#swfuninthesun

[pinkieafterhours]

Here’s my gift for @coruscantguard for the fun in the sun event by @starwarsfandomfests / @lilhawkeye3 🥰🥰🥰

Just three commanders doing what commanders do

Loved doing this 🤭

[lilhawkeye3]

Fun in the Sun! — Star Wars summer gift exchange

The basics: submit any ships or found families you like along with at least one summer themed setting— road trip, beach day, summer camp, pool party, you name it!

Fanfiction, fanart, playlists and/or photo edits are all welcome in this event🎨

Dates:

Saturday, June 12: sign up closes

Thursday, June 17: prompts and pairings distributed

Saturday, July 10: check in date

Saturday, July 24: share date!

General requirements:

All gifts will be related to Star Wars. This includes all three movie trilogies, all television series, and any games or Legends related content.

No NSFW content is allowed. This event is open to all ages.

Gifts can be one of the following formats:

Fanfiction (500 words minimum, not set maximum word count.

Fanart: traditional or digital.

A Spotify playlist: 2 hours minimum runtime

Photo edit or aesthetic: a minimum of 3 images

SIGN UP HERE!

Full fest info and rules can be found on this document

Thank you to @royalhandmaidens for the header!✨

[alshatano]

@starwarsfandomfests summer submission!

My beach themed gift for @royalhandmaidens 

I love your fanfics and edits and I hope you have a great summer!

Thanks again @lilhawkeye3 for hosting such a fun event 

[coruscantguard]

when you start anew

Here's my gift for @wanderingjedihistorian for the Star Wars Fun in the Sun Exchange!!! Thank you so much to @lilhawkeye3 for hosting this, I had an absolute BLAST @starwarsfandomfests

Commander Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi/Quinlan Vos

Warnings for mentions of alcohol, trauma, nightmares, slave labor (re. the clones), and shitty contracts being used to justify said labor. Don't worry, this is a no-Order 66 AU, so it's all about the recovery and healing here.

(Ao3 Link)

Cody is not going to call Rex.

Really. He isn't. It's obscenely late where he is, obscenely early for Rex, and he's not going to wake Rex up. He isn't. He really, really isn't. While it would be nice to talk to Rex, he doesn’t need to, so he’s not going to.

The night sky is clear, and it’s warm enough out that Cody isn’t cold, not really. He’s just… alone on the balcony, and it’s a bit brisk out, and--

Yeah, he’s not even convincing himself. It's warm out. It's more than warm out. He shouldn't be cold. He's out of the hotel room that has the AC blasting, and if he was cold, he should've noticed that while inside, should've grabbed a jacket when it made sense to need one, when he finally was able to make himself move from the blankets he’d gotten himself twisted up in while asleep. He should not be cold now. He knows it's warm out. He should-- make his brain work, maybe, and recognize that it's hot out, or even better yet, just go back in and go to sleep. Because he can do that. He can. The sliding glass door behind him is unlocked. Through the small gap in the curtains, he can faintly see Obi-Wan and Gen-- Quinlan on the bed, both asleep. It’s a rare sight, seeing Obi-Wan like that, and it’s one that would make his lips twitch up if he hadn’t mastered a sabacc face years ago.

But he can go inside. He can go in and lie back down, can try and close his eyes and fall back asleep.

He doesn’t.

The dream wasn’t… new, exactly. It’s one he’s been having variants of for years, and he’s honestly lost count of how many times he’s woken up to it. Usually, it happens when he’s overheating, but he’s almost certain that wasn’t the case tonight. Cody’s learned, through years of working together as well as this little trip they’re on, that Obi-Wan prefers it cooler, will ruthlessly abuse the AC the moment it gets anything vaguely close to being hot out. It’s a preference that Quinlan seems to either know or share, considering how he’d been the one to set the temperature the moment they got into their hotel room for the night.

So he almost definitely wasn’t overheating. Which… kriffing sucks, if he’s being honest about it, because that means it was just a osik dream done by his osik brain for no good reason. And that thought has a bitter aftertaste to it, because he thought he was getting better, and life doesn't work that way, but--

Cody shakes his head, ignores the way he shivers. He knows how this works. He knows how his brain works. He knows it will never be a linear progression of things being better, knows that one bad night isn’t a horrible setback, and that’s a weight off of his shoulders even if his brain doesn’t want to accept it.

Once, it would've weighed him down regardless. Once, that bitter taste in the back of his throat would've lingered, lingered and built until it was a beast of its own.

But Cody-- Cody's not tired now, per say, but he's older. Wearier. Used to picking his battles, making concessions where he must. Doing the horrible math of human sacrifice. He's-- he's not numb to it now, but he's better at applying a numbing agent, at pushing off the pain until he can afford to let it hit.

Of course, he doesn't have to do that now, though. A bygone skill for a bygone time unless he's about to go looking for another army to join, and although at times he aches with missing the close companionship his vode and him would build in the trench, he doesn't want to go back. Usually. When it's not three in the morning, when he's not out on the balcony of a formerally-Separatist planet while Obi-Wan and Quinlan sleep away the night inside.

He-- he doesn't really want to go back though. He doesn't. He's just overtired and missing his brothers, unmoored without his life's purpose driving him--

Kriff it.

Cody gives in and calls Rex.

+++

"Rise and shine, sunshines," Vos-- Quinlan says next morning, bedhead ridiculous as he grins at both Obi-Wan and Cody, and Obi-Wan hits him in the face with a pillow before Cody can even consider asking him to.

(Truly, they make a good team, even now, even off the field in territory they aren’t familiar with, on a mission with no set endpoint.)

Fact-- Jedi General Quinlan Vos wasn't actually supposed to be on this road trip at all-- not until a few days ago, at least, when a call from General Secura had interrupted their dinner, and they'd found themselves on a surprise rescue mission.

Cody would've been more irritated about it, except for the fact that Quinlan Vos is both uniquely talented at getting on Obi-Wan's nerves without truly angering him, and Cody...

Well, while Cody might not have worked with Quinlan closely during the war, but they did work together. And they did so often enough that Quinlan grew on him. Similar to a somewhat rude, partially-telepathic flirty fungus, which is a description he hates the moment he thinks of it. Great job, self.

