Saga Saga - PT How I met your mother - OTP challenge (Kit and Del)

Title: How I met your mother

Author: Kit'

Characters: Del, Kei and Kit

Genre: Romance; Drama; Angst.

Timeline: Saga PT

Summary: Del tries to explain how he and Kit fell in love.

Author's Note: Written for OTP Challenge #17 "Our Song." There are two songs chosen for this as both fit. The first one is Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, the second is To Love Someone by Ben Abraham.

This is not really the story of how Kit and Del meet (just the title was too good to pass up), that is referenced in here but is the subject of a longer story that's still being written. Instead this is really the story of how the two of them slowly fell in love. It references, and in some case uses, some of the drabble stories from both The Drabble Challenge and The Summer Olympics.

There is about four posts long. Like normal the idea wouldn't stop at something short, but just kept going.

Concrit is always welcome.

 

*
Part 1/3
*

“How did you meet mama?” Kei lay on the stretcher bed and tossed the apple they’d been given as a ‘snack’ into the air. Del shook his head as he sat back against the cold stone of the prison walls and closed his eyes. He’d spent his life trying to avoid that question. It was not like he could say: “Well son, I met your mother when I kidnapped her. I sold her and then when she finally rescued herself, I was responsible for the death of the person the two of us loved most in the world.” It would create even more questions that he just didn’t have the energy to explain. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and breathed out a long sigh.

“It’s a long and complicated story Kei,” He said leaning his head back on the wall and staring at the ceiling, and the inbuilt dirt the entire place seemed to exude.

“We have plenty of time,” Kei said throwing the apple into the air again, “it’s not like we are going anywhere, any time soon.”

There was a long drawn out pause and then Kei threw and caught the apple again before swinging his legs over the side of the cot to stare at his father.

“One day Rin and I will tell you that story,” Del said softly, “but I don’t think this is the best place.”

“You two don’t tell us anything about your early days.” Kei said accusatorily, “it’s like it’s some big mystery. Not even Essie or Nicco talk about it.”

“Did you ask them?”

“Yeah.” Kei scuffed the toe of his boot against the stone floors.

“And what did they say?” Del leaned forward to stare at his son curious as to what his eldest two children might have disclosed.

“They told me to go away.”

“Huh.”

“Well, actually Nicco said to ask you and Essie told me to get lost and that it was none of my business.”

Del laughed. “That’s about right.”

Kei glared at his father and then lay back down on the cot. Even in the semi-gloom Del could see the teenager glaring at the ceiling.

“How about I tell you how we fell in love instead?” Del asked after a moment. Kei’s head turned to face him and the boy nodded. Del grinned into the gloom at the memory “Well, it started when your mother nearly dropped me down an air vent.”


*


He dangled over the void; heart pounding, fingers barely gripping the edge.

“Please.” He murmured, “please let me up.”

“Nope.” There was a thump from above and then feet swung over the edge, just out of reach. “I figured this is as good a time to talk about my cut.”

“Really? Couldn’t we do this with me not staring into the abyss?”

“Fine then. I’m get something to haul you up. Just give me minute.”

“I don’t have a minute Kit. I’m going to fall.” His voice was a strangled yelp as he struggled to keep his grip.

“You aren’t going to fall silly, just give me a moment.” Her voice had a slight edge to it and he could hear scrabbling above as if she was trying to find something. His hands were getting slippery now, sweat beading his brows, his feet occasionally scrabbled against the wall trying to find purchase he knew wasn’t there. The next second a piece of cloth dropped down beside him.

“Grab this.”

“That’s not going to be strong enough.” It didn’t look strong at all, in fact it looked vaguely like the shirt she’d been wearing earlier.

“Just grab it. It’s that or fall to your death.”

“If I grab it, it’ll tear and I will fall to my death.”

“Hey, you’re the one who wasn’t looking where they were going. I’m not the one down the vent shaft because I saw it coming.” There was a pause and Del felt his hand slip backwards on the now slick metal.

