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Chapter Text

Luke is heartlessly swinging around his lightsaber, not even letting the Force flow through him as Anakin observes his sloppy movements from the corner of the training room.

“Do that during battle and you’ll end up dead before any of our troopers can even get to you to help.” Anakin, clearly annoyed by Luke’s childness, hisses the words out and slowly starts making his way towards his son, something flashing into his eyes dangerously, although Luke is used to seeing it there at this point.

“Sorry, I’ll do better.” Luke replies despite knowing that he doesn’t mean those words at the slightest. “I promise.”

“Those are the exact words you’ve been telling me for a past couple of weeks already, so forgive me if I do not believe you anymore.” Anakin tells Luke as he stops in front of him, looking more like a strict Jedi master rather than an actual father. “What is up with you, kid? How do you plan on becoming a Jedi if you do not even practise properly?” 

Instead of answering, Luke turns off his lightsaber and clips it back onto his belt, offering his father an absentminded shrug before he turns around and starts walking towards the door, without even asking his father if he’s free to leave or not. 

“Do not walk away from me when I’m talking to you, Luke.” Anakin calls out from behind him and Luke hears a very familiar sound of a lightsaber igniting. 

In a blink of an eye, Luke quickly turns his own lightsaber on as well and blocks his father’s attack from behind before the glistening blade can make a constant with his body. 

“Good to see that at least your reflexes are working.” Anakin scoffs and uses the Force to push Luke back, who barely hears his father’s words through the ringing in his ears.

“You could’ve hurt me.” Luke blurts out before he can stop himself, watching as anger disappears from his father’s eyes, immediately getting replaced by disbelief.

“I’d never hurt you, Luke, you’re my son.” Anakin tells him and it takes Luke every bit of self control not to roll his eyes at the reply, simply because he doesn’t want to make his father angrier than he has been for a while already, mainly at Luke. 

Still, it turns out that he isn’t really good at hiding his feelings from Anakin through their Force bond and the man in front of him easily feels Luke’s distrust. 

“Luke, I would never hurt you.” Anakin repeats his previous words but now, in order to emphasise the point, he takes a small step towards Luke and places his hands on his son’s shoulders, gently squeezing. “The reason why I’m being so hard on you is because I want you to be the best version of yourself that you can be.” 

“What if this is the best version, dad?” Luke asks with a tired voice, his eyes empty when he stares into his father’s.

Honestly, he’s so tired of this, of this endless training that he doesn’t even want to be a part of in the first place but he’s being forced to be, because how can Luke Skywalker, a son of the great Jedi master Anakin Skywalker, not want to be a Jedi? 

Of course, Luke has never said this to anyone, not even his sister, because he doesn’t want to disappoint his family, but he doesn’t even know himself how long he will be able to keep up the act that he’s simply not feeling a strong connection with the Force and that’s why he cannot complete the tasks his father gives to him during each and every training session.

“Kid, you and I both know that’s not true.” Anakin argues back almost immediately, making Luke let out a deep sigh and hang his head low. “You’re only nineteen, you have more than enough time to work and train hard enough to be a Jedi like me, like you’ve always dreamed to be…”

There are many things Luke wants to tell his father about that specific argument he’s been using since Luke was just a little boy, forced to wield a lightsaber as Leia was being dragged around in countless Senate meetings, but he cannot bring himself to say any of it to his father, simply because he’s too tired from everything and he also cannot bear the thought of disappointing the man who did everything for his family, for his children, for Luke .

Before Anakin has any time to continue the conversation that Luke so desperately doesn’t want to have, the doors of the training room swing open and Padme walks inside, immediately saying, “Ani, didn’t I tell you not to tire him out too much?”

“He isn’t working that hard to tire himself out, don’t worry.” Anakin replies without missing a beat and despite everything, despite the fact that Anakin is telling the truth, Luke still has to bite down onto the tip of his tongue not to show the way his father’s words go through his heart like a dagger. 

“Well, I still don’t want him falling over this evening when the Mand’alor and his son visit us for the negotiations.” Padme says, her eyes drifting to Luke who has sunk onto the floor and is currently staring up at the ceiling of the training room, leaning against the pillar. “I’m pretty sure his son is around the same age as you, maybe it’ll do you some good to be friends with people who are your age.” 

“I am friends with people who are my age.” Luke grumbles out without even looking at her.

“Your twin sister and Hunter’s younger sister do not count, Luke.” 

“She’s not only Hunter’s sister.” He crosses his arms in front of his chest like a little kid and huffs out, “why are the Mandalorians coming to Coruscant anyway? Didn’t they say that they want to stay out of the war?”

“That’s a very good question, Luke.” Anakin hums quietly, looking at his wife with raised eyebrows. “The Jedi are still wary when it comes to the Mandalorians, Padme, and I don’t know how the Council will feel about me having a meeting with their leader–”

“Since when do you care about how the Council feels?” Luke lets out a sarcastic chuckle along with the words before he can stop himself, earning a scolding look from both of his parents, although he doesn’t even bother apologising.

“I know that, Anakin, but I need to make sure that the Mandalorians remain loyal to their word and do not form an alliance with the Separatists, that’s what this meeting is for.” Padme tells him before turning her attention to Luke and gesturing to him to get back up on his feet, which he does right away, like a trained pet. “And you, Luke, you’re also going to be there so do not even think about sneaking out of the house.”

The moment those words leave Padme’s mouth, Luke has to curl his fingers into a fist and let his nail dig into the palm of his hand in order to stop himself from saying something bitter to her in return. 

He did that only once because he did not want to go to a pointless Senate meeting with her and instead, he wanted to go to the Coruscant underworld with Omega and the others. 

He still maintains that he cannot be blamed for it, considering that they’re always no-one-knows-where for missions and it’s not every day Luke sees her and her brothers and he really, really enjoys their company (even if Crosshair sometimes scares him), so he decided to sneak out of his parents’ house and meet up with the squad to go on a mission with them . 