Regardless of that, Quinlan is here now, and sputtering at Cody's general in mock-offense as Cody contemplates actually getting up to check his comm.

And last night, he'd finally gone to bed and actually gotten a few more hours of sleep after he gave in and talked to Rex, after setting up the call so that they could talk until they fell asleep without hanging up. It’s a luxury Cody normally wouldn't allow himself, but they're currently travelling on the Republic's bill, and he's feeling a bit spiteful. A bit thrilled that he can just spend money and not have it feeding back into that kriffing contract that's been hovering over his head for years now, that kriffing contract that he never thought he'd escape until--

Until, well. He did. They all did. It's been months, and it still doesn't feel quite real. It still feels like everything he does is going to feed into a bill he could never hope to pay, going to loop him in further--

But it won't. And calling Rex last night had been a good decision. Had been a good, no shit decision, a fact he can recognize now that he's actually gotten some sleep, now that he isn't tied up in his own 1am melodrama.

"Nice shot," Cody says dryly as he finally forces himself to sit up and look for his holocomm. Knowing Rex, the situation is probably that Rex woke up already and ended the call upon doing so, but knowing Cody's luck, the situation might be that Fox somehow got ahold of Rex's comm and is recording blackmail material this very moment. Cody looks around, and grabs his comm, and--

Knowing Rex wins out this time, thank the Force. Cody lets out a sigh of relief as he sees that while there's a message waiting for him from Rex's number, the call is over, and his phone is off.

"Thank you, Cody," Obi-Wan replies, perfectly polite in a way that Cody knows-- mostly from observing his General's interactions with General Skywalker-- is intended to aggravate the listener, and Cody presses his lips together tight as Quinlan starts sputtering once again. "I try."

A moment of silence. Then-- "Bullies," Quinlan declares. "Bullies, the both of you, the 212th is led by bullies, and I hate you both."

"You're the one who decided to stay with us, s-" Cody stops midword, winces faintly. Yeah, there's no good way to play that one off, Force. “Well, you chose this.”

Sith hells. He's gotten better at actually calling Obi-Wan by name, at leaving off the honorifics, but… he's been on the road with Obi-Wan for weeks, and he's been with Quinlan for days.

Which means that little slip is… understandable, even if it's irritating to kark it up. Even if the mistakes are human and all. After all, he’s been expected to be better than that for years, so messing up burns, even though doing so isn't really a matter of life and death anymore.

Maturely, Quinlan grins and sends him a rude gesture in response. Cody doesn't snort, but it's close. The nerve of him, really.

(And he only winces a little with how close that snort was to actually getting out-- with the realization of just how little control over his own reactions he has these days-- which is progress. Hell, it’s good progress, and he has to remind himself of that, because his brain still automatically flips to panic when he thinks of how much his actions would terrify his younger self. When he thinks of the consequences these same actions could’ve had years ago. Would’ve had years ago.)

+++

Fact-- Quinlan likes Arthuria. Really likes it.

It's not hard to understand why. A society where there's almost always a layer of fabric preventing psychic echoes from being formed on objects must be a breath of fresh air to him, doubly so because of the societal custom of wearing gloves. Quinlan stands out here, sure, but not for the usual reasons. Not because he had to choose personal safety over blending in.

Back when they were cadets, Rex had enjoyed fitting in as well-- it was a novelty for him, with a physical mutation while on Kamino. While the rest of them had been desperate to stand out, Rex had never had the option of doing anything different.

And Coruscant is a more forgiving place than Kamino, the Jedi kinder than their trainers ever had been, but being a Jedi is enough to make one stand out when out of the Temple, and Quinlan-- if what Faie has told him is correct, at least-- is an oddity among the Jedi.

So it's understandable, even though it's not personally relatable for Cody. And Quinlan's comfort is infectious, enough so that it has both Obi-Wan and Cody himself relaxing.

Which is good, especially because it’s only after a few more minutes that Cody makes another observation.

Fact-- Obi-Wan doesn't like it here.

Or-- not that exactly, not quite dislike, but-- there’s something here that’s making him tense, something that has the line of his shoulders straight and his High Coruscanti accent more pronounced than usual. And it’s not like Cody isn’t a bit more aware of his manners right now, as they walk through crowds in a city built off of them, but for once, he’s more comfortable than Obi-Wan. And that’s rare-- off the top of his mind, the Citadel is the only time he can think of Obi-Wan being more rattled than he was, and the Citadel was a known Jedi killer, one of their monsters underneath the bed.

He bumps shoulders lightly with Obi-Wan as they take a turn, questioning but not quite prodding, inquisitive but not demanding, a damn sight softer than he’d ever been during the war. Requesting information the civilian way was something he was... getting better at, thankfully. He’s been dealing with Gree’s obscure rants for years now, of course, but even when compared to Gree civvies talk a kriffing ton, about half a dozen things that don’t matter said for every question answered.

And taking that into account, it’s certainly a good thing he’s stuck so close to his General in the aftermath of the war, as Obi-Wan is the only non-vode he’s met who can get horribly off-topic without annoying the osik out of Cody, which is almost certainly a large part of why he’s gotten rather good at softening his questions so quickly.

(Threepwood has not. Threepwood really, really has not. Wooley’s been forwarding him updates, and each one is somehow worse than the last. He probably should not find that quite as amusing as he does, but-- both Obi-Wan and Quinlan had laughed when last night’s message popped in, so… he’s giving himself a pass.)

“I’m fine,” Obi-Wan starts, apparently deciding to answer his silent inquiry, and while Cody restrains himself from rolling his eyes at the obvious lie, Quinlan is not quite as courteous. ‘Really, I am. I just came here as a Padawan once. I was… remembering, I suppose.”

Cody and Quinlan exchange a glance, and Cody inclines his head briefly, letting him take the lead. This is a subject Quinlan knows more about than Cody does, and he’s fully aware that hes probably way out of his depth here.

“Well, your remembering looked quite a lot like moping to me,” Quinlan says, bringing his arm around Obi-Wan’s shoulders just to ruin the moment by leaning all of his weight onto Obi-Wan, causing them both to lurch to the side.

“Vos!”

“-- and moping is not allowed in my presence.”