“Please.” It was a gasp rather than anything else.

“Fine. How about this then.”

Strong invisible bands felt like they were surrounding him and his fingers, slowly, unwillingly left the edge. He flailed wildly and caught hold of the piece of cloth. For a moment, he was staring down at darkness and then the cloth was hauled upwards with him hanging grimly on to the end of it. After what felt like forever, he was pulled over the edge of the vent and onto the safe and mercifully solid surface above. He looked up at her as lay on his back trying to catch his breath and then hastily looked away. She laughed as she retrieved her shirt, holding it up to the light and examining it carefully. He felt his face turning hot and red and tried to concentrate on the durasteel walls on the far side of the chasm instead of the whirl of emotions she always stirred within him.

“Was that the best rope you could find?” He asked refusing to look at where she stood half dressed. Even without looking, he could imagine her grinning at him, eyebrows raised. There was the sound of a shirt being pulled into place. He panted, trying to calm his breathing as relief, anger and desire warred within him. He was suddenly glad that he could no longer touch The Force, that way she could not feel the heat of different emotions that were washing through him.

“What no thank you?” Her voice was mocking.

“Thank you. Although your rope choice could have been a bit stronger.”

“Hey, I could push you right over again and we could try it with no rope at all.”

“And then how would you get home?” He asked still trying to catch his breath and shove the emotions away. She was staring at him with an odd expression on her face.

“You’ve got a ship, I could take that.”

“You’re a terrible pilot.”

“Nicco can fly it.”

“Nicco is fifteen.”

“We were both out on missions at fifteen.”

“Yeah, but we weren’t piloting star craft.”

“Speak for yourself.”

“Okay then, we weren’t piloting star craft well.”

“Nicco’s a good pilot.”

“I doubt Nicco will fly you out if you’re responsible for my death.”

She shrugged. “I can be convincing.”

He frowned not sure if she was serious or not but then she laughed.

“Fine.” She pouted. “I will not kick you back down the vent shaft but now that you are up, we can talk.”

“We need to finish this job.”

“Nope.” She was staring at his mouth twisted to one side. She sat down.

“I promise we’ll talk later.”

“You’ve been promising that for two years. We talk now or I don’t move.” Del frowned. This seemed to be something more than just about the cut of the take that he’d promised her.

“We’ve got limited time to do this. I’ll raise your cut to thirty percent.”

“Considering I just saved your life, that’s insultingly low. I’ll could just boot you over the edge again.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would. I’m not the same person you met six years ago. Things have happened. Things have changed. I have changed. I had to.” He shivered. He knew what she was talking about and it was all his fault. Everything back then had been his fault and both of them knew it.

“Fine.” He sat down heavily. “Forty percent.”

“Also, we need to talk about us.”

He frowned at her. “What do you mean us?”

“What are we Del?” She shifted the bag of goods on her shoulders, which tinkled as it moved. He stared at her and she stared back and for a second he thought he saw the play of emotions across her usually shuttered eyes.

“I don’t know.” His thoughts were whirling. What did she mean? What was she wanting? She frowned at him and stared at her feet. His comm beeped letting him know that they were really running out of time. She looked at him and he could see that she was biting the inside of her lip.

“Would you like us to be something?” The words were out of his mouth before he could take them back. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest and for a second his lunch threatened to make itself known again. He suddenly didn’t care about job they had to do or the insistent beeping of the comm. He wanted more than this life. She opened her mouth but before she could speak there was a hammering on the distant door. There was the sound of people yelling.

“We have to go.” She said matter-of-factly and the shutters slid closed again. Del nodded his heart dropping. She stood up and extended a hand down to help him up.

“Where to from here?”

“Up,” he pointed, “we climb up.”

She nodded and headed to the ladder on the side. Just as she went to put her foot on the first strut she looked at him.

“You wanted to know what we are,” she said and stared at him, “we’re work partners Del, that’s it. That’s all we’ll ever be.”