However, his parents refused to look at all of it from his point of view, claiming that he might have damaged the family’s name if he was spotted in the underworld like that, and they managed to ground Luke for enough rotations that in the end, Luke agreed to continue training with his father only to be able to get out of that damned house. 

“Why do I even have to be there?” Luke still dares to ask, hoping he doesn’t look as angry as he feels. “I’m neither a Senator nor a Jedi, remember?”

“Because that’s what we think is necessary.” Anakin tells him before Padme has a chance to do it, both of them looking at Luke like they’re waiting for him to argue back but, of course, because he’s such a good son, he doesn’t dare to do so. 

Instead, he just nods and pushes himself up from the ground, slowly moving towards the entrance where his parents are standing.

“Guess I’ll go and start getting ready then.” Luke lets the words out between his teeth harshly, his jaw clenched and his nails still digging into his palms painfully.

He slips out of the room quickly, mainly because he doesn’t know how long he will be able to stay in the same space as his parents and not let himself either explode from rage or break down sobbing at the feeling of the two of them suffocating him instead of standing by his side the way they keep promising him over and over again, their words turning out to be nothing but plain lies every single time. 

☆`☆`☆

Luke really, really does not want to be here, but he doesn’t think he has much to say in that matter. That’s exactly why he stays quiet as his parents and the King of Mandalore discuss whatever they need to discuss while Luke observes the son of Mand’alor.

He doesn’t know much about the boy, he didn’t even have any idea that the Mand’alor had a son to begin with until only a couple of days ago. However, what he did find out throughout this boring meeting is that his name is Din, he’s only two years older than Luke and he plays with the strings of his gloves when he’s uncomfortable.

Exactly like he’s doing right now. 

“That’s a matter that we cannot solve here, Mand’alor.” Padme’s calm voice suddenly snaps Luke out of his daydreams, the realisation that he has been staring at Din quickly causing his cheeks to turn deep red. “I think we’ll have to go to Naboo, considering that the majority of the delegates are currently on my home planet.”

Luke is sure that if he were a dog, his ears would perk up at his mother’s words for a couple of reasons, but mainly because Padme and Anakin leaving to go to Naboo while Leia is off somewhere in the galaxy with Han, means that Luke can have freedom for a couple of days. 

However, there’s also another thing he has hope for, although he isn’t exactly sure if it’s going to work or not, but he still decides to give it a try.

“Can I come with you?” He asks, trying not to make himself sound as hopeful as he feels deep down. 

This isn’t the first time he has asked his parents this question but he has always gotten no as an answer and this time isn’t any different, followed by Anakin’s arguments about how he has to spend his days training to become a Jedi and not waste it on travelling when he isn’t needed somewhere else. 

All Luke can do is bite down onto the tip of his tongue to stop his expression from twisting into hurt right in front of their guests, considering that he could get grounded for making them uncomfortable by his theatrics. 

The Mand’alor doesn’t even pay attention to their conversation, too busy carrying on a conversation with Padme and Anakin, but his son does and he notices the change in Luke’s mood as well. Din tilts his head to the side and even though Luke cannot see what kind of expression he has on his face because of his helmet, he can feel the boy’s questioning look through the visor. 

Luke tunes out the sound of the three of them talking as they walk out of the room and make their way towards the two ships at the hangar, paying no mind to how Din’s shoulder brushes against his every now and then, his gaze focused on the stars above them. 

“Dad, would it be okay if I didn’t come with you?” All of the sudden, Din’s unexpected question causes everyone to come to halt and Luke is completely sure the Mand’alor is looking at his son with confusion on his face. “I don’t feel well and I don’t think it’s a good idea if I spend the next seven rotations on the ship again.”

“But staying here alone–”

“I won’t be alone.” Din interrupts his father before the man has a chance to properly finish the sentence and he gestures towards Luke. “I’ll be with Luke and when I feel better, I’ll go back home.”

Luke, honestly a bit too shocked by somehow ending up getting dragged in all of this, immediately turns his attention to his parents, waiting for them to say something, but they don’t, they simply shrug. It takes Luke a few seconds to understand that it’s not even because they’re letting him make the decision whether he wants to be stuck with the son of Mand’alor or not, they both already know that he has to.

However, the King of Mandalore doesn’t think the same way and he makes sure to let Luke know that when he turns to him and asks, “are you okay with that, kid?” 

Luke genuinely cannot say that Anakin has been cruel or mean to him– sure, his harsh words sometimes hurt Luke’s feelings but he doesn’t think that Anakin is a bad father, he knows that he’s trying his best. 

Nevertheless, the Mand’alor says these words with a soft and gentle tone that Luke doesn’t think he has ever heard from his father, and instantly feels a lump forming in his throat, his eyes starting to sting under the bright lights of Coruscant. 

“Of course.” He finally manages to choke the words out, trying to cover up his shaky voice with a small cough before offering the King a wary smile. 

Luke feels his parents gaze on him for one last time before the three of them get on the Mand’alor’s ship and fly off in space, somewhere Luke has never been before. Refusing to think much about that because it brings Luke nothing but a dull pain in his chest, he takes a deep breath in and turns to Din next to him. 

“I’m no doctor so I can get you a medical droid when we reach my house and–”

“Luke, I lied, I feel completely well.” Din is quick to cut him off, shrugging slightly when Luke’s eyes widen comically. “You weren’t allowed to go and I didn’t want to, and I lied so that we both could be stuck here.”

“Why?” Luke asks, a bit dumbly but he doesn't focus on that.  

“Didn’t I just tell you why?” Din answers with a question and Luke can hear a small smile in his voice, the boy gesturing to Luke to follow him as he starts walking back inside the building. “There’s a way we can get up to the roof, right?”

“Why do you even want to get up to the roof?” Luke questions but still follows him before his brain has time to process his actions properly. 

“To look at the stars, why else?” Din shrugs and walks inside the elevator, pressing onto the button of the last floor when Luke stops beside him as well. “Just because I didn’t go with my dad it doesn’t mean that I’m going to lock myself in a room till he gets back.”

