FIC: We Could Be Beautiful ~ Star Wars Prequels ~ Ace/Tobi (OC/OC) ~ Teen
Title: We Could Be Beautiful
Fandom: Star Wars
Author: Batsutousai
Rating: Teen
Pairing: Ace Kudzulek/Tobi Wrentz (nonbinary OC/female OC)
Warnings: nonbinary character, trans characters, PoC characters, Jedi positive (but Coruscant-critical b/c of pov), OC-heavy
Summary: Newly knighted, Ace Kudzulek pays a surprise visit to their girlfriend, Tobi, on Corellia. Which...isn't actually as much of a surprise as they might have wished.
A/N: For Star Wars OC Week's day three prompt of relationship. (Technically, I'm a little late, but the mod(s) actually sketched out 8 days for the event week, so there's wiggle room. ;P)
I was actually sort of tempted to try writing the mission where Ace and Feemor met Tobi, but it would have meant using Ace's birth pronouns, and that was making me...super uncomfortable. So, first date after Ace has been knighted.
This is not, necessarily, a part of the Make a Brand New End series-Ace is one of my multi-fic OCs, and this would have happened around the time Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were on Mandalore, so well before the events of that series-but Tobi's only shown up there, so... *shrugs* I'm not going to add it to the series collection, but I'll link this to Now I Fly on AO3.
For those familiar with Make a Brand New End, you may recall that the Corellian Temple and the Coruscant Temple have slightly different takes on marriage, and Tobi is more than a little hopeful that Ace will transfer so they can marry, but Ace doesn't want to. That will feature in this fic, but there's no actual conversation about it, just Tobi thinking a lot about how much she wants Ace to become a Corellian Jedi.
I did put together an image of Ace and Tobi, using a dollmaker (unfortunately, not one of the ones that have been upgraded online to work without Flash, sorry), which should be included on all of the sites this is posted at, including tumblr, with a description of the image. If that's broken anywhere, please let me know.
This has not had even a cursory reread, because it was already late enough, whoops. If you see anything wonky, especially any misused pronouns, please let me know.
Cross-posted to Archive of Our Own and Dreamwidth.
[Image ID: A picture of two characters, leaning against each other and holding hands. The character on the left has light brown skin, short brown hair, and green eyes, and is wearing a black vest over a brown shirt, with black trousers, and holding a dark blue lightsabre. The character on the right has very dark brown skin, long black hair in a ponytail, and blue eyes, and is wearing Jedi-style tan tunics with brown trousers and green tabards, and is holding a light blue lightsabre. The background is a grassy clearing, surrounded by trees.]
Tobi was about mid-way through her shift in the Halls of Healing, when the padawan on duty poked their head into her office and said, "Healer Wrentz? There's a visitor for you in the visitor's hanger bay."
Tobi allowed herself a moment of frustration, then sighed and shook her head. "Thank you, padawan," she replied. "Let them know I'll be down directly."
The padawan gave a solemn nod, then left.
Tobi took a moment to ensure her desk was in order, then went to poke her head into the Head Healer's office. "Dyl?"
Dyl'n, a Verpine, looked up from the flimsiplast xe preferred to work with-datapads were, in xir opinion, too easy to hack into from a distance-antennae twitching at the back of xir head. "Tobias," xir vocoder said in its tinny approximation of a voice, translating the rapid clicking Dyl'n spoke in, "to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"Flatterer," Tobi returned automatically, and smiled when Dyl'n let xir fond amusement be felt through the Force. "I...warned you that I'd be receiving a visitor at some point, right?" she asked, because she knew she'd meant to tell xem as soon as now-Master Feemor had comm'd to warn her that Ace was intending to pay a visit-and to let her know that Ace'd preferred pronouns were they/them; Feemor might be a bit too much of a stick-in-the-mud for Tobi's taste, but she had to appreciate how much he cared about Ace-but a bounty hunter had taken a potshot at one of the Corellian Council Members just before the start of her next shift, so she could have forgotten.
Dyl'n very clearly took a moment to think on that, antennae twitching behind xir head, before xe gave a slow nod. "Your not-spouse, yes."
Tobi couldn't stop a grimace at the description. "Well, they're a knight, now. Maybe we'll fix that."
She didn't need the vocorder's approximation of laughter, or the sense of slightly mocking amusement filling the Force around the Head Healer, to know xe's thoughts on that. After all, Dyl'n had been the one, back in the early days of her relationship with Ace-when they were still trying to decide if they were actually formally dating, or if they were more casual friends who were comfortable having sex when they happened to be near each other-to warn her that Coruscanti Jedi didn't believe in marriage, and xe had only very rarely heard of one of them transferring to Corellia for the sake of a marriage.
