#softie vader will always have my heart
Note
Hi, sorry that was me who literally dunked on your hopes for a soft Vader lmaoooo. I just think that when Vader is in the question, we have to acknowledge that he has the Dark Side and the potential to hurt those around him at all times and it makes him a little more untethered, but that's sort of his glory as well.
He's unpredictable and possessive, tolerating no slander or harm your way. When traveling in a floating city, having someone willing to protect you from what lurks in the shadows (by quintessentially being your shadow) should bring you solace. I think of situations where his possessive and obsessive nature would bring comfort, and all I can think of are those dire situations - ones of failed assassination, kidnapping, collateral damage from battle, and other situations where you are in harms way - and I think of the mania that would run rampant in his brain.
Are you severely hurt? What is the quickest way to you? Who caused this to happen? What could he have done better to prevent you from being caught up in attempts to hurt him?
No matter what, he perishes the thought of your potential death. His sense of love has been skewed into a direction of codependency; he cannot be without you. Any and every moment without knowing you are alive and well in the back of his mind is a moment many would fear for. It does mean he is overbearing and aggressively doting, but you know him. He needs certain things to be constant - how he sets up the cockpit of his TIE fighter, the order of the buttons on his belt for his life support system, the layout of his quarters across his residences - and you are certainly one of the things he needs at all times.
Times have passed since initial doubts and clumsy assassinations, but there are stirs of disenchantment among the crew that Vader is quick to snuff out. There are many things he will risk, but your safety is not one of them. If it makes him out to be an asshole, so be it. He'd destroy planets for you, he'd crush enemies and allies alike if they so much as caused you discomfort. Nothing will ever be too much for him to ensure that you stay by his side, protected and loved in his own convoluted ways.
NO NO DONT APOLOGIZE ITS OKAY i enjoy my fair share of angst every now and again
i think youre absolutely right tho in saying that he DEFINATELY shows his dark side too whilst in a relationship. There's times where hes wayyyy too overprotective and sometimes even controlling. Its not because he wants you to obey his demands or something of the sort, he just wants to make sure youre safe. Everyone hes ever loved has either abandoned him or died, and he refuses to let you be the same. He's gonna make sure youre protected at all times, and that you're accounted for at all times.
He does truly love you, but sometimes hes just bad at showing it. His judgement is clouded by the dark side, sometimes without him even realizing. Its also very clouded by his trauma as well. Bad stuff has happened to him far too much, and he expects the worst to happen no matter what, especially when it comes to your safety.
Have patience with him though, he is trying his best
#softie vader will always have my heart#but im also keen on angsty vader as well#maybe i just like the drama#WHO KNOWS#BUT I WOULD LIVE AND DIE FOR HIM REGARDLESSS
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Dating Eddie Munson HC
~This boy loves you
~He loves you like he’s never loved another person and that means that there is no limit to what he would do for you
~Always holding hands, no matter what you’re doing or where you are
~Which, of course, leads to you playing with his rings, whether they’re on his fingers or not
~For your first year anniversary, he gave you his favorite ring, which you still wear on a silver chain around your neck to this day
~Eddie smells like weed smoke and cheap cologne. The first of which is because he has a nasty habit of sampling his merchandise, and the second is because he feels like it makes him more of a classy guy for you.
~It doesn’t matter how many times you tell him that he doesn’t have to, he won’t give it up. He maintains that it’s for you, but at a certain point, you’re sure he just likes the ritual of it
~Spending almost all your time playing D&D, whether you were already a fan of the game or Eddie had to show you the ropes
~It’s basically his favorite hobby, outside of music, and something he is really passionate about sharing with you
~He absolutely calls you “Princess” or “My Lady” because he’s a geek, and it isn’t even close to being a secret
~I 1000% believe you’ve put that boy's mullet up in a ponytail more than once. It’s not nearly as ‘metal’ that way, but at least it isn’t quite as hot
~The Hellfire Club basically regards you as their unofficial leader, and their first lady.
~That means that every bit of girl drama, hot gossip and goings on goes through you, and when Dustin feels like talking, or Lucas and Max get into a spat or disagreement, you have a front row seat to everything.
~...and you’re always ahead of Eddie where the kids are concerned
~”Who is that again?”
~”Jesus Eds, keep up”
~It isn’t his fault. There are just too many of these damn kids, and there is always something new going on with them
~Drawing on the rubber of his sneakers
~Eddie is incredibly sentimental.
~He keeps everything you give him, from little notes with hearts doodled on them to stones you’ve picked up on walks that you like, presenting them to him as if they’re worth more than gold.
~Everything.
~Spending a ton of time together in his room when Uncle Wayne isn’t around, just cuddling, and enjoying each others company until the early hours of the morning
~Eddie thinks of you like a porcelain doll sometimes, making a show of painting your nails, which you leave to dry no matter how messy they are, or putting on your lip gloss just to be a part of every part of your day
~He never fails to brighten your day, with a goofy face or that god awful darth vader impression you couldn’t escape, there’s no limit to what he’d do just to see that smile on your face
~Picnics and romantic lunches outside his trailer at the park, with a blanket and everything.
~Eddie giving you guitar lessons, even if you don’t want them, just to watch you try and learn the skill that he’s already managed to master
~There has never been a bigger softie in the history of the world than Eddie Munson. He plays it all tough and mysterious, but he’s a sweetheart through and through.
~You’re definitely the tougher of the two of you, no matter what the better half of Hawkins may choose to believe
~Eddie is a huge dreamer, and always talks about getting out and doing something better with your lives.
~He wants to go to Hollywood or something, and make a name for himself, so that he can “buy you a big house and an even bigger diamond”
~Because, Eddie LOVES you and that is never going to change.
#Eddie Munson#stranger things#st#eddie#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson x ps reader#eddie munson x plus size reader#eddie munson imagine#eddie munson headcanons#stranger things x reader#stranger things x ps reader#stranger things x plus size reader#stranger things imagine#st x reader#st x ps reader#st x plus size reader#st imagine#stranger things headcanons
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I posted 1,813 times in 2022
138 posts created (8%)
1,675 posts reblogged (92%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
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I tagged 802 of my posts in 2022
#good art! - 142 posts
#luke skywalker x reader - 41 posts
#other people's fic - 27 posts
#my husband. my beloved. the love of my life. - 14 posts
#my inbox is open - 10 posts
#kyoot! - 8 posts
#luke skywalker headcanon - 8 posts
#grün grün grün - 7 posts
#king mark!!!! - 6 posts
#evil boyfriend - 4 posts
Longest Tag: 132 characters
#i refuse to download tiktok because i am appalled by the amount of neurotypical people pretending to be neurodivergent for attention
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
I just saw a video of Mark Hamill speaking a little bit of Japanese and I feel so proud
24 notes - Posted February 18, 2022
#4
Lucy's Masterlist!!!
All of my fics are written for gender-neutral readers unless specified. I am ALWAYS open for requests of any kind (though I am currently limiting them to mild spiciness*), so feel free to send in any!
Fic Series:
Children of the Dunes - Chapter 1 (Luke Skywalker x Fem!Reader)
Dark Prince Luke Thoughts™:
Introduction
Daily Luke Thoughts™:
Artist!Luke
Knitter!Luke
Horse Girl!Luke
Oneshots
Sketchbook
Headcanons/Asks/Thoughts:
Watching the Twin Sunset
Star Wars/Yellow Submarine Crossover
Bookish!Reader
Gentle Luke
Softie Luke
Luke and Snuggles
Luke's Sweet Tooth
Luke and Model Ships
Luke and Insecurity
Handyman!Luke
Skywalker Night Live 1, Skywalker Night Live 2, Skywalker Night Live 3
Chef!Luke
Musician!Luke 1, Musician!Luke 2, Musician!Luke 3, Musician!Luke 4
Luke and Movies
Boyfriend Luke*
28 notes - Posted March 6, 2022
#3
Dark Prince Luke Thoughts™:
(Image Source)
Tagging: @stonegoldsxcrxt, @myevilmouse, @dexthtoyounglings, @laserbrains, @ancient-stardust, @hansonveggieclub
In my version of the popular AU, Luke is the Crown Prince of the Galactic Empire. The galaxy knows him as the son of Sheev Palpatine and Padmé Amidala (yuck!); this narrative was perpetuated by COMPNOR to garner wider support from those who idolized the late senator. The story goes that Padmé was murdered by the jedi because they were against her secret affair with the chancellor, but Darth Vader was able to save their child at the last minute.
Luke was raised at Varykino by the Naberrie family in accordance with Naboo tradition. They were his only true source of love during his childhood, and they helped him to be in touch with his culture. He grew up under the watchful eyes of his two Noghri bodyguards, Ahkelar and Arakhmil; despite their gruff exteriors, they are very caring. When he isn't on Naboo, he is often at the side of Darth Vader, his mentor and protector. Vader is stern and cold by nature, but he refrains from actually harming Luke. Luke both respects and fears Vader, viewing him as more of a father figure than Palpatine could ever be.
Palpatine's reasoning behind Luke being the Crown Prince is so he can be the poster boy for the Empire, as well as to torture Vader with his presence. Vader's son--the son he thought he lost--is alive, and Palpatine stole him. However, he is secretly training Luke to eventually overthrow the Emperor; as much as Luke hates the man he thinks is his father, he isn't elated about eventually taking his place. Palpatine's ultimate goal is to have Luke 'succeed' him while he would still be pulling the strings behind the scenes, but Vader wants him dead.
Vader was entrusted to train Luke in the ways of dark side, but not in the ways of the Sith so he wouldn't be a threat to Palpatine. This was followed to a certain point; while Vader didn't train Luke in the ways of the Sith, he also didn't exclusively train Luke in the ways of the dark side. Vader doesn't want Luke to be truly evil because he knows it would break Padmé's heart--he did it once, and he never wants to do it again. Ultimately, Luke doesn't see the force as being separated into the dark and the light, he just sees it as the force because that is what he was taught. Luke has multiple lightsabers that he made and collected--yellow, orange, pink, purple--but no red lightsabers, as he uses the dark side but isn't truly a darksider.
30 notes - Posted December 6, 2022
#2
For the Luke Skywalker headcanons--um...he loves to ride speeder bikes like a lunatic...you would hang on behind him for dear life. He loves to cook but he's not very good at it... Except maybe one recipe he totally rocks. And he is open to any and all wacky sexual fantasies so bring 'em on, you'll never know unless you try... 😈
As a teenager back on Tatooine, he used to practice on Uncle Owen's old speeder bike in his spare time, which ultimately gave him a few injuries and Corellian-level maneuverability. Luke can also pull off some insane tricks with those force-heightened reflexes of his. He likes to take you on joyrides across whatever planet you're currently on, which occasionally involves riding off the edge of cliffs. It honestly scares the shit out of you, but you can never get mad at him because he always has total control and nothing bad ever ends up happening (even though it doesn't always feel that way).
Luke is a surprisingly domestic guy and is 10/10 husband material. Having grown up on a farm where every life skill is a requirement for survival, he knows how to cook, clean, sew and knit, repair things, etc. He may not always be the best at everything, but he never complains about doing chores and you can always count on him to get them done. Over the years, he's discovered that having a peaceful settled life is a luxury in this galaxy, so he never takes the home you've built together for granted. When it comes to cooking, he's very enthusiastic about experimenting with new recipes from all over the galaxy. Sometimes he gets a little too enthusiastic and accidentally sets the kitchen on fire. However, he does makes an effort to figure out what your favorite dishes are and get really, really good at making them.
For the last part... we already know he's a very curious and creative person--and he's a total simp--so he's willing to do literally anything to make you happy. I like to think the force would be involved somehow. And maybe his x-wing. Don't ask.
Tagging:
@stonegoldsxcrxtt
@laserbrains
@fandom-gal44
@myevilmouse
@hansonveggieclub
@lex-the-flex
@ancient-stardust
@dailydragon08
49 notes - Posted November 10, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
to expand on the artistic tendencies you detailed a while back: something in which Reader discovers Luke's sketchbook tucked in amongst his gear or something and he feels some way about it. ♥️
You and Luke have a lot of trust in your relationship. However, he's still inclined to keep some things to himself, and you respect his privacy.
But you never expected him to be an artist.
For context, you didn't go snooping in his stuff--going through someone's sketchbook without their permission is a serious crime--you found his sketchbook purely by accident. Luke had left the mess hall in a hurry to make it to a rebel briefing, leaving a small, jerba leather-bound book on the bench next to you. Assuming it was some kind of journal where he kept tabs on important information regarding all things jedi, you slipped it in among your gear for safekeeping until his meeting wrapped up.
The sea of orange flightsuit-clad pilots signaled to you the meeting ended, so you rushed into the crowd to find Luke. It didn't take you long to spot the golden blonde hair of your lover as he made his way toward you.
"I'm glad I caught you, Y/N!" Luke cheered, drawing you in for one of his signature bear hugs.
"I'm glad, too! I have something for you." You reached into your jacket and a look of relief crossed his face as you pulled out the little book. The leather binding the book was worn and slightly faded and some of the pages had prominent wrinkles, but you could tell he treated it with great care.
"My sketchbook! I can't believe I left that behind, thank you for finding it!"
"Sketchbook?"
"Aunt Beru got it for me after Uncle Owen scolded me for doodling on the dining room table. It's one of the few things I've kept from Tatooine since I left." He laughed softly, looking at the sketchbook with fondness that made your heart ache.
"I didn't realize you were an artist... I don't mean that as an insult! I just didn't look inside."
"Would you like to?" You nodded, and he flipped open the sketchbook.
Your jaw dropped--he was incredible! Even at a young age, he demonstrated great talent by capturing the minute details of his T-16 starfighter. Portraits of who you assumed to be his family and friends from Tatooine filled the early pages of the sketchbook, as well as rough sketches of the planet's barren landscape. The further you got in the sketchbook, the more drawings you saw of familiar faces like Leia, Han, Chewie, and the droids. It was fascinating watching his art style morph over time as his skills increased, but what remained constant throughout was the love he poured into everything. Soon enough, you reached a part of the book where your likeness adorned almost all the pages. Phrases like "my love" and "the light of my galaxy" accompanied the sketches of your face.
You looked towards Luke, who scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Luke... this is amazing! You're really talented!"
"You really think so?"
Right as you were about to reply, you were cut off by Wedge Antilles informing Luke that Rogue Squadron was about to take off.
"I guess it's time for me to go, Y/N," he said, placing the sketchbook back into your hands. "Can you hold on to this for me?"
You nodded and kissed him one last time before he made his way toward his x-wing. Even after watching him fly away to fight in some valiant battle in the far reaches of space, you still couldn't fathom what you did to deserve Luke Skywalker trusting you with such an intimate piece of him. You held the sketchbook to your chest and smiled, knowing that you were connected to him even if you were galaxies apart.
Tagging:
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@fandom-gal44
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@myevilmouse
58 notes - Posted March 6, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
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Jedi June: Day 5
5 Times Luke met Force Ghosts
Prompt: There is no death, there is the Force
This sort of ignores the whole “It takes years of study to learn to become a Force Ghost” thing but oh well.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/32046055
@jedijune
~1~
The first time he spoke to someone who was not really there was back on Tattooine. Luke was working on one of the vaporators at the edge of the farm, near the end of the day. He had been working on the damn thing for the better part of the day. One part failed just as another was fixed, but it seemed that Luke finally figured out what was wrong.
He straightened up and wiped a bit of sweat off his brow with a satisfied huff. At that moment, his eyes strayed over to the fence that marked the edge of the farm. Leaning against the electric fence was a Kel Dor, long robes flowing around them. As if that wasn’t strange enough, they were completely blue and translucent. What the kriff?
“Hey!” He shouted over, lowering his hand to his holster to make sure his blaster was there. You could never be too careful with Sand People roaming around. “What are you doing out here? Tosche Station is a long way from here.”
The Kel Dor chuckled, and stood up straight. “So you’re the Luke Skywalker that Ben keeps going on about. A pleasure, young one.”
“Ben? Ben Kenobi? What about him?”
Then, the Kel Dor walked straight through the kriffing fence. Luke’s eyebrows nearly shot off his head at that. He fumbled with his blaster a bit before turning the muzzle towards the… ghost is the only word he could think of. “What the hell??”
“Do not be afraid, young Luke. I mean you no harm. I was simply curious.”
“Y...you’re see through. And blue? What are you?” Luke was so confused.
“Simply a memory from a time past. May the Force be with you, Luke Skywalker. You will do great things. Just like your father before you.”
And just like that, he disappeared, leaving Luke confused and intrigued.
~2~
Luke doesn’t see another ghost until the aftermath of the Death Star explosion (the first one, as he will find out later). Luke had just climbed down from his X-Wing, adrenaline still flowing through his veins. He yanked his helmet off his head and looked hastily around for where the Falcon landed.
As he scanned the landing field, he caught a glimpse of translucent blue, and his mind flashes back to that time on the farm.
Luke weaved through the crowd of Rebel pilots and engineers and mechanics to the edge of the airfield, almost out of sight of everyone.
This figure was tall, much taller than Luke, with hair pulled back in a ponytail, and a mask that covered his eyes with some interesting markings on it. While the last ghost wore Jedi robes, this one was wearing typical Rebel Alliance attire. He was leaning casually against the hanger wall, watching wistfully as a modified Corellian freighter slowly came in for a landing.
“You don’t look much like a Jedi, sir.” Luke called out casually.
The man turned to him and smirked. “Neither do you. You look like a hero of the Rebellion.”
“Ehh, all I did was pull the trigger.”
“And blew up the Empire’s biggest weapon. Come on, kid. Don’t be so modest.”
“Alright, alright, thank you, Master…?”
“My name is Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight. I fought in the early days of the Rebellion, with my crew over there. Maybe you’ve seen them around base.”
Luke and Kanan observed this crew disembarking the Corellian freighter. A Twi’lek woman walked down the ramp holding what looked like a very small baby with bright green hair. A Mandalorian with colorful armor was chatting with an older man with a beard and bright white armor, followed by a ginger-haired man in standard Rebellion clothes and a big purple alien of whom Luke did not know the species of.
“That’s your crew? They seem... formidable.” He looked over this eclectic, mismatched crew, who seemed to know exactly where each other were as they walked towards the rest of the rebels. Luke stared at the crazy amount of modifications on top of this ship. There was almost as much as the Falcon, but this ship actually looked in much better condition. Don’t tell Han he thought that.
“They’re my family. I watch over them through the Force when I am able to. When this war is finally over, then I will feel comfortable with becoming one with the Force.”
Luke’s gaze focused back on this crew and contemplated the last few days. He went from a simple farm boy on Tattooine to hero of the Rebellion in an insanely short period of time. He met a Princess, an old Jedi, and two smugglers that he had become very close to. He really hoped they could become as close as Kanan’s crew appeared to be.
He turned back to Kanan, only to find that he disappeared.
~3~
Luke was recovering from his encounter with Darth Vader- his father when he met the next ghost.
Well, ghosts.
The doctor just left after making sure the stump of his arm wasn’t infected. It wasn’t, and what a relief it was for that small miracle. He was lying down with his eyes closed in a room between two empty beds.
Slowly, as the sedative the doctor gave him worked through his body, he began to sense two? Force signatures, sitting on the bed to his left. They were so melded and tangled together, he almost thought that it was one person.
He turned his head, and there sat two men. The first was wearing robes that looked similar to Old Ben’s robes. He was slightly too thin and his eyes didn’t quite connect with his own. The other was more built, had shoulder length hair, and was wearing a simple shirt and pants.
But Luke could see the way that their bodies were angled towards each other, the way the larger man had his arm on the other’s back, the way they seemed to unconsciously lean against each other.
“And who are you two?” He muttered, his brain still a bit fuzzy.
“My name is Chirrut. And this big softy is Baze.” The one who wore robes said, and gestured with his hand to the other man, whose frown deepened slightly at his introduction.
“Hi. I’m Luke.”
“You’ve been through so much, young one. The Force feels heavy around you. You faced a horrible creature and paid the price for your mistakes.” Chirrut declared, a bit too loudly, in Luke's opinion.
“Yeah, guess that’s what happens when I don’t listen to Master Yoda.”
“No.” Baze rumbled. “This sort of thing happens when you go into a situation you think you are ready for, but horribly overestimated yourself.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I should have listened to Master Yoda. But if I had, Leia and Chewie…”
“There is no changing the past. All one can do is look to the future.” Chirrut smiled. “Besides, I don’t think you’re ready to give up yet. After all, the strongest stars have hearts of kyber.”
“What does that even mean?” Luke asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
“I still don’t know what you’re talking about.” Baze said, smiling very slightly.
“I’m disappointed, Baze. Do you not remember our time in the temple as Guardians?”
“I’m surprised you can remember something that happened so long ago, old man.”
“Such a shame. Baze Malbus was once the most devoted Guardian of us all!”
Luke smiled at them, letting their bickering to wash over him, then allowed the sedative to take hold of him.
~4~
The next time Luke saw a ghost was right before his turn in the plan to get Han back from Jabba's palace on Tattooine. He was at the outer edges of the Dune Sea, doing a bit of moving meditation to settle his nerves and center his focus. As his movements flowed smoother and smoother and he sank deeper into the Force, he could sense the Force coming together next to him in the form of a humanoid. Harsh, wild energy barely contained within, but already one with the Force. He could feel that this ghost was following the movements of his meditation with sharp precision and only a split second behind him.
He was winding down now, moving slower and slower, and finally settled in a kneeling position on the sand.
A beat of silence, then...
"You were trained by Obi-wan Kenobi, weren't you?" This ghost's voice was light, jovial, but his energy was dark, a shadow just out of sight.
"Yes. Him and Master Yoda. How could you tell?"
"I'd know Obi's style anywhere. We grew up together, after all."
Luke's eyes opened and looked across from him at this new ghost. He had dreadlocks that went slightly past his shoulders, a stripe of color across his nose and cheeks, and what looks like only the outside robe of standard Jedi robes? Interesting choice, Luke supposed.