“Vos you bastard you are causing a scene--”

“Oh, you want me to cause a scene? Because I can show you a scene, baby.”

“Vos!”

Cody steps neatly out of the way of the two, glances at them, then glances away. It’s good to see his General like this, even if a small part of him is currently cringing away as the secondhand embarrassment threatens to creep in. He pushes it away with pure force of will, because for kriff’s sake, he fought in a war, he’s faced worse than a little breaking of societal norms.

(Determinedly, Cody thinks about that, and not about the fact he just realized that Quinlan might be joining Obi-Wan on the list of natborns I actually enjoy hearing talk about dumb things, because the implicatons of that revelation are implications Cody feel are better processed when drunk and with Ponds there to act as the voice of reason. Or at least the voice of sobriety. Reason might be too much to ask of Ponds.)

+++

The ship they've been travelling in is a small thing-- not unbearably so, in that Cody has dealt with worse, but bad enough that he’s certainly not complaining about the breathing room the hotels they’ve stayed in grant him. The hotel rooms grant him distance, privacy, and that’s something Cody values more than most clones, but--

There’s something about the cramped quarters of the ship that has been growing on him. Not as a permanent residence, but-- maybe another trip, another time. He doesn't hate the thought of it. He’s more… neutral to it. Neutral, leaning towards positive.

He told Rex last night that there was a chance he might call again, if Rex didn’t mind, and Rex had called him a dumbass, which… okay, fair. If Rex was unsure about if it was okay to call Cody in the middle of the night for reassurance, Cody would be saying that he’s a dumbass too. Lovingly, of course. But an absolute dumbass.

So while he’s considering texting Rex and telling him that he’s fine, that they don’t need to call tonight, it’s not for the same reasons he was hesitant last night, See, he doesn’t really need to and the lack of privacy here means there's no way he could hide the call from the Jedi, but--

Well, he doesn’t need to hide it either. Obi-Wan and Quinlan know he’s been in contact with multiple members of the 212th, with his batchmates and his former squadmates and his fellow Command Class.

Point is, he doesn’t have to mask his care anymore, doesn’t have to maintain the level of distance he did in the war. It might even be a net positive if he called, as Obi-Wan would probably enjoy talking to Rex, honestly, the two of them have always gotten on well. And Quinlan-- well, he’s got no idea if Quinlan knows Rex or not, but there's a traitorous part of his brain that wants Quinlan to know Rex. That wants Rex to like Quinlan, wants Rex to look at him and approve of--

Force kriffing hells, he’s so pathetic, it’s almost laughable. The war ends, a few possibilities open up, and suddenly his brain is taking everything to the kriffing max.

But-- it’s a tempting idea, now that he’s had it. A persistent one too, and he finds himself thinking of it as he sits at the small breakfast bar in the kitchen, as Quinlan cooks and Obi-Wan banters with him and Cody tries to deal with the fact that Obi-Wan’s arm is pressed up against his own, tries to deal with the fact that their hands are just inches apart--

Oh, Rex is going to give him so much osik for this. So much osik.

For some reason, he doesn’t hate that thought as much as he probably should. The opposite, really, and kriff it, kriff it, he wants to do it and he knows if he waits he’ll just talk himself out of it--

“So, I was thinking about calling Rex…”

[famouskittychild]

Star Wars Fun in the Sun

vol 2 - At the pool

This is my gift (vol2) for @milfsyndullas in the Fun in the Sun gift exchange (hosted at @starwarsfandomfests). Some poolside fun during a break away from the war with the trio of Obi-wan, Anakin and Ahsoka. 

AO3 

.

.

.

The small skiff that had carried them down to the planet was a welcome sight. It was the first civilian craft they had been in for a while, and the unusual colours, shapes and interior kept them occupied during the descent.

“What a nice little ship this is” expressed Ahsoka what all three of them were thinking. Obi-wan answered with his usual serenity.

“Yes, it was acquired for the Grand Army not long after the beginning of the war. The planet we are heading to is on a supply line, so many of their infrastructure is now helping the war effort.”

Anakin’s mood darkened a bit though if anyone would’ve asked why, he couldn’t have answered. Ahsoka did find the problem for him.

“So… they had to give up their livelihood to the Republic…”

“... and the Republic uses it so they can go back to live their lives undisturbed by war as soon as possible.” Obi-wan nodded.

The skiff banked and they had a great view at the land under them. Green forests, white dwellings and small blue lakes were the dominant features under the patchy cover of rainclouds. The craft straightened out, bringing the landscape slowly out of view. The pilot’s voice came through the on-board comm system.

“We will be landing in five minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing.”

 The facility that was chosen as housing for the visiting officers was a sprawling complex of low, simple buildings nestled in a valley between gently rising hills. The person who took them over from the clerk at the front desk told them about the place after Obi-wan asked about it. Lilac Crescent was a holiday resort, with the attractions of forest walks, multiple lakes and wildlife reserves nearby.

“Soon after the war started, the ‘Crescent was acquired for the war effort. The tourism dried up anyways, what with all the blockades and restrictions. We usually host training sessions here, or provide housing for all kind of personnel, from troopers to clerks to maintenance workers. Most recently we had a conference for medical personnel. This way please.”

They reached a pair of glass doors on the corridor. It opened onto a spacious square that had a large enough space in the middle for every resident to gather there. Outside of the open area, the lawn was dotted with benches, tidy bushes and picnic tables. Small pathways led to the white walled cabins strewn around the premises, trees giving shade to them here and there.

Their building was off from the main one somewhat. Behind the cabins there were clusters of larger houses with two stories.

“Those have apartments, as we were told we can expect some of your colleagues to join you later. We had prepared an apartment with three bedrooms for you; if there is any request or you would like a different one, please let us know and we can make the necessary adjustments.”

“Thank you” Obi-wan answered for all three of them. They knew they wont be asking for anything.

There were differently coloured doors for each of the separate apartments on the outside of the building, but their guide led them to a widest, double door in the middle. It opened into an alcove cutting straight through the building,  walls lined with ferns and other shadow tolerant plants. As they rounded the corner and stepped into the inner courtyard, they all drew to a stop. Their guide grinned at them, no doubt expecting their reaction from experience with other visitors. Ahsoka’s jaw dropped, Anakin broke into a grin, and even Obi-wan’s smile grew wider.

