you make ND-5 audibly nervous when you grind on his cod piece. he trails off, loses his train of thought, holds you confusedly while you’re scrubbing your little mound on him trying to chase that feeling. you tangle your fingers into his coat, silently signaling to him you want him to squeeze you closer, make it hard to breathe. instead he’s tense under your touch, rigid. afraid to make the wrong move because he doesn’t know exactly what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. “endy… help me…” you plea in the softest whimper, just enough for his receptors to pick up on it. his machinations whir to new life as he takes action, deft fingers molding to spine and sliding into a cup of your tailbone. intuitively, he lifts you as well as presses you. trying to be preemptively thoughtful in helping you get off. it does the trick, granting you better access to grind your abused clit against his smooth metal crotch. the shoulder of your shirt slips off exposing your upper arm. sweetly, the droid pinches it with a hand to replace it where it belongs.
Maybe something about ND being jealous? Someone is flirting with his S/O. His space spouse. Someone's flirting with them and not getting the hint that S/O is not interested, said hint being "I'm have a husband" "he doesn't have to know" meanwhile ND is RIGHT THERE so yeah. He knows already. ND shoot this guy I'm begging you it'd be so hot. I'm a normal, well adjusted person. I swear. I'm lying.
Augh later on they're in their shared room and S/O is just kissing up their brave, valiant knight who shoots people for them sometimes
Asking for Trouble
summary: reader has an unexpected reaction to ND fighting off a creep.
relationship: ND-5 x gn!reader
warnings: some dude being a creep to reader and getting handsy, ND shooting him lol, ND being suggestive if you squint
word count: 1.8k
A/N: your comment about being a well-adjusted person had me cackling lmao thank you sm for all your contributions ND anon <3 in hindsight i realise i forgot about the part where ND was supposed to be right there whoops 😬 hope you like it nonetheless!
(english is not my first language. constructive criticism and grammar corrections are very appreciated!)
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
“Thank you, please come again!” the Rodian says with a friendly customer service voice as you hand her the credits for what you just bought.
There’s a cacophony of voices, shuffling boots and sizzling stove tops in Mirogana, Toshara’s main city built into amberine rock formations. You go from one stand to the next in the main market area, looking at the wares as you shop for supplies and provisions.
The whole time you’ve been here, you haven’t been able to shake the feeling that someone’s watching you. As you inspect a fruit in your hand, holding it up against the light, you discreetly glance to the side, where you find that your gut feeling was indeed right: a rather ugly fellow is leaning on a nearby post, watching your every move. You try to shake his stare as you move through the market, but to no avail, his eyes keep following you.
When you’re within earshot from him, he starts throwing some lame pick-up lines your way. You don’t pay him any mind, but he keeps going. So you check out the stands on the other side of the plaza. Once you’ve done a whole loop and are back where you started, you find him still there. His interest has not waned in the slightest. Your brows furrow ever so slightly in annoyance.
You catch him winking at you just as you’re giving another vendor a handful of credits. With a bit more force than necessary, you pack everything you bought into your bag. The vendor shoots you a strange look and you give an apologetic smile, then wish them a good day and turn on your heels.
ND is waiting for you on the Trailblazer, parked outside. You consider pinging him, but you don’t want to worry the droid. Besides, you’re sure you can shake the guy on your way out. So you navigate through the maze that is Mirogana’s inner layout, and try to beeline towards the exit.
As you go down a flight of stairs, you hear the echo of someone's footsteps behind you. Turning sideways to evade another person walking in your direction through the narrow passage, you use the opportunity to glance over your shoulder. The guy from earlier is there, at a distance, but evidently following you.
You roll your eyes and keep going, hoping he’ll lose interest soon as you quicken your pace. Unfortunately, he doesn't, and even starts calling after you, telling you to stop and chat for a moment. You ignore him, obviously.
It’s when you make it out the entrance to the platform above the landing tarmac that he catches up and grabs onto your arm, slightly out of breath.
“What’re you being so rude for?” he spits, and you free your arm from his grasp with a yank. “I was calling for you.”
“I know. And I was ignoring you,” you retort, holding onto the staircase railing with your free hand and onto your bags with the other, trying to go down the steps as quickly as possible without losing your balance. “But you don’t seem to be getting the message.”
The tone in your voice caught the momentary attention of a nearby Stormtrooper by the city entrance, so he ducks his head and walks even closer to you, much too close for your comfort. Sleemo, you think.
“C’mon, don’t be like that. I just wanna talk,” he tries again. You’re almost all the way down the stairs now. “It’s not every day a pretty thing like you comes by these parts.”
You shoot him an incredulous look, holding back the urge to laugh right in his face.
“Listen, you better leave now, my husband is in that ship–“ You point to the Trailblazer as you’re already walking up to it. “–and if I tell him you’re bothering me, he will hurt you.
He scoffs.
”With the sour mood you’re in, I think your husband isn’t taking good care of you.” He tries to take hold of your arm again but you pull away first. “I can give you a good time.”
”Ew, no,” you shoot back without hesitation, disgust evident on your face. “Now get lost.”
Now he gets visibly angry.
“I wasn’t asking,” he says in a low voice, shoulders squaring up to seem more intimidating. Not that it works.
By now you’ve almost made it to the ship, and he forcefully grabs you. Your bags fall to the ground with a thud and some fruits spill out, rolling a couple feet. You call out for ND, knowing that this wouldn't end well, so you try to drag the guy with you around the ship, out of the Stormtroopers’ view, who continue to check IDs by the entrance above.
“ND? What is that, your pet?” the creep spits, trying to grab your other arm as well, but you keep walking backwards away from him. Feeling his hand around your wrist makes your skin burn uncomfortably. You can’t wait to shake him off you.
“It’s my husband, you idiot,” you clarify, venom lacing your voice. Your eyes look over his shoulder for a moment, as you spot someone approaching the guy from behind.
”What a stupid name,” he laughs mockingly, and grabs your other arm. You don’t fight him this time. “I bet he looks just as stu–“
A metal hand forcefully grabs his neck from behind, and he yells out in pain, letting you go. Once he isn't touching you anymore, ND yanks him away from you and pushes him in the other direction. He rolls over twice on the dusty soil, the reddish hue staining his already dirty clothes, and comes to a stop just by the cliff edge. He spits and looks up, holding the back of his head.
“Y-you kriffing droid! You could have broken my spine!” He motions to stand up but stays on his knees as ND speaks.
“Do not touch my spouse again, final warning.” ND stands in front of you protectively.
“Your-your spouse?” The guy looks at you. “This is your husband?” He laughs with his whole chest, a truly horrendous sound that ends in a coughing fit.
“I did warn you,” you say with a fake smile and stand behind ND, holding onto one of his arms, while his other hand pulls back his coat to reveal the blaster at his hip.
“Leave. Now,” the droid orders.
The guy ignores ND, looking at you as he rises to his feet, massaging his shoulder with a wince.
“There’s no way a droid can keep you satisfied.” He continues blabbering and takes a wobbly step forward. “Why don’t you come with me, a real man–“
There’s the sound of a single blaster shot and the man freezes where he stands, mouth agape and his head tilted back slightly given the impact of the shot right between his eyes. A small trail of smoke spirals from his forehead as his limp body collapses backwards, sliding over the red soil and down the cliff. You hear a faint thud or two as the corpse hits the level below.
ND holsters his blaster and turns towards you the second he’s out of sight.
“Are you okay?” he asks, and his hands hover over your arms as he checks you over.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” you say, letting out a breath of relief. Looking down at your hands, you realise you’re trembling slightly. However, you're unsure if it's because of the fear the situation caused, not knowing what would have happened if ND hadn't been there, or if it's an adrenaline rush, or something else entirely. Whatever it is, a tingly feeling in your gut accompanies it.
You let ND check you over again, and once he's sure you're really okay, he helps you collect the things you bought, which luckily no one tried to steal in the meantime. After getting everything into the ship, you take off into the outer atmosphere and then space. While you put your provisions away, ND makes the jump to hyperspace.
Once you’re done, you fold and put away your bags too, before entering the cockpit. Coming to a stand by ND in the pilot seat, you swivel him around to sit on his lap. He’s used to you doing that, just not while he’s piloting. Still, he lifts his arms to make room for you and lets you get settled.
