#jaro:drabble

[dogoftherepublic]

{{ 3/7 @deluxemodel asked: ❤   [meme]

five times my muse says they don’t love yours, and the one time they admit it

“That’s my EMP grenade.”

Jatne made no indication to let the round grenade go as Boss’s hand closed around it. Only after a second did Jatne let the Delta take it.

“Did they not teach your batch how to say please?” Jatne grumbled.

--

It was very late when Jatne returned from patrol, and all he wanted was to kit down and get some shut-eye. First the bucket, placed gently on the ground. Then his deece, and his belt. Next came his pack, which got tangled on something, and suddenly became impossible to remove--

Hands lifted the pack up and Jatne slipped his arms out of the straps. When he turned, he didn’t expect to see the orange-clad commando standing there.

“Thanks, I--owe you one.”

--

“Where’ve you been?” Oni asked. Morj made a play in their sabacc game, then lifted his gaze to the squad sniper.

“Scrubbing detail. Di’kutla Delta.” Jatne threw himself onto his bunk and mumbled further expletives into his pillow.

--

“What’s your problem with Delta-38, anyway, Jat’ika?”

It was best to be careful what was said around Gev, as the man couldn’t keep any gossip to himself. So Jatne shrugged. “Wrong place, wrong time. We rubbed each other the wrong way.”

Gev snorted.

“Shut up, Gev.”

--

Jaro sat on his hands on the worn, old sofa in Boss’s house. He felt very small, showing up in the middle of the night and asking to stay. But his head wasn’t clear yet.

“Need anything?” Boss asked.

“I--don’t think so.” Jaro’s lips pressed together. He shifted in his seat. The silence could have crushed him. “Thank you.”

--

Breathless, the sweat that coated his skin turned instantly cold when meeting with the air in the room. Jaro collapsed onto his pillow, tried to catch his breath as he turned his head and looked at Boss.

“Mm?” Boss asked, as if sensing the words burgeoning on the tip of Jaro’s tongue.

“I love you.”

[dogoftherepublic]

{{ 2/7 @deluxemodel asked: ▲  [meme]

five times my muse thought about kissing yours, and the one time they did

“You haven’t kissed anybody in your whole life, have you?”

Because of course Jatne would ask.

Jaro scratched the back of his head. “Well, no.”

“Ever, y’know, thought about it?”

A cold night and a long walk without a jacket. The friendly hand on his shoulder, the man who dropped everything to help him-- “Maybe.”

--

“Remember that time when we got scrubbing detail for fighting?” Jaro asked.

Boss’s lips curled into a rare smile. He chuckled at the memory and his eyes squinted shut as he broke into full-on laughter. Jaro watched the curve of Boss’s mouth, the wrinkles on the sides of his face. He blinked.

“Yeah, I remember that, you di’kut.”

--

Jaro took over the speeder controls just after midnight. A few more hours of driving and they could rest for the night. Boss curled up in the passenger seat and laid his head against the back of the chair. Soon, the slow and controlled breaths of sleep took him. He looked peaceful, relaxed, even, as the tension in his brow vanished into smooth skin. Jaro looked back at the viewscreen and folded in his lips. Kept on driving.

--

“They’ll forgive you.”

“But I left--”

“Stop. They’re your brothers. It’ll be okay, Jar’ika.”

Boss reached out and cupped the side of Jaro’s face with his hand. Jaro lifted his gaze from the floor, still not convinced, but more than before. Their eyes locked. Boss’s brow furrowed in earnest concern. More reassuring than ever was his touch. Jaro sucked in a breath. “You’re right.”

--

The first warm night of the season, and they started a bonfire out back. Two cold ales and a couple of chairs. They didn’t need to share words, only the warmth from the fire, and the stars above. Jaro looked over at Boss after a while and caught a pensive look angled up at the sky. Even in the dark, he sensed a sadness in his brother, a longing. Jaro swallowed the lump in his throat and stared instead into the fire.

--

“This time, it’s an indoor pool.” Boss threw both of the lifesavers into the water and nodded to Jaro. “And I’m here. It only goes to six feet deep, anyway, and there are no fish or creatures. As far as I know.”

Jaro nodded. During Boss’s explanation, he had already gone down the steps and stood in the water up to his waist. He turned and looked back at Boss and gave two thumbs up.

Instead of using the steps, Boss moved to the deeper end of the pool and jumped in. Jaro ventured a little further, meeting Boss in the middle of the pool. The water was surprisingly warm. Blue and green lights around the edges made the water dance with color, shimmering and reflecting off of their faces.

Between them, one of the lifesavers floated in. Jaro shoved it out of the way and jumped at Boss, throwing both of his arms around the other clone’s shoulders. He clung.

“This doesn’t count as swimming,” Boss murmured, running a wet hand over Jaro’s hair. In response, Jaro pressed his lips to Boss’s. The other man rested his arms at Jaro’s waist and held their bodies tightly together.

Jaro parted from him, his mouth hovering near Boss still. “Vor’e.” And he kissed him again.

