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Fox shook his head in amusement. Quinlan was being ridiculous.
Quinlan grinned at him. “Come on! Water’s great!” He called.
“I’m staying right here, thank you.”
Quinlan got out, pouting. “Why?”
“I don’t really feel like getting wet while on duty.”
“Our mission is done.”
“We’re only here because of that mission.”
“And we’re not scheduled to leave until tomorrow. Come on, Fox. We’ve been so busy, even with the war over, we can take a break. Slow down. Breathe.”
Fox huffed. Quinlan wasn’t wrong. “…I don’t like swimming,” he finally admitted. “Reminds me too much of training on Kamino.”
Quinlan hugged him. “Alright. We could make a sandcastle instead.”
Fox was ready to protest getting wet, but then he stopped, surprised Quinlan wasn’t continuing to push.
“A sandcastle?” He asked skeptically.
Quinlan grinned. “Yeah! Come on, let me show you!” He led Fox over to the sand and grabbed some containers. “Just need the right combination of sand and water!” He demonstrated.
Fox blinked. “Huh, well I guess this isn’t that bad of a relaxing activity.”
Quinlan beamed at him.
Fox smiled. He did love Quinlan, even if his boyfriend was utterly ridiculous sometimes.
They had built a pretty elaborate sandcastle when Quinlan stiffened as he put more wet sand in a container.
“What is it?” Fox asked warily, recognizing the signs of trouble.
“A warning in the Force. I can’t pinpoint… everywhere?” Quinlan’s eyes widened. “Get down!”
Fox dove down next to Quinlan.
Shots rang out, destroying the sandcastle and causing problems everywhere.
“Of course we can’t have one peaceful afternoon,” Fox grumbled.
Quinlan pushed himself up, glancing around. “We’re going to have to run for it. Got your blasters?”
“Yep. I’m about as ready to run as I can be right now.” Fox sighed. He prepared to jump up.
Quinlan closed his eyes, concentrating on the Force. “Okay… now!” He took off.
Fox was right behind him, only practice from working together with Quinlan for so many missions had him responding immediately.
They made it to the road.
“What’s going on?” Fox grumbled. “Why so man-“
Quinlan yanked him to the side as another shot went right through the air where he had been standing.
Fox stared at the resulting hole. “Can I just be done with today?” He groaned.
“Sorry, Fox. Seems we got a lot of bounty hunters… and they’re focusing on you.”
“On me? Whatever did I do?”
“I don’t know. Come on, let’s keep going until we lose them.”
They ran for it and kept going until they had lost all the bounty hunters.
They returned to their hotel and grabbed their bags before going and staying at a different one under different names.
“I can’t believe we have to wait until tomorrow still,” Fox grumbled. “I hate it when they regulate traffic that much.”
“Me too.” Quinlan agreed. “We’ll just have to be careful and we’ll make it out.”
“I’m not so sure…” Fox responded quietly. “There were a lot of them. After me. Why?”
“Someone put a bounty out on you. They must want you silenced. Who would want that?”
“…a good portion of the Senate,” Fox admitted. “I know all their dirty secrets and I’ve been debating on the best way to tell the galaxy those secrets… and… clones just got our rights. People are listening to me more… Could be any of them.”
“Or many of them,” Quinlan said thoughtfully. “It would explain why there’s so many.”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought about that.” Fox groaned.
“Okay, you need to write down the worst of the secrets you know and send it to Thorn, the Council, and one of the Senators you trust. Then we need to get you home so you can spill the rest of it before it’s too late.”
“If they want to silence me, is that really the best idea?”
“Trust me, Fox. If you start whisteblowing all their secrets, and then you die? That’ll tell the galaxy that they were afraid. If you start talking and there are witnesses to the assassination attempts? They’ll know there’s something to what you’re saying. This is something only you can do to expose those secrets. And I’m assuming the extent of the corruption?”
Fox nodded. “I suppose you’re right… I’ll get on that.” He pulled out his holopad and started writing the secrets out before sending them. He leaned on Quinlan the whole time.
Quinlan in the meantime was writing up a report to the Council, including his plan for ensuring that Fox made it back to Coruscant.
Fox was telling him about the secrets as he worked, and the more Quinlan heard, the more he knew that Fox had to get back to Coruscant to reveal them himself. It wouldn’t be nearly so impactful from a Jedi like Quinlan, it could only come from someone who had worked so closely with them for the war.
.
They got room service for breakfast, and tested everything for poison before eating it.
