Ask Part Of Your World

[Ezra Thorne]

The soft beeps of an ECG machine was so consistent that he didn’t even notice it anymore. The days blurred together since the horrific events on Berchest. He had called in all the resources at his fingertips and Dash was transported directly to Rhinnal to some of the best medical facilities on the planet. Jedi provided medbays were just not up to Ezra’s standards and simply wouldn’t do.

When Dash finally came to after having been out for several days, he would see he was in a very expansive private suite. He would see it was completely filled to the brim with ridiculous balloons, stuffed animals and countless trinkets from members of the Jedi Order and mostly from Ezra. There were even get well cards signed by Dash’s favorite musicians and theater performers, courtesy of strings Ezra had his Pops pull.

There was heavy snowfall viewable from the massive windows that lined the suite. Dash would see Ezra sitting by his bed - or he had been sitting up earlier. The quarter Sephi was fast asleep with his face down on the bed next to Dash, having faceplanted right in the middle of sitting next to him. His hand loosely held Dash’s, clear that he had been sitting there until exhaustion made him collapse. Ezra appeared more disheveled than Dash had ever seen him, his normally perfectly styled hair in complete disarray. His Nalphone was on the bed by his other hand, the number of missed calls and texts numbering in the hundreds. He had been ignoring his Master as well, but she mercifully understood and allowed him space.

The table next to Dash had countless empty cups of over the top specialty caf with a paragraph of modifications written on each one. It was obvious Ezra had hardly left his side almost the entire time he had been out.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash walked slowly through the halls of the manor, his bare feet treading carefully on the polished marble. Every room he passed was cold and dark, shuttered and devoid of life. Thick frost covered the pillars and balustrades, the beginning of icicles hanging in the architraves.

The Rhinnalian climbed the stairs, the thin gown he seemed to be wearing flowing as he did. Green eyes met him on the first landing, the eyes of Jaikus Thorne. They were fearful, concerned, perhaps even worse. Dash ran on.

Emryc Thorne barred his way, muscled shoulders and big arms held wide. Dash somehow stepped around him, burned by that fierce silver gaze. He ran to the end of the corridor, turning a door handle and praying for escape.

He stepped through and found himself in Ezra's arms. He knew their strength, their smell, the warmth of that embrace. He nuzzled into its depths, looking up at his boyfriend's face.

But Ezra's features were frozen in torment, some unseen force striking him from behind. He fell away, fading, disappearing into nothing despite Dash trying to reach for him.

In his place stood Jadis Charn, her smile unnaturally wide. "Come, Dash Pavan" she said "you are mine!".

--------
​

Dash's eyes fluttered open gently, taking several moments to adjust to the light. He seemed to be in bed, surrounded by an awful lot of brightly coloured stuff. Were they balloons?

He gradually became aware of something in his hand, something warm. Moving his head was like turning a ship, but he managed it slowly, looking down his own body.

It was Ezra. A lot of people might not have recognised him how he looked now, but Dash knew the real Ez. He squeezed his boyfriend's hand gently, trying to rediscover his strength. It slowly dawned on him where he might be.

"You're supposed to wake me up" he coughed "not the other way around".

@Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra was blissfully out cold, fast asleep with his head buried in the sheets. However, Dash would spot his pointed ears twitching very lightly every so often. They only did that when he was either very happy or extremely distressed, and Ezra had felt very little of the former the past few days. He didn’t react initially, but after a few seconds he blinked awake. Ezra was always slow to wake as Dash had discovered on numerous occasions - even with super hearing, the Thorne could sleep through a firebombing.

He looked up with bleary, bloodshot eyes. They were even a bit glassy which would suggest there had been tears, though Ezra would sooner fling himself off a cliff than ever let anyone see him cry. Ezra’s eyes widened, and he did a quick wipe of his face with a sleeve before sitting upright. He gave Dash’s hand a squeeze, feeling a rush through his entire body as he looked at his boyfriend.