“A swimming pool?” Ahsoka breathed.

“With parasols!” Anakin pointed out, which made Ahsoka snap around to look at him. She didn’t expected him to single those out when there was a small slide at one corner.

“And a slide!” she pointed it out to him.

“This is very nice.” Obi-wan turned to their guide. “Thank you.”

Their guide smiled.

“You are very welcome. Your unit will be just over there” they pointed towards the corner on their right, at one of the transparent wide doors. “Communal rooms on the ground floor, bedrooms and fresher upstairs. The shed over there contains pool equipment. There’s instructions for everything that needs instructions, and the rest is safe to use as is.”

They gave the keycards to Anakin who stood closest.

“The main building has meals all through the day, and we have a delivery service too, accessible from your datapads, both for groceries and meals. Just use the comm in the lounge if you need anything, any time.”

They thanked them for their help, smiling and looking forward to spending a few days there, then the employee left and they went to settle into their rooms. The glass double doors opened to the lounge, with low sofas in cheerful colours. Other transparent sliding doors separated the kitchen and dining areas, with windows set high on the walls that looked outside, for privacy. They opened all of them and enjoyed the breeze crossing the house.

Ahsoka run upstairs then yelled down telling them she had found her room.

“Its the one with the blue curtains!”

Anakin was inspecting the taps and Obi-wan was reading the safety guide posted on the hallway wall. Ahsoka grabbed their bags and carried them upstairs, leaving them in the middle of the foyer on the landing, thinking the other two can choose their rooms later. They were still inspecting the place when she got back downstairs. Anakin was now looking at the kettle, flipping the switch on and off on it. It was an old, almost entirely mechanical model, nothing like the automated appliances they were used to. She plopped down onto a sofa and relaxed.

“Don’t get too comfortable, we will have to leave for the briefing soon.” Obi-wan told her, as she expected he would, and she sighed. They might have come here for training and other official stuff, not even knowing for exactly how many days, but at least their surrounding were nice. She looked out at the pool. Very nice.

If only the weather would cooperate.

 After returning at the end of their official schedule later that day, Ahsoka went to the top floor straight away, leaving the other two downstairs. There was a large closet on the corridor, right by the stairs, that she wanted to investigate. She wondered what would be stored there; not bedlinen or bathing towels, as those were supplied with each room in their own closets. She opened the large doors and her jaw dropped. The contents of the spacious storage were so colourful, it reminded her of a toyshop.

“What are these? Circus tent accessories?” She mused, than looked closer. The neat piles were sorted by type it seemed. There were some that looked like towels, in several sizes. Others seemed to have tailoring and hems - cloaks, probably; and then there were thin shawl-looking pieces, and simple carrier bags in several sizes, and an assortment of hats. She pulled out one of the clothes-looking things: it was a loosely shaped yellow and blue striped dress. It was probably meant to fit many sizes and shapes with its wide sleeves, overlapping panels and ties at the waist and hems.  

The corners of her mouth turned upwards. This closet was here probably for the same reason the shed down by the pool was: to be used by guest who didn’t bring their own things, or just needed a spare of something. She could choose for herself, yes. But she could also choose for all three of them.

Just to spare the bother for the others.

 Fifteen minutes later, she hopped down the stairs, with a pile for the two jedis on her arm.

Anakin looked up at the sound of her barrelling down the stairs and stopped in his tracks as she came into view.

“Where did you got those?”

Ahsoka stopped in the middle of the room and looked down at herself as if just noticing that something is out of the ordinary.

“Oh. These. I found them in the closet upstairs. I’ve got some for you, master, and for Master Kenobi.” She lifted her arm with the suspicious pile. Anakin raised an eyebrow at her.

“Thank you for your effort”, he said cautiously. If her current look and the cascade of colours and patterns he could see where any indication, they weren't in for anything good.

Over her clothes she was wearing a cheerful lilac wrap-dress with a pattern of small blue flowers. She had a large towel thrown over her shoulder in a riot of greens, yellows and purples. The most unusual was the wide brimmed yellow hat she had over her montrals, the top of them sticking out of it.

She must’ve noticed his gaze as she glanced up at her headwear.

“I even found hats for non-round-heads. This will be good against the sun, isn’t it?” She addressed the question for both of them, as Obi-wan had moved closer too.

“What had you chosen for us?” he asked her in his usual light tone. Anakin braced himself, and his padawan’s exited grin just further spurred his suspicions.

He was right. She got them a similarly riotous assortment of shirts, dressing gowns, towels and even hats. Obi-wan seemed happy with her choices, but Anakin felt a bit uncomfortable.

“These are so… colourful.” He tried to put it into words. He wasn’t sure it was right for them, or for him, to wear things like these.

Ahsoka shrugged with a mischievous grin.

“That was my intent, master. Usually we have plain clothes, but we are on holiday. I thought we might enjoy our clothes for once, not just use them.”

Anakin looked at her, and realized he had to make a choice. She was right, there was nothing wrong with letting their hair down a bit. On the other hand, he also realized that his padawan had probably chosen the most outrageously coloured and patterned and maybe even tailored things she could find.

Out of habit, he glanced over to his former master. Obi-wan looked back from the corner of his eye, lips in a half smirk, and Anakin knew he had came to the same conclusion. But Anakin was the teacher here; it had to be his choice how to handle this.

“Make sure to take some holo recordings whilst we are wearing these, as you already went to the trouble of selecting the most outrages ones for us.”

Ahsoka opened her mouth to dispute some of what he said, then wisely changed her mind.

 The weather, as it often happens, did not cooperate. It rained through the next day, but at least they were busy with their schedule. They were also told to have a rest for another four days. Their troopers were back on Kamino, getting their usual update courses and evaluations. They could expect the officers showing up sometime the last day or two, depending on other factors. Until then, they were free to relax.

They talked about maybe going back to Coruscant, but Obi-wan cut that idea short.

“We haven’t had any time away either from the battlefields or the operation planning on Coruscant. Rest is important, too. Let’s recharge in the next few days.”

