Saga - OT I’m a Believer | OTP “Our Song” challenge |Wren/Kaz

Title: I’m a Believer
Author: Raissa Baiard
Genre: Romance, humor, AU
Characters: Kazuda Xiono, Wren Ordo (OC), Nisha Mondavi (OC), mentions of Hamato Xiono, Ronen Syndulla-Jarrus
Timeframe: ca. 28 ABY
Synopsis: Kazuda Xiono has given up on love, until…

Notes: written for OTP “Our Song” challenge. This vignette references this chapter of “The Journal of Ronen Syndulla-Jarrus, Jedi Action Hero (or Something)”, in which Kaz and his father, Hamato, meet Ronen and Wren.

Thank you to @Findswoman for beta reading
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I thought love was only true in fairy tales
Meant for someone else but not for me
Love was out to get me
That's the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all of my dreams
Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer
—“I’m a Believer”, The Monkees

Love wasn’t nearly as easy as the holo-roms made it seem, Kazuda Xiono reflected morosely. In the holos, a guy could literally bump into a girl on the street and before you knew it, they’d be sitting in some cute little tapcaf smiling moonily at each other over espressacino and declaring they’d been destined to meet. In real life, girls tended not to be so thrilled when you ran into them, especially if you spilled an entire bottle of FizzyGlug CodeRed™ (now with twice the blumfruit juice!) on their white cashmina tunic in the process. The guys in the holos weren’t the kind of awkward moof-milkers who tripped over random small (or large) objects, imperfections in the pavement, or, lacking those, their own feet. They were never so tongue-tied when they invited the pretty girl to that cute tapcaf that they forgot all but the most basic vocabulary and blurted, “So would you like you to go have some, um, food with me? I know this, um, this place that has really...really great... food. Because you like to eat, right?” (Kaz was still kicking himself for that).

But if Kaz wasn’t exactly a holo-rom hero, Nisha Mondavi--beautiful, flawless Nisha--was definitely suited for the role of holo-rom herione. Her ebony ringlets were always effortlessly swept back into an equine-tail that cascaded over her shoulders and down her back, never a hair out of place. Her deep turquoise eyes were always set off by subtly smoky eyeshadow, and accented by three small but geometrically precise blue diamonds stencilled below each set of long dark lashes. Her lips were always glossy queen’s heart red, and she was always fashionable and impeccably dressed--or at least she had been, until Kaz ran into her. She’d looked down at the large, vivid red blotch spreading across her once glacially white tunic; a tiny line creased her forehead and her lips pursed for just a moment before she sighed, “Oh, Kazuda…”

And Kaz had known he was in trouble. He’d heard “Oh, Kazuda…” in that tone of voice so often he felt like he could write a rejection form letter, and just have the girls circle the appropriate responses:

“Oh, Kazuda, that’s so [thoughtful/ kind/ nice/ stupid] of you, and I think you’re really [sweet/ funny/ nice/ a moof-milker], but I [already have plans/ don’t date underclassmen/ think of you like a brother/ wouldn’t go out with you if the only other available guy at Hosniana was Kerva the Hutt]. Let’s [talk later/ just be friends/ keep in touch/ never speak of this again], okay?”

It was probably better if Kaz just resigned himself to the fact that he was doomed to be alone, that he was just one of those guys who was never going to find the perfect girl. The sooner he accepted that he was better off being here in a spaceport on Garel accompanying his father on another of his Very Important (but terrifically dull) business meetings than being back home on Hosnian Prime at the Hosniana Young Leaders’ Academy end-of-term semi-formal dance watching Nisha dance with every other guy, the better off he’d be.

Because standing here smiling like a dutiful son while Father networked with the Jedi Council’s representative had to be better than thinking of Nisha, right? Kaz sighed, earning a sharp look from his father, who hissed, “Kazuda, quit moping. Here comes Master Jarrus.”

Kaz straightened, partly because of his father’s rebuke, but partly because he figured it was probably a good idea to be polite to someone who could scramble your brain with a wave of his hand.

While Kaz had never actually met a real Jedi before, Master Ronen Jarrus didn’t look the way he would’ve pictured one. He was way too young, for one thing—maybe twenty—and he had a thatch of untidy brown hair as well as short lekku with faint orange stripes. He wasn’t even wearing the long hermit’s robes that all the Jedi wore in the holos, just a gray canvas pilot’s jacket decorated with vintage Rebellion-era patches.

And there was a Mandalorian with him—in full armor, a helmet and everything. As with Jedi, Kaz hadn’t seen a Mandalorian in person, but he’d seen the holos and this one was not what he would have expected.

First of all, it was a female Mandalorian. She was slightly built and slender, but definitely feminine, not at all like the bulked up action-holo Mandos in their battered armor plating. Kaz hadn’t realized until that moment that armor could be form-fitting, but somehow the Mando girl’s gleaming golden brown armor managed it. And it fit…nicely. No rumpled khaki tactical pants and combat boots for her, either. Her dark grey pants and knee-high boots wouldn’t have been out of place at a fathier riding club, and they, too, emphasized their wearer’s curves. Kaz wondered what she looked like beneath the gold-brown helmet that was embellished with stylized bird’s eyes above the visor and a pattern of feathers on the sides. Was it true that a Mando had to kill you if you saw their face? Because he might be willing to take that chance…

As if she knew what he was thinking, the girl reached up and swept off her helmet.

If this had been a holo-rom, the sun would have come out just at that moment. It wasn’t a holo and they were indoors, but Kaz thought the spaceport seemed brighter anyway.