At the time, still too uncertain what she and Ace were, it hadn't seemed like a concern she should put much mental focus to. But, in the seven years since, Ace had come to mean something to her, to be someone she wanted in her life, to wake up next to every morning and fall asleep next to every night. Which was simply not possible with Ace belonging to an entirely different Temple.
She had, when Feemor had comm'd her, asked him about Ace transferring Temples, now they were a knight. Feemor had looked rather uncomfortable and told her, "That's a conversation the two of you are going to have to have. But, if that is the choice Ace wants to make, they have my blessing." Which had been reassuring; Feemor might be a stick-in-the-mud, but Tobi thought she might have liked him as a master. (Certainly more than she'd liked Master Kyira, who hadn't been a bad master-had, in fact, been almost the entire reason Tobi hadn't given up on her transition, when an unexpected meeting with her birth mother had left her questioning who she thought she was-simply...difficult to connect with; Tobi had often felt like they were speaking two different languages, when Master Kyira had chosen to speak at all.)
"They are here," Dyl'n guessed, dragging Tobi out of the blackhole of her thoughts, "and you wish to be allowed to spend time with them."
"Yes. Please?" Tobi requested, putting on her best pleading look, and letting hope fill the Force between them, since Dyl'n didn't always recognise the nuances of human and near facial expressions.
Dyl'n let out an almost-chirp sound, which xir vocoder translated as a huff of air, then asked, "Do you have any appointments this afternoon?"
"I had two this morning," Tobi admitted, "but they're both done. I'm just on call for the rest of my shift." At least, if Ace had to pay a surprise visit, they had done so during a day when her schedule wasn't packed.
Dyl'n nodded. "Pick up some hours after they've left," xe decided, and then waved a clawed hand in dismissal and turned back to xir flimsi.
"Thank you, Dyl!" Tobi called, and hurried back to her office to close the door, stopped by the front desk to let the padawans on duty know she was off-shift for the rest of the day, then hurried towards the visitor's hanger.
She spotted Ace before they saw her, and took a moment to watch them laughing at something a couple of Corellian pilots were saying. One of the speeders in the hanger seemed to be getting some work done on its headlights, because they lit the side of Ace's face she could see, highlighting the freckles clustered under their eye, and making a metal piercing in their eyebrow sparkle as their head moved. (Given their spacer's garb, Tobi suspected the piercing was meant as part of their outfit, rather than a permanent change.) Their hair was just as wild as the last time she'd seen them, utterly untamed and fluttering slightly in the wind through the open hanger entrance.
"Ace!" she called, and their head immediately turned towards her, one of their wide, adoring smiles crossing their face, even as mischief made their green eyes sparkle.
"Surprise," they said as Tobi reached them, holding out a hand towards her.
Tobi huffed a laugh and let them take her hand, tugging her closer. "Not that much of a surprise," she informed them, before ducking down to kiss them.
They tasted like rations and stale water, and Tobi didn't even care. She'd spoken to them over comm less than a month ago, when they comm'd to let her know they'd passed their Trials, but they hadn't physically shared space in almost a year, as their missions always seemed to take them to the other side of the galaxy from Corellia.
Someone let out a whistle, and Ace immediately pulled back, caramel skin flushing dark as they put a good five decimetres between them, and Tobi huffed out an annoyed noise and shot the watching pilots a glower. "Kriff off," she snapped.
"You are in our space, Healer," one of them pointed out, while another pretended to make out with their hand.
Tobi bared her teeth in a nasty smile. "And there will soon enough come a time when you will need to be in my space."
That shut them all up, a good half of them taking the cue to make themselves scarce; everyone knew not to kriff with healers.
Ace tugged lightly on her hand, which she was pleased to discover they hadn't actually let go of-she would eventually get them to let go of their shyness about public displays of affection-and hesitantly requested, "We could go elsewhere?"
Tobi had actually halfway worked out a plan for Ace's visit, determined to show them all the best parts of Corellia, so they could see what they were missing, staying in Coruscant, she she immediately nodded and said, "Yes, of course. What ship did you come in on?"
Ace raised an eyebrow at her-she'd seen Feemor make that same expression a half-dozen times during the mission she'd ended up on with them, so she knew exactly where they'd got it from, had even teased them a time or two that Feemor did it better-then twisted and pointed with their free hand to a heap of vaguely ship-shaped scrap metal.
Tobi had seen Ace safely land ships that were literally falling apart, so she didn't doubt them when they said that was their ship. But, also? There was nothing in the galaxy that could get her to board that ship. "We'll borrow a speeder," she decided, and Ace did her the courtesy of keeping their amusement to a grin, even as the watching pilots burst out into raucous laughter.
While Tobi borrowed a two-seater speeder from the pool, Ace had a quick conversation with one of the hanger technicians, because their ship apparently didn't just look like a pile of scrap, it needed maintenance before they could fly it through atmosphere again.
