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Cal was no stranger to the perils unknown planets could hide. Even if it hadn’t been ingrained into him since he could put one foot in front of the other, life on the run would have been a short life if he jumped headfirst into every danger, hidden or not.
Such was the path of the Jedi: to only jump with a clear head and your mind open to the Force.
Well.
Mostly.
Because sometimes, the only hope left to save his life was to take a leap of faith, and to trust that the Force would be kind enough to break his fall, and not his skull.
Like when a Mogu, unsatisfied by tearing apart both Imps and Raiders, set its sight upon him, and Cal, with too few stims for his comfort, ran, and didn’t stop running. Even after the only thing in front of him was a cliff with a long sheer drop to safety. The Mogu wouldn’t be foolish enough to follow.
But Cal was definitely foolish enough to try it.
“Hang tight, buddy,” Cal murmured to BD-1, who whirred concernedly in response. Not that Cal could say much more to comfort him. It was going to be alright. It had to be.
Here goes nothing.
The thing no one ever taught him in the Jedi Temple was how painful trusting in the Force could be. Every jolt of his joints trying and failing to gain a steady hold, every thwack of brush against his skin, the burn of rocks and gravel digging into his palms. Oh, and of course the final thud of his body against the forest floor.
Nothing broken or sprained. Lots of cuts and bruises. But as Cal blinked against the sunlight filtering through the leaves, at least he could say he didn’t have a concussion.
“You okay, BD?”
The droid popped up next to him from stars only knew where he was hiding, and trilled at him, clearly agitated.
“Yeah, me too.” Cal sat up a little and groaned. “Think you can spot me a stim?”
“Uh hey, Cal?” Bode’s voice rang out just as the stim was hitting his system. “Tell me you didn’t just fall off a cliff.”
“Okay, I won’t,” Cal said, rolling his shoulders loose and working out the remaining kinks in his neck. It also gave him a good chance to look around at where he had jumped (not fallen) to. A small, quiet meadow, with the cliffs behind him and more forest ahead. And all around, bright purple and orange flowers, large and small, that were unlike anything he had seen yet. It wasn’t a part of the forest he was familiar with, but that didn’t say too much. Koboh was a big place, and he hadn’t had the chance to explore every crevice and cavern yet.
The silence that greeted him would have been peaceful, if not for the fact that it wasn’t just from a lack of creatures or people trying to kill him. It was also Bode, not talking anymore. Bode, who Cal hadn’t even known was nearby. Bode, who if Cal had known was watching him would have been a great person to ask for help.
Although, if help would have come in the form of clinging to tight Bode while they flew to safety with his thruster pack…
Maybe the pain was worth it. There were enough complications in Cal’s life without that embarrassment.
“You know…” From anyone else, that smug tone of voice would have been irritating. From Bode—it was definitely still irritating, but it also brought a smile to Cal’s lips. “You could have called me if you were in trouble.”
Cal took a deep, steady breath, but whatever clever comeback he was about to say was lost when a violent cough overtook him.
“Are you alright?”
Cal couldn’t even catch his breath enough to make a joke. Through watery eyes, he could barely make out the shape of BD-1, jumping frantically with worry, among the purple and orange blurs all around him.
“Cal?”
Bode’s hand on his shoulder had Cal nearly jumping out of his skin. Where had he come from? And how out of it was he that Cal hadn’t noticed him coming?
“I think—” Cal choked out in between coughs. He shook his head, but it did nothing to help. “Flowers.”
It must have been the pollen. An allergic reaction. Even though it felt less like his throat was closing up and more like his whole body was on fire and someone had shoved molten sand down his gullet.
“Here. Drink this.”
A canteen was forced between his lips, and even though Cal knew water wouldn’t help an allergic reaction, he swallowed down the water on instinct. Miraculously, the cool balm did soothe the irritation, and when Bode pulled the canteen away, Cal took a deep, hungry breath.
“Better?”
Cal nodded, his eyes shut tight as he reached for the Force and tried to right his topsy-turvy world. Not an allergic reaction. His throat was fine, but his skin was prickling, sweat beading up on his forehead and his chest, as a heat began to lick across his flesh and deep inside. He opened up his mouth to voice his thanks, but suddenly he felt absolutely parched, and wished Bode would press his canteen up against his lips once more.
Or something else.
Cal’s eyes flashed open. That thought wasn’t one he had allowed to grow before, too troublesome a path that might lead too. He was too used to being alone to imagine, even briefly, sharing such intimacy with someone who he cared for, who he fought side by side with, and who he called a friend. But now it took root, and flourished. And once it started, it wouldn’t stop.
And here Bode was standing before him, looking concerned, and oh so handsome.
And suddenly, Cal felt like they were both wearing far too many clothes.
He licked his lips and smiled. “I think I know just how to thank you.”