“Then when the boys get here we can dive straight back into action.” Anakin added, already on board. Ahsoka looked between the two of them, then shot a pointed look towards the courtyard.

“Swimming pool?” she asked. So far they had no time to try it out.

“Not in this weather” Anakin looked out through the doors. Over the low roofs of the building, the clouds were grey. It was raining intermittently.

“Not exactly pool weather,” Obi-wan was still cheerful despite it, “but good for a barbecue.”

The other two met his enthusiasm with doubt.

“Master Kenobi, it’s raining.” Ahsoka stated, just in case he missed the obvious. She could find no other explanation.

“Thank the Force for whoever had invented the umbrella, than.” He smiled at them once more before getting up from the sofa and getting ready to head out.

 Off to the side of the lounge doors in front of every apartment was a small enclosed area with tiled floor, surrounded with low walls and small shrubs. There was enough room for a table and four chairs on one side and a pair of sunbeds opposite. It also had a built in grill with a cover over it at about shoulder height but no roof for whoever was standing in front of it.

Ahsoka and Anakin decided to stick to the lounge, reading their datapads and watching holos. They occasionally looked outside at Obi-wan, grilling away in his purple shirt decorated with palm leaves. He was using one hand to hold whatever utensil he needed and the other to hold the colourful umbrella. He even twirled it once in a while.

They thought him a bit silly, standing outside in the gloomy weather and messing with the smoky grill when they had a very well equipped and rain-free kitchen. Until he came back indoors with a pile of grilled meats and vegetables.

“Get those salads we ordered earlier, please. Time for dinner.”

Ahsoka retrieved the stack of dishes they had ordered from the Crescent’s own kitchen. Obi-wan piled up a plate for her with meats, and shared out the veggies between Anakin and himself, then they all had their pick from the salads. Anakin pestered Ahsoka light heartedly about her not eating her veggies, and she showed her carnivore canines to him as answer. But they both thanked Obi-wan for making the majority of the food, and for making it delicious. 

“Lets hope the weather turns soon” he answered before tucking in.

 The colourful wooden building the opposite of their apartment on the other side of the pool, turned out to be a shed housing treasures, at least according to Ahsoka. When they had woken up to clear skies and sunshine the that morning, it was all she could do to wolf down her breakfast porridge before she raced outside.

On their third day, it finally did, and they broke out the pool equipment.

Anakin followed her.

“I think I should supervise. I don’t want the pool to end up with rainbow bubbles.” He got up, and Obi-wan stopped with the spoon halfway to his mouth. That was something that didn’t occur to him before. Than he reminded himself that they were on officially mandated holiday, and the employees of the Crescent assured them that everything is safe that was stored around the pool for guests to use. He hoped safe didn’t mean skin coloured to purple and teal patches that takes weeks of three rounds of daily sonic use to fade away.

The sun was still low but started to rise above the rooftops surrounding the courtyard. It made him remember another thing he had learned the hard way. He gathered the dishes but left the washing up for later, then he followed his former padawan and their current padawan outside.

The sun had already dried up any remnants of puddles on the tiled courtyard. He did spot some dew on the patches of lawns between the poolside and the individual terraces but only where there was till shadow. He knew the last reminders of the past few rainy days will vanish before noon and the meteorology service promised sunshine with a bit of breeze for the coming days. Perfect poolside weather.

He caught up with the younger ones and peaked over their shoulders. They were combing through the contents of the pool shed, at the moment inspecting the second shelf from the left. It had colourful boxes on the top shelves and some larger containers at the bottom.

“What are those?” He asked, and the other two jumped. “Sorry.”

Anakin waved him to not worry about it, and shoved him one of the boxes.

“Inflatables. There’s an airpump over there,” he pointed at a small machine in the corner, “and we are trying to choose.”

“I want the thranta. They are adorable.” Ahsoka said, showing the box already in her hand. Anakin raised an eyebrow.

“Those are aiwhas, obviously. The shape of the head…”

Ahsoka leaned forward, ready to argue with him. Obi-wan threw his palms up, stopping them.

“Argue later, please. For now, I want to remind you two to a very important thing.”

They both turned to him and showered him with guesses.

”Not to drown in the pool?” ”Not to pee in the pool?””Anakin! Where did you get that idea?!””The boys, obviously…”No eating in the pool!””No datapads, they aren’t actually waterproof.””Wear haircaps!””Not me!””Wear goggles?“

“Stop, please.” Obi-wan sighed, and the other two calmed down a bit. “I meant sunscreen. Plenty of sunscreen.” He paused, then looked at each of them in turn. “Learned that the hard way.”

“I smell a good story” grinned Ahsoka.

“I smell a funny story” Anakin added. Obi-wan rolled his eyes.

“If you want to know, yes, at one time I gut a sunburn so bad after a mere afternoon outside that I needed medical care. My face was red for two weeks and I needed to slather enough cooling lotion on myself that it would’ve covered a grown thranta. Or an aiwha.”

The other two tried not to laugh. Obi-wan was so pale, it was hard to imagine him all red, but they managed it of course. And it was hilarious. Only their respect for him stopped them to laugh at him, at least whilst he was standing in front of them.

“I haven’t seen any in the house, I guess people bring their own with them when they come here. I’ll put on a delivery request for them. Until that arrives, you two stay out of direct sunlight.” Again he looked at each of them in turn. It must have been really important to him if he was putting so much emphasis on it. “You don’t want to end up all red like I did back then.”

“Well that would be terrible” Ahsoka deadpanned, looking at her arms. Obi-wan smiled.

“I apologize. I should have worded that differently.”

“Like ‘burned like a crispy stuffed tomato’ for example?” Anakin volunteered. Obi-wan shot him a look but there was humour behind it. He left them to continue their exploration and went back to the lounge to put the order in on his datapad.

 The shed was a treasure throw. Neither of them had ever been to a place like this. They did swim at the temple’s pool but that was for learning and training. They never had the opportunity yet to just have fun with some water. It was extra nice that it wasn’t a beach - no sand. Anakin could never get used to having sand around water. Sand was desert, aridity, and water was everything the desert wasn’t. He could also never wrap his mind around the fact that the larger the body of water the more sand it’s shores tended to have.

