Work Text:
I.
They met on Mandalore, during a talk between Mina Bonteri and Korkie’s aunt, the Duchess Satine. Though his aunt was a staunch pacifist and had established neutrality, she was not opposed to opening discussion with either side.
She had invited Korkie to accompany her to the meeting and he agreed. He always loved to watch his aunt work. Even though Korkie had moved to living with his other aunt, Bo-Katan, and tended to agree more with her hands-on approach to diplomacy, he deeply respected Auntie Satine. Not only had she lived through the Mandalorian Civil War, she had managed to rebuild Mandalore into a prospering society. He just wished she put more thought into her own protection.
Korkie stood at attention as the Onderon delegation’s ship descended through the clouds. The group exited the ship, Senator Bonteri flanked by a couple of guards. Nothing too ostentatious, just enough to make a show of it. At her side was a young man who looked to be around Korkie’s age. He had high cheekbones, dark hair, and light grey eyes. He was dressed in a stiff, high collared Onderoni suit and cravat, and looked mildly uncomfortable about it.
Korkie considered the young man critically. He didn’t look like much of a fighter, probably some soft-handed politician's son.
“This is Korkie, my nephew,” he heard his aunt said and he gave a perfunctory bow.
“This is my son, Lux Bonteri,” the senator said. She smiled which brought attention to the beauty mark on her cheek. The woman had a sharp look about her but her eyes were not unkind.
Satine laid a hand on Korkie’s shoulder. “Perhaps you can give Lux a tour of the palace grounds?” A question in her soft voice that generally meant it wasn’t really a question. Korkie suppressed a sigh and nodded. He would rather watch the proceedings of whatever meeting was occurring but he supposed he could do this for his aunt.
“Yes, Auntie Satine,” he nodded. “Come along then,” he motioned to Lux, who also seemed put off at having to be dragged around by some half-cent royalty.
After they had been walking outside the palace for a moment, Lux broke the silence, asking, “So the Duchess is your aunt? Do you stay with her? Where are your parents?”
Oh, so this was a chatty one.
Korkie shrugged. “Yeah. My parents died when I was young, during the war. So I’ve mostly been raised by the Duchess and my other aunt.” Ignoring the whole stint where Aunt Bo was off in a paramilitary group.
Hey, sometimes you have to spend time finding yourself.
Korkie blinked and realized he might have made the conversation topic a little awkward. He gestured around them to the little garden area they had entered. Durasteel trellises rose to the sky bearing vines and various plants. It wasn’t quite spring so nothing was in bloom, but the foliage still made a nice break from the desert outside the domed cities.
“Um, well this is a garden,” he said, a little obviously. “It’s probably mostly flowers. The agricultural growth is done on lower levels usually.”
Lux looked around politely, nodding appreciatively.
“So, what about you? Does your father not usually come to these sorts of meetings?” Korkie asked, trying for lighter conversation. He supposed he shouldn’t assume— he recalls Auntie Satine mentioning that Bo “wouldn’t be caught dead with a man” and she wouldn’t be surprised if her sister died single and going down fighting.
Lux’s face strained. “My father was killed earlier in the clone war. On Aargonar.” Right, on the Separatists’ side. Well, that was uncomfortable.
“Oh,” Korkie said dumbly. “I’m sorry, can we pretend this conversation didn’t happen?”
Lux agreed quickly, flushing slightly. “Yes, that sounds good. I never asked about your dead parents and you never asked me about my dead dad.” Korkie took a moment to appreciate Lux’s accent. It was lilting but firm, almost Coruscanti but not quite. It gave air to a more civilized society.
“Deal,” Korkie said and they smiled sheepishly at each other. He kicked at some nonexistent dirt. “Well, this garden is nice and all. But do you want to check out the flight-sim? We have this ancient one from way back when.”
Lux lit up. “What? That’s awesome!”
Korkie grinned with pride, “yeah, it’s pretty cool. I bet it trained old Mandalorian warriors! All the starships are outdated.”
Lux grinned. “Awesome,” he repeated. He tapped Korkie on the shoulder. “Hey, if I beat you in a dogfight, you have to buy me dinner.”
