#zabros

[dathomirdumpsterfire]

per a suggestion, posting these in a group for reference photos more easily found by artists. (1/2)

[zabrak-show]

In the Absence of Light

Part 1

Words: 2.5k 10 min read time

Warnings/tag: talk of ghosts and haunted houses etc, eventual romance but nothing explicit, modern/crack au

Summary: What happens when two rival Ghost Hunting teams are trapped in the same haunted mansion for the night?

AO3

Dead leaves ripped off the sprawling snake-like branches of ancient trees flanking a dilapidated mansion. They drifted across the overgrown yard, settling themselves in the corner of the stone garden wall. The air was chill and crisp, leaves crunching under the three companions' shoes.

A young man clad in all black holding a camera pans over the mansion before focusing on the older man in front of a large locked gate. His wavy gray flecked auburn hair dusted the collar of his beige button-down shirt. His closely shorn beard gave him a professorial air like he was about to lecture on the literary themes of Proust. Clearly, this crew was not here to discuss literature.

"Here we are outside the Mortis Mansion. Said to have been the home of a family of occultists. Legend has it they were able to open doorways to the spirit realm. The father, son, and daughter, known to the townsfolk as recluses, mysteriously disappeared almost 100 years ago. Since then, many have tried to live here, but no one can last more than a year. The stories of murder, disease and hauntings are all that's left of those who once walked these halls. It has remained vacant for 50 years. The rumors of the haunting precede the place. My two crewmates, Anakin and Ahsoka, and I are about to spend a full 24 hours locked inside the estate recording the entire time. My name's Obi-Wan Kenobi, and you're watching Ghost Knights."

"And cut, we got it!" The young man set his camera down on a tripod. He wore a faded band shirt, 'Cannibal Corpse,' and ripped-up black skinny jeans. His dark brown hair was long enough to get into his eyes. He shook it back and leaned down to the camera. "Now, we'll get some time lapses of the building here." He futzed with the camera's controls, kneeling down on the broken pavement littered with leaves and old yard waste.

"How did it sound? Was it too formal?" Obi-Wan asked, stroking his beard.

"No, boss, it was great!" The chipper young Togruta woman reassured him. She wore a plain black sleeveless dress with a choker, while several rings and bracelets adorned her hands and wrists.

"Hmm, well, next, we should try to get some interviews with the caretakers of the place."

"Already taken care of, boss. They'll be here in about-" she paused to look at her watch, "-uh 20 minutes or so."

A light gold sedan pulled up to the driveway. Once it parked, the two occupants, elderly blue and orange Twi'leks, stepped out and walked towards the team.

"Hello, disaster trio," the frail man's voice called out. "I'm Carl, and this is my wife, A'rina. Let's go inside so we can sit and discuss everything." Carl gestured for them to follow him.

He unlocked the padlock at the front gate and swung it open with a spine-chilling creak.

"Spose we should take care a that," he chucked to his wife, and they both smiled. They made their way up the drive towards the house, making small talk as they went.

Carl unlocked the front door through a series of padlocks and deadbolts. His frail hands shook with each lock he undid. The last lock clicked open, and the heavy wood door swung open as if by its own desire.

Somehow, it was even more extensive on the inside. Two open grand staircases at the front entrance welcomed them in. Whistling air carrying secrets of the past chilled the trio to the bone. Dusty floorboards creaked under their feet, some of the boards feeling dangerously thin.

Carl and A'rina showed them around the central part of the estate. To give them a full tour would take hours, so they narrowed it down to a few critical locations while Obi-Wan interviewed them and Anakin filmed. Ahsoka would stop to leave markers in certain rooms where she felt a distinct otherworldly presence. Anakin would pan the camera over to her for a dramatic effect as she closed her eyes and meditated on the supposed spirits of the room.

The entire estate was still furnished in its 1920s opulence. More bedrooms and bathrooms than anyone could ever need. Old velvet furniture, some covered in white sheets, missing legs, or devoid of upholstery, lavished all the rooms. The group lost count of the number of chandeliers hanging in many of the rooms. Ancient cracked mirrors and paintings were decorating the faded walls. The wallpaper in many rooms so peeled it begged for the mercy of someone to tear it away.

At the end of the tour, they settled into the sitting room off the central kitchen. Despite the dankness, the room gave off a cozy feeling. Of course, it was still daylight and warm yellow light pooled in through the tall windows, the long maroon curtains pulled off to the side. At night it was beyond a doubt to give a different ambiance.

Obi-Wan gazed around the gaudy room while the caretakers went over the rules and details of the house. He half-listened with an intent look at the couple as though he hung off every word. It was the same spiel every time. "Leave things better than you found them." Yes, yes, it was apparent.

"Well, we'll leave you to get settled then," A'rina said, getting up from her chair, "we have another meeting to attend to."

"Thank you so much," Obi-Wan got up and shook both of their hands, "the house is in good hands with us."

"I've no doubt, dearie," A'rina smiled, scrunching up her entire small blue face.

-------------------

Obi-Wan and Anakin busied themselves by setting up cameras and ghost-tracking equipment while Ahsoka settled into her room. The caretakers had at least cleaned each of them a room to stay in for the night. Obi-Wan doubted anyone would be getting any sleep tonight, but it was still a nice gesture.

"Anakin, please pay attention to where you are setting these trackers. This is expensive equipment. We can't have us accidentally stepping on them." Obi-Wan picked up a delicate black metal device from the floor and set it on the glass-top side table near the orange velvet sofa. The sofa had worn impressions of a seated figure permanently featured on its once plush cushion.

"Yes, boss. Maybe if people watched where they were going, it wouldn't-" a loud crash and thump boomed through the walls. The two men stared at each other in bewilderment.

"That couldn't have been Snips…" Anakin trailed off his face full of concern.

"No, no, Ahsoka is on the complete opposite side of the house. I'm not even sure what is behind this wall." He walked closer to the wall, about to press his ear against it, when another loud scream and thump shook their corner. The two men jumped back, and the multiple picture frames shuddered into skewed positions on their hangers.