Or that people went there willingly not just to swim but to play in the sand. For him, that substance was hard, gritty life, and when having fun, he didn’t wanted to be reminded of that.

Ahsoka had no such qualms, although she knew about her master’s aversion and she sympathised with him.

 By the time Obi-wan had arrived with the sunscreen sometime later, the other two had a competition going on. The airpump stood unused by their side and they were trying to inflate their respective pool floats using only their own lung capacities.

“That’s futile but a valiant effort” Obi-wan commented, and the other two threw him the annoyed look of the young. “I also have the sunscreen here, if you two need a break.”

They didn’t, of course, and they continued their strenuous competition. Watching the other two getting more and more winded whilst their floats where still barely more than colourful limp piles at their feet, Obi-wan sat down at one of the sunbeds around the pool with his yellow-green-red spotted towel and started to put lotion on his skin methodically.

“Do you need help, master?” Anakin asked some time later. Obi-wan looked up to see that they had stopped - and barely made progress - and were both looking at him. He shook his head, a bit confused about the question.

“No, I can manage, thank you Anakin.”

The other two exchanged looks than turned back to him. Than he realized. He was finished with the front of his torso and his shoulders; next would be his back. Which they thought would be a problem for poor old Obi-wan, obviously.

“Don’t worry I can reach my own back.” He turned around so they could see, and hooked his hands together behind his back, one arm over his shoulder the other reaching up from below. “See?”

He turned around and the other two had the grace to look a bit embarrassed. He didn’t blame them. He might’ve had similar thoughts about others at their age.

“Now how are those floats going?” he asked while his hands were working on his back.

“Abysmal.” “Hopeless.” “Futile.” “They are faulty.” “Yes, I bet they have holes on them.”

Obi-wan shot a look at them that made them stop.

“Well, I guess, we should admit defeat…”Anakin conceded, “and just use the machine.”

“Yes, I think that’s a good idea, master” agreed Ahsoka too.

They went over to the machine and in a few minutes they had two colourful, vaguely air-whale shaped mattresses. Ahsoka’s one was teal and turquoise and gray, while Anakin had a pink-blue-yellow one for himself.

“Would you like one too, master?” They already started to walk towards the shed.

“No thank you Anakin, I’ll chose one later after I finished.”

“It’s not a problem” and they already vanished. Obi-wan sighed, wondering what will he get. Between his shirts that Ahsoka cheerfully picked out for him every morning - he had a pink one on with tiny porgs all over it today- and his towels - those he choose himself, but the selection for both ranged from “cheerfully bright” through “interesting pattern” to “what where they on when they designed this”- he probably wore more colour in this past few days than usually did in a standard year, disguises included. He decided to wait to see what they chose for him, than he’d just have make his own choice if he doesn't like their selection.

 He didn’t liked it. It was some large bird, green and purple, and unlike theirs, wasn’t flat but shaped like a very awkward chair. So he went and rummaged around, settling on a large torus shaped something in all the colours of the rainbow. He was already covered in colours, so he thought why not go all out.

They air-whales were already floating on the water. Anakin and Ahsoka were sitting at the edge of the pool near them, hanging their legs into the water, passing the sunscreen bottle back and forth between them. After inflating his own device, Obi-wan saw that they were taking the task of screening up seriously. He got hold of the doughnut firmly, took a two careful steps to speed up than jumped onto the water. As he landed, he splashed up a good deal of water - straight at the two younger ones.

“Master!” he heard the two indignant voices. He turned to look at them innocently.

“Yes my dears?”

They had water dripping all over them. He knew they’ll get back at him later. He padded away, looking for the small portable music device he remembered seeing somewhere beside the pool. Might as well have some music too.

 Their attack was coordinated and well executed. Anakin floated in front of him, blocking his view and chatting with him. Under that cover, Ahsoka managed to round him unnoticed, then at a sign they both grabbed his doughnut and upturned it, tossing him into the water.

“Vengeance!” the yelled, laughing, as Obi-wan resurfaced spluttering, shaking his hair out of his eyers. Their alliance broke up almost immediately as their floats bumped into each other and they started to jostle.

“Hey, mind the thranta!” Ahsoka warned.

“It’s an aiwha.” Anakin pushed her, and her mattress wobbled heavily, threatening to throw her off.

“Yours maybe. This one isn't.”

They argued back and forth about the properties of the different air-whale species until they managed to knock each other off their respective float. All three in the water, the fight turned to everyone for themselves. Ahsoka was the shortest but also the most agile, and she swam around the other two like a fish. Anakin and Obi-wan was evenly matched, and they managed to push each other under the water and being pushed down by the other about equal frequency. Ahsoka won the battle when she remembered that she saw some long, straight foam rolls in the shed and whilst the other two was occupying themselves she sneaked out to get them Than she slapped them both on top of their heads, making them admitting defeat.

 When they got too tired - and hungry - they climbed out of the water and wrapped up in their oversized towels. Ahsoka’s was so large it covered her like a tent, but she loved the one she had and kept in on: it had tookas all over it. Than they fired up the barbecue again. This time Obi-wan had help, mostly because the other two were really hungry. After eating, he pulled out a second box of deliveries, just when they were getting ready to get back into the water.

“What are those?”

The largish box was full with bottles and jars, their contents a rainbow of colours.

“This, dear Ahsoka,” Obi-wan checked his datapad, “ well, let me read out the official product designation. This is a ‘The starter box every pool party needs if you want to avoid your guests getting too rowdy, touchy or messing up your place in one way or another - Everything You Need to Make Your Own Mocktails, Starter pack for twelve guests’. This was the smallest package, the others were for 24, 30, 50 or even more guests.”

“That’s how they called their product?” Anakin dug into the box, pulling out a jar with small golden fruits in it. It harmonised with the shirt he had on, with songbirds. “And they are still in business…”

“Who has twelve guest?” was Ahsoka’s observation.

“Here are some recipes” Obi-wan handed a small puck to her. She pushed a button on the cheap plastic gadget and a cheery hologram of an assortment of colourful drinks in fancy glasses showed up. She scrolled to the next picture, and there was indeed a recipe for the simplest of drinks under it.

“Syrup, water, bubbles - where do we get bubbles?” she mused.