Korkie protested that he was obliged to provide his dinner as the host, but Lux wouldn’t hear it, already dashing away. “You don’t even know where it is,” he cried out behind him.
Lux gave a full-chested, deep laugh of joy. “Well, hurry up and show me then!”
Korkie merely quickened his pace and gave a small smile in return. He already knew he wanted to hear that laugh again.
II.
Korkie wasn’t quite sure how he found himself on the jungle world of Raxus, but Lux had specifically invited him. The first thing that struck him was the humidity— thick and sweltering. It was far different from the dry heat that could plague Mandalore.
As he stepped off the transport in Raxulon, the heart of the Confederacy, he heard a familiar lilting voice.
“Korkie! I’m pleased you arrived. Did your trip go well?” Lux asked cheerfully in his never ending barrage of questions. Korkie was starting to understand that this was just what the guy was like.
He offered a small smile. “My trip went well, it’s not too far of a jump.”
Lux sobered slightly at his words. “Yes, I would’ve liked it if you could see Onderon, but that will have to wait for another time. Mother and I were brought here when war broke out, so she operates remotely mostly.”
Korkie shook his head. “I couldn’t imagine that. My aunt hardly leaves Mandalore, she prefers to stay close to our people.”
Lux got onto a speeder and clipped on a helmet. “Well, to each leader their own,” he said easily. He offered Korkie a spare helmet. “Come on, I want to show you something outside of these dusty buildings I think you’ll like.” Korkie complied and got on behind him, taking the helmet.
Despite his words, Lux did point out quite a few significant buildings. “There’s the Separatists’ senate building. Oh, that’s a bank that’s pretty historical. Old hospital there— a lot of the stuff here is pretty old . . .”
Korkie nodded along even if Lux couldn’t see it, gripping onto Lux’s shoulders with all his strength as he zipped through semi-organized traffic. Raxus’ infrastructure had not been made to support being the capital of a burgeoning confederacy and it showed. Korkie griped, they really just needed a couple of Mandalorian engineers and they’d be sorted out.
Soon though they left behind the dust and durasteel of the city for a narrow path cut through the dense jungle.
“Okay, Lux, where are we going?” Korkie shouted over the speeder’s motor.
“You’ll see— we’re just a couple of clicks away!” Lux promised, grinning like a madman. Korkie really hoped this didn’t end up with his organs on an ice bed and an awkward note home to his aunt.
A few minutes later and the dense forest changed, to sparser trees that allowed light to dapple through. Korkie squinted to get use to the change in light and suddenly his eyes were hit with the blinding sparkle of sun rays hitting—
Water.
Korkie breathed in deep and he could practically taste the salt in the air. They were at the ocean. He stared out in awe, hardly noticing as Lux brought the speeder to a smooth stop. It was so rarely sunny on Kalevala and the oceans on that world weren’t fit for swimming. Here, the aqua water sang to him invitingly.
“Hey, come on, don’t you want to check it out with me?” Lux invited.
Korkie nodded mutely, taken aback by the beauty of the water. He’d never known there were so many shades of blue, with impossible gradients of variation and depth.
Lux’s expression softened, seeming to understand where he was coming from. “I thought you would like it, considering how Mandalore is.”
Korkie grimaced, “it wasn’t always like that.” Mandalore had once had lush forests and oceans as well. But that had all changed after centuries of war, exploiting the planet until it could yield no more. The state of the planet felt like a stark reminder of how fragile Mandalore’s own society was, their fragile peace.
He shook his head, ridding himself of the darker thoughts. There was no place for that in this place of quiet calm that his friend had so kindly brought him to. “But it’s lovely, thank you.”
Suddenly Lux was stripping before him, taking everything off but his briefs. Korkie was left gawking at faintly tanned skin and well toned muscles. It was clear Lux came here often and enjoyed swimming. Well, there went his thoughts about soft-handed sons of politicians.
“Come on, prince, don’t you want to go for a dive?” Lux crowed.
Despite himself, Korkie found himself following suit, caught in the alluring pull of the gentle heat of this world’s sun. “It’s actually duke,” he protested, pants half off. He didn’t have time to be self conscious of how pale he was from the cold walls of the Academy when Lux was grabbing his arm and dragging him toward the water.
