Chapter Text
The first time Fox met Quinlan Vos, he had shot him.
Accidentally, though it hadn’t mattered much.
Fox looked down at the bright green paint splotch now decorating his previously pristine uniform, then slowly looked back up at the unfairly handsome dark-haired man holding the paint gun.
Said man froze under what all of Fox’s siblings and cousins referred to as his ‘death glare’. It was frequently useful when dealing with reprobates. Unfortunately, the effect didn’t last long and the man waved at him sheepishly with his free hand.
“Uh, sorry?”
Fox prevented himself from rolling his eyes by sheer force of will. Why were all the handsome people he encountered either idiots or criminals. Or both.
“Sir, you are under arrest.”
The man squawked. “What? What for?”
Fox turned his head to look at the bright green splotches of paint decorating the outside of the politician’s office beside them, and then raised a single, judgemental eyebrow. Yet another expression perfected from dealing with the Fett clan that he regularly used for his job.
The man laughed. “Yeah, I suppose that’s fair.”
Fox went to move forwards to proceed with the arrest, when he noticed the smarmy politician that the office belonged to had exited said office and was heading his direction.
Joy.
He signalled to Officer Mack to deal with the arrest, and promptly moved to intercept the politician. His men didn’t need to deal with the level of casual distaste and condescending comments this particular politician was prone to.
He wished he didn’t have to deal with it either, quite frankly, but such were the perks of holding the highest rank in the city.
Good thing he had lots of practice keeping his comments inside his head.
By the time Fox had managed to escape the politician and return to his office, a seething rage for all politicians and especially that one in particular roiling in his gut, his men had already processed and released the hooligan that had shot him with a paintball gun.
Sitting down at his desk with a fresh cup of coffee, Fox sighed. He manfully refrained from banging his head against the desk a few times. The last time he had done that, his assistant Nykos had tattled on him to Cody.
Traitor.
He flipped open the file sitting on his desk to add his remarks to the events of the arrest and found himself staring at the picture of the smirking man inside of it.
He could definitely get the paint stain out of his uniform, the many Fett hooligans and their pranks had made sure of that, but Fox had a sinking feeling that he wouldn’t be getting rid of this Quinlan Vos quite so easily.
……………..
Fox’s gut feeling was correct, as it usually was.
Quinlan Vos was brought into the police station again only days later, this time with four other miscreants who had been brawling in a grocery store downtown.
Fox had sighed when Nykos had notified him of the call.
He recognized the other four names sent over by his officers as a minor gang who they were monitoring closely.
The fifth he had also recognized, unfortunately.
The report from Sergeant Echo had said witnesses reported that the four men who belonged to the gang had been all going for the fifth, and that the guy had been holding his own.
He had known the man would be trouble from the first moment he saw him, and the rakish smile sharing space with a bloody nose on a still unfairly handsome face he was sent when Quinlan Vos was brought down the hallway where he was getting a coffee only cemented that impression.
Fox was a good officer. A very good one, given how quickly he had risen in the ranks to police chief. He did not, therefore, offer the vulgar gesture he really wanted to in return for that smirk.
Instead, he returned to his office clutching his lifeline to sanity, and shut the door behind him. This was a minor arrest, and his officers were well-trained. He should know, he had trained them. They could handle one hooligan.
He had paperwork to do. As always.
Only a short while later, he gave up.
Lifting the phone, he called his assistant. Prompt as ever, Nykos answered immediately.
“Sir.”
“Quinlan Vos.”
“Yes, sir.” Nykos was used to his brusque manner of speech by this point. Papers rustled over the phone as Nykos found the notes he was looking for.
“Both the witnesses and the security footage agree that he was acting mainly in self-defence, though it could be argued that some of his comments were enflaming the situation. He’ll be held for a few hours until the statements from the other four men are finished and processed, then he’ll be released. The store had no desire to press charges on his part.”
Fox hummed in response and hung up. He didn’t care what happened to the other man. He didn’t’.
Not even a little bit.
Fox was heading towards his next meeting when he recognized the redhead moving down the hallway in the opposite direction.
“Mr. Kenobi.”
“Captain Fox.” The government consultant stopped, and Fox halted as well. He had met Obi-wan Kenobi quite a few years ago, in a meeting, and they had continued to cross paths periodically due to their jobs.
“I sincerely appreciate how the matter with Quinlan was handled today.”
Fox could not picture how the professional, elegant redhead knew the miscreant currently sulking in one of his conference rooms.
He inclined his head slightly in response. “It was deemed self-defence.”
Obi-wan Kenobi smiled, and Fox had the uncomfortable feeling that the other man could see right through him to parts that he didn’t even know existed.
“Of course.” Mr. Kenobi stepped back. “Have a good rest of your day.”
Fox had a meeting with the budget office. It would, more than likely, take up the rest of his shift. He would not have a good time.
“You as well.”
The redhead walked away, and Fox found himself staring after the other man for a moment before shaking himself.
Back to work.
……………
Fox ran into Obi-wan Kenobi again only a few days later, standing in the lobby, waiting.
He raised an eyebrow, curious. “What brings you by again today, Mr. Kenobi?”
Twice in one week was unusual for the other man to come by, though it had happened in the past with a few cases. Fox mentally reviewed the complex cases on the docket. There wasn’t anything he was aware of that would require the government consultant to assist.
Mr. Kenobi sighed. “I had yet another friend get arrested today.” He shook his head. “Siri Tachi.”
Ah yes. Fox was aware.
“The protest.”
The redhead snorted. “Yes. While Siri is very passionate about what she believes in, and is normally very good at leading protests, sometimes she gets carried away.”
If that’s what you called sitting in the middle of a road and cussing out everyone who tried to move her, sure.
“Ah, there she is now.” Mr. Kenobi shifted towards the blonde who had just been escorted into the lobby. “Hopefully I won’t see you anytime soon, Captain.”
Fox sighed, internally. Hopefully. Kenobi’s friends seemed to be trouble.