Once the final matches were finished and Grakkus made his grand speeches Kreel and Lukka were free to return to their quarters. He could tell just by the way the teen walked that he was thoroughly shaken by what had happened. It wasn't an act earlier when he'd found Lukka shoved up against the wall with some scumbag pressed against him and he'd gone berserk. For that one moment he'd absolutely lost it, something deep in the recesses of his mind screaming in rage at the very idea of the lithe teen being harmed. Glancing down at Lukka he scowled. Maybe later he'd think about how letting his anger control him wasn't very good for his cover. But for now he had to make sure the teen was okay.
Back in their quarters he locked the door and led Lukka to the fresher. "I'm going to look for injuries, alright?" He said quietly, making sure the teen could see him and had the space to back away if he didn't want to be touched. "Anything hurt?" He asked as he ran his hands over Lukka's wrists and up his arms, feeling carefully and watching his face for any signs of discomfort.
"M-my shoulder…" The teen mumbled, eyes falling to the floor. Kreel frowned and leaned closer, tugging the wide strip of cloth away. An angry bite mark against pale skin made him grit his teeth in anger. "…I'm sorry." He froze at the whispered apology and felt his anger spike higher for a moment before he was able to shove it down again.
"There's nothing to be sorry about. This wasn't your fault." Looking at the teen's hopeless expression then back at the mark Kreel leaned over and pressed a light kiss against his skin. Lukka jumped in surprise, turning to look at him in confusion. Kriff. He had no idea why he'd done that. "Make sure you wash that, even if it stings. It'll be gone in a few days." Stepping away from the teen he nodded toward the bedroom. "I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late." He turned to go but stopped when fingers brushed against his arm, feather light and hesitant.
"What about you? I was taught how to tend wounds, I can help." The offer wasn't surprising, Lukka was very sweet and liked to stay busy. But Kreel knew he couldn't take him up on it. Not after what happened with the mercenaries and the adrenaline from the arena fight earlier. If he let Lukka tend to his wounds now he might do something that he'd regret and scare the teen further.
"I'm fine. Worry about yourself." He paused. "Take a long shower before you come to bed. It'll help." With that he left the teen to his own devices and headed into the bedroom.
Throwing off his hood he sat down on the bed hard and let out a long sigh. Grakkus was sure to have heard about him attacking a couple of random thugs and he had no idea how the Hutt was going to react. Normally he could make an educated guess but the Hutt liked to be unpredictable. It kept everyone on edge around him and he seemed to revel in that kind of control.
The small aches and twinges of pain as the adrenaline finally started to wear off reminded him that he was injured. With a groan he fetched the small med kit and sprayed a little antiseptic on the smaller wounds. He used bacta on the larger wounds but found it hard to reach the ones that were in awkward places on his back. Something moved behind him on the bed and he whipped around, hand reaching beneath the mattress for a weapon. Lukka, still wearing the blue outfit with his hair down and make-up washed off, gave him a sheepish look.
Kreel didn't move a muscle as the bacta was taken from him and gently smeared over the wounds on his back he couldn't reach. Relief swept through him and he began to relax. Looking down at the lithe teen he felt a stirring in his abdomen at the soft caress of fingers against his skin and soft blue eyes filled with determination. He bit the inside of his cheek and forced his eyes away. "Thought I told you I was fine." It came out harsher than he intended, his voice strained.
"I needed something to change into, master, so I came to fetch my night clothes. When I saw you having trouble I thought…" The hesitance in the teen's voice made him frown. He didn't want him to be scared or worried. He'd had enough of that today.
"It's fine… thank you." There was a feeling of bright happiness that came over him suddenly and he blinked in confusion.
"You're welcome." He could hear the smile in Lukka's voice without even looking. Kriff, he was in trouble. "I'll, um, go have that shower now." With that the teen quickly grabbed his clothes, gave a slight bow, and retreated to the fresher.
Kreel put his face in his hands and let out a harsh breath. Scrubbing at his face he forced himself to calm down, reminding himself that Lukka wasn't a willing partner even if they were sharing a bed. Unless Lukka offered something more he would keep their touches light and friendly in private and possessively controlling in public. All for appearances, of course. He tried not to think about how comfortable it was having Lukka pressed against his chest, one arm wrapped around his slender waist, as he leaned in to whisper into his ear… Kriff.
Time to meditate. He needed to put this all out of his mind and focus on the mission.
Getting comfortable on the floor, his back to the wall, he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. It was rare that he needed to center himself like this, the way Lord Vader taught him, but in this instance he knew he needed it. The moment he'd met Lukka something had shifted in his mind and the mission had no longer become his priority. That wouldn't do.
He wasn't sure how long he sat like that, focusing on his breath and reorganizing his thoughts, when a presence entered the room. It stopped, focusing on him for a few moments, before slowly and carefully moving around the room. He could sense the presence waver slightly, like mist. Hard to pin down and keep in his mind's eye. Reaching out he brushed against that presence and felt it jolt in surprise before vanishing entirely. Eyes snapping open he looked across the room to where Lukka was standing, blue eyes wide in surprise as he looked around.
"What's wrong?" The teen twitched and his eyes locked with Kreel's. They stay there for a moment in silence, unable to look away from each other as if drawn by something.
"N-nothing, I thought… no. It's nothing, sorry master." Kreel knew that wasn't all there was to it but decided not to ask. Instead he broke eye contact and stood, stretching out his stiff muscles before settling onto the bed.
