Private The People Who Made Me

[Sergeant Omen]

The Clone suppressed his eyeroll, managing to just shake his head as he gave her a squeeze, using a teasing voice to say. "Who said I didn't think it wasn't. And by that exhale, you think you same of me." He nibbled along her jaw to show her he appriated it.

It seemed like one of his ideas had caught on atleast and he didn't stop her from suggesting "horizontal choreography" as a good idea. His playful sigh as he pulled away told her he was hoping for her to pick another choice "Fine, guess no spy drone for us..." Omen got to his feet and picked up her up ,holding her in his arms as he kissed her. Through his lips, he poured his love for Aren into her mouth and soul as they marched down the hallway together. Hopefully EL would have her mute function on because the Clone was not letting this girl off easy.

In the late afternoon, Omen slowly rose from their bed to the sound of chirping from Aren's comlink. He quickly hopped to his feet and came around to her side of the bed, completely stark naked as he turned the buzzing contraption off. Looking at the first message, it was from her father sending the cooridnates to where they wanted to meet in acouple of hours. He would have to look this place up. Knowing her parents, he prayed it wasn't anyplace stuffy that he would have to dress up for. It would take a long time to make his scruffy self presentable.

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Aren made a quiet sound against his jaw, which might have been a laugh or a warning, as he squeezed her and teased her about the exhale. She let him have the moment, let him believe he had won that particular exchange, because she knew how much he enjoyed thinking he had read her perfectly.

"You always assume you do," she replied evenly, her fingers sliding into the fabric at his sides before there was fabric again to grab. "Sometimes," she added, with measured indulgence, "you even happen to be right."

She didn't challenge his exaggerated disappointment when she chose this path instead of another. She simply accepted being lifted, arms looping around his shoulders with familiar ease, and returned the kiss with a deliberate, unhurried intent that made it very clear this outcome had been chosen, not surrendered to. If EL registered anything at all, Aren trusted the droid's discretion. Or, failing that, her filters.

Much later, when the light in the room had shifted, and the air had settled into that unmistakable quiet that follows intensity, the soft chirp of her comlink cut cleanly through the haze.

Aren was awake enough to register it before Omen moved. Her eyes opened as she watched him cross the room without a trace of self-consciousness, entirely unbothered by the fact that he was still very much unclothed. Her gaze followed him more out of habit than intent as he silenced the device and glanced at the message.

"That'll be them," she said calmly, already certain, her voice steady despite the warmth still lingering between them. "They said they wanted to meet later. Somewhere public."

She pushed herself up on one elbow as he returned, then reached out to take the comlink from his hand and skim the coordinates herself. A faint nod followed, more approval than concern.

"Empress Teta overlooks," Aren added. "Walking paths. Views. Enough people around to keep things from getting awkward."

Her eyes flicked over him then, slow and unapologetic, before returning to his face.

"You will, however, need to put clothes on," she said dryly. "Eventually."

She leaned forward anyway, pressing a brief kiss to his collarbone, the gesture grounded rather than indulgent.

"They're not testing you," Aren said quietly. "They just want time. Same as this morning." A pause, then the faintest edge of amusement. "And if they gossip about us, they were going to do that regardless."

She settled back against the pillows, watching him with an expression that was calm, assured, and entirely untroubled.

"We've got a couple of hours," she finished. "Plenty of time to recover before we rejoin civilization."

Sergeant Omen

 

[Sergeant Omen]

Omen always wanted to believe he had won their engagements. It made him think he was actually her equal he when it wasn't true. Still, that kiss told him all he needed to know about where they stood. Enough that she didn't mind him being fully naked in front of her. This was better than in his wildest dreams.

It was clear that he wasn't fast enough or Aren was a light sleeper. Given what happened last night, he bet on the later. He leaned to kiss her forehead as she gave her answer of what the call could probably be. The words "somewhere public" made him give a playful grin. "But then I can't see you like this. And hiding something this beautiful should be a crime." He sat down next to her, idlily stroking her side as her kiss on his collarbone made him lose his breath for abit. "And yes... Yes, it is." The Clone slid down behind her, pulling her in by her hips to be his little spoon. A couple of hours would be enough time for him to get ready for the long hike. But right now, Aren was the only thing making him lose his breath.