Luke doesn’t say anything in return because, really, what is he supposed to say to that? He didn’t even think that the boy would be this communicative in the first place.

“What about you?” Din asks him as Luke starts crawling onto the stairs which lead to the roof where Din wants to get up to so badly. “Why did you not go with them?”

“Didn’t you listen to my parents?” Luke fries back, maybe a bit too harshly. “I needed to stay here and train to be a Jedi.”

“Well, you’re not exactly training now, are you?” The Prince of Mandalore says and Luke has to suppress the urge to roll his eyes because he hates it so much when others are trying to play smart with him. “And you also didn’t seem very content with the idea of training to become a peacekeeper.”

“That’s because the Jedi are not even peacekeepers anymore, they’re soldiers .” Luke blurts out the moment they sit down on the solid surface underneath them and with the Force Luke easily feels confusion radiating off the boy next to him. “And even if they were peacekeepers, I still wouldn’t want to be one anyway.”

“Why?” Din asks, tilting his head to the side as Luke keeps his gaze glued on the starry sky above them. “I mean, you’re the son of Anakin Skywalker , one of the strongest Jedis in the entire galaxy.” 

“Because I just do not want to be like him.” Luke breathes the words out and wraps his arms around his bent knees, curling into himself as much as he possibly can. “Maybe it makes me selfish but… I don’t want to spend the rest of my life fighting, I want a peaceful life with someone I love.”

“I don’t think that’s selfish at all.” Din tells him after a couple of seconds of silence, earning a confused look from Luke. “Wanting to stay out of this war, I mean. That’s exactly what my dad is trying to do.”

“Your dad is trying to protect his people from unnecessary bloodshed, meanwhile what I want– it’s motivated by my own desires.” Luke whispers, blinking his eyes rapidly to get the tears out of his eyes without letting them fall because the last thing he wants is to cry in front of the Prince of Mandalore. “I come from a family of the Senators and, like you said, one of the strongest Jedis in the galaxy– there’s a family legacy I have to carry on, I just can’t do whatever I want.” 

“My legacy is being a galaxy warrior and, don’t get me wrong, I am one, but not in a traditional way.” Din argues back almost immediately, something changing in his tone. “I don’t plan on throwing my life away because of something that’s expected of me by other people, Luke, and I don’t think you should either.” 

“That sounds nice but– I cannot let my parents down, not after everything they’ve done for me and my sister.” 

“If they feel let down because you don’t want to spend the rest of your life feeling miserable, then I think that’s something they need to work on.” 

There’s nothing Luke can think of to give Din as a reply to that, so he leans back to lay down on the ground and change the topic of the conversation. 

“They’re so pretty– the stars.” Luke says, raising his hand like he’s trying to hold the stars in his palm right when Din lies down next to him. “Are they this pretty out in space as well?” 

“You’ve never seen the other side of stars?” Din asks, confusion in his voice clearer than it was before. “You have never been out there?” 

“Only once, when I was very little.” Luke answers without taking his eyes off the sky. “My parents had nowhere to leave me and Leia, so they had to take us to Naboo before going on a mission together. I don’t even remember any of it properly.”

“But– your father is the best starpilot in the galaxy, why has he never taken you with him?”

Luke weakly drops his hand on his stomach and sighs out.

“My parents are a bit– strict , more with me than they are with Leia, mainly because they know that I don’t agree with the path of my life they have chosen for me and they have their own ways of grounding me, you could say that.” 

Strangely enough, for once in his life, he feels like the weight is being taken off his shoulder with every word he says to the boy next to him, opening his heart to him without worrying about the consequences.

“I had to choose either becoming a Senator like my mother or a Jedi like my father and, well, I hate politics and I thought that maybe, if I became a Jedi, during a battle I’d just–”

Luke doesn’t finish the sentence, but he doesn’t even have to because Din understands what he’s implying quite well and sits up like he has been electrified, staring at Luke through his visor with widened eyes.    

“Luke, that’s not– you shouldn’t think like that–” Din chokes the words out and if Luke were delusional enough, he’d think that the boy he just met genuinely cares about him. “Getting yourself killed during a battle is not an option…”

“To be honest with you, I don’t even care, at this point.” Luke huffs out a humourless laugh and shrugs, his vision blurry when he stares up at the stars again. “Whatever comes after, I think it’s going to be better than living in this prison that my own parents have created for me. I doubt anyone would miss me anyway– well, Leia might, but she has Han and I’m sure she’ll manage to get through it with his help.” 

All of the sudden, Luke feels a hand cupping his cheek gently and carefully forcing him to turn his head to the side and when Luke’s eyes find Din’s face, it takes him a couple of seconds to realise that Din isn’t wearing his helmet anymore. 

The first thought that Luke has the moment his eyes rank over Din’s face is that the boy has the most beautiful eyes Luke has ever seen. There’s something sparkling in them that Luke doesn’t recognise at first before he finally understands that there are tears in Din’s eyes, glistening under the starlight. 

That’s enough for Luke to sit up quickly and wrap his fingers around Din’s wrist but before he has time to ask him why he’s on the verge of crying, Din leans forward and the next thing Luke knows, they’re kissing.

They’re kissing while Din’s hands are gently cupping Luke’s cheeks and Luke is holding onto the boy’s arms like he’s scared that Din will suddenly let go. Of course, Din doesn’t pull away and instead, he tilts his head to the side and parts his lips, slowly deepening the kiss as he pulls Luke as close as it’s physically possible. 

“I would.” Din whispers against his lips when they pull away for air, the tip of Din’s fingers gently brushing across Luke’s cheekbones. “I would miss you, cyare .”

Those words are enough for the walls Luke has built around himself over the years to finally crumble down and when the tears fall, Din is there to wipe them away for him. 

Chapter Text

Luke can feel someone running their fingers through his hair and holding him close to their body in messy sheets before he even cracks his eyes open but when he does, his gaze instantly lands on the discarded clothes on the floor of his bedroom. 