The Mandalorian girl stood with her helmet in the crook of her arm, balanced against her left hip, her posture confident, maybe even a little challenging. She had short dark brown hair, just chin-length; it wisped around her face in uneven layers that she swept out of her eyes with a gloved hand. Her skin was the color of tarine tea with cream, perfectly smooth with no sign of cosmetics and none of the brightly colored stenciled-on beauty marks that the girls on Hosnian Prime loved. Her gray eyes were intense, alert, taking in every detail as she scanned the docking bay, the ship, his father—and came to rest on Kaz. And he thought that her lips, which were an inviting shade of Mon Cal pink, curved into just the slightest of smiles.

She wasn’t like any girl he’d ever met before.

She was perfect.

And Kazuda Xiono believed in love again.
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*purrs* SQUEE! If that song gets stuck in my head, I won't mind

 

That was a fun story, I particulary enjoyed the callbacks to the Mandalorian but the highly defenetly was the proposed rejection letter.

 

This is officially my favourite line of fanfic that I've read all year. I absolutely and utterly adore it! Amazing work!

Ahh, the first sign of true love* is when the person literally lights up the room like a torch.

And just when I didn't believe it could get better it did! This was amazing from start to finish. Loved the description and the last line. Perfection! *chefs kiss*

 

I have to echo Nyota's SQUEE! This was so cute and funny and perfect with the song (which I also happen to love)!

I feel that! This also reminds me of a classic Simpsons moment from one of my favorite episodes.

The 'rejection form letter' was hilarious and also a bit sad...seems like poor Kaz doesn't have much luck with the ladies. Aww.

Yeah, probably a good idea indeed!

Love this line! I love Kaz's thoughts about seeing Wren, and how she revealed herself, and then the final line was PERFECT!

Such a sweet, fun vignette and a wonderful response to the challenge!

 

I love the song, too, and when I heard it recently, and knew it was perfect for Kaz and Wren. It has an upbeat energy that matches Kaz's earnest demeanor, and I could hear him saying those words about Wren. He was definitely a believer from the moment he saw her face!

Thanks! I'm glad that I was able to contribute to the challenge. It was indeed a challenge to get this one into shape with everything that was going on, and I thank you for your encouragement and forbearance during the process As far as Ro's patches--he has at least one Phoenix Squadron patch (design by Aunt Sabine, of course) and probably some of his mom's old rank patches.

Glad you enjoyed them! Nisha isn't a mean girl, per se. She the kind of girl who lives by fashion magazines and is looking for the kind of guy described in the relationship articles contained in them. She's ultimately not unkind, but she can't see past the surface to appreciate Kaz's sincerity. She's the polar opposite of Wren, who, as a Mando, has no use for fashion, holo-roms, or the rules of relationships. It's definitely the start of something big for them (as you may have guessed from that hint of a smile, Wren isn't immune to the charms of Mr. K. Xiono, either.)

Thank you so much! And thank you for being such a supporter of Wraz (and giving them their name smush )

Thank you! I couldn't resist getting a few gentle pokes in at That Other Mandalorian And I'm glad that everyone like the rejection form; it is my favorite bit in the story, too, and the part that kept me plugging away at it even when I felt like giving up on the whole thing.

Oh, my...(and the "face blush" emoji is gone just when I need it most) Thank you so much for the wonderful comment! The rejection form is the only part of this story that stayed the same through several major revisions. The story around it changed and refined quite a bit, but that bit sprung to life fully formed. I am all kinds of happy that it has made everyone chuckle, too. And, yes, if holo-roms have taught Kaz anything, it is that true love starts with that magical moment when the world lights up and a chorus of little birdies sing Again, thank you so much for the lovely comment and kind words, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

Aww, thanks! It's one of my favorites; I'm a fan of the Monkees in general--ah, the nostalgia! (For their comeback in the late '80s, anyway, which, I realize, still makes me old )

Yeah, I have had my share of moments like that! Kaz is a leeeetle more socially adept than poor Ralph Wiggums, but he can be pretty awkward and a little goofy (and tends to think with his stomach when he's in those awkward situations and blurt something about food). So I think the popular girls overlook or friend zone him because they're looking for that suave holo-rom hero. Their loss, of course.

Yep, always wise to be polite to someone with mind powers!

Thank you so much! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it.

I need the blush emoji again here Thank you so much; it means a lot to me that you enjoy Wren and Kaz.I know that EC/OC relationships can be a hard sell, especially when the EC is from an overlooked corner of the GFFA.

He really is a sweetheart; that's one reason why I love him. He has such a good heart and he really does try, even if he's awkward and goofy in the attempt. Nisha may not be the sort who can appreciate that, but Wren, with her practical Mandalorian sensibility, values substance over style--and sincerity is something Kaz has no lack of.

More blushing emojis go here

Of course, Ronen isn't that kind of Jedi, but Kaz doesn't know that yet, so....better safe than sorry, right?

This is the way Even if it's not the same universe, I'm sure there are a lot of misconceptions about Mandalorians in the civilized Core of the Galaxy where Kaz lives.

Yep! You've captured exactly what I was picturing, with the romantic chords (cue angelic choir: Laaaa!) and slo-mo hair toss that are such a trope of rom-coms. That's how it feels to Kaz; he is indeed a smitten pittin over this beautiful, perfect Mandalorian girl Soon enough, he'll come to appreciate her bravery and fortitude as much as her appearance, but in this first moment it's all about that "wow!". Thank you again for this wonderful comment and for being such a supporter of my odd little OTP. It means so much to me.

And a very big thank you to everyone who commented on this story. Your fantastic comments have helped to make a particularly Darth-y week a lot better