“I think there’s a gadget for that. All is supposed to be in the box.” Obi-wan shrugged.

They all choose from the supplied list than set to measure and shake and stir. The first round was a success.

“Let’s try some of the more complicated ones” Anakin suggested only halfway into his drink. Ahsoka scrolled through the recipes and they found one that they both liked.

“How about this one. ‘Chandrilla Sunrise’. Phew, long list, but doesn’t seem too complicated.”

Their first try failed, predictably.

“Focus, padawan. I think we’ll have to follow the instructions by the letter.” Anakin furrowed his brows.

“Oh dear, that’s terrible” commented Obi-wan, than he turned back to his own holopad quickly. “I’ll will just look up some more tricks and recipes while you two… brew.”

They messed up something again. The colours didn’t stay separate bands but blended together into a muddy mix. Obi-wan found the root of their problem.

“The recipe doesn’t mention it, but here it says you have to keep each syrup chilled before pouring them into the glass, than wait a bit for it to warm up to air temperature before adding the next one.” The other two made a ‘hmm, gotcha’ noise simultaneously. “Other advise is to chill the glass beforehand.”

“Let’s try those ideas.” Anakin’s enthusiasm renewed, they got back to work on their third glass. It was a success, finally. Then they had to repeat the process two more times so each of them had a glass for themselves. Decorating them with straws, paper shapes that went over the edge and extra candied fruits.

Ahsoka exchanged her towel to a blue dress with puffy pink clouds printed on it, then turned the volume up on the music player before picking up her glass again. The sun was shining, their bellies were full and no one was shooting at them. It was a great day.

 The sun was slowly getting lower over the rooftops. Music was playing at an acceptable volume now after Ahsoka started to go a bit overboard before and they had to shout to hear each other. Some of the sunbeds were covered with towels and wraps and hats as they tossed them aside when not needed. They took turns on the slide, having a competition about who could make the biggest splash when crashing into the water. Anakin seemed to be in the lead.

“It’s not fair, you are just taller, that’s your advantage!” Ahsoka complained as they stood at the edge of the pool. Obi-wan agreed with her.

“Yes, he doesn’t use any technique aside of stretching out all limbs.”

Anakin grinned at them.

“You two are just sore losers.” Then he suddenly turned and with a single step, reached the edge of the pool and jumped. The other two barely had enough time to turn away before he smashed into the pool, splashing plenty of water at them.

 After declaring Anakin the splasher champion, him and Ahsoka got back on their floats for another round of foam-noodle duel and general splashing about. Obi-wan had stuck to his datapad, still reading about drink-making tricks and flavour harmonization and fruit types. He floated around on his doughnut as far as possible from the ruckus the other two were making, sipping from his glass with an umbrella in it and a fruit rind over its edge. By the end of the day, he had made almost a dozen different drinks, and they never had to float around long without one in hand, or put aside at the edge of the pool.

“Don’t forget to visit the fresher if you need to, master” Ahsoka reminded Anakin, who shot her a look of mock offence.

“Now why would you say that?” He took a sip of his drink, than furrowed his brow. “Actually that's not that bad of an idea.”

It took him a while to paddle to the edge of the pool using only one hand.

“You can do it, master!” “Use your legs!” “Don’t drop the glass, I spent half hour on that one!” was just a few of the advice he had received.

He mock- growled back at them then laughed himself as he finally climbed up onto the tiles.

“I'm so proud of you” Obi-wan told him, and raised his glass, Ahsoka’s giggling behind him.

They stayed out after the sun had already set, than gathered up their their stuff and went to sleep tired but happy.

 Just like the day before, Anakin and Ahsoka spent most of the day in the pool. They got very good at jumping in from the edge of the pool without their feet slipping on the wet tiles. When they got tired of that, they flopped onto their respective air-whales and padded about, occasionally bumping into each other and having a wrestling match. Obi-wan had joined them before, after the sun dipped a bit lower after the glare of the middle of the day. He even jumped in himself a few times, though he enjoyed the slide more. He was now making a late afternoon meal; the leftovers were all gone and he was happy to muck about the barbecue yet again.

He heard some noises from outside. It was quiet aside of the splashing coming from the pool and the noises made by the small portable music player. Maybe they were getting some neighbours before the officers arrived. They were expecting them the next day, no later than noon. Then the noises grew louder and he could tell that they were definitely made by sentients, and were getting closer. He stuck his head out around the barbecue’s wall and peaked towards the courtyard entrance, just in time to see the approaching group of clone officers step out into the sunshine. They burst into hollering upon seeing them, and when Ahsoka and Anakin noticed them they greeted them from the water with equal enthusiasm.

Obi-wan sighed. How lucky, he thought, that he spent the last afternoon studying how to make mocktails. He checked that everything that was on the grill could be left there for a little while, than he wiped his hands on his ‘Best chef in the sector’ apron and got his datapad.

As the officers gathered around the pool, chatting with Anakin and Ahsoka and no doubt planning to get in the water as soon as possible, he opened the delivery service on his datapad. He run through the items in his head that they’ll need to feed everyone. And the drink supplies too.

Maybe he can get some of them to help out with the food and drink preparations - if he can drag them from the pool first.

[famouskittychild]

Star Wars Fun in the Sun

vol 1 - At the beach

This is my gift (vol 1) for @milfsyndullas in the Fun in the Sun gift exchange hosted on @starwarsfandomfests ! Thank you@lilhawkeye3 for organising this ☺️

Couldn't choose between two ideas so I wrote them both. This one is with Padme and Sabe on a nice day at a Naboo beach ^^

AO3

The village was still quiet this early in the morning. The fresh fragrance of baking breads wafted on the wind through the steep streets. The girls had woken up with the sun and packed lightly for a day at the beach, putting on their bathing suits under their clothes. They picked one of the many inviting, small shops at random and had a light breakfast of caf and pastries. From sitting higher up on the hill, they could see over the rooftops all the way to the open water of the lake and to the opposite shore.