Unfortunately, they couldn't stay like this all day. Eventually, Omen did get up and get dressed into boots and loose-fitting casual hiking clothes. As they drove to overlooks, he thought that he would be ready for whatever her parents could throw at him. Guess they would just have to find out.

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Aren felt the shift in him more than she heard anything, the subtle confidence he always carried after moments like this, the quiet satisfaction he never bothered to voice because he didn't need to. She stayed where she was as he kissed her forehead, accepting the closeness without comment, her hand resting easily against his side.

"Public doesn't mean distant," she said calmly when he grinned, eyes still half-lidded. "It just means shared space." A pause, then a faint note of dry amusement. "You'll manage."

When he sat beside her and traced slow, idle lines along her hip, her breath hitched once before evening out again. She leaned back into him as he pulled her close, letting herself be gathered without resistance, her posture soft but deliberate.

"You don't lose anything by leaving the room," Aren added quietly, not turning her head. "Some things don't disappear just because we stand up."

She stayed there with him for a while longer, neither rushing nor pretending they didn't feel the pull to remain exactly as they were. But eventually, she shifted, giving him room to move when he finally rose to dress. She watched him with an unguarded expression, not possessive, not distant, simply present.

By the time she pulled on her own clothes, boots, and jacket, coming together with familiar efficiency, the moment hadn't vanished. It had just changed shape.

As they headed out, Aren reached for his hand without looking at him, fingers lacing naturally with his.

"They're not coming to measure you," she said evenly. "They just want to walk. Talk. See the city."

Her thumb brushed his knuckles once, grounding.

"And I'm not leaving you alone with them," Aren added, tone steady and certain. "Not today."

She guided him toward the speeder, calm and composed, as if the transition from bed to world had never been a loss, only the next step.

Sergeant Omen

 

[Sergeant Omen]

Omen didn't doubt they just wanted to talk. He just wondered if could keep up with them. Last night had gone alright though, tonight should be shouldn't be so different.

When they got to the overlook, Omen went around to open the car door for the woman he loved. Taking a seat on the speeder, he looked out at the city below past the surrounding trees. "Didn't think everything would look so far away from up here." If she joined him, he put his hand over hers, his thumb stroking along the side of her hand. "Up here and with you, I feel invincible." The kiss to Aren's cheek told her that he certainly felt like it. But he certainly was too busy to sense her parent's coming out from the dark.

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Aren let him have the moment.

She didn't contradict the word invincible, didn't soften it or caution it away. She only leaned into his side when she joined him on the bench, her shoulder settling against his with an ease that came from habit rather than intent. Her fingers laced with his naturally, her thumb resting still against his, grounding rather than stirring.

"It's perspective," she said quietly, eyes on the city instead of him. "Distance makes things feel manageable. Even the parts that aren't."

His kiss landed warm against her cheek, familiar enough that she didn't turn toward it right away. She stayed there, breathing with him, letting the illusion hold for a heartbeat longer than was strictly necessary.

Then her gaze shifted.

Not sharply. Not with alarm. Just enough.

"They're behind us," Aren murmured, low and calm, the way she delivered information that mattered but didn't need panic attached to it. Her hand tightened around his once, a gentle squeeze meant to keep him exactly where he was. "You don't need to move."

She turned her head slightly now, just enough to catch the silhouettes approaching along the path, her parents' footsteps measured, unhurried, familiar. No ambush. No judgment. Just presence.

Her voice softened when she spoke again, meant only for him.

"You don't have to be invincible," Aren said. "You just have to be here."

She stayed seated, stayed close, letting him feel her steady at his side as her parents drew nearer out of the dark, the city lights stretching wide below them like something held at arm's length rather than looming overhead.