"This means I get you for a couple of days?" Tobi asked hopefully as Ace climbed into the pilot's seat of the speeder; Tobi trusted their piloting far more than her own, and she knew they loved being the one doing the flying.
Ace flashed her another one of their adoring smiles, and promised, "I've finished my mission, and Master said no one should expect me back for at least another two weeks. Something about extra leeway granted to new knights."
Tobi let herself relax in her seat, smiling over at them and reaching out towards them in the Force. "Good."
Ace immediately reached back, their presence settling warmly against her own, bleeding love and comfort into the Force around them, and Tobi closed her eyes and smiled, allowing herself to bask in the easy comfort of being with the being she loved.
And then Ace nudged her, asking for directions, and she had to open her eyes and focus on their travel.
"It was Feemor, wasn't it," Ace guessed as they landed them on the stone platform outside the public park Tobi had directed them to; she knew that Ace found comfort in being surrounded by nature-presumably something they learnt from Feemor-and figured they would appreciate the opportunity to do so after the Force knew how long they'd been trapped in that death-trap of a ship.
"What was?" Tobi asked, leaning forward to respond to the payment request that had popped up on the dash holo display; jedi usually got a free-pass for visiting public spaces on Corellia, since they were counted as public servants, but she had money in her Temple account, and didn't mind giving the local government a few credits for the sake of the park's upkeep, especially since she knew it would go on record as public interest in the park, which claiming a free pass didn't always do, which gave the park some proof to show there was still interest in the space, the next time some greedy corporation came looking to buy up more of Corellia's dwindling natural land.
The last thing Tobi wanted, was for Corellia to turn out like Coruscant. Which she had visited exactly once, for Ace, and had sworn off ever visiting again.
"Who told you I was coming to visit."
Tobi snorted and cast them a fond smile. "Be glad he did, you disaster of a pilot," she retorted. "I'm still supposed to be on shift."
Ace's expression twisted into one of horror, and they caught her nearer hand in both of their own. "Kriff, I'm sorry. Do we need to-"
"Ace," Tobi interrupted, and leant forward to press a quick kiss to their mouth, ensuring they took the hint and shut up. "It's fine, I warned Master Dyl that I might need to skip out early at some point, and I didn't have any more appointments for today. Just, next time, maybe consider comming ahead yourself?"
Ace winced and sighed, shoulders drooping. "Yeah, okay. I'm sorry. You know I'm a disaster with this stuff."
Tobi did, had known Ace quite long enough to have discovered that they weren't good at keeping on top of the social niceties, despite their master having been one of the most-terrifyingly, in Tobi's opinion-diplomatic and polite jedi she had ever met. It was such a contrast in personalities, and it still baffled her, at times, even though she was very glad that Ace hadn't inherited that particular quirk from their master.
She kissed their cheek and said, "Maybe try and get a little better, for me."
Ace huffed and caught a hand at her nape, tugging her in for a proper kiss.
Five minutes or so later, when they finally managed to extract themselves from the speeder and were walking down the ramp from the landing platform to the old-brick path, Ace said, "So, we're at a...park?"
Tobi smiled and swung their clasped hands between them. "You like nature."
Ace hummed and looked around, their Force presence softening slightly. "I do," they agreed.
"This is one of my favourite parks on Corellia. There's a tree here that reminds me of you."
"There's a tree that reminds you of me?" Ace asked, sounding baffled, even as their Force presence warmed with pleasure, where it was still pressed tight against Tobi's own.
"Yes. Come on," Tobi ordered, tugging on Ace's hand until their sped their steps, following her down the old-brick path to where it branched to wind through the more widely-traversed parts of the park. There, she stepped off the bricks to a dusty dirt path worn through the grass by hundreds and thousands of feet and wheels and hoverjets, which led them out of the politely maintained clearing and into the more natural spaces between trees grown wild.
They moved slower, through the trees, than they had on the path. In part because there were more hazards, but in part because the way the Force filled the space, thrumming with life both ancient and new, demanded respect, and returned their accord with the sort of all-encompassing safety and comfort that could only be found in those spaces where nature had been given leave to grow as it pleased.
Ace squeezed her hand after they'd been meandering for a bit, and she glanced over to find their shoulders relaxed in a way that she rarely saw on them-somehow, they always seemed to be carrying a heavy weight that she couldn't see, something that dragged at them and left them looking tired and worn, even when she knew they'd slept recently-and they were smiling, small and warm. "I like it here," they admitted quietly.
Tobi swallowed down a clog of emotions clinging in her throat, bit back the plea to stay, to transfer to Corellia to be with her-because she still had so much to show them, so many more reasons to convince them to stay, and Ace would never let her show them if they were forewarned-and whispered, "So do I." And then, because she couldn't help herself, she added, "It's even better with you."