[dogoftherepublic]

{{ 1/7 @deluxemodel asked:  ✿ [meme]

five times my muse almost texted yours, and the one time they did

The larty leveled out and the pit of Jatne’s stomach returned to normal. He took a breath, turned to look at Gev, who simply shook his head. The mission exhausted them--the disappointment even more so.

It was a clear shot.

Jatne opened a channel to Delta-38. Delta could get a good laugh out of this, with the hit to Jatne’s stats, and all. No, better not.

--

Click. Jatne snapped a still holo of the shop sign. Sev’s Onestop. He grinned to himself, thought about sending it over to Delta Squad, but talked himself down in the same second.

“Aw, c’mon. If you don’t, I will,” said Oni.

“Okay. You do it, then.”

--

They said Delta made it off Imperial City, and Jatne wondered if they would also turn up at this Kyrimorut place. Jatne tossed his com back and forth between his hands, debating. A quick message to Boss, to check in... No, ought to wait.

--

The bed in Am’buir’s basement is more comfortable than anything Jaro had ever slept on, and yet there he was, staring at the ceiling. When they first met up again on Mandalore, Boss had told him he could contact him any time. He needed someone to talk to, someone who knew--

He tossed himself onto his side, pulled one of the pillows over his head.

--

His brother, and keeper, was leaning all of his weight on the bar as he talked with a Twi’lek who, surprisingly, seemed interested. She was taller than Jatne--but who wasn’t taller than the Meshkad--and their one-on-one conversation left Jaro to sit by himself at the bar. The bartender seemed to know where he came from and slid another ale his way with a wink. “On the house.”

Grinning, Jaro thanked the bartender, then went for his com.

Boss, are you free? I think I might need a ride home, vod...

[dogoftherepublic]

(( holy sit do all of the accidental affection ones for mee ((or only the ones you want but pretend im send you all of them))

♢ for my muse to get dared to kiss yours

All eyes were on him.

Jaro blinked. He knew his face was turning bright red. He couldn’t look at Olivia. Kiss her? He could do that. How hard would it be? They were all friends, out for a couple of drinks that somehow escalated into a game of dares. One of them had already licked the wall of a bathroom stall. So Jaro could definitely, definitely kiss someone.

“Okay,” he said. They were all standing around in a circle, so he crossed over to where Olivia stood. Jaro smiled at her, took her chin into his hands, and kissed her. When their lips touched, he felt warm, and he didn’t really know what to do next, so he pulled away after a few seconds. With his head angled down, he retreated back to his place in the circle to the jeers of their friends saying it wasn’t good enough.

♡ for your muse to drunkenly confess feelings to mine

The game of dares had died down, but the drinks kept coming around on the server droid’s tray. Eventually, Jaro excused himself to stand outside for some air.

Olivia found him and they both stood facing each other and leaning up against the wall. Her cheeks were rosy, he noticed, and when she looked up at him, her eyelashes fluttered.

“Jaro...” she said. Both of their hands were free of drink glasses, for the moment, and she reached out and took one of his hands in both of hers. She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles. “I never forgot how you helped me.”

“It’s the least I could do,” Jaro murmured, his eyes glued to the way her lips moved when she spoke, and her warm breath on his hand. “You got me to drink caf.”

She half-laughed and tugged him by the hand so they were pressed together. Olivia looked up at him, searching his eyes, their faces nearly touching. “I really like you.”

Then she kissed him, and this time Jaro understood what they meant before when they said his kiss wasn’t “good enough.”

♫ for your muse to catch mine singing in the shower

Jaro set up his datapad just outside the shower and cranked up the radio. Lately, he had been listening to more and more music. Sometimes he’d spend the better part of an hour just flipping through different channels and listening. He’d found that he liked the variety on the popular channel, and they played a lot of songs repeatedly, so he learned the lyrics.

He didn’t even hear the door to the ‘fresher open because he was belting out the most climactic part of the heart-wrenching soul song. The female vocals weren’t exactly in his range. Jaro got through the rest of it before he even heard Olivia giggling.

Jaro pushed the shower door slightly ajar and stared at her like she’d caught him stealing. “Oh, stars.”

Olivia was holding her stomach to keep from doubling over. “Jaro, you’re really good.”

[dogoftherepublic]

~4 BBY Outside Mandalore Airspace 0800 hours

“Sit down and shut up!”

Jaro knew Jatne was regretting every moment that he lived with his decision to purchase the starship with a full crew cockpit. Jaro was already in his assigned chair with his safety restraints fully engaged. Jack had been hitting Miri with his current favorite action figure, and Cuyan was yelling. When their father barked at them, they slinked back to their respective seats but kept hissing threats at one another.

“How long is the flight?” Jaro asked Jatne pleasantly.

“Too long,” Jatne growled back as he guided the ship into position to jump to hyperspace. “Listen up.” He turned in his chair so he could see the passengers. “We’re going to pick up your mother and Morj--Miri put your seatbelt on--and then we are going to leave. No side missions. Got it?”