"Anakin, grab the electrometer! We need to collect data on this room NOW!" Obi-Wan shook with excitement and fear. His face lit up, and his blue eyes glittered with delight. This was precisely what they came here for. It didn't usually happen so fast that something paranormal would make itself known, but don't kick a gift horse in the mouth.

Anakin hurried off to find the electrometers while Obi-Wan stayed to further inspect the room, taking the camera with him.

"We've heard quite the disturbance from the other side of this wall." He placed his hand on the maroon wallpapered wall and shook the dust that came off onto his hand. "This may already be the sign we've been looking for. The proof of a haunting. I've sent Anakin to grab the electrometers so we can collect more data on this room. Until then, we'll record everything to not miss it if it happens again."

Obi-Wan stopped in his tracks, hearing a light tapping from further down the wall. He panned the camera over to it, adjusting the microphone to pick up the muffled noise.

"Something or someone is knocking on the wall," he whispered.

"Hello?" he thundered out with his voice, "Are you a spirit in this house?"

A distorted voice answered through the wall. Obi-Wan was shaking with delight but remained calm to steady the camera.

"My God, I can't make out what they're saying, but we'll analyze the audio in post-production." He breathed out in hushed tones to the camera again.

"What happened in this house?" he asked the spirit. More muffled voices and the hair on Obi-Wan's arms stood on end. He couldn't believe this was real. Where was Anakin? And Ahsoka? They needed to be here to get all this down. To collect data and reach out to the spirits. Gods, how many could there be?

The knocking grew in volume, as did the voices. Obi-Wan could almost make out what they were saying.

"Right here, brother, you can see the outline of a door."

Huh? Did he hear correctly? The camera rested on his shoulder, glued to the spot where he observed the knocking. His breath was shallow, and sweat clung to his brow and underarms.

"Anakin! Ahsoka! You need to be here!" He yelled out behind him towards the hallway.

The wall began to creak, the wood sounded as if it were splintering. Something was trying to get out of the walls. Obi-Wan had no idea what to do if something did come out of the walls. The most they'd dealt with before were whispering voices, doors slamming shut, that sort of thing. This was unheard of. His heart raced, and his stomach filled with acid.

He backed away from the creaking wall in small steps. Still wanting to be sure to capture everything but also keeping a safe distance. If there even was a safe distance from whatever was behind that wall.

The wall groaned in protest. Whatever wanted out was putting the structural integrity of the house to the test. The voices grew louder. There were too many of them overlapping to make out any specific words. A loud metal crack and Obi-Wan's jaw dropped as a cloud of dust and debris exploded from the wall. Through the haziness, three figures stood there bickering with one another. As the dust settled, Obi-Wan saw the three Zabrak brothers before him. Was he hallucinating?? No, it couldn't be.

"Kenobiiiii!!" The red Zabrak yelled out, lunging towards Obi-Wan, but held back by his larger yellow brother.

"I'm sorry I don't believe I've made your acquaintance," Obi-Wan said in a calm tone, backing away from the three.

This only further enraged the red Zabrak, "I'm surprised you could have forgotten me, Kenobi," spit flying from his mouth as he spoke. "After I ruined your boss's career and you left me stranded in that abandoned mental institute."

"Maul? It is you! I thought I must be hallucinating." Obi-Wan said with a confused look on his face. "What are you all doing here? We got a permit to do our show here. This is really quite pathetic, Maul, even for you. To try and sabotage our show." Obi-Wan shook his head in disapproval.

"Your show? We got a permit, and WE are shooting our own show. You just couldn't stand to hear I was back in business, I guess, Kenobi. And now you're trying to sabotage us and somehow pin it all on me. I'm on to your ways, ghost boy."

"Ha! I can't believe you, Maul. This is ridiculous."

Maul growled at Obi-Wan and looked to start an accusation again, finger pointed towards the man. Anakin and Ahsoka interrupted him by rushing into the room, each carrying way too much gear and spilling it as they halted to a stop in the room.

"Boss, we grabbed everything we could… hey, what are they doing here? Isn't he your nemesis?" Anakin pointed to Maul.

"I don't have enemies, Anakin. There seems to be some confusion as to why exactly they are here. But we'll get to the bottom of it."

"I mean… aren't we all kinda locked in here for the night?"

"What's your point, Snips?" Anakin responded to Ahsoka, but his gaze and growl pointed at the three Zabraks.

"Well, we might as well try to work together or around each other as best as possible. No one is leaving until the caretakers come back."

"Ha! Fool! If you think I won't be immediately calling the caretakers to kick the lot of you out, you are sorely mistaken. I will not tolerate this offensive transgression. What's next? A coven of witches settling up for the night here as well? Why don't we open the doors to the public? Let everyone stop in and look for paranormal activity with us. What could possibly go wrong there?"

"Brother, you're spiraling again," his larger brother put his hand on Maul's arm, holding it down with gentle firmness. Maul ripped his arm away with a hiss before stomping through the hole in the wall and disappearing.

------------

Once Maul left, the other two brothers introduced themselves and were civil about everything. It was all some big misunderstanding, no one to blame, it seemed. Not knowing what else to do in the situation, Obi-Wan headed for the kitchen to make tea. The others congregated in the sitting room nearby.

"I've put the kettle on if anyone cares for a cup," Obi-Wan said as he looked through the kitchen cabinets for mugs.

"I'd love some tea," Savage said, walking into the kitchen from the sitting room.

"I'll make enough for everyone. You can sit with the others in the sitting room."

"Nah," Savage replied, pulling out mugs from the cabinet nearest him. "I'd rather busy myself with something."

"So it seems we'll be sharing the mansion for the evening," Obi-Wan added tea bags to each mug.

"Yup, I don't mind so much. It could be fun for us to team up."

"Well, you aren't very much like your brother."

"I'm a lot like him. I have never understood the contempt he holds for you, that's all. I wasn't there when, when everything went down," Savage leaned back against the kitchen island, his large frame causing the wooden structure to groan against his weight.