“Is everything okay?” he asks, looking you over again for any sign of discomfort.
”My knight in shining armour,” you say with a smile, and press a kiss to his cheek. That tingling feeling from before? Yeah, that definitely was no adrenaline rush. You pull back to look at him, holding his face. “You know I don’t condone just killing people, right?”
“I know,” he answers in a gentle tone. “But I don’t think he would have stopped even if–”
“I don’t condone it–” You poke him in the chest. “–but by the maker, that was hot.”
There’s a squeak of ND’s servos as he tilts his head ever so slightly in surprise and probably confusion. You can almost feel his processor needing a second to parse the meaning of your words. However, he doesn’t question it. His arms hug you a little bit tighter.
“You know, it might become a problem,” you say with a mischievous glint in your eyes as you press little kisses to his face as you speak. “I might go looking for trouble more often if it means I get to see you be possessive and protective like that.”
“I always want to protect you, no matter where you are. I hope you know that.”
“I do know.” You give him a genuine smile as you kick your legs dangling off his side. “One of the many reasons I love you.”
You lean in to press another kiss to his metal face, but he slides an arm underneath your legs and the other around your back, effortlessly lifting you with him as he stands up.
“And I can be plenty possessive without needing to involve anyone else.”
Your whole body is set ablaze, and you bite your bottom lip lightly.
“Show me,” you challenge him, and ND turns on his heels to bring you to the couch in the lounging area.
After gently setting you down and taking a seat next to you, he softly presses the front of his face to the side of your throat, releasing a tiny electric spark; the closest he gets to kissing you. You hum at the sensation and look up at him expectantly.
“You are mine,” he says as he runs a finger from your jaw to your heart, and you shiver in anticipation. Ever so gently, he pushes you back to lie on the couch, towering over you. “And I’ll make you forget anyone else who’s ever laid a hand on you.”
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
🐥 taglist: [link to join in my pinned post!] @padawan-solimar, @batboysandgirls, @braveangel783
summary: Gorak has a special assignment for you; ND-5 has a realisation.
relationship: ND-5 x gn!reader
warnings: mention of slavery and slave trading, alcohol, canon-typical violence
word count: 5.6k
A/N: this was meant to be a gorak x reader fic originally (you’ll see soon enough lol) and yes i know the pykes are horrible criminals but as far as syndicates go, they’re my fav 🥺🥺 either way, this ended up being for nd-5 so i hope you’ll like it! it’s very self-indulgent and kinda weird but hey. that’s just my brain 😂 that being said, if you do want some gorak stories… 🤙😉
(english is not my first language. constructive criticism and grammar corrections are very appreciated!)
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
After you helped out Kay Vess with the heist of Sliro’s vault, you didn’t exactly join the Trailblazer crew, but ND-5 and you became quite close. It was also in their best interest to keep you around as a contact person for the Pykes, with you being basically Gorak’s right hand. As one of the most loyal people associated with the syndicate, he appreciates and trusts you. And you trust him.
It’s now some time after everything calmed down again, and Kay is currently on a mission with Gedeek and Ank. ND and you came back from another mission last night, and today your plan is to spend the afternoon somewhere out in the fields of Toshara, enjoying the sun, since you’re still a little sore from yesterday.
There’s a meeting between the Pykes and some other party happening soon, though. This person’s going to come up to Gorak’s suite, above the cantina in Mirogana. Gorak’s people are getting everything ready, and you’re about to gather your stuff to disappear for the next couple of hours so he can have his meeting uninterrupted.
As you’re walking down the hallway to get your things, you feel your chest tighten the slightest bit at the thought of asking ND to join you for a bit of a “day off”. You two have spent more and more time together lately, and you can’t deny you’ve fallen for the droid. And while you’re still not sure how to handle that, you do want to spend more time with him and get to know him better. Maybe even tell him how you feel. You have no idea how to approach the subject with a droid though, so you’ve been taking it slow.
Your train of thought is interrupted as Gorak comes to stand in front of you after you turn a corner, blocking your way.
“There you are,” he says, taking a step back as he was just as startled to run into you. “Where’s that droid of yours?”
“He’s not ‘my’ droid…,” you start, looking away momentarily with the slightest heat burning on your cheeks. “But I was just about to go to him, I think I saw him going to the office upstairs. Why?”
“I could really use him for security today. He’s good at looking intimidating simply by just… standing there.”
“Right,” you stretch out the word, narrowing your eyes at the Pyke leader suspiciously. “Who are you meeting again?”
“Some Nikto that the Hutts are sending,” he says with a dismissive gesture of his hand, then leans in a little bit and lowers his voice. “I don’t trust him.”
“The Hutts, huh. Yeah, you better watch out.” You shake your head slightly, then a lopsided smile forms on your lips as you add in a mocking tone, “And while you’re at it, you might want to get yourself a pretty face or two on a leash, to accommodate to their customs, you know.”
Gorak chuckles, but he goes silent quickly, looking you up and down.
“You doing anything today?” he asks.
“Me? Yeah, right,” you snort, thinking he’s following your joke. He merely raises a brow at you, so you cross your arms in front of your chest, still with a joking tone lacing your voice. “Oh, please. It’d cost you three times my usual fee at least. And for sitting on your lap and feeding you grapes or some kark like that, I’m gonna charge you extra.”
“Deal,” he says, and your face loses all signs of amusement immediately.
“Huh?”
“I’ll have someone bring you a change of clothes. Go,” he says with finality, dismissing you with a nod of his chin, then continues walking, leaving you in the hallway.
You mentally replay the conversation that just took place as you make your way to the office you were initially headed to, hoping to find ND there. Guess your afternoon plans just went out the window now, thanks to your big mouth.
When you arrive, you let your gaze roam over the small space; it’s an office but there’s also a sofa bed which is where you’ve been sleeping. You have a proper little house near Jaunta’s Hope, but sometimes you stay over when you’re too tired to make the trek back or when Gorak needs you nearby.
Here you do find ND, standing by the desk, datapad in hand, reading something. The droid looks up as you walk in, calling your name.
“There you are,” he says. You step up to stand in front of him, looking up at ND while nervously biting your bottom lip.
“What,” he deadpans. You heave a sigh.
“You know, I was planning a relaxing afternoon today out in the fields, maybe get a drink at Jaunta's Hope but, uh, there's been a change of plans.”
He tilts his head slightly, waiting for you to continue.
“Gorak has a meeting in a bit, and asked if we could stay,” you start explaining, intending to ask him to join you for that drink later either way. “You as part of his security detail, just so the Hutts don’t try anything funny. And me, well–“
The door whooshes open, and a Pyke comes in with some folded clothes. He leaves them on the sofa, gives a curt nod, and walks out. ND’s eyes follow the man’s movements intently.
“What’s that?” he asks once the door closes.
“My outfit for tonight,” you grimace.
Walking up to it, you inspect the clothes, consisting of a sleeveless, cropped top, and a very long skirt, but the two slits on each side would expose your legs entirely. The cloth seems soft to the touch at least, even though it’s almost see-through because of how thin it is.
“I’m gonna kill him,” you mutter under your breath, already imagining how Gorak would enjoy putting you through this far too much.
“I wouldn’t have taken this to be your style,” ND adds as he stands behind you, looking over your shoulder at what you’re holding.
“And it isn’t!” you retort, turning around and almost stumbling as you’re standing so close to him. Your heart drums in your chest, both at the situation at hand, but also at the prospect of having to wear this in front of everyone. ND takes a step back to give you some space. “But Gorak, ugh. I talked myself into a deal by mistake, I was just kidding, but that son of a kath hound…”
You know it’s too late to take it back now, and you can already see the pile of credits in your mind’s eye, so with a slump of your shoulders, you give in with a ‘whatever’ muttered under your breath.
Sliding your jacket off your shoulders, you mean to start changing but notice that ND is still standing there. You can’t help the wave of fluster on your face.
“Uhm, would you mind stepping outside, or at least turning around or something.”
“Right,” is all the droid responds, and turns towards the door, making sure it stays closed, but doesn’t exit the room. For some reason that makes you even more nervous.