Quinlan also checked everything with psychometry, just to be sure.
“I don’t think they found us. Now we just have to hope they’ve done nothing to our ship.”
“That’s why we’re going early, to find and disable anything they put on it.” Fox said.
Quinlan nodded. He had a very bad feeling about this, but he kept it to himself.
They headed out, wearing hoods to hide their faces with generic clothes that blended in with tourists.
They were almost to the hangar when the first shots started going.
Quinlan pulled out his lightsaber and started blocking all the shots.
Fox took aim and returned fire, while continuing to move.
They arrived at the hangar.
Fox cursed. “I see a few bombs from here.”
“Go disable them. I’ll buy you time.”
“Right.” Fox took off to take care of it. Quinlan would have been better to disable the bombs and whatever else was on the ship but Quinlan was necessary to hold them off with his ability to deflect their shots and use the Force. On top of the blaster that Fox often forgot he carried.
Fox worked quickly, and before long, he was starting the ship, just on time. He went through the checks, then commed Quinlan.
“Quin, ready to go.”
“I’ll buy you time,” Quinlan responded then hung up.
Fox stared at his comm then looked up.
He counted ten bounty hunters.
Quinlan was fighting them all off. One fell over. But two more appeared, wanting to get to the ship.
Quinlan jumped in their way and fought them.
Fox swallowed. He had to leave Quinlan behind. That’s what Quinlan meant.
He took off after he got the clearances. He kept checking back in the hangar every few seconds.
Quinlan was hit a few times, and then he was down. The bounty hunters swarmed and a few started taking aim at Fox.
Fox cursed and accelerated the ship faster. He couldn’t hang around. He couldn’t save Quinlan.
Quinlan had sacrificed himself for Fox.
Fox put on autopilot once they were in space. He leaned back and let himself cry for a minute before he dried his tears and started typing up a report to inform everyone of what happened.
He sent it off immediately once it was done and then sat back and watched the stars go by.
“I’ll buy you time” echoed in his head.
Quinlan knew what he was doing. He knew the risks. And it must have been even more important than he realized to reveal those secrets.
Fox went over the facts he knew and realized that yeah, they were important. He had to expose those Senators, especially now that he was in an actual position to do so.
Fox let out a breath. He would not fail Quinlan.
.
Fox revealed all the secrets he had been keeping. He watched the chaos unfold.
Some senators were immediately fired by the system they represented. Some were torn apart in the media. Some ended up being arrested because what they were doing was illegal.
No one came out of it without at least getting their reputation ruined. No one would trust them again.
Fox was pretty satisfied.
The only problem was all the questions and accusations about why he hadn’t said anything before.
His response was asking them why they thought he would have been believed at any point before the clone rights bill was passed- and even after, he wasn’t certain how many would believe him. It wasn’t until bounty hunters came after him that he realized he should say something.
It was only with the help of other Senators and the Jedi Council he was able to come forward with all the information he had.
Fox was pleased that so much had happened.
It made Quinlan’s sacrifice worth it.
Quinlan… They never found his body. He was probably dead.
Fox didn’t think there was any reason for them to keep Quinlan alive, if he had survived.
“I’ll buy you time.”
The words had yet to leave Fox alone. It was the last thing Quinlan had ever said to him.
Fox just wanted to grieve and process in peace but there was still too much for him to do. He hadn’t retired from the Coruscant Guard yet.
There was a five year plan for phasing out the GAR, but they wanted to keep the Coruscant Guard, and everyone there was requested to stay there until they had others trained in, but after five years, they could resign without worry.
Fox was looking forward to that day. But until then, there was always more work.
Fox missed Quinlan, though. He had always made the day go faster.
Fox let his head hit the desk and stayed there for a while to hide his emotions.
I’ll buy you time, I’ll buy you time, I’ll buy you time.
Why did Quinlan’s last words have to show how selfless he could be, how much he understood that Fox had to be the one to return, even though Fox would have argued. And sure, maybe part of it would have been Quinlan wanting to protect Fox, but he hadn’t ever babied Fox or been overprotective.
He was just the perfect balance of what Fox needed and wanted.
And now he was gone .
Fox pulled himself together and started working.
.
I’ll buy you time. I’ll buy you time, I’ll buy you time. I’ll buy you time. I’ll buy you time.
Fox groaned and stared at the ceiling, wide awake. More nightmares.
Quinlan’s sacrifice was eating at him. Those being Quinlan’s last words hurt more than anything, showing Quinlan’s priorities. Showing that Quinlan really was a Jedi, that he hadn’t been putting Fox ahead of his duty, which Fox had wondered at times.
