Three: Voss
Andronikos got off the shuttle with a pit in his chest. No reason to feel like this. You don't know how she'll react. And it's not like you're married.
He headed towards the hangar where the ship was parked, keeping his eyes open. Voss was relatively peaceful, which made him even more careful.
The ship looked fine from the outside, but inside waited his... he hesitated. What is she to me? A girlfriend? He shook his head.
Ashara and Liri were discussing something on the bridge when he walked through the airlock. He could hear the tones of their voices. They paused when they heard the hatch shut and then continued talking. He walked down the hallway and across the main room into the bridge.
Ashara smiled, "Hey! Look who's back! It's been a long six weeks, 'Nikos."
He swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Glad to be back."
Liri said nothing, just stood leaning against the wall there, that slow, smoldering grin starting up across her face.
Ashara looked between them for a minute. "Want me to take your sack, 'Nikos? I bet you two want some alone time. I'll get my present from you later."
He swung his military grade pack down from his shoulder and handed it to her. "Don't go poking through it now, kid."
Ashara giggled and left the room, a knowing grin on her face.
Andronikos watched Liri as she pushed off of the wall and came closer, "Speaking of alone time," she murmured, "It really has been a long six weeks."
She paused and looked into his eyes. "You're not excited to be back." She said flatly. Her purple eyes fluttered closed, "You're confused and..."
"I need to tell you something." He finally got out.
Her eyes shot open. He forced himself to continue, "So, we've been getting closer and while I was gone I started thinking about I need my freedom. How bad I am at relationships and how trapped they make me feel. How I always wake up at some point and decide to leave."
He sighed, "I don't feel that way with you. I wake up and I realize it's where I want to be, but I started to panic."
"Panic?"
"Yeah, and so I, uh," he shook his head, "I went home with a few girls, while I was gone."
"A few?"
"Two, not all at once, just over a few days about a week and a half ago."
Her face still held no emotion that he could discern.
"I don't own you, Andronikos." she said, her voice slightly cooler than before. "You get to sleep with who you want. But just so we're clear: so do I."
"Liri..."
"I'm not mad." she shrugged, "We never talked about being monogamous."
"So while I was gone, you were with someone else, too?"
She burst out laughing, "When would I have had time for that?" She swiveled away from him and headed to the hatch.
"So, that's it?" He followed after her, wanting to ask a different question.
"That's it. I have to get back to my contact planetside. I'll be back later tonight." She said, already out the hatch and away.
He stood staring after her for longer than he'd ever admit to anyone.
Andronikos sat down on the edge of Liri's bed. Well, their bed, he supposed. All of his stuff was in here. He pulled his pack towards him and unzipped it. The first week he'd been gone, he'd picked out gifts for Liri and Ashara. Well, stole them, really, but that didn't so much matter. His gifts for Liri felt presumptuous now. He sifted through them to pull out Ashara's gift and walked down the hall to give it to her.
She was reading something off a datapad, but looked up startled when he walked into the room.
"'Nikos? Where's Liri?"
"She had to go planetside. Hey, I brought you your gift."
"That's weird, she got a bunch of stuff done earlier today so tonight was free." Ashara said absent-mindedly.
Andronikos' heart caught in his throat and his voice came out even rougher than normal. "So, I'm not sure how much you're going to like it." He pulled a small box out and handed it to her.
Ashara squealed and opened it to reveal an ice blue lightsaber crystal. "Oh 'Nikos! That's so pretty! Did you get one for Liri too?"
"Sort of, I got her a different color."
Ashara hugged him, "I'm gonna go set this in my lightsaber right away!"
She took off out of the room and Andronikos headed back to the room he shared with Liri.
Really, how could he have been so stupid? He sat down on the bed again and tried to figure out whether he should unpack or take everything out of the room. You still didn't actually tell her how you feel. You tried to bury yourself in other women because you love her and it scares you.
He remembered that first night on Nar Shaddaa. There were no intentions to go anywhere, and then that blue Twi'lek had approached him and he'd missed Liri so much. The woman had been pretty aggressive too, like she really needed him. He never felt like Liri needed him. He just followed her around, trying to pretend he wasn't lovesick. This random Twi'lek though, she said a few of the right things then she asked if he had a girlfriend, which sent a surge of annoyance through him at the time. Andronikos had taken her back to his rented room just to prove he was still free. The next morning, he'd felt guilty, and had one hell of a hangover, but he still felt that burning desire to drive Liri out of his head, so he'd went after this red haired smuggler. The next day though, he starting thinking about Liri and feeling guilty. With his luck, she was surface side, seducing some apprentice into bed just to get back at him.
He gave up trying to figure out what to do and just sank into the bed. Stripping off his boots and pants, he inhaled Liri's scent from the pillow and fell asleep.
At some point in the night, he woke up to Liri sleeping next to him. It can't be so bad if she's here. He thought to himself, half-awake. Drawing her in close, he kissed her on the forehead and fell back asleep.
When he woke up the second time, the bed was empty, but there were the standard remnants of her being there. Wet towel on the floor, clothes half out of storage. He stumbled out of bed to look for her. Pants, pants would be useful. He took the fastest shower he'd ever taken and walked around the ship, still putting himself together. She was in the storage area, having a small argument with Talos.
"You don't need me here right now," Talos was saying.
"Not now, but hopefully we're leaving soon and I'll need you on board then."
"I promise I will return as soon as possible, but I can't miss out on this!"
Liri sighed, her giving-in sigh that Andronikos knew so well, "Alright, but hurry, okay?"
Talos nodded and picked up his bag, heading out the door; as he passed Andronikos he smiled and tipped his head.
Andronikos nodded back, watching Liri from the doorway.
"Do you want your presents?" He blurted out.
"Did you get them before or after?" She asked briskly.
"Most before, one after."
"I don't want that one then; I'll take the others." She walked past him to their room and sat on the bed. His heart thudded as he looked at her. Finally he rummaged through his pack and spread it all out on the bed: some kind of fancy, expensive designer lingerie, the box with the saber crystal, some oranges, a box of her favorite candy, some crazy blown glass bottle of wine and three bottles of Corellian whisky. She opened the crystal box and sighed, the crystal matched her purple eyes exactly. He watched horrified as she started to cry.
He hurried over and knelt in front of her, "Liri, I'm so sorry, I..." and then he was kissing her and pushing her back on the bed and she was responding and then his back hit the far wall. He crumpled to the ground and sat stunned for a moment before lifting his head to look at her. She had both of her hands over her mouth in horror.
He got to his feet, "No worse than what we've done dueling." He said to her.
Her eyes moved off of him to stare at the wall.
He walked back over to her and knelt by her. "Liri," he caught his breath, "Liri, I love you." He brought her down onto the floor with him, kissing her lekku, her face, "I love you; I screwed up."
"No, we never said..." She shivered, "I just wasn't even thinking about it happening."
She stood up and started to leave, "I'll get over it."
He moved quickly and slammed his hands on the wall on either side of her. "No, don't get over it; torture me, whatever you have to do, just don't leave." He wrapped his arms around her and then she was kissing him, brutally, etching marks into him with her fingers.
When everything stopped and she tried to heal the deep scratches on his back out, he told her to leave them. He wanted the scars.