So you’re quick to change clothes, if that's what this can even be called. It takes a moment or two to figure out how this is even supposed to be worn, which is almost ironic for the little amount of fabric it ends up being. You look down at yourself, far too much skin is exposed for you to feel fully comfortable, but you're too petty to back out now, plus he agreed to your ridiculous fee. So you plan to have a proper vacation with the credits once this is over.
You straighten out the ribbons hanging loosely over your shoulders and put on the golden bracelets, anklets and thin chain necklace.
“You can turn around now,” you say with a shaky breath. And ND does, again just standing there looking at you, without saying anything.
“So, how do I look?” you ask and almost immediately regret it. What answer are you even expecting?
It takes a moment for ND to answer, looking you up and down painfully slowly.
“It’s… certainly different.”
“This is so humiliating,” you say with a groan as you head to the refresher to check your hair and freshen up a bit.
“It looks good, if that's what you want to hear,” you hear ND as he approaches to look at you through the open door.
“It’s not that I want to hear anything in partic–“ You stop yourself mid-sentence, knowing he’s just saying that to be polite, probably. So you give him a warm smile. “Thank you, ND.”
“You look good no matter what you wear,” ND adds just as he’s turning around to leave you to it.
You hold onto the edges of the sink, heat erupting in your face. He doesn't mean it like that, you keep telling yourself. And your heart aches a bit at that. You glare at your reflection in the mirror for letting his comment get to your head.
“Let’s go to the VIP room,” you say as you come out of the refresher once you’re done. “I’m sure Gorak will have a good laugh, and we best get that out of the way before the Hutts get here.”
“What’s this deal about, anyways?” ND asks as he steps back to let you pass.
“I don’t know, actually,” you respond with a shrug of your shoulders. “Guess we’ll ask him now.”
ND walks beside you as you make your way downstairs to Gorak’s meeting room, where there’s a big table. You can already smell the wafts of something delicious in the air; this must be a pretty important deal if he’s going all out like this.
You find the Pyke leader talking to one of his guards. When he hears you enter, he turns around to look at you.
“Hah!” he huffs in a somewhat mocking laugh, approaching you.
“Good to see one of us is having a good time, at least,” you say with a scoff.
Unbeknownst to you, the other Pyke’s eyes linger on you for a moment too long perhaps, and ND takes one more step, blocking you from sight. The guard is quick to exit the room at ND’s intense gaze.
“So, what do you need from us? What’s the plan?” you ask.
“Just some spice deals,” Gorak says as he walks slowly along the table filled with food, inspecting everything. “We’ll probably have to butter him up a bit though, or he’ll try to screw me over.”
“You mean butter up, like…?” You gesture with one closed fist hitting your other hand’s open palm repeatedly.
“No, no,” he says with a smile; he’s not against your idea, but not this time. “Butter up with that.” He points to a little serving cart, filled with several bottles of different shapes, sizes and colours. Ah yes, you think, good ol’ booze.
“You could also let him win a game of sabacc, making him think that he got something extra, like some spotchka or whatever.”
“If I do that, he’ll go tell his friends all about how I’m a pushover.”
You raise your hands in defeat, muttering ‘Just an idea’ under your breath.
“As for you,” Gorak pivots where he stands to look at ND, who’s been standing at your side the whole time. “You just stay around. Blaster visible. He may bring some Gamorrans of his own, but they’ll think it over twice before trying anything if they see you. I’ll have one more guard as well in the room, and more outside.”
“Understood,” ND says with a short nod.
Then Gorak turns to you.
“And you,” he says with a smug grin. “Well. Just stay quiet and play nice.”
You give him a deadpan face, and he chuckles. Another Pyke appears, telling him that the Hutts are here. Gorak takes a seat on one end of the table, and you stand to his left, while ND positions himself behind his chair to his right. One of the helmeted guards with a big staff enters the room, standing next to the droid.
Taking a deep breath, you fold your hands together in front of you. As the Huttese entourage comes in, you try your best to keep your gaze low, merely checking for the most important parts, like giving the Nikto a quick once-over for anything suspicious, as well as his companions. Gorak greets his guest, and they engage in shallow smalltalk, seizing each other up with their eyes. The air is a bit tense, but not dangerously so.
Mirroring the positions of ND and the other Pyke guard, the two Gamorrans, armed with huge axes, stand behind the Nikto, who’s eyeing the droid curiously, but doesn’t say anything. With him also came two Twi’leks, a woman and a man, dressed in similar fashion to you, standing on either side of him, their eyes fixed on the floor. They both hold a camtono each, the cylindrical storage box, and place them at their feet.
Gorak taps your arm and you turn to face him, he gestures to the serving cart. With a curt nod, you walk towards the bottles, preparing two drinks. You decide to start the Nikto off slowly, so you don’t immediately go for the strongest spotchka, pouring two glasses and bringing them to the table. As you place one in front of the guest, he eyes you up and down without discretion, and it takes a whole lot of willpower not to glare back at him.
As you take your place at Gorak’s side again while they start the negotiations, your eyes momentarily meet the Twi’lek woman’s; she narrows her eyes at you for a split second, then looks away.
Well, she knows, you think. And that’s when you realise that you can’t actually be sure if these two are playing the same game as you or not. The clothes don’t leave much to the imagination, so you can see they’re both in shape, especially the man is fairly muscular. Are they just accessories for show, or here in case something goes awry? You truly don’t know.
The negotiations continue, as do the drinks. Every now and then, a servant enters the room with portions of the feast you smelled earlier, making sure that both the Nikto and Gorak’s plates are always full. Meanwhile, you keep pouring several more glasses to both of them, until the Nikto proposes a game of kessel sabacc. You want to give Gorak a ‘told you so’ look, but keep your composure.
The Nikto makes a gesture with his hand, and the female Twi’lek produces a deck of cards and chips from the camtono she brought in. She hands out six chips and three shift tokens to each player, and starts shuffling the cards.
“We could always make things more interesting,” the Nikto says after emptying his glass. His eyes find yours and he shakes the now empty container in his hand to signal he wants a refill, so you go get a bottle.
“Is this your attempt to weasel yourself out of the agreed payment?” Gorak retorts, taking a swig himself.
“Of course not,” the Nikto chuckles dryly, a hint of offence in his eyes. “You’ll get your credits. But why not have some fun before that? I came all this way, after all.”
“Of course,” Gorak says. “Do you have anything in mind?”
Just as you’re pouring the drink, the Nikto points at you with a sneer.
“How about this one?”
The bottle trembles in your hands only ever so slightly, the tip hitting the rim of the glass with a soft ‘clink’.
“Not for sale,” Gorak responds without hesitation, and you have to remind yourself to keep acting calmly as you put away the bottle.
“C’mon, I’ll throw in both of mine,” he insists, pointing to the Twi’leks. There’s no hint of remorse in his sand coloured face when he talks about two sentient beings like he’s trading sacks of grain.
Gorak hums, bringing one of his hands to his chin in thought.
You can’t be seriously considering that, you think, alarmed. You hear one of ND’s servos moving, but stay still, not looking up. The Nikto eyes the droids suspiciously, as do the Gamorrands behind him, then he brings his attention back to Gorak.
“Well?”
Gorak looks at the two Twi’leks; they seem unfazed by the exchange taking place.
“This one’s my personal favourite, so I won't go easy on you,” the Pyke finally says, nodding to the Twi’lek to start handing out the cards.
I’m gonna kill him.
Then he leans back in his seat, moving one leg to the side and patting his thigh as he looks at you.
Oh he’s enjoying this. He’s so dead.
You try your best to keep your face neutral as you sit sideways on Gorak’s lap, your right arm draping over his shoulders as his left arm goes around your waist, holding the cards up with his other hand on the table.
You dare a quick glance in ND’s direction, over Gorak’s shoulder, but the droid is still standing as you last saw, eerily still, looking ahead, one hand on his hip to pull back the coat, blaster visible.
It’s not the first time you’ve been present when Gorak plays, so you know his tactics, often aiding him in some way to tip the odds in his favour. The way you’re sitting right now though, he merely gestures with his chin or gives quick commands on what his plays are, and your free hand is the one to draw and discard cards.