Fox groaned and rolled over.
It had been months. He watched the Guard grieve their favorite Jedi. He watched a few Senators grieve for Quinlan.
He watched Jedi grieve for Quinlan, and apparently none had suffered more for it than Aayla and Obi-Wan. Fox heard about it through the group chat because Bly and Cody were a bit at a loss with how keenly they missed Quinlan.
Fox understood them though.
Quinlan was special, he just hid behind cheerful obnoxious behavior so that he could protect himself from being hurt, and when he was on duty it doubled as a way to get people to underestimate him.
Fox struggled not to fall into that trap.
But now Quinlan was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Fox rubbed his eyes.
He had done his job. He had made sure all the Senators had their dirty laundry aired. None of them were Senators anymore, though it had taken some several months to be removed.
Fox just wanted to stop and forget.
.
Fox was forced on leave because he was working too hard again.
Fox hated being on leave. It made him think too much. It made him miss Quinlan too much.
He spent too much of his leave doing nothing. He didn’t want to do nothing. He didn’t want to waste away.
He could handle his job, but apparently working too hard meant more leave.
This time, Fox hardly left his room and looked more exhausted at the end than the start.
He glared at everyone who commented and went about his work as normal.
He knew everyone was concerned about him, but anytime they tried to get him to sleep, he woke up from a nightmare and didn’t sleep again that night.
The medics were at their wits end.
Fox was just going through the motions. He didn’t have anything else to do besides his job. He didn’t know what else he could do, anyway.
Nothing sounded appealing anymore. Not without Quinlan. Not knowing that he would never see Quinlan again because of Fox.
One year after Quinlan had sacrificed himself, Fox was still pushing himself too hard, and people mostly watched worriedly from the sidelines, ready to catch him if he needed help.
Fox appreciated it but hardly acknowledged it. Acknowledging it would mean that he needed help, that he was failing, and he couldn’t fail.
They got a tip about certain types of bounty hunters torturing and eventually killing people who got in the way of their targets, especially if it meant that they didn’t get the bounty.
Fox started the investigation as usual, carefully not thinking of Quinlan teaching him many of the techniques he used.
That night, he lay awake in bed, thinking of Quinlan and contemplating grief. He had never understood how people could just let their lives stop when someone died.
In war, that wasn't a good idea.
But, with Quinlan's death...
The only reason he was still going, that his life hadn't stopped, was because he cared about his duty too much. Because he knew that Quinlan wouldn't want him to stop doing his job just because Quinlan sacrificed himself for Fox.
If Fox had been raised differently, if he felt differently about duty, or maybe if he had left the Coruscant Guard before the incident, he would have had nothing to stop him.
Fox's life would have stopped because Quinlan wasn't there. He would have stopped caring about anything.
Now he understood those extreme reactions to grief.
Even a year later, he still couldn't do a simple investigation without thinking of Quinlan and how much he had helped them out of the kindness of his own heart, though they had not treated him well at first.
Fox rolled onto his side and sighed. He needed to get some sleep. He still had a job to do.
.
Fox gathered up those who would accompany him to the warehouse his investigation had led him to.
Apparently, beyond just torture and death, the bounty hunters who were so upset that their victims got in the way, also had a fighting ring, forcing those who interfered to fight others for entertainment.
Based on the reports on just who had gotten in the way in the past... there probably were some spectacular fights. There were probably some 'entertaining' fights between those who had no idea how to fight, and had just coincidentally been in the way, or brave enough to stand up.
But Fox hoped they would not be going in on what he thought had to be the worst fights. Between an experienced fighter, and one who knew nothing of fighting.
He briefed everyone on what to expect.
They surrounded the warehouse.
Fox gave the signal and they started moving.
It was easy to focus at times like this. This was a well known routine. They had done things like this tons of times.
They worked their way through the crowds, arresting all the bounty hunters and letting medics look at the victims.
There was one final pair fighting.
The fighters were evenly matched in skill, but one must have been there far longer.
He was severely injured and slower than the other despite his skill.
As Fox and others approached to break up the fight, the injured one staggered back from a dangerous blow.
Fox caught him and stared at the familiar face.
"Fox?" Quinlan mumbled. "You found me... Love you..." He passed out.
It took a beat before Fox pulled himself out of his shock.
"Medic!" he called as he slowly lowered Quinlan to the ground.
Quinlan was alive. Quinlan was severely hurt.
