Written for the prompt of "taking a bath together" for an anonymous requester over on Tumblr. This is a follow-up to Chapter 9, "Traps"
There were apparently some perks to having a Mystic as a friend when on Voss, especially when traveling there on the say-so of one. Less hassle through customs, getting your pick of speeders, and also apparently, getting the royal treatment at the local establishments. Theron was going to need pass along his thanks to Sana-Rae when they got back to Odessen. The Pel-Ki Hot Springs were not as frequent a travel stop as the Shrine of Healing, but still saw plenty of visitors even in the time of the Eternal Empire. Most of the offworlders, and a few Voss as well, had given them the stink-eye as they were escorted past the long waiting line into one of the private rooms normally reserved for citizens.
The lobby area had about a dozen signs reminding offworlders of all of the intricate and various rules for the springs: no clothes, no loud noises, no splashing, and several emphatic variations on no hanky-panky. Of course, that probably wasn't much of a problem over on the public side of the springs, as the pools over there were completely natural and unfiltered, and the stench of sulfur wafted out into the lobby anytime one of the doors to that area opened. That wasn't the case over in the private baths. Set back in a dimly lit area of the sanctuary, the filtered pools were painstakingly and lovingly carved into the architecture and provided a much more relaxed and pleasant experience.
Theron leaned back into one of the seats that had been carved into the large pool's greater structure, the warm water coming almost up to his collarbone. Like all of the amenities, it had been designed with much taller individuals in mind. He was a decent height for a human but when standing next to a Voss, Theron looked almost stunted. He sent a curious glance over to his companion, who at almost half a foot shorter than him, had found a much shallower ledge to perch on.
Grey was glancing around the darkened room curiously, eyes continually straying to the Voss attendant at the far side of the room who was paying the offworlders very little mind at the moment. He watched as she shifted uncomfortably, trying to cross her arms and legs in a way that preserved some propriety, and felt a small tinge of guilt at her obvious discomfort. He'd wanted to wash off the remnants of the tombs they'd been exploring all day, the ancient grime seeming to settle into every crack and pore. He'd practically leapt at the chance to visit the springs when one of their guides had mentioned them in an offhand comment about their healing properties. The bruises that the Jedi had acquired from their close encounter at the last set of ruins they'd been exploring were nowhere near serious enough for a visit to the Shrine of Healing, but a nice long soak in hot mineral water definitely wouldn't hurt.
She caught his eye and he tilted his head at her, partially in question, partially in invitation. She flushed some, and gaze never straying from the bored Voss who had not glanced at her even once, glided through the water to join him near his deep perch. The attendant might not have had any interest in the naked woman underneath the water, but Theron himself couldn't tear his gaze away. It was nothing he hadn't seen countless times before, but it was a sight that had yet to grow old for him. He felt a familiar lick of heat start up low in his belly, and the sudden flush spreading throughout him couldn't be completely blamed by the steam rising off the surface of the pool.
The water gently lapped against his chest as her motions made small waves, sloshing inelegantly around them as she came to rest next to him.
"He's not looking, you know," Theron joked quietly.
"I'm not… worried about that," she shot back, but the way she hugged her chest with one arm as she tried to find a relaxing position in the deep water said otherwise.
"Sure you aren't," he teased. "Besides, I don't think you're his type. He probably likes them blue and much taller."
"Is that a height joke?"
He hummed noncommittally as his fingers ghosted along her spine, a shiver running across her skin in their wake. Her eye roll at him was half-hearted at best, her body unconsciously drifting closer to him at the brief contact. He kept up the action, partially just because she was close enough and he loved the silky feeling of her skin underneath the mineral water, but also as a small reassurance that she was still there. The adrenaline rush after her brief disappearance had faded, but it had stoked unpleasant memories that took much longer to lock back away.
He decided to distract himself in the best way possible, by ignoring it completely, and instead leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "You're my type, though."
"I thought you said you wanted to come here to relax."
"This is relaxing," he insisted even as his fingers followed the line from her spine down, dipping much, much lower.
Her eyes flew back to the Voss attendant, who seemed more interested in stacking and folding towels than the clear improprieties happening underneath the surface of the water. "You're going to get us kicked out of here."
"Nah," he said lightly, "I'm observing the 'no shouting' rule."
"That's not what I meant," she huffed, "and you know it."
He couldn't suppress his grin at the annoyed expression she fixed him with. One day ruffling her out of that serene Jedi facade would lose its charm, but today was not that day. "I'm not splashing either."
"You are impossible."
He quirked a brow. "If I'm so impossible why haven't you gone back to your lonely little ledge over there?"
"It's just warmer over here," she insisted, and then dropped her voice further. "And also this is a better hiding spot."
"I guess it's good that Sana-Rae's connections got us access to the private room then. Would you have even been able to set foot in a pool full of strangers?"
Her eye twitched as she clearly started imagining the scenario. "I just feel so… exposed."
"We can leave if you really want to," he reminded her.
