered through his...particular mindset. There is still a possibility that she can glean some scraps of truth from whatever pile of waste product he presents her with, though.
“You were incapacitated, and your stability is, shall we say...currently less than sound.” He answers, lazily resting the curve of his jaw against one set of knuckles as he sprawls. “I acted as I saw fit.” Even when appearing relaxed, Maul is still a coiled serpent. She can never forget that. “Although I am curious...What you might have done had you woken up alone.”
“Gone back to work with a few new bruises.” Ahsoka retorts flatly. Which is true, minus some details. It might have at least given her more motivation to stay away from him; knowing with certainty that she is viewed as a plaything for him to use roughly and toss aside on a whim. If only.
“A poor deflection. Nevertheless...” Maul hooks two fingertips under her chin, pulling her oh-so-gradually towards him as he leans in close. The resulting kiss is unexpectedly gentle. She didn’t think he wanted... But he’s-this is-good. Not hurried or violent. She finds herself angling her head to get a bit more contact, tongue peeking out to tentatively flick at his lower lip. He purrs, and she feels...oddly pleased as the physical connection deepens. Their tongues entwine and slide in a tantalizing dance to the point where she hums. Ahsoka is dizzy from either a lack of oxygen or budding arousal when they pull apart, chest heaving slightly as she takes in some much-needed gulps of air. Still, there has to be a catch.
“Explain why I should allow you to leave, Ahsoka Tano.” Sometimes, she really dislikes being right.
“That’s not something you get to decide.” Ahsoka practically spits in retaliation.
“You ran.” Maul hisses. Like she’d had any other choice. It doesn’t matter if he’s gentle, fucking is just one more way for them to hurt one another. “And avoided direct contact for months only to slink back beaten and exhausted to the point of collapse. I have spent the last four days looking after a husk.” Ahsoka nearly hates the look in his eyes right now. Because he is so very good at pretending to truly care that she almost believes it.“Is martyrdom so much more appealing?” The Dark Side seems to slither over her as he purrs, deceptively pleasant even while it attempts to invade.
****
She sinks into his lap as he tugs her down, thighs parting instinctively under his touch. He fills the space between them with far too much ease. She refuses to urge him to get this over with, already. Bad enough that she wants anything from him in the first place, that trading pain, degradation and cruelty with a monster gets her off at all. Except that it does. Ahsoka had hoped at first that it was just the physical aspect; That finding someone who could bite and claw at her in the right way would satisfy this...twisted craving in her off-time. There had been satisfaction, and a few personal revelations, yet it wasn’t enough.
“Rex and I buried the men you killed. So many more innocents are dead, dying or suffering under the syndicate.” Any mention of Satine Kryze or Adi Gallia sticks in her throat. She cannot bear to see his pride over those victims while he’s touching her. “You’ll betray everyone and everything for power or revenge.” What good has it done, pushing herself to the absolute brink to fulfill her duties, all but throwing herself into the arms of strangers? She’s still here, on the receiving end of that searing and inescapable gaze. “And you still don’t get why I can’t stand to look at you when you’re-” Finishing the sentence is impossible, both because she cannot bring herself to say the words and suddenly she cannot stand him, his presence, his touch, any of it.
“I should have just killed you then.” Her shoto is ignited and at his throat in the span of a heartbeat. Maul doesn’t retreat or let go, fingertips pressing bruises into her hips even as he half-bares his teeth in a silent snarl. Taking his head off would be right. The Rebellion needs his resources, not him. Criminals are easily manipulated, and Ahsoka will be free of these urges-The lightsabre is actually burning his skin now. He’s pressing into it, practically inviting-His eyes are-Her mouth is dry. Maul has always been a reminder of who she might have been, and what she might become if she ever loses herself. Everything comes crashing down on her at once, and the next thing she is truly aware of is that her weapon is deactivated and re-holstered, eyes leaking copious amounts of tears.
****
He guides her hands to his chest, fingers automatically digging into the material of his vest once he lets go. Her face lowers to rest in the crook between neck and shoulder, breathing stuttered and wracked with quiet sobs while she trembles. Maul doesn’t embrace her. Merely...accommodates her current state of being. The pulse against her lips drops from frantic beats to a measured, steady rhythm. Ahsoka doesn’t want to be like him. Doesn’t want to go further down the path to becoming a desperate, selfish, manic person that would sit back and watch everything burn to ashes.
Her chest is full of broken transparisteel and every breath hurts. The tears are a deluge that take far too long to dry out, and when they do she wants nothing so much as to sleep again; curled around a warm body for comfort and safety. Obviously she can’t do that for a number of reasons, but it would still be nice to have the option.
“Does this-” A light brush along her flank. “-mean I am forgiven?”
“No.”
“Good. What I am, my actions...They do not affect who you are, Ahsoka Tano.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Is it not? When the Empire falls, you still intend to bring me to whatever ‘justice’-” Maul scoffs. “-Your reborn Republic sees fit to mete out. Our alliance has always been one of convenience. Physical intimacy does not change that.”
“What the Republic will do to you is the least of what you deserve.” Ahsoka states with firm conviction, raising her head to make eye contact once more. “And am I really supposed to believe you’re not going to try and twist this to your own benefit?”
“No.” He replies simply, though she can see that eerie, devouring light in his eyes beginning to emerge. “You already know what it is I want from you. And it means nothing if you come to me unwilling and utterly broken.”
“Hm. We’ll see how long that stance lasts.” Her response is justifiably skeptical. “I have work to do, so if you could point me in the direction of your hangar...”
“Of course.” Maul lists off directions as well as the model of ship she’ll be ‘borrowing’, her own presumably still hidden where she’d left it. “Close your eyes.”
“What are you doing?”
“Providing incentive. Return to my side when you are ready.” The pad of his thumb traces her lower lip sensually before he tries to close the remaining distance between their lips, only to have her lean away.
“If you want it that badly, you’ll have to catch me, next time.” She can practically feel the air crackle once the hushed provocation leaves her mouth. If she is to keep succumbing to these desires, it will be on her terms.
“It is not wise to tempt me when you are so close to freedom.” The rasp in his voice and the dilation of his pupils indicate that he is seconds away from pushing her down onto the desk and ravishing her senseless. The thrill of it is enough to make her grind down against him, once.
“Try it. We need to have a talk about boundaries anyway.” Ahsoka smiles, a challenge in her eyes as she loops and ties the blindfold around his left wrist before getting to her feet. “I’ll be in contact.” Maul actually lets her go when she walks away, this time. She feels...better. Not healed or whole, but better than she was. In any case, the work of toppling a tyrannical Empire waits for no one, and she has a lot to catch up on.
(A/N: Ahsoka’s still planning to see a med-droid ASAP, since they haven’t had that discussion yet and it’s been thoroughly established that Maul is Bad With Boundaries. I’m sure that most of you can guess what the second part will involve. [I’m predictable that way, lol.] In any case, I will be trying to get my WIPs out sooner and my inbox is still open to all interested parties. Cheers, everyone!)
Thanks for asking if I was okay. I'm good, just in a slight depressive episode. I'm not a danger to myself or anything, but I often look to fiction for comfort. I'm seeing my therapist on Monday, so it should help.
No problem whatsoever. I’m glad that you’re(relatively) fine. Best of luck with your therapy session on Monday and good on you for acknowledging and taking steps to maintain your mental health.
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