"There's not much to know. When you break it all down, we were never meant to get along. I'm not going to pretend I'm some innocent bystander while your brother was the complete antagonist to the story. While I do disagree with many of his methods, specifically ones used against me, I don't believe him to be an all-bad person or anything of that sort."

"He'll calm down. It was such a shock to find you all here. I think he kinda imploded on himself."

"Yes, well, I do believe it was a shock to everyone," Obi-Wan mused, pulling a jar of sugar out of the pantry.

"My wish is for you two to make amends," Savage offered with a calm collectedness.

The tea kettle screamed. Tea time.

-------------------

Chapter 2 will be posted next Thursday, October 14th

taglist: @always-on-tatooine @dinsbeskar @maulpunk @hornystarwarsbisexual @dawdreygore @l1feisapigsty @maulieber @botherbother-blog @emissarydecksetter @wolfpack-arts-industries99 @mock-ing-bird @spookiifi

[dathomirdumpsterfire]

this shot guts me. bro on the left is holding feral back, not up. the village knows how close these two were are. T_T

[dathomirdumpsterfire]

i hope you're excited for feral posts all day today cuz

that's what i got

[zabrak-show]

In the Absence of Light

Ch 4 I can be your angle or your demon baby

Entire story can be found here

AO3

Final chapter!

Word count: 3k

Summary: The teams must work together to get out of the room. Savage has a tasty treat or two up his sleeve.

Warnings/Tags: Horror themes/elements (pretty tame imo), spiders, demons, spirits, i made up my own lore lol, kissy kissy, not beta read, probably ooc tbh it's quite a silly au

Happy Halloween everyone!! Stay safe and have fun xoxo

"Maybe there's another secret door. How'd you guys find that first one?" Ahsoka asked, feeling the walls for any sign of weakness or discrepancy.

They all followed the Togruta's suggestion to feel around the walls looking for anything, any way out. Feral found a wrinkle in the wallpaper. His thin tan hands followed it to the edge. He pulled at the corner with little effort, and the paper tore with ease. The wallpaper glue had worn down so much through the years, and it near disintegrated at the touch.

Feral continued ripping away the paper until he revealed A grease pen drawing of a door.

"That's gotta be it!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "Do we push on it? Or?" She asked, investigating the drawing.

"It's far more complicated than that." Maul rolled his eyes. Obi-Wan glanced over at him, seeing him in the light for the first time without his sweater at a distance. He wore a thin black shirt with an even deeper V neck than Obi-Wan thought possible. It clung to his sinuous muscles. "There's a summoning spell we need to perform to open the door-"

"A demon summoning spell? Are you mad? Is that how you opened the last door?" Obi-Wan near yelled, his heart racing.

"Well, no, but you can see these sigils up here," he pointed to small symbols penciled in above the top of the door drawing. "and if you could have seen in the basement or wherever we were, you would have recognized them. I'm surprised someone so knowledgeable in the paranormal wouldn't know about these." Maul smirked at the bearded man wearing his charcoal gray sweater. Was this Maul's way of flirting?

"Well, I'm surprised someone so adept at ghost knowledge wouldn't notice these claw marks at the bottom of the door." Obi-Wan retorted with saucy contempt. "There was a great struggle in here with once-living beings. We need only to call out to the ghosts." Obi-Wan pointed where the door met the floor, and there were marks from someone dragging their nails across the floorboards. He lined up his hand with the gouges to further prove his point.

A roaring groan took over the argument from outside their room. The floor shook, and the sound became deafening until it slowed down to a light rumble outside the elevator door. The door slid open with a cheery 'ding,' and a seasick-looking Anakin stumbled out of it.

"Wait!" Ahsoka ran over to the door to try and keep it open. It made no difference; the door slammed shut. She whipped her arm back, looking down at her fingers she near lost in the sinister elevator door.

"Ughhhh, where am I?" Anakin asked, looking around at everyone. Dust and grime-covered his clothes, hair, and body.

"Well, we're still trying to figure that out. We've found this drawn door and are trying to find a way to contact the ghost who made it to open it for us." Obi-Wan walked over to Anakin, brushing off the dust and cobwebs covering him.

"Excuse me! But it's the demon we need to summon. Do you refuse to listen to ANYTHING I say?" Maul walked over to Kenobi, the fire in his eyes ready to shoot lightning.

"I make it my life's goal to never listen to anything you say, Maul, yes." Obi-Wan would not let Maul see him get to him. Not like this. Not after everything that happened so far. He stood firm on his ground, crossing his arms in front of his chest. The feel of soft cashmere on his hands reminded him whose sweater he wore. He hardened his posture avoiding any observable sentiment.

Maul narrowed his eyes on Obi-Wan, "You'll listen to me when it's too late, Kenobi." he threatened with cold, calculated steps towards the man.

Ahsoka put her face in her hands in an exasperated gesture, "You two are the absolute worst." She groaned in exaggerated annoyance, "How about we each do what we believe to be right and see which one works. It can't hurt, can it?" She shrugged her shoulders and arms in a final

"What?! Summoning a demon? Yeah, that can hurt. That can hurt a lot. Are you crazy?" Anakin screeched out. His color was returning to his face.

"Ahsoka's right," Obi-Wan cut in, "it's our only option at this point anyway. We need to get out of this room. We must try everything." He sighed and avoided eye contact with Maul, who he could sense was jeering at him.

He didn't like the idea of summoning a demon. He hated it, in fact, but to argue with Maul was futile. The priority was getting out of this room, whatever that may take. Ahsoka, Anakin, and Obi-Wan sat near the door in a semi-circle. Ahsoka was in the middle since she was the medium. Anakin and Obi-Wan touched the bottom of the door frame where the scratch marks were most prominent. They all held hands while Ahsoka hummed out a calling in the ancient language of the spirits. Very few knew this sacred language. Anyone not gifted in this skill at a very young age could never attempt it, lest they desire insanity. Obi-Wan and Anakin closed their eyes, meditating on the spirits in silence. They were calling to them in their minds to come forth and open the door.

