The Quarry

The Quarry - Part 14

Din rested his head against the cool metal of the shower wall. He was thankful that the ship at least had this so that he could rinse the mud and grime off of him and warm the chill from the Corellian rain that had sunk into his bones. He'd had to ask for Versa's help getting his shirt layers off since every time he twisted his torso, the injury on his ribs sent a sharp pain up and down his side that knocked the wind out of him. He hadn't missed how she'd averted her eyes from his body as she pulled the last layer off of him. Why is she being so jumpy? She had quickly gathered his clothing, waiting outside for him to hand her the last few layers out of the refresher door, saying that she would go try and rinse them off.

"Wait, can you set this outside too?" he had asked, handing out his helmet from behind the door.

He'd felt her hesitation before she took it, setting it down gently outside with a soft clunk.

He ran his hands over the back of his neck, trying to work some of the knots out of his shoulders. The bacta patches were holding in place well against the water, but the place on his leg where she'd pressed her lips still burned. Her fingers on his back as she had tried to soothe him had sent electric shocks to every part of his body, and when he'd been fixing her lip, all he'd been able to think about was pressing his own lips against the cut, wondering what it felt like to kiss her now. A shudder wracked his body, and he tapped his forehead against the wall again with a dull thud.

"Everything alright in there?" Versa's voice called from outside the door.

"Yeah. Yeah, just banged my arm against the wall. I'm alright." He shut off the water, reaching for the towel he'd brought in and wrapping it around his waist. "I'm coming out."

"Alright."

Opening the door, his eyes immediately fell on Versa. She was standing outside the door, her eyes squeezed shut and her arms outstretched, handing him his helmet. She'd cleaned the mud off of it, and it reflected his own face back at him. Stifling a sigh, he took it from her, settling it back on his head.

"S'alright. It's on."

Her eyes opened cautiously, and he could tell she was trying not to look at him too hard. It made his skin flush warm as she handed him his clothes.

"Did my best to rinse the mud off. Good news is the rain did a lot of the work. Put them near the main engine intake for a bit, and I think that got them pretty dry." The cloth was warm against his hands, and he murmured his gratitude as she tucked her hair behind her ear again, fidgeting. "Can...can you get your shirt on? Or do you need help?"

"Let me get the bottom half covered, and then you can help me, alright?"

She nodded quickly, staring at the wall before she turned and headed for the cockpit. Din dried off and bent down, pulling his underclothes on before carefully yanking his pants back on over his wounded leg. He winced slightly as the charred spot on his pants dragged across the bandage. Once he had his boots back on, he walked to the cockpit, tapping on the door. He heard Versa mutter something to herself before opening the door and almost walking directly into his bare chest. Her hands reflexively flew up to stop herself, and he instinctively reached around her to steady her. They both froze for half a beat.

"Sorry."

"My fault."

They slid past each other awkwardly as she walked quickly over to the bunk where he'd placed his shirt. She shook it out before stepping closer to him. "Arms up," she said quietly. She helped guide the clothing over his head, pulling each layer gently down over the shoulder on his injured side since he couldn't raise the arm very high. He felt her relax slightly once he was fully covered again, and inwardly, he blushed.