Their usual daily program would be sailing over the lake and exploring some of the villages dotted along the shores, and that’s what they did the past few days. But this morning was promised to be unusually windy, if still warm, with bright sunshine in the afternoon. They were both capable with the boat but maybe this would have been pushing it on open water. Sabe was cautious, even if Padme war ready to take on the challenge. Also despite being on holiday, so far every day was busy, even if it was the relaxing kind and not work related busy. So Sabe told her darling Padme that she was working hard enough and she needs a day when she does nothing. No senatoring, no learning of local customs, no meeting with people. Just splashing about in the water, eating, and laying on the sun. Maybe some hand-holding and cuddling too.

“How about kissing? Am I allowed to kiss you today, or is that considered a job?” she teased Sabe over their breakfast. “As your girlfriend, it is my duty, if we think about it.”

“If it feels like duty than we need some serious talk.” Sabe looked back at her over the rim of her cup. “About your workload and you taking things too seriously.”

“Me? Taking things seriously? Never!” Padme defended her conduct, and stuck her pinky finger out and away from her cup as she took a sip. “Correction. Its not my duty, it is my privilege.”

“That’s better” nodded Sabe gracefully, as if accepting a formal apology. Then they both giggled. “Remember! No work today. Just fun with your girl.”

Padme blew a kiss to her over her pastry.

 Most of the beaches were either open to the public with infrastructure built around them, or were privately owned, secluded bays. This one was neither. It was out of the way between two villages, hard to get there by boat, and just generally not worth the effort it took to travel there on speeders or on foot when there were so many, more convenient opportunities too. It was perfect for them for this very reason.

“What if someone is already there?” Padme asked.

“You mean, others might be just as clever as us?”

“No way, but they could’ve bumped into the place by accident.”

“Yes, true. In that case, I think we should quietly move away and look for another place?”

They agreed to walk to the next village if that was the case and visit that small restaurant there they’d been once already and promised themselves to go back.

 The beach was empty. It was barely more than a cove in the cliffs, the footpath to it winding through rocks. Padme’s local bodyguard left them with her speeder after checking around and took up a sentry post higher on the steep hillside. She was good at her job, and the girls knew she’ll take a position where she sees all the pathways towards them whilst not seeing them personally to give them as much privacy as possible. Their sentry droid was stationed lower, hidden by a bush, keeping an eye on the girls a bit more closely, ready to report any threats or if one of them would be in distress.

 They laid down their towels on the soft sand and put their bags on them to stop them from blowing away, then stripped off their shirts and dresses to run into the water. Their enthusiasm was a bit curbed when the cold water hit them higher and higher on their bodies with every step. They had to stop once they were stomach deep in to breath through the cold. Once they were used to that, they took another step - just to have to repeat the process until they were shoulder deep in water.

“I forgot it’s this cold in the morning” Sabe stuttered, and Padme nodded vigorously, teeth clattering.

 They swam in the quiet little bay until they were exhausted. It was windy enough in this corner, backed by steeper cliffs, to make the surface of the lake frilly with crescent waves large enough to play with them. They flopped onto them belly first and let the water roll away under them, dropping into a valley; then they waited for the next crest to lift them up again with a help of a leg kick. When they got too exhausted and hungry to carry on, they waded out of the water.

Reaching the sandy shore, they run to their towels and wrapped themselves in them tightly, sitting close to each other until they dried off enough for the shivering to stop. Then they opened the basket that had all the fresh foods they bought that morning: spelt bread, almond cheese, tomatoes, fruits; and ate while chatting. Padme dug her toes into the ground, enjoying the soft sand between them. Then she flicked her toes up, tossing the sand into the air and watched where the fine grains would land. She repeated the game, Sabe smiling at her.

“I like it when you’re playful” she told Padme, tilting her head that she rested on her pulled up knees towards her. Padme looked down at her, face softening as she took in Sabe’s dreamy expression.

“I’m not playing, I’m conducting an experiment” she smiled coyly, remembering their conversation from the morning. Sabe took the teasing good-heartedly. Raising an eyebrow, she grinned back to Padme, her tone lacking real admonishment.

“No. Work. Today.” Padme blew another kiss to her.

   They almost missed the gelaati float in the afternoon. Luckily they noticed the melody drifting towards them and could hail it just in time. Padme waved with both arms and yelled from the waist-deep water while Sabe waded to the shore to hail them. Usually it was manned by a droid, but this one was seemed to be driven by a humanoid. The driver waved back at them and lowered the float. It looked like it was modified from an old speeder, not purpose-made than most, and was painted with blue and white stripes. It hovered as close to them on the pathway as safety regulations allowed.

The driver waited patiently whilst the girls grabbed their towels and purses and made their way up on the hillside.

“Thank you for your patience, sir, and a good day to you as well.” Padme greeted him, slightly winded.

“And a good day to you, ladies. What can I serve you with?”

Now that was a good question. Most floats had a good selection of goods, and this one in particular was dripping with all the different foods and drinks. Caf’s of different types - some made the local way, some imported and advertised as being from Coruscant. They skipped over those without a second thought. There were ice creams of course, in bowls and in cones and on sticks; the soft airy types that came with trade and the local, much more dense gelaati that gave the name to the type of moving dessert shops like this. There were also fruit cones, roasted vegetables in little containers, chilled cheeses, and bread rolls kept warm in earthenware pots to round out the selection.

Since they had already eaten their lunch, they decided on some desserts. Padme choose the iced caf and Sabe got a dozen of her favourite flower waffles.

The girls walked back to the beach, chatting, the wind tousling their hair. They plopped down on their towels then stretched their legs and dug their toes into the soft sand as they got ready to eat their respective treats. They always choose different, be it food or drinks, and they always had the other have the first taste of whatever they had bought or ordered. Sabe tried the caf with the scoop of gelaati.

“Warm and cold together? I’ll never understand. But it’s nice enough.” Sabe put down the bowl whilst she waited for Padme who broke off a piece of one of the crunchy circles. Her lips were coated with the powdered sugar from the top of the waffle, and she held a palm under her chin to catch any stray crumbs.

“This one’s good too, even if it should be softer” she gave her verdict with a wink. She thought about popping the remaining bite-sized piece into her mouth, than changed her mind and offered it to Sabe. She leaned closer and let Padme feed it to her, than gave her her bowl. And after a moment of thought, a light kiss too.

Than they broke into giggles, lips sticky with powdered sugar, and cuddled as the waves lapped up to the shore.