(no subject)
Title: Perfect
Author: helgaleena helgaleenas@yahoo.com
Fandom: Star Wars Last of the Jedi
Pairing: Olin/Lands
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: slash, use of Force
Wordcount: 5550 total
Summary: Roan Lands almost didn’t look twice at the new guy. But he will be forever thankful that he did.
Beta by Jade Solo.
Part 1
Roan blinked. One quarter of the day past, first break half over, and he still wasn’t awake. But it wasn’t the mild stim effect of the tea he was drinking that had flagged his attention. Something outside himself had penetrated the dull haze of the same old same old slog at the data trough.
There was this guy in the cafeteria line; he was dressed a bit funny, without the small local variants on decent human clothing that marked a native Ussan. Something about the way he held himself indicated he was an athlete, maybe a dancer, but there was nothing stagy or flamboyant about him at all. In fact, his tunic and pants were so sober it was difficult to tell what color the actually were. Amid the bustle of tea break he was markedly still. Could the pastry display really be so puzzling?
Five seconds later, the guy still hadn’t moved. He had his eyes glued on the pastries, all right, and had unobtrusively moved aside so that others went by him with their trays without noticing him at all. But Roan noticed. And he wondered what it was he was noticing.
This was just any old tea break from the data crunching place across the way, where he made his credits and lived for the weekends. This guy wasn’t flashy or hideous, or even outrageously plain. But there was a sort of purpose to him somehow, as if he lived every moment fully awake. Huh! As if what Roan did every day, and the unvarying but broad choices offered to him and his fellow office drones at the cafeteria, were an exotic wonder? No-that wasn’t it. It was like this guy had simply never seen so many cakes all at once in one place. Fancy that. Choice of pastry should not be that significant!
From behind, the dark hair on his head was unremarkable, short on the sides and combed simply, straight back. The fellow turned his head just a bit, and Roan saw that in front there was a gold streak, so bright it was almost metallic. And his profile-straight nose, straight brow, eyes a bit tilted up at the corners, soft full lips. Those lips parted just a bit, curving out into the entirety of their lushness over the smooth arc of his chin. Then in concentration they firmed but still held their curves, but now they were carved in stone to match the swells of chin, nose and brow.
And Roan found himself standing up, walking toward the line, barely aware of how he managed to get between the tables. All he could think was- He’s going to choose. He’s going to leave. Tea break is nearly over. He can’t leave… not yet…
The stranger turned out to be a bit shorter than he was, like most guys. But he was-perfect. Roan had an incredible urge to make this guy realize just how perfect he was. He wanted to take his picture; he wanted to dress him like a doll in all sorts of clothing, he wanted to see those dark eyes in other lights, other moods, other weather, hear him talk, see him smile. He felt like opening his wallet and dumping its contents on the guy’s tray, if that’s what it took. Like kneeling and kissing his knuckles-what in blazes was going on?? This was nuts…
No time to figure it out. He couldn’t do all that stuff here. What he did was reach out and sweep every cake the guy was looking at off the display shelf, and onto his tray. The guy’s brown eyes followed the saucers of pastry, then rose to meet his-startled, but not alarmed, only inquisitive. He was open to whatever came next.
What came next was that Roan smiled at him. He knew he had an ingratiating smile, but this time it was a direct side effect of the nova that lit in his chest when those perfect dark brown eyes met his. “Let’s split them,” he said, and the stranger smiled back. One wish had come true already.
That was his first meeting with Ferus Olin. He hadn’t known he’d been waiting for anything until he met Ferus, and realized that he now had a reason for being alive. Not that he hadn’t been one for enjoying life before, but, well, before Ferus he hadn’t had a reason.
There had been fun and games, and financing the fun and games, friends and fooling around with friends, pleasing the parents, looking after the littles when it was his turn, but it had been all aimless, really, just the way it was. He’d tended to lift a few too many brews sometimes, just because there was no reason not to; hangovers were just another sensation.
And Ferus didn’t even realize how wonderful he was. He’d grown up in the freaky proximity of other Force users, some more talented, some less, constantly judging himself and being judged by their impossible standards. So he didn’t know himself as a human, didn’t truly understand how his intelligence and sheer goodness put him levels above the species that had given rise to him, the one in a million perfection of him. Maybe their standards had served to strengthen his abilities before, but now those same Jedi had kicked him out. Bless ‘em for that. Else he’d probably have never met Roan.
But all that came out later. All he really knew, that first morning, was that seeing him smile, so ready to be shown the wonders of a tray full of sweets by a native, made Roan want many more of those smiles. He’d cook up a banquet to win another smile like that. It was some sort of magic.