“There you are.” He hears Din’s soft voice, the boy not abandoning his task of playing with Luke’s hair even for a second. 

“Did I fall asleep?” Luke asks with a hoarse voice, dragging his gaze up from the clothes to the windows where the starlight is still shining from. 

“For a couple of seconds, I think.” Din answers him, letting out a small laugh the second Luke snuggles closer to his bare body like a cat. “How do you feel? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No, no, of course you didn’t.” Luke assures him without missing a beat, dragging his hand up Din’s naked chest before he finally reaches the hand in his hair and intertwines their fingers together, pressing a small kiss on Din’s knuckles. “I feel– loved. That’s the only word I can use to describe how I’m feeling right now.”

“So, you don’t– regret it?” It’s not hard to hear anxiety in Din’s voice and deep down, Luke knows why Din is asking him that, but that still doesn’t stop him from pulling back slightly and looking up at the boy through his eyelashes with furrowed eyebrows.

“Why would I regret it?” He asks quietly, feeling the way his heart starts beating a lot quicker in his chest. “Do you?”

“No, of course I don’t, but for you– it was your first time and I– I don’t know, I just don’t want you to feel like you had to do this, although I think now it’s too late to say that and I–”

There’s nothing else Luke can do other than pushing himself up on his elbows and pulling Din into a kiss in order to stop him from rambling and being worried about something that he doesn’t even have to be worried about in the first place. 

“Din, I do not regret a single thing.” Luke whispers against his lips and presses his bare body even closer to his, drawing out a small sound from the back of Din’s throat. “I meant what I said, you made me feel loved and I– I haven’t felt that in a long time.”

“Would it be too dangerous if I told you that I want to fight everyone who has ever hurt you?” Din asks quietly, his grip on Luke’s sides tightening and that’s what Luke eyes as an excuse for his breath hitching in his throat, not Din’s protective words. 

Luke sinks into Din’s arms once again and once he feels safe in his embrace again, he softly whispers, “I couldn’t ask you to do that, Din, we only met today.” 

“That doesn't change the way you make me feel.” Din tells him and Luke needs him to stop telling him things like that, because he doesn't know how much longer he'll be able to keep himself together. 

And yet he still asks, “how do I make you feel?” 

Din doesn't say anything for a second or two and even though Luke cannot see his face, he knows that the boy is staring up at the ceiling with hazy, half-lidded eyes. 

“Like I'm alive… free , even.” Din finally whispers into Luke's hair, drawing out a muffled sound from the younger boy both because of the answer and because of the feeling of Din's hands starting to slide up and down on Luke's back. “And that’s something I haven’t really felt in quite a long time.”

“I understand that all too well.” Luke finally finds the courage to confess, feeling the way goosebumps raise on his skin the moment Din gently scratches down onto his back, hiding his face in the crook boy’s neck. 

They stay in silence for a lot longer than Luke can guess, wrapped in each others’ arms and just enjoying the feeling of belonging , their gazes glued on the starry sky through the window when Din slowly pushes himself up on the bed until he’s leaning against the headboard with Luke still pressed against his chest.

“Come with me.” He says suddenly, elaborating only after he earns a confused glance from Luke, his blue eyes widening at Din’s next words. “Run away with me to Mandalore.”

Luke is physically unable to say anything for a couple of seconds and then he presses the back of his hand on his mouth and laughs, laughs so genuinely that the warm sound almost brings tears to Din’s eyes.

“Din, stop being stupid.” He says between giggles and leans up to leave a small kiss on another boy’s forehead and softly cups his face with his hands. “How did you even come up with that idea?”

“Well, for starters, you quite literally said that you’d rather die than stay in this place so, pardon me if that made me a bit concerned.” Din tells him, his voice cracking a bit when he says the word die and it makes Luke feel like someone had reached into his chest and squeezed his heart with their fist. “However, there’s of course another reason why I want you to come with me to my home planet…”

“Which is?” Luke asks with a small smile on his face, starting to gently brush the pad of his thumb against Din’s cheekbone and trying not to let his smile turn into a grin when he feels Din shuddering underneath his touch. 

“I want to be with you.” Din breathes out, leaning forward to press his forehead against Luke’s and continue telling him things that definitely will be the death of Luke. “I don’t want us to be on the opposite sides of the galaxy, I want– I want you .”

For a minute or two, Luke stays quiet. He refuses to say anything or even move because this– this is something he has to think about, mainly because he understands Din, he wants to go, he wants to be with him as well, but he knows that things aren’t that easy, he knows that Din knows it as well.

He cannot just abandon his home, his parents, his sister, everything that makes him him and run off to a completely other planet with someone he hasn’t known even for a week . He knows that will be the consequences of his actions and that’s exactly the reason why he cannot do it, no matter how much he wants to, no matter how everything within him is screaming at him to say yes to Din. 

“I can’t do it, Din, no matter how much I–” Luke lets the words slip past his lips quietly, sliding his fingers in the boy’s curly hair and not allowing himself to finish the sentence in a way that he desperately wants to. Instead, he says something completely different. “I could endanger everything your father is trying to achieve.”

“You won’t, I promise…”

“Din, my father is a Jedi master and one of the Generals of the Grand Army of the Republic, my mother is a Senator of the Republic, along with my sister, and I’m training to be a Jedi knight, want it or not, and you truly think that if I come with you, your dad’s plan for Mandalore to remain neutral will not be jeopardised?”

Apparently, forcing Din to look directly at the facts, at something that they cannot do anything about, is enough for the boy to let out a defeated sigh and sink further into the sheets, pulling Luke with him as he wraps his arms around him even more tightly. 

“You know, I’m starting to think that you’re trying to crawl under my skin, at this point.” Luke tells him with a small giggle and presses his face against the side of Din’s throat.

In return, Din mutters only two words into Luke’s hair. “I am.” 

When Luke doesn’t say anything for the next couple of minutes, Din is the first one to break the silence that has fallen into the room.

