Archive of Our Own

Vader clicked his tongue in annoyance, typing up the billionth report of the night. The ship he was flying rattled a bit under the pressure of some turbulence. Or maybe under the pressure of his terrible, terrible mood.

His fingers ravaged the keyboard as if it were a battlefield; irritation would be the understatement of the century. The Emperor was admittedly brilliant but also apparently allergic to hiring competent people. Of course everything involving the Empire had to be double, triple and quadruple checked by Vader himself.

Far to his right, sat up against the wall on one of the ship’s dingy mattresses was none other than the leader of the Rebellion, his son, Luke.

When Vader had captured him hours ago, the boy had glared daggers at him for what felt like an eternity. He seemingly, and expectantly, tuckered himself out, and was now subjecting Vader to a dull scowl at best.

Another notification caught his attention.

Vader glanced at Luke and back. As if he didn't have enough to deal with. Not only was his son upset, but his shields kept leaking this incessant… discomfort. It made sense, but Vader would've expected Luke to accept the situation by now.

As Vader opened the email, Luke let out maybe the millionth yawn that hour. No longer was the boy politely raising his cuffed hands to cover his mouth and keep his dignity. Every other second wasn't without a yawn or a sniff or a sigh. Maybe it was Vader's fault. In the past, he had overheard stormtroopers talking about how awkward rides could be with only the raspy hum of the shuttle breaking the silence. Some had even discussed wanting music.

But Vader did not want music.

He wanted silence.

That's all he desired. Just a bit of-

Luke yawned again, not bothering to stop his voice dramatizing it.

"Would you stop that?" Vader snapped, turning his head to where his son slouched on one of the craft's lower bunkbeds.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Luke grumbled, blinking his tired eyes as he settled more onto the thick, white cushioning. The boil of shock and terror he had seemingly experienced a few hours ago had bubbled to a simmering irritation. Vader could sense Luke had gotten the message his father wasn't going to harm him.

…Maybe a little too well.

He loved his son. He did.

But being cramped in a tiny aircraft for hours and hours and hours was doing them more harm then good.

"If you're so exhausted, just go to sleep," Vader waved him off irritably, going back to typing.

"I can't," Luke said through only slightly grit teeth. It seemed both of them were losing their bite.

"And why is that?" Vader sighed harshly. He'd knock the boy out at this point.

"Iunno, a lot of reasons," Luke said tiredly, shrugging lazily. "This mattress sucks, I'm on an Imperial aircraft, I'm in cuffs, and- I don't know- I just can't… I don't know."

Vader squinted his eyes slightly. That same uncomfortable buzz crackled along their bond, flaring anxiously. While Luke was exceptional at many things, his shielding still needed to be worked on.

"…You seem frightened," Vader observed coolly with a small tilt of his head. It wasn't meant as a jab or insult; simply something he felt to be true. He wouldn't even force the boy to talk about it if he didn't want to; it was merely an impartial statement.

But Luke's head snapped back to his father, his shields violently slamming shut. "I'm not frighetened." He parroted hotly, fixing a stubborn glare at Vader.

"Yes, because the Force lies," Vader practically rolled his eyes, going back to typing up his report. It's not that he necessarily expected Luke to open up about his feelings per se, but to so blatantly lie? It was just plain foolish.

Vader supposed he did understand in a way, though; Jedi weren't supposed to feel anything at all.

"I'm just- I'm tired," Luke corrected defensively. "…Really tired, but I can't relax. Not even meditation is helping."

"Isn't that what Jedi's are supposed to be good at?" Vader drawled.

"You would know," Luke retorted.

Vader typed faster.

"It would've been nice if you hadn't stunned and cuffed me, though," Luke said pointedly, sitting up a bit. "Then maybe I'd be more motivated to not bother you."

"I can work quite efficiently even with your blabbering in my ear." Vader assured him saltily.

"Another Jedi tactic?"

"Hardly. The Dark Side is much more helpful."

"Keep telling yourself that."

Vader clenched his fists over his keyboard for a second before resuming. "I will keep telling you that until you understand."

"You're gonna be waiting a looooooooooong time," Luke drawled back.

Vader just barely bit back another bitter retort. "Just find a way to sleep," He growled, reaching his limit with his foul-mouthed child.

