Quality content is what I strive for in every aspect of my life, particularly fandom.
Through painstaking hours of research, I have finally been able to crack the code on what Clone Trooper Dogma’s tattoo really means. No discourse or discussion. No meta. This is 105% totally canon, swearsies. Filoni confirmed.
I would like to request Republic Commando Fi x reader fic with ,,how much longer 'til we're there?" prompt in which he visits his girlfriend on Coruscant after spending long time on misions off planet and then she brings him out somewhere to show him what ,,normal people" do in their free time, include some fluff please
Republic Commando Fi x fem!reader. Fi returns to Coruscant on leave and spends it with his new partner. (Rated G, despite that description.)
Okay, starting off strong with some apologies! First, I am so sorry this took as long as it did. Thank you for your patience! Second, I only just finished Republic Commando: Triple Zero, so the plot is intended to take place just after that mission and characterization is based on things that went on in that book rather than anything later. Any OOC-ness is my fault.
*If you're familiar with Republic Commando, this takes place one unspecified, routine mission after Republic Commando: Triple Zero.
*If you're unfamiliar with Republic Commando, all you need to know is that Fi is in a squad of four commandos who have been to Coruscant before and have ties there, but haven't spent much free time on the planet.
Fi + "How much longer 'til we're there?"
Word Count: 4,700
Warnings: An incredible amount of fluff, shifting POV, mentions of war, good-natured teasing among commandos.
“There you go, ramikade,” the pilot announced, his voice raised just enough to carry to Omega Squad in the back of the transport. “Triple Zero. Welcome home.”
“Home,” Atin snorted. “Troopers don’t get those, last I checked.”
“Shut it, Atin,” Niner ordered. “Be pessimistic on your own time. Fi’s excited to see his civvie.”
Fi barely heard any of their continued conversation over the excitement buzzing in his chest as he peered through the narrow viewport at the expanse of cityscape beneath them. Coruscant had been intimidating every time he had ever been there, and this time was no different.
The buildings on the uppermost level towered up toward the atmosphere, their penthouses reaching for the stars. As the ship dipped lower and lower, some of the buildings began to rise further up, silhouetting against the late afternoon sunlight - whatever sunlight could manage to filter through the smog and pollution, anyway. In this light, Fi could understand how Coruscant’s capital was sometimes known as the City of Spires.
The mass of buildings was inhabited by a teeming collection of life that was staggering in both variety and sheer scope. The city-planet - an ecumenopolis, as his HUD helpfully informed him - played host to more species than any single being could name, every neighborhood a tapestry of immigrated life and cultures. No two areas of the city were the same, and that made it unpredictable. Commandos didn’t like unpredictability. Kal’buir always said that there was danger in things that displayed no easy pattern.
You were unpredictable, though. Fi would never have guessed that you would dance with him the last time he was on Coruscant, or that you would accept him so readily. You had given your comm frequency with the understanding that he wasn't under any obligation to contact you. You had been a shock to him, running counter to everything he had been taught to expect…
So, of course, Fi had contacted you at the earliest possible opportunity.
You had spent some time together before he had to leave for his next mission. It had all been tame - extremely so, if he were to use Darman and Etain as a point of comparison, or Atin and Laseema - but you had still met him at the shipyard with a farewell kiss and a promise to show him around the next time he was on Coruscant.
“How much longer ‘til we’re there?” Fi called, leaning forward a bit to make extra sure the pilot heard him. It came out much louder than he had expected.
“Easy, vod,” Darman urged, laughing slightly.
“Shouting won’t make the process faster,” Atin told him.
Fortunately, the pilot seemed to find Fi’s eagerness amusing rather than insulting. “I’ll have you on the surface in under ten minutes, guaranteed.”
“Is that with or without a parachute?” Niner asked quietly, and the others snorted at the joke.
Fi didn’t laugh along with them. If he had the option to bail out of the transport, he’d gladly accept the use of a GAR parachute. Rumors of unreliability be karked. He had places to be.
---
The war effort never quite seemed real on Coruscant. Sure, you heard plenty about it on news broadcasts, kept up with the latest movements on the Holonet, and tried to puzzle out the esoteric decisions made by the Senate. And the troopers were certainly hard to ignore, both the ones in the Coruscant Guard and the men who came to Coruscant between missions. And yes, you had taken a bit more notice of the war since meeting Fi, but it all seemed so distant.
