A/N: Rated E for sexual content
Word count: 1908
Hunt Log: Side Notes and Journals
Sixth Sighting: Alderaan (Then Hoth, because boys are dumb)
I saw Torian a few weeks later while he was on a hunt with Clan Ordo. Naturally, I played it cool. He's an attractive, unattached Mando, and I imagined that he'd like to stay that way. So, I gave him a cursory greeting and pretended like my heart wasn't pounding out of my chest. Stars, that man has some beautiful eyes.
It took everything I had not to pull him behind one of those fancy Thul estates for an encore of our last meeting. I resisted so that I didn't come off as the clingy one night stand. Wouldn't want to embarrass him in front of his friends. We parted ways on a friendly enough note, so imagine my surprise when I got a call from a pissed off Wanda just three days later.
"I'm coming," Sadio groaned. She flopped unceremoniously onto the floor in an effort to reach her comm. "Hold your damn bordoks." The sheets tangled around Sadio's legs, further hindering her attempts to reach that infernal ringing.
Finally, Sadio slapped a hand on the holo while the other tugged at her self-inflicted restraints. "Captain Edan," she snarled at her legs. "This better be good." She'd been in the middle of a vivid dream staring her favorite Mandalorian and woken right before the good part.
"Bought damn time," Wanda answered in an equally irate tone. "We need to talk, girly."
Having finally extracted herself from the overly aggressive bed linens, Sadio stood and righted her clothing. "Hey, Wanda. What's got your panties in a twist?" She hadn't seen the old hunter this angry since that girl had broken her youngest's heart when they were intermediate school. Sadio remembered her mother's attempts at bribing Wanda not to trounce the little whore. They'd been nine years old at the time.
Wanda punched meaty fists into her hips and glared. "What did you do to Torian?"
Sadio rubbed her eyes, then blinked. "Who?" Wanda raised a brow, and Sadio corrected herself. "I mean, what the hell are you going on about?" Last Sadio had seen the Mandalorian, he'd been laughing with his clan and tormenting Sadio with those baby blues.
Wanda paced almost out of view, then back again. "That boy has been sulking for days, hardly worth the credits it takes to feed him." She paused and shoved a finger at Sadio's. "He was fine until running into you on Alderaan, so tell me what happened?"
Sadio scratched her head and shrugged. "I don't know. We chatted, he introduced me to Corridan, then we parted ways." When Wanda didn't answer, Sadio sighed. "Let me talk to him, I'll get it straightened out."
"Can't," the huntress snapped. "He's gone off and done something stupid." Sadio opened her mouth to ask for clarification, but Wanda cut her off. "We got a ransom note from the GenoHaradan about twenty minutes ago, and I'm on a hunt. I told that boy to wait until I got back, but his head ain't been on straight lately."
Sadio's chest tightened. "What do you mean, ransom?" She barely heard the huntress's explanation through the terror pounding in her ears. The GenoHaradan were infamous for their brutality. When Wanda fell silent, Sadio pulled herself together. "Give me coordinates, I'll get our Mandalorian home back."
According to Sadio, Torian was being held in an underground facility on Hoth. The irony of returning to that frozen hellhole to rescue the man she'd met there wasn't lost on Sadio. The jump only took four hours, but felt like an eternity. In the time between planning sessions with her crew and piloting the ship, Sadio pondered what could have possibly made the normally observant Mando so reckless.
By the time the Medallion landed, Sadio, Corso, and Bowdaar had a lock on Torian's position and extra ammo. The ease of their hunt led Sadio to believe that the perpetrators wanted to be found. Which concerned her even more. If they didn't want witnessess, Torian might already be dead. That thought was too painful to give a second consideration.
"You know this is probably a trap, right?" Corso asked, rifle held to his shoulder while they stared into the broken doorway of an abandoned facility. Sadio didn't care, and didn't deem his comment worth reply. The country boy shrugged and looked forward. "Just sayin'."
Sadio Took point, both blasters at the ready, with Bowdaar flanking and Corso bringing up the read. They went in guns blazing, or in Bowdaar's case, roaring and bashing. The man who'd taken Torian hostage stood in the midst of his fallen brethren with the barrel of his blaster pointed at the Mando's skull. To Torian's credit, he didn't flinch.
"Give me back my boy, and you get to live," Sadio seethed. Normally, she kept her temper under such circumstances, but the image of Torian with his hands tied and helpless burned into her memory. She never wanted to see that again.
When Torian glanced up, Sadio's breath caught. His face was mottled black and blue, lower lip swollen and red, but it was the shame she saw in his eyes that broke her heart. In that instant, any hope of negotiations died. Sadio was going to tear this man apart.
"Did you hear me, bitch?" The man growled, pulling Sadio's attention back to the problem at hand. "I want the huntress." He punctuated the demand with a hard strike to Torian's temple. The Mando grunted, then shook his head. That blow broke the spell over Sadio.