"I told you I can't," Luke repeated angrily. "I think my nerves are still jumpy from being tazed, thanks a lot for that."

Vader turned towards him. "Would you have rather been shot?"

"I would've rather not been chased at all!" Luke snapped.

"That would've been easily granted if you had just stopped running."

Luke huffed and leaned back harshly against the wall, choosing to direct his firey glare at the ceiling instead of Vader. "I dont even know why you're bothering to pretend like you care about my well-being." He muttered mutinously.

That got Vader's attention. His fist clenched, trying and failing to not to let such an ignorant statement get under his skin. Did his son understand just how easy it would've been to capture him the usual way? Did he comprehend the hoops Vader had to jump through to make sure he was unharmed?

He turned sharply towards his son. "Don't care about your well-being? I could've easily harmed or even killed you- I could kill you right now-"

"Oh, that's a nice argument," Luke rolled his eyes. "Super paternal of you-"

"If you'd let me finish," Vader hissed, feeling his blood pressure rapidly rising. "I could've used much harsher methods. I chose not to. And for that reason, you are not in any pain."

"I guess," Luke looked away hotly. "You're still kidnapping me though."

"Bringing you home." Vader corrected.

"Kidnapping."

"Semantics," Vader shrugged lightly, waving Luke off.

"It's really not semantics," Luke said sharply. "My aunt and uncle usually didn't tranq me to have me home by dinner."

Vader let out a harsh scoff at the mention of the boy's late relatives, turning back to continue his report. The thought of them stealing his child away from him still immensely angered him, and yet Luke didn't hold the same grudge. Vader decided to hold his tongue and not to point out the crime they committed. The last thing he wanted was Luke more upset than he already was.

The boy already came with attitude, but sleep-deprivation seemed to grant him access to levels of snark unheard of.

The sooner they landed the better.

Another bright notification popped up, and Vader only barely resisted rolling his eyes. He glanced at Luke and back to his computer.

The boy was sulking.

Vader slightly shook his head in irritation. His son could wallow in his immaturity and feel however he wanted.

Vader just needed to finish his reports for the next few hours. He just needed quiet.

And surprisingly, he got some. For about twenty seconds.

Slowly, Luke's shields began to slip open once more, subjecting Vader to more of his messy thoughts and feelings. He had already offered for Luke to admit he was scared of something, but the boy had refused, which only served to irritate Vader more. If Luke was going to be stubborn and deny it the least he could do was keep his storm of thoughts to himself.

Waves of nauseating amounts of emotion nipped and buzzed in Vader's brain. It was giving him a headache.

Then came another yawn.

A harsh sound came from Vader's vocoder. "What do you need to go to sleep?" He sighed impatiently, turning towards Luke.

Luke looked at him, seemingly equally as fed up. The dark bags under his eyes had their own bags. "I don't know. Maybe a lullaby." He said, deadpan.

Vader clenced his jaw. "Luke."

"Test out that vocoder, I've always wondered if it's got autotune."

"I ordered for you not to have your mouth tied, but it can be arranged."

Luke didn't flinch at the threat. "Sure it can. But it won't."

Vader stood from where he sat and took a few steps towards Luke, effectively towering over him. "And just why do you think that?"

Luke looked practically bored. "If you were gonna tie my mouth shut you would've done it hours ago. Plus, the Force? None of what your saying is truthful. You're just trying to scare me into shutting up, and it's not gonna work."

How typical. "Nothing seems to work on you." Vader said dryly.

Luke shrugged, yawning again. "Got any non-lethal drugs back there that could put me to sleep?"

"No."

Luke furrowed his eyebrows. "You didn't even think about it."

Vader almost scoffed. "Because I know the answer."

Luke squinted his eyes disbelievingly.

"Remember, Luke, this is my ship," Vader continued, crossing his arms. "My army. Nothing comes on or off board that I don't know about."

Luke stared with a dull, unimpressed anger.

Vader stared angrily back. "…All things that could be yours, but you refuse to-"

"Ugh, Father," Luke groaned, leaning his head back against the wall with a thud and closing his eyes. "Enough. I'm not joining the Dark Side, just- just drop it." He said tiredly. "Next thing I know you're gonna be saying the Dark Side will help me sleep."

Vader glanced to the side in thought. "…I wouldn't say that is out of its abilities."