“I do apologize, my good duke. Now, let me dunk you under,” Lux grinned.
Korkie barely had time to toss his pants away when the chilly surf hit his feet. He sucked in a deep breath, not expecting the way the sand swirled up around his feet, the texture new but not unpleasant.
“Hey, not if I get you under first,” Korkie called back and he grappled with Lux, trying to use the self-defense training he’d learned at the Academy. Somehow the both of them ended up just as drenched in the process and in the end, Korkie submerged himself on his own will.
Underneath the breaker waves, the world was thunderously quiet. He could hear the crash of the waves on the beach, the crunch of sand. But outside of that, the world was blessedly silent, muted by the tons of water over his head. It was . . . peaceful.
Finally, his lungs started to burn and Korkie kicked off the sandy floor to surface again, filling his greedy lungs with air.
Lux looked at him, hair plastered to his face and rivulets of water running down his face. “Ho, I thought you died for a moment there, duke.”
Korkie rolled his eyes and just smiled.
Finally, they stumbled back onto the beach, legs jelly from being weightless for so long in the waves. They were full of giggles, as though the sun had absorbed through their skin and was glimmering through with laughter, drunk on youth and their seemingly never-ending energy.
They landed in the soft sand. Korkie normally hated filth but he could tolerate the feeling of the grains getting everywhere for just this moment.
From the side pouch on his speeder, Lux produced two towels, one of which he tossed to Korkie. He accepted it gratefully and started drying off. Meanwhile, Lux brought out another thing— a book of some kind, but not a holobook.
Lux sat down in the sand beside him. His bravado from before in the water had faded and he seemed almost shy.
“What is this?” Korkie asked as it was offered to him. The pages had a worn texture about them, well-loved.
Lux flushed, but perhaps it was just warmth from the sun reddening his cheeks. “It’s a sketchbook. It’s made from plant fiber. I use it to . . . to draw.”
Korkie touched the cover with newfound reverence. Of course there were artists on Mandalore, but many were writers or painters. The medium of paper and graphite had faded over time. “May I?” He asked softly. Lux just nodded, strangely quiet.
Korkie smiled and opened the book. The pages were filled with grey sketches. Buildings, landscapes, people. Most seemed to be random subjects, though he noticed quite a few studies of the beaches of Raxus. He kept flipping through until he found a rough drawing of someone with clear eyes, high cheekbones, and a strong nose bridge.
“Is this . . . me?” Korkie asked. Lux nodded shyly and Korkie was shocked with how pleased the revelation was to him. “I love it,” he said earnestly.
Lux was definitely blushing now, even the tips of his ears were ruddy. He grabbed the sketchbook back quickly. “It was, um, just from memory. I was actually hoping I could do another drawing now. Since I’ve got you captive,” Lux tried for a winning smile. Korkie found himself inexplicably charmed by the awkwardness.
“Of course. Erm, how do you want me to pose?” He looked down at himself. He wasn’t really anything to look at— lean but not too muscular, the remains of baby fat still clinging to him. That, and he was sopping wet and his hair was probably a mess.
Lux laughed, graphite already lightning on the page, making a soothing scratching noise. “No, no, just sit as you are. I want to capture this moment.”
Korkie sat, a bit awkwardly. He studied Lux’s face, which was furrowed in concentration as his eyes darted from his page to Korkie and back down again.
“So, when did you get into drawing?” He asked.
Lux shrugged. “I dunno. I guess I’ve always done it. My mother has a few embarrassing drawings I did as a kid up in her office.”
Oh, Korkie would pay to see those.
But the drawing that Korkie had seen in Lux’s sketchbook . . . it had been rough, but it was him. The ability to see the distinct features that made someone themselves and to capture it in two dimensions— it was powerful. Korkie wondered how Lux saw the world if those were his creations.
“Hey, don’t move your arm. You’re changing the angle of your torso,” Lux chided.
Korkie laughed, “I’m sorry!”
They sat in the sun until they were completely dry.
III.
