Warnings: Alpha being a tough trainer, insubordination, themes of being watched, discussions of genetically-controlled populations, references to scientific experimentation on children, references to cheating (as in a competition, not romantically/sexually)
The ARC-in-training groaned, dropping to the ground and starting on his punishment.
You leaned down toward your datapad, taking notes so that none of them would notice the look that was surely on your face. Web had given the wrong answer on how long it took a heavily-modified blaster power pack to explode if it had two meters of detonation tape wrapped around it. As far as you could tell from the answer another ARC-in-training gave, Web had been incorrect by roughly three-eights of a second.
"Drexl, what is the best formation to attack a tinnie base with and a four-man commando squad?" When Drexl didn't answer immediately, Alpha also provided, "Assume no organics on the base and a semi-arid environment with clear conditions and minimal ground cover."
Drexl considered that for a moment before giving a nod almost as if to reassure himself. "I would advise sending one of the commandos ahead to scout-"
As Drexl started on his pushups, Alpha looked at the three trainees still standing upright. "When would it be appropriate to send one commando to complete a task?"
"Never?" Crisis ventured.
"Five laps," Alpha instructed. "If you don't know an answer, admit you don't know. Trying to guess is a waste of everyone's time. Commandos work best as a unit, but their survival instincts are strong. Remember, most of them were trained by a bunch of old Mandos. The only time you should send a single commando is if the rest of his squad is dead or captured. Otherwise, split them into two-man teams."
When he finished speaking, Alpha stared expectantly at the ARCs-in-training. They didn't speak. Alpha sighed and made an impatient gesture. "Full-kit sparring for the next hour, then drills until it's time to go. Parjii, you were the least disappointing today. You'll lead the drills."
Parjii nodded and the ARCs-in-training paired off to spar. You followed Alpha out of the immediate training area, where he was making notes on his training datapad.
You waited until he had finished typing before you moved a little closer. "Alpha, is… everything okay?"
He nodded without looking away from the screen. "Yeah, everything is fine."
"Are your cybernetics hurting you?"
Alpha lowered the datapad to peer at you. "No, my cybernetics are fine. Why are you asking about this, neverd'ika?"
You shrugged. "You were, uh… pretty harsh with the trainees back there. I was just thinking there might be another reason for it."
His expression went carefully blank. As far as sabaac faces went, Alpha's was one of the best. Even having known him as long as you had, you weren't sure you would have noticed the change if you hadn't watched it happen.
"I'm working with this group the same way I've worked with all of the others."
His tone made it clear that he wasn't open to more conversation, so you let it go without calling out the obvious lie. With everything he had been through, he deserved some peace to come to terms with things.
Alpha's stint in the medical facilities of Coruscant had stolen a lot of training time. He had missed the second half of his time with the ARCs-in-training he had been working with before he left, then an entire training group while he was having and recovering from cybernetics surgeries. Even this group wouldn't have a full six weeks with Alpha - you had gotten back on-planet halfway through their second week.
Baqin-Khaa, the bounty hunter assigned to take over for Alpha during his absence, had been thrilled to relinquish the responsibility as soon as Alpha was back on Kamino. Come to think of it, you weren't sure how the Codru-Ji bounty hunter had managed to communicate with the troopers he was training. He must have some kind of translation software that could relay his hypersonic communications into something that could be heard by humanoids…
Your comlink rang, pulling you from the mental trail you had been wandering down. You glanced at Alpha questioningly and he signaled for you to accept the call, turning his attention back to the sparring troopers.
"Hello?"
"Are you somewhere private?"
You frowned at the comlink, eyes flying to check the incoming transmission code. It was one of the Nulls, you recognized that much, but you didn't know which one.
"Should I be?" you ventured.
"Probably, privacy pucks or not. The kaminii are always watching."
There hadn't been a scoff, an insult to your intelligence, or a backhanded flirtation attempt, so you could rule out A'den, Ordo, and Mereel. Your caller knew about the privacy pucks, so it wasn't Kom'rk or Prudii. This had to be Jaing, then.
"Give me a moment and I'll get somewhere more private," you offered, starting back toward the ARC training area. The exit closest to the office you shared with Colt was across the large room. Plus, leaving in this direction meant that you could say goodbye to Alpha.
You offered a little wave to him as you passed, gesturing subtly to your comlink and turning your fingers into a zero at your side. Alpha nodded once in silent understanding. He had been paranoid enough about his continued position on Kamino that your return flight from Coruscant had been spent planning for a variety of possible situations.
One of the ARC trainees gave a sharp shout and you all turned to look at him. Stett was standing over Drexl, clearly having just knocked the other trooper to the ground.
"Very good, Stett," Alpha congratulated, voice dripping with sarcasm. "You got a point. No need to get the attention of the entire training room. This isn't a stealth mission, but you should save your air for when Drexl gets back up."
"You're just mad because you can't fight anymore."
You stopped short at that, staring wide-eyed at Alpha, whose expression had turned to durasteel. "One more time, trooper?"
