A/N: so this fic kinda happened on accident. like everything involving rei and theron does, tbh.

anyway. instead of an intricately planned out longfic like i'd thought i'd do, i'm instead doing a chronological one-shot collection based off of a set of alphabet prompts from tumblr. call it an experiment.

i'm also drowning in the seven thousand other writing projects i've got, so no promises as to an update schedule. hopefully i'll have something out every week or two.

so here's the first chapter, or as i've been referring to it: "the accidental lazy morning makeout chapter." "accidental" bc it was supposed to be a political/infodump chapter and it got so, so far off track. set prior to chapter one of kotet.


The ground was cold against her bare feet, and the ever-present draft that plagued the halls of the Odessen base left her chilled. She regretted not bringing a robe or jacket; with only the loose pants she'd been sleeping in and a thin, long-sleeved shirt — one of Theron's, she thought, grabbed accidentally in the haste of responding to a call — Reiyaxa was shivering by the time she made it to the war room.

It was quiet on Odessen; four in the morning was too late for most staying up far into the night, and too early for those who woke before anyone else. There were some who were undoubtedly still working — Yvara Nadal, the cathar doctor who always kept odd hours, or perhaps Talos if he was occupied with a project, or any of the other personnel who preferred to work without interruption — but Rei encountered none of them, managing to make it out to the glade behind the base without seeing anyone other than the few guards that remained posted at the entrance.

She wasn't fond of these late night rendezvous, glorified tutoring sessions that remained secret more out of paranoia than actual necessity and seemed to always arise at the worst times. However, Zaara hadn't contacted Rei in quite some time, not about this, and her easy agreement to meet with the agent was brought on by curiosity as much as it was concern.

It didn't feel like six months — let alone six years — since Valkorion (Vitiate, her mind spat in correction, and the name made her fists clench and her teeth grind together) had ruined things for all of them.

They'd found him, tracked him down and beaten him — and yet it was anything but a victory. Taken by Arcann and trapped in carbonite, Rei and Zaara had been lost to Zakuul along with Davri Sohms, the infuriating Republic soldier who she'd once sent assassins after — although that had been back when she was still on the Dark Council, still responded to Darth Nox, and yet her relationship with the former Major hadn't improved much since — and the three of them had each suffered from the effects of the flawed freezing process differently. Rei, in an cruel twist of fate that still left her shaking with rage nearly a year later, had been spared due to the presence of the Force spirits she kept locked within her own mind, and had been half crazed when Lana had awoken her. Valkorion had sought refuge within Zaara's mind, and had protected her in a similar manner. Sohms hadn't fared nearly as well, and had been in poor health for weeks after and lost one of her legs, and even now still had occasional bouts of sickness.

A fitting outcome for the brutish soldier, in Rei's opinion, but not her concern — unlike Zaara, and the adverse effects of keeping the galaxy's most hated Sith in her mind.

She found the togruta at her usual spot in the quiet glade, sitting alone at the edge of a small pool of water. In contrast to Rei, Zaara was fully dressed — charcoal shirt and pants, boots that reached her knees, long black jacket folded neatly on the ground beside her — and she made no acknowledgment of Rei as she joined her.

Without a word, Rei sat beside Zaara, crossing her legs and folding her hands in her lap. She focused on their reflections in the still water, waiting until Zaara opened her eyes to speak. "You said it was important."

"I don't think he's gone," she stated plainly, the deep brown of her eyes boring into Rei's own. "I think he's just… waiting."

"For what?"

"I don't know." Zaara paused, lips pressing into a thin frown; it was an expression Rei knew well, one that either meant she had several ideas, but none developed enough to share, or for whatever reason was choosing not to trust Rei with her thoughts just yet. "It could be anything, and that… that worries me."

The thought of Valkorion lying in wait was ominous enough on its own, but Rei's own experiences with Force ghosts made her even more wary than she would've otherwise been. "It's likely just a trick," she said with a frown. "He's toying with you. Would you be nearly as worried if he were still here mocking you?"

She hesitated. "No. Maybe. I just—" Zaara's words cut off in a frustrated huff. "Why can't I force him out? If he's in my mind, why can't I make him reveal himself?"

"Because it isn't that simple," Rei snapped, trying — and failing — to keep the words from being too condescending. "It would take an incredibly deep meditation, on top of years of training. Not to mention an intrinsic understanding of the Force. I could probably do it, but you?"

"I'm not Sith, I know." There was venom in Zaara's voice, a cold malice that Rei hadn't ever heard from the agent. "I want him gone," she spat. "I want him out of my mind. I don't want anyone in my head besides myself." With that final declaration, Zaara stood, grabbed her jacket, and marched back towards the base, leaving Rei alone to contemplate her bizarre reaction.