"Obi-wan... I knew him as Old Ben, he lived out in the Jundland Wastes. Uncle Owen... he never trusted him, I guess. But I was always drawn to him, for some reason. Now I know it was because of the Force.” Luke smiled at the man. “You said you knew Ben?”
“Sure did, kid. But I knew him as Obi. We grew up in the Jedi Temple together. He was a cute little thing, always chasing after me and our group of friends. A lot happened to him at the start of his Padawan training, and it influenced him for the rest of his life, and therefore, the fate of the galaxy.” The man shook his head. “He was so full of anger when he was younger, but then he went to Naboo with his Master, that was the turning point for him. We could all feel it. Had the Jedi Order continued, I totally believed that he would have been the youngest Grand Master the galaxy had ever seen.”
“He was a bit distant, and I could tell there was a lot that he didn’t tell me before… he went to face Vader.”
“He was always like that. Never wanted to be a burden on others, so he kept everything close to his chest. He really only confided with Master Yoda. Or during the Clone Wars, he would spend a lot of time with his second in command.”
“A clone?”
“Yes, Commander Cody, highest ranking clone in the entire GAR. They were very close. Dunno what happened to him after the war.”
“May he be with the Force.”
“Yeah.”
There was a pause between the two.
“Hey, kid. Be careful, in there. Jabba is a lot smarter than his appearance would indicate.”
“Of course. How could he be the leader of an entire system if he wasn’t?”
“Heh, that’s true. Just don’t underestimate what he would do if he found you out.”
“He won’t.”
~5~
The last time he saw a ghost, or Force ghost, was during his exile on Ahch-To. He had lost track of time many cycles ago. The local population helped him acclimate to basically having nothing. They taught him how to fish, sterilize water, plant edible food, and build a shelter for himself. All of the books that he collected over the years were kept in an isolated part of the island that he rarely went to.
It was peaceful. But there was still a storm in his heart.
Luke stood on one of the higher cliffs on this small island, looking over the endless water. The waves roughly washed up the cliffs and he felt the sprays tickle his feet.
He wasn’t meditating; his head was too much of a mess for that.
Why didn’t he see it sooner? Why didn’t he sense it? If he were a better teacher, would he have been able to stop it?
“Luke, stop that train of thought this instant.”
He jumped and nearly fell from the cliff as a result. He turned around indignantly, ready to tell off whichever ghost had come unannounced to his exile, but paused when all he saw was blue and white lekku.
He slowly looked up to see a scowling and unimpressed face glaring down at him and they stepped back. Now he had a better view of this Force ghost.
A Torgruta, at least a head taller than him, wearing long flowing robes and patches of… stormtrooper armor? No, it was a little too angular for that. Clone trooper armor then. She had many decorative beads draped over her montrals and lekku and her face markings were very sharp and distinct.
“Well it’s true. What would you know of any of this?” He retorted back.
“Oh, you will find I know betrayal very well. After all, thousands of my children betrayed me.”
“…you’re talking about the clone troopers.”
“Indeed. My name is Jedi Master Shaak Ti, and during the war, I was stationed on Kamino, the home plant of the clones. I oversaw thousands of clones’ training, I gave them advice, I comforted them when their brothers were decommissioned. I fought with and for them all. But in the end, it was for naught. They executed almost all Jedi, even the youngest in the crèche and the eldest in the Halls of Healing.” He listened in awe.
“But I do not blame them. It was Palpatine who forced them to do this. Implanted a chip to control them with the right code words. They couldn’t control it, just as you could not control what happened with Ben Solo.”
“But I could have stopped this from happening, if only I had seen it!”
“What if’s and could have’s won’t change the past, Luke. All you can do now is look forward. What could you do in the future, if only you would forgive yourself.”
“I… I can’t go back. How can I face them? Leia, Han, Chewie? Their son Fell to the Dark side, because I wasn’t a good enough teacher.”
“Falling is a choice, Luke. Ben was manipulated by the Dark and Fell because of it. Not because you failed.”
“Heh. Sure, whatever you say.” He turned on his heel and began walking back down the hill to his hut.
He heard her sigh, and then felt her Force energy disperse.
#jedi june#day 5#luke skywalker#plo koon#kanan jarrus#chirrut imwe#baze malbus#quinlan vos#shaak ti#there is no death#there is the force
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once more, thank you so much for the love. if you’d like to leave me a tip you can do so here and as always, this is cross-posted.
be’jetii masterlist.
t h r e e.
It had been twenty-four hours. One full day since this storm took over, leaving you trapped in your house with the Mandalorian who wanted to throw your ass in carbonite still and his force-sensitive foundling. Leia and Han had tried to holo you but there was no way in hell you were picking up with this guy staying in your guest room. Once you got rid of him you’d go to them on Chandrilla and tell them it was the sandstorm. But until then you had to figure out a way to deal with your house having two extra people in it than you were used to.
You discovered the kid didn’t know how to control his powers, mostly. He was levitating things left and right, stressing the Mandalorian out. Eventually you got the Mandalorian to confess that he was trying to find his people, but had hit a dead end. He told you that he actually wasn’t looking for you, but that the kid had told him to come here. Thus he found the necklace, found you, and were in your current situation.
You were sitting cross legged on your couch, the Mandalorian taking residence up by the window, staring out it as if that would help the storm stop. The kid had waddled his way over to your feet and reached his arms up towards you, a sign of wanting to be picked up. At least, that’s what Ben would do when he wanted to be picked up. Babies are babies, right? All the general same actions, right? You leaned over and picked up the little thing, placing him next to you.
“Don’t touch him.” the Mandalorian said from the window. You glared at the back of his helmet - you swore he had eyes in the back of his head. You felt the baby crawl into your lap and smirked.
“Tell him to stop asking then.” you mumbled back to him. The baby smiled up at you from your lap, holding his hands out to you. The little thing had been obsessed with you since he saw you, much to the dismay of the Mandalorian. You held your palms out in front of him and he smiled bigger, putting his little hands into your palms.
You felt the force flowing through him. It was a lot of raw power, power that wasn’t in control yet. It was no wonder the kid was floating everything he touched. You could hardly believe the force flowing through this little tiny creature - and then he started to show you images through the force.
Flashes of things like being on the ship with the Mandalorian, how much the tin can cared for the little thing, how they’d play… it almost warmed your heart. He looked up to the Mandalorian like his father, it was obvious. Even when he would get annoyed at him for levitating things he was not supposed to.
You tried to imagine how he would be if he was in control of his powers. Right now he was a typical youngling, new to this and clueless as to what was going on and you could sense it from him. He didn’t know what he was doing and how to control it.
Maybe you could contact Leia and see if she could get a hold of Luke to help train him - but no. Luke was still a sting in your heart, someone you didn’t want to face. Plus, you had a feeling this bounty hunter wasn’t going to give up his kid. He was a softie for the little thing, you had discovered.
It occurred to you suddenly that the reason the baby seemed to be attached to you so much was that you think he could sense you and your connection to the force - even though you had cut yourself off from it for the most part. That one little sliver you held onto just incase was what the thing could sense. Maybe it was a good thing? You weren’t entirely sure anymore, but what you did know was that the Mandalorian’s gaze was burning through you right now as he watched you and the kid on the couch, in silence.
“You’re very special, little one.” you said to him, running your hand over one of his ears, earning a giggle. That made you melt into a little giddy puddle right then and there at the cuteness of it.
“What is ‘force-sensitive’?” the Mandalorian suddenly asked you. You arched a brow as you looked up to him, starting to sweat a bit. He was never gonna believe you, but you were stuck here with him so you might as well explain it.
“Force sensitive is when you are in tune to the Force, an energy that surrounds all living things. Some people are able to use it stronger than others, manipulate it.” you said to him. The kid cooed up at you as if he was listening, wanting more. “It’s a lot more complicated than just that, unfortunately.” you added.
“I got time.” He said, pulling a chair up across from you and sitting. He titled his helmet, urging you onward. You sighed as you gathered your story in your head, moving on.
“It’s been around since the beginning of time, the Force, the light side and the dark side. The people who are able to use on the light side it are called the Jedi. Long ago the Jedi were the keepers of the peace and everybody lived by a strict code. They tried to find ways to solve problems as peacefully as possible, but were also trained warriors. Their numbers ran in the thousands, long ago. If you were a Jedi back then you were proud to be one, and honored. It meant that you mastered the art of the Force and were able to use it to your advantage.” you started, taking a breather. The child was looking up at you with wide eyes, absolutely enthralled as if he understood every word you were saying perfectly - The Mandalorian said nothing. Sighing, you continued.
“Of course, with anything good most times comes out the bad. There were a group of Force users who weren’t on the side of the light but on the side of the dark were called the Sith. They’d mishandle their power, use it for bad. They’d find ways to cheat death, to come back that were unnatural. But eventually, the Sith went extinct because of the Jedi, or so everyone thought.” you took another break, trying to fight back emotions. You were now going into territory that involved your father, something that was still hard for you. You hadn’t told this story to anyone in a long time, not since you told it to Luke.
“During the age of the Republic and the Clone Wars, the Jedi started to get cocky. They were on top of the world, thinking they had everything under control. Unfortunately due to their egos, they allowed Darth Sidious to operate right under their noses in the most powerful position the Senate held, Chancellor. Palpatine executed everything so perfectly, as much as it pains me to say it. Every win that the Republic and the Jedi had was just a pawn in his game, a piece of the biggest puzzle of all; the rise of Darth Vader. Vader was a Jedi, drawn into hate out of fear. And in the end, he ended up winning. The Jedi were eradicated and killed off and he ruled the galaxy, for many years.” you explained to him. The child’s hands slapped your palms in an urge to go on, to continue the story. You didn’t know if you could, it was going to get personal. You didn’t do personal anymore.
“Seems like the Jedi aren’t as all-powerful as they thought.” The Mandalorian finally piped up after that. You gave a small laugh and an eye-roll. You did have to agree with him, it was the whole reason why you gave up your title of Jedi Knight and cut yourself off.
“Definitely not. However a few Jedi survived - two Jedi masters and a padawan who left the order before it got ugly. They fled and went into hiding after the rise of Vader, fearing that he’d come for them one day.” you added to him. He took a moment to think it seems, humming in response before he spoke up again.
“But isn’t there a new one out there somewhere? I heard rumors after the fall of the Empire.” Your heart skipped a beat and you couldn’t hide the shock on your face. It was too obvious - but you couldn’t let him know. You didn’t fully trust him yet. Nor did you want to dig into what really happened.
“Yeah - there is one. The son of Vader who rose up on the side of the light, he took on Palpatine himself and that’s what lead to the fall of the Empire. He trained with the two old masters before they passed. Now he’s somewhere in the galaxy, rumor has it he’s trying to start a school of his own, bring it all back.” you concluded. The Mandalorian observed you for a moment and if he thought you were lying or trying to avoid the truth, he didn’t say it.
“My mission has been to try to find someone who is the people for the kid. Either someone of his kind or someone like him. I’ve been searching for a year - nothing.” he said, standing up and walking over closer to you. “You just told me more information in ten minutes than I’ve found in a year. How do you know this?”
“My father - he was obsessed. Told me all the stories.” So it was a little white lie, but you weren’t going to tell him that your father was the Master to Darth Vader before he turned to the dark side. You weren’t going to tell him that your father also trained Luke Skywalker and you in the ways of the Force. You hoped you were convincing. “I think the idea of bringing the Jedi back is ridiculous though. But that’s just me.” you said to him.
“Why is that?” he asked with a helmet tilt.
“I mean, you’re a Mandalorian. Sure you’ve heard the stories about the Jedi being these horrible people to your people.” you said to him. He gave you a grunt in agreement.
“I was told they were warriors that did more harm than good.” He said to you. That was the understatement of the century, but he was right.
“Well, it wasn’t wrong.” You said back, agreeing with him. “Plus, I think some of the rules are ridiculous. Don’t interfere with wars, don’t help people that might be in need - it’s ridiculous. Plus, Jedi are forbidden from having personal attachments of any kind. You get taken from your family as an infant and groomed to be this peace keeper and you can’t even get married either.” you ranted, shrugging your shoulders. “I just don’t agree with it, personally. Darth Vader rose out of fear of losing someone close to him, and he couldn’t go to the Jedi for help.”
The kid had fallen asleep in your lap now, over the conversation that was happening between the two of you. His head rested soundly on your stomach as he had curled up in between your legs, out like a light. You wondered what the Mandalorian was going to do next - he seemed to believe most of what you had said, if not all of it. Was he going to ask you where to find Luke? That was something you didn’t want to do.
“Who is this person that’s making this school now? Where is he?” It’s like he could read your mind. You took a big breath in and sighed, averting your gaze away from the Mandalorian.
“He’s an old friend. We grew up together here but - things changed after he learned his powers. I don’t know where he is now. After the Rebellion won the war he sort of just became distant, or so I heard. He hasn’t been back here in years, I haven’t seen him in years.” you told him.
It was the truth. You didn’t know where he was and you hadn’t seen him in years. The last time you saw Luke was after the fall of the Empire - he came back to Tattooine to ‘rest’ after the war. He said he needed to find his purpose now, since Darth Vader had fallen and his training was complete. He lived with you during that time period, when you were still at least trying to practice Jedi beliefs.
But things had already changed - you knew that. You think Luke knew that too, which is why he left the way that he did. He could sense it - he knew what was going on and what you felt and were going to do. It was painful for you to look back on it - you couldn’t believe that he had changed the way he was. You hadn’t seen him since he left your house that day six years ago, nor did you want to any time soon.
You could tell the Mandalorian was a little frustrated by your answer - hoping that you would have more. You did - you could tell him to go to Chandrilla and talk to Leia and have her contact Luke. But you didn’t want to do that - you knew what Luke would do. Luke would take the kid away from him, and that wasn’t going to be what was best for either of them. The Mandalorian relied on the kid too much if he liked it or not and the kid wouldn’t understand.
“Thank you for the information.” he said, coming closer to you and lifting the kid out of your lap, leaving you in your living room alone and going into the bedroom.
You were left to your thoughts, flashbacks of your time as a practicing Jedi plaguing your mind for the rest of the night.
taglist: @waiting-for-motivation @domino-oh-damn @theocatkov @killtherandomness @mrsparknuts @wolf-lover74 @the-sparkism @jedi-dreaa
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ok then, more for the character asks for good measure - the original sw trilogy trio, luke leia & han
ily
Leia Skywalker
character: hate them | don’t really care | like them | LOVE them | THEY ARE MY PRECIOUS
ship with: Han. There’s chemistry there and also, the clashing of very different life backgrounds and having to learn to cooperate despite that? Han obvious issues with authority and Leia positively oozing authority? Bth of them being charistamtic as hell, but in different, clashing ways? Love it. If not Han, then she’ll be just fine on her own, thanks. (I also headcanon her as aroace and generally preferring kicking ass to dealing with relationships.)
platonic otp: Luke. I need all the Skywalker family drama we can get, and with twins? DOUBLE DRAMA. I also love Leia being besties with Chewie and very patiently trying to learn his language bc she can.
general opinions: The space princess of my heart. Brave, strong, unbroken, charismatic, stubborn, opinionated, despotic, and at times absolutely fucking feral. The first time I watched these movies, I was in love from her first scene. Also, HELL YEAH CANONICALLY FORCE-SENSITIVE and crusty dudes insisting she’s any less important/amazing than Luke can suck my entire ass. She’s everything.
Luke Skywalker
character: hate them | don’t really care | like them | LOVE them | THEY ARE MY PRECIOUS
ship with: Han. See my problem yet? (No but really, Han less-than-proper ways and Luke’s straightforwardness and general I-have-never-done-anything-wrong-in-my-life-officer vibe are just SO GREAT when mixed.) I also like Luke with his friend that became pilot, Whatshisface. (Was it Wes? It started with “w”. They came from the same backwater village, hell yeah, and what if they were the only two gay kids around?)
Now that I think about it, this would be a great ot3. Hell yeah.
platonic otp: Same as above, Han and Wes. FRIENDS WHO SAVE GALAZY TOGETHER STAY TOGETHER. And Leia, bc seriously, regular twins can pull some weird shit, imagine this Force-sensitive pair of hellions.
general opinions: This precious ray of sunshine. He and Leia complement each other SO WELL, and he’s like... The fucking hope of the whole fucking galaxy, and he’s so modest about it??? He’s just so good? He sees good in fucking Vader? I love him your honour.
Han Solo
character: hate them | don’t really care | like them | LOVE them | THEY ARE MY PRECIOUS
ship with: Leia. And Luke. Not at the same time, because family members sharing a partner is apparently where I draw the line. He’s trying so hard to be cool around both of them and instead comes off as a self-important, soft dork. It’s amazing. (Also there was this post coming around how he married Lando for tax purposes and YES. I’m into it. So is Han, that dude is as pan as they come and into pretty much EVERYONE all the time.)
platonic otp: Chewie. Brotp for the ages. And it honestly gets me how Han learned to understand Wookie for him, which is - not sure if that’s fanon or cannon - tremendously difficult for human. And how Chewie always saves Han’s ass w/o a second thought, just to laugh at him 30 seconds later.
general opinions: THIS LITTLE SHIT. Like, young Harrison Ford aside (although, jfc attractive), he is so fun? Snarky law-breaking bastard who is a huge softie at heart and would do pretty much anything for the Hellion Twins, which is pretty damn relateable.
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The cover for Junior Jedi Knights #4: Anakin's Quest has Anakin and Tahiri on Dagobah with Ikrit and Artoo while a giant spider looms in the background. Because goodness knows that a series ostensibly about Jedi training can't have our heroes stay on the same planet for more than a book at the time! That would be... boring. And since Dagobah is a Movie Planet we haven't visited yet in this series (or in Young Jedi Knights, iirc) - it's time!
This book is written by Rebecca Moesta, co-author of the Young Jedi Knights books with Kevin J. Anderson (and incidentally, married to KJA), so I assume there will be some continuity between the two series. Let's find out!
(cut because this got super-long)
Anakin's restless. He tries to meditate, only to see Palpatine and Vader in a vision. Tahiri wakes him up. Apparently, this is a running theme through the series?
Tahiri was off exploring with Tionne which sounds very interesting, and they found holos and written records but Tahiri's more focused on having to wear shoes. LOL. This sounds fascinating and I wish we could see more of this! Oh, and apparently Ikrit told Tahiri that Anakin needed her?
“… and so I told her that I would bring you with me and we could start training again right away. Well, aren’t you going to say anything? Tionne is waiting for us.”
Patches of mist still clung to Anakin’s mind.“What? Who?”
Tahiri giggled.
“Tionne. You know-long silver hair, big pearly eyes, Jedi historian? The one who found me on Tatooine?”
“Yes.. I know who Tionne is,” Anakin said, his groggy mind not catching her point.
“Well, she’s waiting for us. Ikrit is with her. We’re starting lessons again right away.”
YEAH TIONNE!
Ikrit was obviously as pleased to see Anakin as Anakin was to see the little Jedi Master. He climbed nimbly onto Anakin’s shoulder and draped his tail around Anakin’s neck.
“I think he’s glad to see you,” Tionne said in her beautiful musical voice.
“We all are.”
The breeze blew around them and stirred the white vapor so that Tionne’s fine silvery hair looked as though it might have been spun from the mist itself.
“So what are we going to learn tonight?” Tahiri asked.
She sounded excited. She grinned at Anakin.
“I’ve been begging Tionne for three months to give me more lessons, but she wouldn’t. She said I was too young to study all the time and that I needed to take a break.” Tahiri snorted. “As if I wanted to take a break from studying the Force.”
Ok, so there's been a time skip between story arcs. Good to know. I love Ikrit and Anakin having a bonding moment, and Tionne doing stuff! Yeah! But what was Tahiri DOING if she wasn't studying??
Tionne said nothing. She lit a torch that she had brought with her from the Great Temple and then winked at Anakin as if they shared a secret-that sometimes it was best not to answer Tahiri, that it was enough just to listen.
Did I mention I love her?
Tionne closed her eyes halfway and Anakin could sense the Force flowing through her. Then, to his amazement, the ground mist wrapped itself around her, spiraling and climbing upward. The mist wound itself like a vine around her arm and the base of the torch.
Finally, the mist circled the tip of the torch in a glowing white halo. As the fire burned away the water vapor, more mist drifted up to join the hazy ring. Anakin found himself fascinated by this display. It wasn’t until Tahiri said, “Wow!” that he realized it was over.
“Now it’s your turn,” Tionne said. “This may be a bit new and strange to you. It might surprise you how hard it can be. You’ve practiced lifting objects before, heavy things and light things. But mist is not an object.”
THIS IS AWESOME. But I can't help notice that this is a Dagobah book, and so this skill is inevitably going to come in handy later on.
Suddenly, there before him, through his half-open eyes, he could see it: a small, transparent, but perfectly formed tree. Then, beside his tree he saw a misty replica of the Great Temple appear. Tahiri had added her own mist picture next to his.
Amused, Anakin let the mist flow again. This time he decided to form the shape of his father’s ship, the Millennium Falcon. Within seconds Tahiri made a little X-wing fighter to hover beside the Falcon. Then her craft shifted and became a misty light - saber with a ghostly blade. Anakin let the Millennium Falcon flow and transform into a second phantomlike lightsaber beside Tahiri’s.
The two energy blades drifted toward each other and crossed. Anakin and Tahiri both made a misty streamer shoot out from the point where the “lightsabers” touched, as if the clash had released a crackle of energy.
Aww, this is so good! But then Anakin slips and Palpatine's face shows up in the mist, and we cut to Anakin sitting in Luke's office with Artoo. Ouch. Anakin's cold and shivering and Luke feeds him soup and MY HEART.
Hey, a continuity nod (with Dark Empire, of all things):
“Is it-” Anakin swallowed hard. “Is it true that my mother was touched by the Emperor before I was born?”
Luke Skywalker pursed his lips. A frown creased his forehead.
“A clone of the Emperor touched her,” he said carefully. “That clone was a copy of the Emperor’s body.”