“You took your damn time,” He said with a faint smile, “It’s freezing all the time and the caf here is terrible,” He complained at once. The fondness was clear in his eyes as he looked at Dash. He stared at his boyfriend for a few seconds, a whirlwind of things running through his mind that he ought to say. However, he instead leaned over to tenderly kiss Dash. He gently cupped the side of Dash’s face, careful not to apply too much pressure. Ezra wasn’t the best with words, but he let his actions speak for him.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash managed a weak smile, the muscles in his face still waking up. It was just like Ez to complain about the facilities and no surprise that this - wherever this was - did not meet his expectations. The Rhinnalian was chuffed to bits when his boyfriend leaned in and their lips touched. He needed that so badly and he was not sure he could lift himself up just yet.

"Are you ok?" he asked Ezra. Dash could already feel a barrage of recent thoughts and memories lining up to be turned over in his mind. He remembered what they had all been through and feared thinking about it. But he could not hold the images back. "Did you get him, did we get him? Are all the guys ok?". If it was not yes, he was not sure he wanted to know.

He coughed suddenly, too many words tripping up a rusty throat. He felt a twinge in his chest and the moment the knife went in flashed before his eyes again. The Rhinnalian moved his head in an attempt to shake off the memory, catching sight of the stuff in the room again. A fracking lot of stuff.

There were balloons for sure yes, but stuffed teddies and brightly coloured gifts too. Cards littered the room like a flock of paper birds, so many cards. Dash had not realised he even knew that many people. Some even looked like they had celebrity signatures on them, but his eyes must be playing up.

He turned his head back to Ezra, so many questions muddling his brain. Who is all this stuff from? How long have I been here? Where is here? How did we get back? But none of it mattered that much, compared with the big worry now descending on him.

"I'm sorry I went a bit mental" he said softly, grimacing at the thought of his pain-wracked emotional outburst. "I thought he was going to take you, take you and- ... you know. I didn't mean to be all dramatic, I just had to say..."

His head and body hurt like hell, but he knew they would get better. What he could not risk was the hand he was holding and the man at his bedside. He just hoped he had not made a total fool of himself.

@Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra felt that familiar rush when their lips met. He couldn’t explain how it still felt just as tantalizing even though they had done it so many times. He gazed fondly at his boyfriend, his thoughts far away when Dash began rattling off questions. Ezra grimaced a bit, recalling the details of the fight. It had been a blur in the moment, but all those memories came flooding back along with the distress.

“Leon and I got him,” Ezra said quietly, “Ferrin…got hurt real bad,” He said with a sigh, “He’s still in a bacta tank and doctors don’t know if he’ll be able to talk again,” It was devastating what happened to Ferrin, and in many ways it was far worse. The Pantoran faced the chance of never being able to speak for the rest of his life.

When Dash began to speak about what he had said, Ezra perked up a bit. He hadn’t forgotten that big admission, and it had weighed on his mind. In fact, it was what made Ezra snap into fighting the Sith and find a strength within him that he didn’t know he had. It was far too cheesy to ever admit to Dash. However when Dash seemingly apologized for it and implied he had been crazy or hadn’t meant it, Ezra’s face fell slightly. He defaulted to his usual icy, his grip on Dash’s hand loosening a little.

“Oh,” He said simply, “Uh yeah.. It was just hectic, none of us were thinking clearly..,” Ezra said, unable to keep the disappointment from his tone. He cleared his throat, looking to brush right past the topic, “I hope you like all this stuff,” He gestured to all the gifts, “I may have gone a little overboard,” Ezra said with a tired, sheepish grin.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

It pained Dash to hear about Ferrin. For all the banter and snarkiness between them, he had warmed to the Pantoran and certainly would never actually wish him harm. To take his voice away too, that would be unbelievably cruel.

