LUMINOUS.

     he  blinks ,  before  a  shy  smile  presents  itself  on  his  face .  it  takes  a  moment  for  him  to  figure  out  exactly  whom  she  speaks  of ,  for  he’s  never  known  his  mother  intimately ,  solely  through  the  memories  and  stories  from  those  that  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  her  in  a  lifetime  before  luke’s  own ,  most  of  which  had  come  from  ahsoka  herself .  he  ducks  his  head ,  a  satisfied  flush  spreading  across  his  face  before  he  looks  back  at  her  with  question  in  his  eyes .     ❛   tell  me  another  story  about  her  ?   ❜    for  it  seems  (  for  now  )  stories  is  all  he’ll  ever  have .  (  he’ll  take  what  he  can  get  ).

      ❛   don’t  say  that ,  ❜   the  words  are  sharper  in  delivery  than  he’d  expected ,  and  he  pauses ,  recalculating  his  thoughts .  paired  with  a  sigh ,  a  hand  reaches  up  to  sit  upon  her  shoulder ,  and  he  quickly  squeezes  it  gently ,  hoping  it  comes  off  as  reassuring  as  he  would  like  it  too .   ❛   you’ve  done  nothing  wrong ,  rey .  you  have  a  big  heart ,  and  if  anything ,  i  think  the  galaxy  could  learn  a  thing  or  two  from  you .  ❜  another  pause ,  a  smile  growing .   ❛   i  know  i  could .  ❜

    ❛   i  did ,  ❜   he  concedes  with  a  small  nod ,  hand  clutched  around  one  of  her  own ,  almost  afraid  to  let  go .  they  had  finally  gotten  the  cure  administered  to  the  sick ,  and  it  was  the  first  time  luke  was  seeing  her  resting  in  a  bed  rather  than  overseeing  operations  and  maintaining  order  —  his  admiration  for  her  spirit  only  grows .  he  strokes  her  hair  back  gently ,  a  small  smile  on  his  face  before  a  quiver  of  his  bottom  lip  breaks  it ,  threatening  to  blow  his  carefully  constructed  facade .   ❛   i’m  so  sorry ,  leia .  it  wasn’t  supposed  to  be  like  this  . . .  things  weren’t  meant  to  be  so  messed  up .  ❜   a  family  broken  and  promises  shattered ,  it  would  be  a  long  road  to  recovery ,  a  road  luke’s  not  sure  he’ll  make  it  through .   

     ❛   i  think  the  real  problem  here  is  you  think  you’re  not .  ❜   he  shrugs ,  back  leaning  against  the  wall  behind  him ,  the  cold  surface  providing  some  sort  of  a  relief .   ❛   i  won’t  try  to  understand  why  you’re  so  bent  on  making  me  see  you  as  some  big  bad  person  i’m  supposed  to  dislike  or  something ,  but  you  can’t  change  my  mind ,  jyn .  i  have  my  opinion ,  you  have  yours .  ❜   he  pushes  off  from  the  wall ,  and  yawns ,  arms  stretching .  (  it  was  time  for  a  topic  change  ).   ❛   what’s  the  next  destination  ?  i’m  dying  for  something  sweet .  ❜    

     ❛  does  it  surprise  you  ?  ❜   he  asks  in  return ,  eyes  gazed  upon  the  ship’s  controls  as  if  he  could  will  himself  to  go  through  the  transmission  itself ,  defy  the  laws  of  space  and  time  to  be  by  his  old  padawan’s  side .  he’s  silent  for  a  moment ,  before  sighing  almost  inaudibly ,  running  a  hand  through  his  disheveled  hair  and  leaning  his  head  back  against  the  seat .  he  stares  at  something  in  the  distance  with  an  expression  of  sorrow .   ❛   i’m  sorry .  i  didn’t  want  this  for  you .   ❜   it  seems  the  apologies  can’t  stop  flowing  through  chapped  lips  whenever  he  interacts  with  noah ,  the  guilt  in  his  eyes  apparent ,  teeth  biting  down  on  his  bottom  lip  mostly  out  of  nervous  habit .  a  living  manifestation  of  his  biggest  regret  —  they  deserved  so  much .

