A/N: Just a little tidbit. I don't know how in character I managed to keep it, after a while the conversation carried on without me, and I didn't get much say after that...

Price of Admission

Exile/Atton

xxx

"You know, this would be much easier if you just admitted that you were madly in love with me."

"I'm busy, Atton."

"Sure you are. But it's not like the nav charts are going anywhere."

"You're right. They aren't. But you are. I'm busy."

"Well, I told you. It would be much easier if you admitted that you love me. Face it. We all know you do, sweetheart."

"And just what makes you think that I'm madly in love with you?"

"Lots of reasons."

"Really."

"Like now. You're trembling."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Then why are you arguing about it?"

"Wha-? That doesn't even make sense!"

"You think I'm devilishly handsome, don't you. I'll even bet that you wonder how I keep my lips so kissably soft."

"... Are you drunk?"

"I'll let you in on a little secret. Lip balm. Fantastic stuff."

"Or maybe you got into Mandalore's stash of stims again?"

"Nope. Sober as a... well, as a Jedi."

"Go away, Atton. I don't have time for this. And keep your damn hands to yourself already!"

"What? I'm not doing anything..."

"You will remove your hands from my person or I will remove them from you."

"Don't you mean for me?"

"Did I stutter?"

"Well, no. Sheesh. All I'm tryin' to do is get you to relax a bit."

"I know. I know. I just... I really need to concentrate right now."

"So I'm distracting?"

"Yes. Go away."

"That's a sign of being in love, you know."

"For Force's Sake!"

"I'm just sayin'..."

"I am not in love with you, Atton Rand!"

"Hey, if that's what helps you sleep at night..."

"You are unbelievable."

"I know. That's why you love me."

"Okay. Fine. You know what? I'll bite. What else makes you think that I'm so in love with you?"

"It's the way you call me by my name."

"It's your name. What else am I supposed to call you? Gammorean pig-man?"

"I never said it was just the name, sweetheart. It's the way – you kind of sigh it. Like... Atton."

"... are you sure you're sober?"

"Painfully so. And there's the way you avoid me when we're together."

"It's called personal space. You should learn about it."

"Overrated."

"Says you. So the fact that I use your given name and don't let you plaster yourself to my side so I don't have to breathe your horrible body odor mean I'm in love with you?"

"Yep. That and the way you dream. The ones where it's just you and me. And I've got you flat on your back, making those keening moans that start at the back of your throat and -"

"You will stay out of my head, Atton Rand."

"Now look here, sister. I ain't goin' into your head. You broadcast the damn things so far that I wouldn't be surprised if they made it all the way to Coruscant. I'm sure the whole damn ship picked up on 'em, so it ain't like it's secret!"

"I... broadcast?"

"Damn near kept me up half the kriffin' night. Why do you think that the Golden Boy Wonder avoided you for near a week?"

"I thought -"

"I'm sure you did. Nothing to be ashamed of. I am a fine specimen, after all."

"... you're such an asshole."

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

"Please go away, Atton."

"Not until you admit it."

"Why? Will it soothe your poor, jilted male ego? Don't think I didn't see you completely and utterly fail to pick up that twi'lek last night."

"Eh... you saw that, huh?"

"Every second, Slick. 'Hey, darlin', how's about shakin' some tail this-a-way?' Not exactly the smoothest line in the universe."

"It's worked in the past! How was I supposed to know she'd get offended and have Daddy's grunts jump me?"

"Do you know anything about women?"

"Plenty! Most of 'em are money-grubbing thieves and none of 'em are worth getting involved with for longer than a week or so."

"... what?"

"- And then you've got the psychopaths, like Mira, and the creepies, like Visas, and the ones who want you to be their thirteenth baby's daddy just to get a few more cred for their spice fix."

"Can we forget that we're having this conversation and go our separate ways?"

"You started it. If you'd just admit-"

"Dammit, Rand! I don't have to 'admit' anything! There's nothing to 'admit'! Now if you'd just kriffing leave me the hell alone for five minutes-!"

"So... there's nothing?"

"Right. Nothing. Go away."

"Not even a little infatuation?"

"No."

"Huh. Well, ah... I guess I'll be in the cockpit if you need me..."

"Thank you."

"Are you sure you-"

"Just go!"

"Okay! Okay!"

His footsteps faded into the background as Catherine went back to studying the navigation charts, but her thoughts kept betraying her to a certain scruffy nerfherder...

"Dammit."