“I wanna look at stuff,” Cuyan said.

“Was I not clear?” Jatne’s eyes could have shot lasers at the eldest Meshkad. “No. Side. Missions. Pick them up, and leave.”

Jaro looked over at Cuyan, who had slouched down into his seat and put up his datapad in his lap. His scowl was apparent, like he was canceling some plans that he’d been looking forward to.

“Jaro.”

With a start, Jaro looked up at Jatne with rapt attention.

“Can you look after Jack and Miri while Cuyan and I get a lock on Asuna’s position?”

“Yeah, of course! It’ll be fun.”

When Jaro looked over at Miri and Jack, the two looked back at him with almost hungry eyes, like they were going to eat him and make their long-awaited getaway. Nervously, Jaro smiled at them.

They’re just a couple kids, how hard can it be?

[dogoftherepublic]

The exit ramp couldn’t roll down fast enough, so Jaro jumped the last meter to the ground and took off for the house. He had been sitting on the news for a good six hours. The message was the kind that shouldn’t be sent across any amount of airspace, too precious for any encryption.

Jaro found his brother sitting on the sofa surrounded by empty snack wrappers and glass bottles. With a distant smile, Jatne squinted at the light coming in from the open door. “Hey.”

With a flick, Jaro rolled up the windows of the house to allow the midmorning sun inside. Then he crossed the room and sat right next to Jatne. “I found Gev.”

The words were few, but confusing enough for Jatne, who regarded Jaro still with that far away grin. “Oh?” Then it hit him. “Oh!”

It was news that could have been dangled and dragged along with suspense and thrill, but Jaro was too excited for that. “He’s on Ryloth, coding for a small tech company.”

Jatne sat up from his slouched position and grabbed Jaro’s knee. “Ryloth! We have to go, Jar’ika.”

Little Jaro. The clone smiled. He was about half Jatne’s biological age, but still a whole head taller and much bigger. “Okay. I’ll start making the preparations. Why don’t you... Get cleaned up.”

“I can come?” 

“Of course you can come. You have to meet Gev--you’re my vode.”

Jatne took pause, his eyes roaming from Jaro to the floor, then back. “And if we can’t find Gev?” he whispered.

Shrugging, Jaro got up. “Then you’re still my vod.”

[dogoftherepublic]

22

22: Our muses get ready for a night of fun.

“Have you seen…” Boss trailed off just as Jaro stepped out of the ‘fresher.

“Seen what?”

“My shirt.”

Jaro looked down at what he was wearing. “Oh. I thought you said–”

“You can borrow anything, but not what I want to wear.”

With a smile, Jaro tugged off the shirt and tossed it not to Boss, but at him. “Sharing is caring.”

Jaro went back to the closet as Boss put on the shirt. He didn’t know what to wear. He knew that shirt was what Boss usually picked to wear out, which was why he chose it… And lost it. “This?” Jaro held up a white shirt.

“Sure. You can wear what ever you want, remember?”

It was a soft shirt with short sleeves and not much else going on. Jaro thought it was a little baggy, but maybe it was supposed to be that way. “Now are we ready?”

“Almost.” Boss motioned for Jaro to follow, and they went to the kitchen. Boss reached into the cabinet and brought out a half-gone bottle of tihaar.

“I thought we were going to drink there,” Jaro said as Boss poured two small doses into glasses.

“There, and before.” Boss raised his glass and waited for Jaro to do the same, and they both drank. Jaro coughed and sputtered, then gave a thumbs up.

“I think I’m ready now,” said Jaro.

Boss clapped him on the back and headed for the door. “Good. And don’t piss out an hour in, got it?”

[dogoftherepublic]

hyperdrive

“It had a bad hyperdrive, but--”

“Had or has?” Jaro asked.

His brother Jatne laughed. He looked good, Jaro thought, wearing his father’s beskar’gam and standing tall. Or as tall as Jatne could be.

“So you got a deal on it.” Jaro smiled, looking up at the freighter. It was old, and not old enough to be vintage. That couple decades-old that made it unfashionable but seemed to be in good working condition.

Jatne led him inside, through the small living space, the two bedrooms, and into the cockpit. He plopped right down in the pilot’s chair.

“Your first ship. It’s a good one, vod.”

Beaming, Jatne turned to the clone--his brother--and motioned to the co-pilot’s chair. Jaro hesitated.

“Sit down, di’kut.”

Jaro lowered himself into the seat. The old bantha leather was worn and soft. The cockpit smelled like cigarros, but it was a distant smell, like they were smoked a few klicks away.

“Let’s go somewhere,” said Jatne.

Jaro tilted his head. “Where?”

“Anywhere. Where do you want to go?”

Thinking, Jaro leaned back in the seat, which creaked with his weight. “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve been more places than you, I reckon.”

Jatne shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Take me somewhere.”

His brother’s fingers danced across the controls. The ship started with a high-pitched whir and a woosh as the engine turned. “I think I know just the place.”