They were sitting in Korkie’s room on Mandalore, where the peace talks between Senator Amidala, representing the Republic, and Senator Bonteri, representing the Separatists, were occurring. Mandalore had been chosen as a strong representative of the Council of Neutral Systems, as well as its location in the Outer Rim. It was symbolically and physically removed enough from the Republic to feel like a place where genuine conversations of peace could be happening.
Lux had joined Korkie following the beginning of the peace talks. For the moment though, he could not seem to stop talking about one Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Padawan extraordinaire.
“It was so interesting, she’s lived such a different life from me, but perhaps we’re not so different. Maybe it’s silly, but I felt like I could empathize more with their cause, talking to her,” Lux said. The two of them lay side to side on Korkie’s bed, watching as the evening rays streamed in.
Korkie felt a sinking feeling in his chest for some reason. Of course Lux, born on a sheltered Inner Rim world, would find the dashing heroics of a Jedi apprentice charming.
Korkie had met Ahsoka briefly through Uncle Obi-Wan and she was a perfectly nice person. Just . . . Korkie wouldn’t have taken her as someone who would catch the interest of someone like Lux.
Who was he kidding, of course Lux liked someone like her. She was intelligent, decisive, and skilled in combat. She was practically the perfect person to be initiated by the Mandalorian clan.
Well, perfect aside for the fact that Korkie had zero interest in girls.
The better part of Korkie did not want to acknowledge that he was jealous.
“Uh . . . Mandalore to Korkie— did you even pay attention to anything I just told you?” Lux tapped his forehead teasingly.
Korkie blinked and blustered, combing back his hair which he knew was immaculate anyway. “No, sorry I zoned out there,” he admitted.
“At least you’re honest about it. Anyway, we parted on good terms I think. I hadn’t known what to expect of a Jedi before and I think my opinion is better for having met her,” Lux said.
Korkie nodded, staring up at his bedroom ceiling. He knew Lux had always felt quite strongly about his planet’s alignment with the Separatists and part of why they got along so well was that Mandalore’s neutrality allowed him a respite from everything.
Korkie could understand that. After the Mandalorian Civil War, although he had been young, he remembered how tarnished the Mandalorian reputation had become. His aunt had been ridiculed, but despite it all, she kept her head up high, leading her people. He found the same steely pride in Lux.
At the same time, Korkie understood the Jedi in a very different way from others. Thinking of the Jedi reminded him only of evenings playing dejarik with Obi-Wan or when he would join the man for his morning exercises. Obi-Wan’s stories of his Master’s escapades were always the best. Sometimes Obi-Wan had even let Korkie practice katas with his lightsaber— only on the lowest setting of course and if he promised to not tell his aunt. Mandalorians had a very fluid idea of family and Obi-Wan was one of them through marriage. Though many Mandalorians would always carry distaste for the Jedi from wars of long past— not much lasted longer than a Mandalorian’s grudge— Obi-Wan had done much to change public perception of the Jedi on Mandalore.
He was secretly pleased Lux was coming around to them, even if he did still complain about the Republic a lot. Honestly, Korkie couldn’t really argue with him much there. The Republic’s presence was not highly felt or esteemed in the Outer Rim.
Korkie realized he should probably start talking at this point. He had always tended to be on the quieter side and was happy to just listen to Lux babble on, but even Lux needed a response every once in a while.
“I’m glad you got to meet Ahsoka,” he finally said, trying to not sound like the words were being wrenched from him under duress.
Lux turned to him, an amused expression on his face. It almost felt secretive, knowing. Korkie felt a flash of panic. Surely Lux didn’t realize anything— Korkie had had friendships in the past that had ended in uncomfortable, awkward ways because of that.
“Now, tell me how you really feel,” Lux smirked.
Korkie flushed and rolled away on his bed so that his back was facing Lux. “I’m serious! She’s a great Jedi. Her Master is a close friend of my uncle.” That, at least, was honest.
Lux poked his shoulder blades teasingly and Korkie flinched. The air felt charged. But finally Lux gave an easy laugh. “Fine then, keep your secrets,” he said, but his voice was relaxed, accepting Korkie’s offered half-truths.