She supposed that no one would really want to have the former Emperor locked in their psyche, but Zaara's sudden outburst was somewhat odd when compared to the methodical way she'd approached Valkorion prior to then. She'd gone to Rei first, because she was a Sith with experience in sharing headspace; she'd then gone to her sister, because Cori had spent time under Vitiate's influence and was something like a symbol of pride to the Jedi; she'd most recently gone to Sana-Rae, because the Voss' approach to the Force provided a unique method of meditation. Things had been progressing well — with Rei, at least — and she had to wonder if something had happened to make Zaara so volatile.

Not that it was Rei's concern any longer; it was calm and quiet out, and she chose to stay in the glade for another hour and left only when the first hints of sunlight began to creep up through the trees. She stood, stretching, groaning a bit as her half-asleep limbs awoke. Still stiff, she padded back through the base to her quarters — making a point to ignore everyone already awake, with the exception of Talos, who she greeted with a little wave — and locked the door behind her, hoping for a relatively uninterrupted morning.

Still shivering, she slid back into bed beside Theron; Rei felt a flash of guilt as he stirred, but it was soon replaced with a grin and a bit of inspiration. With the most innocent good morning she could muster, Rei draped an arm around his waist and let her still-freezing fingers run along his bare skin.

Grumbling something into his pillow, Theron rolled over onto his stomach and put a few inches between the two of them. With a little sigh of surrender, Rei decided she hadn't had enough sleep to push any further, and settled for curling up beside him, covers pulled all the way up to her chin. She had nearly fallen back asleep when Theron shifted again, turning so he was facing her. "What was that about earlier?"

"Zaara," she answered simply; he would know what she meant, and Rei wasn't in any mood to discuss it further.

"Everything okay?"

Rei answered by propping herself up and leaning down for a quick kiss, nothing more than a soft brush of her lips against his. "Perfectly fine," she said sweetly. "As much as it ever will be fine, at least." Not the whole truth, but close enough, for the moment; she'd been hoping to avoid the subject entirely, but Rei had a sneaking suspicion she wouldn't be getting any more sleep either way, not with the way that worry was beginning to etch itself into Theron's expression.

"And with you?" he pressed, brow furrowing.

"Cold."

"I noticed."

Unable to hold back a laugh at the dryness in his voice, Rei let herself settle back into bed despite knowing that it wouldn't be long before some order of business required their attention. "It's your fault," she quipped, tugging on the shirt she still wore. "I was starting to warm back up, but you aren't going to let me enjoy it, are you? You're going to ruin it with work and responsibility," she accused.

Theron cracked a tired smile. "One of us has to," he pointed out, his voice still rough with sleep. Propping himself up to glance at the chrono, he reached over for one of Rei's hands and laced their fingers together. "Although," he added, tone serious but expression almost playful, "I might be persuaded to stay."

"Good. It's too early for reports. Or Lana."

"Glad you agree." He leaned over to kiss her, effectively cutting off her laughter that was beginning to bubble up, and shifted so he was settled comfortably against her; the proximity was warm, and familiar, and Rei realized — not for the first time — that her situation on Odessen would be far worse without Theron. She was under no illusions that she wouldn't have been able to cope without him, but the prospect was a difficult one to consider with her hands curled in his hair as his tongue swept slow across her lower lip.

So she wouldn't consider it.

It was odd, in an increasingly delightful sort of way, to discover that these early morning activities had become familiar, even welcome — bordering on routine, given the frequency with which they found their sleep interrupted by Alliance business. She wouldn't have imagined, when they'd met on Manaan all those years ago, that Theron would have ever become more than an annoyance; attractive, and ultimately irrelevant, but an annoyance who stood in the way of her plans to investigate the Revanites.

(Lana Beniko, the Dark Council is aware of your role in the death of Darth Arkous.

It had been less of an accusation and more a roundabout way of greeting the haphazard group on Manaan, when Rei had marched into the conference room with the intention of lecturing Zaara for keeping her in the dark; she'd been on Korriban when the Republic had attacked, had banded together with apprentices and overseers and taken refuge in her office until more Imperial forces had finally arrived, and yet Zaara and Lana hadn't seen fit to involve her in the ensuing investigations.

She'd first met Theron, then, in the conference room as he and Lana and Jakarro prepared to flee — to the Outer Rim, she knew now, and weeks spent traveling and hiding and narrowly escaping a Revanite agent in a sketchy cantina on Tatooine — and he had kept his eyes on her and a hand on his blaster.

