The sun shining through the crack in the curtains shimmered against Cal's closed eyes. He felt himself start to wake, letting out a breath as his eyes began to open. Blinking, his gaze looked to the window, where the morning sun was starting to peak through the curtains closed there. It was just barely dawn on Taanab, and Cal took a glimpse at the room around him. He remembered the night before, and felt something move on his chest. Looking down, he saw Y/n's head lay there while she snuggled up against his body. One hand was resting beside her head on his chest, while the other was curled into her body, squished between the two of them.
One of his arms was wrapped around her, trapped underneath her body. He didn't want to move. He felt like he was floating on air. Their legs were tangled together above the sheets, both of them having forgotten to put the comforter over them the night before. Cal's head fell back on the pillow behind him, a smile lifting on his face. Oh, he could stay here forever, wrapped in her arms. He looked down at the hand resting on his chest, and grabbed it with his free hand. There was a moment where he felt nothing but contentment, peace, and serenity. All things a Jedi must have, he had here with her.
But it all came crashing down when he realized his bare hand touched her ring.
His eyes burst back open as he felt himself be taken into a memory. Hers. The day her father gave her the ring.
"Y/n, my sweetest heart, come here. I have something I need to give you."
"Papa, please. We can get you out of here. You can go- We can go to Corellia, or-or Alderaan."
"Please, Y/n. I need you to listen to me. I cannot escape my fate, we both know that. Don't blame your mother, either. She... She doesn't know any better. I want you to have this ring as a reminder that I will stay beside you, even when I am not there. They can lock me up here for eternity, but they will not keep me from my beloved daughter."
"Papa, I can't let them have you. I can't..."
"Shh, sweetheart, it'll be alright. Everything will be alright. I promise you this."
Cal blinked as he was brought back to reality, breathing heavily as he reminded himself where he was. Stirring beside him made him realize Y/n was still there, and he almost tugged her closer for a sense of security. The pain she felt that day when she realized her father was being taken away from her reminded him of the Purge. That horrible day. In some ways, it was her version of the Purge.
When he felt her lift her head from his chest, he calmed himself, trying to forget the memory he had seen. Sometimes, his psychometry was more of a curse than it was a gift. Y/n blinked as she woke up, similar to him, and looked up to meet his face. Her eyes widened slightly, and she sat up when she realized she had been sleeping on him. "Oh, Cal- I'm sorry. I didn't-"
"Hey, whoa," Cal stopped her, sitting up to face her with a light chuckle. "It's alright. I didn't mind. It was actually some of the best sleep I've gotten in a while."
Y/n laughed, but she didn't want to admit that she felt more well rested than she had in years. She didn't even need to use any of her Blue Ivy Tea, considering she didn't have any on hand here. She soon realized this, and furrowed her brows. She was never able to sleep without Blue Ivy Tea. What made it so easy to slip into restful slumber now?
The immediate thought that came to mind caused her to turn her head away from Cal and stand up to avoid his gaze. She didn't want to think that he was the reason she slept so soundly. She gently twisted the ring on her finger, biting her tongue in thought. She heard him rise, and BD's familiar beeps started to fill the room as he turned on at their motion.
Beep-bo-boop trill bweep! he exclaimed, making Cal raise his eyebrows.
"That was almost your best day ever?" he repeated the droids words, who nodded. "What was your best day ever?"
Beep boop
Both humans couldn't help but let out laughs at BD-1's statement. "Of course hijacking a walker would be your best day ever," Y/n commented with a shake of her head. She glanced at Cal, and gave BD a cheeky smile as she said, "You know, BD, you're a lot like Cal."
Bweep?
"Really?"
Both the droid and the boy looked at her oddly, and she nodded her head. "Oh yeah, really. C'mere, BD." The droid hopped up onto the bed, sitting down with his little legs sticking out under his body. It was quite possibly the cutest thing Y/n had ever seen. "Let me tell you a little secret. People, and droids, with red... well for you I should say 'accents' are kissed by fire."
Wooooo BD drawled out, eyes focused only on Y/n.
"Oh, yes. And you, little buddy, are just like Cal because unlike the others, you are kissed on both the inside and out," Y/n said, tapping the top of his little visor.
BD-1 hopped up from his seated position and started to tip-tap his feet back and forth on the bed in excitement. The sight of Y/n laughing with an ecstatic BD made Cal's heart melt in joy. The two of them had always gotten along so well together. It always made him happy to see when they spent time together, it was always fun for the both of them. He felt BD land down on his shoulder, beeping a few things. "BD's right. The sun is coming up and we need to get back to the Mantis," Cal said, and BD beeped.
"Right," Y/n nodded, and stood up to gather her belongings. Cal grabbed his that were laying on his discarded bed from the night before, pulling his poncho on over his body. They didn't bring much with them from the ship, so it didn't take them long before they were up and ready to go to continue their journey on the Mantis.