For once, there was nowhere else to go.

And that, she thought, was enough.

Sergeant Omen

 

[Sergeant Omen]

Omen turned his head to smile at his partner, their hands interlocked together. "Or maybe you just make it easier." It was the truth. She made his entire life eaiser just by being ther for her. And he wasn't going to trade that in for anything for anything in the world.

The footsteps of her parents coming up alongside them came to his ears just like they did hers. He didn't acknologe Aren's warning as they came up beside them, letting a comfortable silence flow between all four of them came together, her parent's leaning on the guardrails at the edge over the overlook. And they all just stayed like that for awhile, letting the moonlight beam down upon them as they took in the sights and sounds of the night.

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Aren let his words settle without answering them right away. She didn't need to. Her hand tightened around his instead, a quiet acknowledgment that said enough on its own.

When she felt her parents arrive at her other side, she turned without hesitation. There was no stiffness in the movement, no formality. She stepped into them easily, arms sliding around her mother first, then her father, drawing them both in with a familiarity that spoke of long habit rather than obligation. Her mother returned the embrace with steady certainty, one hand warm at Aren's back, while her father's arm came around her shoulders a beat later, solid and grounding.

They stayed that way for a moment, a small cluster silhouetted against the overlook lights, before Aren pulled back and took her place at the guardrail. She rested her forearms against the cool metal, the city spread wide below them, a tapestry of motion and light, while the moon hung above it all like a patient witness.

She looked out rather than at them when she spoke, voice calm and unhurried.

"Did you have a good day?"

Her mother answered first, tone thoughtful. "We walked more than planned," she said. "Your father insisted on the long route."

"It had better lines of sight," her father added mildly. "And fewer people."

Aren's mouth curved just slightly. "Of course."

She tipped her head, glancing between them. "And dinner?"

Her mother nodded. "We ate. Early. Somewhere loud."

"And survived it," her father added.

"That's a win," Aren said simply.

She settled more fully into the rail, shoulder brushing Omen's as she looked back out over the city, the quiet between them all stretching comfortably.

"I'm glad you're here," she added, not dramatic, just true.

Sergeant Omen

 

[Sergeant Omen]

Omen's mouth opened in surprise as he watched Aren hug her parent's. It was like watching a 1 in a Million moment happening. Then again, touch was her love language so he shouldn't be too surprised. Still, it was something he was going to have to get used too.

Slowly getting up off the bench, he joined by Aren's side, putting his hand on hers as he let the family renconnect after their long day. His own mouth curved upwards as he heard her father liked the longer route. He liked to take the road less traveled to whenever they went out. It helped in enjoy the journey more. "I'm glad you guys survived your first full day and didn't have to call us for help." Because their calls would have been ignored while they were having their nocturnal fun.

The Clone slipped his arm around Aren and gave her a gentle squeeze as the city lights blazed below them. Everything seemed still around them as the night swallowed everything up. He meant it as he said to her and her family. "I'm glad you are too and I'm glad you two took the time to come out." It seemed like he had actually met the family he so desired.

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Aren didn't hesitate when she stepped into her parents' space. The hug was unguarded, deliberate, and brief, as she preferred, but it carried a weight that made it clear this wasn't a gesture she offered lightly. Her mother's arms came around her without pause, familiar and steady, while her father's hand settled at her shoulder, grounding rather than possessive. For a moment, the world narrowed to the four of them and the quiet hum of the city below.

When she eased back, she didn't move far. Omen's hand found hers naturally, and she let it stay there, thumb brushing once against his knuckles in an absent, reassuring motion as her parents leaned against the guardrail beside them.

"We did," her mother replied first, tone calm but pleased. "Longer route than planned. Fewer crowds. More time to look around."

Her father nodded in agreement. "Worth it. The city's easier to understand when you don't rush through it."

Aren inclined her head slightly, approval clear. "That sounds like you," she said, not teasing, just factual. "I'm glad you took the time."