In another corner of the room, Maul and Feral began summoning the demon of the door's sigil. They spoke their native tongue Paecian as they called forth to the devil. Green mist surrounded the Zabrak brothers as they chanted their spells of summoning. The floors and walls creaked as both groups worked hard to summon help.

Something crawled over Obi-Wan's outstretched hand on the wall, and he swore it felt like the spiders from earlier. His focus was pertinent to the summoning ceremony. He couldn't lose focus. Sweat beaded off his forehead as he used all his might to concentrate on meditation, to not think about the possible spider on his hand.

The shaking of the floor increased; it felt like the floorboards would rip apart beneath them. Maybe that was going to be their way out after all. The foundation would give out to an endless abyss. The raucous noise of the elevator took over the room, stifling out Ahsoka and the Zabrak's voices until it finally shuddered to a stop.

Obi-Wan peaked an eye open at the elevator door. Was this it? Their moment? It was hard to see through the green mist that now filled the room, but he could still see the shiny brass outline of the door. It creaked in a loud high pitched moan as it slid open inch by inch. Everyone's attention now on the door, what was going to come out? Obi-Wan heard that familiar noise from his dream, the crawling, horrific sound of thousands of spiders. His gaze turned down at the floor, and sure enough, a sea of spiders now covered it.

They skittered all over but left a perimeter around the trio holding hands. Thank the gods because he really might have lost it if they started swarming on him. They scaled the walls, near covering the room before the door was even fully open. The elevator shook again, moaning like a forlorn lover at the cliffs of her lover's suicide. A gurgling noise followed by a long ink-black tendril forced the door open further.

Obi-wan's eyes burned from the green smoke and putrid air. His skin bristled though no spiders touched him as he witnessed what horror creeped out the elevator. His first met the torso slick with something tarlike, the room even filled with the scent of tar. A thousand eyes sequined the face, glittering off the dull light. He wasn't sure where the mouth on its head was until a long black tongue exited one of the holes in a disgusting squelching noise. The figure writhed towards them all. Eight long skinny legs twitched in an unsettling manner with slow movement into the room. The air felt cold and hot all at once. Tar oozed from the bulbous body connecting all the legs. Gods above it was a spider demon.

The demon snarled at them, and black drool fell out of its mouth onto its body, adding to the already slick appearance. The multiple eyes moved in all different directions as the long tongue slithered back into the mouth opening. The creature hissed before moaning out some ancient language. Obi-Wan had no idea what they spoke or if the Zabraks could understand. He hoped they could and that whatever it wanted was something of ease to obtain.

Ahsoka gasped, and Obi-Wan turned to look at her. She was staring, mouth agape, up at the ceiling, where two shadows danced around the water stains. Their form changed as they danced, and with the green mist, they looked almost like glowing fireflies, though much more prominent. There was a terrifying beauty to them he couldn't deny. Ahsoka spoke in the spirit language, and they stopped dancing to stare down at her with their glowing lidless eyes.

The shadows twirled down the wall causing the monster to moan, a sorrowful sound, almost a whale sound. The figures finally made it to the giant creature Concern creased Obi-Wan's brow. What was that creature going to do with them? What were they? They danced and swirled around the spider legs, eventually settling on the other side of the demon's torso. Its long top arms or legs, whatever they were, wrapped around the spirits.

The demon and shadows quivered towards the drawn door in static movements like a TV with bad reception. They were moaning and screeching in blood-curdling sounds. The disaster trio near the door scuttled back out of the way. Obi-Wan's jaw felt locked. He was clenching down so hard in abject fear.

The lines of the door and sigils lit up in bright yellow light. The wall opened inwards, pouring the light all over the room. The tiny spiders, once blanketing the entire room, evaporated at light's first touch. The three spirits walked into the opening and, for a moment, took the form of an elderly man with two young adults walking hand in hand into the light. With a soft rumble of the floorboards, it all disappeared.

The blinding light dimmed where the door remained open. The five occupants of the room stood and sat transfixed by the scene they had observed. All were unable to move as the shock coursed through their bloodstreams.

"WOW, how'd you guys do that?" Like a ray of warm sunshine, Savage peeked his horned head through the door. Obi-Wan slid his eyes toward him and tried to understand what he was seeing. Was he wearing a pink apron? And the smell that now filled his nostrils, sweet and warm, and cookies?

Obi-Wan stood, his legs feeling like jelly, as the adrenaline wore down. Anakin and Ahsoka followed suit, rising with him. They walked towards the door, Maul and Feral already poking their heads through it.

"It's the kitchen!" Feral exclaimed.

"Well, obviously! How'd you guys even get over there? Or create that door? I… I have so many questions!" Savage exclaimed with glee. He held a dough-covered spatula and flour coated his apron and some of his face.

"Brother, were you making cookies?" Maul inquired, a scowl on his face.

The timer dinged.

"Yes!!" Savage grabbed an oven mitt and took the sheet of cookies out of the oven. "I didn't know where any of you went, and I got bored looking, so I started making cookies to pass the time. So anyway, what happened to everyone?" He set the sheet of cookies on the counter. After everything, it was comfort beyond measure to smell homemade cookies.

They all reflexively took a deep sigh in remembering the past events of what had happened. Where to even begin?

"Maul was making out with Obi-Wan," Feral blurted out, already doubled over in laughter. Maul and Obi-Wan gave each other a hurried glance before staring down at the floor.

Savage's face dropped, and he set down the spatula to turn towards Maul. "Brother, I am so proud of you." He grabbed Maul's hands, "I know how long you've tormented yourself with your feelings towards-"

Maul ripped his hands away. "I do NOT have feelings for Kenobi. The spirits and the moment overtook us. Listen, I don't have to explain anything to you."

Obi-Wan's face grew hot, and he tried to look away from anyone, settling on looking down at his feet. Only to be reminded he was wearing Maul's sweatshirt. The sound of his heartbeat filled his ears, drowning out the rest of the sound in the kitchen. He could barely make out Anakin asking Ahsoka about this in bewilderment. Wait, did Maul say spirits? So he did believe in them. Although how could one not after what they'd experienced. A smile overtook him, and he couldn't help but laugh.