Quinlan had been suffering because he kept the bounty hunters from getting to Fox.
He had bought Fox plenty of time.
Fox didn't take off his bucket, not wanting anyone to see the tears he was willing not to fall.
Humerus joined him.
Fox let out a quiet sigh of relief. He trusted Humor more than any of the others.
"Quinlan Vos?" Humerus asked as he started first aid.
Fox nodded. "In hindsight, it makes sense... why kill the person who let your bounty get away when you can make them suffer instead... I just... never considered he'd lived."
Humerus nodded as he bandaged some wounds.
"He's in danger of dying. None of his wounds have been properly cared for, and you know his need for touch."
Fox swallowed and nodded. He was in danger of losing Quinlan right after learning he was alive. Typical.
"I have to finish this up. Or, at least read the other commanders in so they can handle the rest of the investigation. I'll call the Temple, the healers can help, and Obi-Wan and Aayla will want to know, they can be there while I can't."
"Very well."
Fox made the calls, keeping them short and factual rather than letting others suck him into "are you sure?" circles. Then he took a deep breath and checked in on the progress of arrests, gathering evidence, and treating the victims before he returned to Quinlan.
Humerus nodded to him. "He'll be ready to go shortly. "It's not pretty, but he'll live if we’re quick.”
Fox nodded. “Alright. Everything else is going well. This was a bigger problem than I realized… I am glad I brought more troopers than I thought I’d need.”
Humerus just nodded. “I do hope this means you’re going to be starting to get more sleep.”
“We’ll see. This might just conjure up more nightmares. It was one thing when his ‘I’ll buy you time’ just meant his death. But a year of this…” Fox gestured around them.
“Just try. You can’t keep working yourself like you have been.”
Fox shrugged. “I’m aware I’ve not been handling things well. I’ll be better for Quin… he doesn’t need to be worrying about me.”
“Good. If you have trouble sleeping and it’s not because of nightmares, consider taking some sleeping pills.”
“I will.”
Fox returned to working the investigation until he was able to hand it off to someone else.
The people involved in the investigation questioned this.
“I cannot be entirely neutral anymore,” Fox replied. “One of the victims we rescued is Quinlan Vos, who I last saw buying me time when bounty hunters were after me.”
They didn’t question it again.
.
Fox nodded to Obi-Wan as he took Aayla’s place on the bed.
The three of them had worked out a rotation where two of them were with Quinlan at all times, while the third took a break, sometimes overnight.
Fox was a little jealous of Aayla and Obi-Wan. They went home to Bly and Cody respectively and had someone to lean on.
Fox didn’t really have anyone. Mostly of his own doing, but also because outside of the Guard he wasn’t close enough to anyone to care enough to make sure he was showering and eating and sleeping.
Fox was just glad that he was able to take a leave due to how few breaks he had taken over the last year.
“No change,” Obi-Wan said quietly. “He still hasn’t woken up.”
Fox sighed and nodded. He wasn’t very surprised.
Of all those they rescued, very few had been held as long as Quinlan as few were able to hold up to the abuse for more than half a year.
Quinlan had managed it, though.
Fox just wanted him to wake up, so they could figure out the way forward.
He was lost in thought when Quinlan’s hand twitched.
Fox looked down at his hand then up at Quinlan’s face.
“Quin?” He asked hopefully.
Quinlan groaned. One eye opened, then the other.
Obi-Wan smiled. “Hey Quin, I’ll go get the healer.”
Quinlan gave him a weak smile.
Fox pressed his forehead to Quinlan’s. “I am so glad you’re awake. How are you feeling?”
“Tired… sore. But way better than before.”
Fox nodded. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“I was dying, wasn’t I?”
Fox sighed. “Yeah, you were. If we’d been just a few hours later… it would have been too late.”
“I’m glad you got there when you did, then.” Quinlan leaned into him, closing his eyes. “I missed this.”
“Me too,” Fox responded softly, running a hand through Quinlan’s hair.
“What’d I miss?”
“I got several Senators kicked out, and almost all of them ended up getting arrested.”
“Nice.”
“We can talk when you’re feeling better. You just woke up.”
“But I missed so much…”
“I know… I just don’t want you to push yourself too soon.”
Quinlan sighed. “You’re not hiding something from me, are you?”
Fox had to stop and think about that. “What kind of thing are you worried about?”
“You dating?”
“Why would-“ Fox shook his head. “No, I never dated anyone after… after. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Okay. Good.” Quinlan snuggled in contentedly.