“What are you thinking about?” 

Luke stays quiet for a bit more until he shifts in Din’s arms and squishes his cheek against the boy’s bare chest, running his fingers up and down on veins on Din’s forearms. 

“You know what I’m thinking about.” Luke huffs the sentence out with a hint of teasing in his voice. “ You put the thought in my head.”

He feels Din letting out a low chuckle at his words and before he knows, Din is grabbing him by his arms and pushing him onto his back, crawling between his legs again, the feeling of him against Luke instantly knocking a shuddered breath out of him.

“All you have to do is say yes, Luke, please–” Din says with the sweetest voice Luke has ever heard and bats his eyelashes at the boy underneath him innocently. “You don’t deserve to spend the rest of your life in pain on this miserable planet.”

“Do you even understand how insane what you're proposing is?” Luke whines out, although he’s not really capable of keeping a smile off his face. “Abandoning everything and letting a galaxy warrior come and take me to his home planet?”

“More like taking you to see the other side of stars which you have never seen.” Din grins at him and because of the happy expression on his face, Luke has to cover his own face with his hands in order to hide the way his cheeks heat up.

“What would your people even say?” He asks the moment he feels Din wrapping his fingers around his wrists and gently forces him to remove his hands from his face. “What would your father say?!”

“I’m the Prince of Mandalore, let me deal with that.” Din answers and leans down, leaving a small kiss on the corner of Luke’s mouth before pressing their foreheads against each other and holding Luke’s hands between his. “I’m not strong enough to simply forget about you and leave, cyare , I cannot do that.”

“Din…” 

“Come with me, Luke, let me treat and love you the way you deserve.” 

Luke drops his head on the pillows and closes his eyes, for once in his life properly reaching out so the Force can guide him through his messy and confusing feelings, allowing it to help him make the decision, to help him understand whether Din is someone he should be with or not, considering that he knows the Force will do whatever it takes to bring two people who belong together to each other. 

It doesn’t take him long to find the answer he seeks and when he opens his eyes again, what he gives Din as an answer is a warm smile and a small nod. 

However, before Din has time to say anything or even pull Luke into a kiss, the younger boy feels a familiar Force signature and furrows his eyebrows, placing his hands on Din’s shoulders and using him as a leverage to push himself up on the bed, his gaze drifting to the door of his bedroom.

“Luke, what is it?” Din asks with a hint of worry in his voice and although he knows that it’s physically impossible, he still asks, “are your parents back?”

“No.” Luke replies as he crawls out of the bed and quickly starts throwing on whatever clothes he can get his hands on. “It’s my sister.” 

“Your sister ?”

“Yes, Din, I thought we already established that I have a twin sister.” Luke rolls his eyes, even though a small smile never leaves his face and when he’s completely sure that he looks somewhat decent, he quickly kisses dumbfounded Din and then starts moving towards the door. “Just– stay here while I talk to her, alright?”

“Shouldn’t I, I don’t know, meet her or something?”

“I think it’s better if I talk to her first.” Luke answers him before sneaking out of his own room and starts making his way towards the living room, where he can feel Leia’s Force signature coming from.

His sister is sitting on the couch, her face tilted towards the fountain Padme demanded they had to have in the middle of the room, and she has her eyes closed like she’s focusing on something Luke cannot quite pinpoint.

“Not that I’m not pleased to see you, but give me a bit of heads up before coming here next time, won’t you?” He says, trying to let his anxiety go to the Force before Leia has a chance to feel it. Their connection has always been a lot different than others’ and sometimes, Luke isn’t sure himself if it’s a blessing or a curse. 

“You’re happy.” Leia speaks up without even opening her eyes when she feels Luke walking further into the room. “I haven’t felt that through our bond in a while.”

Leia finally opens her eyes after a few seconds and looks at her brother with a raised eyebrow. Luke clears his throat awkwardly and starts playing with the hem of the shirt that suddenly feels a bit too big on him than it felt when he put it on. 

“What happened while I was away?” Leia asks, tilting her head to the side slightly.

“Well, the Mand’alor and his son came to Coruscant and now the King and our parents are going to–”

“That’s not what I’m asking you and you know it.” Leia quickly interrupts him and Luke knows his twin well enough to guess when she’s trying to stop herself from smiling, like she’s doing right now. “You met someone, didn’t you?”

“Leia–”

“If you try to lie your way out of this I will throw you in that fountain myself, don’t underestimate me, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka have been helping me with the Force while we were on a mission.” Leia huffs out at the sight of her brother crossing his arms in front of his chest like a little kid and sinking further into his seat. “Now, tell me.” 

“There’s nothing to tell you.” Luke shrugs, letting the words leave his mouth before his brain has time to process them properly. Judging by the look on Leia’s face, Luke can freely say that his lie didn’t do anything good. “I swear.” 

“Lying really isn’t your thing, Luke, you’re too bad at it.” She rolls her eyes and reaches forward to slam her fist against his shoulder quite painfully, making him yelp both in pain and in offence. “I’m your sister and I’ve seen you being miserable for years–”

“I have not been miserable for years!”

“I deserve to know everything about you finding a person that finally makes you happy!” 

As always, Luke’s own eyes betray him and he glances towards his bedroom before he can stop himself and right when he’s about to start praying that maybe, maybe Leia didn’t notice it, her already wide brown eyes widen even more and her jaw drops.

“He’s here ?! Right now?! In your bedroom?!” She exclaims, both alarmed and a bit amused as the realisation sinks in. “Luke, are you insane ?!” 

“In my defence, mom and dad aren’t going to be home till next week.” Luke shrugs, trying his very best to seem calm and not let Leia see how hard his hands are trembling.

“Wait, where even are they?”

“That’s what I was trying to tell you–” Leia glares at him. “They’re going to Naboo.”

“Okay, you know what, we can deal with our parents later.” She waves her hand in the air like she’s dismissing someone and then moves on the couch to sit closer to her brother, grabbing his cold hands between hers and looking at him with a twinkle in her eyes, softly whispering, “tell me about him.”  