Anakin angsts. Luke tries to calm him, but to no avail. Anakin asks how Luke learned about his own dark side, and Luke brings up the Dagobah cave. Anakin insists on going. Luke says he's too busy to take Anakin, but Anakin insists. Luke says Anakin should talk to his parents.
The next day, Anakin and Tahiri use the Force to unload the Lightning Rod. I can't help but think about Master Yoda making Whie and Scout use their muscles in Dark Rendezvous. I suspect he would not approve. There's a boy in an extra shipping crate.
Anakin opened his mouth to say something but was too stunned to find the right words. As usual, Tahiri saved him the trouble.
“Hi, what’s your name? What planet are you from? I’m Tahiri, and this is my friend Anakin. What are you doing here? Do you always travel in a box?”
“I am Uldir.” The boy’s voice squeaked when he spoke, as if it couldn’t decide whether it was high or low. “I have decided to be a Jedi. Take me to Luke Skywalker.”
I'M HOWLING.
Anakin frowned.
“It doesn’t really work like that. I mean, I don’t think anyone just decides to become a Jedi. But I’ll take you to him.”
“And if you really plan to become a Jedi,” Tahiri added, “you’d better start calling Luke `Master Skywalker.’”
This subplot is NOT GOING TO END WELL, but I'm sure this happens ALL THE TIME at the Academy. Poor Luke.
“Excuse me, Master Skywalker,” Anakin said, entering the large, echoing chamber. Anakin always used his uncle’sformal title when Luke was teaching. The Jedi Master turned off his lightsaber and looked at Anakin. Luke’s tall, violet-feathered student stepped back to wait, still holding her own glowing blade.
Nice character note from Anakin. And yes, that's Brakiss, isn't it? Who else would be "violet-feathered"? Or maybe it’s a random alien, LOL.
[[Calling it now: Brakiss is going to twist/corrupt Uldir and use his pain and frustration over not having the Force against the Jedi, isn't he.]]
“I’ve brought someone who wants to meet you,” Anakin said, indicating Uldir. “He came in on the Lightning Rod with old Peckhum.”
Surprise showed on Luke Skywalker’s face.
“He’s a stowaway,” Tahiri supplied helpfully. “His name is Uldir and he wants to be a a Jedi.”
Luke’s eyebrows went up. If anything, he looked even more surprised than before.
“Hello, Uldir,” Luke said in a soft, serious voice. “It’s not an easy thing to become a Jedi. But if you think you can do it, I’ll test you later. I need to finish this lesson first, though. I’m sure you’re tired and hungry after your journey. Anakin and Tahiri, please show our guest around. After he’s had a chance to clean himself up a bit in one of the rooms, make sure he gets something to eat, and then bring him to my office. “
Have I mentioned how much I love Luke recently??
Uldir reveals he's a military brat, moved around a lot, and has lived on Coruscant (he's kinda snarky when Tahiri introduces a turbolift like it's a big deal and I love it). Uldir's rebelling against his family by trying to be a Jedi instead of a shuttle pilot. All three of them bond over droids and travels. They go to the cafeteria and Uldir eats a lot. Uldir is described as a "teen", so I guess he's 13-15ish, compared to Anakin (11) and Tahiri (9)?? I really love cafeteria scenes so it's nice to get one here - all hustle and bustle, full of aliens, food, and love.
Tahiri and Anakin try to let Uldir down gently, and it goes nowhere. Uldir insists they accompany him to his meeting with Luke. It goes poorly.
“If being a Jedi is that glamorous, why shouldn’t everyone become one? “
Uldir put his hands on his hips.
“They don’t have what it takes,” he said. “No guts, I guess. No guts, no glory.”
“And you have what it takes?” Luke Skywalker asked.
The sturdy teen threw back his shaggy chestnut hair and squared his shoulders.
“Yes, I do.”
Luke Skywalker closed his eyes and drew in a calming breath
I feel you, Luke. I feel you.
Luke tries to let Uldir down gently, but it doesn't take. Uldir vows to stay, lies about his parents Luke is not amused.
Luke fixed him with a stern look and frowned ever so slightly.
“If you want to stay at the Jedi academy, don’t ever lie to me,” he said in a soft voice.
But he gives in because Uldir clearly has parental issues and Luke’s a softie, so they make a deal:
“All right, Uldir. If your parents agree, I’ll let you study for a while at the Jedi academy. But everyone here has a job to do. We all have assignments: teaching, taking classes, unloading cargo, cooking. If you’re willing to put in an honest day’s work, you may stay at the academy and attend lectures and classes and learn about the Force. If by the end of three months you have learned enough about the Force to lift a pebble or light a flame, then I will accept you as a full-time student-if you still want to be one.”
Luke calls Uldir's parents, and they agree, but hilariously admit they were afraid he'd joined some pirates. I think they are relieved it was the Jedi instead.
More Jedi Temple stuff:
Anakin Solo stood on top of the Great Temple, panting from his climb up the outer stairway. The late-afternoon breeze dried the sweat that trickled down his forehead. From this high above the ground there was a wonderful view of the surrounding jungle and the river not far away. But Anakin had not come for the view. He had come to be alone. To think-or maybe to brood. There was no railing around the platform on top of the pyramid, but Anakin was not afraid of falling.
He knew how to use his Jedi powers to keep his balance. He sat at the edge of the stone platform and removed his shoes, in the hope that going barefoot would give him at least a little of the positive bubbliness that Tahiri always seemed to have. He waited a minute to see if he would feel any different….
Hey, somebody remembers there are steps on the outside of this thing! Anakin watches lightsaber practice from his perch. He's so absorbed that he doesn't notice Ikrit at first.
“I guess I should have noticed you. I mean, normally I would have. It’s just that I’m not really myself right now.”
There was a long pause. Finally Ikrit asked, “Who are you, then?”
Anakin could sense that Ikrit wasn’t making a joke. It was an honest question. Anakin searched in his mind for an honest answer. He sighed.
“That’s just it: I don’t know. I always thought I did. I mean, I’m a kid whose father just happens to be one of the hottest pilots in the galaxy, whose mother is the leader of the New Republic, whose twin brother and sister just happen to have more Jedi potential than anyone else at the academy under the age of sixteen, and whose uncle also happens to be the most powerful Jedi Master alive.” Anakin grinned at his own words. “You know-I’m just an average kid.”
Anakin angsts about his vision and repeats his desire to go Dagobah, because of Luke and Yoda. Ikrit perks up. Cut to:
Planetshine from the orange gas giant of Yavin streamed in through the narrow window slit of Master Luke Skywalker’s chambers at the Jedi academy. The night air was still warm and Luke had pulled aside the heavy curtains to let in the soft breeze and the spicy scent of jungle flowers. Although he had been lying down for at least an hour, sleep would not come. He relaxed and let himself enjoy the beauty of the soft light. Somehow, when the furry white form of Jedi Master Ikrit appeared on his windowsill, Luke was not surprised.
Ikrit says that Anakin needs to go to Dagobah. Luke agrees.
“Anakin needs more time and training than I have to give him,” Luke admitted. “When Yoda taught me, he had no other students, but I have so many to train it could be months before I can break free to take Anakin to Dagobah.”
Luke thought for a moment.
“I might be able to send Tionne with him. She could leave sooner than I could.” He sighed. “But I’m not certain she can help Anakin face this test. She’s a wise Jedi, but she has never come face-to - face with the dark side in the same way I have… and as Anakin has.”
“I will take the boy to Dagobah myself, if you will permit it,” Ikrit said.
DELEGATE, LUKE, DELEGATE. That's what other people are there for! To be fair, Luke is still getting used to having Ikrit around. Ikrit says he's going to take Tahiri and Anakin in the Lightning Rod with Peckhum (of course!) and Luke sends Artoo along for the ride because Artoo hasn't suffered ENOUGH, LOL. But first he has to call Han and Leia and make sure they're okay with him sending their son into potential danger (unlike, say, the last book?)
Han namedrops Zekk, who's been helping Peckhum with ship maintenance. Han and Leia agree, mostly because Anakin insists. Our heroes embark on the journey.
“This is really kind of cozy, isn’t it?” she said. “It’s a shame we couldn’t bring Uldir along. He looked kind of unhappy when we told him we had to go away for a few days. Do you think he’ll be all right?”
It's fine, kids. I'm sure Brakiss will take care of him!
Peckhum is surprised that Ikrit is a Jedi master and can talk. Ikrit asks what he thinks Jedi masters look like and Peckhum doesn't say "human" but you can tell he's thinking it. Ikrit provides some backstory about how he saved his villages' harvest with his Jedi powers even after he was teased for not being useful earlier. Meanwhile, Uldir has stowed away AGAIN because that's what he does??
Uldir figured it was easier to apologize afterward than to get permission to go along.
Yes, this is going to go well, isn't it.
Dagobah hasn't changed. Apparently Luke sent Artoo along because Artoo is familiar with the place? LOL. Anakin still can't understand Binary, which is annoying. Peckhum lets Artoo land the ship and the droid lands in the swamp and the ship falls into the water. Peckhum is annoyed and we have some excellent Artoo sass: "this is the best place to land"!
Peckhum insists on staying with the ship, but at least Anakin and Tahiri have Ikrit for some competent supervision this time! Tahiri refuses to wear shoes on principles, but caves when Ikrit reveals that Tionne packed knapsakcs for them, including "a pair of buttery-soft leather boots". Oh, Tionne. The narrative doesn't say, but I assume they're Chanel. They are going to get ruined in the muck, but 10/10 for style.
Dagobah is buggy! Ikrit tells Anakin and Tahiri to use the Force to steer the bugs away, and it works. Artoo starts to lead them to the cave. They end up rescuing Uldir, who fell into the swamp because he didn't look before opening the cargo doors and jumping out. Now he's being attacked by some sort of furry snake monster. He throws algae but it doesn't go away. Anakin realizes the algae is food, and uses it to lure the creature away while Tahiri fishes Uldir out with a vine. Tahiri injures her foot and Uldir is patronizing about her injury and about Ikrit.
Ikrit makes them stop and listen to a lecture on the Force, which annoys a restless Anakin. Ikrit says he's going to let each of the kids lead them back to the ship. Tahiri and Anakin have no major disasters, but Uldir nearly leads them into a butcher bug web - an invisible, razor-sharp silken mesh. Ikrit leads his chastened charges back to the ship.
Cave trip, take two! Ikrit is riding on Artoo this time. Tahiri is wearing the boots, and surprised to find that she likes them because they have flexible soles. Go Tionne! Uldir continues to be a jerk.
“The way Uncle Luke explained it,” Anakin went on, his eyes rolling up and to the side, “the cave works kind of like a mirror, to show you what’s inside your own mind. He said he learned some really important things about himself that day.”
Uldir snorted.
“You mean you needed to come halfway across the galaxy and go into a cave to figure out what’s in your head?”
Their argument is interrupted by a storm, so they all take shelter "beneath the gnarled roots of a massive tree". Anakin is struck by how much the roots resemble a spider. Kid, do I have some news for you...
Ikrit can apparently make fire with the Force! I guess this is where Anakin gets his torch from the cover. Ikrit senses danger. Uldir is dismissive when a spotlight sloth shows up. I kinda hope the reason we don't see him on the cover is that he gets eaten. Of course the spider shows up then and captures the sloth, paralyzing it and eating it. Anakin is a city boy, and he's so out of his element. Uldir is also a city boy, but he decides to look because he thinks he's so cool, and his gagging noises draw the spider's attention.
The spider starts uprooting random vegetation and is getting close to the tree. Artoo gets stuck. Uldir runs away and Anakin and Tahiri rescue Artoo. The spider rips the tree away and throws it in the swamp, and starts chasing them. Artoo yanks on the spider's stinger and the spider retreats and goes back to destroying vegetation. They find Uldir, and Ikrit says he's convinced the spider that it's no longer hungry. The spider stabs the ground and plants its legs. Anakin realizes the spider is going to become a tree!
(I love this, by the way. The gnarltrees themselves are in ESB, but I couldn't remember where the gnarltrees = knobby white spiders thing came from... turns out their first appearance was in KJA's Darksaber! To give KJA credit where it's due, he's pretty good at coming up with characters and neat ideas, he's just not so good with description or execution.)
Conveniently, they end up right outside the cave. Uldir doesn't think it's important.
“You know, maybe your uncle was just in a thoughtful mood that day. I don’t think he could have learned anything in this cave that he couldn’t have learned if he had spent the day flying or swimming or climbing trees.”
LOL, nice try, Uldir. Uldir and Tahiri want to go in, too. Ikrit says sure, but one at a time. Of course, Uldir goes first, and doesn't see anything. Tahiri has a vision of her parents on Tatooine. Her mother is barefoot, lol. She also sees her grandfather (a Jedi) pursued by stormtroopers on a diffeent world and she sees him die. I have so many questions, but keep in mind this was 1997, and Lucas didn't insist on a celibate Jedi Order until 1999.
Then it's Anakin's turn. He sees a vision of a Light Jedi fighting a dark figure, only to discover--wait for it!--that both faces are his own. Cut to Ikrit making a fire as they discuss their visions.
“As different as you are from one another, my young students,” Ikrit rasped, “the things you each saw in the cave are not as unlike as you might believe. And for each of you, the lesson is much the same. Your learning and heritage mold you. No one is either entirely good or bad. Your parents, your experiences, your past and your present all combine to make you the person that you are.
“We each contain the potential for great good or great evil. We each hold the shadow of darkness… and the flame of light. Our destinies are not set, and life offers no guarantees. It is the choices that you make… that will determine what you become.”
After that inspiring moral, Anakin says, Welp, let's go home now, but Ikrit says there's one more thing. Artoo takes them to the ruins of Yoda's old house. Ikrit is so depressed, his fur turns black. Turns out Yoda was Ikrit's old master from his story at the beginning! Wow, what a twist! Good for Yoda!
Peckhum is grumpy about having another passenger, but they make it work. Tahiri is relieved to be barefoot again.
“I’ll have to remember to thank Tionne for thinking to send those boots for me.”
And she did.
What a great character moment. Oh and I guess the mist manipulation wasn’t actually useful on Dagobah after all, huh?
Back on Yavin 4, the kids scrub the Lightning Rod to remove all the Dagobah mud. Tionne hugs everyone. Luke looks relieved (probably didn't want to have to explain to Uldir's parents that their son stowed away YET AGAIN, lol).
Anakin, Tahiri, and Uldir each had a long private meeting with Luke and then with Tionne. In fact, there was so much talking and meeting and hugging that at the end of a few hours, Anakin was convinced that there was no one left who hadn’t already talked to everyone else. But he was wrong. Anakin was still in his uncle’s office when Ikrit showed up…
Uldir has a rare moment of self-reflection:
“Do you think I’ll ever become a Jedi?” he asked.
There was a brief, uncomfortable silence.
“Maybe,” Tahiri said. “I don’t really know enough about how it works.”
Anakin shrugged.
“It’s possible,” he said. “Even Jedi Masters can make mistakes."
Anakin and Tahiri vow to do what they can to help Uldir. They genuinely want to help, but there is no way this is going to end well. Uldir goes to get more river water, convinced if he dresses the part of the Jedi, the rest will follow while he's gone, Luke, Ikrit, and Tionne show up and congratulate Anakin and Tahiri. And that's... pretty much this plot arc in a nutshell - Uldir missing the point/missing out, while Anakin and Tahiri get stuff. Ow.
So I admit my expectations going into this book were SUPER-LOW, but even though the plot was mostly predictable, I loved all the continuity nods and there were lots of great character moments--and there were a few bits that surprised me, too. Overall, the writing is definitely a step up from previous installments, and none of the adults are idiots. Tionne gets some cool stuff to do and takes care of Tahiri, and Luke and Ikrit are also great. And the Uldir plot is handled realistically and sensitively, even though I *know* it's not going to end well. I enjoyed reading this, and would definitely do it again.
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Some very long Rambly TROS thoughts
Holy fuck there is so much wrong with this movie.
Let's start at the beginning. Kylo tracks down the wayfinder/holocron crystal thing that will lead him to the sith homeworld. We learn that Palpatine was behind both the Snoke and Vader voices in Kylo’s head-basically the dude has been manipulating him for 30 years. Kylo states very clearly he's gonna kill this motherfucker. This is very in line with the Last Jedi- Kylo wants to destroy everything- the Sith the Jedi the Resistance- because he’s tired of the constant push-pull of rejection and manipulation. BUT THEN HE DOESNT KILL PALPATINE???? At first the film argues that he doesn't kill Palps because Palps promises him the big FINAL ORDER fleet? Okay...but I don’t think Kylo really gives a shit about a big fleet of ships when it's offered by the fucker who has been scrabbling his brains for shits and giggles. Once the ‘Rey Palpatine’ thing comes to light, we are lead to believe Kylo went along with the whole final order plan because he wanted to kill Palpatine together with REY???? Ahh okay?
So now we switch back to Rey. She's basically a jedi, cool. And I guess the Skywalker saber just fixed itself, with literally no scars or anything. A great visual representation about how this film feels about character development that happened in The Last Jedi. So Rey breaks concentration and fails the courses. According to the film, this happens because sheisapalpatine. If you had two brain cells you would realize Rey could be upset for normal reasons ...like that in order to the Resistance to win she’s going to have to put Kylo down like a dog. Its kinda cool that Leia is her teacher (more on that later).
Soo then we spend the next hour on a pointless adventure with the Trio™. Which would be fun, if they were ever established as a Trio. Arguably the real trio might be Rose-Finn-Poe. More on Rose later. Here is a list of incomprehensible things that happen here:
Kylo reforges his mask. Because Reasons? The knights of Ren. Because Reasons?
A handful of force bond scenes. The first one actually isn’t half bad. By wearing the mask, Kylo is rejecting the intimacy inherent to the connection because he is about to defile it. Grabbing Rey’s necklace is a physical and emotional violation. It's the first time he has ever used the connection for personal gain. The other connection scenes mostly just play around with the two of them being able to pass each other stuff. They lack the careful editing of TLJ connection scenes. Disclaimer: I’m a pretty hard core Reylo and these scenes really lacked the magic they previously had.This might be un-purpose Kylo is clearly pretty lost as this point. Dull, lacking in heart like so much of this film.
Kylo becomes a cartoon power ranger villian spouting Palpatine exposition and attempting to create suspense by almost catching the trio a couple times. Some of the dialogue is almost Revenge of the Sith Anakin level awkward. It lacks both the unstable angry energy of FA or the sad tired boi energy of TLJ.
Rey makes force lighting because I guess she was upset and it's a genetic ability now???
Poe gets a female love interest, becuase hes heterosexual. HeTeroSeXUal.
Poe and Finn flirt for a whole hour while Poe checks out some new chick and Finn now has a harem thing kinda.
Poe is now a spice trader. BECAUSE YOU KNOW HE'S THE HAN SOLO OF THE TRILOGY. Let's just forget that TLJ establishes that Poe is his own character, probably loyal to the resistance since birth. His parents are rebellion alumni.
Two death fake outs. I don’t know why they had to give 3PO his memories back. He lost them at the end of the Prequels and R2 loved him anyway. Chewbacca capture was a missed opportunity to get some resolution to him shooting Kylo in the gut.
Hux is the spy. Lovely. He is the ultimate weak bitch. Tbh the most consistent character development. Arguably my favorite detail on the entire film. Perfect execution. Domhnall Gleason is a gift.
Now onto Endor. Endor has so much potential and squanders most of it.
Finn meets other people who left the stormtrooper program. Cool. Weird how it's tied to force sensitivity. I like the idea of the force putting Poe and Finn in the right place at the right time, but I think to imply people’s ability to escape slavery is tied to force sensitivity brings us to the problematic terrority of the sequels. Also the only one who talks to Finn is also black. And Clearly has a romantic vibe. Okay…..
The Rey Palpatine thing is made explicit. Even though anyone will half a brain figured it out 90 minutes ago. More wierd implications…..who would agree to fuck an old man Palpatine? So Rape i guess. Rey’s parents were normal...is this some kinda side material hook to read more about them or some shit??? Kylo refers to Rey’s parents as ‘filthy junk traders’. He's right. THEY SOLD HER INTO FUCKING SLAVERY. However Rey’s parents are good people??? WTF THIS IS THE JEDI COUNCIL ALL OVER AGAIN.
Soo Kylo destroys the wayfinder to force Rey to work with him. Anti-Reylos will often get their panties in a twist about how it’s an ‘abusive relationship’. This is the only scene that really comes off as manipulative- in a way it never did in TLJ. Partly because they play up this idea of power-hungry Kylo (which has little basis in reality. In FA he just wanted to make Snoke his daddy. And TLJ Kylo is just soo fucking lonely) rather than sad boi Kylo trying to hold onto someone. Damn the TLJ throne scene is soo careful with getting that energy right, balancing the heartbreak with a little gaslighting (sorry off topic). Then They Fight. Kylo doesn’t even pull out a saber at first because he literally has no intention of killing her. Rey fights because she's mad. Leia decides to intervene at this time, which is weird because Kylo still has no intention of hurting Rey. Apparently Leia sending Kylo a text is enough to freak him out. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE TIME FOR FLASHBACKS, MAYBE A ‘YOU’RE MY ONLY HOPE’ TO TIE HIM BACK TO HIS NAMESAKE.
Instead Rey gets him in the gut. She then heals him, something that should have been really intimate. This would have been time to kiss him in that wistful ‘ I wanted to know what it would be like before I exile myself forever way’. This is one of the scenes that desperately needed more breathing room AND GIVE KYLO SOME FUCKING DIALOGUE YOU COWARDS. Healing him combined with Leia stuff should have reduced Kylo to a pile of tears. I think he would find it completely overwhelming that someone thinks he is worth it, worth a part of their life source, worth their final breathes.
Oh woah surprise Han Solo. This kinda works for me because unlike robot Leia and fairy godmother Luke, Han looks alive. Plus Han is only a memory so Kylo has to save himself, make his own choice. Aww fuck this got me the closest to tears becuase he looks so fucking sad about the fact that he can’t go home. Damn you Adam Driver and you’re big weepy eyes. His mother is dead and I don’t think he ever truly realized that she wanted him back. I guess with the way things went with Luke, he just assumed he was unwanted. Even now, Han is the only one of the 3 Ben can really imagine taking him back. Who knew Han was such a softie. At the same time there is something so unintentionally sad about the fact that Ben’s whole family can become force ghosts and not a single one gives enough of a shit about him to show up at the turning point of his life.