“I hope you’re paying for most of those,” the stranger said. His voice was deep and musical, as accent-less as a Coruscanti newscaster’s. “I haven’t gotten my first pay yet.”
“No worries. They’re on me. Welcome to Ussa.” The warmth was spreading from Roan’s chest out to his limbs. He stepped back to let the other guy slide his tray toward the pay slots. Roan put it on his card and led them back to his table.
“Yes, I’m new here. Does it show too much?”
“Not in blinking headlines, no, but yeah, it does, just a bit.” Roan liked the touch of red that started creeping up the guy’s neck, though he kept his face calm. Hella thing-he wasn’t any older than Roan, for all the stiff heaviness that weighted down his brows. Like he’d seen too much. Maybe he was some kind of refugee?
He realized he was staring. The guy wasn’t classically handsome, not ugly either, but it was like there was a light shining out from behind him somewhere, and the way he held himself was---
“So, what’s in the middle of this one?”
Roan shook himself and managed a smooth response. “Oh, usually sweet red-bean paste. But here they put redroot puree instead; it’s sort of a house specialty. And this one is cherico jam with a creamy layer over that. And that’s warnut, mixed with dried fruit. I’m Roan Lands, by the way.”
The dark haired enigma smiled again; his teeth were perfect too. “Ferus Olin. I just started working in the encryption unit at U-tek over there.”
“No kidding! I’m a programmer in Systems there myself. Olin, huh? That could be an Ussan name.”
“Believe me, it isn’t. Hey, this is good!” And the pure wonder with which he said that made Roan grin like an idiot, probably showing off the crumbs between his teeth, but who cared about that when the subject was deliciousness?
“It’s better with this pil tea than it is with that caf you got. Here; try it.” He passed his mug over to Ferus for a sip, and Ferus put his left hand up to take it, and something absolutely weird ran up Roan’s arm and took him over.
This is not some corny holoromance; this can’t really be happening, Roan protested from somewhere in the back part of his head that wasn’t struck witless by the jolt he was getting from those long smooth fingers brushing his. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t stop looking at the way Ferus’s lips undulated as he chewed and swallowed. And he couldn’t-wouldn’t let go of the mug. Not if it meant losing the touch of those fingers.
He could tell Ferus was affected too, though all he did was blink. Damn; he had perfect eyelashes too…He gently brought the mug, complete with Roan’s attached hand, to his mouth for a sip. Flattering that his voice, when he replied, was a bit breathy.
“Yeah…they’re good together.”
Good together; yeah, they were good together… Dazed, all he could do was stupidly mumble, “Yeah…”
The clunk of the mug hitting the table helped him assemble his wits. When Ferus took his hand away, the loss was almost painful. Clenching the mug harder didn’t really help.
They both took refuge in more chat about the pastries, and Ussan food. Roan managed to work things around to their having dinner together. And Ferus agreed, as gracefully as a human could whose whole body was probably itching to touch someone else’s again, like Roan’s was.
That was the first time they did something that could easily be taken as symbolic of their whole future together.
“Well then, I’ll come down to Encryption and find you at nineteen hours, okay?” They both stood, leaving the trays for collection.
“Great. Hey, well met, Roan Lands.” Ferus put out his hand for a clasp, a companionable human gesture on many worlds, including Ussa. But when their hands met for it, Roan couldn’t believe the overwhelming magnetism that gripped them once more.
He wanted to pull Ferus Olin into his arms and pry open those full lips with his and put his tongue there to be with Ferus’ tongue. He wanted to mash Ferus onto himself and wrap around him and wear him home. He didn’t want to be just himself anymore. He wanted to turn into Ferus Olin, dissolve in him, drown in him…
The closest he got to acting on that urge was to take Ferus by the arm with the hand he wasn’t clasping. It was as if a circuit closed. Ferus was looking back at him deeply, steadily; his breath was coming quick and fast, just like Roan’s. But holy Ussa, Ferus was stronger-inside and out. He felt the same bewildering attraction and didn’t let it swamp him. It was Ferus who steadied Roan in that instant. He shifted their grip on each other so that they had each other’s forearms clasped. Balance. Roan felt more solid immediately. Ferus had prevented them both from making an embarrassing scene.
How many times their special arm clasp, both steadying them and distancing them from their desire, would serve them this way in the future, neither of them realized. That first day, it came as simple relief. Roan gave a small chuckle and a pretty good simulation of his usual grin.