Coruscant had been invaded by a giant beast at one point and threatened more often than anyone could keep track of, but nothing too intense happened at the center of the galaxy. If Coruscant were to fall, it would be at the end of a war steadily increasing in violence and desperation. From all reports you had read, things weren't there yet, not even remotely.
Of course, you didn't have access to many reports. You were a civilian, working at a popular resort on the upper levels of Coruscant. Your job was to keep the rich guests happy, spending money, and excited to return. They were supposed to come to Coruscant to forget about the war entirely and they worked to do exactly that.
Honestly, the lack of meaningful discussion about the war left you feeling insane more often than not. Why was no one else concerned about a galaxy-wide conflict?
You shook your head sharply, refocusing your attention on the docking yard where you were standing. Fi was coming in on leave and he would want to talk about anything other than the war. You wouldn't let the specter of the ongoing conflict ruin what little time the two of you had together.
Realistically speaking, you shouldn't have known that Fi would be going on leave. It was considered classified information, but you had gotten a cryptic message on your comlink. It had come from a blocked frequency, one you couldn't even begin to access. You had eventually deciphered the message enough to figure out this time and date, and since you had come here to see Fi off last time… It was a bit of a leap, but worth it if you got to spend even a few more minutes with Fi.
You watched as a ship landed close to your current position. The doors started to open before it fully settled onto the ground, and you watched as a trooper covered in black plastoid plate armor appeared in the gap. He jumped the last stretch to land on the duracrete ground of the docking yard.
By the time the figure had started rushing toward you, you were already wearing a broad smile. This was Fi, you could tell. You would be willing to bet every credit you had that it was.
Halfway to you, the figure ripped the helmet from his head. You immediately saw two things: first, it was in fact Fi and, second, he looked just as happy to see you as you were to see him. The moment he reached you, he wrapped you in his arms. If the plastoid pressed against you was rigid and uncomfortable, you weren’t even remotely aware of it. You were with Fi again. He was here, he was safe. All of the other things were just details.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, beaming. "I thought I would have to wait 'til I could comm you!"
"I got a weird message on my comlink…" you explained vaguely, still feeling a little unsettled by the way things had happened.
"A message?" Fi asked, frowning. Before he could ask anything more, his own comlink chimed. "This is Fi."
"Stop chatting with your girlfriend in the shipyard," a voice ordered through the small speaker. "Take her somewhere nice. She's been waiting here for an hour."
Fi grinned again, shaking his head as he said, "Should have known it was you, Ordo. Thanks, vod."
"Have fun. And avoid the usual places unless you want to be waylaid by CSF. Obrim says he still owes you a drink."
You were reasonably sure that Fi’s groan was over-dramatized for effect based on how bright his smile was. “You’d think he would consider that debt paid after last time.”
“You really gonna complain about free alcohol, vod? Go enjoy your night and take them up on it later. You know Obrim and his boys won’t let it go.”
“Will do, Ordo,” Fi said cheerfully. “Thanks again.”
“Ordo out.”
You quirked a brow at Fi. “One of your brothers?”
“One of many,” Fi agreed with a chuckle. “But he’s one of the more useful ones. He’s been making sure I could comm you while I’m on missions. We’re really not supposed to make contact with anyone when we’re in restricted zones, but he patches me through and lays down enough encryption that no one - Republic or Separatist - can figure out what’s going on.”
"That's handy," you remarked. "Do you have to tell anyone you're leaving, or do we just go?"
"That's a matter of opinion," someone who wasn't Fi replied. You turned to find that the speaker was a trooper with an angry looking scar down his face… but the teasing smile he was wearing belied the fierceness of his face. "Fi should go to our debriefing meeting, but he might explode if he has to wait too long to see you. He's talked about you non-stop."
"Come on, Atin," another trooper lectured. "You're just as ready to see Laseema."
"Darman, stop," a third unfamiliar trooper commanded as he joined the group. "You'll deflate Atin's ego too quickly. None of us would survive the drop in pressure."
"Hilarious," Atin said sourly.
Darman took pity on you, explaining softly, "Niner doesn't look for opportunities to mess with the men, but he's not going to deny such an easy target."