Stett hesitated for a long moment, then seemed to regain his cockiness. "I think you were injured too badly to train us, Captain. I need to know I'll be an ARC who can fight his way out of a situation, not get beaten by the enemy and patched up by a sympathetic senator."
You physically took a step forward. Since Stett was barely shorter than Alpha and broad enough to need custom armor, you weren't sure what you were going to do. All you knew was that you were going to make him pay for saying that.
Alpha's voice came low and dangerous. "New plan, men. First, Stett and I are going to spar. Then we'll do a series of to-failure exercises. I'll participate alongside you. If anyone has doubts about my qualifications after that, we'll have a conversation."
"Alpha," you murmured, too softly to be heard by the room at large.
He heard you anyway, turning to send a tight smile your way. "You can keep your appointment, Liaison. This won't take long."
You straightened, playing the role of both the prior Republic administrator and Sentient Rights liaison in hopes that it would disguise your outright fury as a concerned partner.
In your most official-sounding voice, you glanced from him to the ARCs-in-training. Your narrowed eyes ended up firmly focused on Stett. "I'm sure, Captain, but I must express my disappointment in your trainees. Questioning your qualifications means they're doubting the GAR for appointing you as the only ARC trainer for the entire army. And expressing those doubts as a frankly insubordinate challenge to their training officer forces me to wonder if these men are legitimate candidates to become ARC troopers."
The others frowned or protested under their breath, but Stett only grinned wider. "Well, as far as I understand, ma'am… you don't work for the GAR anymore. You don't work for the Republic at all. Your opinion doesn't mean much."
Alpha's expression darkened as he turned back to face Stett. You stepped around Alpha so you could see the smug trooper. With a sweet smile, you said, "True, but I made many friends during my years of service in the Republic's government and in the GAR. I hope you have friends in equally high places, Stett. Something tells me you'll need them."
Stett opened his mouth, but Alpha interrupted before he could even start to speak. "Enough. We have a schedule to keep."
You gave them both a hard look, but eventually nodded. As you turned away, you said, "I'll leave you to it, Captain."
And then you walked away, certain that - if you stayed - you would start a fight with Stett yourself. But Alpha would be able to handle him. He had put so many cocky trainees in their place, there really was no need for concern. Even so, you weren't able to push the worry away entirely.
Alpha's cybernetic implants had finished healing about halfway through your trip back Kamino. You hadn't believed Alpha when he claimed that he was fully healed, but he met every marker Ransom had told you to watch for.
Since then, Alpha had been going without his cane for ever-increasing distances. He hadn't used the crutches since you both boarded the transport (Alpha complaining all the while about a droid carrying your luggage). Other than occasional twinges when a major lightning storm was about to hit the planet, he hadn't experienced any problems.
You still didn't love it that he was physically challenging ARCs-in-training. Stett didn't seem like the type to pull punches if beating Alpha meant he could save face. Admittedly, you didn't know the ARC trainee very well, but you didn't like him. Not when he had gone out of his way to be cruel.
Abruptly, you remembered the call you were on. "Jaing, are you still there?"
"Yes," he confirmed. "What was all of that about?"
You blew out a sigh. "I'm not sure. This group of ARC trainees is giving him more trouble than the others. I don't know if it's the injury and the cybernetics, but it's never been this bad before."
"Alpha sounds like he's being more of a shabuir than usual," Jaing reasoned.
"Yeah, he's being extra tough on this group." You nodded politely to a group of cadets you passed in the hall before replying, "I'm not sure if the cybernetics are bothering him or if it's something else, but he can't back down now."
"No, he needs to teach Stett to watch himself." Jaing was quiet for a moment. "Do you really think Alpha would have challenged Stett to a competition if the cybernetics were bothering him?"
"Alpha's a stubborn man."
Jaing snorted. "Understatement, verging on a lie."
"You asked the question, I just answered it," you defended. "Speaking of questions, why did you comm me?"
"Have you gotten somewhere private?"
"Almost, hang on." You punched in the code to you and Colt's shared office, relieved that he wasn't inside. He hadn't lied to you all those weeks ago - he really wasn't in the office often. This just happened to be an incredibly convenient time for him to be gone. "Okay, now I'm somewhere no one will overhear us."
"I've been working through Ko Sai's notes and I've hit a snag."
"A snag?" you repeated. "I thought you already figured out her code. That's how we got the instructions to find the notes, isn't it?"
"No, she used a different code for the notes." Jaing blew out a heavy sigh. "And another one for the raw data set in the notes, apparently. I deciphered some of the main notes, but most of the information about the Fett gene is in another style of code. Ko Sai's a paranoid chakaar."
You mused over that for a moment. "Do you think it's a code inside of a code?"
"I hope not. That would be much harder to crack. It may just be another style of code, one more suited to hiding large sets of raw data. At least, that's what I'm hoping it is." Then it was Jaing's turn to be quiet for a moment. "Was there anything suspicious in Ko Sai's private lab? Anything that stood out as strange?"
Unbidden, memories of the clone troopers of various ages floating in green-lit bacta tanks appeared in your mind. Suppressing a shudder, you said, "There was a lot of strangeness in Ko Sai's lab. Would there be something specific?"
