𝐲𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐧 ⁀➴ paul atreides

14 ⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ new and old connections

─── ･ ｡ﾟ⟡ 🌗 ⟡ ˚｡ ･ ───

fourteen

'Some people won't understand your words, while some won't even need words to understand you.'

─── ･ ｡ﾟ⟡ 🌗 ⟡ ˚｡ ･ ───

(Y/N)

Paul leads me to the military barracks, almost a little too excited as he drags me with a firm grip of my hand.

"Where are we going?" I chuckle, trying to keep up, but he's fast.

"I want you to meet someone." Paul says, looking back at me with a smile that makes my heart beat a little faster.

To think I disliked him before I knew him...

"Duncan!" My husband excitedly says once we reach the barracks where soldiers chatter amongst themselves and Gurney sits opposite a man similar in build with free space for us beside him.

He's clean-shaven, and yet somehow I feel like he'd look better with a beard.

"My boy!" The man he calls to chuckles before his eyes land on me. "Look at you," he pats Paul's shoulder as he stands, "you got yourself a lady!" He laughs heartily at his playful acts before extending a hand to me. "Duncan Idaho, at your service."

A smile forms as I shake his hand, and he's surprisingly gentle for a man his size; definitely taller than Paul and Gurney. "(Y/N)."

"This is my wife," Paul says, and every time I hear the words 'my wife', I smile wider.

"Oh," Duncan drawls, "well then. A pleasure to meet you, my lady."

Could this day get any better?

"Likewise," I impulsively say, looking at Paul, who smiles back, and it's just then that I realize we're holding hands again.

We all take a seat, and Duncan starts talking about his adventures on Arrakis, and I learn his occupation and get to see his personality a little more.

"Here, this is for you," Duncan says to Paul, handing him a wrapped up gift of sorts as I shift to sit opposite my husband to get a better look.

"It's a paracompass."

Inside is some kind of device that looks electronic. A rugged instrument.

"The moons here have a magnetic field, so... a simple compass needle won't point north." Paul splits the device in half, opening it as it starts to work. "Takes a clever piece of clockwork to sort it out."

"The Fremen make these?" Paul asks, keeping his hand open with the device on his palm as I examine it.

"And stillsuits, and sand compactors, and all kinds of ingenious things." Duncan explains as the soldiers around us watch in curiosity.

"What the hell is a sand compactor?" Gurney rumbles, which makes me snicker at his confusion, to which Paul's gaze flits to me with a subtle and cheeky smile.

Duncan pulls out a stubby pistol-shaped device off his belt and hands it over with a grin.

"That's a sand compactor."

Everyone, including Paul and I, chuckle at the sudden amusement.

"My God, man, you've gone native." Gurney muses as he hands the device to another solider.

"You admire them," Paul murmurs, Duncan nodding as my husband gives the paracompass to me, letting me examine it as our fingers brush one another.

"I do. They're fierce but loyal. They're attuned to the desert. Part of it. It's part of them." His smile grows. "You wait till you see it. It's beautiful out there." He pats Paul on the back.

"Sounds a lot like my family," I chuckle, a little bitterly, and Paul's smile fades as he looks up, concerned. "Loyal to the death and dangerous. Who knows, maybe in the past, the desert rubbed off on us before we were forest dwellers."

Duncan laughs at that, smiling. "Well, my girl, then you've got to see the desert. It's a whole other world out there, trust me."

My girl... I've never heard that from anyone, and yet, it feels so fatherly.

Paul leans forward, taking my hand in his own, seemingly concerned with the way I was acting earlier, to which Gurney groans, a little playfully at that.

"Oh, God, can you not be sappy?" He asks, to which I deadpan.

"Okay, that's rude." I snicker, and Paul raises a brow.

"What, I can't be nice to my wife?"

"Yes, you can, just not in front of me!"

Duncan laughs heartily. "Come on, Gurney, let the married couple have their fun!" He taps his knuckles against Gurney's knee, as if to mess with him. "And it's cute. Paul finally has someone for himself."

"Hey!"

We all laugh at my husband's sudden mock offense, and he joins in, gently rubbing his thumb against the underside of my fingers and smiling at me.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

I'm fangirling over my own creation. That is how you know your writing is good.

Also, who wants to see more mini-interactions with Paul? I'm an absolute sucker for these!!

And thank you so much for 5,000 reads on this story! And it's still growing!!

If we get up to ten comments on this chapter, I'll post the next chapter!! Can we do it?! :)