Also the implication that Ben turns to protect Leia’s lifework is strange. Leia’s legacy is the Rebellion, a democratic senate, a planet wiped off the map, NOT SKYWALKER JEDI #2 JJ!!!!! Ben doesn’t even interact with any of the larger powers at work, he just saves Rey.
Also while Ben’s guilt and shame about killing Han (his true sin) keep him on the dark side, this doesn’t address the 8 million other reasons he left the light. Also why do Leia and Rey never discuss this???? His own fucking family repeatedly rejected him because of his ‘Vadar-ness’ which is ironic considering…….
Then we cut to Rey’s fairy godmother-esque trip to Ahch-To where she arms herself with all of the Skywalker’s personal effects:
Mad that Rian Johnson denied you that ESB fanservice call-back of Luke being able to pull his x-wing out of water?? Don’t worry JJ has got you covered.
Mad that Leia didn’t have lightsaber? Don’t worry JJ has got you covered, Leia was always prepared to be a back up to Luke because she doesn’t have her own perspective or anything or like a whole fucking political system to run. Also she stopped training because apparently completing her journey would end in Ben’s death...ooo SmArT foreshadowing that Rey using her lightsaber will end in one dead Ben boi.
Leia and Luke ALWAYS knew about Rey Palps. Which is funny because they threw their own flesh and blood in the trash because he seemed kinda Vader-y. I guess it's wrong to judge people by their bloodlines unless its your own bloodline. I can’t even.
There is no mention of Ben at all- even though Leia and Luke both died for him and Rey put her whole heart into saving him.
Now to Exeger or whatever again. Almost two hours in and we’re back at the planet we were on in the first 5 minutes.
Spaceship stuff happens. Take out your checklist to get those pilot and ship cameos. Ooo look its The Ghost! OG trilogy pilot! Lando is there! WOOO! Poe’s girlfriend lived somehow!
Ben’s last words are ‘Ow’.
Palps wants Rey to kill him because I guess that will make her evil? Since when does killing people make you evil? I don’t think killing Palps to save the world in the same as ‘striking your enemies down in hatred’ or whatever.
Oh Hey Ben is here. Palps doesn’t care much I guess even though trolling Skywalkers is his whole life’s passion.
Palps drains the life out of Ben/Rey. They don’t die. Ben goes flying into a pit. Rey has to face Palps alone because I guess even though Ben/Rey are stronger together and are cosmically linked the lone jedi thing will happen anyway?? Is feminism about doing everything on your own rather than building meaningful connections with your equal partner. Honestly only Men would think a women has to do everything alone to prove her worth, Rey has been wanting allies and family her whole life LET HER HAVE IT.
Also okay sooo Palps did technically kill Rey’s parents and she had about a whole 5 minutes to think about that. Multiple generations of Ben’s family have been tortured by this guy, so I think it would be rather cathartic to see him play a bigger role in the end of Palp.
Rey enters the Avatar State. Cue more fanservice cameos (I love you Ahsoka, but you said it yourself, you ain’t a jedi). In another backhanded slap to TLJ were back on the TheJediDidNothingWrong line of thinking. Anakin is present ...I wonder if anyone else is interested in talking to him…...
Rey dies. I’m not sure why. Palps legit sucked the life of her and she lived, but the Avatar State killed her.
Ben crawls out of pit. Damn Adam Driver has legs for days. He heals Rey, its kinda sweet but it's also really really weird that he hasn’t said anything. Not saying we need an over the top love declaration but even his emotionally constipated parents managed to get an ‘I love you’ out.
Ben saves Rey. The thing Anakin thought the dark side would give him the power to do. Interesting bookend. Sad that my boy has such low self preservation, he gives her his life without hesitation. Why do we have to die for other people? It’s much harder to have to live for other people. To move and grow beyond the past. To try and be our best everyday, even when its hard. Isn’t that real redemption?
Ben kisses Rey. Awww. Its missing some of the elements of a big romantic drama kiss, which I would be okay with ...if it was followed up with a big romantic kiss with a sunset on a new planet before the credits roll. Alas this does not happen. The audience is somewhat befuddled since their had been almost no dialogue referencing their emotional connections. The ‘no one knows me./I do.’ dialogue from the trailer did not appear in film.
Ben smiles. It has all the boyish charm and innocence Anakin wished he had in the prequels. Aww he really has never kissed anyone. I wonder when the last time he smiled was. HAS THIS MAN EVER HAD A GOOD DAY HIS ENTIRE LIFE. I am emotionally moved until approximately 2 seconds later….
Ben dies. There is no funeral. No mention. Rey doesn’t shed a single tear. This dude literally gave you his life without hesitation. Is Reylo one-sided? Or at least not equally felt? Ow. U The Resistance doesn’t wonder what happened to the Supreme leader. We know at the end of TLJ Luke became a legend, I do not think this happens to Ben.
The Resistance parties. Cue Return of the Jedi film reel. Poe and Finn are heterosexual. No resolution to the stupid ReyFinn force sensitve thing. Two women kiss. It will be cut out of the Chinese release.
Rey buries the lightsabers on Tatooine because you know Luke lived there and Leia once wore a metal bikini there. Rey choose the name Rey Skywalker. Which is interesting because she didn’t get along that well with Luke. She finished her training with Leia Organa Solo, Princess of Alderaan who just happens to have been a result of a sperm donation from Anakin Skywalker. She found a father figure in Han Solo. She loved a guy named Ben Solo. I’m not saying she should name herself Rey Solo, but it certainly is better than Rey Skywalker. I mean it's almost like a person's worth and ability aren’t dependent on either a bloodline or acceptance into the galaxies most powerful family. Rey nobody would have been fine. I’m not going to get into the feminist angle of a self made women tying herself to the legacy of a man. Cue theaterwide groaning.
Twin suns. Cool. I liked them better in The Last Jedi.
Rey has a yellow-ish lightsaber and maybe made out of her staff. Wonder where she got the crystals from and why they didn’t introduce it earlier. Possible implication she's going the way of the ‘grey’ jedi? idk some Jedi have yellow actually. Ahsoka had a yellow one. Not sure since this film is back on the JediwayisBest bullshit.
We see Luke and Leia's force ghosts. Ben’s last word was ‘ow’.
In Summary, some odd implications:
Rey Palpatine is quite possibly the worst idea of all time. Worse than midichlorians. The highest level of fanboy pandering and Rian Johnson erasure. Rey has a lot of very real things to be angry about - her rough childhood, the deaths of her mentors, loving someone as dense as Ben Solo, having to come to terms with the fact that her parents didn’t love her.
Return to prequel-esque thinking on slavery. Apparently it is not that bad if you sell someone as long as you do it with LOVE.
Making Finn force sensitive is not character development. Its just half assed pandering and additional exposition in a film filled with exposition.
There is some truly awful dialogue in this film. Its shot composition and editing is so sloppy compared to FA or TLJ.
The force in balance means killing everyone on the darkside.
Rose is completely sidelined. She is the only Asian character on screen. She is seemingly replaced with a black woman who has a similar background to Finn and is a scavenger like Rey. Yikes. Why does this feel like an anti-interacial relationship thing.
Said Black women Jarrah talks to Lando, another black character in a bizarre dialogue that vaguely implies all black people are related. I might be really misreading this, but its weird. I would have liked her to talk to Rose instead because female solidarity.
FinnPoe is played up a LOT. But we are also repeatedly reminded they are attracted to women. This does not feel like woke Bisexual culture. This is pandering without making a commitment.
Rey’s worth as a character is related to her connection to powerful people in the Star Wars mythos, not her own traits.
Ben’s character resonates really strongly with abuse victims and outsiders. His lack of dialogue strips him of a lot of his agency. His estrangement from his family is not resolved. Vader, who arguably did a lot worse things gets a whole dying monologue and force ghost thing.
Oh hey C3PO said the festival is every 42 year old….OG came out 42 years ago. heh.
In Summary:
Watch the Clone Wars animated series
Fall in love with Ahsoka
Watch Star Wars Rebels or at least all the episodes with Ahsoka and also the series finale, it's got some cool force stuff in it.
Think about the cool force stuff in Star Wars Rebels and the cool force stuff in The Last Jedi. Woah.
Apply all this cool force stuff to your own personal version of the Rise of Skywalker
Wait for clone wars finale Feb 2020
Rinse and Repeat
Peg Kylo Ren
Oscar Isaac is the Captain on the FinnPoe Ship.
The Last Jedi was the Best One. Fight Me.
Find the fanfiction where Rey tells him what a good boi he is which reduces him to a puddle. Find the fanfiction where he cries during sex the first time, the second time, every time. Find the fanfiction where his force ghost gets a hug, where his family welcomes his back.
Read Fanfiction:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/21852886
What I would do instead:
Delete Rey Palpatine
Ditch the mask. You have a fucking Oscar nomiated actor hiding under it.
After the Endor part, have Kylo join either Rey or the Resistance. Personally I think him hitching a ride on the Falcon would have been wonderfully awkward. And maybe give some closure the calling Finn a ‘traitor’ thing. This is fanservice-y, but no more fanservice-y than the rest of the film. And maybe finally answer the question of who does/doesnt know who Kylo Ren is. Would like a verbal declaration that he identifies as Ben Solo or least Ben or something.
Ben can still die I guess but maybe give him some kinda funeral. Or reuse the golden dice symbolism.
Slow everything done. Let the audience feel sad, feel happy. Oh and cut out those fucking death fake outs.
#tros#rambling#reylo#spoilers#rey#Rey of Jakku no last name given#why did i write this#catharthis#ben solo
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Redemption of the sith. A.S
pairing: Anakin Skywalker x reader
warnings: not really if you think so let me know.
spoilers: I guess we all know what happens.
wordcount: 1656
disclaimer: gifs go to their right ful owners.
A sigh of contentment leaves your mouth as you exit the meditation room where you had spent the last few hours trying to keep your thoughts in line. When you were still a youngling training with Yoda he had thought you that meditation was the key and he was right when he said meditation was a way to clear your mind. Worrying wasn’t a good thing for a jedi, nor was fear yet you couldn’t help but let those feelings get to you. Worrying about your jedi master had been taking its toll on you, and not being able to tell anyone of your worries made it only worse. Anakin and you had been close since the first day you got assigned to him as padawan. The bond you two formed was strong and close, a little bit too close for a jedi master and it’s padawan.
You walked through the jedi temple to your room, thinking about the distance Anakin had created between the pair of you over the last days.
You were heavy in your thoughts when you made the turn to your room, not noticing another person in the same hallway, you bumped straight into them.
‘look where you’re going will you.’ The voice you heard was angry but unmistakable that of Anakin.
‘I’m sorry, master.’ You softy spoke taking in Anakin’s appearance. He was wearing his dark brown jedi robes, the hood over his head.
‘Y/N what are you doing here?’ The anger seemed to disappear out of his voice.
‘I spend the day meditating, seeing you didn’t schedule training today anyway. I’m headed to my room now, where are you going?’ it was already late so Anakin wondering the hallway at this hour was somewhat strange, unless he was headed toward your room, which he wasn’t.
‘i just need to take care of something, do me a favour and go to your room and stay there.’ He says his voice stern but with a hint of sweetness and concern in it. The jedi places a soft kiss on your forehead before he walks past you ready to leave.
‘Ani?’ you stop him, the 3 letters when you said them where always able to stop him from whatever he was doing.
‘Y/N?’ Anakin turns around, facing you. His blue eyes stare straight in your E/C.
‘it’s nothing, just be careful.’ You sigh shaking your head at how stupid that must’ve sounded
‘for you? Always.’ He says with a forced smile he walks over to you for a moment, places a fast kiss to your lips before turning around in a rush, leaving you alone in the hallway.
You enter your room, it was empty and didn’t hold a lot of things of personal value. After all attachments were forbidden. The only thing you still owned from your youth was a necklace your mother gave you the day you left for coruscant which you carried around your neck every day. you sit down on your bed and open the top drawer of your bedside table. Inside hidden under a couple of books you still had to return to the library was a single picture. On it were you and Anakin, taken just after your first mission, you had one and he had one just in case you were send off without each other. You laid down on your bed clutching the picture to your chest, you tried not to feel alone yet as you dozed off you did.
you didn’t know how deep your sleep had been until the door to your room opened. Master Kenobi walked in followed by master Yoda.
‘I sensed you were in here.’ Obi-wan speaks whilst you sit up straight.
‘I thought you were on mission master?’ you quickly place the picture down beside you, obi-wan knew of you and Anakin but master Yoda didn’t.
‘we were, we came back when we figured out the clone troopers were killing jedi.’
‘what!’ you are standing within a second. ‘why!’
‘Darth Sidious it was, with his new apprentice.’ Master Yoda speaks, the wisest of the jedi masters walks over to the other side of your bed and picks up the picture, you don’t even try to stop him.
‘His new apprentice, on this photo with you.’
‘but wait, that’s Anakin, he would never do something like that, I just saw him last evening.’ You counter to the jedi master.
‘Before he went to kill the younglings.’ Obi-wan speaks as master Yoda sits himself down on your bed.
‘He did what?’ your eyes were now wide with disbelieve. ‘I’m sorry are we talking about the same Anakin here?’ your gaze goes from one master to another, both of them carry looks of sadness.
‘Why?’ you sit down on your bed, head in your hands as tears threaten to fall.
‘We don’t know.’ Obi wan speaks.
There was a moment of silence before Master Yoda spoke.
‘Destroy the sith we must.’
‘Send me to kill the emperor, I can’t kill Anakin.’ Master Kenobi spoke solemnly.
‘We don’t have to kill him, please say there is a way to destroy the sith without having to kill Ani.’ You plead to master Yoda.
‘Twisted by the dark side young Skywalker has become, the boy you trained gone he is. Consumed by Darth Vader. The boy you loved gone as well.’ Yoda spoke to both you and master Kenobi
‘I do not know where the emperor has send him.’ You could see it, Obi-Wan didn’t want to kill him either.
‘use your feelings obi-wan and find him you will.’ Master Yoda left you and master Kenobi alone with those words.
‘we can’t kill him.’
‘we can try to turn him.’ Master kenobi’s words were filled with the last bit of hope he had left.
Mustafar, is where you ended up going. The planet filled with lava gave you feelings that could only be paired with the dark side. As soon as Obi-Wan landed the ship you could see a figure walking toward the ship.
‘let me try first.’ You plead the jedi master who doesn’t respond with words, but merely nods his head. You open the door of the ship and walk outside, toward the man you loved.
‘Anakin?’ you ask the hooded figure stepping closer to him.
‘y/n, I knew you would find me, I’m glad you’re here.’ Anakin’s eyes were an uncharacteristic yellow.
‘why are we here Anakin, why did you do it, you killed those younglings, you killed jedi.’ Your words came out rushed but clear to the man in front of you.
‘I did it for us y/n. without the jedi and without their rules we can be together, without the fear of being found.’ He speaks loudly. ‘I did what had to be done, love.’ The pet name he gave you normally made your heart flutter, now it made you feel disgusted.
‘come with me y/n, without the jedi we can be.’ He says, a smile tugging on the corner of his lips that can only be identified as evil.
‘I can’t.’ your hand inches closer to your saber as Anakin walks closer to you.
‘what do you mean you can’t!’ never in your life had you seen anyone as angry as Anakin right now.
‘betray the jedi, go with you like that.’
‘I am your master.’ Anakin anger grew with every word he said.
‘you were my master when you were a jedi, now I’m not even sure I can love you.’
‘I need you y/n.’ he pleads, his eyes seem to soften but there is still a hint of yellow in them.
‘and I need you but not like this.’ You could hear footsteps behind you as obi-wan slowly descended from the ship.
‘what is he doing here?’ The anger was fully back in his voice and his hand was closer to his saber. You turn to face obi-wan and shoot him a look that told him to stay away but he didn’t. instead he stepped closer to the pair of you, his lightsaber ignited.
‘you can’t be like this Anakin.’
‘Anakin is gone, Darth Vader is who I’ve become.’ He speaks to his old master. ‘I am stronger then you now, would you like me to show you my new powers?’ Anakin or well Darth Vader asks.
‘ANI STOP!’ You shout, the tone in your voice seems to surprise Anakin and master Kenobi.
‘This is not who you are.’ You continue your voice back to normal. Slowly you walk closer to Anakin and place one of your hands in his. The feeling of him relaxing a little gives you hope.
‘the jedi can’t stop us from being together, the sith can. Come home with me Ani, forget what happened, the jedi can be restored, the sith destroyed and you and I, we’ll just be us, like we’ve always been since you asked me to be yours.’
‘we can’t be like that, as you’ve said I’ve killed the younglings, I can’t come back, I’ve changed Y/n’
‘you can Ani, you just need to let go of the hate, the anger, the fear. Find the peace.’ Your voice is now whisper as you stand chest to chest with Anakin. Your free hand moves to be on his cheek and you take a leap of faith, placing your lips on his.
somewhat to your surprise he does kiss you back, a single tear falls from his eye and lands on your cheek.
‘I just need to be with you Y/n.’ Ani pleads as he closes his arms around you. ‘I can’t lose you.’
‘we can be on coruscant.’ you look at him, the yellow eyes were gone and the ocean blue had returned. ‘let’s just kill Sidious and we can be together.’ Anakin nods, not daring to look at master Kenobi. The jedi master whoever wore a smile, you had just done what he deemed impossible, and redeemed a sith.
#anakin skywalker x reader#Anakin Skywalker#star wars#star wars imagine#star wars x reader#the revenge of the sith#imagines#imagine#x reader#darth vader
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Prompt time!
-To give one of their own a confidence boost, the gang does a rendition of Hey Jude.
-“Of all the things I expected to happen, us getting turned into the X-Men wasn’t one of them.”
-Bendy and pals get to see Star Wars for the first time.
-“Why doesn’t my character have a reflection?”
I’m really sorry this took so long. Also, sorry some of them are so short.
Wally was going to ask someone out. It wasn’t clear whether this someone was a male, female, or even someone they knew. The employees of Joey Drew Studios just knew that Wally was gearing up to ask someone on a date. He’d been a nervous wreck for about a week now involving this.
“We’ve gotta do something about this,” Norman said at lunch one day. “The kid’s a mess. This can’t continue.” Wally had eaten and gotten back to aggressively cleaning in order to get his mind off this whole thing.
“Well, what are we supposed to do?” Sammy asked, massaging his temples. He, Norman, Shawn, Grant, and Thomas were seated together at a table for lunch.
“I really don’t see how this is our business,” Grant said, sighing heavily as he desperately tried to distance himself from the conversation. He wasn’t even sure why he’d left his office in the first place. Thomas had dragged him out for some reason.
“Well, if Wally’s on edge then everyone suffers for it,” Thomas said. “He doesn’t clean as well and all that.” Murmurs of agreement echoed from around the table. They knew they had to do something about this to help the janitor.
“Why don’t you sing him a song?” The men looked up to see Allison standing there, fidgeting a little. The tiny intern smiled nervously at the scrutiny.
“What kind of song do you have in mind?” Sammy asked, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.
“Well, um, Hey Jude?” Allison suggested, playing with her skirt.
“What makes you think of that?” Norman asked.
“I’ve been listening to the Beatles a lot,” Allison explained. “And, well, I think this one is pretty relevant to the situation.” Sammy’s smile widened. Oh, this was good. Partially because he wanted to mess with Wally. He knew this was going to make the other man extremely flustered.
“I gotta get back to work.” Shawn pushed back his chair. “Tell me how it turns out.”
“I have to finish balancing the company chequebook.” Grant got up as well. “The rest of you have fun.” The two of them went off to get back to their jobs, leaving Thomas, Norman, and Sammy with Allison.
“I should probably get back to work too.” Allison began to turn away, but Sammy caught her hand.
“No no no.” He said. “This was your idea. You’re going to help us execute it.” The four of them headed down to where Wally was furiously scrubbing at an ink spill on the ninth level. Allison was still rather nervous. She didn’t sing for very many people. She was taking over for Susie today, sure, but that was only because the other woman was out sick.
“I’m not sure I want to do this.” She whispered to Sammy.
“You’ll do fine,” Sammy assured her.
“Hey! Wally!” Norman yelled, causing the janitor to jump and nearly drop his mop. “We got something to say to you!”
“What?!” Wally turned around, his face a mask of barely contained terror. Sammy cleared his throat, gesturing to Allison.
The little intern stepped forward and began to sing. “Hey, Jude, don’t make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better. Remember to let her into your heart. Then you can start to make it better.”
“Hey, Jude, don’t be afraid. You were made to go out and get her. The minute you let her under your skin. Then you begin to make it better.” Sammy joined her, an arm around her shoulder.
“And anytime you feel the pain, hey, Jude, refrain. Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders. For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool, by making his world a little colder.” The two sang together, with Thomas and Norman provided some backup vocals.
“Hey, Jude, don’t let me down. You have found her, now go and get her. Remember to let her into your heart. Then you can start to make it better. So let it out and let it in, hey, Jude, begin. You’re waiting for someone to perform with. And don’t you know that it’s just you, hey, Jude, you’ll do. The movement you need is on your shoulder.”
Wally could only stare at them. This was by far one of the strangest things he’d experienced. Were…Were they trying to give him confidence or something? Oh shit, did they know he wanted to ask Shawn out? They did, didn’t they?
“Go get ‘em, tiger,” Thomas said with a subdued thumbs up.
“Whoever it is you’re trying to ask out, just do it,” Norman said. “We’re all getting tired of watching you rabbit around.”
“I just wanted to sing a song.” Allison smiled nervously. “Um, I’ll go now.” And with that, she quickly ran off.
“So? You gonna do it or not?” Sammy asked with a huge smile. Wally just kept staring at them. Was it that obvious that he was nervous? Ah, screw it. Wally threw down his mop.