In the third and final turn of this round, Gorak’s left hand, out of view from the Nikto by the table’s edge, taps you on your hip; he wants you to double draw.
“Sand,” he mutters, referring to the yellow cards. As you stretch out your arm to take a card from the draw pile, you look up at the Nikto, and luckily he’s looking at your face, so you put on your best flustered face, holding his gaze, as you quickly grab two cards, hoping that his guards didn’t see. But they seem almost bored by now, probably having a staring contest with the two behind you. The Twi’leks you know are unlikely to speak up.
Bringing the cards back to your end of the table, you skillfully place them in Gorak’s hand. They’re quite large, perfectly hiding the second card, which you tuck into his sleeve with practiced ease.
The game seems to go on forever, and not many words are exchanged, aside from the occasional grunt and curse word.
Gorak loses the first two rounds, barely winning the third and then gaining on the Nikto with the use of a last minute shift token. The extra card you pulled at the start comes in clutch too, and Gorak ends up winning by just one point’s difference. Again you have to physically refrain yourself from reacting, this time a big sigh of relief. You were starting to get a little worried at the end there.
Not that anyone would be able to “buy” you or anything; you’d play along with them until the credits were secured, and at some point would escape, but it’d sure get messy and you’d probably end up killing the Gamorrans, maybe even the Nikto himself. You just wanted a relaxing afternoon, for kriff’s sake!
After the game is over, it’s time for the actual transaction. The Nikto does not look pleased with himself, nor does he look disappointed to have just lost two companions. The thought brings a knot to your gut, knowing that to him, these two are nothing more than objects to be traded or sold off.
Unless of course, they're spies, and this was the plan all along? You can feel a headache coming already.
Gorak tells you to stand back up just as the Twi’lek man crouches down and picks up the second camtono. Now the air changes again, tensions rising. The Gamorrans’ eyes dart from Gorak to ND to the Pyke guard, back and forth.
“Your credits,” the Nikto says with disdain, gesturing to the container still in the Twi’lek’s arms. “Now, tell your people to load up my spice.”
“Credits first, spice later,” Gorak retorts. The Nikto narrows his eyes at the Pyke.
“At the same time, then?” he proposes.
Gorak huffs with a slight shake of his head in annoyance, extending a hand out, where the Pyke guard behind him places a comlink, then quickly gets back in position.
“Load it up,” Gorak commands into the device, then puts it in his pocket. “Now, the credits.”
The Nikto nods at the Twi’lek who steps towards you, so you take the camtono from him, caught off guard by how heavy it is, and you quickly place it on the table.
“Open it,” Gorak orders, never breaking eye contact with the Nikto.
You turn the handle at the top, the container hisses, and the sides fall open like big petals of a flower, revealing the credits inside, which partially spill out onto the table.
The Nikto’s comlink crackles with static in his chest pocket.
“The shipment is secured, boss,” voice says in Huttese.
“Well, it’s been a pleasure doing business with you, Gor–“ The Nikto starts with a mocking grin, but the Pyke interrupts him.
“We’re not done yet.”
He calls ND over to him with his hand. The Nikto straightens up in his seat, shifting nervously.
“46 000 Imperial credits,” the droid announces.
Gorak turns to the Nikto with a frown, deeper than usual.
“We said 50.”
“But–“
“You’re lucky I'm feeling particularly nice today, so I’m giving you one more chance. Don’t waste it.”
Your whole body tenses up, gaze still trained on the pile of credits on the table. Your eyes dart to the side, where the Gamorrans’ knuckles tighten around their weapons, waiting for their boss to give the order to strike. As you know, there’s a dozen Pyke guards on the other side of the wall, waiting for the same thing.
The Nikto considers his options for a moment, his eyes darting around the room. Calculating any possible exit. But Gorak’s patience is wearing thin, so he stands up and motions to grab the comlink from his pocket, but the Nikto also rises to his feet, and ND pulls his blaster out in the blink of an eye, aiming at him.
“Wait, wait!” he says with raised hands, cowering slightly. “Here.”
He opens the other camtono, revealing a handful of credits hidden underneath the sabacc cards. He throws them onto the table, and you quickly retrieve them.
“Four thousands,” you say after quickly counting them, and place them with the rest, shoving everything back into the camtono to close it.
“Do not try that again, final warning,” Gorak says menacingly as he points at the Nikto with an accusing finger. Then his stance relaxes a bit and he makes a dismissive hand gesture. “Now get out of my sight.”
He motions for ND to lower his weapon and he does, but doesn’t holster it yet.
The Nikto stands up straight, adjusting his jacket by the lapels with a huff, then mumbles something in Huttese under his breath which you don’t quite catch, but it probably wasn't anything nice. He grabs the second camtono, and hurries out of the room, followed closely by his guards as well as the Pyke escort, whom Gorak instructs to accompany all the way to their ship.
He also calls another guard to him, who takes the camtono away to safely store it. Now you allow yourself to heave a big sigh, and Gorak turns to the two Twi’leks, still in the corner, waiting for instructions.
“Now what will I do with you two,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest as if coming up with some horrible fate.
“Gorak,” you call him softly. When his eyes meet yours, you’re giving him a look he knows all too well; it’s the same look you gave him when you encountered a wounded robuma and insisted on bringing it to a veterinarian instead of just letting nature take its course.
He rolls his eyes (or at least you think that’s what it is; with just one good eye and no visible sclera, it’s hard to tell sometimes), and his arms fall back to his sides.
“Fine, they’re free to go,” he waves his hand, and another guard appears. You instruct him to take them upstairs, you’ll be there shortly. As they’re leaving, Gorak continues, “But anything you want to set them up with will come out from your cut.”
“Sure. And even after I get the rest of my money, you still owe me for this little stunt,” you step up to him, poking him in the chest. “I’m never doing something like this again.”
He laughs as you shake your head in disbelief.
“You did well, though.” He’s about to place a hand on your shoulder, but a metallic hand intercepts him.
“That’s quite enough.”
Gorak looks up at him with a mix of genuine surprise and amusement.
“Don’t worry, droid. I can take a hint. I’ll leave you to it then,” he says, then turns to you. “Whatever you want for the Twi’leks, let me know. I just want them gone by tonight, they’re not staying here.”
“Yeah, thought as much.” You look down at yourself and grimace , suddenly feeling self-conscious again. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go put on some real clothes now.”
ND gingerly places an arm around your shoulder, guiding you towards the staircase, but you turn around one more time.
“Gorak,” you call and he stops in his tracks to look at you. “How did you know you’d win the sabbac game?”
He gives you a smirk and a shrug.
“I didn’t.” With that, he turns back around and leaves the room.
“He was totally gonna sell me off to the Hutts,” you say in disbelief, your huff turning into a chuckle at how insane the whole idea is.
After changing into your normal clothes, you take care of the Twi’leks, who turn out to be siblings. You give them a change of clothes, some rations and essential equipment as well as credits for transport, then see them off at the Mirogana port.
ND was at your side the whole time, and by the time you two finally make it to Jaunta’s Hope, it’s late. The droid is walking you to your house, but as you walk by the diner, you stop.
“You know, all I wanted to do today was have some good food, a drink, and take in the sun.”
“You can still go for that drink,” ND suggests, his head craning towards the diner momentarily, then back to you.
You look up at him, observing for a moment how the blue light of the neon signs reflects on his face. You do want to ask him to join you. But you’re not sure if you have the mental capacity for that right now. So you turn your gaze away with a sigh, one hand coming up to your opposite shoulder to massage it a bit.
“Nah, it’s late,” you say. “Too much unexpected action today. It wasn’t physically demanding, but I feel drained nonetheless.” You look up at ND, who resumes walking at your side and a chuckle escapes you. “Sometimes I wish I was a droid, you never get tired. I can’t imagine what that’s like. You must be so productive.”
ND considers your words for a moment. He stops in his tracks and extends one of his arms before you, and you come to a halt as well. Just in time too, as a speeder flies past, way too fast for being inside the settlement. You shake your head slightly at the irresponsible driver, and you both resume walking.