"Something written," Jaing determined, relaxing your frayed nerves. Other than the ages of the experimental clone troopers, there hadn't been anything written out in Basic or Kaminoan in Ko Sai's lab.
"No, nothing that I remember." You went over as many details as you could in your mind's eye, but too much had happened since you stood in that lab. "Want me to go back and get Alpha? He can remember details better than I can."
"No, if he's going to be a shab, I'd rather not ask him for any favors."
You chuckled briefly, but grew serious a moment later. "Alpha hasn't been doing too well after Fives's death. I'm not sure if it's grief or guilt."
"Sorry I missed the aay'han." The apology was more sincere than you would have expected from any other of the Nulls, but Jaing was a little better socialized than his brothers. "I might actually look into Fives and everything that happened before he got to Coruscant. Everything I know about it seems strange. Maybe it'll give me an idea of where to start with deciphering these notes."
"I doubt that incident has anything to do with Ko Sai."
"Worth checking out anyway. I've found leads in stranger places," Jaing reasoned. "I'll let you know what I find out."
"Thank you," you replied reflexively. "Good luck."
"While I've got a good connection, you and Alpha need to be careful." Jaing's voice dropped a little lower - still audible, but barely. It was as if he was worried he would be overheard. "I'm seeing signs of big things moving in the background all through the Republic. There are major forces at play here, and the longer the war goes on, the more it looks like it's someone high up in the Republic power structure."
"A senator?" you asked. "Maybe one that benefits from the war. Kamino definitely does, but there are a dozen planets who have made new and lucrative supply deals with the GAR since the war started."
"Yeah," Jaing agreed absently.
You frowned at the desk in front of you. He sounded like the was doing something, only listening to you absently. If Jaing didn't really want to talk, you could go back to the ARC training area and keep an eye on things.
"You sound busy," you said, trying to keep the hope from being audible in your voice. "Do you need to go?"
"No." As you deflated, Jaing let out a soft snort. "Any reason the kaminii think you're yaihadla?"
You didn't recognize the word, per se, but you knew enough that your face burned with heat. Belly-full. Pregnant. Besides, the tone of Jaing's voice made it clear what he was reading. Somewhere, Tohu must made a note of his suspicions. The Nulls crawled through everyone's personal encrypted data the way you scrolled through a HoloNet article, so you couldn't be surprised that Jaing had found it.
"Baseless speculation, I would guess."
Jaing positively chortled. "You can't tell me you and Seventeen aren't getting the practice in."
You didn't think it was funny in the slightest. Even if you had, the memory of the cold terror you and Nora had shared on the turbolift down from Tohu's office would have made it far more serious. "We both know that evidence of a relationship with a civilian would be a death sentence for Alpha. I would never risk his safety like that - I just got him back. So, yes, I can guarantee that we're not trying for anything like that."
"Make sure you don't," Jaing agreed, all traces of the good humor that had filled his voice now disappeared. "I've been a variable in Kaminoan experiments before and I don't recommend it. An ik'aad would be bad for Alpha, but its life would be worse than the worst death."
"I know." You scrubbed a hand down your face, realizing abruptly how tired you were of all the subterfuge. "Trust me, I know how serious of a mistake that would be."
"As it happens, I've seen worse," Jaing remarked dryly.
You thought about asking, you really did, but eventually you decided that you didn't want to know. That seemed to be the safest option where the Nulls were concerned.
"Honestly, I'm a little worried that we're on their radar in the first place," you admitted. "Alpha and I have been careful, but if a senator who isn't even on-planet is supicious of us, we aren't being careful enough."
"Maybe, but maybe not." Jaing's explanation was slow in coming, as if he were thinking over the implications himself. "The Kaminoans have a genetically-managed society. They don't necessarily see procreation as something shared between two people for any reason other than passing on beneficial genes."
Sounding far less doom-and-gloom, Jaing continued, "I'd guess that they see you and Alpha together - even innocently - and start thinking about how his genes would combine with yours. His strength and that brain of yours? No wonder they're thinking about it."
"Thanks?" You shook your head, partially in amazement at where the conversation had led, but mostly because you didn't think that was correct. "I'm not so sure, though. If you had seen the way Tohu looked at me when he asked…"
"He asked you directly?" Jaing checked. When you confirmed, he sounded wary again. "That's not a good sign. I'll keep an eye on his personal datapad files. If he records something that's more than speculation or that shows the kaminii are taking an unhealthy interest in you and Alpha's 'friendship', I'll let you know."
"Really? That's-" You paused to collect yourself before you said something that was a little too honest to be considered polite. "Thank you, Jaing. I really appreciate it."
"You're welcome." Before the moment could get too sincere, Jaing snorted. "Not like it's hard to slice into Tohu's files. You'd think the Kaminoans would have learned secure data storage by now."
You laughed, letting him deflect. Jaing was uncomfortable with sincere thanks. You couldn't blame him for it - you had learned horrible things about the way that clone troopers had been raised in the Tipoca City training facility, but everyone had told you that the Nulls had been treated even worse.