As they walked back through the markets, which were just starting to get back up and running for the day, Cal felt a tug in his heart. The memories he now had of the time they spent together, running around the town like they didn't have the fate of the entire galaxy resting on their shoulder, was seared in his mind forever. He treasured it, remembering as he walked by the bakery stall the delicious taste of the jogan fruit cake. He would savor that memory forever.
When they arrived back on the Mantis, they were unsurprised to find Cere already sitting in wait in the common area. She stood when they entered, but Y/n acted as thought she wasn't there and approached the holotable, while Cal awkwardly stood by until he headed towards the kitchen. What was strange was the fact that Greez wasn't back yet.
"Did either of you see Greez in the town this morning?" Cere questioned them both, her concern showing through her eyes.
If they weren't worried before, they were now. They both shook their heads at her question, BD-1 saying Beep boop trill bzz in response, saying that he saw a piece of fruit that looked like Greez. "Bud, I don't think that's a big help," Cal whispered to his droid when Cere walked away.
"I'm going to go find him. I hope nothing bad happened to him," Cere mumbled, taking her blaster and clicking it onto her belt. "You both stay here. I'll be back as soon as I can, hopefully with Greez."
However, as soon as she opened the ramp, there stood Greez in all his glory. Out of breath.
"What are you all waiting for, huh? Let's get going!" he said as he trudged past Cere, rushing into the cockpit as quickly as he could. He almost seemed to be joyful in his walk, but timid in his looks, a combination you never saw from Greez.
Y/n exchanged a glance with Cal and Cere, both of them showing their visible confusion at Greez's tardiness. Normally, he wouldn't leave the Mantis alone with any of them. Something had to have happened the night before. And Y/n was going to get to the bottom of it.
Sneaking into the cockpit, she sat herself down in her co-pilot's chair, Greez giving her a side eye as she did. She gave him a small smile in greeting, one he returned with a strained grin. As he lifted the ship up into the atmosphere of Taanab, Y/n started with, "Good morning, Greez."
"Yeah, yeah. Good morning to you too," he nodded, gripping the console tight in his four arms.
She pretended to be looking over the scanners for any activity, but instead turned her head and said, "So, you have a good time on Taanab?"
"Pretty decent. Got the first good sleep I've had since riding with you three," he spoke, giving a tense chuckle. It stopped as soon as it came, the Latero clearing his throat. "How about you?"
"I had a great time," Y/n answered smoothly. "Had some cake, bought some fruit. Just basically, you know, acted like the entire galaxy wasn't relying on all of us."
"Good. Yeah, that's good."
Y/n narrowed her eyes at her friend. After a year of being on the Mantis with Greez, she knew him better than almost anyone. "What did you do? Other than sleep, of course?"
"Oh, you know. I went out, had some drinks, met some people. The usual," Greez shrugged. "I saw a particularly funny lookin' Twi-lek. Oh, boy, that was a-"
"Greez, come on," Y/n stopped him halfway through his ramble, a grin on her lips. "Something happened. I can see it."
"Well, yeah, something happened. I had the first decent time away from you three crazy people and that oil can," Greez fought back, reaching up to bring the ship into hyperspace.
"No, that's not it," Y/n shook her head, putting her hand on her chin and leaning on the armrest of her seat. "You had a skip in your step when you walked in here."
"I think the time off the ship has made you delusional," Greez shook his head, avoiding her eyes.
Y/n examined him closely. She knew that look and feel he had right now. She had gotten it plenty of times herself back on Coruscant, or even on stops on the Mantis. It was always when-
Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped into a disbelieving smile as she started to laugh. She put her hand over her lips to muffle it as she checked back to make sure Cal and Cere weren't nearby while Greez's black eyes looked at her like she had just grown three more heads. "What? What's so funny??"
"Greez, holy kriff!" she laughed silently, trying to keep her voice low as she managed to speak. "You got laid, didn't you?"
"Quiet! Quiet," Greez gritted his teeth, looking at her with a warning in his expression.
"You did. You met someone at the bar. Who was she? Was she Latero? Or did she just happen to like a guy with extra arms?"
The innuendo in her words did not go unmissed by Greez. He couldn't help that he started to laugh a little bit, shaking his head in disappointment of the girl. She was too young to know this much about that kind of lifestyle, but she certainly wasn't innocent. "Okay, yeah, fine. You got me," he confessed, finally smiling.
"So?" Y/n began, gesturing for him to continue. "Tell me about this woman that had you so enamored you almost left the ship to us."
"Okay, firstly, no woman could ever take me away from my baby. Alright? I was running here to make sure you moof-brains didn't take off with my ship," Greez began, and Y/n raised an eyebrow at him, but couldn't help the laughter. "Secondly... She was from Lateron."
"Ohhh," Y/n grinned, and Greez rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm. "Go on. This is the most interesting thing that's happened on the ship in a long time."
"Technically, didn't happen on the ship, so I don't gotta tell you squat," Greez fired back, to which she gave him an expression of skepticism. Sighing, he continued, "She liked the fact that I was a pilot, wanted to go for a trip sometime. I couldn't do that, of course. So you know, one thing led to another and..." Greez paused, not wanting to say the words. "Yeah."