“You’re not going to leave me alone if I don’t, right?”

“Right.”

“I knew it.” Luke sighs out and stares down at his lap, Leia’s hold onto his hands helping him ground himself as he shrugs and says, “I think I should start off by saying that he’s the Prince of Mandalore–”

“ Makers , Luke!” Leia gasps and for a second, Luke is genuinely worried that her eyes are going to pop out of their sockets. “Go big or go home, eh?”

“ Leia !” Luke hisses out, freeing himself to cover his flushed face with his hands and lean forward, pressing his face against his sister’s shoulder. 

“Okay, I won’t interrupt anymore, go on.” 

“There’s not much to say, really.” Luke says against her shoulder, his voice muffled. “We met and he made me feel safe and I– I opened up to him and we kissed and– well, then we, you know.” Without looking up, Luke gestures messily towards the bedroom and jabs Leia in the ribs when she releases a loud cackle. “He makes me feel very, very loved, Leia.”

“I would ask you if you’re falling in love with him but,” Leia starts, starting to gently run her fingers through Luke’s hair. “didn’t you meet him today?”  

“I know, I know but– Leia, he really makes me feel something I have never felt before…”

Leia sighs out and pulls back in order to cup Luke’s face with her hands and look into his eyes as she says, “Luke, you’re my brother and I love you very much and I will always support you…”

“But?” 

“But our parents kept you locked away for way longer than they should’ve and, well, he’s the first person you’ve been this close with…” Leia tells him softly and Luke really doesn’t know how to feel about the sad look in her eyes. “What you’re feeling towards him might just be attraction, and attraction is not the same as love.” 

Luke stays quiet and lets Leia’s words sink in, trying to guess where all of that fits along with everything he’s feeling, and wraps his hands gently around Leia’s wrists, freeing himself from her hold. 

“He asked me to go with him to Mandalore.” Luke confesses after a minute or two of silence, feeling and seeing the way Leia freezes beside him. 

“What did you say?” She asks quietly, almost like she’s scared of an answer. 

“I told him yes and before you say anything, I know that it’s risky and there are going to be consequences if I leave, I know , but this is the risk I’m willing to take. I cannot stay here any longer, Leia, everything is too unbearable at this point, I– I feel like I can’t even breathe properly, I feel like I’m being suffocated by our parents…” 

Now, it’s Luke’s turn to take Leia’s hands in his and hold on as he tries his best to make his sister understand because he needs her out of all people to understand. 

“I don’t want to be a Jedi, or a Senator or a soldier in this pointless war, I don’t want any of it, Leia.” He tells her, swallowing around the lump in his throat and not letting his voice crack as he says the next words. “I want a peaceful life with the person I love and I know that makes me selfish but– I really don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep living like this, please, I need you to understand.”

Leia doesn’t say anything, she just keeps watching Luke with glassy eyes before she frees one of her hands and gently wipes away the tear on his cheek that he didn’t even know fell in the first place. 

“Do you want to go with him?” She finally asks, the unreadable look on her face making Luke’s heart sink in the darkest pits of his stomach. 

“I do.” He tells her, hoping his answer didn’t come out as choked as it felt to say it. 

Leia releases a deep breath before leaning forward and pulling him into a tight hug, the sudden action knocking a breath out of Luke’s lungs. 

“Then go.” She whispers into his ear and Luke might be imagining it, but he’s somewhat sure that Leia’s voice is shaking. “Fuck the consequences, Luke, go with him and be happy, Makers know you deserve it.”

Chapter Text

One morning, a bit over a week after Luke went to Mandalore with Din and felt happier than he ever has throughout his entire life, he’s trying to make his hair look less like a disaster in the bathroom mirror when Din stops by the door and leans against the frame of it.

“My dad called me earlier.” He says slowly, keeping his gaze on Luke and watching as the younger boy instantly freezes at the words. “He was on Coruscant when he did.”

“What about my parents?” Luke asks and looks into Din’s brown eyes through the mirror, trying to ignore the way his hands go completely numb. “Where they with him?”

“Well, they are on Coruscant, but they were not specifically with him when he called…” Din drops his gaze and wraps his arms around his stomach, almost like he’s trying to make himself look small as he tells him, “they are looking for you, though– sending out dozens of their troopers and all of those things.” 

All of the sudden, tiredness washes over Luke like water along with an unexpected feeling of nausea and he has to hold onto the sink in front of in order not to fall over. 

“My dad is going to be here soon and I’ll talk to him, I– I will try to make him understand and I will not let him take you back to– Cyare , are you okay? You don’t have any colour on your face–” 

The weak motion of Luke shaking his head is enough for Din’s expression to twist from concern to fear as he walks further inside the bathroom and stops behind Luke, caringly placing his hands on Luke’s shoulders. 

However, when he opens his mouth to ask Luke something, the boy whines out, “I’m going to throw up–” 

Before Din has time to even blink, Luke doubles over the sink and throws up, his eyes stinging at the disgusting feeling. 

He has absolutely no idea how much time he spends like that, but when he finally manages to crack his teary eyes open, he discovers that his back is pressed against Din’s chest and the boy is busy gently wiping tears and a bit of vomit off his face with a towel. 

“I’m sorry,” Luke starts, his voice hoarse and his throat feeling like an actual desert. “I don’t know what happened–”

“Hey, come on, what are you even apologising for?” Din says with a small chuckle and shoves a toothbrush in Luke’s hand, pressing a small kiss against his forehead.

Soon enough, Luke finds out that Din gets unbearably serious when someone he cares about is sick and although Luke tries his very best to assure him that he’s fine and he does not need to spend the rest of the day in bed, Din does not agree with him. 

“I will believe that when I hear it from a medical droid.” Din tells him and gently pushes him back into the bed when Luke attempts to get up for the tenth time. 