At Omen's comment, the corner of her mouth lifted faintly. "They would have managed," she said dryly. "But they would have complained about the directions."

Her mother huffed a quiet laugh at that, neither confirming nor denying it.

Aren shifted her weight, settling comfortably between Omen and the rail, gaze lifting to the spread of lights below them and then up to where the moon hung pale and steady over the skyline. The city felt distant from up here, contained, as a system viewed from just far enough away to make sense.

"I'm glad you came too," she added, voice softer now, directed as much at Omen as at her parents. "This mattered to me."

Her fingers tightened briefly in his, not seeking reassurance, just sharing the moment.

They stood there a while longer without filling the space with more words, letting the overlook do the work for them, the night wrapping around the quiet reconnection that didn't need anything else to be complete.

Sergeant Omen

 

[Sergeant Omen]

Omen just smiled as she said how much this mattered to him. "That's fine, we all have those moments sometimes. One knows he would probably be lost in this city without a GPS to help him.

As the city lights shone down onto the two pairings, Omen squeezed her hand back, looking content. This visit wasn't the dumpster fire it could have been, and her parents were actually sweet people. Scary on the surface, but still very sweet. Still, a question popped up in his mind that he had to ask. He quickly looked over to the pair that were probably in their own little world right now. "Pardon me if I asked this question before, but how did your parents meet?" Just an innocent question from an innocent boy, right?

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Aren didn't answer immediately.

She stayed where she was, leaning lightly against the guardrail, eyes on the city spread out below them like a field of scattered stars. The glow reflected faintly in her irises as speeders traced quiet lines through the night. For a moment, it almost looked like she hadn't heard him.

But she had.

She always did.

"They met on Coruscant," Aren said at last, voice calm and even. "When I was an infant. I don't remember it."

She shifted slightly so her shoulder brushed Omen's, grounding herself in the moment before continuing.

"My mother had just been reassigned," she went on. "New department. New district. She was working late, constantly. My father was contracted to overhaul transit systems in the same sector. Infrastructure failures. Routing issues. Safety audits."

Her lips curved faintly, almost imperceptibly.

"They kept running into each other in the same building. Same lifts. Same late hours. Same caf station." A pause. "Eventually, they started talking instead of just nodding."

Her gaze flicked briefly toward her parents, who were standing close together, her mother leaning slightly into her father's side without seeming to notice.

"He fixed a scheduling bug that would've shut down half a district," Aren added. "She made sure his team got credited instead of buried in paperwork." Another pause. "They decided that was worth repeating."

She looked back at Omen then, steady and certain.

"They didn't meet in a dramatic way," she said. "No explosions. No grand speeches. Just… consistency. Showing up in the same place, doing the work, noticing each other."

Her fingers tightened around his.

"By the time I was old enough to understand what 'family' meant," Aren finished quietly, "they were already solid. They'd chosen each other long before they chose me."

A beat.

"And no," she added dryly, "there are no embarrassing holos of the first meeting. I've checked."

Then, softer, with the faintest edge of warmth:

"It worked, though."

Sergeant Omen

 

[Sergeant Omen]

Omen smirked lightly as he heard her tale. It made sense knowing what he did about her parents. "Aka, the opposite of your partner who bounces off the walls. But no, I like it. Two people having a romance to spite bureaucracy is pretty funny." He paused for a moment, and Aren could see the wheels turning as he figured out how to phrase it. "Guess we and especially I are a lot different from them, huh?" Aka a spontaneous firework of a man that could go off at any moment. The Clone knew he was the person she expected to date, but he would always be glad to try to be the best person possible for the person beside him.

Slowly, the night melted away, and they said their goodbyes to her parents. As they got into the speeder to head back home, Omen tilted his Love's head to give her a quick kiss, whispering, "I'll always be thankful for you" before driving into the moonlight. And whatever happened, his love for her couldn't ever be argued. At least till she got an excuse to stare him down with those laser eyeballs of hers.

Aren D'Shade