“It has its good and bad sides,” he continues the conversation. “I may not get tired, but there’s other things that organics can do that I can’t.”
“Like what?”
“Get drunk, for instance,” he retorts, and you snort. “Even though I don’t see the appeal nor do I understand the purpose of voluntarily harming one’s body to the point of being unfunctional for a full day.”
“Yeah, I don’t really get that one either,” you say.
“Another thing I can’t do is, as you put it, take in the sun.”
You furrow your brows in confusion as you look up to him.
”Of course you can,” you retort.
“Yes, I can, technically speaking, sit where the sun is shining. But you feel joy and peace when you do that.”
That comment takes you off-guard.
“How would you know that I feel at peace then?”
“I… have watched you.”
“Oh.”
You’re silent the rest of the walk to your door. You’re tired and want nothing more than to say your goodbyes quickly so you can climb into your bed. But the desire to spend more time with ND, even if just seconds, is stronger. You also want to give him the chance to continue his earlier reasoning about watching you. Why would he do that? And why does he bring it up now? To keep stalling, you bring your attention to the flower pot by the door, fidgeting with the petals like you’re fixing them up, hoping that you can think of something to say, but he speaks first.
“You know I wouldn’t have let them take you, right?” he suddenly says. You stop your movements, slowly turning around back to him.
“What do you mean?” you ask.
“The Hutts,” ND explains, his gaze turned to the side. “Sabacc game or not, I wouldn’t have let them take you with them. I was ready to take care of all of them.” You hear his servos shift a bit as he looks back up to you. “Even if that would sour your relationship with Gorak, I would never let anyone hurt you, or put their hands on you.”
Your mouth opens to say something but nothing comes out. Whatever comment he might have had about today’s events, this is not what you expected. You take in a shaky breath, feeling your heart pounding against your ribcage once again.
He doesn’t mean it like that, you remind yourself.
“Well, I appreciate you having my back, ND.”
“Always.”
You just look at each other for a moment, and when nothing else follows, you motion to open your door.
“Wait.” ND’s metallic hand comes to rest on the outside of your arm, and any trace of grogginess that you were feeling vanishes instantly. “I’m not… communicating this properly.”
“Communicating what?” you ask, almost breathless.
“I don’t understand the appeal of sitting in the sun, especially for a being without photosynthesis,” he starts, and you tilt your head in confusion. What is he getting at? “But I can see how you feel when you do it. Joy, peace, calm. I may not be able to take in the sun, but… I can take you in. You are the sun I bask in.”
“Wha-“
“This has become clear to me when I saw you with Gorak today.”
Your heart rate spikes dangerously.
“ND, are you saying… you were jealous today?”
He thinks for a moment, as if calculating if that word properly fits what he’s trying to describe.
“Yes,” he finally says.
You’re unable to respond, your brain going at a million miles, trying to comprehend what he’s just confessed to you. Given your silence, ND retracts his hand, taking a step back.
“If that was inappropriate , I apologise–“
“No!” you say, perhaps a bit too loudly, so you clear your throat and adjust your tone. “No, not at all. I’m just… surprised. But it’s a good surprised. Because if I understood you correctly, then I feel the same way about you.”
You take his hand in yours, and he lets you.
“It’s already late but maybe, tomorrow we can do what I had planned today, and go out to one of the hills in Mirogana Valley where there’s a spot with a really nice view. And there we can keep talking about this. Us.”
“I would like that.”
You can’t help the smile that spreads on your face. A tired smile, but full of warmth.
”Okay, see you tomorrow then,” you say, giving his hand one last squeeze and letting go. “And thank you for telling me.”
“Good night,” ND says, about to turn around to leave.
“ND, wait,” you call out and he turns back to face you. You can feel a rush of heat on your face, but you don’t care. “Actually, here’s one more thing I can do that droids can’t. Can you lean down a little for me?”
He does, his face coming down to eye-level with yours, and you place a quick kiss to where his cheek would be.
When he straightens back up, you smile sheepishly as you look to the side.
“Then again, I don’t even know if you felt that at all.”
His hand, impossibly gentle, comes up to your chin to make you look up at him.
“I did.” He pauses. “Good night. See you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow, ND.”
He waits until you’re inside, then you hear his metallic steps as he leaves.
On one hand, you’re still mad at Gorak for putting you through what he did today. On the other hand, you might have to go back to the cantina tomorrow to thank him.
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
🐥 taglist: [link to join in my pinned post!] @padawan-solimar, @batboysandgirls, @braveangel783
summary: after thinking they’d never meet again, reader reunites with ND-5.
relationship: ND-5 x gn!reader
warnings: canon-typical violence, mention of (canon) character death, slight spoilers, reader has a massiff :D
word count: 5.3k
A/N: sorry for the lame title sfhddjkfh it’s been a while since i’ve finished the game but the brainrot’s still going strong. nd is so hot and for what 😩 enjoy<3 (also i love the pykes and kessel sabacc so much aa,, i’m on excellent reputation with all 4 groups tho, what about you?)
(english is not my first language. constructive criticism and grammar corrections are very appreciated!)
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
“Sylop sabacc,” you exclaim as you show your cards, winning the game. The other players around the table groan in defeat as you shovel the credits in the middle towards yourself, stuffing it all into your pockets. With a mischievous snicker, you give a two finger salute, and they roll their eyes playfully. Calling your massiff Nugs (short for Sir Cuddle Nugget I), to follow you, you walk out of the Pyke’s card room. You head to Makal’s cantina to get a drink now that you have some extra credits on you.
Once there, you sit down at the bar. You don’t need to say anything and your drink of choice is immediately placed in front of you. Being on excellent terms with the Pykes certainly has its perks. Nugs settles at your feet as you take a sip of the tall glass, scanning the place for any familiar and unfamiliar faces. Not long after you arrived, you hear someone ask the bartender to go see Gorak. She replies that no one can get in without an invite, and the stranger smugly announces she’s got a VIP invite right here. You can’t help the little snort that escapes you, and the bartender explains to the newcomer that she just got swindled.
“But,” the bartender adds as she dries another spotchka glass. “There might be someone who can actually get you an invite.” She shoots you a discreet look and you give her a short nod, then take another sip of your drink.
The bartender gestures to you with her chin, and the newcomer woman takes a seat on the stool next to yours at the bar.
”So, what business do you have with Gorak?” you ask, your eyes giving her a once-over, then landing on her companion currently perched on her shoulders. “You’re not from around here, are you? I would remember your cute little friend here. It’s not every day you see a merqaal.”
The creature trills happily, walking down the woman’s arm onto the bar and sniffing your extended hand, then letting you give him some chin scritches. There’s a grumble from underneath, and both the woman and the creature look down to see Nugs, who’s been lying at your feet. He stretches with a yawn and looks up at the little critter with a head tilt.
”Oh don’t get jealous, Nugs,” you say, giving the reptilian hound a couple pats on its flank. Directing your attention back to the small creature, you ask, “And what’s your name?”
”This is Nix,” the woman says, and Nix trills again, hopping down the counter to greet Nugs properly as well. “I’m Kay, Kay Vess, and I need to see Gorak for… a job opportunity.”
You tell her your name as well, and take another sip of your drink, slightly narrowing your eyes at her.
“What you mean is you need a job,” you implicitly ask, and she gives you a reluctant nod. “Well, I can take you to Gorak, but–“
”If you want credits, I just got swindled by someone who also told me he could get me in, so no thank you.”
”I heard. You really need to be more careful, but look, you can trust me.” Running your fingers over the chain hidden underneath your shirt collar, you find the two charms attached to it. One you push back, and the other one you hold up to show her: the Pyke syndicate insignia, clearly stamped on the round piece of metal. Then you tuck it away again. “You’re lucky, I’m feeling generous today, and Nix might have helped as well. I’ll take you to Gorak.”
”Right, but nothing is for free,” Kay says with a huff and leans onto the bar with one arm. “So, what do you want?”
You give a light shrug, downing the rest of your drink and leaving some credits on the counter, which the bartender is quick to swipe into her pockets.
“Let’s just stay in touch, Kay Vess. One can always use a favour out here, and I feel like we’ll be seeing more of each other,” you propose, and you exchange comlink channels. Getting off your seat, Nugs is quick to heel at your side, following closely. You prompt Kay to follow you, and take her to the turbolift that goes directly into Gorak’s suite.