 

Superb tangle of emotions on each side.

 

Thank you Although I have to admit that I was thinking you'd spot Del explaining exactly how he met Kit and be like 'wha????'

*
Part 2/3
*

There was silence in the prison cell and Del looked across at Kei who was regarding him curiously. The boy took a bite of the apple.

“I know I’m only fifteen but that doesn’t sound much like love.”

Del laughed.

“At that point it wasn’t.”

“But you loved her,” Kei was frowning, “at least it sounds like you did.”

Del froze. He’d never really thought about it like that. Cared for and desired her to be more than friends - certainly. But love back then? Had he even been capable of it? He frowned.

“I don’t know Kei, love is complicated.”

Kei’s mouth twisted as he thought and for a brief second Del could see his beloved in their son’s facial expression.

“Yeah, but you said that this was going to be about how you two fell in love.” He said after a a moment, “so far it seems like you like her and she hates you.”

Del laughed. “That was about the long and short of it.”

“So how did that change?” Kei leant back against the wall and took another bite of his apple.

“We travelled together for a while and then a job went wrong,” Del said after a long minute. He massaged one hand with the other in the same way he always did when he was stressed. “There was a fight and Rin got hurt.”


*


“I don’t think you understand,” the Azumel said blinking five of its stalk like eyes at Del. The sixth eye was nothing but a burnt and empty stalk. The stalk still turned and looked with the other eyes and Del found himself desperately trying to tear his gaze away from it. “You said that you would bring us six hundred dat, but I have had my men count it and it’s only four hundred.”

“Your men need to go back to school.” Del said and then winced at his own words. “It was six hundred. I counted it myself. Maybe one of them is stealing from you, or maybe you are stea-“

“I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding,” Kithera cut in trying to smooth her way through the tension in the air, “I’m sure we can work it out.”

Del knew it was a useless gesture. He had dealt with Dox before. The Azumel and his crew generally believed that violence solved any dispute. It was for this reason that he didn’t like dealing with Dox or his gang, but beggars could not be choosers.

“We can work it out certainly,” Dox said his eye-stalks swivelling and then coming back to stare at Del, “your fee less forty percent from the missing dat and then another ten percent because I don’t particularly like you.”

Del heard Kithera slide off the bar stool and braced himself for what was coming next.

“The dat isn’t missing,” the former Jedi was standing there casually, as if she was just having a pleasant chat about the weather, her hands open and by her sides. It looked completely non-threatening to anyone who had never been trained as a Jedi. “Del is right. Your men are stealing from you.”

The eyestalks swivelled.

“My men don’t steal.”

“Fine,” she shook her head, “your other men might not steal from you, but that Kessurian certainly is.” She pointed a finger at the young and suddenly rather scared Kessurian fighter that was standing off in a corner. The fighter tried to shuffle away.

“How do you know?” Dox asked suspiciously, “are you two working together?”

Kithera shook her head. “No. I work only with Del,” she glanced over at him and smiled and, despite the danger, Del suddenly felt his heart beat faster.

“I ain’t stolen nuffink,” the Kessurian’s voice quavered even as he tried to sound tough.

“You have,” Kit walked towards him and Del had to stop himself from grabbing her. The cockiness that all Jedi seemed to have wired into them, even former Jedi, was suddenly and disastrously rearing its head. Kit turned and smiled at Dox. “If I prove that,” she paused and gestured at the Kessurian who was seemingly trying to turn invisible, “bugalugs here is stealing from you, then you’ll pay us another fifty percent on top of your original price.”

Dox laughed. “And what if I don’t.”

She shrugged and shook her head like the Azumel was stupid. “You want your dat and I want to get paid.” She turned and headed towards the Kessurian. The young fighter pulled out a weapon and Kithera gave same don’t be stupid look she’d given Dox just a second before.

“Did you take the dat?” She asked and her fingers waved in the air. The Kessurian’s eyes glazed for a second before it answered.
“Yes.”

