Private Bracing For A Hard Landing

[Sergeant Omen]

Sipping his coffee in the kitchen, Omen let out a relaxed sigh, still recovering from the Korda's visit. His energy certainly could drain a person. He was just happy that the Destroyer hadn't broken the guest bed. Those creaking sounds that he heard from the guest bedroom throughout the night made it sound like the entire bedframe was going to give out.

Aren would find him outside, doing his usual morning rountine of watering his planters inside. "If only she would let my till out the entire small backyard we have... Think of all the plants we could grow" passed through his mind as she silently closed the door. It was the perfect ambush... If there was a time to have their talk, it would be now.

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Aren slipped outside quietly and paused just behind him for a moment, watching the way he moved between the planters with the watering can, unhurried and focused in that particular way he always adopted when he needed space to think. There was a steadiness to him in those moments, a kind of inward concentration that she had come to recognize as easily as her own breath.

"You are up early," she said lightly, her voice carrying a gentle warmth. "I am guessing that was not because the guest bed suddenly sounded stable."

She stepped closer and leaned against the doorframe beside him, settling into the space with the ease of someone who had long since stopped pretending she did not care.

"About last night," Aren continued after a small pause, her tone softening into something quieter and more deliberate. "When he said the word clone. I saw the way you shut down."

Her words held no accusation, only honesty shaped with care.

"You did not make it a problem. You just went and did the dishes instead."

Her gaze stayed on him, steady and unflinching, as if she wanted him to understand that she had noticed more than he realized.

"That is something you always do," she added, her voice gentle rather than critical.

She reached out without thinking and brushed a bit of damp soil from his wrist, the touch light and familiar, a small gesture that said she was here and paying attention.

"You do not have to carry that kind of weight quietly," she said, her voice low and sincere. "Not with me. Not when you are standing in my home."

A small pause followed, not awkward but intentional, giving the words room to settle.

"You are here because I want you here," Aren finished simply, her tone steady and certain. "Not because you are useful, and not because you owe me anything."

She let the silence stretch for a moment, not to pressure him, but to make sure he heard every part of what she meant.

Sergeant Omen

 

[Sergeant Omen]

Even though he didn't say anything, Omen noticed Aren's presence as soon as he walked out the double doors onto the balcony. Maybe it was the Force telling him where the most precious thing in his life was. His half smile as she spoke told her she wasn't far off. "Nobody needs to have a heartache trying to appease my feelings. I'll keep reactions like that as fuel to overcome them. Besides, we didn't need a wrestling match to wreck the whole dining room." Looking out onto the city, his face showed contentment before he turned to her and held her cheeks, giving her a soft kiss. "Besides, how can you drag me back to bed for loving making when I'm already in it?"

Omen's grin became even wider as he heard her admission. "Could you say that again? I need to get the force-resistant record so I can replay that sentience over and over." Sliding his hand onto her on the balcony railing, his admiring gaze was on her, never seeming to come off as he continued. "Part of the reason I didn't freak out is that I knew you would comfort me later." And wasn't that the truth.

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Aren let out a quiet breath that was half a laugh as he spoke, her hands resting lightly over his wrists when he cupped her face, leaning into the kiss without hesitation. She lingered there for a moment longer than strictly necessary, forehead resting against his when they parted, her eyes warm and steady.

"You're very good at reframing things," she murmured. "I'm not sure whether that's resilience or stubborn optimism, but it works."

She shifted slightly, turning so her shoulder brushed his chest as she leaned back against the railing beside him, still close enough that neither of them had to reach.

"And for the record," Aren continued calmly, "using discomfort as motivation is fine. Pretending it doesn't exist is not. There's a difference."

Her gaze lifted to meet his, thoughtful rather than critical.

"You didn't freak out because you trusted the situation," she said. "And because you trusted me."

That mattered.

At his teasing about recording her words, one corner of her mouth lifted.

"Absolutely not," she replied dryly. "There will be no archival evidence of emotional vulnerability."

She rested her hand over his on the railing, fingers threading lightly through his.

"You already replay things in your head enough as it is," she added.

When he admitted he had known she would comfort him later, her expression softened, something quieter and more intimate settling there.

"I'm glad you know that," Aren said simply. "Because it's true."

She leaned in again, brushing a brief kiss against his cheek this time.

"You don't have to carry things alone first and share them later," she added gently. "You're allowed to come to me while they're happening."

Then, with faint amusement in her eyes:

"And if you're already in bed," she finished, "dragging you back becomes significantly easier."

Sergeant Omen

 

[Sergeant Omen]

Omen dryly chuckled as he replied. "Oh no, that's resilience. It's from trying to break through your monotone all these months. * The Clone never pretended that weight doesn't exist, he just... distanced himself from it. The same way most people distanced themselves from their problems.

He had to admit Aren wasn't wrong. Replaying things and regret were a lot of his issues. That and probably not getting out enough. Still the kiss on the cheek and her embrace told him that was in the right place to help. Beaming a smile back at her as he focused on her face in the sunlight, he embraces his body against her side. "I will next time. I can't exactly let you know in the moment, but we can discuss our troubles after next time." His own amusement soaked into his voice as he replied. "If you want me to drag me back to bed, I'll never say no." And Aren knew Omen would never stop her from dragging him back to their little love nest.

Aren D'Shade