As you arrive at the top floor, an Imperial officer seems to just have been shot by one of Gorak’s people, and the Pyke leader is ordering them to take him away. Staying further back, you gesture for Kay to go to him. She introduces herself, and Gorak seems amused by both Nix and her boldness. Then she makes the mistake to say that Waka sent her. You wince slightly at the mention of his name.
The Rodian is also a mechanic, like you are at heart, and you’ve both worked together on several pieces of machinery. That is, until he sent you to steal some parts from an Imperial outpost, claiming it was currently unguarded, which obviously wasn’t true. He ended up scurrying away with the parts, while you were left as bait, barely managing to escape.
Gorak’s smile, if you can even call it that, immediately vanishes from his face at the mention of the Rodian. He sends Kay away with an annoyed sigh, and you join her again on the turbolift back down.
”I should have known Waka is scheming something and roping people in again,” you sigh, leaning against the wall. “Word of advice: be careful with him.”
“Right,” Kay says, shaking her head at how that interaction went.
The turbolift comes to a halt and the doors swoosh open. You see Danka, the Mon Calamari and local broker, standing by a pillar.
“And hey,” you say, nudging Kay’s elbow and pointing in Danka’s direction. “If it’s jobs you need, you can always go to her. And if I hear of anything, I’ll get in touch.”
You say your goodbyes, giving Nix also one last pat on the head, then watch as Kay goes to Danka. She’ll probably be explaining her how the underworld works around here.
— — —
A couple of days later you’re at the Pyke workshop working as usual. One of the Pykes, once known to be a smuggler, has asked for several speeders to be ready for the afternoon. You already finished checking on them to make sure everything works, so you’re working on your own project.
You overhear some hushed conversations from where you’re kneeling on the floor by some machinery, out of view. You peek over the top to see someone hurry out of the office, and it strikes you as odd, but you don’t pay much mind to it. A group arrives at the hangar and gets onto the speeders you readied, taking off.
Unable to get the machinery working the way you want, you let go of your tool with a frustrated sigh, and it lands on the floor with a clatter. Getting up to your feet, you decide to listen in to comm chatter instead, which is something you often do on slow days. Sitting down on a nearby crate, you start flicking between channels. There’s nothing out of the oridnary, until you intercept some Crimson Dawn chatter. They’re apparently about to meet with some Pykes for a deal, but bringing more people and blasters than was previously agreed upon. You don’t catch the whole message though, as there’s some interference.
You’re about to contact the Pyke that left earlier with the group to warn them of a possible ambush, but as you’re adjusting your instruments, you find that someone else is listening in, and you isolate the frequency. It’s quite tricky though, they seem to know what they’re doing. But you’re not being careful enough, you think to yourself with a mischievous smile. It’s quick to disappear though when you manage to clean it up and see the number on your display. Your breath involuntarily hitches as you read it again, digit by digit. It’s not only a familiar code, but also one that you know by heart.
If he is listening in, then there must be more to it. Since there’s not much else for you to do right now, you decide to go check it out. Hopping onto your own modified speeder, you’re sure you’ll make it in time, as with this one you can go much faster than the other ones who left earlier.
“C’mon Nugs,” you call out to your massiff, and he eagerly hops into the extra pod attached to the back of your seat.
Revving up your engine, you head out, checking the dots on your holomap. After all, a good mechanic always puts a tracker on all their vehicles, lest they get stolen and you can’t recover the parts. Also, this particular guy happens to be on Gorak’s list of people to keep a closer eye on.
You follow the dot until it doesn’t move anymore, and find yourself southwest of the workshop on a hill. You park a little farther away and get off the speeder.
”Stay close and low,” you command your massiff, and he grunts in acknowledgement, falling in behind you, lowering his body as much as his legs would allow while still walking.
Approaching a row of boulders, you hide behind them, already hearing some voices. You peek from around the rocky wall, and quickly scan the scene in front of you: the group of Pykes you saw earlier are here now, weapons in hand, as they stand in front of some Crimson Dawn people.
From the side, Kay Vess approaches, followed by…
Your heart skips several beats at the sight, and you don’t even hear what the conversation is, as your whole focus is on ND-5, whom you were sure you’d never see again.
“Typical Pykes!” one of the Crimson Dawn says suddenly, grabbing her blaster from the holster. “You’re trying to double deal!”
Before you can even process it, a shootout starts. It’s an all against all, and as you fully hide again behind the rock, you weigh out your options. It’s like you’re glued to the ground, unable to move. It doesn't take long until it’s over though, and you peek from around your hiding place again.
“Okay, wasn’t expecting them all to try and kill us,” Kay says as she puts her blaster away, then turns to ND-5. “Thanks for the help.”
“If you died, Jaylen would be mad,” he replies matter-of-factly. Of course it’s still Jaylen pulling the strings, you think and bitterly smile to yourself. “Now let’s go get the bivalve Danka wants.”
You watch as they check the speeders, and Kay seems to have found a message that someone explicitly said to not bring the clam to the meeting place. ND-5 suggests going to the Pyke chop shop to check if they left the thing there, as that’s probably where they came from. He inspects one of the speeders and stares perhaps a second too long at the welding on the handlebar. In your heart, you wonder if he might have recognised your handiwork. And if he did… how did he feel about it?
Taking one more look around with a sigh, Kay says she’ll go to the workshop to find the aforementioned clam, and ND-5 agrees, saying he will stay back to take care of the mess and the speeders.
This might as well be your cue, then. Coming out of your hiding spot, you make yourself known, Nugs at your side.
”If you try to infiltrate the workshop you’ll get yourself killed, Kay,” you remark, and both of them turn to you in suprise at someone else’s presence, both of them reaching for their blasters. You stop in your tracks, raising your hands in surrender. “Whatever it is you’re looking for, I can get it for you.”
ND-5 calls your name as if the word just occurred to him after a long time, and your chest tightens in slight pain as you realise how much you’ve missed the way your name sounds in his voice. You and the droid look at each other for a long, silent moment, Kay’s eyes going from on to the other and back.
“Hey ND. It’s been a while,” you say, the shudder in your voice impossible to hide. Involuntarily you bring your hand over your chest, feeling the necklace under your shirt. One of the charms on the chain is the Pyke insignia you showed Kay, but the other one is a piece of ND-5’s.
» 2 years ago «
Jaylen found you and hired you for a job, which went really well, so you hung around with them for a little more as they could still use you, and you got a decent pay. In that time, ND and you got closer, and you found yourself completely smitten with the droid.
ND and you get sent to a stake-out. It’s gonna take an hour or so until the person you need arrives, but you had to get there early as the place would soon be swarmed by the target’s hired guns, and getting in after that would be very difficult if not nearly impossible.
So you hide in a rundown attic of an abanoned house where a trade-off would take place. You're here for both the equipment being sold as well as a keycard that the target always has on his person. One of the walls in the attic has completely crumbled, so you hide in one corner of the rather small room, the light flooding in, soon to be gone as the day comes to an end.
Nugs lies with his head on your lap, and you absentmindedly pet his scaly head. With your head leaning back onto the wall, you sigh, knowing that the wait is the most boring part of any mission. Turning to ND who’s sitting next to you, you find him already looking at you, and you can’t help the heat prickling at your cheeks. You don’t look away though, your eyes scanning his metal face, then travelling down to his chest. He’s had that scar ever since you met. He hasn’t told you what caused it, and refused your offer to repair it every time. He wears the big coat (who knows where he got that from) to hide some of his battle damage, but the scar on his chest he seems to wear with pride, almost. Right next to it is, of course, the ever present restraining bolt. You frown.
”What,” he says.
”What, what?” you retort.
“You’re staring.”
“So are you?” you answer with a cheeky smile. ND holds your gaze one more second, then looks away, his sight falling onto your hand, scatching Nugs’s head.
You remember how distrustful Nugs was of ND at the start, understanding that the droid was autonomous, but there was something different about him. And who knows what he smelled on that coat. Maybe a previous owner? Their pet?