"Hit the light." Lukka nodded and flicked the light off before scurrying into bed, curling up on his side. Kreel let out a slow breath and lay down on his back, staring up at the ceiling. It was going to be a long night.
Laying on the bed he tried to calm his heart as it thumped hard against his ribs but there was no way to stop the panic as it set in. So instead of fighting it he let it run its course until he was able to claw some semblance of control back. Next to him he could feel Gamemaster as he lay awake, arms tucked beneath his head and breathing deeply. Lukka knew he was awake even without looking.
Thinking about the man Lukka found his face heating slightly in embarrassment. The way he'd run his large hands over Lukka's skin, searching for possible injuries, sent shivers up his spine. Then Gamemaster had kissed the bite on his shoulder and his mind had gone blank.
He could feel the way the man's eyes followed him, how they hungered, but the moment he thought the man was overstepping his bounds he would reel himself back in and back away. The friendly touches in private were kept polite, something close friends might to do ensure the other was alright. And while he knew that Gamemaster was attracted to him he didn't go overboard with his touches when they were in public and he needed to act more aggressive, possessive.
When he'd snuck into the bedroom to grab his clothes, realizing he had nothing to change into in the fresher, he'd seen the tired slump of a broad back and hesitated. It was clear the wounds actually were bothering the large man and that he was having trouble doing it himself. Deciding to risk it he crawled onto the bed, words dying in his throat as the man turned to glare at him suddenly. Recognition flashed in grey eyes and he relaxed at Lukka's embarrassed look. Gathering his courage he took the bacta and carefully spread it over the man's various wounds.
"I thought I told you I was fine." His voice was tense and Lukka frowned in concern. Were his wounds hurting more than he thought?
"I needed something to change into, master, so I came to fetch my night clothes. When I saw you having trouble I thought…" He just wanted to help. To show his gratitude for how he'd come to Lukka's rescue.
"It's fine…" The man wouldn't look at him but there was a small pause before he spoke again. "Thank you." Lukka couldn't help the bright smile that came to his lips. He could feel the underlying gratitude in the man's voice and knew he was sincere.
"You're welcome." A sharp feeling of something heated came over him, originating from the Gamemaster, and he felt his heart beating faster in his chest. "I'll, um, go have that shower now." Getting off of the bed he quickly bowed and fled to the fresher.
Things only became more strange after he'd returned from a nice long shower to find his mater sitting on the floor, eyes closed and breathing even. He puttered around the room for a moment, wondering if he was asleep and whether he should wake him, when something caressed his back. He jumped in surprise and fled to that quiet place in his mind. Immediately Gamemaster's eyes were on him and he froze in place, unable to look away from those dark grey eyes. There was something calm and steely about his gaze now and Lukka felt like Gamemaster could see right through him.
"What's wrong?" Twitching, he tried and failed to come up with a response, any response. But he just couldn't bring himself to speak at first.
"N-nothing, I thought… no. It's nothing, sorry master." Finally he was able to speak, although he only ended up babbling an apology.
Gamemaster broke eye contact first and Lukka realized he hadn't taken a breath after he'd spoken. The man got up and stretched, muscles rippling beneath tawny skin. Sitting back on the bed he spoke over his shoulder.
"Hit the light." Nodding he walked over and pressed the switch. The room descended into darkness as he hurried over to bed and settled down to try and sleep.
Now they had been laying next to each other in the quiet darkness, awake, for who knows how long. Neither of them had moved, as if trying to keep some fragile balance from being tipped in one direction or another.
Eventually Lukka found himself dozing off and as the day caught up to him he finally allowed himself to dream.
Waking with a rattling gasp he struggled against the hands grasping his shoulders. Something large was hovering over him, dark and foreboding in the darkness. "Lukka! It's alright, it's me. Shhh, deep breaths." Slowly the voice registered as familiar and he stopped struggling, his chest heaving as cold sweat trickled over his temple. "You're alright, just a nightmare." That low voice rumbled as a hand moved up to brush his hair out of his face.
With a quiet sob he reached up and wrapped his arms around the one comforting him, like he had done with Pantarl. For a moment they stilled, as if uncomfortable then suddenly he found himself sitting in the man's lap, being held as he cried into a warm chest. There were no quiet murmurs, no gentle fingers running through his hair, but it was no less comforting as the man held him tightly, as if protecting him with his body.
Once he had calmed down enough he reached up and tentatively put a hand against the man's face. "Thank you." He whispered, as if afraid that speaking would ruin the moment.
"Don't mention it." Came the gruff reply, just as quietly.
Awkwardly he shifted, beginning to feel uncomfortable in the man's lap. For a moment those arms tightened, as if he didn't want to let go, before he was released. "Go back to sleep." Silently he lay back down, trying to get comfortable.
For the first time since they began o share a bed Lukka didn't curl in on himself, nor did he turn away. He lay on his side and watched the dark shadow that was the Gamemaster settling back down to sleep.
It wasn't the first time he'd wondered how someone with such a ruthless reputation could be so kind. Whether it was he kindness shown to him in private or the ruthlessness in the arena that was the real Gamemaster. Perhaps it was both? Having been a slave his entire life he knew what it was like to do whatever one could to survive, to live another day.
He fell asleep to the slow breathing of the man next to him, wondering what it would have been like if they'd met as free men.