“I’m gonna do it!” He said, hands on his hips. He stormed to the elevator. “I’m gonna ask Shawn Flynn out!”
“So that’s who it is. Hm.” Norman nodded slowly. “Didn’t think he liked him.”
“I mean, it kind of makes sense.” Thomas shrugged a little. “He’s always cleaning near Shawn’s workshop.” Sammy smiled to himself, quite proud of what he’d done. They’d have to see how well this panned out, though.
.
.
“Of all the things I expected to happen, us getting turned into the X-Men wasn’t one of them,” Grant said dryly, throwing a quarter at the ceiling. The coin bounced off the ceiling, hitting one of the toys Shawn had animated, passing through Cordelia, and finally landing back in Grant’s hand. The intern shivered a bit as the coin passed through her translucent and incorporeal body. She’d been crying for the past hour but seemed to finally have stopped. Grant had been performing little tricks using his new powers to calm down her and Allison, both of whom had been terrified when their powers had first manifested.
“Why’re my powers so lame?” Shawn groaned, making a few of the plushes get up and start dancing around Allison. Allison smiled and clapped her hands weakly. What a cruel trick of fate her powers had been. Allison would never be able to be a voice actress now. Whenever she opened her mouth, what seemed like miniature sonic booms came out.
“You can animate inanimate objects,” Grant said, shooting the toymaker a dirty look. “You could make statues move. I can only manipulate probability.” Behind them, Thomas had started taking apart everything he could, studying their layout.
“What are you doing?” Cordelia asked, carefully making her way over. She was terrified she’d pass through the floor again.
“I need to understand how they work,” Thomas muttered. With some concentration, Cordelia managed to pick up one of the machine pieces.
“Are you going to put them back together?” She asked. Thomas nodded, snatching the piece from her hands. In less than a minute, the machine he’d taken apart was reassembled and working better than it had before.
“Whoa! That’s so cool!” Cordelia exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Allison opened her mouth to ask if she could see, but only a long shriek came out. Everyone covered their ears until she had closed her mouth. She looked on the verge of tears again.
“Hey, it’s alright.” Cordelia walked over to try and hug her, but only passed through the other girl.
“We need to find the others,” Grant concluded. “Perhaps their powers have awakened too.”
“Mm.” Thomas kept taking apart and putting together machines.
“Is no one coming with me?” Grant asked, sighing.
“I don’t feel comfortable moving long distances,” Cordelia whispered, already starting to sink into the floor. Allison started to panic, trying to pull her fellow intern up from the floor. By this point, Cordelia had become almost completely incorporeal.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Pull yourself together, girl!” Shawn said, running over to help as well.
“Alright, I see you’ll all be busy with…her,” Grant said. “I’ll be back in a little.” Before anyone could stop him, he walked out of the room. It took a few minutes to calm Cordelia down and get her out of the floor, but they managed it. Once that was done, Shawn started testing the limits of what exactly he could animate. As it turned out, quite a lot. When Grant finally returned with Joey, Shawn was animating the toy machine and making the toys in the room dance. Cordelia was finally corporeal and opaque again, and Allison was clapping excitedly along. Thomas was still taking apart machines.
“Well, it looks like everyone is adjusting nicely,” Joey said brightly. Grant could only groan.
.
.
The toons were going to watch Star Wars. When Susie found out they’d never seen the movies, she knew this had to be remedied. So she’d set up the projection for a movie night and corralled the toons.
“Why’re we doing this?” Bendy whined, rolling around in his chair. “I don’t want to watch a bunch of boring movies.”
“Star Wars is a staple of American culture.” Susie chided him as she set up the film reels. “You have to watch it.”
“I think it’s exciting!” Alice said, clapping her hands together. “Susie’s told me so much about the movies!”
“I’ve always wanted to go to space,” Boris said almost dreamily.
“It’s space.” Sammy shrugged a little.
“Oh, hush. They should be excited.” Susie started up the film, snuggling up beside Sammy. They watched all three original films in the span of one day, taking breaks for food and going to the bathroom. By the end of it, all three toons were ecstatic. Alice had fallen in love with the character of Princess Leia, while Bendy liked Han Solo. Boris enjoyed Luke Skywalker himself, tearing up a little when Luke reached out to his father.
“It’s just so kind,” Boris said, wiping away tears. “He still believes in Vader, even if Vader chopped off Luke’s hand. That’s…That’s really powerful.”
“You’re such a softie,” Bendy said, patting his back.
“I gotta admit, I do admire Luke,” Sammy said. “That does take a lot of courage and compassion. I’d never be able to do something like that.”
“The bitterness is strong in you.” Alice giggled.
“There are more movies, too,” Susie said, wiggling her eyebrows. “They’re coming out with a new trilogy.”
“No way!” Bendy’s eyes widened. “Is Han in them? Please tell me he does cool stuff!”
“He does cool stuff,” Sammy said. “And Leia becomes a general.”
“That’s great!” Alice squealed and started jumping up and down.
“We might have to sneak you guys into the theatre sometime,” Susie said, grinning as she went to remove the reels from the projector.
“Good luck getting that idea by Joey.” Sammy’s smile fell. “He’s not gonna like the idea of getting the toons out.”
“I’ll figure something out.” Susie hummed. “I always do.”
For the next few weeks, the toons reenacted scenes from Star Wars, quoting and playing make-believe. No one had ever seen them so animated. They were so excited, so full of ideas and pranks and joy. Joey couldn’t help but smile. Maybe he’d have to let them out to see the new movies. They were excited enough about it.
.
.
Allison was finally getting her own character in the show. After years and years of working her butt off, trying to become a voice actress, she finally was one. She was so excited she could barely breathe as Joey showed her the concept sketches of her character.
“Her name is Leticia,” Joey said.
“She’s beautiful.” Allison gasped, running her fingers over the sketches. Leticia was a curvaceous young woman with long dark hair, a sleek black dress, and little high heels. Allison was excited to have another female character for the show. But one sketch caught her attention.
“Why doesn’t my character have a reflection?” She asked, pointing to one sketch of Leticia in front of a mirror.
“She’s a vampire,” Joey said brightly.
“Oh.” Allison looked down at the sketches again. “She’s...Um...She’s not a bad vampire, is she?”
“Oh no!” Joey laughed and shook his head. “She’s Alice’s best friend and a little bit of a troublemaker, but not evil.”
“Oh, good.” Allison laughed nervously. “Well, I’ll do the best I possibly can!”
Allison threw herself into her work, finding that she could relate to Leticia more than she had previously thought she would. She felt a connection to the character, the same way Susie felt a connection to Alice. This excited Allison. She’d always admired Susie, seeing her as what she wanted to achieve someday. To have a connection to her character, just like her idol, was something amazing to her. Susie just seemed glad Allison wasn’t going to be taking her job anytime soon.
#bendy and the ink machine#submission#sammy lawrence#norman polk#shawn flynn#allison pendle#grant cohen#thomas connor#susie campbell#joey drew#henry#fanfiction#cordelia bell#bendy the dancing demon#alice angel#boris the wolf
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What about a quick little thing, RotJ AU. Anakin wakes up after one of his surgeries, Luke half on the bed, various others scattered on the floor sleeping, in chairs, in support of Luke (Leia/Han) and Anakin (Ahsoka). Cue confused feels and adorable fluff.
Oh nooo, I’m sorry, this was supposedto be fluffy, but it turned into a lot of angst and some mild body horror. D:But then, the body horror is to be expected when we’re dealing with Anakin’ssurgeries post-Vader…
Anakin woke slowly, the familiar dullhaze of pain his body was in considerably less than it had been a month ago. Asfrustrating as the numerous surgeries were, he was grateful that all the damagein his body was finally being properly fixed. He knew his body would never be perfect, the damage was far tooextensive for that, but he was already able to breathe on his own, and he wouldhave been content if that was all they had deigned to do.
The slight fuzzy feeling in his headwas definitely from the painkillers, and thathad been a chore for the medics, finding a drug that his body would stillrespond to. He had tried insisting that he didn’t need drugs, he was used to ahigher level of constant pain than most sentient beings experienced in theirwhole lifetimes, but Luke had frowned at him, concern filling his eyes, andAnakin had relented. And he wasn’t going to deny that the brief numbness thepainkillers brought was a relief, even as temporary as it usually was.
Anakin glanced down as Luke shifted. Hisson was curled up on his bed, his back pressed against Anakin’s side. He wasasleep, his Force presence muted from its usual blinding intensity. There wasn’treally enough room on the narrow bed for both of them, and one of Luke’s armswas hanging off the side. But the boy had refused to stray far, and he wasusually at least partway on the bed whenever Anakin woke from a surgery.
Hesitantly, not wanting to wake him,as he knew Luke didn’t get near enough sleep, he moved his hand to rest itagainst Luke’s hair. A soft, annoyed sound under the incessant beeping of hisheart monitor alerted him to the fact that they weren’t alone in the room.
I’m losing my touch, Anakin thought, if it takes methis long to realize there are other people around.
Luke spent enough time in his roomthat a small couch had been brought in for his use, though Luke typicallypreferred the chair that was easier to drag closer to Anakin’s bedside. The couchwas currently occupied by the Princess. Anakin’s daughter, a revelation thatboth amazed him and brought a lot of pain and guilt. He had put her through farmore than anyone should suffer, and certainly not at the hands of their ownfather. He knew she had neither forgiven him nor accepted him, and he did notexpect her to, but she also didn’t like leaving Luke alone with Anakin, so sheoften hovered and took advantage of the couch Luke usually left unoccupied.
Her head currently rested against Solo’sshoulder, who, now that Anakin was paying closer attention, was awake andwatching him with half-lidded eyes. Her willingness to sleep in Anakin’spresence made more sense now, if she knew Solo would be awake and watching.
As Anakin and Solo’s gazes met, thesmuggler tightened his hold around Leia, an unspoken threat and declaration ofprotection. Anakin would never lay a finger on his daughter again, and theyboth knew that Solo would be no match for Anakin if it should come to blowsbetween them, but Anakin allowed him his illusion of power.
Anakin dropped his gaze back to Luke andran his fingers – still subpar prosthetics since replacing them wasn’t as muchof a priority until what remained of his actual biological body was taken careof, but with somewhat better sensory input since Luke had taken to tinkeringwith them in his spare time – through Luke’s hair again. His son didn’t wake,too deeply asleep, and Anakin marveled again at the trust Luke showed him.
He could feel Solo’s eyes on him,just as protective of Luke as he was of Leia, and he knew one wrong move wouldresult in the man leaping up and putting himself between Luke and Anakin. Anakinappreciated his deep loyalty to his children, as much as it annoyed him thatSolo had the audacity to try to protect them from him. That loyalty was the only reason he tolerated the relationshipbetween Leia and the smuggler. And Luke had explained, after the firstaltercation between Anakin and Solo, that the man had saved his life more timesthan he wanted to count, and he would not allow antagonism between them. He haddragged a reluctant promise out of both of them, though Anakin was sure theyhad both resolved to break said promise if the other hurt one of the twins inany way.
The door to the room opened, and Anakinturned his head to regard the newcomer, expecting a nurse or medic. He caughthis breath at the sight of familiar blue and white montrals.
“Snips?” he said, his voice even weakerthan normal, and the Togruta froze, her head snapping up to meet his eyes. Thenickname had slipped out before he’d properly filtered it, and he winced,hoping she wouldn’t be offended at the informality after everything that hadhappened.
“Anakin,” she breathed, and sheblinked rapidly several times. She was across the room in a heartbeat, and withoutthinking, Anakin reached out to her as she came close. She didn’t hesitate,grabbing his offered hand and pressing it between both of hers. “I knew. I knew you could come back.”
Luke stirred at the sound of her voice,rolling over to look at her. He smiled. “Hey, Ahsoka.” He glanced up at Anakin.“You’ve finally caught Father when he’s awake.”
Anakin looked at Luke in surprise. “Youtwo have met?”
“Yeah, she showed up shortly after Endor,told me who she was. You were in your first round of surgery, and she asked menot to say anything.”
“I wanted to surprise you.” Ahsokasounded a little abashed, like she always had whenever he had caught her doingsomething stupid or unconventional, despite his encouragement of her unorthodoxideas. “I’ve come around a few times, but I never could time it for when youwere awake, and events have kept me busy.”
“I did not think you had survived.” Anakinclosed his eyes, unable to look at either his former padawan or his son. “I amso sorry, Ahsoka.” He couldn’t help but remember the last time he had seen her,across their entangled blades, threats of her death on his lips. Even if hehadn’t killed her personally, somehow unable to do it, he had left her fordead, stranded on a Sith planet.
He tried to extricate his hand fromhers, but she tightened her grip. “It’s okay,” she murmured. “Luke… explainedsome things. About Palpatine and Endor. And I’ve had a lot of time to thinksince Malachor. You’ve done terrible things, and nothing can change that, but Ithink I know some of what happened to you and why you did what you did. Itdoesn’t excuse them, but I understand, and I forgive you.”
Anakin shook his head slowly. “Ahsoka…”This was more than he had ever expected, and he knew he didn’t deserve it. Notafter everything he’d done. Luke alonewas more than he deserved, and he had been happy enough with just his son. To haveAhsoka back as well…
Fingers brushed against his cheek,and he opened his eyes, startled. “I never thought I’d see your face again,”Ahsoka whispered. She blinked away a few tears, and the room was silent for afew moments. Anakin didn’t know what to say to that. She had seen a sliver ofhis face through his broken mask on Malachor, and he knew his expression hadbeen murderous.
Ahsoka looked back at him, a smallsmile on her lips. “Your son got your eyes.” Anakin glanced over at Luke, who hadsat up and was now watching him carefully, a bit of bittersweet concern fromhim in their bond, no doubt sensing the turmoil his own emotions were in. Anakinsimultaneously thanked and prayed to the Force that she would never see Luke’seyes yellow like his had been the last time she had seen them. “I thought I hadstepped back into the past the first time I saw him. No one needed to tell mewho he was.” She reached across Anakin to ruffle Luke’s hair. Luke tried to duckaway but didn’t quite succeed.
“Hey, little brother.” Luke grinnedat that, and Anakin felt his heart constrict. He knew her acknowledging Luke asa brother didn’t mean she viewed him as a father, Leia certainly kept the twoconcepts very separate, but he had always thought of her as his first child, ofsorts, during the Clone Wars. The mischievous glance she threw at Anakin nowimplied she knew exactly where his mind was at.
“Your father,” she said to Luke, hervoice low enough to be considered conspiratorial, “was an affectionate softie, and never let him tell youotherwise.”
“Oh?” Luke said, turning his grin onAnakin.
Anakin glowered at Ahsoka. “Is thisyour way of getting revenge?”
“I’m still not a Jedi,” she said,giving him a shrug and a small smile.
“No, I don’t suppose you are,” Anakinmurmured.
Luke gave him a quizzical look. “I think I’m missing something.”
“Just something I said to her once, that revenge was not the Jedi way,” Anakin said, not wanting to explaineverything that had happened on Malachor. Luke’s eyes narrowed in the way theydid whenever he suspected Anakin wasn’t telling the whole truth, but he let itgo for now, much to Anakin’s relief. He knew he would have to explain a greatmany things someday, but he wasn’t ready to talk about some of the horrors he’ddone yet.
Ahsoka glanced up at the chrono onthe wall and sighed. “I just stopped by on the small chance you were awake, butI was assigned another mission, and I need to go. Mothma has me busy with NewRepublic business, but I said I wouldn’t leave you last time, and I meant it.If you ever need me, just let me know, and I’ll be there.” She smiled andreluctantly released Anakin’s hand before turning to Luke. “Take care of yourfather and yourself, okay?”
Luke nodded. “See you later, Ahsoka.”
“Goodbye, Ahsoka.”
“Skyguy,” Ahsoka shot back over hershoulder as she walked over to the door. Watching her leave wasn’t as hard ashe had expected, perhaps because of Luke’s comforting presence, but hearing hernickname for him after all these years helped too. That, more than anythingelse, convinced him that she really hadforgiven him. And if she could forgive him, then she would come back.
#asks#father's day fic#vader lives au#fanfiction#my writing#anakin skywalker#one step closer to destiny#luke skywalker#this precious child#you're my dark star#ahsoka tano#oh don't you see that lonesome dove#i'll use you as a warning sign
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The Empire
Fandom: WWE
Pairing: Baron Corbin/Roman Reigns
Rating: Holy shit M.
AN: Thirst Party Crew, welcome aboard! It's my birthday today, so I got a little (a lot) indulgent. We return to Suplex City! Tagging @tox-moxley, @oraclegazes, @hardcorewwetrash and a huge Thank You to @culturalrebel for their fantastic input! Enjoy!
The Brogue Kick Saloon
“The Shield!” Seth had said excitedly, of course he was excited. His daddy's money knew no end. He was one of the lucky ones, having been scooped up from an orphanage early on and groomed for greatness. “We'll dispense justice and shit like that, it'll be totally badass!”
Who wouldn't have been on board with that idea? Every kid dreamed about being a superhero, about wearing Kevlar and being so goddamn special that nothing could touch you. And in this city, the idea of being a deliverer of justice that wasn't as corrupt as the day was long was tantalizing all on its own.
The Shield.
It was perfect for a while. Roman felt like they were actually helping, the grateful looks on the faces of people they assisted more than enough for a couple of former gutter kids like he and Ambrose. They may not have superpowers, sure, but hard fists, quick kicks and Dean's motor-mouth were more than enough for them to deal with numerous Acolytes, so many members of the Family.
Seth wanted more though, not content with the offerings of thank-yous. He began calling for more aggressive patrols, more thorough sweeps. He wanted attention. Dean was ready for that, obviously, born and bred to fight was Dean Ambrose. Roman was the most cautious of the three of them and the idea of looking for trouble instead of just trying to prevent it made him uneasy.
Rollins was the first one to get hurt, of course. An Acolyte caught him across the back of his knee with a knife and he'd panicked, thrashing and making the wound a thousand times worse before Roman could knock the guy out. Old Mick Foley (who lived at the soup kitchen) had hollered at them from his doorstep, ushering the three men into his dingy quarters behind the kitchen.
“I see you boys out there almost every night, doing a real good job of keeping folks safe.” He'd said kindly as he patched up Seth's leg with tiny, expertly-placed stitches. “Just make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew, okay?” Roman implored Seth with his eyes to just shut the fuck up and be polite for once in your life, Rollins as Ambrose cracked his skull against Mick's in a fond gesture. Dean had always had an odd kinship with the mysterious older man, Mick returning the forehead bash after a moment. “Ambrose, I should have known it was you under that mask. God only knows who you other guys are, but you're making me proud keeping the Acolytes and Wyatts humble. It's dangerous work.”
Mick said things sometimes, back when Dean and Roman were nothing but scrappy teenagers picking up a hot meal at the soup kitchen. Things that got Roman thinking. One time Mick was just rattling on about the Underground, like how he had firsthand experience in dealing with the Deadman (yeah yeah, sure, crazy old Mick) and Roman had watched as Mick tugged his shaggy hair to the side for the first time and started nervously fidgeting with where his right ear had been. Roman also heard things on the streets and in the shelters. Things like that the fearsome creature Mankind was missing an ear and had lost it in a brutal brawl when another almost mythological level individual, Big Van Vader, had gone toe-to-toe with the maniac man of the Underground.
Roman never asked, but if he viewed Mick with a little more wary respect...well, it was probably for the best anyway, the guy fed a lot of people with his soup kitchen. A soup kitchen rumored to be kept afloat with warring donations from Seth's adoptive father Mr. Helmsley and the shadowy Undertaker, but one couldn't be too picky in the City That Showed No Mercy.
Seth's recovery period was longer than he would have liked. Roman figured that with the self-proclaimed brains of their outfit laid up, maybe they should tuck away their capes. At least for the time being. Dean kept his ears open for trouble but followed Roman's lead of laying low.
Reigns was eternally grateful for the shrewd business mind he had inherited from his long-gone father, investments of every penny tidily made years in advance for when he would be grown and wanting a little more out of life than a tiny apartment. The purchase of the old Kliq night club was a strategic move. The strip it was on was bustling by all accounts, properties being scooped up by the Triple H Corporation like hot cakes.
The club wasn't much to look at, bearing the same worn appearance as most of the battered buildings in Suplex City. But Roman knew deep down that with time and care, it could shine again. It had been a real hotspot back in its heyday. Roman could just barely remember how fancy the gold gilding and red paint used to be; the place had closed down when he was around eleven years old. Bankruptcy had a way of striking in the city when you least expected it, he guessed, especially if you weren’t paying attention.
His paint swatches and floor plans were put on the back burner when Seth made his triumphant solo return, exposing a coven of Family members that had been ritually torturing numerous members of the abundant homeless population. Dean was just happy to have an excuse to lace his ass kicking boots back up. Roman privately thought that something was wrong with Rollins. If he'd been aggressive before, now he was a goddamn man possessed. Always on the move, swinging from the rooftops dusk to dawn in shiny new gear with Dean and Roman trailing further and further behind. The time off had been hard on him, Roman supposed.
Seth should have known better than to try and fuck with the Family so boldly. Being the adopted heir of the Triple H Corporation had always come with boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed, for his own health. Rollins always griped about the ‘leash’ Stephanie and Hunter kept him on. But as much as he hated it, as much as he railed against it, it was still a leash that kept him safe. He didn’t seem to understand that Roman and Dean didn't have such luxurious ties, and one night Dean didn't show up.
The amount of sleep and blood Roman lost searching for Dean almost did him in; he woke up at Mick's battered and frantic and the older man had shoved him to lay back down. “We need to find Ambrose!” Roman's hand pressed to his poorly-bandaged ribs. He hadn't had time to stop when one of the Family came at him with their lantern, glass, metal and oil shattering across his side with a loud, hot explosion. He'd just torn his patchy velcro apart, mopped at the blood and clumsily pulled a chunk of his undershirt over the wounded area, zipped back up and kept moving forward through the dark. He didn't even remember it hurting, too scared and furious to care.