“Later, then,” he said, and got himself back to the job. Needless to say, he counted the nanoseconds until quitting time.
part 2
hlglne
Author: helgaleena helgaleenas@yahoo.com
Fandom: Star Wars Last of the Jedi
Pairing: Olin/Lands
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: slash, use of Force
Wordcount: 5550 total
Summary: Roan Lands almost didn’t look twice at the new guy. But he will be forever thankful that he did.
Beta by Jade Solo.
Part 1
Roan blinked. One quarter of the day past, first break half over, and he still wasn’t awake. But it wasn’t the mild stim effect of the tea he was drinking that had flagged his attention. Something outside himself had penetrated the dull haze of the same old same old slog at the data trough.
There was this guy in the cafeteria line; he was dressed a bit funny, without the small local variants on decent human clothing that marked a native Ussan. Something about the way he held himself indicated he was an athlete, maybe a dancer, but there was nothing stagy or flamboyant about him at all. In fact, his tunic and pants were so sober it was difficult to tell what color the actually were. Amid the bustle of tea break he was markedly still. Could the pastry display really be so puzzling?
Five seconds later, the guy still hadn’t moved. He had his eyes glued on the pastries, all right, and had unobtrusively moved aside so that others went by him with their trays without noticing him at all. But Roan noticed. And he wondered what it was he was noticing.
This was just any old tea break from the data crunching place across the way, where he made his credits and lived for the weekends. This guy wasn’t flashy or hideous, or even outrageously plain. But there was a sort of purpose to him somehow, as if he lived every moment fully awake. Huh! As if what Roan did every day, and the unvarying but broad choices offered to him and his fellow office drones at the cafeteria, were an exotic wonder? No-that wasn’t it. It was like this guy had simply never seen so many cakes all at once in one place. Fancy that. Choice of pastry should not be that significant!
From behind, the dark hair on his head was unremarkable, short on the sides and combed simply, straight back. The fellow turned his head just a bit, and Roan saw that in front there was a gold streak, so bright it was almost metallic. And his profile-straight nose, straight brow, eyes a bit tilted up at the corners, soft full lips. Those lips parted just a bit, curving out into the entirety of their lushness over the smooth arc of his chin. Then in concentration they firmed but still held their curves, but now they were carved in stone to match the swells of chin, nose and brow.
And Roan found himself standing up, walking toward the line, barely aware of how he managed to get between the tables. All he could think was- He’s going to choose. He’s going to leave. Tea break is nearly over. He can’t leave… not yet…
The stranger turned out to be a bit shorter than he was, like most guys. But he was-perfect. Roan had an incredible urge to make this guy realize just how perfect he was. He wanted to take his picture; he wanted to dress him like a doll in all sorts of clothing, he wanted to see those dark eyes in other lights, other moods, other weather, hear him talk, see him smile. He felt like opening his wallet and dumping its contents on the guy’s tray, if that’s what it took. Like kneeling and kissing his knuckles-what in blazes was going on?? This was nuts…
No time to figure it out. He couldn’t do all that stuff here. What he did was reach out and sweep every cake the guy was looking at off the display shelf, and onto his tray. The guy’s brown eyes followed the saucers of pastry, then rose to meet his-startled, but not alarmed, only inquisitive. He was open to whatever came next.
What came next was that Roan smiled at him. He knew he had an ingratiating smile, but this time it was a direct side effect of the nova that lit in his chest when those perfect dark brown eyes met his. “Let’s split them,” he said, and the stranger smiled back. One wish had come true already.
That was his first meeting with Ferus Olin. He hadn’t known he’d been waiting for anything until he met Ferus, and realized that he now had a reason for being alive. Not that he hadn’t been one for enjoying life before, but, well, before Ferus he hadn’t had a reason.
There had been fun and games, and financing the fun and games, friends and fooling around with friends, pleasing the parents, looking after the littles when it was his turn, but it had been all aimless, really, just the way it was. He’d tended to lift a few too many brews sometimes, just because there was no reason not to; hangovers were just another sensation.
And Ferus didn’t even realize how wonderful he was. He’d grown up in the freaky proximity of other Force users, some more talented, some less, constantly judging himself and being judged by their impossible standards. So he didn’t know himself as a human, didn’t truly understand how his intelligence and sheer goodness put him levels above the species that had given rise to him, the one in a million perfection of him. Maybe their standards had served to strengthen his abilities before, but now those same Jedi had kicked him out. Bless ‘em for that. Else he’d probably have never met Roan.
But all that came out later. All he really knew, that first morning, was that seeing him smile, so ready to be shown the wonders of a tray full of sweets by a native, made Roan want many more of those smiles. He’d cook up a banquet to win another smile like that. It was some sort of magic.