Luke turned his head back to glare at his father. "Really? The man who never sleeps is telling me how to sleep?" He asked sharply.

Vader paused, willing his temper to stay where it was. "My individual actions do not affect the truth of the Dark Side's abilities."

"How is that even- did you- …nevermind," Luke huffed irritably.

"Did I what?" Vader asked, equally annoyed.

"Nothing," Luke muttered, looking to the side as he furrowed his eyebrows.

Nothing.

Such a juvenile answer irritated Vader more than words could express. Luke wasn't actively probing their Force bond, but Vader was positive his son could feel his aggravation. Maybe he said it on purpose just to annoy him.

Vader stalked back to his chair, letting his respirator aide a deep breath or two.

He was tempted to push the boy further, to rebuke him for such insolence, but his son's eyes caught his attention.

The way they were just barely staying open, the way his mouth was twisted into a frown that rested over an all too rigid jaw. He was the poster boy of misery.

And a part of Vader couldn't help but… slightly empathize. He himself had never been a great sleeper, finding himself unable to sleep even when in a lavish room next to the woman of his dreams.

Maybe Luke had inherited those genes.

It still was an odd concept, that him and this young man he knew so little about shared so much in common. That he had given Luke many of his traits. He often found himself wondering what else Luke had inherited besides the way Anakin looked.

But add onto Luke's sleep-deprivation the fact that he was in handcuffs on a foreign ship… Vader couldn't exactly blame him for not immediately dozing off.

A small sigh escaped Vader as he tapped his foot, thinking.

He almost fought against a sudden memory that began pushing its way into his mind, but he found he… couldn't.

Back when he- when Anakin was married, there were many late nights that plagued him. Nightmares about the past, present, and future. The quiet had never done anything except aide his paranoia.

The only thing that had helped was… Padmé.

Her voice, her touch, her presence alone. It grounded him, took his mind off of everything.

Vader swallowed thickly, ridding himself of such painful thoughts. He glanced at Luke.

The boy was glaring to the side, his mouth still twisted into an upset frown and his eyebrows knitted in frustration.

Once again, Vader felt that there was more to Luke's current mood than mere irritation; the consistent hum of anxiety still hadn't left him. While he didn't exactly feel guilty for taking Luke, he certainly wasn't enjoying seeing his child so… dejected. So exhausted, and too stubborn to admit he may have a few thoughts floating around he'd prefer to do without.

Vader stared for a moment before a small sigh left his respirator.

Padmé was not here. The boy did not have his mother.

But he did have his father.

So after a small, sobering moment, Vader righted himself and cleared his throat. He was not a coward; he would not shrink in the face of responsibility.

Even if he failed miserably, he figured he owed it to the boy to try and inquire about what the "nothing" from before had meant.

"…What were you going to ask?" He questioned lowly.

Luke's eyes flitted once to him and back, seemingly reluctant to answer. But after a moment he muttered. "…It's dumb."

"I'm sure I've heard worse." Vader said lightly, grateful he got a response at all.

Luke pressed his lips into a thin line for a moment, his anger dissolving into a subtler state of discontentment.

"I don't know, just- does insomnia like… run in the family?" The boy asked, his voice catching a bit with embarrassment.

Vader paused, a bit surprised. He hadn't expected a familial related question. Sometimes it seemed like the boy resented even the thought of their relation.

A quiet but steady drum of the Force's equivalent to a blush crept across their bond from Luke's end, no doubt unknown to the boy.

"I don't- I've just wondered before about it… a little…" Luke immediately defended himself at Vader's pause. "And I'm- I'm bored, okay? If anything can put me to sleep it's one of your monologues. I am not sitting in silence with you for another few hours."

Vader thought for a moment, piecing together how to proceed and not scare Luke off. "I take it you don't sleep well?"

Luke shrugged. "Kind of. I mean once I'm out, I'm out, but the actual falling asleep part has never been my strong suit." He paused once more, chewing his lip before looking back at Vader. "…Did you ever… have that problem? I was just wondering if I got it from anywhere or if- if it's just a me thing."

Vader stayed quiet for a moment. While sleep wasn't exactly a sensitive subject, anything involving Anakin was. Luke knew this. Both of them did. Maybe that's part of why the boy was speaking as if he was treading on glass.