“You know, he’s warmed up to you quite nicely now,” you say, smiling to yourself. You take ND’s hand in yours without really thinking anything of it, placing it on Nugs’s head, whose big head still lies on your lap, snoozing happily. At the change of pressure, he opens one eye to look up, then closes it again with a content huff.
Slowly, ND starts moving his hand back and forth, as he’s seen you do many times, and knows that’s how Nugs likes it. You weren’t really expecting ND to give in like that. Sure, he never shoos Nugs away, but he hasn’t ever particulary shown interest in befriending the massiff either. So your brows rise slightly in suprise, and you look up at ND.
“So, how does it feel?” you ask him after a moment.
“How does what feel?” He lifts his head to look at you, hand still gently moving over the scaly skin.
”A massiff,” you clarify, tilting your head a bit as this is something you’ve been wondering for a while now. “I mean, how can you feel? Do you feel? Tactile things, that is.” You also bring your hand to Nugs, letting your fingertips travel from the snout to the muscular neck. “I can feel how thick his skin is, the little bumps, the scales, the spikes. Can you also perceive things like that through touch?”
“It’s more visual information than tactile, I suppose,” he answers. “I do perceive changes of pressure, translating into the general shape of something. But I cannot perceive textures to the extent human fingertips can.”
You hum, biting the inside of your cheek.
”That’s kind of sad. There’s so much you’re missing out on,” you say, looking up at him. “Maybe I can describe something to you?”
”Like what?”
You know he’s just humouring you at this point, since there’s not much else to do while you two wait for the target to arrive. Taking a quick look over your shoulder through the opening in the wall, you see that there’s more henchmen than there were when you first arrived, but you’re both still out of view, and the sunlight has disappeared almost entirely behind the horizon.
Scanning the room, you know that if you stand up to get some of the junk scattered around or send Nugs to retrieve it, there’s a chance people outside will see you. So you settle on what’s right next to you.
“You, for example,” you say, bringing both your hands to his chest and closing your eyes. Your fingers trace the edges of his chest, sliding down to the pieces that make up his abdomen. “The metal is hard but not entirely smooth, I can feel the ridges where the different sections interlock, and there’s small scratches all over, which I probably can’t even really see.” Your hands travel further down, coming to a stop right above his hip, and you feel ND straighten up ever so slighlty. Your hands run his body back up. “You’d think you’d be cold to the touch, but you’re not as icy as I thought. I can also feel the faintest vibrations from your core processor all over.” Your hands land back on his chest, over his scar. “Almost like you have a heartbeat.”
One of your hands moves to the side, tracing over the restraining bolt, and ND’s hand immediately shoots up to grab your forearm, pushing you away. Nugs’ head perks up at the sudden movement, carefully eyeing the droid’s grip, but you place your free hand on his head to reassure him.
“Stop–“ ND sounds like he wants to say something different, but the next words come out monotonous, like he’s just repeating a memorised phrase. “You know I can’t allow anyone near the bolt. If you try to tamper with it, I will have to terminate you.”
You smile rather sadly, retrieving your hand as he lets go of you.
“Right, sorry,” you mutter, then heave a sigh. In a small voice, you ask, “Don’t you wonder though?”
”About what?” ND asks after a moment, signaling that he’s giving you a chance to change the topic. But you don’t.
”About what you’d do, be able to do, if you didn’t have that,” you explain, pointing at the offending round piece of metal.
“There is no wondering,” he says. “Only the current state of things and Jaylen’s orders.”
Another silence.
You’re about to ask if he wants to try to describe something to you this time, when you hear a commotion outside. Carefully getting up to your knees, you peek around the broken wall. It seems the target is about to arrive, so all three of you get into position to sneak out of your hiding place.
The mission itself goes smoothly, you manage to retrieve what you need with almost no collateral damage, except for a handful of guards you had to take out. It’s only when you’re already escaping the area that you come across a henchman that was positioned a little further away. The Trandoshan is several heads taller than you, and built like a wardrobe. You didn’t see him, as he appeared from behind a nook in the cavern-like tunnel you had to cross to get away. With a vibroblade in his hand, he swings to stab you, and before you can even react and dodge, ND-5 positions himself between you and the aggressor, the blade hitting his back and getting lodged in it. You can hear the man’s screams as Nugs bites into his leg. ND pushes you back by your shoulders, then quickly turns around and in one swift move draws his blaster, hitting the trandoshan right in the heart. A trail of smoke comes out of his gun as the now dead man falls on the ground with a thud. The massiff only lets go when you command him to.
“ND, the knife!” you say as you turn towards the droid, trying to reach up to pull out the blade from his body, but ND claims there’s no time, seeing as a horde of now very angry bandits, who realised their ware is missing, are coming towards you with their weapons drawn. So ND pushes you in front of him and all three of you make a hasty exit on your speeders.
It’s only when you’re back on the ship that you finally get the droid to sit down and let you look. It takes some effort, but you manage to dislodge the knife. The green fabric now has a hole, which you can sew, so that’s not the problem here. You push down his coat, over his shoulders and half-way down his arms to examine the damage, getting some of your tools together.
”Well, you’re lucky the knife didn’t get any of your vital systems,” you announce. “It looks like it cut into your back and then pushed outwards, so there’s this almost loose piece of metal. I think it’s better if I just cut it off and weld it closed with a new piece, it’s too bent to properly put it back in place.”
ND lets you do your thing, talking to Jaylen on the holo while you work, reporting back to him about the mission. You’re not really listening as you focus on patching ND back up. Just as you said, you cut off the piece of bent metal, no bigger than a coin, and put it aside. Looking through the pile of spare pieces of metal scavenged all around the galaxy you keep for repairs, you choose an appropriate piece, using it to patch the hole in ND’s back, welding it all together. It’s only after you take off your protective visor and examine your handiwork that you realise it’s vaguely heart-shaped, and you have to bite back the silly grin threatening to sperad on your face, which jaylen would be able to see from where you stand. Picking up the shard that came off, a piece of original Clone Wars era bodywork if you will, you examine it in your hand, turning it around, and lo and behold, it also looks a little heart-shaped. Unable to help yourself, you put it into your pocket.
After the conversation with Jaylen is over and ND is on his feet again, he moves to the cockpit to enter the coordinates for the meeting place, but you stop him before he can do so.
“Hey ND,” you start, and from where he sits on the pilot seat, he looks over to you. “You saved my life today.”
”I have on several occasions,” he retorts, and you chuckle.
“I know, you really have,” you say thinking back to all the missions where he had indeed saved your bacon more than once. “But you never got actually hurt like today. You didn’t have to use yourself as a shield, you know.”
”Jaylen’s orders are to keep you alive. We don’t have a medic but we do have a mechanic, so this was the best course of action.”
“Yeah, well, still,” you say, placing your hand over his. “Thank you. Really.”
“Any time,” he says, and you feel like it sounds suprisingly genuine.
Your trip through memory lane is cut short by the sting of pain in your heart. Yes, you’ve been wearing that piece of metal on your necklace as a way to remember ND. In your delusion, you thought that maybe that would leave you two connected, the charm and his matching welded patch. Maybe you’d be able to remove his restraining bolt, then you could tell him how you really felt. But that never happened.
“So, you two know each other?” Kay asks, looking back and forth between the two of you.
“Yes,” ND answers, quickly mentioning how in the past you’ve worked with him and Jaylen for a short time.
“Huh, it sure is a small galaxy,” Kay says, still eyeing ND supsiciously, then turning to you. “Either way, you said you can get the clam?”
“If it’s at the workshop, I can get it, yes,” you reply, crossing your arms over your chest with a playful smile. “But you already know: nothing comes for free.”
“Right,” Kay sighs, scratching the back of her neck, then placing her hands on her hips. “How much?”
You shake your head.
”Not credits,” you say, and she rises a brow in confusion. “I want in.”
— — —
After retrieving the clam, Kay and ND bring you to the Trailblazer. You whistle at the sight of the ship.
”Damn,” you say, taking her in in all her glory as you stand outside. “What a beauty. I can’t believe Waka isn’t already all over her, he’d love to work on this one for sure.”
Kay looks to the side as Nix chirps softly. You turn to her.
