—“are you blushing?! that’s adorable.” for Aayla and Max!
Max would never admit it.
He would never admit how much he enjoyed having Aayla around. How much he looked forward to their philosophical conversations and heated debates (a very welcome change from the dullards he was used to conversing with in Edgewater). How much it pleased him to know he was the one she trusted to have her back while on these dangerous missions.
And he refused, absolutely refused to admit how often he thought about holding her in his arms.
They had managed to clear out the group of outlaws guarding the facility on Monarch. But just as Aayla was about to give the all clear, she spotted one that had been in hiding making a run for the back of the building.
"Now where do you suppose they're off to in such a hurry?" Aayla mused. She rose from her position and hurried to follow after them, but she was so focused on her quarry, she failed to notice the small, steaming pool of sulfur she was about to step into.
Acting quickly, he grabbed her with his free hand and, in an impressive show of strength, yanked her away and pulled her flush against him. Aayla let out a startled gasp, partly from the suddenness of his action, and partly from how surprisingly solid his chest was.
"May I suggest you worry about where you're going first, Captain?" he rebuked, his tone a mix of annoyance and relief.
"Well, that's what I have you for, isn't it?" Aayla replied, looking up at him with a smile.
He quickly turned his face from her, still intent on scolding her. "I won't always be here to protect you. And you'll need more than pretty words if you expect to survive any length of time in these Architect-forsaken wilds."
"Right, right, point taken." she relented. Never mind the fact that she had saved his tail from being sniped by a outlaw just earlier today, but it wasn't worth picking a fight over. Not when he was this close to her.
...wait, why was he still holding her?
"If you wanted a cuddle luv, all you had to do was ask."
He immediately let go of her.
"D-Don't be absurd!" he shouted louder than he meant to, glaring daggers at the cheeky woman in front of him. One could easily mistake the reddening in his face for anger. But she saw straight through that faux outrage, and decided to press her luck.
"Are you blushing, Vicar?" she giggled. "That is adorable!"
"I am NOT blushing." Max stated through gritted teeth, his darkening face betraying his words. "And I am not continuing this juvenile banter with you." he added as he marched past his giggling mess of a Captain to scout ahead.
It might have been a touch mean of her, but for all the times he got under her skin, a little payback was warranted.
Besides, Aayla enjoyed catching him off guard. Those rare times she could break past the stuffy Vicar façade and see a different side of Maximillian, one that she was quite anxious to get to know better.
But she would never admit it.
Good to know in the midst of my Luis Serra brain-rot I can still write for these two. Thanks so much for the prompt, @lamiahypnosia !