…But Luke knew almost nothing about his parents. As much as Vader didn't want to go through the pain of telling him details, deep down he knew it wasn't fair to the boy. In all honesty, he feared he'd never be ready to tell him a thing.

This particular question seemed simple enough to answer, though.

So Vader cleared his throat. "…It definitely isn't a you thing, my son."

Luke perked up a bit, but held his tongue, waiting expectantly.

"…Anakin did not sleep well either." He had no desire to fill Luke in on his endless nightmares, so he hoped that one sentence would be sufficient enough.

Something in Luke's eyes softened. Vader felt strong pull in their bond, much stronger than he would've expected.

At first the thought of such a simple response eliciting this deep of a feeling from Luke seemed odd.

Until he realized with no small amount of emotion that the poor boy had so many habits and features and traits and no idea where they came from. Maybe finally having something he knew was inherited… meant something to him.

Vader would be lying if he said it didn't mean something to him too. Of course he'd much rather Luke inherit some other trait of Vader's and not the burden of insomnia, but it was a similarity regardless, passed down through father and son.

"I apologize," Vader said lightly. "I would've preffered you to not inherit that particular trait."

Luke glanced to the side, smiling ever so slightly. "Eh, it's fine. At least now I know it comes from you and I'm not just dealing with it for no reason."

Vader hummed affirmatively, but before he could fully reply, his son kept going.

"Still though, it's definitely not a great quality to have with a job as demanding as mine," Luke sighed wistfully, looking at the ceiling for a moment. "Sometimes I hate all our makeshift hideouts 'cus I have to bunk with, like, ten other Rebels. I feel like all the other guys fall asleep before I do, and then it makes it worse because-" He paused to yawn. "-Because then when I try to sleep all I can hear is their snoring, and it just- ugh." He stopped and looked back at Vader, staring for a moment. "…Sorry, I don't really know why I'm telling you this."

Vader find he didn't mind his son's rambling one bit.

In fact, if Vader looked closer, he could see his son's eyelids starting to fall into an involuntary squint. He could feel Luke's consciousness through their bond, just barely take a step closer to falling asleep.

Another yawn escaped him as his eyelids drooped just a bit lower.

Vader crossed his arms, mentally noting Luke's small dip in energy. "And has it always been this way?"

Luke furrowed his eyebrows ever so slightly. "Kind of." He tilted his head, looking thoughtful. "Aunt Beru did say when I was a baby I was difficult to put to bed."

Vader leaned back a bit in his chair. "You? Difficult? Astonishing."

Luke glared a bit at Vader, but this time it felt more playful than malicious. "Has anyone ever told you you're hilarious?"

"Not the usual descriptors I receive, no." Vader said with sarcastic thoughtfulness, the barest hum of amusement fluttering through their bond.

Luke huffed something close to a laugh. "I guess it's not too shocking that I was trouble. I remember Aunt Beru also said I was a handful as a baby because I was an early-" Luke paused before sitting up a bit. "Wait, Father, guess whether I was an early walker or an early talker."

Vader tilted his head slightly. "…Guess?"

"Yeah," Luke said, his voice still raspy with sleep, but a slight grin spread across his face. "I wanna see if you can get it. Just for fun, c'mon."

Fun.

Vader couldn't remember the last time he'd even heard the word. He also didn't take guesses, he made sure whatever questions he asked were relevant, not shots in the dark. His eyes unconsciously drifted towards his son.

Luke looked at him expectantly.

He supposed he couldn't disappoint that face.

He focused his thoughts, studying Luke. The boy was a handful with both his words and actions. He could run and fight as good as he could blaspheme.

Vader, not for the first time, tried to picture Luke as a baby. He probably developed quicker than the other children. It was natural; Luke just couldn't help being exceptional.

But which of his skills had developed first? Vader imagined it was a bit of a nightmare either way. He wouldn't want a runaway child or a motor-mouthed toddler.

He squinted at Luke, who raised his eyebrows mischievously, waiting.

Vader settled on his decision, leaning back a bit. "My best guess would be early walker." He didn't exactly have a sound reason, he just… felt it. Vader found when he was with Luke it was less about knowing and more about feeling.

Luke's eyes lit up. "How'd you know?" He asked, grinning even wider. "Did you read my mind or something?"

Vader shrugged lightly, trying and failing to ignore the warm feeling in his chest. "Paternal instinct."

