Ahsoka Tano One-Shots

At Least a Goodbye | Whumptober Day 10

Heyo, human beings from outer space!

Another chapter today, as promised!

The prompt is "You never said you'd leave" and it was requested by anyahanok.

Read on if you dare. 

Wolffe had never been a fan of kids.

He couldn't say when the aversion had started, or why, considering he'd never been around other children than clone cadets. But children disgusted him.

They were gross, cried about everything, got in the way, wiped their noses on their sleeves, picked and ate from their nose, and then tried to hold your hand with those nasty child fingers.

Wolffe hated all children.

That is, all children except for one.

Wolffe would never admit it aloud but he'd grown fond of Plo's kid. Well, she was technically Skywalker's, but Plo was like a second master and often took her with them on their missions.

At first Wolffe hadn't liked her at all. But then there was something about her that he just... liked. Maybe it was the fiery spark in her eye. Maybe it was her quick wit. Maybe it was the fact that she kept her tears intact most of the time. Whatever it was, she grew on him, like a little leach that wouldn't let go.

Which is why it was so painful to have that leach ripped away.

"Wolffe, no, I can explain–!"

He hadn't let her explain, he'd just stunned her.

And it was the last thing she ever said to him.

She'd left, abandoned him, abandoned her battalion, abandoned her masters, and abandoned Plo. She hadn't even said goodbye.

Maybe they deserved it.

Maybe Wolffe deserved it.

///

Wolffe was drunk.

His vision danced in a way that wasn't normal, his legs wobbled beneath him, and his brain buzzed with static that told him it was a good idea to ride a speeder off the slanted roof of that luminous building over there. He kicked some trash aside, straying further and further away from the bar Cody and some 501st boys invited him to.

Now he was drunk and wandering alone through the sketchy allies of the lower levels of coruscant as he muttered to himself. It wasn't right, but he didn't know why. Irritating sorrow and anger brewed beneath the fog. He wished it would go away.

Wolffe kicked a can as hard as he could with his vision doubling. It clanged loudly, ricocheted off the nearest hard surface, and chirped "ouch!"

Kriffing cans. So noisy all the time.

Wait a minute... cans weren't supposed to talk.

"Whooo's thereeee?" Wolffe slurred, trying to sound threatening.

"Wolffe?"

That voice...

Wolffe's heart beat a little faster. It couldn't be... he was just drunk. It was just his drunk brian that still insisted it would be very fun to ride a speeder off a roof right now.

"Oh my stars, it is you!"

There it was again, that kriffing lie of that light girlish voice.

Someone short, orange, and draped in a gray cloak popped into his vision. Wolffe could swear his heart stopped. For a moment he was stone-cold sober.

"KId? Tano?"

"You're drunk," she said with a sigh as if she'd seen him every day this year. "Come on, let's go somewhere I can buy you a glass of water and something to eat." The kid attached herself to his arm, and in a fit of pseudo anger, Wolffe shoved her off.

"You think you can just come and buy me dinner as if you haven't seen me in forever?" Wolffe spat at her.

"Well... yes?" Tano said with that sly smirk that he missed so much it hurt. "I know how much you like fried Kowakian monkey-lizards."

He hated that she was right. He would never pass up one of those things, especially if it wasn't free. So he let Tano reattach herself to his arm and lead him to the nearest venator that sold them. They sat on a curb for him to eat.

"My favorite food." Wolffe inhaled the scent of the meat. "Fills you up and it's a whole plate of revenge against those kriffing abominations to nature."

The kid laughed, a beautiful melody to his ears. He missed her so much. Who would've thought he'd run into her while drunk in the lower levels of Coruscant, and what right did she have to pretend everything was okay?

"You're upset," she observed, probably using her Jedi abilities she gave up so long ago.

"You're not," Wolffe managed through a monstrous mouthful of the fried meat.

"You know... I'm not angry at you for anything you did to, you know, catch me." She shuddered.

"Ever consider that I might be angry at you?"

She froze, and even in the dim light and through his drunk eyes Wolffe could see the color drain from her montrals.

"You never said you'd leave. Never even said goodbye."

It was a foolish string of words... and also the final blow. A crystal-like tear beaded in the kid's eye and rolled down her cheek. It took a lot to make Tano cry, and she ducked her head away in obvious shame to swipe away the tear.

Wolffe swallowed his monkey lizard hard and it landed in his stomach like a rock. "Kid, I–"

"I get it," Tano said, looking back with her face dried. "I'd be angry at me, too."

He watched her carefully, his sluggish brain slowly calculating a read on her.

"I'm sorry for leaving you. And all the boys. And Plo. And all my other masters. I might not want to forgive me for something like that... but maybe you can? You have a good heart, Wolffe, if you could just give me–"

Wolffe sprang at her, throwing his arms around her. She stiffened in surprise but melted into his embrace after a moment.

"You're here... alive."

"Yeah. And you smell like alcohol."

Wolffe laughed gruffly and tightened his hold on her.

The moment couldn't last, but he wished it would, and at least he finally got to say goodbye.

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Word Count: 972

Published: 24 December 2023

I had to do probably too much research in an incognito tab because I have never been drunk before and I didn't want  my search history to be ✨concerning✨

Requests are open, feel free to message me or make a comment if you have an idea!

Hasta mañana, peoples!