Everyone turned towards Obi-Wan. He stilled his laughter. Now that there was an awkward silence, he did what he knew best. Obi-Wan filled the tea kettle with water and prepared to make tea. He had the perfect blend to go with chocolate chip cookies. He clattered around in the kitchen getting everything ready while voices overlapped about his interaction with Maul.

"Ok, Ok," Savage's booming voice swallowed up everyone else. "I want to hear everything about what you all experienced in the house that was NOT my brother making out with his boyfriend."

Obi-Wan turned on his heel at this remark.

"I am not his boyf-"

Savage held one of his giant fingers up to Obi-Wan's lips, "Sshh! Tell me about the ghosts and the demons."

The tea kettle screamed, which was another helpful step in getting everyone to calm down and quiet up. Obi-Wan sighed and made everyone a cup of tea as Savage plated all the cookies. There was quite the tale to be told.

They all took turns over tea telling their versions of what happened. How each of them had ended up in the elevator and the strange empty room it took them. The drawn door they found under the wallpaper. Savage listened with excitable attention, his eyes big and gasping at parts of the story. When they got to the part about them each summoning the spirits and the demon, it seemed each group still felt a bit strong about who's was more effective.

"If it hadn't been for us summoning that demon, you never would have escaped that room," Maul drawled out, leaning back in the old kitchen chair.

Savage nodded his head at his brother, a crumb of cookie falling out of his yellow lips.

"Well, if we hadn't brought the spirits forth to reunite with the demon, then you all would have been consumed by the demon," Ahsoka shot back at Maul, her eyes electrified.

"Oh, that's true too," Savage leaned back in his chair, taking a sip of tea.

"We worked together, and that's the point," Obi-Wan stated, silencing everyone who was about to retort that their way was correct. "No one was right or wrong alone. We had to do it together."

The room was silent, save for the stirring of sugar in tea from Anakin and the crunching of cookies. Obi-Wan sighed in relief. The arguing was over.

"To be fair, though, we did have-" Feral broke the silence, which let everyone loose with their theories on why they were the better team.

Obi-Wan shook his head and laughed again. He caught Maul's eye through the sea of excitable voices. He wanted to look away, but the way Maul softened at his gaze, he felt the corners of his mouth turn up into a smile. Maul smiled and looked down at his tea. Obi-Wan supposed he had never seen Maul smile before.

A loud knocking tore through the room, silencing everyone.

BOOM BOOM BOOM

Obi-Wan stood to go towards the noise, with Maul shadowing his movements. They walked out towards the noise together, side by side. Their hands brushed against each other, and they both laughed nervously and tried to apologize. Maul's eyes slid over Obi-Wan, and he reached for his hand on purpose.

"I-"

BOOM BOOM BOOM

The booming knocks continued, sending chills down their spines. They walked down the hall, hand in hand, their other fists clenched.

"Helloooo?? Did you all have fun??" The high-pitched voice of the caretaker sang out.

Relief washed over them, letting them relax their posture. The tiny elderly Twi'lek woman walked towards them from the main entrance. A gray cardigan pulled tightly around her frame. She hobbled on her cane, a bright smile lighting up her love-worn face.

"Oh yes, loads of fun," Maul growled out. A big bark for someone still holding tight to Obi-Wan's hand...

"Ohh yes, I am so sorry you weren't made aware of the double booking. I was certain that you both knew and had arranged it this way. At least that's what your team member suggested to me." She craned her neck to look up at Maul and Obi-Wan and then down at their clasped hands.

"Team member?" Maul's brow raised.

"Yes, the big fella. He arranged this," she explained with a sweet smile further creasing up the corners of her eyes.

Maul turned, a flame in his eyes, "Is that so," he started down back towards the kitchen, but Obi-Wan pulled back the arm he held.

"Are you really that upset?" He pulled him into an embrace. Maul's breath hitched, and Obi-Wan held him close, feeling the dual heartbeats of the Zabrak. He looked down at his lips, the bottom one slightly pouting, begging for a kiss. Obi-Wan closed the distance, and their lips met again, this time soft and slow.

The rest of the team had made their way out to the front entrance now. Maul and Obi-Wan were too lost in their own world to notice the ridiculous exclamations the rest of their team members were making in response.

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thanks for reading!! reblogs and comments are sooo appreciated xoxox

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[zabrak-show]

In the Absence of Light

Chapter 2 of 4 "Were you calling from a walkie-talkie?"

Disaster Trio vs Zabrak Bros Ghost Hunting Teams

read chapter 1 here

Words: 3.7k, 15 min read time

Warnings/Tags: Haunted house/light horror themes, nightmare, spiders, sensory deprivation, more bickering lol, modern au

AO3

I'd love to hear what you think! Comments/Reblogs very appreciated <3

Maul sat, scrunched up on the couch next to Savage, his sock-covered feet resting on his brother's hip. The deep V of his gray sweater showing off his toned and tattooed upper body. A fierce scowl contorted his features, and he blew on his steaming hot cup of tea.

"I take it the conversation with the caretakers did not go well?" Obi-Wan asked, sitting posture perfect on a plush red armchair glancing over at Maul. The tendrils of steam from his tea filled his nostrils with its warm spicy scent. He had wanted the conversation to be more lucrative as well, for all of them.

Maul grumbled something incoherent. Everyone looked down at their mugs of tea, not daring to make eye contact with anyone. The unanimous feelings of disappointment were as thick as the heavy drapes covering the windows.

"Well then, we are all trapped here tonight. We might as well learn to work together, seeing as there is no alternative." Obi-Wan suggested, taking a sip from his tea. The heat and bitterness washed over his tongue, followed by the sweet-spicy aftertaste. A chill breeze coursed through the room, and despite the warm beverage in hand, he shuddered from the frigidity.