Fox smiled at him.
Obi-Wan walked in with Bant.
“Quin!” Bant exclaimed. “You really are awake.”
Quinlan smiled at her weakly. “Hey. How are you?”
“I’m fine. How are you? How’s the pain?”
“Could be better.” Quinlan sighed. “At the worst, an eight, at the best, a five.”
“Not as good as I’d wanted it to be.” Bant sighed. “I’ll get you something for the pain.”
“Alright.”
Bant started checking on his injuries and asking questions to be sure nothing was missed on the scans.
Quinlan answered as best he could.
Fox listened worriedly.
In the end, Quinlan had several injuries that could be corrected with surgery though they would never be 100% again after healing poorly or not healing at all for so long.
Quinlan nodded, taking the news fairly well though he was rather upset.
“At least you didn’t lose a limb, you almost lost both your legs,” Bant told him gently. “The infection was bad, but it’s clearing out now.”
Quinlan nodded. “I know… I’m not used to not healing after… After. Usually only have the scars as reminders, not pain.”
“I know. There’s resources for you. Chronic pain, some groups for some of the specific injuries you’re not healing from, and mind healing, on top of the usual physical therapy and continued care as needed, of course.”
Quinlan nodded quietly.
He was quite subdued as he ate soup.
Then he laid back down and cuddled with Obi-Wan and Fox until he fell back asleep.
Fox felt guilty.
Quinlan had sacrificed himself for Fox.
Fox did nothing for him, gave up on him, and only stumbled on him by coincidence.
And now Quinlan was going to suffer for the rest of his life, all because he was buying Fox time.
Fox was relieved when Aayla showed up.
It was his turn to go home and shower and not spend the night with Quinlan.
He hoped Quinlan wouldn’t be too upset, but Fox knew it would not be good if he stayed.
He was guaranteed nightmares with a stronger sense of guilt after Quinlan’s reaction to the news.
Fox wondered why Quinlan cared about him so much.
What did Fox do to deserve it?
Fox hadn’t been the nicest to him at first, but Quinlan had persisted in being friendly and helping out, without pushing boundaries.
Eventually Fox had grown very fond of him and accepted his affection.
But Fox didn’t deserve such kindness. Quinlan had been the only one outside the Guard that didn’t let Fox push him away.
So Fox got meaner.
And Quinlan stayed, and they started flirting, and eventually they started dating.
But then…
Quinlan bought him time, but at what cost?
How could Fox not feel guilty over how much Quinlan had suffered over the last year?
But he had to put it to the side. Quinlan deserved Fox’s undivided attention. Quinlan deserved Fox to be there for him, without his feelings getting in the way.
That night, as he expected, Fox had a new wave of nightmares, centering around Quinlan’s injuries and their long term effects.
Fox did not sleep well. After the third nightmare, he lay awake until his alarm went off, unable to stop thinking about what ifs.
He took some time to get ready, making sure he was not going to take his rough night out on Quinlan. Quinlan didn't need to worry about him on top of everything else.
Fox would make sure Quinlan could recover in peace.
.
Quinlan recovered at his own pace, slower than he would like as he just wanted to experience life again instead of being trapped by pain and new limitations.
Physical therapy helped, and he was slowly getting better.
Fox was there and always supportive, which was nice.
But... There was one problem.
There was something off about Fox. He always seemed exhausted. When it was his turn to spend the night with Quinlan he was still awake when Quinlan fell asleep, and awake when Quinlan woke up.
He was always quietly worrying. He didn't talk about himself, not much.
Quinlan heard from others that Fox had spent the whole year Quinlan was gone working and hardly ever getting out.
He got the sense they were worried about Fox, but didn't want to interrupt Quinlan's healing.
Quinlan just wanted Fox to be happy.
He hadn't gone to buy Fox time for Fox to work himself to death, and yet, that's what it sounded like Fox was doing.
Quinlan plotted for weeks on the best way to confront Fox about what was going on.
In the end, Fox gave him the opening he needed.
Quinlan took the offered caf and sipped it, then paused. "What's going on with you?"
"Nothing."
"Then why is all I feel on this mug, guilt?"
Fox looked away and didn't answer.
"Come on Foxy, talk to me, what's wrong?"
"It's my fault. They were there for me. I should have done something with all the information I was sitting on as soon as the war was over, because some people would have listened, the clone rights bill wouldn't have magically made people actually listen, it just meant that legally they had to treat me as a person, and you... you suffered for it." Fox's eyes lingered on the most obvious of the scars.
