"So this is all you do at these things? Put your back to the wall and avoid talking to people?"

Fett stood beside him, his helmet under his arm, his casual stance betrayed by the fact that he hadn't moved at all in the past half hour. "Think of it as a job."

Dyrk shifted restlessly, passing his own helmet from one hand to the other. He'd gotten pretty used to these kind of social gatherings on Coruscant, but usually he was there with other senators and it was more a committee meeting with drinks. He really had no function at an event commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the destruction of Alderaan, other than being his husband's date, which wasn't a bad gig in itself.

Luke was currently surrounded by other attendees, patiently answering questions about the Jedi Academy. He was wearing a new robe over his customary dark clothes, brown like the old Jedi robes but cut with a little more swish . Dyrk thought he looked very dignified and important. He wondered if Luke would be game to put it on sometime with nothing underneath, and let him take a few holos for his personal collection.

"Don't let me keep you if you have somewhere else to be." Fett's voice made him realize that he was smiling, and probably a little bit too much for such a sober event.

"Maybe I'll get a drink. You want any-" He was cut off as a tall, balding man he didn't recognize stepped into his path, and offered his hand with a broad grin.

"Senator Veet, is it? Captain Rox Morro."

He was wearing a white memorial ribbon wrapped twice around his arm like Leia, which made him another survivor. He also appeared to have been drinking quite heavily. "Captain Morro." Dyrk shook his head. "It's a honor to meet you."

"Same here, same here. You're Luke's husband!"

"That's right. You're a friend of his?"

"Long time ago. I was an X-wing pilot. We served together on Hoth."

Dyrk nodded and chuckled. "I've heard some stories about that base."

"Kriff, yeah. It was a nightmare. I remember the night he went missing and Captain Solo went after him...we thought they were both goners." The captain made an attempt to clap him on the shoulder and hit his shoulder guard instead. "Ouch. That's some hard armor you've got. It sure is nice to meet you. Luke was always a great pilot and a real nice guy. I had a...I had a bit of crush on him in those days. Lots of us did."

"Oh." Dyrk glanced back at his brother-in-law, whose stony expression clearly conveyed that this was his fault for talking to people. He was on his own.

"Sure, sure," Captain Morro continued, not picking up on his discomfort. "You know how it is, all those young pilots on an ice planet, bored out of our skulls and knowing every day could be our last. Here's the funny thing though, I didn't think I had shot with him because of-" He jerked his head to where Leia stood, engaged in conversation with the event organizers.

"Because of…?" Dyrk didn't follow.

"Because he was all tangled up with the princess!" The captain laughed heartily. "It was before we knew they were brother and sister, of course! We just thought they were kriffing."

Fett's cold tone cut through the air. "Shut your fekking mouth."

Captain Morro straightened and gave him a puzzled look. "Sorry? Who-"

"Don't mind him," Dyrk said quickly. "But maybe keep it down a little. We don't want any talk."

"Oh, there was a lot of talk! And they didn't help matters any. The princess was real affectionate with him. Buddy of mine who worked in the med bay even saw her kiss him on the mouth. He swore it was a lover's kiss, but…like I said. It was before we knew."

Out of the corner of his eye, Dyrk saw Fett move, a slow, menacing shift. "I'm sure Luke would love to talk to you about the old days." He put his arm around the captain's shoulders and steered him away. "Go right on over."

"I don't wanna interrupt him-"

"Interrupt him! He won't mind."

To his relief, when he turned back around, his brother-in-law was still there. But there was something different about his stillness now. His face was even more expressionless than usual, and he practically vibrated with tension.

"It was twenty years ago," Dyrk told him. "I wouldn't worry about any rumors starting now."

"Did you know?"

"Did I know what? That they made out a little? Luke mentioned it, but I-" That was when it hit him. "Wait, you didn't know?"

Fett didn't answer, but he didn't have to. His gaze shifted over to his wife, and his mouth tightened.

"Oh, osik." Dyrk resisted the impulse to clap his hand dramatically over his mouth. "I feel like a complete shabuir. But what does it matter now?"

"It doesn't."

"Right. Well, seems like it matters to you a little." Dyrk rubbed the dome of his helmet with his fingers, polishing an imaginary spot. "I don't know why she didn't tell you, but then again how do you work 'I kissed my brother' into a conversation?"

The bounty hunter's eyes cut over to him. "You think it stopped at kissing?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"She kissed me once. It didn't stop there."

"Maybe that was your seductive charm."

Fett turned to face him. "Leia once made me promise that I would never kill her brother for any reason. That doesn't cover you."

Dyrk grinned unrepentantly at him. "Not even in self-defense? Because if you kill me you're going to have a very pissed off Jedi on your hands."

His brother-in-law cocked an eyebrow at him, and then tilted his head just slightly in acknowledgement.

"It stopped at kissing, Boba. I'm sure of it."

"Why?"

"Because Luke is the way he is, and Leia's not the type to push. Also, I was Luke's first."

He blinked once, in recognition. "Tanaab?"

"After Tanaab." Dyrk nodded in Leia's direction. "I bet him a kiss the two of you wouldn't stay broken up."

"I would have taken that bet."

"I wouldn't have made it with you ." Dyrk nudged his shoulder into the bounty hunter's, which earned him a warning look. "There's a lot I wish I'd done differently back then, but here we are anyway. Cin vhetin, right?"

"Oh. There you are." Leia slipped her arm through her husband's and gave him a knowing look. "Having a good time?"

"I'm meeting new people. Learning new things."

"So 'no?'"

"It's been...interesting."

"Really?" She leaned closer, her hand slipping into his. "What have you learned?"

He looked over at her, and then shook his head, the corner of his mouth flickering upward. "Nothing that matters."

She raised her eyebrows. "Hmm."

"Don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

"You're pretending to drop it, but you're going to ambush me with it later."

"I am not," she insisted.

"Haar'chak. " Dyrk shook his head. "I can't wait to be married long enough that arguments spontaneously generate. Looks like fun."

Leia looked over at her husband with a bemused smile. "It is fun, actually." Fett didn't seem to disagree.

"Well, don't let me slow you down." Dyrk caught sight of Captain Morro, speaking earnestly to Luke while standing a bit too closely. "I've got to go rescue my husband from a slightly inebriated fan."

Mando'a Translations

Cin vhetin - A fresh start