"I'm way ahead of you, boss," Ahsoka plopped on the floor between everyone and unrolled a large blueprint map of the house, nearly covering a decorative faded rug. Her slender orange finger pointed towards a hand-drawn key on the map. "I've marked out where each of us can be at all hours of our stay here. If we just follow this-"

"I am not following what a child has drawn out for us," Maul interrupted, now placing his feet on the floor and his elbows on his legs. His amber eyes flashed with vexation. "How do we know you haven't set this up to your own advantage and our failure?" He leaned back into the sofa, crossing his arms with an arched tattooed brow.

"I'm not a child, and how would I have set you up for failure? If the house is haunted, it's haunted." Ahsoka exclaimed, her arms gesturing in exasperation from her seated position on the floor. "There's no way I can know what rooms will have activity and when." She pointed back at the map with an extended hand, looking down at her handiwork. If it were any colder in the room, steam would be observed by all escaping her face and lekku.

"I don't like it either. We should work together to come up with a plan. It'd be fairer that way." Feral interjected, looking at his brothers on the sofa next to him.

"Fair?! All you brothers care about is the ratings. When have you ever played fair?" Anakin burst out, pulling his chair closer to the others. He would sooner willingly get possessed by a demon than back down from a fight. "You aren't even fair to each other-"

"Now you wait a minute! How we handle our own disputes is none of your concern, and we're more than fair, right Feral?" Savage reached a navy sweater-covered arm out Feral, smacking his shoulder with the back of his hand in a light, friendly gesture.

"You guys don't like my plan because I'm the only woman here and-" Ahsoka piped out, arms crossed, looking directly at Maul with daggers shooting from her big blue eyes.

"Well, there was that time you guys made me sleep in the van, and I never did get my shirt back from Maul-" Feral brushed off Savage's gesture with a nervous smirk, folding his arms into himself. The geometric pattern on his green sweater forming tessellated madness against itself.

"You know damn well it has nothing to do with you being a woman!" Maul almost stood as spittle flew from his mouth to bellow through the clashing voices. "My mother did not raise me to be -"

"I thought you wanted to sleep in the van -" Savage's brow knitted with concern towards his younger brother.

"ENOUGH!" Obi-Wan cut through all their overlapping arguments with a deep booming command. "We'll all go over Ahsoka's plan together and adjust as necessary. Everyone gets a say, and it will be fair. Ok?" He strained a smile out towards everyone as he spoke, daring anyone to keep up this malarkey and see what happens. The room quieted to only the sounds of the wind whistling outside and through the uninsulated walls surrounding them.

Ahsoka frowned but nodded her head with a shiver, as did Anakin.

The Opress brothers looked at each other, and Feral shrugged his shoulders, "I mean, what other option is there?"

"Fine," Maul grumbled out with a flick of his wrist in the air. His eyes rolled in a dramatic gesture rivaling the previous yelling. He settled his gaze on the rug at his feet, his forehead furrowed with annoyance.

The plan was set. Much to everyone's surprise, there had been minimal arguments once they worked together on the schedule. Everyone wanted to stay out of each other's way. Both teams had several perma-cams set up throughout the house, some of them in the same room, but that was fine, they'd agreed. Each team would be nowhere near the other one, with a few minimal exceptions. The advantages to being in such a massive estate, after all.

--------------

I can get through this night. Obi-Wan affirmed his reflection in the cloudy bathroom mirror for a moment before splashing cold water on his face from the sink. The initial red-brown color, giving him a startle. He'd had to let the water run for a while to get all the rust out of it. It still smelled metallic, but the sudden burst of icy water on his skin gave him the clarity he was seeking. With a big exhale, he turned to exit. The bathroom door slammed shut in his face before he could leave, quaking the walls of the small room.

"Anakin? Ahsoka?"

Silence. The only sound was the drip, drip, drip of the faucet. The air turned frigid and acidic. Burning his nostrils with each shaking breath. He grabbed the round metal door handle and twisted, but it did nothing. The handle would turn and turn in place, yet the door would not budge.

"Who's there?" Obi-Wan pulled on the door, shaking it a bit as he heaved. He turned on his body cam and rotated back towards the mirror.

"Well, it appears as though a spirit has locked me in the bathroom. I've been trying to get this door open for several minutes, and it won't budge," he turned to show the door.

"Either someone has a terrible sense of humor, or a ghost is sending me a message." He looked down at the checkered tile and took a deep breath in, trying not to let himself convulse with fear.

"Spirits, I invoke thee. What is the meaning of this? Send me a sign? Open the door, please…" He trailed off as the lids of his eyes grew heavier and heavier. A rush of drowsiness hit him like a dose of Benadryl. He closed the top to the toilet and sat down.

"I'll rest my eyes for a mo-"

----

Itchy, prickling, crawling. Obi-Wan's skin was being attacked by something. His eyes shot open, and he looked down in horror. Spiders. Thousands of spiders covered his body, crawling all around him. He stood up with a jump and a shout. Trying to brush them all off, but more and more kept crawling on him. The floor was a moving blanket of black, and the sounds of the crawling, gods the sound was enough that he wanted to rip out his own eardrums.

He heard a distant echo of his name called from another room, another universe mayhap. It seemed so far away.

Obi-Wan? Obi??

There was a cacophonous crash as the floor opened up into a pit and swallowed the spiders. Obi-Wan screamed and backed up to the edge of the room, but the hole kept getting bigger and bigger. It was going to swallow him whole.

"Boss, it's ok, it's us!" A firm grip on his bicep jolted him awake. He looked into Anakin's worried expression as he caught his breath. A nightmare. Of course, it was a nightmare. How did he end up falling asleep here in the first place?

"I guess I was dreaming… I don't remember falling asleep." Obi-Wan rubbed the sleep from his eyes, looking around like a bewildered animal caught in a trap. The small bathroom filled with the warmth and familiarity of his companions helped him clear away the pervading mist of his nightmare.

"Yeah, Snips and I heard you yelling and ran to help. It took a lot for us to get that door open. How'd you get it locked up so tight? I don't see a lock on the door." Anakin looked back at the now open door and inspected the frame around it.