Del shook his head, Jedi mind tricks were dangerous at the best of times, in the outer-rim they could be a death sentence. She turned and smiled at Dox.

“Excellent, now we’ve gotten that sorted. You’re going to pay us.”

“But we don’t know where they are.” Dox grumbled.

“That’s not my concern,” Kit replied cocking her head to one side, “I said I’d discover if bugalugs was stealing from you. Bugalugs just admitted it. You owe us the money.”

“And what if I refuse to pay you.” The Azumel’s eyes were narrowing. Kithera frowned at him as if perplexed.

“You will pay us.” Her fingers waved again. Del could have groaned.

“What do you think you are? Some kind of Jedi?” The Azumel laughed and motioned at his goons who started to trot forward.

“Actually,” Kithera said picking up a bar stool, “yes.” The gang advanced on them and she smiled at Del again before continuing, “just not a very good one.”

The first man reached them and Kit swung her chair, splintering it over the man’s head. Del watched her as she became grace personified. Even without a lightsabre, she jumped and spun through the air using any improvised weapon she could lay her hands on. He had only seen her fight twice before, once against the clawcat and the other time - he shuddered. The other time wasn’t something he ever wanted to think about again.

In front of him, Dox drew a blaster and aimed at Kithera as she kicked one of his goons between the legs and smashed another one over the head with a glass. Del shook his head, drew his own weapon in one smooth movement and fired. Kit gave him a feral grin as the Azumel dropped to the ground and then threw herself back into the fray. Del slid his blaster back into its holster and waded in after her. If nothing else, he needed to keep her safe.


*


“That’s a nasty cut,” Del shook his head as he tried to stem the bleeding. They were back aboard The Lady. Del had only just managed to get himself and Kithera out of there, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. She winced as he added another thick swathe of gauze on top of the original blood soaked bandage on her arm. “What made you think you could take on Dox and his entire gang?”

“Don’t suppose you have any bacta?” Kithera groaned ignoring the question.

“Sorry, this isn’t the Temple. We don’t have bacta on tap here.”

She closed her eyes and he looked at her pale face. Maybe it would be safer for her back at the Temple, even though he knew his own heart would break. It had only been two years, they would surely take her back.

“You could go back,” Del said quietly, “if you want to.”

Her eyes flew open and she stared at him and then shook her head.

“Do you want me to?” Her voice was soft and terrified.

“No,” He shook his head again, his heart breaking at the thought even though he couldn’t tell her, “No. Never.”

“Good. I don’t want to go back.”

He started with surprise. “You don’t?”

She shook her head. “I don’t fit in there. I don’t think I ever did.” She looked down to where he was holding her arm and then back up and his face. For a second he saw the wash of fear and regret but there were no shutters this time.

“I want to live my life. I made too many mistakes to go back.” She said and then winced looking down at her still bleeding arm. When she spoke again it was almost too soft to hear. “I screwed up. I know that.” Del stared at her, wondering if it was the fight or the Temple she was talking about.

She turned her face towards him and he was shocked to see how pale and grey she had become. “We both screwed up Del, but I can’t forgive you for that. Not yet. All know is that I have Zallie and I love her and I have to look after her.” Her head lolled and he grabbed her and held on as she collapsed.

“Stay with me Kitkit,” he said softly, stroking the side of her face. She shook her head and stared up at him as he cradled her. She grinned woozily.

“I will. I would like to.” She said and then poked out her tongue slightly, “and it’s not Kit. It’s Rin.” Then her eyes rolled back into her head and Del was left sitting in silence.

 

Had a chuckle at the entire exchange with the Azumel. Kit and Del were able to salvage it just barely and in the later scene the anxiety he feels for her injury and leaving is tangible. You can tell just as clearly she doesn't want to go but is afraid he wants her to. I love this realistic tangle ... it speaks to each one's insecurity over the other's feelings but certainty of their own.