“Waka did work on the Trailblazer,” she starts. “He’s actually the one that got her to fly. But he’s, uh, dead now.”
“Oh”, you simply say, contemplatig that for a moment. “Well, he had it coming I guess. Too bad though, the guy really was good at this. Would have loved to learn a couple more things from him.”
With that, you enter the ship, quickly examining the inside, mainly the workbench. You can tell this was once the ship of someone well off, given the wooden floors in the sleeping and lounge areas, the full kitchen, and the big couch by the window.
ND calls everyone into the cockpit, where Jaylen is already on the holo.
”We picked someone up that wasn’t planned,” ND reports, taking a step to the side to let Jaylen see you. You give a nod of acknoledgement as he greets you in his usual, slightly fake-charming way; Jaylen and you never really saw eye to eye, and you mainly just stayed with them for ND, in the hopes of being able to free him from his “owner”. ND continues, “I think it would be wise to have a skilled mechanic around. The connections to the Pykes might also prove useful.”
“What’s the score anyways?” you ask, trying to not let ND’s comment affect you too much, both his calling you skilled and the fact that he’s the one suggesting to keep you around. Jaylen goes on to tell you about Sliro’s vault and the hundred millions worth of unmasked beskar plates. At that, you perk up. “Beskar? You know I’ve been trying to get my hands on some forever.”
And it’s true, you’ve always been interested in working with the Mandalorian metal, but especially after the indcident with ND and the vibroblade, you’d joke around that one day if you found enough beskar, you’d redo his whole exterior, and he’d be virtually indestructible. Except that you were completely serious. And now there’s a chance you might be able to do it. As for ND, he never agreed but he also never denied your proposition. So that’s still a “maybe”, right?
“I’m definitely in,” you announce, looking up at ND with a smile, happy that you get to spend time with the droid again after being apart for so long, promising to yourself that this time, you’d get that bolt off of him or die trying. He looks back at you, his chin tilting up ever so slightly as if he was about to say something, but nothing comes out. His head turns back to Jaylen, then he steps away.
After ending the holo call with Jaylen, Kay brings you up to speed regarding the other contracts and jobs she’s currently in, and she says it’s time to meet with Danka to hand her the clam you swiped earlier from the Pykes. Initially, only Kay and ND were going to go, but you tag along, “just in case” you said. But you know why you’re here.
Making your way to the bar in Jaunta’s hope, ND warns Kay about not trusting Danka. Whatever VIP room she’s waiting in, droids aren’t allowed, so you wait with ND in one of the booths while Kay goes in to finish the deal.
“So, how have you been?” you ask him, scooting into the seat, with Nugs next to you and ND on the other side of the table, facing you. He’s leaning forward slightly, elbows on the table.
“Normal,” he retorts. “Why would I have been anything else?”
“It’s called smalltalk,” you say, leaning your chin on your hands as you look at him perhaps a little too lovestruck. Oh, how you’ve missed this banter. “Especially after not seeing each other for quite some time.”
Given his lack of response, you lean back up into your seat with a smile.
”This is the moment where you ask me back.”
He tilts his head ever so slightly.
“How… have you been?” he asks.
”It’s been a pretty wild ride, but I’ve been well all things considered,” you answer, pausing for a moment. “I did miss you, though.”
ND looks down at the table between you two. He doesn’t answer, and for a moment you're scared he’ll get up and leave, or scold you, but instead, he looks back up to you. The red light of his core blinks out of rhythm a couple of times through the scar in his chest, and once again he looks like he wants to say something, but can’t. You look down at the restraining bolt. If you remove it, will he finally be able to speak freely?
Feeling bold, you grab your necklace from under your shirt once more, this time to show him the piece of metal.
“Remember the vibroblade incident?” you ask.
“You still have that?” he sounds genuinely surprised, and you shrug slightly.
“It felt like I could keep you near me this way,” you say in a small voice, suddenly embarrassed at the prospect of someone else at the bar hearing you telling a droid how you felt about him. “I never stopped thinking about you, you know.”
Unable to keep looking at him, you put the necklace away again, your gaze falling on your hands on the table. To your surprise, ND’s hand inches closer to yours ever so slightly. His servos seem to lock and unlock several times, and it takes him a couple of tries to do so, like he has to make an exceptional effort. But eventually he manages to bring his hand over yours, and a swarm of butterflies explodes in your gut, warmth spreading through your chest and limbs all the way to your fingertips, now covered by his metallic hand. You lift your gaze to look at ND, and he gives the subtlest of nods. I missed you too, he’s trying to say. Or at least you hope. But that’s what you’re getting from him right now. Holding his one hand with both of yours, you nod back, your eyes once more falling to the restraining bolt on his chest.
“You’ve saved me so many times,” you say, barely audible. “Now it’s my turn to save you.”
ND-5 and his obsession with your ass. Out of everything he’s had to get used to, he warmed up to your backside the quickest. At first you thought you were going crazy with how often you’d catch him out of the corner of your eye, his head tilting a very certain angle that made you swear he was watching you walk away. You added a little pep to your sashay, swaying your hips deliberately which caused his head to lull an inch forward and his shoulders to hunch subtly, as if he sought a better angle. When you and him became official, it was the place his palms gravitated towards to settle comfortably. Cupping and massaging experimentally as you pressed your body onto his firm chestpiece, he’d squeeze just hard enough to make you gasp and lean your weight onto him. He’ll swat you when you pass him, he’ll draw you into him by the back of your belt, and he’ll wrestle you on all fours to watch your ass bounce n ripple against the hard metal of his hips.
prompt: height difference kisses where one person has to bend down and the other is on their tippy toes
fandom: Star Wars
relationship: ND-5 x gn!reader | established relationship
category: 🌸 fluff
warnings: none
word count: ~360
A/N: ND anon, i hope you felt seen with this one shfdjkdj
You adjust the strap of your bag over your shoulder as you walk up the ramp into the Trailblazer. After finishing your mission and getting some decent loot, ND-5 meets you outside the cockpit. Letting the bag drop by your feet, you look up at him and pucker your lips, waiting for him to greet you. He knows what you want, but decides to taste you.
“What are you doing with your face?” he asked, amusement seeping through his intended deadpan. You pout.
“Come oooon.” You pull on his coat, trying to get him closer to you.
“You’ll stretch out my coat,” he states. Leaning in, you think you’re finally getting your proper hello kiss, but he keeps bending all the way down to pick up the bad you left at your side. “Got anything good?” he asks as he walks into the lounge of the ship.
You glare daggers into his back, not that he cares. That’s it. You tackle the droid from behind, not moving him an inch, obviously.
“You asked for this,” you say, trying to sound threatening. Stepping onto and off the low table, you climb onto his back, pushing yourself up until you’re almost hanging over his shoulder.
“What are you doing?!” The teasing in ND-5’s voice is gone, now replaced with concern for your well-being.
“You haven’t given me my ‘hello’ kiss yet! I’m mad! I demand attention,” you explain, giving half-hearted swats at his hands trying to get a hold on you. He ends up rolling you off of him, securely catching you and letting you back down onto your feet.
“Alright, alright,” the droid finally gives in, realising that you’ll end up hurting yourself otherwise.
You hold onto the lapels of his coat and his metal hands come up to gingerly hold your face, and you still have to get onto your tiptoes despite him leaning down to meet you halfway. Once ND’s face is within reach, you press a kiss to the top of his snout, and another for good measure. He straightens up again, and you beam up at him. His thumb gently smoothes over your cheekbone.
“Welcome back,” he finally greets you, voice impossibly soft.
ND and S/O should totally do a Pirates of the Caribbean and get married during a battle
S/O: Are we space married 🥺
ND: We're just married, there's no need for the "space" part
S/O: Well yeah but we did it in space
ND: We're in space right now but we're not space talking now are we?
S/O: ...Or maybe we are :]
no wait this is so cute 😭😭🥹💕 and from then on s/o keeps adding "space" to the most trivial things and at one point it rubs off and ND introduces them as his "space spouse" and the moment he said it he regrets it 😂 like he tries to play it cool but s/o is right there looking up at him like "😳😲🫵!!!! 🥰🥰" lmaooo