He still kept his eyes on her and a hand on his blaster, but for different reasons, now; he watched her with a softness and an intrigue, and stood at her side ready to defend her when they were out in the field. Somewhere along they way they'd begun to trust each other, but it had begun with distaste and unease.)

Rei had stilled, her hands cradling Theron's face as her eyes roamed, meeting his own hazel eyes before moving to take in his sleep-tousled hair and the almost imperceptible flush to his cheeks before flicking down to the slight part of his lips. "Did you know I still think about it sometimes?" He gave a low, questioning hmm? in response, dipping down to place kisses along the line of her collarbone, one hand slipping beneath her shirt — his shirt that she wore — to rest at her waist. "Manaan," she clarified, letting her arms drape around his neck and wondering why, exactly, the topic seemed so important when she had something much more delightful to focus on.

For whatever reason, the subject seemed to be amusing to Theron, and as his light laughter subsided he confessed, "I was so certain you'd come to, you know, take care of Lana, and I couldn't really wrap my mind around being concerned for a Sith." His expression softened and he let his forehead rest gently against Rei's. "Took me a while to wrap my mind around this, too."

It wasn't an admission of anything, not really, and they'd long since stumbled their way through an awkward I care about you discussion; still, it almost felt like an admission of something, with the quiet sincerity of the words. Rei didn't have a response, nothing that wouldn't cheapen the moment somehow, but she searched for something to say regardless. "A while as in five years, or…?" Even as she spoke she winced internally, biting at her lip to hold back an immediate apology for bringing up her time in carbonite.

But to her surprise, the subject did nothing to dissuade Theron. "No, before that. But the part where this turned into something without a constantly looming goodbye? Still working on it." He leaned down for another kiss and Rei responded with a new enthusiasm; there had been hope in his voice, a sort of cautious confidence that they wouldn't have to say goodbye, not like they had on Yavin IV and Ziost and when they'd met after, and it sent a thrill of excitement and anticipation and happiness through her.

She hadn't thought that far ahead, but the fact that he had left her breathless.

Urged on by something that felt a bit like desperation, Rei pulled Theron closer, nails trailing lightly across his skin as one of her hands moved along his back. The low sound of contentment he made against her mouth was enough to draw a satisfied laugh from Rei — more of a giggle, really, if she were in the mood to be honest — and she let static gather at her fingertips, not enough to spark but just enough to raise the hairs at the back of his neck; she was rewarded with another quiet moan, but then he pulled away just enough to let his lips trail along her jawline. "Not fair," he argued, voice quiet against her skin.

"Sith," she shot back. "I don't have to play fair."

An unintentional gasp slipped from her as Theron pressed a kiss to the edge of her jaw, just below her ear — and yet he had the audacity to claim she was the one being unfair — and he laughed, warm and breathy in her ear. "I don't mind," he pointed out, looking up just enough to study her for a moment, "but—"

Rei had no interest in listening, instead pulling him down to capture his mouth in another kiss; she felt entirely insatiable, as if she could lay there with him until Vaylin tore the galaxy apart and it wouldn't be enough, like he could explore every inch of her skin and she would still hunger for his touch. It had been too long, she thought, and — despite her general disinterest in sex — she had occasionally indulged herself, and it had now been… six years? Seven? More? Too long, and she was restless and there was something about the morning that was leaving her flushed and heated.

Their slow, languid pace wasn't quite enough — not for Rei, not with desire beginning to spread through her — but a stray thought was beginning to work its way into her mind, leaving doubt where there hadn't been any before.

Maybe they should just stop. Maybe it would change things between them too much. Maybe Theron wouldn't understand if she tried to explain things — maybe it didn't matter, and he didn't even want her, not really, and this would just ruin something that Rei had always feared wouldn't work, anyway.

(She'd had similar doubts, with Andronikos. It had been a different situation, of course; they'd been friends, then lovers, but the relationship hadn't been quite what either of them had needed and eventually they'd simply become friends who slept together.

If we stop having sex, she'd asked, and maybe there had been a tremor in her voice, what does that make us? Because 'friend' hadn't ever seemed to be enough to describe the way they would tear the galaxy apart for each other, and she loved him but not the way she'd always understood the word love. She couldn't remember what his answer had been — it was something that had made her laugh — but she still took solace in the fact that nothing had changed between them after all, not in the ways that mattered.

She had a different definition of love, now, and what she felt for Theron didn't quite fit but it was close, but maybe she just needed a new definition after all these years.)