Mick gave him a sad look and Roman's throat closed up. No, no, please--
The older man had refrained from speaking while he helped clean Roman's side. “I can guess where Dean is.” He said finally. Roman's heart sank as Mick started rubbing over his ear.
Roman took the brunt of the beatings for their little Underground excursions ever since they’d lost Dean and the song and dance got a bit fucking tiring. Rollins didn't even seem to care that Dean was gone, too interested in his own game of superhero to bother looking for clues whenever they ventured below the streets of the city. Roman always returned with a few more tunnels mapped, a few more ways to figure out the labyrinth and a few more bruises, but Seth couldn’t seem to be fucked beyond the first couple feet of whichever manhole cover they’d disrupted.
Brief hope came in the screaming, barely human individual that Owens Powerbombed into unconsciousness in the alley behind the Brogue Kick Saloon. He was thin, so thin, reddish-blond hair sparsely peppering his body and covering his face. In his first brief moments of clarity, he would cry and tell them his name was Zayn, that he'd come here looking for a better life but he'd gotten so lost.
Kevin Owens was much more patient than he'd let on, and apparently a huge softie when it came to strawberry blond guys who could use some meat on their bones.
Sami Zayn, the fabled Underdog Of The Underground (and didn't that throw Roman for a loop that this scrawny guy was the Underdog), slowly regained most of his humanity, able to have halting conversations with Roman and Kevin about what had happened to him. He offered no insight on Dean, but he painted a picture of the Underground that was startlingly different from what everyone had thought.
“They fight for sport down there. The whole place is like a gladiator pit. They fight for Him.” Sami spoke slowly, so slowly. “Even if they think they're free to do as they please, everyone fights for Him.” His hands shook. “The Demon Balor, Viper, Beast, Empress. Owned by the Family, but they're all His.” The Deadman's grip was apparently absolute, and heaven help you if you fell out of his good graces.
...
Roman had gone to Hustle as a last resort and his desperation almost did him in. The hunt for Ambrose was ended by The Beast's fists and The Viper's deadly strikes.
When exactly Dean had resurfaced, Roman wasn’t sure. He still remembered the call he got from the frantic O’Shaunessy in the wee hours of the morning, the debilitating guilt that he felt because he’d traded Dean’s life for his own. Heyman drove a hard bargain.
“I know ya’ ran t’gether, I need ya’ to calm his arse down.” Sheamus sounded distraught, the unfamiliar accent thick over the phone. “I dinnae wanna’ bother ya’, Reigns, but he’s in a damn bind here hollerin’ abou’ ye an’ Rollins. Rollins dinnae answer.”
Ambrose was halfway out of his mind but he still recognized Roman, though not how Reigns or O’Shaunessy wanted. Dean was furious, screaming brokenly at the large man who was all but frozen in the doorway, “you didn’t help! You left me down there to fucking die!” Ambrose flew into a frothing rage at the sight of Roman and Sheamus only barely managed to snag him around the waist before he was snapping his teeth in Reigns’ face. “You and Rollins, you fucking piece of shit! I expected it from the rich boy, but not you, we were brothers, dammit!”
Sheamus didn’t know what had happened between them, and he didn’t need to. Once the large redhead had Dean essentially restrained Roman took a cautious step forward and cupped Ambrose’s face. Dean’s teeth clicked together as he tried to bite Roman’s fingers but Roman ignored the attempt, pressing his forehead to Dean’s. Like he used to do before, when Rollins was tearing off ahead of them and Dean was still trying to catch his breath.
“Ambrose, Christ.”
Dean stopped struggling for a second. Jerked around and then paused again, eyes half-closed while Roman murmured to him. “I c-can’t…Ro, please, m’sorry, make it stop…” He groaned.
“No Ambrose, you’re right. You’re right. I gave up. I failed you. I didn’t think I would ever see you again. Rollins…I don’t know what happened.” Roman shook his head. “It was like he didn’t even give a shit. I went down alone so many times, followed so many leads. I even went to Heyman, but I couldn’t…I’m so sorry, Dean.”
“R-Roman…” Dean had never said his name like that, almost a sob. Sheamus relaxed his grip a fraction and then Dean was lunging, yelling nonsense words and clawing at Roman wildly.
Roman hated the sympathy in Sheamus’ eyes when he’d left once Dean had cried himself out, the hand that the red-haired man rested on his shoulder feeling too heavy. But he hated himself far more. Dean was right, he had abandoned him to the bloodbath of the Underground. Sure, they could blame Rollins until the cows came home, but the fact of the matter was that Reigns had given up. His life had been threatened and he’d bitched out. He could have done more. He should have tried harder, pushed further, taken more abuse.
Maybe he could have saved his brother.
…
The years went by and The Empire opened to the public, Kevin proposing to Sami in a shocking moment right after Roman had cut the stereotypical ribbon. Sheamus had toasted the soon-to-be-married couple with Ambrose’s hand in his own. Roman was intensely grateful for Sheamus’ dedication to Dean, feeling the guilt in his chest ease off a little every time he saw Dean smile up at the redhead.
He and Ambrose never made up officially. But one night when Roman had visited the Saloon to warn them that the Acolytes had started moving more aggressively, Dean dragged him in for a quick headbutt at the door. That was it, but Roman decided it was far more than he deserved. Ambrose didn’t have to know about what he had done. Shit, Owens and Zayn were the only ones who knew the full story and they weren't exactly a talkative duo. Roman didn’t think he would be able to handle Dean being that infuriated with him again, “you didn’t help! You left me down there to fucking die!” so he kept it to himself.
Rollins stopped communicating with him altogether. Probably for the best, he and Roman had an ugly falling out over Dean and Roman had come scarily close to strangling his former brother.
“He’s always been a few sandwiches short of a fucking picnic, man. We’re better off without him. Stronger. Smarter.”
Roman couldn’t recall ever wanting to hurt someone more than he had at that moment. But he managed to keep himself under control (if only just), tossing Seth out on his ass with a stern, “don’t come back unless you’re in serious trouble, got it?”
Ever the strong, brave brother was Roman Reigns, one more thing on his shoulders.
...
Baron Corbin came roaring into the City That Showed No Mercy as the weather grew colder with all the subtlety of a brick through the front window of Royal Arrangements (and whoever had decided that was a good idea sincerely needed their head checked, the last thing any sane person would want was one of Regal's boys after them. Especially Pete!).
He was a big man with a bigger bike, tattoos that would make The Viper jealous and a rumored mean streak that ran deeper than the Underground. The fact that he arrived on a Friday (and Friday the thirteenth, no less) meant Roman wasn’t exactly able to devote any sort of attention to the fact that there was a new person in town.
He did not expect the application slipped under the front door of the club sometime early Monday morning, reading and rereading the neat, slightly-cramped handwriting as he drank his coffee. Prior experience looking/being threatening. Can't dance worth a damn but willing to learn if necessary. He chuckled a little bit at the idea of that guy tangling with the likes of Colin or Jericho on the stage. Just learning how flexible Big Colin Cassady was had surprised him, so it was an entertaining prospect. But no, he had more than enough talent on his hands at the moment what with people jumping ship from Hustle, and even a few office-workers-turned-dancers from when Del Rio Import And Export closed down.
Could use another guy for the door, at least until the spring. He mused to himself. That way Kevin can have another day off. Be with Sami in the mornings. Normally on Kevin’s days off Roman pulled door duty, and then on Sami’s days off Roman tended the bar. Having an extra body would let him get more paperwork done. Plus, if the guy had any sort of decent personality maybe he could offer him bar hours.
Baron was soft-spoken for being as large as he was. He didn’t twiddle his fingers or cross his arms, instead sitting as straight as possible in the chair across from Roman while he conducted the interview. For all intents and purposes he seemed like a shoe-in for the job, level-headed and able to take orders if he needed to.
“Sign here and you’re an official member of The Empire staff.” Roman watched as Baron’s face lit up and he felt…something in his chest loosen the tiniest bit.
…
Kevin got along with Baron as well as Kevin got along with anyone, which was to say that Baron stayed out of Kevin’s way and Kevin hadn’t tried to eat him alive yet. Sami was still a little wary of people who weren’t Roman or Kevin, so Reigns didn’t expect much in the friendship department from him.
Baron was strangely respectful of all the talent Roman employed, both the regulars like Cass and Jericho as well as the part-timers like Perkins, Dawson and Dash. His answer when Roman quizzed him on it offered a little more insight on the quiet man.
“My mom used to do this. The dancing. She loved it, loved the attention. You always hear stories about people who get forced into this field as a last resort.” Baron stared down at his own hands. “It was the only thing she wanted to do, though. She said it made her feel powerful, bein’ up on the stage with guys all over her.” He gestured at the stage, where Big Cass and Roman's MC, Enzo, were running through their routine before the place opened for the night. “You aren’t forcing anyone to be here, man. Nobody’s beholden to you or any of that bullshit and everyone knows not to touch. It’s…refreshing.”
Roman shook his head, leaning back in his chair. The revenue paperwork could wait a minute or two. “I never wanted this place to be like that. I couldn’t handle that prostitution cover kind of club. People want that, they can go to Heyman’s place.” He knew he sounded more bitter than he ought to. “Folks come here when they’ve had a bad day. Folks go to Hustle when they want to forget who they fucking are.”
“Good on you, man.” Baron seemed wistful, tacking on a, “Wish my mom had worked here.” Roman knew that tone of voice. But Baron didn’t continue like most people would have. Instead he just got to his feet, straightening out his vest silently.
Roman could take a hint, returning to his paperwork. The numbers swam in front of his eyes though. Why the hell had he badmouthed another establishment in front of an employee? That was juvenile shit, regardless of how justified it was. Roman groaned, rubbing his eyes and putting his forehead on the table. Just for a second...
He should have known that working at Hustle was a bad fucking move. The place was crawling with the Family and Acolytes, all throwing their money away on the different fighting pits or the strippers and the outrageously-priced drinks. But he was out of options and the pay they promised was excellent. Not to mention the fact that everyone knew Paul Heyman had dealings with every seedy character in the entire Suplex City underbelly. If there was going to be someone who knew about Dean, it would be Heyman. Roman figured working there would enable him to finish financing his own dream, as well as give him the best chance he had at someone who could help him find Dean.
Because of his intricate tattoo he was packaged as an ‘exotic attraction’, rare and expensive. He thanked his lucky stars that when he, Ambrose and Rollins were The Shield they'd had the foresight to cover up, since his arm piece was a dead goddamn giveaway. Roman remembered feeling disgusted with himself after the first night, his skin crawling every time someone approached his elaborate golden cage. The only thing that kept him from quitting on the spot was the promise of getting in good with Heyman. He had known what he was in for, but for some reason it seemed a hundred times worse when he was being leered at.
Roman didn’t have to strip. Shit, he didn’t even have to fight that often. He knew he should be thankful, he was a hell of a lot safer than the scrawnier guys like Kendrick or Swann because he didn't look like an easy win. Years of rooftop running and strict workout regiments from Rollins had finally done him some good. But being marketed as an ‘exotic’ never failed to rub him the wrong way. Heyman was (allegedly, according to Cena) a little disappointed when he found out Roman wasn’t going to snarl and pace in his cage like a fucking wild animal.
“He wants you to act like a savage, man.” John Cena wasn’t a person known to be cruel, but he could be…more blunt than was comfortable. Roman wanted to punch him more often than he didn’t.
Roman should have thrown in the towel right there, but he was stubborn. So goddamn stubborn. And then one morning, he got caught by Punk in Heyman’s office-
“Boss? Hey, Reigns.” Someone was shaking his shoulder and Roman jerked upright.
“What! What, what is it?” he asked blearily.
Baron’s laugh washed over him. “Stimulating stuff, huh? I walk off and you take a nap. Put down the work for a little while, Reigns. Give your brain a breather. Cass has a question for you anyhow.”
…
The night Roman noticed The Viper in the club, Kevin was off. And as much as Roman wanted to jump down Baron’s throat for letting the psychopath into his establishment, he had a sneaking suspicion that The Viper hadn’t come in through the front door.
Roman felt that old, familiar panic squeeze the air out of his lungs as he bolted for his office behind the bar. What do I do? He had hoped he would never see The Viper or The Beast ever again. He had stopped looking for Dean! He’d kept his end of the bargain! Why would Heyman do this to him? The Empire wasn’t big enough to threaten Hustle in the slightest, this didn’t make any sense!
And now that guy, The Viper, was in the middle of his club. Innocent people were fucking everywhere, it was like a playground for that maniac. It was going to be a bloodbath and Roman didn’t have the goddamn luxury of hiding in his office and waiting it out like the coward he was.
He had to do something.
Roman squared his shoulders, opened the door again. The first burst of music and lights was always disorienting and he closed his eyes, like he had a thousand times before.
“Boss?”
Reigns jumped about a foot as Baron stared down at him, looking a bit confused. “J-Jesus Baron, warn a guy huh? What’s up?” Roman finally stammered, trying to look around the larger man to keep tabs on The Viper.
“You alright, Reigns? Not looking so good. You sick or something?” Baron asked worriedly. Roman wanted to ponder the concern in the voice of the other man, but he finally caught sight of The Viper again and it was like time slowed to a halt for him. Everything faded away and Roman was left in darkness with The Viper once more…
“I didn’t expect that an employee of mine would stoop so low.”
Coming back to consciousness after CM had kneed him in the face and stomach a few times was terrifying. Roman had no idea where he was. It sure as hell wasn’t Hustle. His nose felt like it was broken.
Paul Heyman stood in front of him, his hands clasped behind his back. The smile on his face just made Roman even more nervous. “Snooping in my office, Reigns? Didn’t you learn anything from your stint as a play vigilante? Rollins was the only smart one in your bunch, I guess.”
Roman growled around the bandanna he’d been gagged with. Leave it to Heyman to lead him into some kind of trap. But shit, leave it to himself to walk into it like a bumbling idiot. An office left unlocked? With how paranoid Heyman was, that should have set bells and whistles off in Roman’s head.
Two people were prowling in the shadows of the room they were in. Roman kept on catching glimpses out of the corner of his eye. It might have been Punk. If he was lucky one of them would be Punk. Heavy footsteps and then light, skittering ones. Paul was still rattling on and Roman took the opportunity to slowly test the security of his bonds.
Either Heyman had Punk ready and waiting to knee him in the face again or they had severely underestimated Roman’s strength, because the ropes were already frayed.
It wasn’t CM in the room. The soft hiss was Roman’s first clue and his blood ran cold. The Viper.
“I brought a few people who you might remember. I know they remember you.” Paul’s chuckle was mirthless.
“I’m sorry. I have t-to--” Roman floundered, the panic setting in as he watched The Viper crane his head and scan the crowd bathed in flickering lights.
Baron followed his line of vision, eyes narrowing. “Who let him in here? He didn’t have an ID so I turned him away.” He growled, sounding annoyed.
“Him not having an ID is the least of our problems. Guy can drop a room full of people. We need to be care…ful.” Baron had headed off before Roman finished speaking, the tall man easily making his way through the mass of patrons. “Wait, Baron!” Roman yelled, his voice lost in the pulsing music. He had no choice but to hurry after him, managing to grab his arm before he was spotted by The Viper.
“What, boss?” Roman could hardly hear Baron, resorting to yanking him even closer.
“You can’t! This guy will fucking kill you, Baron!”
“He shouldn’t be in here! You obviously don’t want him in here, I didn’t let him in here, so he’s going to fucking leave!” Corbin roared.
“Will you think for a second?! This guy could seriously injure a lot of people if you upset him!” Roman refused to be intimidated, shouting right back. “Use your fucking head, Baron!”
“You want me to use my head, Reigns? Fine.” Baron ripped his arm free of Roman like it was nothing, Reigns left grabbing at air as Baron cleared the distance between himself and The Viper much too quickly. Corbin apparently caught The Viper off guard when he slammed his forehead into the other man’s, flooring him easily. “What’d I say at the door, asshole?!” Baron yelled.
Roman was flabbergasted. He’d never seen anyone get the upper hand on the damn snake and yet here was Baron, kicking the guy in the ribs. It has to be a trick.
…
“Talk, fuckstick.”
Roman had called Kevin in, apologizing over and over in a shaky voice when he answered the phone. Now, Owens loomed over the back of the chair they had tied The Viper to. The man with the scarred and shaved head looked incredibly uncomfortable. He was sweating bullets and kept wriggling in his bonds every couple of seconds. Clearly, being caught was not part of the plan tonight.
Corbin bared his teeth. “I said talk. You wanted in, you’re in. Better start talking, you piece of fucking garbage.”
The Viper cocked his head to the side, studying Baron. Roman flinched at the motion and a sick grin slowly spread across the snake's face. “He’s afraid of me…but you’re not.” His voice was soft. It always was. “Why? Is it because you don’t know any better?”
“I’ll ask the fucking questions, thank you.” Baron snarled. “Why are you fucking here? Start fucking talking before I start breaking your fingers.”
“You don’t scare me, Baronnnn.” The Viper hissed and Roman shuddered, his leg knocking into Baron’s. The taller man’s hand was abruptly on the back of Roman’s thigh, steadying the jitters of his body.
“That’s because you don’t fucking know better, Viperrrrr.” Baron mocked, giving Reigns’ leg one last pat before getting to his feet. “So I’m going to teach you to know better.”
The Viper narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to retort and Corbin struck, wrenching his right index finger backwards with a quick, loud snap! The Viper yelled, sounding more pissed off than in pain as he thrashed.
“Nine to go.” Baron rumbled, his hand already moving to the next digit. “Want to try again?”
“Wait! Please, wait, I’m no good to Him broken, he’ll kill me!” The Viper begged.
“All the fucking better.” Owens commented dryly.
“Who fucking sent you?” Baron hovered over the other man’s fingers.
“It was the Family, the Family. They own me, they own everything. They wanted me to scout…H-Heyman said…” The Viper faltered as Roman’s whole body snapped to attention at the name. Reigns clenched his fists, feeling a cold sweat drench him.
Dammit.
“What about Heyman?” Owens pressed, shooting a worried look at Roman.
“He knows! Of course he knows, Roman knows everything about Heyman!” The snake sounded hysterical. “Why don’t you ask him? Ask the one in the golden cage. Ask him how well he took his beating, ask him how hard he cried when Punk broke his nose and the Beast busted his head open on the concrete and I ripped his back apart! Ask him, ask him!” Crazed laughter exploded out of the bound man. “Ask him about the friend he fucking abandoned to us, ask him about Ambrose! Ask him about how he tried and tried to find his brother, while Rollins played hero up on the rooftops far away from us! Oh yeah, Roman knows everything--!”
Kevin’s arm wrapped around The Viper’s neck, finally stopping his manic rambling. Reigns only realized he was trembling when Baron squeezed his hip, hard. He felt sick to his stomach. “Are we done here?” Kevin asked, sounding bored. Owens was always simmering, but in an eerily calm way. It was like he was constantly thinking, forever planning his next move. Even with his arm cutting off the other man's air Roman could almost hear the gears turning.
Baron’s mouth curved into an unpleasant smile. “I think law enforcement should handle you from here, Viper.” The Viper wheezed for breath with Owens' arm pressed into his throat, eyes wide in horror. “Boss, how long does it take our fine officers to get here? Five minutes? Three?”
“I-I’ll go call them now, usually about three?” Roman replied weakly.
Baron cracked his knuckles.
The music out in the club muffled any noise The Viper might have made before Officers Breeze and Fandango arrived on the scene. Roman couldn’t make himself go back into his office before they escorted the snake out, instead sitting at the bar and nursing a glass of water. Sami left him alone for the most part after bringing him his water, seeming to realize that something was very wrong. Roman felt numb, the beating he’d received at the hands of The Viper and The Beast years ago playing over and over in his mind like a shitty clip show.
Stupid him, believing Heyman when he’d said that would be it. He had thought he would be safe, he’d given his word that he wouldn’t ever return to the Underground and he’d stopped searching for Dean. He had cried and begged on that cold concrete floor at Heyman’s feet, pleaded just to know that Dean was alive even while The Beast battered his body with his fists. Roman didn’t care what The Viper did to him, what The Beast did to him as long as Ambrose was alive. Because if he knew for a fact that somewhere down there Dean was still fighting, there was no way in hell he’d stop trying to find him.
Paul hadn’t deigned to answer him, just standing there impassively with his hands clasped behind his back. Roman had finally shattered when The Viper had split his back open with the chair, resorting to pleading and bargaining for his own life before he finally lost consciousness. All the while his heart heavy with shame at how weak he was. He woke up in a gutter a block away from The Empire, a pink slip stapled to the remains of his shirt. Aside from it being his official notice of termination from Hustle, Paul had taken the time to carefully write in, “remember our agreement, Roman.”
William Regal was the one who helped Reigns stumble back to The Empire, the older man easily hefting him upright without so much as a ‘by your leave’. “Do I need to call the authorities?” He’d asked quietly, voice a little more clipped than usual. At Roman’s frantic head shake he’d sighed. “I must open up for the morning, but I’ll send young Tyler over to check on you. If you need anything, Reigns, let us know. You’re a good fellow. I hate to see you like this.” Roman remembered clinging to Regal, his eyes burning with tears that he couldn’t shed. What would William think if he knew that Roman had traded Dean’s life for his own? Some strong, brave brother he was, some fucking friend.
A hand latched onto his arm, startling Roman out of the looping nightmare, and then someone was hauling him off his barstool, almost knocking him over with the force of the motion. Roman raised his fists, milleseconds from swinging before he realized who it was that had moved him. “Christ, Baron.” The relief he felt was short-lived as he took in how ripshit the larger man looked.
“You wanna’ explain to me what the fuck is going on here, boss?” Corbin snapped. “Because I’m feeling like I might be the only one in the fucking dark!”
Roman scrubbed his hands over his face. “It’s nothing.” He said finally.
“Like hell it is!” Baron grabbed his arm hard, fingers digging into the tattooed skin. “You’re coming with me, and you’re telling me exactly what’s going on here. And if you don’t, I’m fucking gone!”