Y/n laughed once more, sitting back in her seat and saying, "Greez, you dog."
"Yeah, yeah. Okay, okay, just don't go telling Cere, alright? I don't need her lecturing me about strangers again," Greez grumbled out, shaking his head. "I'm not a kid, jeez."
"Don't worry, Greez. Your secret is safe with me," Y/n nodded, putting her hand on her heart. "Doctors honor... Although, I think BD or Cal would get a kick out of this-"
"Don't you dare go telling that droid," Greez pointed down at her, wagging his finger. "The kid, though, I wouldn't have been surprised if you had gotten up and ran to tell him the second I told you."
Y/n furrowed her brows slightly at his words, turning her head to look over to him. "What? Why?" she questioned.
Greez shrugged his shoulders nonchalontly as he said, "Oh, you know, cause you're both teenagers and you're close and you both have crazy feelings for one another. I mean really, could be any one of those."
Y/n blinked a few times at his sentence. She let out a disbelieving huff, saying, "What? Crazy feelings for one another? Greez, what are you talking about?"
She heard him mutter something along the lines of, "I can't believe I have to have this conversation twice," as he shifted in his seat and turned to her. "Look, Y/n, I know you might not realize it yet, but you can't get away from Cal, and you don't wanna. You really like him. I mean, I might just be a master at seeing these kinds of things, but it's pretty obvious."
"Now I'm starting to think the time away from the Mantis has made you delusional," Y/n shook her head, now looking away from him to look at the scanners. She gulped. She has been feeling strange around Cal lately. She didn't want to know what it was, and frankly, she was fine not knowing what it was. Or acting on it. But then again, it was like an itch in her brain she couldn't scratch, driving her to the edge of insanity. Greez had noticed this before she even realized it? She felt embarrassed.
"Come on, kid. I mean, you two spent the entire day on Taanab together!" Greez told her, looking back to make sure the other two still weren't listening. "You work well. You're both young. Live a little. It's okay to feel things, you know."
"I know, Greez. It's just..." she paused, shaking her head. She couldn't believe she was talking about this right now. Her feelings didn't matter in the wide spread of everything going on around them. Not that she had any, of course. "You know I don't let myself open up very often. Every time I do, it just ends in heartbreak."
"This might suck, but heartbreak is a natural part of living," Greez told her, his tone reaching a level of concern that Y/n didn't even know was possible in him. She noticed how he said 'living' and not 'life'. Not just surviving each day to reach the next, but actually living each day like it was your last. Trying to be as happy as you can be. "And honestly, I think it's about time you take a leap of faith. It's been too long since I've seen you do that."
"Even if I had any sort of feelings for Cal, which I don't-"
"If you don't, then why do you keep arguing like you do?" Greez countered her, raising a brow. She went speechless, opening and closing her mouth on the verge of trying to find anything to say to refute his words. "See? And you doubted that I was a master of romance."
"Greez, why do you even care so much if I like Cal or not?" Y/n sincerely asked him.
"Because I want to see you happy, Y/n," Greez told her with a tone of exasperation. "You're my friend. We've known each other a while, and I have yet to see something that makes you smile as much as that kid has. Would that really be so bad?"
She glanced back down at the monitors in front of her. A blinking red light on the console urged her mind away from her conversation with Greez, who furrowed his large brows at the sudden turn. "We're getting an encrypted message from Kashyyyk," she said, and stood as fast as she could.
"Hey," Greez caught her arm, giving her a serious look. "Think about it, alright?"
"Greez, we really don't have time for this," Y/n almost begged him, the Latero letting her go as she looked in the common room for the Jedi. "Cal! Someone is trying to contact us, from Kashyyyk," she said as soon as she saw him.
Cal dropped his cup of water, setting it on the table in a hurry as he rushed past Y/n to the holotable. He ignored Greez's sigh and glance between the two of them. Answering the contact, he was relieved when he saw Mari Kosan's familiar face upon the holomessage. "Mari," he greeted.
"Cal," she nodded with a welcoming smile, "we found Tarfful and he is willing to meet you and Y/n. Choyyssyk insists that it be the both of you." Cal gave Y/n an amused glance. The Wookiee's particular liking of the girl made him chuckle. "But... that's not all." They're faces fell as she spoke, her tone falling and causing Cal's gut to twist in fear. "The Empire overran our position at the refinery. Saw retreated off-world. Some of us have joined the Wookiee fighters in the forests. Be careful."
"You too," Cal responded, and shut off the hologram. He tried not to look at Y/n, knowing she was right about Saw from the beginning. "We have our lead."
Everyone split, Greez letting out a grumble as he felt the tension on the ship increase ten-fold with Cal's ignorance of Cere and his inability to face Y/n. Not to mention her inability to accept what Greez had told her. "Okay, this is fine. Everything is gonna be fine," he said, walking back to the cockpit to start their course to Kashyyyk.