"So, Sarge," Fi started, looking hopefully at the newest arrival. "Any chance this will be a short debriefing?"
"No," Niner denied flatly, and Fi deflated beside you. "So I advise you don't go. We'll cover for you."
"Sir…" Fi started uneasily.
"Consider that an order," Niner told him.
"Yes, sir!" Fi agreed, snapping a quick salute before grabbing your hand.
As he pulled you toward the nearest speeder station, you barely had time to glance back over your shoulder and call, "Nice to meet you all!"
"She's too good for him," one of them idly commented to his brothers behind you, but you were too far away to tell him that he was wrong.
Fortunately, finding a transport was a quick and simple process and you soon found yourself seated in the backseat with Fi beside you. Immediately, his closer arm was wrapped around you, pulling you tight against his side while his further hand reached across both of you to toy gently with your fingers.
He seemed content to bask in the silence, but the transport wouldn’t go anywhere until you had given the droid pilot a destination.
“Fi?” you asked gently, reluctant to break the spell of being together, but needing to draw him back to the minute details of life. “We never finalized any plans for tonight. What do you want to do?”
He considered that for a moment, his callused fingertips teasing the delicate spaces between your fingers. Eventually, voice lowered, Fi admitted, “I want to forget about the war for a while.”
You hummed softly in acknowledgment of that. You'd had a feeling that would be true for him, and you couldn’t fault him for that desire. “Do you want to be distracted? We could go to a club or find something to do…”
It was weird to feel someone shrug with their head tucked so closely against your shoulder, but you eventually realized that was what Fi had done. He mumbled something vague about how he would be fine to do anything, but an apathetic shrug and a lackluster agreement weren’t quite the excitement you were looking for.
“Or we could do something totally different,” you offered slowly. “We could have a quiet night, just the two of us.”
Fi lifted his head to peer at your face in the dim interior of the transport. As his dark eyes traced over your face, noting every line and mark of tension, you were abruptly reminded of the highly trained warrior within the laughing exterior. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that we can do something else,” you told him. “If you don’t want to be distracted from the war with loud, flashy stuff, we can do something else. We can pretend you’re a civilian for the night.”
“A civilian for the night,” Fi repeated thoughtfully, face carefully blank.
You froze, suddenly terrified that you had offended him with your thoughtless offer. “Not- I meant that… It’s just-”
“I think I’d like that,” Fi interrupted, breaking into your panicked rambling before you could get too out of control. “I’ve never been able to imagine being a civvie. Maybe with a real civvie to be my guide, I could try it for real.”
The laugh you let out was half from amusement and half from relief. “Then I know exactly where to go.”
You leaned forward and gave the name of your favorite clothing store to the waiting driver. As the droid piloted the transport into the teeming stream of Coruscant traffic, Fi pulled you back against the seat - and into his arms. It figured - the one time you wouldn’t have minded being subjected to the insane traffic jams of Republic City, the skies were clear.
“This is where you want to go tonight?” Fi asked, staring up at the store with a confused look on his handsome face.
You laughed. “No, I just thought you might like to get some civilian clothes. It’s hard to be a civilian in full armor, you know.”
Fi seemed to hesitate for a moment, but he eventually agreed and you went inside.
This was your favorite store for several reasons, but mostly because it offered a wide variety of styles at prices that wouldn’t break your bank account. You weren’t rich by any stretch of the imagination, but you could afford a comfortable outfit for Fi. Stars, you would find a way to buy him an entire wardrobe if it meant that he could forget about the war for a night.
He shopped like a soldier, navigating the store like it was a battlefield and finding an outfit was his sole objective. Amusingly, that meant that he forgot all about talking to or touching you, but you were surprisingly okay with that. You followed him around the store, watching as he took in information about the unfamiliar environment, processed it, and used it to get in and out of the store within half an hour. It was certainly faster than most of the trips you had made there, and the outfit he had chosen made him look remarkably… non-military.
“Do you need to go back to the GAR barracks to drop off your armor?” you asked. “Or we could stop by my apartment, though it’s a little out of the way.”
“Nah,” Fi denied with an easy shrug. “I’ll just get a courier droid to drop it off at the barracks. One of my brothers will stow it for me.”