 

You are absolutely spot on. At this stage they are both really insecure about their own place in the world and still hurting in their relationship with each other. Eventually though we know they'll work it out... eventually. Thank you for reading

*
Part 3/3
*

“Uh Da?” Kei’s voice shocked him out of his reverie. For a second he’d been back there, holding her and trying to stem the bleeding. “How did she not bleed out if you had no bacta?”

“I don’t know,” Del shrugged, “I just kept the pressure on and eventually it stopped. It could have gone either way, but it wasn’t like there was any other choice. Luckily A’radia had given me some herbs that promote healing which I brewed up and gave to her. It took a couple of days and she was okay.”

“And that’s why Mama has that scar on her arm.”

“Yes kiddo, that’s where that scar comes from.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes and Del watched as Kei turned the core of the apple over in his hands.

“Did you get paid?” He asked eventually. Del laughed.

“Yes, surprisingly we got paid. Dox’s second in command figured it was better to pay the girl who took on what was now his gang with a chair leg then have her as an enemy.”

Kei grinned. “That sounds like mama. Don’t mess with her when she’s angry.”

“It’s a good life lesson to never take on an angry Jedi.” Del said and wondered briefly if the Order had ever considered that a Jedi with everything to lose was far more powerful and terrifying than one that had nothing to lose at all.

“You still haven’t fallen in love though.” Kei said. “I expect that would have been pretty epic considering the first two stories.”

Del laughed. “Not really. Sometimes falling in love is so gradual that when it happens it’s not under a shooting star or trying to catch someone in a spaceport as they leave. It’s not like the holos Kei. Sometimes,” he held out his arms and Kei left the apple core on the edge of the cot and came and sat next to him. “it’s in the most banal of places.”


*


“I’d like you to come with me.” The lunch rush had been and gone and Rin was emptying glasses and wiping tables. She looked up at Del and brushed her fringe from her eyes. Del got the feeling that Bes was watching them from her position behind the bar of The Drunken Nerf but he ignored it.

“Go where with you?” Rin asked softly.

“I don’t know. Just to see the galaxy. Go places we could never go as Jedi.”

“We went lots of places as Jedi.”

“Yeah, but this is places that we choose to go. Not where we are told.”

“But you can do that by yourself, can’t you?”

Del thought about the last three years, of jobs with Rin and the growing feelings that he could no longer ignore. He looked at her wishing that he could tell her everything, tell her how sorry he was. Tell her how he’d never forgive himself. Tell her that he loved her more than he thought was possible. Rin was staring up at him and looking perplexed. Del bent his head down so that he could stare into Rin’s blue eyes. His heart was hammering in his chest and he could feel his palms sweating.

“But I want do it with you.”

There was silence and Del felt like his heart had stopped.

“Zallie’s on the roof again!” Jor’oune came crashing through the door and he sprang away from Rin like he had been zapped. At the bar, Bes slapped her forehead in frustration and rounded on her husband.

“You are an idiot.” She grumbled as she passed him, “a complete idiot.”

Kithera laughed at them both and grabbed Del’s hand. His hand tingled at her touch and she smiled up at him.

“Let’s go rescue Zallie.”

She led him outside, past Bes who was still grumbling at her husband and into the courtyard. The courtyard, like the bar, was empty at this time of day. Rin turned and faced him, taking his other hand with her free one.

“Shouldn’t we be rescuing Zallie?” Del asked softly. Rin scrunched her nose and shook her head.

“She’ll be fine for a minute. We need to talk.”

He looked at her and his breath hitched in the back of his throat. All of a sudden, he wanted nothing more than to run. This was going to be where she told him she still hated him, where she cursed him and screamed at him. This was where-

“I want to go with you.” She said softly.

“Huh? Why?” The words were out before he could stop it.

She shook her head, “I just said I wanted to go. Why are you second guessing me?”

“I caused you so much pain.” Del was staring at her caught between delight she had said yes and terrifying fear that it would all be ripped away from him again. “I can’t ever undo what I did.”