"I was in here, splashing water on my face, and the door slammed shut and locked on its own…I." Obi-Wan felt himself stammering, looking for reason in this bizarre scenario. He must sound like an old man with dementia, he reigned himself in, but the worry on his brow couldn't be erased.

"Jeez, boss, it's alright. It was a silly nightmare. I've never seen you so shook up." Ahsoka cocked her head to the side and smiled in a reassuring motion. She grabbed his hands, her skin warm and dry contrasting with his cold, clammy hands, and helped him to his feet.

"Well, I hardly think I am shaken up. A little confused, maybe." Obi-Wan stood, straightening himself out to keep his air of professionalism.

Anakin grabbed his arm and put it over his shoulder, helping him walk out, "Yeah, ok, old man." Obi-Wan didn't have to look over at him to know the precise mocking sneer that Anakin was sure to have painted across his face.

This garnered a laugh out of Obi-Wan. At least he was still able to laugh after that. It was a bad dream, that's all. He felt something tickle his wrist and looked down to see a spider crawl out from under his shirt sleeve. His stomach dropped, and his skin prickled at all his hair standing on end. He shook the spider off him to the floor and smashed its body with his brown shoe. Ahsoka and Anakin looked to him and then each other, startled at their boss's brazen action.

"I hate spiders."

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The control room for Ghost Knights was in Obi-Wan's bedroom. He didn't plan on sleeping, and it was the most central of all the bedrooms anyway on the third floor nearest the main staircases. Several monitors were set up with views of their permanent cameras on all of them. The screens flickered with their black and white videos of the rooms and halls of the house. The majority of it was boring, still images. Occasionally they'd see the Opress brothers in them. Maul would, of course, flip off the cameras every time.

Anakin hoisted a camera on his shoulder and grabbed a flashlight in the other hand.

"Alright, boss, Snips and I are gonna go check it out. You stay here and keep watch on us." He tested the flashlight as he spoke, shining it off and on into an annoyed Ahsoka's eyes. She batted it away and grabbed the walkie-talkies off one of the side tables.

skrch

"Testing..testing.."

skrch

Ahsoka spoke into the walkie-talkie and threw one to Obi-Wan. He caught it with one hand and nodded towards the two. They'd take shifts as they usually did so that everyone had some screen time and no one got too scared or worn out. It was also the best way to test the rooms with different methods and tools.

Warm amber light filled the bedroom through the tall windows and grew darker by the minute. The sun was starting to set. Obi-Wan lit some candles in the room. The only room the caretakers bothered keeping the electricity on was the kitchen and laundry room for obvious reasons. Which meant it was about to get real dark.

Obi-Wan lit the last candle of a large silver candelabra with five candlesticks burnt to various lengths. He shook the match to extinguish it, breathing in the smoky sulfur scent. His eyes scanned the room, settling on the ceiling tall bookshelf nearest him. He eyeballed the book titles in the flickering candlelight.

Tales of Mischief

The Wandering Oddfellow

Cracking Bones and Weeping Flesh

Medical Handbook for Abnormalities

Skulls of my Enemies and Lovers

He picked one up called "Mortis Family History," only it didn't come off the shelf but lifted back at an angle. This activated a lever that swept the bookshelf like a rotating door taking a surprised Obi-Wan with it to the other side of the wall. Not only did the door rotate, but the floor beneath him opened up to a slide. Without a moment to react or view his surroundings, he spiraled down the chute and descended further and further.

Just as fast as it started, it ended and spat him out onto a cold hard concrete floor with a disgraceful thump. A shock wave of pain vibrated through his body at the impact. His joints weren't like they used to be; that was apparent. Darkness surrounded him such that he could not see his hand in front of his face. The ground felt like dirty grime encrusted filth as he felt around, blind as a bat in this overwhelming darkness.

"Hello? Can anyone hear me?!" He yelled out to the nothingness. The air was damp and acrid, a certain putridness to which he didn't care to find the source. He could feel cobwebs grabbing onto his face and hair. The memory of the spiders from earlier sent a chill through his body.

Recalling he had the walkie-talkie from Ahsoka clipped to his belt, he took it out and spoke into it.

"Can anyone hear me? I fell down into the basement."

"Hello?? Heelllooo?"

"Anakin? Ahsoka?? Anyone?"

KRCHH

He swore he could hear a muffled voice coming out of it. He turned the volume up and held it to his ear.

"All alone. All alone," the small voice whispered.

"Hello?! Can you hear me?" He asked with a demanding tone, then held it flush with his ear to listen.

“Alone, all alone, all...a...lone...lonely...alOnE. ALONE ALONE!" the voice grew louder and louder, screeching in his ear until Kenobi threw the device down and let out a frustrated scream.

There must be some sort of interference, he reassured himself in a futile attempt. He felt around for the discarded walkie-talkie and clipped it back to his belt. Best to wait and use that again in a little while.

Curses, if only he had a flashlight. He really did not want to go around feeling everything in here, but there was no other way out, it seemed. He got up with a stretch and reached his arms out in front of himself, walking in the dark abyss like a zombie. His arms reaching, waiting to feel anything, not wanting to hit something but knowing it would inevitably happen. Please, gods willing, nothing sharp or dangerous.

A loud creak echoed above him, followed by a series of loud thumps and groans. The sound grew in magnitude. He stopped his zombie walk to wait and listen.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

There was a strange rhythm to the disquieting booms growing in ferocity. The intensity of the noise was such that the ceiling was sure to collapse. With no inkling of what the ceiling in here was made out of, the worry in Obi-Wan's stomach grew. He had no idea where to go for safety, his skin prickled, and his heart raced as he darted around the room.