“Oh, but-” You hesitated in your protest, staring at the pile of black plastoid. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I know courier droids are reliable, but if something happened to it…”
Fi laughed. “There’s a tracker in every piece of this armor. Commando armor, remember? If it got stolen, it would end badly for whoever took it. A courier droid will be fine. Besides, I don’t want to waste time taking you to the barracks. Can you flag down a droid while I comm one of my squadmates to look out for the drop-off?”
“Of course,” you agreed.
As it turned out, the store had its own courier droid, one whose small firm belied an ability to fly Fi's armor to the GAR barracks with ease. Best of all, the store owner lent you the droid's services at no charge since you were a regular customer.
“What now?” Fi asked after his armor had been loaded onto the courier droid, lacing his fingers through yours.
You looked him up and down, letting your admiration show clearly in your expression. Fi’s tall, muscular body was showcased perfectly in the clothing he had chosen. Dark trousers made his legs look long and strong while his shirt was emblazoned with the logo of a stunningly unpopular bolo-ball team. You had tried to talk him out of the shirt - especially since he didn’t watch bolo-ball or care about it in the slightest - but Fi had only laughed and said that it would be funny if someone tried to fight him over his taste in teams. Since the shirt fit snugly against his broad chest and showcased his thick arms, you didn’t think anyone would be stupid enough to start a fight with him… but if they did, your credits were on Fi.
“Keep lookin’ at me that way, mesh’la,” Fi warned, voice low and warm, “and we’re gonna have to find somewhere more private to go.”
“No need,” you told him, reluctantly pulling your gaze from him to flag down another transport. “I thought we would go with a quiet evening. We’ll go shopping for ingredients at one of the markets on this level, then we’ll go back to my apartment and make dinner.”
“You’re sure you’re okay having me in your home?” Fi asked. Despite his earlier playfully threatening tone, his face was gentle and free of judgment.
“I’m sure,” you assured him, sending a cocky grin afterward. “I kissed you first, remember?”
He gaped, laughing at the same time. “Only ‘cause I didn’t think you’d go for an osi’yaim like me!”
“That better mean ‘kind, handsome soldier with a great sense of humor’,” you told him, stepping toward the transport that pulled up.
“Um… not quite,” Fi admitted, rushing to the transport so he could hold the door open for you. “Let’s just say I wasn’t expecting that kiss.”
“I was worried you would think poorly of me,” you told him when you were both inside the transport, smiling at the memory. “But I couldn’t help myself.”
“I can honestly say I’ve never thought better of anyone my entire life,” Fi replied, raising his hand like he was swearing an oath. “I thought I had died and was being given one last gift. It was like a dream, but better than any dream I’ve ever had.”
You softened even more at that. Fi was a good man. You laced your fingers together and slid across the seat to be closer to him. Fi relaxed into you for a moment, but tensed again. His fingers pressed beneath your chin, gently turning your head so that he could catch your gaze with his own.
“But I need you to understand,” he said, voice throbbing with intensity. “I don’t expect that. Or anything, really. If that was a one-time thing, I won’t blame you or be upset. You’ve already done more for me than anyone else I can remember, other than my vode and the Sarge. Just because we’re going back to your place doesn’t mean- What I mean is that I… I don’t want you to think-”
“Fi,” you interrupted, chuckling. “You’re sweet. I know you don’t expect anything, and I don’t have any plans one way or another. Whatever happens, happens. But for now, if it were up to me… I don’t want to pressure you, but I’d love to give you a welcome home kiss.”
“Pressure me all you want,” Fi agreed immediately, eyes dropping to your lips.
Kissing while you were both smiling was an interesting experience, but you managed anyway. By the time the transport pulled up to the market, you were significantly more mussed than you had been at the start.
“What kind of market is this?” Fi asked, following you out of the transport. He was already studying the eclectic surroundings.
“It’s a permanent, open-air marketplace,” you said slowly, trying to find the right words to explain it. You had never found anything similar, and it was hard to make comparisons for someone who had seen little of the galaxy outside of a warzone. “Anyone can rent a stall and sell their goods, whatever those goods may be. There are usually a few for fruits and vegetables, some with staple products, and a lot sell specialty goods.”
“Sounds… tricky,” Fi replied eventually.
“It’s not so bad,” you argued. “It’s never the same place twice, so it’s a good place to walk around and browse.”