       he knows the galaxy has never forgotten, a truth akin to a bitter pill hard to swallow, a story still whispered by those who lived to tell the tale of the empire’s time  —  anakin skywalker turned to the dark side and did unspeakable things. the list perhaps piles on for ages, the duties of evil his father saw completed during his time under the tutelage of his new master, a detail luke seldom forgets. he knows his father must now mourn for his part in massacres and the blanket of death that befell those under the empire’s rule, and yet luke can’t find it within him to hate the other man, to subject him to a cruelty such as hatred for the man who was once vader. does that make him a bad person ?  he often wonders to himself, more so since anakin’s revival on naboo  —  is it bad he doesn’t despise his own father ?  perhaps he should be more like leia, strong and unyielding in her stance, unwilling to let what could be deemed as an impostor of her father roam with trust, or more like those that caution themselves as the very legend of the man glides into a room, a certain air around his movement as fear strikes them in the throat.  ❛  where else would you go ?  if you’re worried about what people think, just give them time, they’ll come around.  ❜  please stay, goes unvoiced, a plea dancing in his vision as he takes another step in his father’s direction.  ❛  don’t leave.  ❜

      an eternity apart, time but a concept forgotten as obi-wan recalls with a twinge of sadness the last time he’d seen ahsoka. the memory anakin’s dejected back comes first, shoulders slumped as if there were something weighing down his entire being (  failure, perhaps. obi-wan knows it well. ) long after the padawan had turned her back on the ideals that had failed her when she needed them most. ❛  ahsoka . . .  ❜  he breathes out, laughter crinkling in the corner of his eyes as he wraps his own arms around her petite frame.    ❛  words can’t express how glad i am to see you.  ❜  had he awoken in a pseudo heaven, where pleas are heard and wishes for another chance are granted ? he squeezes his arms around her for a moment, before pulling back, eyes soft. a hand comes up to rest upon her shoulder and obi-wan momentarily sighs, a struggle upon his tongue as he searches for the words.    ❛  i wasn’t sure i’d be granted the pleasure once more.  ❜

      classic leia, he thinks to himself with an amused grin, head tilted to one side as he quickly examines her from head to toe to ensure she hadn’t gotten herself any other injuries. once satisfied, he crosses his arms against his chest, eyes narrowing in worry just the slightest. he adored that about his sister, how she always seemingly put luke’s health before hers and vice versa could be said for luke ; for nothing was more important than the little family he had left. he shakes his head, humoring her concerns. ❛  i’m fine, leia. don’t worry about me, just focus on getting better.  ❜  and he wishes he could take her pain upon himself, deal with the fate of the sickness instead, for she deserved so much more than the ill fated circumstances the galaxy seemed to throw at her.  ❛  i miss you, ❜  he says after a moment of silence, a vulnerability within his statement as he frowns for a moment, before shrugging away some of the seriousness. ❛  i mean, i have no one else to bug, it sucks.  ❜  a ploy to brush away some of the tension of the situation, and yet luke means it  —  it seems as if he’s had no time to catch up with her since his revival, or even since his exile upon ahch-to, and he knows he has so much to make up to her, to be asked to be forgiven for and yet is unsure where or how to even start.

     he’s never sought out the quiet much before his self-imposed exile upon ahch-to, for luke was always a man ( boy ) of action. upon tatooine, life had always felt as if it were at a stand-still, time moving achingly slow, and the dream of getting off the desert rock of a planet quickly fleeting as the years past by. before the knowledge of his apparent destiny, luke never did understand uncle owen’s insistence he remain with him and beru, why he crushed luke’s dreams of seeing the stars time after time  —  it’s only when he loses him, does he begin to recognize the genuine worry and fear within his words. now, with the galaxy rushing around him, he seeks for a moment alone once more  —  yet a moment with wedge, he has found over the years, is just as good.  ❛  i guess even the force can’t erase the feeling of having the weight of the galaxy upon our shoulders for so long. kinda sucks.  ❜  and the phantom weight remains with him at all times, almost suffocatingly so. a smile tugs at his lips, and luke lets it grow until he can feel it in his cheeks.  ❛  no sand, no humidity ? it’s like you read my mind, bud.  ❜  and it makes sense really, for who knows him better than wedge ?  ❛  when you wanna go ? if we head out now, we could probably make a clean get-away,  ❜  he humors the other, sliding down to sit beside him before stretching out his own legs with a quiet hiss as joints achingly do so.