They settled back onto the bed, relaxing in the heat. The dome’s internal temperature was climate controlled, but it was always comfortably warm in Sundari.
“I’ll thank you for the ending of your incessant prodding,” Korkie rolled his eyes. “Anyway, show me the latest sketches you’ve made. You must have some good ones after traveling around with your mother.”
Lux grinned and eagerly reached for his bag where his sketchbook lay. “Ooh, yes. There’s this new swoop bike model I saw while we were on Dantooine, I’m sure you’ll like it . . .”
Korkie watched him, content to listen to him ramble about the various graphite sketches he had made over the past months. The sun shone onto his dark hair, illuminating his hair into flecks of brown. For a moment, there was no war, no negotiations, just two boys sitting on Korkie’s childhood bed, chatting the afternoon away. For a moment, Korkie could ignore the tension from before that still fizzled slightly.
IV.
“I’m going to fucking kill him.”
Those were the words that tore from Lux Bonteri’s mouth the moment he heard that his mother had been killed, probably slaughtered by her own side in this bloody war to perpetuate it further. His face was twisted, still sticky from not-quite dried tears, but still strangely beautiful. It was a horrible caricature of the easy contentedness that had been on his face only hours before.
Korkie stepped forward, gripping his shoulders. “Hey, hey, Lux.”
Lux’s head snapped toward him, “Don’t tell me to be calm, Korkie. I’m perfectly calm and I’m going to kill him—”
“If you’re suggesting you’re going to kill a former Jedi of great renown, I think you may find that difficult, even with a Mandalorian beside you,” Korkie chided, attempting his best to infuse calm to his friend.
His words gave Lux pause. “A Mandalorian beside me?” He questioned.
Korkie nodded. His heart ached for his friend, the grief he must be feeling. “Whatever you will do, I will stand by you. Well, I would really prefer not being thrown to jail, but I’m sure we can figure something out.”
Before he registered it, Lux’s arms were wrapped around him and Korkie realized by the small shakes in his lithe frame, he was crying again. Hesitantly, Korkie embraced him in turn.
“Come, let’s get out of here,” Korkie said softly. The Mandalorian guards would make sure that all assets were delivered to the Onderon delegation and that details were sorted for Lux. The death of a senator was no small thing, especially in the midst of intergalactic peace talks.
For now, it was best that Lux get out of the civic center and to somewhere more quiet, less public.
Korkie didn’t really know where to go, so he ended up bringing Lux back to his chambers. Lux complied bonelessly as he tucked him into bed and firmly placed a glass of water in his hand. “Drink,” Korkie ordered and Lux hollowly complied. Once the glass was empty, he took it and refilled it, placing it on the bedside table.
“Come now,” he said gently. “Try to get some rest. I will check in with my aunt. I presume this means the talks are over, but I will arrange any transportation you need.”
“Wait,” came Lux’s hoarse voice from his bed. “Can you . . . can you stay?” As if Korkie’s heartstrings weren’t already way too committed in this. He nodded mutely and removed his shoes, slipping under the covers.
Lux buried himself in Korkie’s side and he hesitantly reached over, embracing the other man gently. Lux made no move to escape, wrapping his own free arm around Korkie’s torso. Korkie rubbed circles in Lux’s shoulder.
“Sleep now. We can face this in the morning,” he said gently.
Lux merely held him tighter. Faintly, he heard: “thank you, Korkie.”
V.
A day had turned into a week, Lux a shadow that flitted in and out of Korkie’s vision on Mandalore. His grief clung to him, transforming the friend Korkie had come to know.
But one day, that changed and his back straightened with newfound purpose.
“I’ve come into contact with a group that I believe will assist me in my mission to kill Count Dooku,” Lux informed Korkie, his voice strangely cold and distant.
Korkie tried to keep his face neutral. “Oh? Who told you?”
Lux shrugged and Korkie had the feeling that he didn’t particularly care. “The man called himself Pre Vizsla and he is a part of the Shadow Collective.”
Ice ran through Korkie’s veins at that name. “ What? ” He gasped.
“I plan to leave early tomorrow,” Lux continued like he hadn’t spoken.