“How do you know where to find what you need, then?” Fi asked, frowning.
“You don’t,” you told him with a shrug. “This is what civilians do. We browse. Or some of us do. I just like it more than going to one of those soulless grocery stations. But if you’d rather not be here, we can-”
“It’s fine,” Fi cut in. “I’m here for civvie lessons, remember? You’re the expert here. Marketplace. Teach me all about it?”
You laughed as he pressed a kiss to your temple. For the next hour, you walked him through the market, pointing out some trustworthy stands and teaching him how to haggle with the stall owners. Fi found a few odds and ends he liked, including a foldable hydrospanner. He guessed it would break the first time he used it, but you noticed the way he lingered at the stand, so you bought it for him, ignoring his protests all the while.
Fortunately, you already had everything you needed to make one of your favorite meals from your home planet. The only things you needed to find here were a side dish and a dessert. And some comfortable sleep pants for Fi to lounge around in, just in case he didn’t feel like wearing his new outfit while you relaxed in your apartment.
Since your apartment was close to the market, you and Fi opted to walk. Everything you had purchased fit in one reasonably light bag, but Fi insisted on carrying it anyway. You stopped playfully arguing with him about it when he wrapped an arm around you and swept you into a dip for a dramatic kiss that didn’t end until a group of passersby whistled and cheered their encouragement.
Fi tried to help you in the kitchen while you put together your dinner, but he was a truly terrible cook. After rescuing your meal from the second disaster it was headed toward, you asked Fi to switch to dish cleanup as you worked, and he took up scrubbing with a vengeance. He claimed he liked it even better, because it gave him time to admire you as you worked. His loud and enthusiastic praise of your cooking skills - and leadership skills and sense of timing and knife skills and appearance - was enough to make it an entirely fun experience.
You apologized as you dished up your meals, explaining that your small apartment didn’t leave you enough space to fit a table and chairs. You would have to eat on your couch. As soon as you explained that, Fi was so excited that you didn’t have the heart to apologize anymore.
“I get to sit beside you, eating the meal you cooked with your own hands, and no one’s here to give me osik if I want to touch you or kiss you while I eat?” he asked, eyes bright. “Sounds like paradise to me, mesh’la. Thank you!”
And Fi took full advantage of that privilege as you ate. His ambidextrous nature made a strong appearance as he touched whatever part of you was closest - elbows and knees were innocent enough, but after he brushed a hand over the curve of your waist, you were the one who initiated the next kiss.
When you were finished eating your meal and a light dessert, Fi insisted on doing the dishes while you set up a holofilm. He came back to the couch and you cuddled up under a blanket, holding hands and sharing an occasional kiss.
Your heart ached at the thought that Fi would have to go back to the field soon. Commandos were notorious for having short shore leave, and only on rare occasions. He was here now, but how long did you have before he was gone again? A week? A day? A few hours? There was no way of knowing, just as there was no way for you to know when you would get to see him again after he left.
With effort, you pushed the gloomy thoughts away. The important thing was that Fi was there now. You were awash in a warm tide of domesticity, and you were determined to bask in the peace of it until it was gone. You breathed out a light sigh, relaxing against Fi’s shoulder as the tension left your body.
---
You were asleep.
Fi hadn’t actually noticed until he turned to ask a question about the holofilm you had chosen, but he found that your eyes were closed and your breathing steady beside him.
He smiled, thinking of how mortified you would be that you had fallen asleep. Fi had known you for a comparatively short time, but he knew how much importance you placed on providing a welcoming environment. Hadn’t you created the perfect date night out of nothing? You were amazing, a gift he didn’t deserve in the slightest but had no intention of giving back.
When Darman had met Etain, Fi had been skeptical. When Atin had met Laseema, Fi had been uncomfortable. He had known the unpleasant truth: relationships were unreliable, unpredictable… especially in wartime. Hadn’t Sergeant Skirata told them that more than once? Females were a distraction no soldier could afford.
But then Fi had met you.
You weren’t a distraction and he liked that you were unpredictable. What you had together was different than what he had been expecting, mostly because it was so easy. Having watched Darman and Atin, Fi had thought relationships were a struggle, a battle he would have to fight even when he wasn’t fighting the Seppies. But with you? It was the easiest thing in the galaxy.