"Hello? Who's the-unffff" a heavy body landed on top of him, crashing them both down to the hard floor. Obi-Wan's teeth gnashed together, reverberating pain through his jaw. The wind knocked out of his chest; he lay motionless for a beat until realizing there was someone on top of him. At least whoever it was seemed to have a pulse and a warm, breathing body. Thus it was not a corpse or otherwise undesirable. Using his hands to see, he reached his hand up to touch whoever it was. He felt the figure's face, high cheekbones, an earring in the right ear, a horn. Oh, boy.

"What do you think you're doing, Kenobi?!" Maul spat out, knowing in an instant who it was thanks to his night vision. Maul clambered to get up but failed to gain his balance back after the fall. His hands clawed at Obi-Wan, and he kneed him in the legs and groin, the latter making him wince in pain.

"Will you calm down and quit flailing around? You've kneed me several times." Kenobi groaned out to the Zabrak as he shoved him off him and to the side.

Both men caught their breath and dusted themselves off. Obi-Wan was not as fortunate as Maul to see what he was brushing off himself.

"I'm completely blind down here. What do you see?" Obi-Wan asked, no idea if he was facing Maul or not.

"What do you mean? Ah yes, humans can't see with no light," his voice laced with pleasure. "Well, it's hard to say what I see exactly. There are shelves on the wall with sigils written on them, specimen jars with, I'm not sure but possibly body parts." He circled Kenobi as he spoke, his voice getting closer and closer to him as he continued on. "Hmm, of course, there is a pile of skulls next to you, and a bunch of medical tools like rusty scalpels and syringes and-"

"Ok, haha, hilarious, Maul. Do you at least see a door? Or some way out of here?" Obi-Wan crossed his arms, no longer trying to rotate himself in the direction of Maul's voice since it kept changing.

"Well, I wasn't joking about everything," Maul said under his breath, backing away from Obi-Wan to look around better instead of taunting his rival.

"What?" Obi-Wan's eyebrow raised, and his posture stiffening.

"Nothing," Maul brushed off the question. "There's a door on the far side of the room to your left." Maul gestured to himself, sighing at the inconvenience of his companion in this dire situation. There was no mistaking the sound of annoyance and disapproval in the Zabrak's voice.

"Ok, great! Any candles or light sources we can use?" Obi-Wan asked, attempting to relieve Maul of the apparent inconvenience his lack of sight was to the Zabrak.

"Nah, I don't see anything. Guess you'll have to trust me as your guide." Maul's smirk was so deep, Obi-Wan could hear it through the blackness of the room. He rolled his eyes, no idea if Maul was looking at him or not.

A warm hand slowly clasped onto Obi-Wan's. Maul. His instinct was to shake him off. But he needed his help to get out of here. Not to mention he was warm and soft, and stars he felt good. Obi-Wan suddenly felt hot despite the chill of this undercroft. He hoped his hands wouldn't start sweating. The fabric at his underarms dampened from sweat, causing a slight shiver to shake his upper body.

"That afraid of the dark are you, Kenobi?" Maul mocked Kenobi with a supercilious iciness to his words.

Obi-Wan huffed in response as they made their way to the door. Maul was a thorough guide, much to Obi-Wan's surprise. Making sure he didn't step on anything or run into furniture in the room. His touch was soft, and dare Obi-Wan to think it, there was a tenderness to it. Not at all the coarse and rough way he imagined him to be. Not at all the way he talked and jeered at him.

Maul slid his hand to Obi-Wan's lower back as helped him around some sort of object in the way, giving terse directions as he did so. Obi-Wan was still grappling with being sightless in this dank hovel. He hated to admit he was pretty glad Maul had fallen down here with him.

Maul maneuvered them both to a stop. Obi-Wan reached his hands out and felt a rough concrete wall in front of him. The grime stuck to his hands, and he pulled them back with a shake in a futile attempt to rid himself of it. Maul's hand lingered on Obi's lower lumbar region, and then, with a slow, graceful sweep up, he lifted his hand off.

"Best not to touch anything in here, I'd suspect." Maul near whispered in his ear. Criminy, he hadn't realized how close he still was. His breath warmed Obi-Wan's neck and yet made the hairs stand on end. A breeze of cold air passed through Obi-Wan. How could there be a breeze down here? Best not think too hard on it.

"Are we at the door? Can you open it?" He tried not to let his voice croak in uncertainty. To show fear to a Zabrak as ruthless as Maul was to admit defeat for the rest of time.

"Yes, it looks like...well, it looks like an elevator door. Only I don't see any buttons to open it." Obi-Wan could sense the Zabrak moving around the wall in front of them, looking for a way to open it.

"An elevator? How curious," Obi-Wan stroked his beard, remembered the grime on his hands, and dropped them to his sides. "Could we pry it open with something?" The idea of being trapped in a decrepit elevator with Maul was about the last item on his to-do list, the current situation being the absolute bottom of that list.

"Don't move from here," Maul gripped Obi-Wan's arms as though it would help him stick to the spot on the floor. "I'll look for a crowbar or something." He could feel the air rush past him as Maul dashed around the room, searching for tools.

Tasked with standing still in a pitch-black haunted basement. Ok, what could go wrong? Likely nothing, but it still made his skin crawl. He crossed his arms into himself, praying to the voices in his head there would be no spiders crawling on or around him.

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next chapter

taglist: @always-on-tatooine @dinsbeskar @maulpunk @hornystarwarsbisexual @dawdreygore @l1feisapigsty @maulieber @botherbother-blog @emissarydecksetter @wolfpack-arts-industries99 @mock-ing-bird

[zabrak-show]

Bro- Its come to my realization that all the Zabracks are Dilfs and Idk how to feel about it-

Viscus- a dilf

Savage- a dilf

Maul- a dilf

I think Ferals the only one not a dilf-

lmao I feel you for sure! dathomir creates beautiful people 🥰

also, feral is like your bffs single uncle that shows up at the bbq you were invited to and you’re just like

feral is uilf? hmm somehow not as catchy

[zabrak-show]

Feral and Nima out for a rare beach day.

Nima is my new Zygerrian OC, they’re a political activist and extremely hard working. Feral somehow convinced her to take a day to relax with him at the beach. how can anyone say no to feral’s sweet face tho?