“I told you it’s nothing! Let me go!” Roman strained against Baron’s hold as the other man forcibly walked him to his office. Roman balked at the sight of the chair, the bits of rope still tied to it making him shudder.
“I’m warning you, Reigns.” Baron grunted. “You keep lying to me, I’ll zip the fuck up and head out.”
“I am the authority in this goddamn building, Corbin! I should fucking fire you for putting your hands on me, never mind the fact that you directly disobeyed an order!” Roman snarled back, struggling in Baron’s grip. All the other man did was cinch his arms tighter. “Let me go, dammit!”
“Listen to me. You were obviously scared stiff, so cut the tough guy bullshit. I don’t know what he did to make you scared.” Baron’s voice dropped even lower. “I wasn’t about to let him hurt you. Or anyone else, got it?”
Roman felt a little of the fight ooze out of him, his shoulders drooping. “I-I had to…I couldn't...” His voice failed him, dissolving into nothing.
Baron sighed heavily, Roman feeling the motion of his chest expanding against his back. “I don’t need to know. I get it, okay? It’s none of my fucking business anyways.” He said finally. “You’re safe. Your club is safe for the time being. I’m sorry I got carried away. The way you were acting made me nervous and I kind of just...lashed out.” Baron apologized, attempting to let Roman go.
But Reigns hugged his arms tightly, just for a second. “Thank you, Baron.” He swallowed thickly, not sure why he felt like he needed to cry all of a sudden.
Baron made a noise in his throat, one hand moving up to pat Roman on the top of his head like he was a small child. “Shh, you’re okay. Don’t fucking thank me for doing my job, man. I’m here to keep this place and everyone in it safe. Owens would have done exactly the same thing.” He paused for a second. “You can thank me by not firing me, and also maybe helping me figure out how that weirdo got in here, okay boss?”
“Fuck, my paperwork.” Roman groaned, knocking his head back against Baron's chest. He had expected Corbin to release him once he'd let go of his arms, but he was pleasantly surprised when the taller man didn't.
Baron rested his chin easily on Reigns' head, arms still tight around him. “Nope. We need to secure our perimeter, man. Keep your patrons safe. Owens can hold down the fort. He knows to get Jericho if he needs backup.”
“I can't just--”
“You can, and you will. We have a responsibility. The quicker we get this sorted out, the quicker we can get you back to your precious paperwork.”
The huge hand prints in the dust on the floor of the basement were more than enough to send Roman right back into a panic. The trapdoor. Once bolted and padlocked down securely, the wood and metal now laid in a tangled pile of scrap, with more prints around the gaping opening. At least The Beast hadn’t come any further than there.
“Fuck is this shit? Look at these marks.” Baron said, sounding almost excited. “You guys got Ninja Turtles in your sewers or something?”
“No, just fucking nightmares. We need to fix this. The sooner the better.” Roman replied, already making a list in his head of the things he would need. “Nakamura isn’t open this late, otherwise I’d just head over to Strong Style and grab a sheet of boilerplate. I should have known the lock wouldn’t be enough, fuck.”
“Well if you’ve got some scrap lumber around I can probably rig something up for the night.” Baron offered.
Roman scrubbed his hands over his face again. Christ, he was exhausted. “I need to get some coffee into me. You’ll probably need some too. I’ll have to stand watch down here for the night, make sure nothing-”
Baron waved him off. “Nah man, I think I can handle this. Coffee and power equipment are a hell of a combo, but I’ll make it work.”
…
Acolytes in his back room two days after The Beast was in his basement.
Roman felt like the universe might be against him and he’d had it up to here with the harassment, letting out his old Shield battle cry and tackling one of the robed figures. Roman put a little heart behind his attack and ended up launching himself and the Acolyte through the back door, rolling down the steps and crashing to a halt in the alley behind The Empire. The Acolyte flailed wildly beneath him as the other three scrambled after them and Roman bolted to his feet. He knew how they fought, knives and fists an often-lethal combination.
But they all took off running, fleeing the scene. Roman saw red. “Oh no you don’t, assholes!” He yelled, sprinting after them. It wasn’t hard to guess their destination, but seeing as how he’d given his word that he wouldn’t go to the Underground ever again Roman had to catch at least one of them if he wanted to get anything rectified.
He heard Sheamus’ booming voice right before he rounded the corner behind the Brogue Kick, the older man swearing in Gaelic. Roman skidded to a stop after he saw the Acolytes leap the fence at the far end of the alley, bending over and trying to catch his breath. “You guys see 'em go by? Christ.” He gasped out.
“Yeah Reigns, but they're probably halfway to the Casket by now. There was a group of 'em, you dumb shit. You know better than to try and take those guys on. Too many knives.” Dean scolded. A smaller individual sat next to Ambrose, busily stuffing their face full of colcannon. Roman felt like they might be one of the people that sometimes turned up behind The Empire begging for food.
“Motherfuckers were in my back room. They trashed the place. I lost my cool.” Roman shot Sheamus a pleading look as he fought to get his hair back out of his face. O'Shaunessy seemed concerned, glancing at Dean.
“I ain't kicked an ass in a while.” Dean mused, not appearing to notice the fourth member of their party slipping off the steps and back into the shadows of the alley. “I ain't been to the Casket since before the Underground, though. Probably shouldn't go back.”
Reigns felt guilty for even putting the idea in Ambrose's head when he saw the way Dean's whole body shivered momentarily, the way Sheamus quickly grabbed the other man's hand. “Ah, never mind guys. You're right, Dean. Bad move, trying to take on a group of them. Especially in territory they're familiar with.” Roman quickly backtracked.
“I agree with Reigns, Ambrose. S' no good.” Sheamus mouthed thank you to Roman as Dean slowly nodded. “I am sorry abou' the damage done, Reigns. We can help tidy up, if ya' need more hands?”
“It was only a couple of bottles, I should be okay. Thanks.” Roman winced. “I may have done more damage to the door throwing one of them out than four of them did getting in.” He bid them farewell and slowly made his way back to The Empire, fighting to get a handle on his temper for most of the walk. It was almost time to start getting ready for the night so he unlocked the front door and stepped inside. A loud voice met his ears and light streamed from the back room into the main area of the club.
“--fuck he is, Kevin it looks like a fucking bomb went off in here! I don’t know…the back door is all fucked up, I already checked the basement--“
Roman leaned against the doorway of the room, that odd feeling in his chest back as he watched Baron rant into the phone and pace. The stupidity of what he’d done finally caught up to him and Reigns cringed. He could be seriously injured or dead in a gutter somewhere for all anyone knew, one didn’t normally pursue Acolytes. He cleared his throat and Baron looked up, unceremoniously ending his call with a curt, “never mind, he’s here.”
“There were Acolytes.” Roman began, feeling like he might be in trouble. The door to the outside was hanging by one hinge, a few bottles broken on the floor. It looked like there had been a struggle, like someone had gotten dragged off. He hadn’t really thought about it, too upset with the idea of being fucked over for the second time in less than a week.
“You went after them by yourself?”
Oh yeah, he was definitely in trouble. Roman nodded slowly. Baron exhaled a long, irritated growl of breath. “How the hell have you lasted this long, man?”
“I just got so fucking pissed off. Wasn’t thinking straight but…I’m tired of being a fucking pushover, tired of being scared that some asshole is going to set his man-beasts on me.” Roman shrugged. He knew it sounded flippant and he was waiting for Baron to accuse him of lying again.
Baron shook his head after a minute, jerking on the bottom of his leather vest to straighten it out. “I…just wait for someone next time, boss. Damn near gave Owens a heart attack. We weren’t sure what happened to you. Think about how pissed off he or Zayn would be if you got fucking stabbed or some shit.” He said gruffly.
“What about you?” Roman didn’t know why the hell he’d even asked. The words hung awkwardly between them and he wished he could take them back.
Especially when Baron replied nonchalantly, “You’re the guy who signs my checks, obviously I’d be a little upset, boss.”
…
Thanksgiving Eve found most of the neighborhood at the Brogue Kick Saloon, playing pool and enjoying a cold drink with a piping hot bowl of colcannon or soup deej or. The gutter kid that Ambrose and Sheamus had taken in looked much healthier than the last time Roman had seen them, that was for sure. Their face wasn’t quite so pinched and they actually smiled up at Baron and Roman when the two men entered from the street with Big Cass in tow.
Roman found a lot of Sheamus’ advice invaluable when it came to The Empire. This was his first real business venture, after all, so any and all input he could get was good in his book.
Dean hauled him in to whack their foreheads together while Sheamus was occupied with pouring Regal’s lone glass of stout. “M’ proud of you, big bro.” Ambrose said quietly. “Doing fine over there. Your dad would be fuckin’ stoked if he could see you.”
Reigns hadn’t planned on hiding in the bathroom for damn near half an hour trying to get his emotions back under control, but life was strange that way. Every time he looked up and caught sight of himself in the mirror everything went to pieces inside him. He never knew his mother and his memories of his father faded with every passing day, but he and his father had the same eyes, the same laugh.
“Roman, my son Roman! Strong as he is brave, and brave as he is strong!” His father used to jokingly announce him when he came to his hospital room after school, laughing in between coughing fits when Roman would launch himself at the bed to hug him and rattle on about what he'd learned that day.
The mirror reminded Roman of everything he'd lost and he hated it, clenching his fists on either side of the sink as his whole body fought the urge to just curl up and cry for hours. He tried not to get into states like this. It was too dangerous, he had way too much at stake to be able to break down whenever shit got too heavy for brave, strong Roman fucking Reigns.
Sami was the one who ended up finding him, the bearded man not saying anything before he wrapped Roman in a hug. Reigns couldn’t help the pathetic heave of his shoulders as he cried, the way his fingers dug into Zayn’s shirt.
“Oh shit, is this a moment or…?” Baron’s voice interrupted Sami quietly murmuring to Roman. He sounded awkward. “I mean, I can leave if it is. My bad, guys, I’ll just-”
“Will you shut the fuck up and get over here, Christ.” Sami grumbled in annoyance. “He needs us, Baron.”
It was barely a second before another set of arms settled heavily around Roman’s waist, Corbin wiggling into the hug more than a little clumsily. “I don’t really do hugs.” Baron grunted. “What the fuck happened?”
“I dunno’. Walked in on him like this. He was gone for a little while, figured I’d find him.” Sami replied quietly over Reigns’ head. “Also Kevin is cheating at pool.”
“We were both cheating, you twit.” Owens snapped, making Roman flinch. When had Kevin gotten there?! “You guys better have a great explanation for why you’re having a grabass festival without me, especially with my damn husband.” A hand fondly rumpled Roman’s neatly-ponytailed hair. “Motherfucker.”
“Th-thank you, guys.” Roman finally croaked out. “You're so fucking good to me, shit.”
“We care about you, Roman.” Sami said gently. “You gave me a second chance at life, gave so many people security and peace of mind when Del Rio closed up shop. You even took in Styles when he jumped ship from Hustle, and that was dangerous considering you know as well as I do how much of a breadwinner he was for Heyman.”
“It's alright, man.” Owens' voice was much softer than Roman was used to. “You don't have to be the Big Dog all the time. You're allowed a day off.”
Roman just shook his head and hugged them all a little tighter.
…
Before Roman knew it the time had come to have their annual holiday celebration. He had offered The Empire as the location this year, their neighborhood revel getting a little too large in number for Sheamus's Saloon to contain.
He was kept busy running back and forth with Regal and Pete in tow as they discussed decorations for The Empire and took notes. Little sketches began to clutter Roman’s desk instead of his usual paperwork, how centerpieces should look and where the garlands would be. The Brogue Kick volunteered to take care of the food, and Sheamus had given Roman and Sami some great ideas for toddy add-ons (why hadn’t Roman thought of spiked cherries before?!).
With all the planning going on Roman didn’t have a spare second ever, so when a timid knock rapped against his office door early on the morning of the party he was perplexed. Trent and Pete weren’t due to come by until at least eight and it was barely six now. He opened the door, stifling a yawn as he did. “Oh! Baron, ‘sup?”
Corbin looked nervous, which might have woken Roman up a bit more if he hadn’t been so damn tired. “Reigns…boss, I uh…I mean, stop me if this is a little forward, but everyone's been working really hard and shit and I-I was wondering if there was any way I could maybe be more help? I mean, I don’t do much during the day except tinker with my bike, and there’s only so much tinkering to be done. I…I don’t feel like I’m farm--shit, earning my keep, y’know?”
Roman blinked up at him, confused. What the heck had he been about to say? Farming his keep? That shit didn't make sense even to Roman's exhausted mind. “You want to work more?”
“You have a lot of the other guys doing stuff during the day too, I just figured…”
“Sami and Owens have been my friends for a while, Corbin. I wouldn’t be able to stop them from helping me even if I wanted to.” Roman said wryly. “Styles thinks he has to get in my good graces or some shit, I think. Either that or he's got the hots for Jericho. Maybe both.”
Baron chuckled, seeming to relax somewhat. “Well, keep me in mind. I know Cass probably has the 'reaching high stuff' category covered, but if he needs a breather, I could be your guy, boss.”
After Roman dozed off on his pile of forms out in the main room for the third time and woke up with Pete's heavy, fur-lined jacket draped over his shoulders he finally decided that maybe...maybe the paperwork could wait until after the party. Regal's boys hardly needed supervision. Jericho was doing an excellent job of directing them, all the while leafing through Roman's sketches pinned to his worn-looking clipboard. AJ hovered by Chris's shoulder, offering input and beaming when Jericho praised him. Roman got the feeling that he may have his hands full when it came to those two, vaguely recalling that Styles had been a bit of a pain in the ass during his time at Hustle.
Sheamus had Ambrose and their gutter kid (apparently dubbed Mite) running back and forth across the street delivering the food, so that was taken care of. Sami was all over the bar, speaking in excited bursts with Kevin about the plans he had for the evening beverages. Corbin had been placated for the moment with helping Regal and Trent cart over the decorations.
All in all, it was shaping up to be an excellent evening.
Old Mick made his usual entrance. Fashionably early, clad in a full Santa suit and lugging his familiar, massive pot of spaghetti and meatballs. John and Nikki managed to stop by for a few minutes before they opened Hustle that evening, offering warm wishes and an ornate fruit basket to the staff of The Empire (courtesy of Mr. Paul Heyman, of course).
Roman crumpled up the card on the basket after he read the brief message. 'Well played, Reigns.' He wasn't sure what the hell that was supposed to mean, whether Heyman was pissed about AJ or The Viper, or if it was just more cryptic bullshit. Quite frankly Roman couldn't bring himself to give a tenth of a shit. Tonight was a night for celebration.
Even Mr. Helmsley and his wife Stephanie made an eventual appearance, surprising the hell out of everyone. They didn't normally leave the high rise district to play with the riff-raff, but apparently Irwin Schyster had made it abundantly clear that he wasn't missing 'The Empire Holiday Revue'. Roman liked the sound of the elaborate title, but he was far more pleased with the way Hunter and Stephanie looked at everything.
Stephanie seemed ready to jump out of her skin, watching Santa-Mick make his jolly rounds with narrowed eyes. That is, until Sami slid a fresh toddy garnished with a lemon wedge across the bar and offered her a soft, “how are you tonight, ma'am?” Few people could resist the charm of Sami Zayn.
Hunter went straight to Ambrose, slapping him on the back and asking him how he was, “still working at that dump, huh kid?” Helmsley was a ruthless businessman but that was as far as he reached, reportedly having turned down numerous collaborations with Heyman. Though the old Kliq Club going out of business may have been helped along by a few bad deals on the side of The Triple H Corporation. Roman never understood why Hunter hadn't tried to buy him out on the property, but he figured he should probably just count his blessings and leave it at that.
Cass, Jericho and Styles had a special couple of things planned for the night, and it was a hell of a show. Apparently Regal's boys had been practicing with them in secret. Roman whooped as loud as everyone else when 'young' Tyler performed a strongman act that was flawless, the final cartoonish flex of his muscles and twirl of his well-kept mustache more than enough to light the place up. The wink he threw to Stephanie Helmsley certainly didn't hurt. Pete and Trent were a hit as well, ending their own short routine with an impressive (but not indecent) amount of clothing gone. Pete even got to keep his jacket! Roman looked to where Regal was sitting, a little worried that the older man might be upset with his employees. But William looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself, a smile quirking the scar on his lip.
Roman wasn't sure when the goddamn Phenom, Undertaker himself had showed up at his club, he just knew that at one point he turned around and saw Sami chatting amiably with the large, black-cloaked figure. Granted, Christmas Eve and Day were usually considered truce days among The Family and The Acolytes, but Roman would prefer if the monsters kept to their realms. His preferences apparently fell on deaf ears. Demon Balor nodded cordially to him from a shadowy corner far from the muted lights of the stage, eyes glowing unnaturally. Beside him sat none other than the masked Empress Of Tomorrow, her flowing robe immaculate.
Roman had the sneaking suspicion that perhaps the boilerplate might need to be replaced after tonight's party. His suspicions were confirmed when Baron sidled up to him and muttered, “basement.” Sure enough, the thick metal had been removed so forcibly that it was embedded in the ceiling. No huge hand prints though, thank fuck, just a scorch mark in the middle of it. Undertaker.
Reigns sighed and took another sip of his drink. “Fuck it. It'll wait until tomorrow.” He said finally. “Nothing will happen tonight.”
“Are you sure?” Baron's concern was touching and Roman was a little too drunk for that, especially since Baron had made it abundantly clear that all Roman was to him was a check-signer.
“Do you really think they wandered in through the front door?” Roman retorted. “Owens would never let them in without a fight and they know that. It's too late now, Baron. What we get to do now is leave their preferred door open and hope that jolly old Saint fucking Mankind can work his magic to keep things mellow.”
“Shit man, I don't know how you do it.” Baron admitted after a moment of silence. “I feel like I'm walking on eggshells up there and you're just sliding around, dealing with legends and shit.”
“I grew up here, Baron. You get used to it. The fucking mystique wears off and you're left with the tarnished bullshit of worn-out tricks and maybe, maybe, a few legitimate monsters.” Roman tipped his glass towards the other man. “Liquid courage helps.”
“I guess fucking so.” Baron grinned at him, all white teeth and eyes crinkling at the edges and fuck, Roman was so fucked if he didn't get his ass back upstairs and away from him. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. Baron looked nervous again, his back straight and whole body tight. “Hey uh, boss? Can I ask something?” He mumbled, focusing on his hands.
Oh no. Roman felt his heart start to thunder in his chest. Oh no, oh no. “Yeah, what's up?” His brain was apparently still on the 'pretend everything is fine' setting.
“D-do you...uh, does The Empire have a policy on relationships? I mean, Zayn and Owens are married and stuff, so they would be exempt, but you didn't seem too upset about Styles going after Jericho. I'm just...I need to know.” Baron's face hardened at the end of his ramble and he crossed his arms.
“Oh.” Roman said weakly, his heart screaming not me, not me, I'm the guy who signs his checks, remember? “I don't...I m-mean, there's no official policy in place, Corbin. I expect professionalism, and who you do is kind of your own business, you know? I uh...you and Big Cass, huh? That's cool, man. I'm happy for you.” Roman managed to force the trite phrase out before he lost his nerve completely.
Baron's shoulders slumped. He seemed disappointed for some reason that Reigns couldn't wrap his mind around. “I...I'd better get back outside. Gotta' keep the place safe. S'what I'm here for, right?” His tone was bitter and Roman's drunk brain remembered that he'd been outside in the cold for most of the evening.
“Hey wait, take a break, eat. Get a drink from Sami before you go. Warm up.” He insisted, unable to stop his hand before he laid it on Baron's arm. “Did you have any of Mick's spaghetti? He says it's seasoned with hunger, that's why it always tastes so good.” Roman had no idea why he was still talking. Corbin obviously had shit to go do (like Cass his mind supplied helpfully). “Sorry, I uh. Sorry. Head up there and. Um. Food.” He apologized, flushing and removing his hand.
Baron fixed him with a look that had Roman squirming, and not exactly in discomfort. “Reigns,” Baron began, then muttered, “Shit, just forget about it.”
Baron was halfway up the fucking stairs when Reigns' drunk ass decided to react. “Forget about what, Corbin?” He shouted louder than he meant to, making Baron freeze.
“I fucked up.” The taller man answered quietly. “Please just...never mind. Go back to the party, Reigns.”
Just forget about it. Roman ended up sleeping in the cellar, curled up next to the gaping hole in the floor. And if he cried, well, he was very drunk so that made it alright. Brave and strong Roman Reigns. Just forget about it.
He woke up with an aching head and a shiny new boilerplate hatch over the hole. A black and purple bow was stuck to the top of it and Roman couldn't help the raw laugh that he let out. Merry Christmas to me.
…
January and February passed in their usual gray, slushy blur. Come March, Baron dragged out his bike and started prepping for his eventual departure. He didn't really talk to Roman anymore, not like how he had before the holiday party. Always brief, polite. Very much the employee, no longer the friend.
It hurt, but Roman understood. He hoped that Cass and Baron had some sort of system worked out, maybe a long distance relationship via Skype. Either that or it had just been about the sex. They didn't really act couple-y, so Roman wasn't too sure. And it really wasn't any of his business, so he sure as hell wasn't about to ask.
The knock came in the wee hours of the morning, waking Reigns up from his usual pile of liquor orders and electric bills. “Come in.” He groaned, not bothering to raise his head from the desk.
“Boss, I'm leaving.” Roman watched dully out of the corner of his eye as Baron's legs shifted his weight back and forth. “Weather's finally good. I can make decent miles.” Baron cleared his throat. “I uh. Thank you. For taking me on.”
“No problem.” Roman replied, still not moving his head as he pulled open one of the drawers in his desk. “Here, s'last check. For gas. Food.” He waved the envelope in the air.
“Boss...”
“Don't fucking 'boss' me, Corbin. You pretty much single-handedly got The Viper behind bars, which is no damn small feat. If only for that, okay?” Roman shut his eyes as a large hand closed around his own, Baron removing the envelope after a second too long. “You've been a big help around here, man. I know Cass will miss you. Sure there's no way I can get you to stay?” Roman finally looked up, false cheer dying as he saw the stony look on Corbin's face.