"But we just got here," she hedged, "and the water does feel nice…"
He bit back on his automatic response of that not being the only thing that felt nice, although he was pretty sure she read that unspoken sentiment in the way his fingers kept dancing lightly across her skin. The fact that she was leaning slightly into the motion told him that she wasn't opposed to his touch, but in deference to her protests he shifted his attention a little further north of the equator. Some of the tension released from her shoulders, but he noted the brief flash of confusion and disappointment. Huh, perhaps she was more concerned with the lack of complete privacy than breaking the rules. Would wonders never cease.
"So I take it all that galaxy saving before now didn't provide much time for visiting the local hot spots?"
"I encouraged my crew to take breaks," she said hesitantly.
"Oh, just your crew?"
"Well," she hedged, "they would ask me to join..."
"They? Or Doc?"
"Okay, mostly Doc, but still, it was hard to justify relaxing and unwinding with how much was at stake. Especially during our first trip to Voss."
Theron quirked a brow at her, reviewing his mental history of her file. "Was that right after…?"
She nodded solemnly, and his fingers stopped the gentle stroking to rest his entire hand firmly on the small of her back. He didn't need to mention out loud the time she and her crew had been held captive in the then-Sith Emperor's fortress, nor what she'd been forced to do while under his control. Even all these years later, it was like a fresh wound — or maybe just a reopened one, considering who had taken up residence in her mind while she'd been frozen in carbonite.
"It was easier to keep busy too. Trying to stop Vitiate's ritual… it gave me something to focus on."
He pressed his lips together, wondering if this was one of those moments where he should let her talk, or where she wanted to think about other things and would appreciate a distraction and change of subject. He was saved from having to guess as her gaze broke away, drifting to the darkened carvings etched into the dimly lit architecture.
"Do you think I should have?" She spoke after a long, quiet moment.
"Should have what?" he asked cautiously.
"Taken a break. Stopped to appreciate things in the moment."
"I think," he said, reaching up with his other hand to brush away the bangs falling into her face, "that you did whatever felt right at the time. And there's nothing wrong with that."
"Sometimes I wonder," she muttered, mostly to herself, "if it was worth it, considering how everything turned out."
He tilted his head, trying to figure out where this was coming from. "What do you mean?"
"He was off in Wild Space," she said quietly, "building up yet another Empire. The body I struck down was just one of his vessels. Now I'm another. Or was. I… still don't know what happened out in those woods on Odessen."
Like usual, Theron didn't really have the answer for the deeper issues of the Force, fate, or the big questions in life. All he had was everything in front of him, which included one frowning Jedi Master. He didn't even bother glancing at their attendant to see if he was watching, Theron just leaned forward and planted a light kiss on her nose.
"Sorry," she flushed, "just thinking aloud."
"Nothing wrong with that," he said quietly, "if that's what you want to do."
"I think I'd like to relax?" It was said hesitantly, as if she wasn't sure she was allowed to actually admit that aloud. "You would think as a Jedi I'd be able to do that."
"There's a difference between meditation and relaxation," Theron teased lightly, "and you don't really have the gills for trying to meditate underwater."
"Who says I'd be underwater?"
"Well, your height for one."
He quirked a brow and her mouth dropped open slightly in mock indignation. Seizing the opportunity, he surged forward capturing her lips in a kiss, and while being careful of her bruises, used his grip on her back to pull her into his lap. The sudden movement made a small splash, and her eyes immediately went to the attendant, who it was possible was just asleep at this point. Did Voss sleep with their eyes open or shut? He would have consulted the HoloNet for that answer, but was far more preoccupied at the moment.
Having her this close sent a thrill straight down his spine, desire pooling in his gut as he deepened the kiss. With her current position, there was very little doubt to the state of his own arousal, and as he broke away, he saw that a deep flush had spread far beyond her cheeks.
"This really isn't the place," she said breathlessly.
"Then consider it a preview," he said, voice low, "for when we get back to our room. If you're interested in continuing this particular… conversation."
Somehow the blush in her cheeks darkened further, sending another rush of heat through him. This time it definitely couldn't be blamed on the steam. "I think I'd like that."
To Theron's credit, his smile was only a little feral. "Me too."
"Although we do have almost an hour left," she said, "it seems like a wasted opportunity if we leave now."
"Some things are worth waiting for," he agreed. "Besides, I still need to teach you how to relax."
"Why does that sound a little like the blind leading the blind?"
Theron rolled his eyes, and even if she did have a point, he wasn't going to admit it aloud. She shot him a shy little smirk of her own before readjusting her position until her back was pressed against his chest and her head was resting against his shoulder.
"This work?" she asked a bit dubiously.
"It's a start."
The reply might have been sarcastic, but the sting of it was taken out by him threading their fingers together and resting his cheek against the top of her head. Between the warmth of the water and the feeling of her skin pressed against his, Theron felt his tension and stress begin to fade away. While not a natural inclination for either of them, they both slowly began to relax and settle in, letting the rare moment of peace stretch out.