“I hope you’re paying for most of those,” the stranger said. His voice was deep and musical, as accent-less as a Coruscanti newscaster’s. “I haven’t gotten my first pay yet.”
“No worries. They’re on me. Welcome to Ussa.” The warmth was spreading from Roan’s chest out to his limbs. He stepped back to let the other guy slide his tray toward the pay slots. Roan put it on his card and led them back to his table.
“Yes, I’m new here. Does it show too much?”
“Not in blinking headlines, no, but yeah, it does, just a bit.” Roan liked the touch of red that started creeping up the guy’s neck, though he kept his face calm. Hella thing-he wasn’t any older than Roan, for all the stiff heaviness that weighted down his brows. Like he’d seen too much. Maybe he was some kind of refugee?
He realized he was staring. The guy wasn’t classically handsome, not ugly either, but it was like there was a light shining out from behind him somewhere, and the way he held himself was---
“So, what’s in the middle of this one?”
Roan shook himself and managed a smooth response. “Oh, usually sweet red-bean paste. But here they put redroot puree instead; it’s sort of a house specialty. And this one is cherico jam with a creamy layer over that. And that’s warnut, mixed with dried fruit. I’m Roan Lands, by the way.”
The dark haired enigma smiled again; his teeth were perfect too. “Ferus Olin. I just started working in the encryption unit at U-tek over there.”
“No kidding! I’m a programmer in Systems there myself. Olin, huh? That could be an Ussan name.”
“Believe me, it isn’t. Hey, this is good!” And the pure wonder with which he said that made Roan grin like an idiot, probably showing off the crumbs between his teeth, but who cared about that when the subject was deliciousness?
“It’s better with this pil tea than it is with that caf you got. Here; try it.” He passed his mug over to Ferus for a sip, and Ferus put his left hand up to take it, and something absolutely weird ran up Roan’s arm and took him over.
This is not some corny holoromance; this can’t really be happening, Roan protested from somewhere in the back part of his head that wasn’t struck witless by the jolt he was getting from those long smooth fingers brushing his. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t stop looking at the way Ferus’s lips undulated as he chewed and swallowed. And he couldn’t-wouldn’t let go of the mug. Not if it meant losing the touch of those fingers.
He could tell Ferus was affected too, though all he did was blink. Damn; he had perfect eyelashes too…He gently brought the mug, complete with Roan’s attached hand, to his mouth for a sip. Flattering that his voice, when he replied, was a bit breathy.
“Yeah…they’re good together.”
Good together; yeah, they were good together… Dazed, all he could do was stupidly mumble, “Yeah…”
The clunk of the mug hitting the table helped him assemble his wits. When Ferus took his hand away, the loss was almost painful. Clenching the mug harder didn’t really help.
They both took refuge in more chat about the pastries, and Ussan food. Roan managed to work things around to their having dinner together. And Ferus agreed, as gracefully as a human could whose whole body was probably itching to touch someone else’s again, like Roan’s was.
That was the first time they did something that could easily be taken as symbolic of their whole future together.
“Well then, I’ll come down to Encryption and find you at nineteen hours, okay?” They both stood, leaving the trays for collection.
“Great. Hey, well met, Roan Lands.” Ferus put out his hand for a clasp, a companionable human gesture on many worlds, including Ussa. But when their hands met for it, Roan couldn’t believe the overwhelming magnetism that gripped them once more.
He wanted to pull Ferus Olin into his arms and pry open those full lips with his and put his tongue there to be with Ferus’ tongue. He wanted to mash Ferus onto himself and wrap around him and wear him home. He didn’t want to be just himself anymore. He wanted to turn into Ferus Olin, dissolve in him, drown in him…
The closest he got to acting on that urge was to take Ferus by the arm with the hand he wasn’t clasping. It was as if a circuit closed. Ferus was looking back at him deeply, steadily; his breath was coming quick and fast, just like Roan’s. But holy Ussa, Ferus was stronger-inside and out. He felt the same bewildering attraction and didn’t let it swamp him. It was Ferus who steadied Roan in that instant. He shifted their grip on each other so that they had each other’s forearms clasped. Balance. Roan felt more solid immediately. Ferus had prevented them both from making an embarrassing scene.
How many times their special arm clasp, both steadying them and distancing them from their desire, would serve them this way in the future, neither of them realized. That first day, it came as simple relief. Roan gave a small chuckle and a pretty good simulation of his usual grin.
“Later, then,” he said, and got himself back to the job. Needless to say, he counted the nanoseconds until quitting time.
part 2
hlglne