Quinlan put the caf down. "Fox... It's not your fault. I made the choice, no matter what trouble it got me in. I wanted you to live and be happy, you never really got the chance for that before. I have lived my life, maybe not as long as it should be, but I have lived. I was okay with dying."
"But now you're injured. And you won't ever be the same again."
"That's okay. I made that choice." Quinlan pulled him into a hug.
"But you've been so upset about it."
"Of course I am. But that doesn't mean it's your fault, Fox. I'll be okay eventually. I'll adjust, and get better, and find out what my new normal will be."
"But you..." Fox held him. "For the whole time we thought you were dead, all I could hear was you saying "I'll buy you time" over and over again. I couldn't think of you without that popping into my head. And then I realized you were alive but dying, and it's given you permanent effects and... You saved me, but at what cost?"
"I saved you at the cost I was willing to pay, Fox. You know that I can't stand to see anyone get hurt, especially those I care about. If I can do something I will. It was the right choice to make, I don't think we would have gotten off the planet otherwise."
"Not without some bad injuries and rough flying," Fox sighed. "I know... I went over everything for months afterwards. But I just... I couldn't get your last words out of my head. They stuck with me for months, and the only way to get them to stop was to keep working... and then I found you by accident and I could have been looking for you the whole time instead of-"
"Breathe Fox. It's okay. I'm here. I'm alive. I don't blame you. Who could have guessed that the bounty hunters were keeping people alive? At best maybe you would have looked into me being sold off somewhere for some Kiffar bounty. But I don't blame you all for thinking I was actually dead. I thought I was going to die. I was stunned when I woke up, and then all I could do was survive."
Fox winced. "It doesn't sound pleasant, nothing you've said about it sounds pleasant."
"It wasn't. But I'm here now. I'm going to recover. We can move forward, together, okay? I understand why you feel guilty, I can't say I wouldn't feel the same way if you did that for me. But please don't let it consume you. I don't want to lose you to that guilt. I'd rather not lose you at all, but we're not going down that path right now."
Fox thought about it, still clinging to Quinlan. He had to live with a reality where Quinlan wasn't there to cheer him up and be exactly what he needed at the time. He didn't want to push Quinlan away. But...
"What about you? That's one thing I've never been able to understand. I know why I love you, but I don't understand what you see in me. No one gets me like you do, I'm just a grumpy commander who works too hard and-"
Quinlan kissed him, then pulled away to rest his forehead on Fox's. "You are far more than just a grump, Foxy. You and I have similar senses of humor, you just like to troll people and pretend like you don't get jokes, that's one of my favorite things to play off of. You're caring too- ah don't protest. I've seen you with shinies, and I've seen you in the creche. You care about everyone, but you're too introverted to like being around people all the time, you like your peace, and you like to not be crowded all the time. That's what people don't get. They think that if they just push you, you'll magically be happier with more friends, but it'll never work that way."
Fox stared into his sincere eyes.
Quinlan didn't move as he kept talking. "I first got interested in you because I always lead with my worst foot forward. I play up my obnoxiousness, undercover or not, to see how people react. I have been burned by people not being able to handle it after I let them become close, so I use it to scare people away before I can get too emotionally invested in them as friends. You didn't put up with it, but you didn't chase me away either. You seemed entertained. The other important thing was that you stated your boundaries around touch. I operate at a default of if people don't tell me then I don't know what they want, so I just do things and hope that they really don't mind, and sometimes people will let me keep bothering them and pushing their boundaries for months, even years without telling me. I know my approach isn't the best, but I always back off once I know where the boundaries are. And you told me off on that pretty quick. I always had an idea of where I stood with you, and that was far better than with other people when making friends. And somewhere along the way, I fell in love because there are so few people who get me, too. And as a bonus, both of us like kissing." Quinlan kissed him again.
Fox snorted and leaned in. "Alright, that... that makes sense. Please avoid doing that again if at all possible."
"No promises, you know I'm a Jedi first and foremost."
"Yeah, I know. That was one of the draws... you get putting duty overall. Most natborns don't get it."
"I mean some do, but they also just want one person to themselves because it's one selfish thing they can go home to."
"Don't blame them for that."
Quinlan hugged him tightly. "I'm getting better, Fox. We're still figuring out where my limits will be, but I will be back in the field doing investigations before long. No more undercover but it was time I stepped back from that anyway after doing it for so long."
Fox nodded. "Love you."
"Love you too."