He looked to Ezra for strength, but his boyfriend seemed to be drifting. He was clearly tired, but Dash was expecting to be made fun of, or perhaps to hear a surprise reciprocation. Instead Ez sounded strangely detached.

"Thinking clearly?" the Rhinnalian repeated, propping himself up with an effort. "No, I was thinking clearly Ez and I meant it" he squeezed the other teen's hand, finally realising it was his boyfriend's thick skull that was the problem. "I do love you. I think I have for a while" he coughed gently, smiling as he cleared his throat "I just meant to say it better than screaming it in the middle of a fight". He readjusted their entwined fingers, looking hard at Ezra to make sure he understood.

When he was sure he did, Dash let his gaze go back to the gifts. "These were you?!" he supposed they had to be - no one else he knew would or could go overboard like this. It was obviously amazing, but even if he could get out of his bed he would have no idea where to start.

One particular card with a signed framed picture on the front caught his eye. "You mean that card there is actually signed by the real Garik Vandron?". Vandron was a smoking hot actor stage actor who fronted several of Dash's favourite shows. The get well card might be about to become his most prized possession.

@Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra paused when Dash made his admission again, clarifying that he had meant it. He stared at Dash, that familiar and cheesy flutter erupting in his chest again. He temporarily had a dazed expression on his face, their fingers entwining once again. Ezra soon recovered, his ears and entire face turning a bit red, “Oh, I know,” He said smugly, just as Dash had said to him when Ezra expressed how badly he wanted the blond on Kro Var. However, his eyes betrayed his emotions, the normally frosty silvers softening with a tenderness reserved only for his boyfriend.

Dash was soon distracted by the cards and Ezra followed his gaze. He grabbed the card and handed it over to him, “Uh yeah, you’re dating Ezra Thorne. Comes with some perks,” He said with his chest puffed out. Garik Vandron starred in a lot of shows and movies Ezra had almost no interest in, but Dash idolized him so it was worth jumping through a few hoops, “Turns out he’s a big fan of Pops..Looked like he was going to pass out when he walked in,” Ezra rolled his eyes and finally admitted. It was incredible that Pops even agreed to do a meet and greet with the actor to secure a chance to get the card. Ezra had been annoying enough for even the stoic half Sephi to cave.

“So…I met your parents when you were first brought in,” He said quietly after a moment of silence, “Nice people. Don’t think they realize who I am, though one of your brothers was looking at me real suspiciously,” Ezra grinned.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash was pleased to see the penny drop in those silver eyes and felt Ezra rally. He had finally been understood. Ez did not say it back, but for them that did not mean as much as for others. His boyfriend was not a talker and the fact he was beaming that Dash meant it said it all.

Hearing Ezra refer to himself in the third person was a new one, but so him and Dash laughed harder than he should imagining Emryc and Garik Vandron meeting one another. He was almost embarrassed to have been responsible, but he was happier to have the signed card and know that the President of the ISC liked him enough to make time for such a silly thing.

Dash was aghast that Ezra had already bumped into his family, having hoped to carefully choreograph a perfect meeting one day. Still, he supposed nearly getting killed by a Sith ruined all the best laid plans.

He was about to ask how it went when Ezra's words turned out to be prophetic. There was a commotion outside and the door to the room was pushed open by a figure in a heavy woollen coat and awash with bags. Dash knew it was his mother before he saw the long blonde hair and smiling face, still holding much of its natural beauty.

Esme Pavan looked practical yet elegant as always, putting her bags down on a chair and turning with a look of surprise at the sight of Ezra.

"Oh Ezra, hello there! I am so sorry, when we crossed the other day I didn't realise it was you at all! I have seen a photo or two, but you look so different!". Her accent was the clear and crisp tones of Rhinnalian aristocracy, but her voice was full of its usual warmth. "I'm Esme" she said, sticking a hand out to Ezra and Dash thanked the Force she did not go to hug him. "This is Dash's brother, Tyto - Ty come on now".