“Din–”

“He’s here.” Din cuts him off before Luke has time to say anything as his personal favourite medical droid, AZI-a-lot-of-numbers, floats into Din’s and Luke’s shared bedroom. 

Luke somehow manages to hold himself back from acting like a child as AZI checks up on him and instead of focusing on the droid, Luke turns to Din and drops his act of angrily glaring at him the moment Din leans forward and leaves a kiss on the corner of Luke’s mouth, instantly making him break into a grin.   

“Like I said, you don’t have to worry, I’ll talk to my dad and–”

Din is suddenly interrupted by AZI’s loud gasp. “ Oh .” 

“What?” Din quickly sits up on the bed, fear flashing in his brown eyes as he tightens his grip on Luke’s hand. “Is everything okay?”

“Of course! I personally think that everything is more than okay, considering the news!” AZI chirps, looking over at the two of them with his bright, shiny eyes. 

“The news?” Luke whispers weakly, his stomach twisting into anxiety at whatever news he’s about to hear. 

“That you’re with a child!” AZI announces happily. “You’re going to be a father!” 

It takes a couple of seconds for the words to sink but the moment it does, Luke instantly turns to Din, both of their eyes wide and filled with the mix of happiness and fear. 

☆`☆`☆

“You told them?!” Although the door of the throne room is closed, the sound of Din yelling at his father still reaches Luke, who is leaning against one of the pillars with his arms crossed over his stomach. “That’s exactly what I begged you not to do, dad!” 

“Do you have any idea what consequences your actions would bring if I didn’t inform them about the whereabouts of their son?! What were you even thinking when you brought him here, Din?!” 

“I couldn’t leave him there! The way his parents treated him– they treated him like some sort of a tool to win this war instead of a human being!” 

“How the son of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala is being treated on Coruscant has nothing to do with you , with us , with our people !” 

“Of course it has something to do with me , dad! I care about him!” 

“You can care about someone without putting your entire planet under a risk, Din!” The sound of something shattering against the wall causes Luke to flinch, even if he doesn’t let his eyes start to sting because of it. “Take your aunt for an example! You know Satine cares about one of the Jedi masters, but she has never, not once , put her feelings above the needs of her own planet and her people!” 

“I don’t regret a single decision I made in my entire life and I certainly do not regret bringing Luke here with me.” Din’s voice reaches Luke through the hall, his dangerously low tone sending shivers down Luke’s spine. “I care about him, does that mean nothing to you?”

“You barely know him!” 

“I know him well enough and that doesn’t answer my question!” Din shouts and Luke genuinely doesn’t know how long he will be able to stand there without letting the tears fall. “Weren’t you the one who always told me to fight for people I care about, to never let anyone stand between me and the person I love?” 

“So, now you love him?” The Mand’alor lets out a chuckle and Luke easily recognises the bitterness in it. “You love him? What’s next? You get married and have children together? Were you planning to do all of that without even letting his parents know that he’s here ? Was that your plan, Din?”

“If that’s what it’d take to make him happy, then yes!” 

For the next couple of seconds, Luke doesn’t hear a single thing from the throne room so he gives himself permission to carefully move towards the door and stop only when he hears the sound of Din’s father’s voice again.

“I’m sorry to do this, kid, maybe you really have feelings for him but I needed to tell his parents that he’s here– do you even have any idea how worried they were?” 

“Why weren’t they worried when they were making his life miserable?!”

“That does not concern us, Din! We’re in the middle of the war! As the King of Mandalore, I can not and will not allow this planet to become a battlefield because in the eyes of the Republic, you decided to kidnap their best General and Jedi master’s son!”

And that’s the final blow for Luke. 

He cannot just stand by and let Din take blame for something he took part in as well and that’s exactly the reason why he pushes the doors of the throne room open and runs inside. His teary eyes are wide and frantic when he stops in front of the Mand’alor, right beside Din and wraps his fingers around Din’s arm to let the physical touch ground him.

“Luke–” Din starts with a hoarse voice, but Luke doesn’t listen to him.

“I’m sorry, I just– You cannot blame Din for this, it’s my fault– I knew what sort of consequences my actions would bring, I knew but I–” Luke feels like he’s close to choking onto his own words as the tears roll down his cheeks but he tries to push himself through as the King stares at him with confusion and a hint of pity. “I couldn’t stay there, I couldn’t – and your son– he made me feel safe and loved and– and when he offered me to come here with him, I thought– I thought that maybe I could–”

All of the sudden, a pained sob breaks out of Luke’s throat and the next thing he knows, Din has his hands on his shoulder and he’s trying to calm him down. Through the blurry vision Luke is able to see unbearable worry in Din’s brown eyes. 

“Luke, breathe, please…” He says, tightening his grip on Luke slightly and the dull pain he feels is enough for him to take a sharp breath in. “There– you remember what the medical droid told us, don’t you?”

Din must have tried to whisper those words but he must have failed, because from the corner of his eye Luke sees the way Din’s father freezes before he asks, “Din, what are you talking about?” 

Instead of answering, Din keeps his gaze firmly on Luke and refuses to look at his father until the man walks closer to them and forces Din to meet his gaze.

“What did you mean by that?!” The man asks firmly, something flashing in his eyes dangerously as he stares at his son. “What did the medical droid tell you?” 

Din glances at Luke for a split second, making sure that Luke is okay with him saying the truth and when he gets a small nod in return, he clenches his jaw and gives his father an answer. 

“Luke’s pregnant.” He says, both of them seeing hundreds of different emotions flash across the man’s face at the words. “We’re going to have a child together.”

Both of them stand there and wait for the Mand’alor to say something, anything , but instead, they watch as he drags his gaze away from the two of them and look at something over their shoulders, the expression on his face unreadable.

When Luke finally gathers enough courage to turn his head around and catch a glimpse of what – who – the man is looking at, he feels his heart sinking in his stomach.

“You’re what ?!” Anakin’s voice echoes in the throne room, rage in his eyes so clear that Luke can see it even from such a distance. 