To keep Jaing from feeling uncomfortable, you said, "I should go check on Alpha. Do you need anything else from me before I go?"
Despite your best efforts, there was a pause and you heard an odd sound. You waited, worried that you had offended hiim with your abrupt signoff. When he spoke, Jaing's voice held such a strong note of amusement that you knew he must have been trying not to laugh. "Sometimes I forget you're like this. No, I don't need anything else. If you do, you know how to get in contact."
And then he severed the connection before you could ask exactly what you were like sometimes. It was probably for the best - even as one of the more tactful Nulls, Jaing still could be uncomfortably direct.
It didn't take long to get back to the ARC training area, but training had already ended by the time you arrived. The troopers seemed more deferential as they left, each one offering Alpha a salute before they left. You cast a suspicious glance at Stett, but his salute was no less crisp than the other ARCs-in-training. He even gave you a brief smile on his way past. You didn't smile back, but you appreciated the gesture.
Alpha accepted their respect with stoicism, but he relaxed almost immediately when you were the only two left in the ARC area.
You smiled at him. "Looks like you won them over."
"Popularity is my most important goal," Alpha agreed sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "They need to be respectful. Beyond that, I don't care what they think of me."
"Still, they're treating you like a brother, like someone they can learn from," you pointed out. "That has to feel nice. Even if you are tougher on them than you have been on any of the other ARC groups."
Alpha grunted.
"But why?" you pressed. "Did you hear something about these ones from their COs? Are there new requirements? What changed?"
Alpha gave you a look, explaining slowly, "I've lost another ARC. That's two in the past year. I'm not willing to take any chances that this group will end up the same way."
Your stomach lurched at the reminder of everything both of you had lost. With how upset Alpha had been about Echo - lost in a random explosion - you could hardly be surprised that he would take Fives's death just as hard. After all, the two of you had been working with Rex to save Fives. You would never know how close you had come, but the tantalizing possibility of saving him had been real enough to hurt when it didn't happen.
"Oh," you said with a pang in your chest. "I'm sorry, Alpha. I wasn't thinking."
He shook his head, glancing away. "Let's go to the mess."
You slipped your hand into his, giving it a little squeeze as you bumped your shoulder against him. Doing anything more overt would be too risky, especially with the Kaminoans potentially watching you both, but he gave you the shadow of a smile anyway.
You were almost to the mess hall when you finally picked up something strange. Alpha always drew attention from the cadets - he was an experienced soldier who had completed missions with a Jedi. He had faced down one of the major players in the Separatist army multiple times and had just survived an assault from their most famous general. In every sense, he was someone the cadets looked up to.
But this was different, somehow. They were pointing and whispering in groups, some of the younger ones staring obviously when he walked past.
You planned to ask him about it when you had sat down with your food, but when you stepped into the mess, a cadet who looked almost fully grown stopped you.
"Captain Alpha-17, sir," he said, snapping immediately into a salute. "I want to congratulate you on the new record. Very impressive, sir."
You gave Alpha a befuddled look, but he simply stared down at the cadet in silence for a moment. "Heard about that already, did you?"
"Yes, sir! We all did." The cadet shook his head admiringly. "We could hardly believe it."
"It's a record, trooper," Alpha reminded him. "It's made to be broken. Your job is to try to be the next one to break it."
The cadet saluted again and walked away, joining a group of awestruck troopers roughly his own age group.
"So," you started, looking over at him, "a new record?"
"After Stett couldn't knock me down in sparring, I joined their to-failure exercises. They got the idea to make it some kind of competition." He gave a little shrug. "I won."
You beamed. "The cybernetics aren't slowing you down, then. Not as much as you thought they would."
Alpha blew out a breath, scrubbing a hand over his hair. "If I'm being honest, I was fading. I've gotten back in shape for the most part, but I still spent months in a medcenter bed. That muscle mass takes a while to get back."
"But you won," you said slowly.
"The cybernetics kicked in," Alpha admitted. "They didn't do all the work, but… it's hard to describe. What Ransom said, though… that's close enough. They work with my muscles, kick in some extra juice when I'm wearing down. I was almost to my failure point, but then it was like starting fresh again. I set a record, but… I'm not sure I should have. It wasn't all me."
You nodded slowly, trying to look past your bias toward Alpha to see both sides. "I understand, but it was you. This is your baseline now. Doesn't it make sense to see what your current to-failure rate is?"
"Of course, but that doesn't mean it should be the new record." Alpha frowned as the droid deposited a pile of nutrient mush onto his tray. "It's not something a standard trooper could achieve."
"You could say the same thing about your build, though," you pointed out. "You were 'engineered' to be bigger, taller, and stronger than the standard trooper. So any records set by the Alpha class aren't ones that a standard trooper can effectively compete with."
Alpha looked unconvinced. As you slid into a seat and he settled beside you, you grinned. "Or you could go tell Stett that your record shouldn't count because your cybernetics helped you."
"Kark that," Alpha said promptly. "I'll keep the record, cybernetics be damned."