Ty came shouldering into the room in a hat and hoodie, playing some loud sports on his Nalphone. He glanced up did a double take at Ezra, before jutting his chin with a "hey man". Then he looked at Dash and his nonchalance softened a bit "how you doing Dashie?".

"Getting there, but not skating any time soon" he replied. It was the main thing they did together when both home.

"We will get you up and out there in no time" his mother said, planting herself in a chair at the side of his bed. He saw her blue eyes flick to he and Ezra's held hands. "It sounds like you have been through quite an ordeal you two, though I am still waiting on the full story?" Esme was no doubt quietly worried. She had supported him more than most when he went to find the Jedi, but this was the first time that decision had really come home to roost.

@Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra was so focused on Dash that even his fine tuned hearing didn’t tip him off to his family’s arrival. He only caught them in passing before, but the attention had been on Dash being in a critical state. Now that he was stable and on the mend, this was perhaps the first actual meeting. Ezra gave a polite nod, reluctantly letting go of Dash and standing to shake her hand, “Ezra Thorne. It's an honor to formally meet you, Dr. Pavan,” He said smoothly with the crisp bearing of a politician in the making. He pulled a chair out for her to take a seat. He left out the bit about being Dash's boyfriend - leaving the other teen to divulge that on his terms.

He heard familiar noises coming from Ty’s Nalphone. He gave a jut of his chin back, “Is that the Kothlis match? Hope you’re not a Kinyen fan with the way Darvins is playing this season,” Ezra gave a half grin. If Ty was a fan, this would no doubt spark a dialogue or debate in the background while Dash and his mother caught up.

Ezra’s attention was drawn back to Esme when she asked her question, and he quickly pretended he hadn’t been gawking at Ty’s screen. His gaze briefly flicked to Dash, wondering how to frame any of this. He looked back at Esme, his face its usual impassive, “A few of us were on a mission and we got lost. We were ambushed by someone and Dash protected us,” There wasn’t a single hint in his tone or face that he was lying. However, he also had parents that constantly questioned his choices and he wasn’t about to tell the story how it really went, “It’s over now, and we learned from it.”

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Ezra went into full formal mode with Dash's mom. The Rhinnalian had to stop himself laughing, it hurt his chest too much.

"You can relax Ez, mom knows all about you" he said, squeezing Ezra hand again. Dash was close to his mother and she had insisted on regular updates since he and Ez went sailing on Thyferra. She did not know all the details; witches, frost golems and lava pits would have had her suing the Jedi Order into the ground. But she knew the two them had spent a lot of time together.

When Ezra and Ty started trading quips and tips about sports, Dash realised he should have seen it coming. If it was a way for them to connect and like each other, then it was cool with him, even if they were both totally incomprehensible when discussing it.

"Exactly, Jedi missions have their dangers" Dash said, agreeing with Ezra's short summary which only half-skirted the truth. "But he's being modest mom, it was Ezra that protected us, not me". He looked across at his boyfriend, not having forgotten that he practically offered up his life to save the rest of them. "So I'm in real good hands".

He noticed a little fancy box on the beside next to him and took several seconds to remember just what it was.

"Mom, could you see if they can get me something to drink?" He was not inspired by the boring water jug nearby, but also had another motive. As he hoped, Esme leapt up and made a mission of it, promising to go and find him a selection of cordials or similar. When she was gone and he was quite sure Ty was engrossed in his phone, he nodded towards the box.

"That's for you by the way" he said to Ezra. The lid looked a little damaged from where it had intercepted the knife, but he hoped the contents were ok. "Just a little something".

If Ez opened the box, he would find a flashy gold chrono unlike any other. It was not the very most expensive, Dash could not compete with the Thornes there, but he had added some custom touches to make it special. The dial was inset with the snowflake that had become synonymous with their travels and if his boyfriend turned it over he would find the delicate inscription: "For the man who already has Rhinnalian wool".

@Sreeya