Fi still felt like an outsider in the civilian world. He always would. He would never have a normal life, not normal like the civilians he had seen that day. That had bothered him at first, but the sting was gone now that he had you. He pulled you a bit closer, relishing the way your head fit perfectly under his jaw. You were his bridge to the world of the civvies, giving him a glimpse at the life he would never experience. It could never be his life, but he could almost reach it through you, close enough to reflect some warmth and ease into his own existence. It was enough. You were enough.
“Hey,” he said softly, trying to ease you back to wakefulness rather than startle you. “ Cyare , wake up. You need to go to bed somewhere more comfortable than this.”
“‘m plenty com’f’t’ble,” you argued sleepily.
Fi grinned. “I’m glad, but you’ll hurt your neck if you stay here all night.”
You gave a halfhearted groan, but made no attempt to move.
“Want me to carry you?” he offered.
Even with your eyes closed, you frowned at that. “‘m too heavy, Fi.”
Fi shook his head, knowing full well that you couldn’t see him. You had pointed out which door was which when he came into your apartment, so he knew exactly where your bedroom was. Lifting you was easy, even when you started to struggle with the suddenness of his movements. “Hang on, little one, I’m just proving you wrong.”
You were awake enough to open the door for him, and Fi crossed the small room to deposit you gently onto your bed. When you were settled on the soft mattress, you looked up at him, eyes large and shining even in the low light that filtered through your curtains.
“Do you have to get back to the barracks, or can you stay the night?”
Stars, was this how it felt to have a heart attack? Fi’s heart stuttered in his chest, then started pounding double-time to make up for it. “Stay here?”
You smiled shyly. “You can sleep wherever you want. It’s not an invitation to… yeah. Just… if you didn’t want to go all the way back tonight. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insult…”
Fi honestly stopped listening then. Technically speaking, there were repercussions if he was found anywhere other than the barracks… but one look at your rumpled clothing and cozy blankets, and he didn’t care anymore.
With a smile, Fi only asked, “Do you have a spare toothbrush?”
---
A/N - Thanks for reading!
You can find other works on my masterlist or request to be added to my taglist! (Remember: if you've changed your blog name and still want to be tagged in works, please message me or submit a new taglist form!)
there is nothing a corporation hates more than having employees, but a close second is having to provide a good or service in order to make money. these two reasons concisely explain is why the ai bubble formed in the first place.
Having "a lot" of followers on tumblr is funny because probably 80% of them are ghost blogs who haven't been on here in like a decade.
It's like, no no, those aren't my followers, that's a graveyard! I'm the caretaker of a thousands of tombs. I love them, but they've been dead for seven years.
controversial stance but i do wish i could live forever. i certainly live like i'm going to live forever. i take my time. realistically however my lifespan is dreadfully limited and there are things i've "been meaning to do" that i will never get around to. the Emoji Movie came out almost 10 years ago. in all that time on any random day i could've decided to sit down and watch it, and i did not. how many more decades will slip by like this? conceivably, it could be all the decades i have left. watching the Emoji Movie would not be, after all, a crucial use of my time. much better things to do. i could easily postpone it over and over and over until my final breath where it may not even register to me that i never did watch the Emoji Movie. no great loss, certainly; and yet i find myself intrigued by Patrick Stewart's involvement
The first fish to ever break the water surface to briefly come to land for just a moment or two at a time, and then popping back in, gradually spending longer and longer on land and therefore starting the process of becoming land animals, didn't do it in search of new territory or potential food sources - they mainly did so in order to avoid another fish they owed money.
Don't blame all your earthly problems on the ancient little shithead who decided to crawl onto land. Blame the loan shark.
There was a trend in the 40s and 50s (not sure if it predates that or if there are places that still do it) where you could get your child’s baby shoes cast in bronze or dipped in bronze and use them as keepsakes or have them mounted as bookends. Better than the resin slop of the modern day in my opinion. My great grandma had my grandpa’s baby shoes made into bookends ends because she loved him very much and he was her only child and it is honestly really cute. My mom got her dad’s baby shoe bookends when she moved out and they were in my living room my entire childhood, she had explained how they were grandpa’s shoes covered in bronze and I thought that was cool.
Then I went to an art museum and saw bronze busts of people and my tiny child brain thought the person’s dismembered head and shoulders were in there…