When you burst out laughing at his disgusted look, Alpha simply cracked a smile. Still, you caught his hand under the table and his kama, giving it a squeeze.
You were so lucky to have him.
---
Author's Note - The character of Stett is lovingly dedicated to everyone who has ever complained in my asks about how I make all the clone troopers "too nice". You're right - statistically, some of them would be assholes. And not in the funny or commanding way we see canon troopers, like Wolffe, Colt, etc. I just hate writing characters that are truly assholes!
Anyway! This is coming to you with absolute minimal editing because it was supposed to be posted weeks ago and I couldn't get past the proofreading. Rather than make endless adjustments or rethink the plot a thousand (more) times, I'm just going to post it.
Now, probably unwelcome news: I'm not going to make up for the missed posting since there's a spicy chapter coming out immediately after this one. (I'll post it sometime in June 2026). The next SFW chapter will come out in July. I also still have to write the July chapter, which is why I'm not going to push it and try to post three times this month.
Thank you for reading! As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts - keysmashes and complaints encouraged! Either way, I'll see you later this month with some spice or next month with another SFW chapter.
You and Alpha have disagreed about certain parts of your sex life since his injury...
Rating: NC-17, Lemon, etc. Minors DNI!
Word Count: 3,700
Warnings: Disabled sex (limited range of motion), Alpha refuses to make concessions to a different way of doing things, unprotected piv sex, light teasing
Previous | Next | SFW Masterlist | NSFW Masterlist
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Sheber Taap - Seat
Alpha's lips were so soft.
It was incredible, really. To have such softness in this one place when the rest of his body was made up of scar tissue, cybernetics, and bulging muscle… It was a contrast you never got tired of.
His length was hard, pressed against his own stomach by a combination of blood flow and the way you had pushed yourself as close to him as you could possibly get.
"Neverd'ika," he groaned, barely pulling away. His mouth brushed yours with every syllable and the sensation drove you to desperation. "Need you."
"You've got me, Alpha," you promised, rolling to your feet. You rounded the bed, standing beside him and offering a hand. "Let's go."
Alpha's eyes flicked from you to the chair behind you, sitting inconspicuously in the corner. "Just come back here. I'm tired of using the chair."
You crossed your arms, stepping back and out of reach of his searching hands. "You know your back still has trouble with bending, especially bending forward. We need to keep your spine straight, so… chair."
"My back hardly hurts at all anymore," he said, jaw set in a stubborn line. "I can move just fine, even when I'm bending forward."
"Yes, but until you don't hurt at all, I can't risk it." You shrugged a little, noting the way his eyes drifted down to your breasts with the motion. "Even a little bit of pain is too much."
For a moment, he looked like he was set to argue, but you didn't have time for a debate you would win anyway. "Please, Alpha."
He heaved a sigh, ignoring the hand you offered again. You knew intellectually that you weren't strong enough to help him stand up, but it was an instinct you couldn't always manage to fight. Especially when it was so clearly difficult for him.
With a lot of effort and a grunt or two, Alpha was standing upright. When you laced your fingers through his, he allowed you to lead him over to the chair.
He sat down without making any verbal complaints, though there was a displeased little curve to his lips. You settled slowly and delicately onto his lap, pressing a kiss against that curve until it disappeared into a small smile. And then, when you rolled your hips against him, his entire expression was taken over by an anticipatory groan.
"Are you ready, Alpha?"
He nodded a few times, swallowing thickly. "I've been ready since you took off your shirt, little one."
"That long?" you teased, deliberately brushing your mound against him again.
"Keep teasing," he warned, eyes flashing dangerously, "and I'll show you that my back doesn't hurt anymore."
You didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, you reached between you to position him so that you could sink down onto his length.
Riding Alpha this way was always a challenge, whether he was sitting or laying down. Something about being on top made him feel even larger. You had to be careful or things could get overwhelming, especially when you were just getting started. That being said, you had gotten plenty of practice over the past few weeks.
As soon as Alpha was cleared to return to ARC training, Ransom had said he was okay to have sex again, but had given him a list of some particular movements and positions that would make things easier. This had been the one that worked best for both of you.
The initial stretch was familiar now, something you could handle without outwardly reacting. Your inner muscles still took a moment to adjust, but after a few breaths and a kiss to Alpha's collarbone, you planted your toes on the floor and started to move.
Your feet barely reached the floor at the top of each stroke, leaving you extending your leg muscles as far as you possibly could to rise off of his lap. Alpha felt huge this way, jutting up into you so deeply that you could hardly breathe when you settled back down onto his thighs. Or perhaps it was just the way that put pressure on all the right places…
Alpha muffled your moan when he pressed those soft lips to yours, distracting you with the desperation of his kiss. Your hands were braced against his shoulders for purchase, using their breadth as leverage as you worked up and down on top of him, or you would have cradled his face the way he was doing to yours.
He seemed to realize that limitation at the same time you did. All of a sudden, Alpha's hands seemed to be everywhere. Stroking down the length of your arms, brushing delicately against your nipples, resting just above your ass, circling over your clit…
"Alpha," you groaned, trying to speed up despite the burning in your thigh muscles. "I'm not going to last long if you keep doing that."