Rei had done her best to push away the thoughts and doubts attempting to ruin her morning, but what brought her attention completely back to the present was the sudden flash of worry from Theron as he began to pull away. "You okay?" he asked, his thumb gliding across her cheek — he always avoided the brands that marked her skin, and she always pretended not to notice — before he added, "You seem… off, this morning."

"Only because you've stopped," she stated matter-of-factly, the concern in his voice driving away most of her own doubts.

"Rei—" The word came out terse, as hesitant as it was apprehensive; he paused, and when Theron spoke again his voice was almost even. "Where is this going?"

"Big picture?" she asked, a spark of panic cutting through the pleasant haze of desire. "Or small picture?" She sincerely hoped it was the latter, since her plans for the former involved re-accumulating the reputation and power she'd lost and, well, Rei didn't know exactly where a former SIS agent fit in her political agenda to climb back to the top of the Sith hierarchy.

"Small," he said quickly, the same spark of panic in his voice that Rei had just quieted within herself. "Very small. As in this morning." Placing a light kiss to the corner of Rei's mouth, Theron rolled so he was on his side, his eyes never leaving hers. "I don't… I don't want to misread the situation."

Frowning, Rei took a moment to catch her breath and gather her thoughts. Until Theron's comment, she hadn't had any intention of stopping; now, however, she found herself wondering if that wasn't what Theron wanted. She'd been clear, before, that sex hadn't been on the table for them — for her, at least — because when they had shared little but flirtations on Rishi and Yavin IV, it had seemed an easier explanation that to try and sort through her general indifference and intermittent impulses.

Besides, back then, it had always been meant to end, but now…

She just wanted to get back to kissing him.

Mirroring Theron's position, Rei turned so she was laying on her side and pursed her lips as she tried to decide on what to say. "Where do you want it to go?" she asked slowly, not wanting to try and decipher her own wants or thoughts. Most days, she wouldn't be disappointed either way, but today she suspected she would be more than a bit frustrated if things didn't continue — though it was nothing she couldn't take care of herself, if need be.

Theron studied her for a moment, brow furrowing a bit before he shook his head. "I'm not leaving it up to me. You've said—" He stopped, frowned, started again. "I know we haven't talked about it, much, but if you aren't… I don't want to make you uncomfortable." He let out a sharp breath, slowly reaching for one of Rei's hands.

"Theron," she chided softly, ignoring the sobering pang of guilt as she realized they hadn't ever really talked about it except in passing. "I asked because I don't really… have a preference," Rei forced out, faltering a bit as she struggled to find words to describe how she felt. She'd only had this conversation once before, long ago with Andronikos when she was still coming to terms with it all. "I wasn't lying, when I said I don't feel the need to sleep around, but…" She grimaced, hearing the stilted uncertainty in her own voice. "I would like to, for now. Typically I have little interest, but I do find myself… indulgent. Every now and again. If you're agreeable."

If Rei had cringed any harder at her own words, she would've disappeared right into the bedsheets.

He looked down, his frown deepening as his thumb began to glide absentmindedly across Rei's hand. "So…" he began uncertainly, "this is a one time… indulgence?" Theron clarified, borrowing Rei's own word.

"Not at all." With her free hand she reached up to cup his cheek, feeling a smile begin to form as he leaned into her touch. "Nothing about you is a one time thing," she assured him, the words coming easier to her now. "I take these things day by day, just like everything else about us. Today, this is what I want. I want you, and I want to spend the rest of the morning with you, and if I change my mind tomorrow, or the next day, I will tell you." After a moment, she reconsidered and added, "I rather like having you in my bed — we've established this, haven't we? It's… it's the how that's subject to change."

Her response seemed to placate Theron, and for the first time since he'd breached the subject, the crease in his brow lifted and his lips quirked up into a wry grin. "In that case… I think I can work with that."

"I expect you can." Rei leaned forward with the intention of stealing a light kiss — an experiment, of sorts, a way to test their boundaries in the wake of her awkward explanations — and made a quiet sound of surprise as Theron leaned into it, rolling her so she was on her back again. Her hands clasped around his neck almost instinctively, pulling him close with a renewed hunger and eagerness.

The kiss ended as abruptly as it had begun, and Theron pulled back just enough to ask, "You're sure?"

"If I weren't," she pointed out, breathless, as she drew one leg up so that her thigh pressed against his hip, "you would not still be on top of me." She traced the edge of his jawline with her index finger, ending at the curve of his lips. "I could throw you across this room before you could even think about doing anything I don't want," she reminded him sweetly.

"Cute."

"I try."