"Of course, Wanda's on her way. We're just here to make sure it was worth her trip." Sadio waved Bowdaar forward. "We've got a nice stack of credits for you, to begin negotiations. Bowdaar, do me a favor and pay the man." She'd set up a dummy case, ret'lini, as the Mandalorians would say.
While he might be a professional, the lure of credits proved too provocative an offer for Torian's captor. When he was within range, Bowdaar raised the case and brought it down on top of the man's head. His knees buckled, and the Wookie vented years of frustration on a corpse that soon wouldn't be recognizable.
Sadio stood in front of Torian with hands on hips. "You know," she began, waiting for him to meet her gaze. "Wanda is pissed. You're in a lot of trouble when you get back."
Torian looked away with jaw clenched against whatever retort that had come to mind. Taking pity on him, Sadio moved around to open the cuffs. Torian stood without a backward glance, rubbed his wrists, and started forward. "Thanks."
When Torian didn't slow, Sadio rushed to catch up. "Hey." He still didn't stop, and Sadio's anger snapped. "That how you say thanks, Blondie?" Bright, blue eyes cut over, but he refused to answer.
"Fine." Sadio raked him with a furious glare. "You can ride in the cargo hold." With that, she stomped ahead and didn't look back.
It took two full hours for Sadio's willpower to abandon her. She couldn't bear the thought of Torian aboard her ship and not being around him. Besides, she wanted to know what the hell he'd been thinking going off on his own. Sadio had just activated the controls to exit her room when the door slid open to reveal the very man she'd been seeking.
Torian gave a startled gasp, knuckles still poised in mid-air. They stared at one another for a heartbeat before Sadio broke the silence. "How are you finding your accommodations?"
"Inadequate," Torian husked, pinning her with those gorgeous eyes. Sadio put a single hand on her hip and prepared a snappy reply that never made it past her lips. Torian pushed Sadio back into the room and punched the door mechanism. "You're not in them," he breathed between kisses.
Sadio's knees hit her bed, and they tumbled. Torian was all hands and tongue, and Sadio couldn't remember why she'd been irritated in the first place. Before long, their clothing was strewn around the room while Torian pressed her into the mattress. His weight felt right, and Sadio arched her back when he pushed into her. She wasn't sure what he muttered with each thrust, but Sadio was almost certain that it was something good. It sure as hell felt that way to her.
Torian placed rough kisses down Sadio's neck while his fingers gently cradled her head. She couldn't say where the sudden urge to speak came from, but the words surprised her more than they seem to him. "I missed you," Sadio breathed, then sucked in a breath when her world exploded in ecstasy.
Torian's rhythm grew erratic, spinning Sadio to new heights. His voice was hoarse when he answered. "Say it again."
Sadio tightened her grip, nails cutting deep into his back. "I missed you." A guttural sound tore from Torian's throat as he gave one final thrust that rattled Sadio's teeth. He didn't move again, didn't even breathe, until the final spasms subsided from his body. Then, Torian collapsed with a contented sigh.
They lay in silent bliss for several minutes before Torian rolled to the side. Sadio expected him to cuddle her like last time, but he stood and began gathering his clothes. Sadio tried to hide her hurt by lifting onto an elbow. "Leaving so soon?"
"We'll be dropping out hyperspace in an hour," Torian answered without looking at her. "Might as well get cleaned up."
Sadio's chest clenched, but she refused to show it. "Sure. Wouldn't want to keep Wanda waiting." Torian gave a sharp nod, and Sadio almost left it alone. She'd just pulled her pants on when her anger surfaced again.
"What's the deal, Cadera?" Sadio tugged a shirt over her head, forgoing the blessed support of her favorite bra just so that she wouldn't have to argue half naked. "Something's clearly bothering you."
Torian didn't answer, which was answer enough. Sadio threw her hands up and turned away. "Fine."
"What do you want from me?" Torian asked, facing her with an abruptness that stilled Sadio's exit. He waved the shirt still in his hand, then gestured to the rest of their clothes all over the room.
In an effort to keep her eyes off that magnificent chest and stomach, Sadio forced herself to meet Torian's eyes. "I thought you wanted an easy lay," she answered, crossing her arms. "Some fun times before scurrying off to the hunt again."
Torian's expression softened, brows shooting up, then huffed a laugh. "No."
That one word settled over Sadio like ice water, freezing her on the spot. Torian dropped his shirt and closed the space between them. Before Sadio's brain could kick back into gear, his hand cradled the back of her skull. "I haven't been able to get you out of my mind since Hoth." Torian placed a light kiss on her lips before pulling back. "Kinda hoped you felt the same."
"Shit," Sadio breathed, and judging by Torian's husky laughter, she'd pegged their relationship perfectly. It all made sense. They'd wanted the same thing, but neither had seen fit to communicate that to the other. Placing a hand on his cheek, Sadio poured as much sincerity into her tone as she could. "I didn't mean to hurt you on Alderaan. I thought that's what you wanted."
Shaking his head, Torian offered a more aggressive kiss. "You're what I want."