"Can't help it, neverd'ika," Alpha confessed remorselessly. "I love watching you fall apart on top of me."
You involuntarily tightened around him at that. Your moan was nearly drowned out by his curse. His hands wrapped around your waist, holding on as he visibly struggled to stay still beneath you.
"You're killing me." Alpha's head tipped back, connecting lightly with the wall. "You feel so good. Can you go a little faster?"
"I'm trying." You reached further with your toes, trying to see if you could find a firmer purchase on the floor. When your foot slipped out from under you for the second time, you and Alpha both gasped at the resulting firmer-than-usual downstroke. "We should really look into a shorter chair."
"Or getting rid of it entirely."
You shook your head at the familiar complaint. Alpha seemed to have taken the chair as a personal insult, but it was necessary.
When you lifted back up off of him, it was so easy that the thick slide of him leaving you was overwhelming. Your eyes fluttered closed at the feeling, as well as the thrust of him back inside of you.
Two more easy strokes passed before you frowned. Why were you moving so easily now when you had been struggling so hard before? Now that you thought to pay attention to something so far outside of what you were concentrating on… your left foot definitely wasn't even touching the floor now.
Your eyes snapped open again, your suspicious gaze immediately caught by the blue cybernetics implanted in Alpha's side. Their glow was bright - Alpha was using his increased strength and the grip he had around your waist to lever you up and down.
"Alpha!" Your admonishment was as sharp as you could make it, distracted by the way he was brushing that magical spot inside you - a spot you rarely managed to angle him against when you were the one in charge of the movement - and the way Alpha's eyes had gone heavy-lidded with pleasure.
Alpha released you immediately after your shocked chiding. "Sorry, little one. I got carried away."
"You could have hurt yourself!"
"I needed to know I could still make you feel good."
You rested your hands on his pecs, leaning in to press your forehead against his. "Alpha, you always make me feel good. But I can't let you risk hurting yourself for something so minor."
"Being with you isn't something I consider minor," he told you seriously. "Besides, helping you along a little wasn't going to hurt me."
You huffed out a breath at him. "If us having sex in a bed could cause you another injury, you lifting my entire body weight - putting all the strain on your back, by the way - could do even worse!"
"I was engineered to handle more than double your weight at my weakest moment." Alpha was definitely pouting by that point. "When are you going to admit that I've recovered enough to be with you off of this karkin' chair?"
"When bending forward to eat your food doesn't make you break out into a sweat." You lifted yourself off of his lap, giving him a look of warning when he reached out as if to help you. "I know it's frustrating for you that you're not fully recovered yet, but pushing things too far too soon is only increasing the risk of getting another injury or making the ones you have worse."
"Wait," Alpha said, reaching out to catch your hand with his before you could walk away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to lift you, especially when I knew how you would feel about it."
"I would think you'd be upset for your own sake, not because I'm mad." Alpha's carefully blank expression told you everything about what he would do if he wasn't worried you would be angry. "Alpha…"
"I won't lie to you, cyare, I think I'm well enough to be with you the way we were before all of this." Your eyes followed the gesture he made down toward his lower half, but it only served to remind you how close you had come to losing him. How scared you had been.
How scared he had been.
"It's not worth the risk, Alpha. I know you hate the chair-"
"I hate the di'kutla chair."
"-but it's keeping you from reinjuring your back," you finished, giving him a pointed look. "If there were another position that kept you from moving your hips forward, we could try it, but I just haven't done the research."
"I have," Alpha told you, getting to his feet. His erection bobbed between you, half-comical and fully mouth-watering as you considered what other positions might bring him some relief without requiring the hated chair.
"Mmm?" you hummed, realizing that you should probably look back at his face. When you did, Alpha was wearing a satisfied little smirk that made you give a rueful smile in return. "You've done what?"
"Researched positions that could work for us." Alpha ducked down slightly as he reached you, swiping his thumb over your cheek as he cupped your jaw. "Do you trust me?"
"Of course."
He smiled, tilting your head up so he could kiss you. When he finally pulled away, Alpha said, "Thank you, ner karta."
You were slightly dazed as you stood there, watching him neatly fold the blankets on your bed down to the foot of the mattress. In the empty expanse left by the lack of covers, he arranged a stack of pillows at the very edge of his side of the bed.
With that done, he turned back to you and patted the pile of pillows. "Hips here."
It wasn't the most dignified position, but you could make it work… As you were clambering into place, Alpha's hand on your hip made you pause. When you looked at him, his face was slightly red beneath an apologetic expression.
"Sorry, neverd'ika, I should have said- Uh. The advice I read recommended that you be facedown."
That was a little different for the two of you. Alpha wanted nothing more than to watch your face when he was inside of you, and you had been surprised by how much you loved watching his expression as he got closer and closer to the edge. It wouldn't be the first time he had taken you from behind, but it would be the first time he requested it instead of it being a matter of convenience.
You paused, awkwardly half-propped on the pillows. "Does it matter?"
