Clutching My Cure

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. All hail George Lucas!

Note: My original character is from a series I have at TFN. He's showing up here as a favor to a friend over there who adores him. I hope you guys like him also. :)


Chapter Twenty-Eight


The hand was unsteady as it reached for the half filled glass, blurry vision making it difficult to gauge the actual distance needed. Fingers finally managed to wrap around the fine crystal glass, a smile tilting full lips as he pulled it across the polished marble desktop. Both hands were required to successfully lift the cup to his mouth, pale throat working as he greedily drained what was left.

Xanatos didn’t even react as he set the now empty cup down with such force it shattered into tiny shards of glass. Falling back in the leather chair, he used his legs to maneuver it around so he was able to look out the window. Growling as bright sunlight stung eyes that had seen nothing but the shadowed recesses of his office for days, he leant forward and fumbled for the controls to close the blinds. His inebriated state sent him tumbling forward where he landed with his face buried in the thick carpet.

Fingers clawed at the expensive fibers, a curse coloring the air as the door slide open. Tio’s eyes widened in dismay as he spotted his employers current condition. Rushing forward he knelt down and grasped the fallen Jedi under the arms, helping him into a seated position. Hands attempted to straighten badly rumpled clothes but were rudely batted away. Mouth thinning in agitation, Tio transferred his attention to ratted strands of ebony hair.

“You look a dreadful sight, My Lord.”

“Doesn’t mather. No one to imp…impress,” Xanatos slurred, shooting his man a nasty glower while moving his head out of reach.

Sitting back on his heels, his secretary studied the younger man with deep sadness. “Actually that’s not true. You have company waiting outside to see you.”

Sapphire eyes lit up with hopeful expectation. “Obi-Wan?”

Tio shook his head solemnly. “I’m afraid not. He says he’s an old friend from your days with the Jedi.”

“Another one?” The fallen Jedi stood with Tio’s assistance and slumped back down in the chair. “Send ‘im away. Had my fill of Jedi recently.”

“Tough. You aren’t getting rid of me that easily.” The owner of the deep voice had let himself in and stood with hands on hips studying the disheveled state of a normally fastidious Xanatos. “You look like something a bantha coughed up.”

Weaving unsteadily in the chair, Xanatos pointed a shaking finger toward the door. “Fuck off and get out!”

Ignoring the order, the new arrival jerked his head toward the door as he addressed Tio. “Leave us.”

Clearly torn, the secretary took one last look at his wrinkled employer before slipping quietly from the room. Once left alone, the Jedi strode toward the desk and perched on the edge closest to a drunken Xanatos. He was more than a little unsettled at the state he found his childhood friend in although he was careful to shield it.

“Care to tell me why you look like shit?”

Scooting the chair away from the intruder, Xanatos stubbornly glared at him in silence. It had been well over a year since he’d seen his friend face-to-face and a part of him grudgingly admitted that he was glad to see him now. They’d been best friends as children, inseparable when present at the Temple. Teachers and trainers alike had shuddered with trepidation when faced with the prospect of having the two in a class together. If there was trouble to be found, those two were sure to find and exploit it.

Jedi Knight Eitan Delano was of Corellian descent and had the tall heavily muscled build common amongst Corellian men. Handsome, honey skinned features wore a habitually brooding mien, while dark brown eyes watched the galaxy with carefully shielded cynicism, ebony hair falling unbound around a pair of broad shoulders. Dressed in black, leather, Jedi tunics, he carried himself with confidence and a forbidding air of danger. He was one of few who felt secure enough to tell Xanatos the unvarnished truth and know they’d get away with it.

“I was in the neighborhood and decided to check out the rumors I’d been hearing about you keeping company with some delicious young boy toy.” Receiving nothing but another heated glare of dislike in response he sighed dramatically. “Instead I arrive to find you looking like the worst drunk.”

Xanatos sat forward, teeth bared in a snarl. “Come to gloat? Fine. I fell hopelessly in love with someone and he left me. After everything I did for him he just turned around and flew away to Coruscant. Happy?”

Eitan showed no visible reaction to the pained admission. “Anyone I know?”

A shrug that fell well short of being uncaring. “I doubt you remember him. He was a Jedi once also but left when he was still just a kid.”

An ebony eyebrow raised in surprise. “Another fallen Jedi. Name?”

“Kenobi. Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

“Ah.” Eitan grinned at the curious look sent his direction. “That would explain the rumors I heard about Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice vanishing in thin air for a time. I assume you and young Obi-Wan had a hand in their disappearance?”

“Possibly,” was the noncommittal reply.

“I remember Kenobi. Great things were expected of him and then he just quit the Order without an explanation.”

Xanatos cursed beneath his breath. “That’s the story Jinn spread around. It’s far from being the complete truth.”

“I think I remember hearing that Master Yoda was crushed by the boy’s desertion. That the two of them had been very close and he took Obi-Wan’s leaving harder than anyone expected.” When Xanatos failed to respond, Eitan leaned back to study him. “So what happened to make him leave you?”

“His past, my stubbornness, the Jedi. Take your pick.”

“If you’re so in love, why don’t you go after him?”

“Why don’t you mind your own fucking business?” Xanatos growled while struggling to make wobbly legs hold his weight after shooting to his feet.

Eitan continued as if he hadn’t even spoken. “He’s on Coruscant and I could use a lift back to the Temple. Good excuse to be on planet.”

“The Jedi’s hotshot pilot without a ship? What’s the story behind that?” Xanatos asked with genuine curiosity.

The dark gaze slid away from his, something that may have been a blush staining the brown skinned features. “Some weapon smugglers took it into their heads to blow up my starfighter. Lucky for me they were too stupid to make certain I was inside at the time.”

His drunken haze lessening by the minute, Xanatos laughed uproariously at his friend’s expense. Eitan felt a flutter of unease in the pit of his belly as a look he was all too familiar with entered sapphire eyes. Xanatos wiggled his way between his friend’s splayed legs, hands bracing his weight on the edge of the desk as he leant forward, lips hovering a mere breath away from the Jedi’s.

“You could be a good friend and temporarily take my mind off of my broken heart.”

Eitan remained still and tolerated the gentle brush of lips against his own. It wasn’t until Xanatos’s tongue tried to insert itself over the ridge of his teeth that he reacted. Lifting a hand, he sent his friend flying back into the chair with a gentle but powerful Force push.

“You know my thought’s on that subject, now behave. Besides, you could wipe out a troop of droidekas with that breath.”

Ignoring the baleful look directed at him, he continued to discuss plans for their trip. He was relieved to see embers of life beginning to stir in the depths of Xanatos's eyes and knew that his friend's naturally competitive nature would work to his advantage.