Unconsciously, Korkie grabbed Lux’s arm. “Lux, no, you can’t go join them. Pre Vizsla . . .” His voice died, he wasn’t sure how to describe the man. Once the head of a great and old Mandalorian clan, he was revealed to be revitalizing the terrorist cell the Death Watch, going as far to torture his aunt. Come to think of it, Korkie had heard briefly from his aunt that he had managed to escape his cell earlier in the clone war, but he didn’t know many details about it. Was he perhaps involved in all of this— the sabotaging of the peace talks?
“He is a disgrace. He has done many awful things to Mandalore and our people. He stands for terror, not justice,” Korkie said.
Lux merely looked away, grimacing. “This is my only choice. The Republic will do nothing, even if they ever did pursue justice, and the Separatists always hated my mother for being so moderate.”
There was no one who would back him. Onderon was too far from Mandalore and Lux was trapped here by his mother’s corpse.
Korkie protested. “There must be another way. Perhaps the Jedi can help— they too are opposed to Dooku. Please, just don’t turn to Vizsla.” For me. He doesn’t want to voice the words, but he won’t be able to support Lux if he went that route. Korkie’s own loyalty to Mandalore was too strong. “Let’s go to my aunt and tell her what you’ve learned. She will help you— I promise. Senator Bonteri was her friend as well.”
For a moment, Lux hesitated. Korkie could see the indecision in his eyes. Perhaps he would leave— he would get on that ship and Korkie would have to say goodbye to one of the few close friends he’s ever made.
Finally, Lux’s shoulders slumped and he nodded. He looked to Korkie and he realized that there was a sheen of tears in Lux’s eyes. “Very well. I’m doing this for you, Korkie. Not for whatever political power play that’s happening here right now, not even for some flimsy ideal of peace. For you .”
With those words, before Korkie could even process it, Lux was leaning in and suddenly they were kissing. It felt like fireworks were firing behind his eyes and in his chest, but his mind was still trying to process the whirlwind of decisions that had just happened.
Korkie stumbled back, heart wanting to believe it more than anything, his rational brain reeling him back. He forced out a laugh but it sounded fake even to him. “You’re in an emotional state right now, Lux,” he said kindly.
Lux scowled. “No, you damned birdbrain. It’s you— it’s always been you.” He hesitated, “unless you don’t feel the same way, of course—”
Oh.
Not Ahsoka, then.
Korkie felt a wave of a euphoria greater than any other, better than any sparkling wine he’d tasted at royal ceremonies. It was perhaps all the sweeter for the grief he had just felt for his friend— well, more than a friend. All other thoughts of logic escaped his brain.
“You’re so stupid sometimes,” he groused and grabbed Lux’s ruffled lapels and drew him back in. Their second kiss was deeper, hungrier. They stumbled through Korkie’s room, landing in a heap on his bed.
Korkie quickly undid the fastenings on Lux’s damned outfit. Even if he had been grieving the past few days, the Onderonian still put on his silly formal outfits with all its frills— all that he had packed for the trip— with those ridiculously high collars. Korkie had been dying to get that off the man for ages, maybe since he had first seen Lux, even if he hadn’t realized it at the time.
He broke away from their kiss only to fasten his mouth on Lux’s neck, just above the junction of his neck and shoulder.
“Hey— I thought we were going to meet with your aunt. Don’t leave a mark!” Lux protested half-heartedly, a joyous laugh at the edge of his voice. He, too, was still reeling at the whiplash of the sudden emotional low to high.
Korkie merely ignored him, taking pleasure in the soft gasp Lux made as he sucked. When he looked back up, his face was flushed. “You can put the damn collar back on later. Auntie Satine can wait a moment longer,” he said decisively. Lux merely groaned and submitted to the treatment with a broad smile. It was the first he’d smiled all week.
In the end, Auntie Satine did indeed wait a while longer before Korkie brought Lux to her. It took all of Korkie’s might to appear solemn as they delivered the news, but under his skin he felt like he was electric with joy. When he looked at Lux, he saw his own feelings barely disguised on his face.
Whatever happened, whatever came in the future, Korkie didn’t feel quite so alone in it anymore.