"I'm- not sure…" he said slowly. "It said facedown, but I don't know if that's a requirement or just how they described it."
With a shrug and a comforting smile for Alpha, you said, "Easy enough to fix."
You flipped over, settling into the position he had described. The stack of pillows under your hips left your upper body pressed into the mattress in an undignified way, but propping yourself on your elbows put uncomfortable pressure on your spine, so you settled fully onto your belly. Your legs were dangling in the air and a mental image of how you must look made your face go hot with embarrassment.
"Not the sexiest position," you joked, turning your face to the side so you could breathe.
"You're not seeing what I am." Alpha's voice had gone husky with want, drawing an instant response from your body.
Sudden and sharp, you realized that Alpha was standing between your spread legs and eyeing everything you had on display. That awareness made your body tighten as your core went liquid for him.
"This…" You stopped to gulp down a quick gasp of air. "This position might work for me after all."
A touch - so gentle it was barely there - traced the swollen lips of your sex and you shuddered. "Yeah? Better than the chair?"
You rolled your eyes, but they fluttered shut as he pressed a single finger into you. When he had buried it up to the knuckle in your heat, another finger ghosted over your clit and your lips parted so you could take a shuddering breath.
"What are you doing?" you asked, trying to keep the tremble from your voice.
"Appreciating you," came his answer, and it somehow sent a flutter through your heart and your sex simultaneously.
He began to pump his finger in and out of you, the motion gentle and unhurried but still maddening. He added a little twist to the movement every time he withdrew from you and your hips tried to chase the movement. The pleasure was rising faster than you had expected, but there were questions that still needed to be answered.
You fought to keep your mind clear as you asked, "How is this position going to keep your back stable?"
"I'll move my whole body instead of just my hips." The casual way he explained it sent heat through you. You were on the brink of falling apart and he was still so coherent. "Since flexing my hips forward is the only thing I'm struggling with, this position should minimize how much flexing I need to do. And you're at the perfect height for me like this."
You nodded, barely able to process anything past the need he was building inside of you. You understood that he wasn't going to be straining himself in this position - and it was definitely working for you - so you could melt into the pleasure.
At least, you did until Alpha withdrew his hand and stopped touching you entirely.
"Does that work for you, neverd'ika?"
From his tone, you knew that he was teasing you. With the bone-deep need rising in your gut, you nodded quickly. Alpha pressed, "Are you sure? I'll need you to tell me if there's something you want me to do differently."
"Now you're the one-" You broke off, voice hitching sharply when his teasing touch returned, barely making contact with the petals of your sex before disappearing. "-the one killing me."
His rumbling laugh made you shift impatiently against the pillows. "When are you- oooooh…"
Alpha pressed into you, and your desperately-clutching muscles welcomed him eagerly inside. He felt bigger than ever from this angle, stretching your walls around him, and you writhed at how full you felt. Your fingers clutched in the sheets on the bed, trying to keep yourself grounded as he steadily worked himself inside you.
When he was finally buried as deep as he could go, Alpha paused so you could both appreciate the sensation. Your inner muscles danced over his length, trying to get used to the blissful intrusion. You weren't sure - you never were - but it almost felt like you were clenched around him so tightly that you could feel his pulse throbbing in your core.
Alpha's hands, wrapped around your hips, clutched you tightly and your body convulsed with desperate need. Alpha grunted, hips surging forward so he could sink a fraction deeper.
"You're so tight," he bit out.
You whined in agreement, trying to rock forward and back on your stack of pillows. He had to start moving soon or you would die from delayed gratification. That was the only explanation for the maelstrom raging through you.
Thankfully, Alpha must have felt the same because he finally started to move.
There was no reason, logically speaking, that this should have felt as overwhelming as it did. You had sex with Alpha more times than you could specifically remember over the course of your relationship, and a lot of those times had been far more strenuous or fast-paced than this.
As far as you could tell with your temporarily-limited capacity for higher brain function, it had just been so long since you weren't the one controlling everything. Alpha had never needed to be in charge, not like some others you had heard about, but he tended to be the one setting the pace for most of your encounters. At least, he had before Grievous.
Since his injury, sex with Alpha had been limited to a handful of times in highly controlled situations. He couldn't support any weight, couldn't move his hips, couldn't move his body too much or he risked another injury. You had made it work, but you had been in control for a lot of it. You had always ridden him or - once - laid on your side with him behind you for easier access. Oral sex from him was out of the question simply as a matter of position, though you had used your mouth on him a few times.
This was different. You weren't used to not being the one in control of the pace, depth, stimulation… Your movements were limited by your position on your stomach and by the pile of pillows beneath you. You didn't know what was going to happen and you couldn't do anything but take it. The idea excited you in a way you couldn't quite explain but weren't going to question.
And, true to his word, this position didn't seem to be hurting Alpha.
You couldn't see him to check whether he was avoiding flexing his hips, but it certainly felt like he wasn't. Each stroke came slow and methodical, heavy in a way that said he was moving his entire body. The thrusts pounded against you in a series of percussive collisions that were a little jarring and a lot stimulating. More than once, you found yourself drooling helplessly onto the mattress.