Ace's smile grew, just a hint of mischief glinting in their eyes, and they said, "Do you think trees have a concept of voyeurism?"
Tobi groaned and swatted their arm with her free hand, and Ace laughed, low and warm, and brought up their joined hands to kiss the back of hers.
Tobi loved this being. She loved their wildness-their willingness to play and tease and be nothing at all like the galaxy thought jedi should be-their protectiveness-the way they would step between danger and someone who needed to be protected without hesitating-and their dependability-that they would always offer an arm or a shoulder when someone else needed something to lean on. Ace was everything she ever could have hoped for in a life partner, and she wanted them to stay with her so much.
"Stay here with me," she requested before she could stop herself.
Ace laughed and kissed the back of her hand again, teasingly saying, "I think your Head Healer would come hunt us down, eventually."
"Probably," Tobi agreed, and she couldn't say whether the uncomfortable squirming in her belly was relief or disappointment that they'd misunderstood.
And then they stepped out of the protective shade of the trees, into a wide clearing where stood a tall jacaranda tree, dark blue blossoms in full bloom.
"Oh, wow," Ace breathed, stopping to watch the tree for a moment, before they fumbled at their vest with their free hand, eventually managing to extract their lightsabre, which they lit to reveal the dark blue of the blade. It was nearly the exact same shade as the tree's blossoms.
Tobi smiled and leant against their shoulder, dropping her head against the top of theirs. "See," she murmured. "I told you the tree reminds me of you."
Ace let out a quiet laugh and flicked off the blade, clipping the hilt to their belt, rather than struggling with putting it back in their vest. "So you did," they agreed, voice fond.
They walked over to the tree, Ace letting out a quiet, pleased noise upon finding that someone had installed a bench at some point, which they sat on, curling towards each other and settling into the quiet comfort of the space.
Eventually, Ace asked, "What other plans did you have?"
"Plenty," Tobi admitted, "but they're flexible. I wasn't certain how long you'd have."
Ace hummed, and then asked, "Is there a rest day in there somewhere?"
There wasn't, admittedly, because Tobi wanted to fit as much of her planet into this visit as she could, but, if Ace wanted a rest day... "Of course."
"Good." Ace cast her one of their mischievous smiles. "I like spending entire days in bed with you."
Tobi huffed and nudged their side with her elbow, and Ace's smile widened into a grin. "You're incorrigible."
"You love me anyway," Ace insisted.
Tobi softened, sensing just a hint of a question in their words, and agreed, "I do, and I will, no matter what." She did, after all, want to spend the entire rest of her life with them.
Ace was quiet for a moment, something tasting of uncertainty trickling around the edges of their Force presence.
"Ace?"
They pulled away, just slightly, and ran a finger over the line of their ridiculous little beard. "Master comm'd you," they said quietly.
"Yes."
"Did he...tell you? About, that I-?" They stopped, took a slow, deep breath, and then looked up and met Tobi's eyes. "My pronouns, I want to, I want others to use they/them for me, now."
"He told me," Tobi agreed. "And I made sure my friends who know you are aware, so tell me if anyone misgenders you so I can make their next trip to the Halls extremely unpleasant."
Ace relaxed and grinned at her. "You're my favourite healer ever, and I love you," they promised.
Tobi laughed and let herself be tugged in for a kiss, to find comfort in the relieved warmth and adoration filling the Force between them.
But, still, when Ace calmed down a bit, she had to ask, "Did you think I would care?"
Ace seemed to think about that for a moment, before quietly saying, "I don't know. I keep...expecting someone to react badly, to be nasty about it. But, no one has. They just, Master corrects them, and they nod and apologise."
Tobi didn't really know how to respond to that, never quite knew how to feel about how Ace too-often seemed to expect the worst to happen, for some blaster to sound out of left field and take a chunk out of their left arm. She knew something had happened, before she'd met them, something probably related to whatever medical reason had Feemor taking regular medication, but she'd never asked, and Ace had never volunteered.
And, that was the crux: Tobi desperately wanted to know, to be a shoulder Ace could lean on, but it felt like digging for the information would be a betrayal. She needed them to come to her, to tell her everything because they wanted to.
"Well," she managed to say after a moment that was probably too long, "it's good to know that the Coruscant Temple isn't completely backward."
Ace huffed and rolled their eyes.
And then they shoved her off the bench.
"This," she informed them, "means war, Knight Kudzulek."
Ace grinned, wide and bright, and jumped to their feet. "Have to catch me first, Healer Wrentz," they returned, and raced off before Tobi could regain her feet.
Tobi huffed and started after them, letting herself smile.
.