Baron turned to leave. “It wasn't fucking Cass.��� He grumbled.
“Well it sure as shit wasn't me either.” Roman had no idea where the hell that came from, flinching when Corbin whipped back around.
“The fuck did you just say, Reigns?” Baron's voice was deadly low.
“I-I...” Roman hated his fucking stammer, the way his voice died on him. He was trying so hard just to keep it together and he didn't need this shit. Ever the brave, strong Roman Reigns he thought bitterly.
“Shows how much you fucking know, I guess.” Corbin slapped the envelope back onto Roman's desk, planting his fists on the wood to pin it there. “Dammit Reigns, why the hell do you have to make this so fucking difficult?”
“Difficult?” Roman was thoroughly confused once again. I thought I was making this shit easier.
Baron glared at him for a few breathless seconds and then growled in frustration, “Forget it!”, threw his hands up and left.
…
The old fairgrounds housed nothing but an overabundance of memories for Roman. Before his father had gotten so sick, they would visit sometimes, to ride on The Spinnarooni. Roman only just recalled poking his nose over the edge of the Ferris wheel cab for the first time, the way his stomach had dropped to his shoes when he saw how high up he was. But his father was there to tuck Roman's face into his side, laughing and calling him brave beyond his years. “So much courage in your heart, my son!”
It hadn't felt like courage in quite a while. It felt like a damn rock. It felt like The Beast's fists and it felt like guilt and it felt like just forget it.
Roman kicked a pebble over the edge of the crumpling cement jetty at the far end of the fairgrounds, watching as it sank out of sight beneath the trash-choked water. Summer made the ground waver in the heat and Roman wondered for a crazy second if trying to become a mirage was easier than dealing with his dumb, courageous heart. If it was so full of courage why the hell did it falter at every little thing?
Soft footsteps alerted him to Mite's approach before they drew up alongside him, a hand taking his own and tugging him back from the frail side of the jetty. “Don't worry, it's not deep enough here.” Roman tried for a joke but it sounded a lot more grim when he said it out loud. Mite shook their head and frowned, pointing in the other direction. Towards the city. They still weren't much for talking but Reigns could guess. Go home, Roman. “Why?” He asked. “It isn't like Kevin and Sami can't handle The Empire without me.”
Mite's face somehow got even more stern. Go home, Roman. He finally relented, letting himself be mobilized to return to reality. Getting lost in the past wasn't exactly doing him any favors, after all.
The motorcycle parked outside The Empire stopped Roman dead, and Mite patted his hand comfortingly. Then, before Roman could even react they fucking bolted, abandoning him to stand slack-jawed in the road for another minute or two.
He came back.
That courageous heart of Roman's was weary and bruised but not shattered yet, slamming against his ribs as he circled around back. He almost bumped Corbin's chest when the taller man rounded the corner. “Reigns, thank fuck.” Baron pushed a small, rectangular parcel into Roman's hands, then grabbed his jaw gracelessly and kissed him hard. “Forgive me, for fuck's sake please forgive me.” Corbin begged, pressing their foreheads together. “I'm an ass. I'm the biggest fucking dickhead. I hurt you and all I had to do was fucking talk to you, I'm so fucking--”
“Wait, wait.” Roman panted, still a little out of breath from the kiss and oh my God, he came back. “Are you staying?”
Baron nodded furiously.
The space in the upper area of The Empire was mostly for storage purposes, but Roman had cordoned off a small section for his bed and a single chair. It was here that he sat to open the parcel, Baron pacing nervously while he did. It was a stack of postcards, five of them. Roman's brow furrowed and he flipped the first one (Kansas) over.
I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot and the worst part is knowing I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot for leaving. I'm an idiot for hurting you. I'm an idiot for writing this shit out on my spare postcards but I don't have any real paper. I'm an idiot for writing this shit out like you're going to read it, like you'll even give me the time of fucking day. You don't have a mean bone in your body, but you giving me a chance is the last thing I deserve.
Florida came next and the lump in Roman's throat grew.
I didn't realize how hard it was for you. I didn't understand until that night with that motherfucker, that Viper guy. He was fucking ranting and you just started shuddering all over your body. I don't know if you even knew you were doing it. You looked like you were going to pass out. The shit that guy said made me want to kill him, how he talked about hurting you like it was a thing to be proud of. Normally I've got a pretty decent hold on myself, but the way you reacted...I lost my cool in the worst way and I'm so sorry. I don't really do hugs, I'm not good at them.
Roman put the postcards down for a second, huffing in a breath to try and calm himself. He had nightmares about that night sometimes, about what would have happened if Baron Corbin hadn't cracked his stubborn head into The Viper's without a thought for his own safety.
Georgia was next in the pile but Corbin tipped his chin up, searching Roman's eyes. “Are you alright?” He asked quietly, one hand cupping the back of Roman's neck. Careful, so careful.
“Not really, no.” Reigns admitted shakily. “I'm supposed to be brave and strong, Baron. But it gets really damn hard and God, I'm fucking tired.”
“Can I help?” Fingers moved down the skin of Roman's arm, following the zigzags of his traditional tattoo. “Let me help.”
“I don't know if you can, Baron. If you leave again, I don't-”
“I'm never leaving again.” Baron insisted.
“Yeah? Convince me.” Roman growled. “Because as I recall, when you left last time not even the guy who signed your checks could get you to stay.”
“I know. But I didn't come back for that guy.” Baron's eyes softened. “I came back for the busted-up guy with the badass sleeve of ink and the heart of fucking gold. I came back because I'm an asshole and I missed you.”
I missed you.
“When you told me to forget it...”
“I'm bad at shit. I'll get better at shit.” Baron kissed Roman's forehead. “I promise you that.”
Roman felt his resolve crumpling, hands already pitifully tangled in the fabric of Baron's tight shirt. “I missed you too.”
“Christ, I hoped you would.” Baron murmured. “I'm so damn sorry, Roman.”
“I don't know what to do, Corbin.” Reigns confessed helplessly after letting himself be held for a few minutes. “Everything is just so heavy all the time, I don't know how to handle it anymore.” It was both terrifying and a relief to say out loud. “I used to be so damn strong, Baron. Nothing could phase me.”
“You're still strong. Guilt and grief fucking cheat when you're having good days and it makes them feel a thousand times heavier on your bad days. Let me take care of you.” Baron pressed Roman to lay down on his back, the taller man smiling at him. “You don't need to be strong here. You can just be you. It's alright.”
Roman covered his face, groaning, “Fuck, I want to believe your bullshit.”
“S'not bullshit.” Baron lifted the hem of Reigns' t-shirt and pressed a kiss to his stomach. “How can I convince you? Pet names? Flowers and chocolates? Help with the paperwork? How about a ride on the Lone Wolf?”
Roman peeked out suspiciously from in-between his fingers. “Is that a euphemism or did you seriously name your motorcycle?”
Baron hummed. “Might be both. You'll have to wait and see.” Roman's laugh felt rusty but good, especially when Baron joined in. Roman tugged at Baron's shirt and the other man quickly stripped his vest and shirt off for him. It had always been easier when Roman didn't have to ask with his words. Baron seemed to understand that, smoothing the hair back from Roman's face. “Christ, Roman, I'm so sorry.” He murmured. Roman fumbled out of his shirt and Baron sucked in a breath, large hands greedily mapping out the new area with single-minded purpose. “Fucking shit, Reigns.” Fingers ran over the scarred patch on his side where Roman had been burned on the hunt for Dean. “I'll keep you safe from now on. Nobody will ever do this to you again.”
Roman wanted to believe him, and that might have been the scariest thing of all. Corbin made him feel safe, like he was actually worth protecting. It should hurt because Roman was still guilty, but Baron was being so careful. The couple of times Roman had hooked up with other men had been lackluster. He'd wanted it to hurt. Not because he liked it, but because it should, it was what he deserved and what he was familiar with. People were willing and so was he, who cared if he didn't get off on it? Roman knew it was the only thing he had earned and while he wasn't happy he was pretty fucking resigned to it.
As Baron unbuckled his pants and dragged his boxers down Roman tried to relax. This was the hard part, the part when Baron would shatter all the pretty words he'd said about no one ever hurting him again. Roman knew all the ways to move to make it seem like it was good, like he was enjoying himself, “I'm just not hard because it's an off night.” The sooner this part was over with, the sooner Baron could get back to saying kind, gentle things to him and hopefully not leaving again because he was disappointed.
Reigns didn't realize he'd closed his eyes until he heard Corbin asking him to open them. He obeyed, feeling a weight settle on his thigh as he did. Corbin was in between his legs, cheek resting on Roman's thigh. Roman's cock was barely half-hard, obviously not on board with the plan and Baron seemed perturbed. “Reigns, if you don't want to do this we don't...I mean, I did kind of just blow in here so I-”
“No I do! I do!” Roman said quickly, too quickly, propping himself up on his elbows. It's an off night for me.
Baron's eyes narrowed. Normally, people were really invested in getting Roman to flip over onto his belly so they could give him what he asked for. Baron, however, was really invested in sucking Roman's dick. Which shot all of Roman's plans out of the water. That didn't hurt and Roman didn't really know what to do with himself because Christ, Corbin was good at that but he didn't deserve it and also Baron was teasing. Corbin seemed perfectly content to do nothing but kitten lick Roman's cock until the sun came back up, fingertips barely brushing the base. Roman found himself getting legitimately hard and he threw an arm over his eyes, hopelessly turned on and at total war with his guilt.
“Look at me, Roman.” Corbin ordered for the second time that evening. “I don't know why the hell you're letting me do this if you're not planning on enjoying it.”
“I can't, s-shouldn't.” Roman hated how his voice was already cracking.
“You're allowed to enjoy shit, Reigns.” Baron reprimanded him gently. “I can be strong tonight, okay? It's your night off. It's not wrong to like what I'm doing to you. It's not bad to like what I'm doing to you.”
“But I--”
“No buts. I want you coming and screaming my name at some point before sun up. Other than that, I think I'm pretty flexible.” Baron shrugged. “Until you believe me. Until you're comfortable. I don't care how long it takes. Because you deserve it, okay?”
Roman felt the weight in his chest finally ease and he was pretty sure he almost broke Baron's nose with his pelvis when he rolled forwards to hug him tightly. “Fuck, I missed you so much.”
“I've thought about doing this to you so many damn times, taking you apart and making you fucking shake in my lap.” Baron said fiercely, like he was trying to convince Roman. His fingers closed around Roman's cock for the first time and Roman keened into Baron's shoulder, hips arching up of their own accord. “Fucking touch me already, Reigns. I know you want to.” Baron begged. “Let me help, dammit, be fucking weak and greedy for me. I've got you.”
Roman flushed (he didn't know why, Baron's hand was on his cock for fuck's sake) and Baron made a helpless noise of want, rubbing his groin against Roman's thick thigh. When Reigns finally reached out his hand and shakily touched Baron's chest it was like he couldn't stop, yanking Corbin even closer and burying his face in the other man's neck. Corbin's excited sounds spurred Roman on more than he wanted to admit, his hands growing bolder by the second as Baron praised him quietly, reminded him that this wasn't wrong.
Baron's tattoos were fascinatingly vibrant where Roman's were monochrome, and Reigns found himself with his palm firmly planted on the taller man's inked heart, fingers digging into the skin hard enough to make Corbin grin at him. “Shit, shit, wait.” Baron finally panted, tugging Roman's other hand away from his zipper. “I can't yet, gotta' calm down.”
“But I--” Baron's kiss cut Roman off and Reigns growled into the taller man's mouth as he came all over his fist. Roman sank his teeth into Corbin's lower lip and the other man groaned embarrassingly loud.
“Fuck, I'm going to love this.” Baron licked his fingers criminally slow, seeming intent on getting every last drop. “M' gonna' open you up, make you beg for me.”
Roman expected it to hurt now but Baron made good on his word, taking his damn time as he prepared Roman's body for him. Thick fingers sloppy with lube stretched him, slowly one after the other and Roman found himself hard and leaking again by the time Baron was finally satisfied, the taller man allowing Roman the privilege of peeling his tight pants down his thighs. The tattoos continued on the skin there and Roman dimly noticed the one that said 'Farm Your Keep' in flowing script above Baron's knee.
Baron urged Roman up over him, hand gripping the base of the condom firmly after he slid it down over his cock. “I want to watch you. Take as much as you want, but let's just say I really hope you're interested in more than one round.” His knowing smirk bordered on insufferable.
Roman felt greedy and weak, his entrance over-slick and aching for what Baron had promised hotly in his ear while he crooked his fingers inside him. Baron had been patient, much more patient than Roman believed he needed to be. He wouldn't break for fuck's sake. Hadn't yet.
Baron's sound when Roman finally slid the head of his cock past his entrance was amazing, a low, heartfelt groan that threatened to make Roman come on the spot. Reigns being on top allowed him to decide exactly when Baron would get more or less of him and the power was dangerously heady. He ended up with his hands covering the swallows on Baron's chest, bracing his body weight easily as he carefully lowered himself down.
Corbin's hands cupped Roman's jaw, thumbs rubbing over the other man's facial hair. “You ever done it like this before?” Baron asked through clenched teeth, his smirk popping back up when Roman shook his head. “Always from behind, right? Hurts less that way, they don't have to see your face and you don't have to see theirs.” Baron was apparently a goddamn mind reader.
“Y-Yeah.” Roman stammered, finally coming to a stop. He sucked in a shaky breath, trying to force his body to adjust quicker to the intrusion.
But Baron was having none of it, a hand firmly gripping Roman's thigh to keep him from moving. “When you're ready, Reigns. Feels good to me no matter what, so when you're ready.” Corbin reassured him quietly, pressing a kiss to his temple. “I'm not going anywhere.”
“You'd better not.” Roman choked out. “I'll fucking hunt you down if you do and sign your face with my fist.”
Corbin ran his fingers over Reigns' inked arm, a smile softening his features. “That's fair, especially with how I left. Christ, I missed you so much. Wanted you like this from the first time I saw you on door duty at your own fucking club. You're handsome enough to be inside on stage and yet here you were owning the damn building, wrinkling your beautiful face worrying, working your fingers to the bone on forms and shit.” Roman ducked his head a little self-consciously but Corbin caught his chin. “Nope, eyes up.” Baron murmured. “Be greedy. Be weak for me.”
“I'm trying. It's...” Roman trailed off, rocking his hips back and forth against Baron's. Corbin's cock dragged over his spot suddenly and Roman's body stiffened. Oh-! Beneath him, Corbin let out a fucking growling noise that made Roman shudder, Baron's hand moving to press to the continuation of ink on Roman's chest. “Baron, fuck.” Reigns finally sobbed, unable to keep quiet anymore when gentle fingers soothed his messy hair back from his face. “Fuck, Baron, fuck.” He felt dumb but his brain couldn't figure out anything else to say as Baron rolled his hips up hungrily. “I'm trying, I promise, j-just--”
“Shh, you're fine.” Corbin grinned at him, making the worry in Roman's stomach ease off a bit. “Jesus Christ, you are so damn fine. Look at you go, I'm gonna' make you come so hard.” Baron tugged a spare elastic off his wrist and then proceeded to quickly rake Roman's dark locks back into a haphazard ponytail. “Wanna' see you when you do, want to watch your face.”
“God, please--” Roman's prayers were answered when Corbin wrapped his hand back around his cock. “Oh! Fuck, Corbin!” The moan felt like it was ripped out of him but it was so damn good, so right.
“That's the idea, yeah.” Baron grunted, winking when Reigns tried to give him a stern look. “Don't even bother, man. I can feel you getting all tight around me so it's a lost damn cause.”
“Are you close?” Roman panted, closing his eyes as Baron nodded jerkily and quickened his hand on Roman's dick. “Never come while someone else was fucking me.” His groin ached with the closeness of his orgasm, Roman ducking his head so he could touch his forehead to Baron's. It had never been like this before. Reigns felt hot and good all over his body, his heart seemingly trying to beat its way out of his chest.
“Their fucking loss.” Baron snarled through his teeth. “You deserved so much better.”
“Shit, I hope so.”
“I know so.” Baron cupped the back of his neck, kissed him hard and that was all it took. Roman cried out when he came again, his hands balling into fists on Baron's chest as he shuddered and rocked his hips weakly. “Fuck's sake, Reigns--” Baron dug his fingers into the skin of Roman's hips, thrusting up into him fiercely and off-tempo before finally coming to a stop with a loud, satisfied moan.
Now he leaves. Roman didn't want the thought but was gone as quickly as it arrived because Baron almost immediately dragged him down to lay on his chest, fingers stroking carefully over Roman's hair. Reigns closed his eyes, relaxing into the other man's grip against his better judgment.
“It's only about a thousand degrees up here, huh?” Baron whispered after several silent minutes had gone by. “I mean, I figured I would work up a sweat anyway, but shit.”
Roman swatted him on the ribs, making the taller man yelp. “You deserve to suffer in the hell garret for the shit you pulled.” Roman scolded, reaching over to turn on the air conditioner.
Baron smiled good-naturedly, crossing his arms behind his head. “Very true. How many more times should we bang, do you think, before you forgive me?”
“Depends on whether you'll leave after you get me to forgive you.” Roman fidgeted with the slick mess on his stomach, reaching for his t-shirt to wipe it off. But Baron caught his hand.
“I'm not leaving if you don't want me to, Reigns.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Hey, hey.” Baron's voice dropped a little when Roman teared up. “Shit, don't do that. I'm so ugly when I cry. If you start, I'm gonna' start, and it's just going to be a fucking nightmare. Buck up, Reigns, you're stuck with my ass.”
“Really?” Roman asked.
Baron nodded, brown eyes crinkling at the edges when he smiled again. “You're getting the worse end of the deal here, man, but I'm willing to swap off if you get me a little drunk beforehand.” Baron's offer made Reigns snort in a somewhat-undignified manner.
He knocked his forehead against Baron's a little harder than before, to let him know he was serious. “Never again, got it?” He meant for it to sound firmer, like an order.
Baron seemed to understand though. “Yeah, I got it. I promise.”
I promise.
Activate (Strong Style)
#Holy shit this is long#thirst party saturday#roman reigns/baron corbin#roman reigns smut#baron corbin smut#roman reigns#baron corbin#wwe au#AU: Suplex City#WWE#hurt/comfort#happy birthday to me
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AU proposition: Vader joins Ahsoka on Malachor
I've always been taken by something our good Saint Fialleril said, that on Malachor, the conflict Filoni gave us was Mustafar 2.0, when it should have been Bespin 0.5. I'm paraphrasing. Anyway, just imagine. It's Vader who isn't quite resigned to his fate. It's Vader who might still think that he's doing all this for the Greater Good. It's Vader who's realizing (or realized) that Palpatine is never going to make them equals, and that he's forever going to be the go-for for an old man. It's Vader who is confronted with Maul, who is the living embodiment of how Palpatine throws his Padawans away. It's Vader who sees Ahsoka--his sister/daughter figure--who did what he should have and left the Order. The only family in the Galaxy he has left. The only other person he's willing to kill and die for. The only person who is a true grey Jedi, who uses the core of the Jedi teaching and who shed the chaffing chaf of emotional restrictions. Who has learned how to love healthily (idk I enjoyed the Ahsoka book). The only person who still sees good in him--in Anakin. I think it would take some convincing, but I think Ahsoka would take the time to do it. I think she would stand with him on top of the Sith temple and say "please come with me. We can figure it out. Please." And Vader would go with her, because Anakin is still a softie who really fucking needs a hug and real medical attention. So there they all are, a la @darthnickels Black Mirror, if a little less terrifying and a little more awkward, and Vader says to Ezra "Give me that Holocron" and Ezra's like "what the fuck ever man, it's yours I can't fuckin use it" and hands it over because it's in Sith and no one speaks that. It takes him a long time because holocrons aren't small but for once Darth Hideous isn't around to show him what excerpts to read and he's in charge of his own education. So he has time to gather some of his possessions and get some initial reconstructive surgeries (Ahsoka sits through them with him. He doesn't like anasthetic.). And he listens to the holocron. And a la @flaminganakin, he learns what Palpatine did to keep him alive on Mustafar. About what he did to Padme. And of course he fucking flips because having someone kill your wife to save your self-loathing ass is never fun. So that happens, and then he's like "Dude I need some spiritual healing from the Grandmothers" (because Fialleril's head cannons are basically the fanon bible at this point) so he goes to Tatooine, and he's wandering around, caught up in memories and shit, and literally bumps into this scrawny blond kid who's carrying too many mech parts, and theyre talking and the kid is all "Hiya my name is Luke Skywalker" and Anakin’s heart skips a beat but he's like nah, it's just a coincidence and then hey his uncle is here too and what do you know it's Owen Lars. Awkward... But Beru is there too on this family fucking outing to the city, and she insists on inviting him to their home because last time they met it was a fucking shitshow. And then... well, "I'm Anakin Skywalker. I believe I may be your father." So then Anakin goes on a trek to find Obi-Wan, hiding in the sand wastes like a God damn gopher. Anakin can't punch him because his fists are deadly weapons so he headbutts him into submission. AND THEN Turns out the best custom prosthetic maker lives in Alderaan. And Bail has a fucking heart attack when Obi-Wan shows up and is all... hi could we talk for a bit?? And they decide to try to hide the whole thing from Leia but she's an established spy by now (I guess??? Filoni I'm going to ignore you unless you are convenient for plot purposes I guess??)) And she figures it out/overhears, so she's pissed and finds Anakin and is all, "Hello. My name is Leia Organa. I am your daughter" and Anakin just fucking passes out because!!!!! Two???!!!! This just bypasses so many things. Destruction of Alderaan. Vader failing to connect with his children because he's too caught up with hating himself for killing their mother. Still has the worst case of Survivors guilt on the face of the Galaxy. Still is a medical nightmare that is sewn back into human functionality via dozens of surgeries. Still doesn't really feel guilty for destroying the Order. (Because, let's face it, they were gonna fall whether he helped or not.) I just like it.
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