The whole situation unlocked something in you and your orgasm was rising up to meet you fast enough that you needed to warn Alpha. "I'm-"
"I'm not going to last long, neverd'ika," Alpha admitted at the same time you began to speak. "'m close."
"Good," you said immediately. "I'm gonna-"
Alpha squeezed your hips again. "Come for me, ner karta."
And with only that encouragement, the wave of pleasure crashed over you. Every muscle in your core locked down and started squeezing. Somehow, Alpha managed to keep his pace for another handful of thrusts before he surged forward, hips pulsing against yours as he emptied himself as deep inside you as possible.
When you were self-aware enough to take account of your surroundings, Alpha was slumped over you, his chest pressed against your back. He kissed your shoulder, the hint of stubble on his jaw tickling your skin. You sighed at the tender touch, but cracked open one eye to peer back at him.
"You're going to hurt your spine."
Alpha huffed out a laugh. "Of all the things I'm feeling right now, 'hurt' isn't one of them."
You smiled, letting your eye fall shut again. "Same. That was incredible."
"Better than the chair?" he asked impishly.
After a moment of thought, you said, "I think you can throw the chair off the platform."
"It's a deal." Alpha paused. "As soon as I can move again."
"So it's not just me." With a laugh, you admitted, "I'm not using to hanging off the bed like this. My toes are going numb."
That was enough to jolt him into movement, and Alpha gingerly repositioned you on the bed without lifting you up. When you were nestled comfortably on your side of the bed, you smiled up at Alpha and he joined you, pushing the pile of pillows unceremoniously to the floor.
After a few moments of silence - you wriggling across the bed to tuck your head into the crook between his shoulder and neck - Alpha took a breath.
"Thank you." Before you could gather the energy to ask what he was thanking you for, Alpha continued, "Not everyone would be willing to put up with this from their partner."
"You don't make it easy," you agreed, smiling despite yourself at his insulted noise. "I just need you to stop going out of your way to hurt yourself."
"I meant that you're willing to change and adjust." You could feel him look down at you. "I know things are rough right now."
You sat up, ignoring twinges of soreness in your hips and the small of your back. "Alpha, you make it sound like I was ever going to do anything else. I'm never not going to fight for you. You understand that, right?"
He blinked at you a few times. Somewhere around the fourth blink, you realized that his eyes had gone glassy with the tears he was fighting back. Your hand lifted on its own, cupping his jaw gently. His hand covered yours immediately, pressing it harder against the warmth of his skin.
"Kar'taylir darasuum, ner karta."
"Cyar'ika," you returned in kind, knowing full-well that your smile was dopey and lovesick. Worse, you were far beyond the point of caring. "Kar'taylir darasuum."
Alpha pressed his forehead to yours in the gentlest keldabe and only pulled away when he drifted off to sleep. You allowed yourself a moment or two to admire him, visually tracing every line of his softened expression, before you joined him.
---
Author's Note - Sorry to drop this at such an odd time, but I was determined to post today! I barely made it, but I did it!
Just because these two were even more sickly cute than usual, I feel the need to say that they are NOT married. In this universe, I'm working off the Legends (possibly fanon) Mandalorian wedding process of just saying the vows and being married, even without any witnesses. If you need backstory, just assume that Kal Skirata and Walon Vau taught the Alpha ARCs about Mandalorian culture along with the Nulls and commando squads.
Anyway, the end of this chapter felt very weddingish, but I promise they're not quite there yet. They just really, REALLY love each other and are a pair of hopelessly romantic saps!
Also, I know I play fast and loose with Mando'a in general, but this is a pairing of two words (position and sit) that I'm just going to say roughly translate to "a place of sitting". We're just going to go with it.
Thank you for reading and I'll see you next month!
rated E, No Archive Warnings, Fox/Seventeen, consensual somno, established relationship
“Hey.” The soft word of greeting comes from the doorway, unoccupied only moments before. 17 looks up, startled by that voice, here. The vod the voice belongs to has not belonged on Kamino since the start of the war.
Fox leans his hip against the jamb, elbow over his head. Red paint pristine, blasters, kama, that shock of white across his cuirass. His bucket’s already off, under his other arm; his hair’s a little longer than regs as usual, and threaded with more grey at the temples than there’d been when 17 had seen him last, with the last batch of ARC trainees delivered from Coruscant months ago.
His eyes are as soft as his voice. His mouth doesn’t smile— it looks like he’s sneering because of how a new scar cuts through his lip, in fact; but 17 can tell he’s happy to be here at his threshold, pleased to have surprised him with something good for once. They see each other in person far too seldom.
17 lets the full extent of his own joy at this unexpected gift seep into his expression. Fox’s gaze turns even fonder, if possible.
“Business or pleasure, Commander Fox?” 17 asks, mouth twitching.
“It’s always a pleasure, Alpha Seventeen,” Fox quips and steps into the room.
read on AO3 🔒 https://archiveofourown.org/works/34015867