In the haze of his panic, Luke’s eyes snap to his mother, who is standing beside Leia and staring at Luke with widened eyes and a hand over her mouth. 

At Anakin’s voice, Din turns around as well and protective wraps his arm around Luke’s waist, a movement that doesn’t escape Anakin’s notice.

Anakin wastes no time and quickly makes his way towards them, Padme following him right behind and through the Force bond Luke has with his father, the sudden and strong and rageful emotions he feels almost knock him off his feet. Even comfort Leia tries to send to him through their bond doesn’t manage to cloud what he feels though Anakin’s.

“Is it true?” Anakin hisses the words out when he finally stops in front of Luke, paying no mind to the way Padme places her hand over his arm and tries to hold him back. “You’re pregnant with the child of the Mandalorian Prince?!” 

“Dad–”

“ Is it true?! ”

“Yes, it is!” Luke shouts at his father’s face, his bottom lip wobbling and his eyes filling up with tears all over again. Leia whispers something but Luke doesn’t hear a damned thing through the ringing in his ears. “It is true!”

“Luke…”

“No, mom, don’t !” He cuts her off coldly, feeling only a bit of guilt at the sight of hurt in her eyes. “I am going to have this child and– and a family with Din and I’m going to stay away from this war and I’m– I’m not going to become neither a Jedi nor a soldier! I’m going to have a family in peace !” 

“You do not have the luxury to do that!” Anakin shouts, his hands starting to shake from rage. “And that is not something you decide to do with a person you met two weeks ago !” 

“That doesn’t change the way I feel about him!”

“How you feel about him ?! What do you know about love, Luke?! Or about raising a child when you’re just a kid yourself!” 

“I wasn’t kid in your eyes when you forced me to train in order to throw me on the frontlines of this pointless war, was I?!” Luke yells right back at him, ignoring the way he starts to feel dizzy and weakly leans against Din instead. “I never even wanted to be a Jedi and yet you kept forcing me to become one!” 

“I will not let you throw away your entire future because of this, Luke, I won’t!” Anakin points his finger accusingly at him and Luke somehow manages to release the hatred he suddenly feels towards the man in front of him into the Force and not let it bottle up in his heart. “I will not lose you because of one mad infatuation and a child you probably won’t even be able to raise!” 

At these words, Luke releases a bitter laugh and harshly wipes away the tear that rolls down onto his cheek, pushing himself away from Din and keeping his gaze firmly on Anakin.

“Makers, you don’t get it, do you?!” He asks, watching as confusion flashes in his father’s furious eyes. “Even if I hadn’t gotten pregnant, you still would’ve lost me! I had nothing in that house! I had no life, I had no air– you strangled me!”

And then it all happens in a blink of an eye. 

One second, Luke is spitting the words out like venom, staring into his father’s eyes without even blinking and then he’s feeling a sharp and stinging pain across his cheek, his head turned to the side without him even realising it.

“Anakin!” Padme yells and Luke slowly returns his gaze to the man in front of him.

Anakin is staring down at his hand, letting the realisation of what he has done sink in as Luke’s back collides with Din’s chest once again, the boy instantly wrapping his arms around his body protectively right when Leia moves to stand beside Luke, looking at their father like she cannot recognise who he is.

“Luke…” Anakin whispers out with a shaky voice and Luke doesn’t need to reach through their Force bond to feel the guilt Anakin is feeling, he can see it with his own eyes.

“Don’t.” Luke replies, both his tone and his gaze icy as he places his freezing hand over the spot on his cheek that keeps stinging. 

As always, Anakin doesn’t listen to Luke’s request and tries to take a step forward, but he instantly comes to a halt when Din quickly takes his blaster out of its holster and points it at him with a look in his eyes that could cut through glass.

“Stay away from him.” He hisses out, pushing Luke behind him and he genuinely looks like he will shoot Anakin if he has to, and Luke knows that he will. “Leave my planet, right now .” 

“Din–” The Mand’alor starts but Din’s firm and dangerous gaze is enough for even the King himself to fall silent. 

Din puts his gun back into its place and turns to Luke, putting one arm under his knees as he wraps another one around his waist and takes him into his arms, returning his gaze to the Jedi master when Luke’s head limply lolls onto Din’s shoulder.

“I will not let you hurt him more than you already have.” He spits the words out, watching in satisfaction as Anakin flinches because of them. Good, Din wants them to hurt . 

Without waiting for anyone to say anything or waiting to see if Anakin really moves to leave or not, Din turns around and walks out of the throne room with half-asleep Luke in his arms. 

When he finally reaches their room, he softly tucks Luke into their bed and lays down beside him under the covers as well. He isn’t a bit surprised when Luke doesn’t waste a second and crawls into Din’s arms like a cat, draping his own arm over Din’s stomach and burying his face in the crook of the boy’s neck.

“I’m sorry.” He whispers after what feels like a century of silence, the apology instantly making Din furrow his eyebrows in confusion.

“About what?”

“About seeing what you did.” Luke tells him, his voice coming out a bit more choked than he hoped it would. “I didn’t– I truly didn’t think that my dad would go that far–”

“Don’t– don’t apologise for that, Luke.” Din tries to assure him, pressing a kiss on the top of his head gently. “None of it was your fault.”

“But I still–”

“Luke, don’t .” 

“Okay.” Luke breathes out but he still can’t stop himself from asking a question that has been eating him alive ever since Din carried him out of the throne room. “Din… What are we going to do?”

“I think you worried enough for today.” Din says, sliding his fingers in Luke’s air and starting to play with them in a way that he knows helps Luke fall asleep. “Rest now, we’ll think about all of that later, okay?” 

“You’ll be here when I wake up, right?” Luke asks suddenly, having no idea where the question even came from as it slips past his lips.

“Of course, cyare , of course.” 

For the sake of Din, of himself and mainly of the child he’s carrying, Luke doesn’t let himself worry anymore and content with the promise, he sinks further into Din’s safe embrace and drifts into peaceful sleep.