Her hand let go of his and she placed a single finger against his mouth as if to shush him.

“Stop,” she shook her head. “Stop second guessing yourself. You are right, you can’t undo what happened but the way I see it I have two choices. I can either be angry at you forever and never live my life, or I can see that neither of us really had a choice in that situation.”

“Don’t-“ he started but she cut him off.

“I want to go with you because I…” she paused and then shook her head. Then she reached up and wrapped her hand through his hair and pulled him down and---.


*


“Eww,” Kei said shoving him slightly, “that’s gross.”

“You asked.” Del threw up his hands. “You wanted to know how I fell in love with your mama and that’s it. That’s the story.”

Kei humphed and glared at him, “but it didn’t have to end with kissing.”

“How would you want it to end.”

“I don’t know, with some sort of valiant rescue.” Kei said and then grinned. “Like this one.”

There was a whumph from outside and the wall shook. Alarms started ringing through the building. In the distance Del could hear people yelling and the other prisoners hammering on their doors. Kei grinned at his father as plaster and stone chipped down from the ceiling.

“Wall opening,” he grinned, “please stand clear.”

There was another whumph and then stone wall that the cot had been up against collapsed in a mess of rubble and mortar. The apple core, so neatly placed by Kei, wobbled for a second and then fell off the end of the cot to roll across the floor. Del shielded himself from the sudden bright lights that pierced the gloom.
“Hurry up, will you.” He could hear Rin’s voice over the sirens and the noise of The Lady. The turbo guns on the turrets were firing in rapid succession. Del staggered to his feet and ran towards where she was standing on the open ramp of his beautiful, glorious ship, pushing Kei in front of him. He reached the edge and jumped and Rin caught him, bands of Force reaching out to steady him. She grinned at him and he felt his heart beat like the day she had first told him she had loved him.

“What no thank you?” She teased as she grabbed hold of him

“Thank you. Although you could have gotten here a bit sooner.”

Rin laughed. “Next time I’ll let the both of you stew a bit longer, shall I?”

“Whose piloting?” He asked suddenly concerned.

“Taro.”

Del’s eyes widened.

“He’s only fourteen.”

“I’ve told you before, fourteen year olds are perfectly competent pilots.”

Rin merely grinned as she pulled him inside and hit the button to close the ramp. She turned at smiled at Kei, wiping a smudge of dirt of his cheek and then hugging him.

“He’s got Nicco and you for a teacher, what could possibly go wrong.” She said as she let her son go. Del glared at her but she merely grinned in response and then patted Kei. “Go see your brother, he’s been worried sick about you. Then tell him that we need to get out of here.”

“I should-“ Del started as Kei bounded away, taking the cargo bay stairs two at a time.

“Nope.” Rin said grabbing his hand as he went to follow. As he pivoted back towards her, she reached up, wrapped her hand through his hair, pulled him close and kissed him.

 

Just. SQUEE! Happy sweet wrap!

 

Funny story with a sweet ending.

 

Can't leave the ending unhappy! Where would our family of scoundrels be if I left Del and Kai languishing in prison?

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

Aww, thank you. I'm glad you liked the way it came full circle and the banter and snark between the family. They love each other, even if they sometimes have a strange way of showing it!

 

I loved this! Such a great mix of action, snark, and romance.

Part 1:

That's the way to start a story. I love their banter, and then Kit's hesitance to reveal her feelings.

Part 2: You're so good at action! The whole confrontation was so great, and I love how Kit took charge. I also love how Del takes care of her. And they're both so close to admitting how they feel!

Part 3:

Really like this bit!

You had the Drunken Nerf scene (or part of it) in your drabbles, right? In any case I love it! How they're SO CLOSE but Jor'oune interrupts to tell them Zallie's on the roof. But then they finally make their confessions, yay!

And I just love how you bring it full circle at the end, with the rescue and the banter and the kiss! Perfect.

Awesome job on this!