Luke let out a small laugh through his nose before yawning again. He lifted his hands and positioned his restrained hands awkwardly so he could wipe his tired eyes. His chin dropped more to his chest as he shifted uncomfortably. "This mattress sucks, by the way."

"Your displeasure is noted,"

Luke blinked tiredly before looking at Vader, his gaze flitting back and forth, seemingly indecisive. His hands fidgeted uncomfortably in his cuffs as a hesitant whisper fluttered across their bond.

"Yes, Luke?" Vader asked patiently.

Luke chewed his lip and finally fixed his eyes on his father. He hesitantly lifted his cuffs. "…Could you…maybe… take these off?" The boy almost grimaced as he asked, bracing for an answer.

Vader squinted.

Luke stared back, pleading with his eyes.

Vader contemplated. The immediate answer in his mind was no.

He had heard the tales of children trying to get their way with their "puppy eyes". A part of him insisted he could not and would not be swayed by something as ridiculous as that.

"Please, Father," Luke asked again earnestly, his voice strained with exhaustion. "I'm not- I'm not going anywhere. Honestly. No plans or tricks right now. I just… wanna try resting- I probably won't be able to sleep but I at least wanna lie down without them digging into my wrists. I won't bother you anymore."

Vader frowned.

Luke wasn't bothering him at all. He actually… liked talking to him. Talking to his son about his life, about anything other than their foolish, almost cruel reality of being father and son and yet enemies of war. Vader seldom allowed himself to dwell on it too often, but truth was it tore him apart.

But seeing his son so violently exhausted tore him apart too. It wasn't fair; his son should be comfortable with him, not in restraints as a hostage unable to rest. And Vader should feel bothered by Luke's incessant shenanigans, not holding each foul-mouthed comment close to his heart for fear that they never speak again. These moments should not be as precious as they are. It hurt. It could've been their daily life, something he could take for granted because that's how normal it would be. It would've been. It would've been if Anakin hadn't been so stupid-

"Father?"

Vader snapped out of his trance, and looked at Luke. The boy was uncomfortably shifting, no doubt due to the sudden change in their Force bond Vader had began to poison due to his unsavory rumination.

He analyzed Luke a moment longer, but felt nothing but honesty from Luke's end. No tricks.

His son was simply tired.

Vader supposed he owed it to the boy as his father to supply him with rest.

So with a big sigh, Vader stood and walked over to where Luke sat, motioning for Luke to bring up his hands. A light began to come back to Luke eye's, but his son didn't say a word, maybe being too nervous that if he made a sound his father would change his mind.

Vader flicked his hand and easily undid the cuffs, the restraints slipping off Luke's hands and dropping to the floor with a light clatter.

Luke rubbed his wrists and let out a relieved breath before looking up at Vader. "…Thanks."

Vader nodded, but pointed a finger at him. "No tricks." He affirmed.

"Father." Luke sighed through half-lidded eyes.

Vader got the message that the boy didn't plan on going anywhere.

Yet.

"I'll be keeping my eye on you," He reminded Luke, turning and going back to his seat.

"I wouldn't expect anything else," Luke sighed, shaking his shoulders a bit as he adjusted to his range of motion. Another big, almost painful yawn left him.

"Lie down before you hurt yourself," Vader scoffed lightly, it coming out more as a chide than a rebuke.

It was a testament to how exhausted the boy was when he said nothing and tiredly nodded. Vader watched him out of the corner of his eye, thankful the previous tension from before had mostly dissipated. He observed the way his son tentatively settled down into the sturdy mattress. The blanket was more like a thin, scratchy sheet, but Luke didn't complain.

The boy's head hit the pillow, his body on his side facing Vader.

Vader wasn't sure if Luke was doing it on purpose or not, but he felt Luke watching him intently. Just staring. Not anything close to malice radiated from him, only small waves of curiosity.

"Do you plan to fall asleep with your eyes open?" Vader asked patiently, not looking at Luke.

Luke blinked suddenly, as if startled from whatever silly thought had distracted him. He mumbled something close to a negative, shifting once more before closing his eyes.

Vader just barely held back a sigh. He hadn't realized the tension in his body almost mirroring his son's restlessness. It almost felt as if he couldn't relax until Luke did.

But after a few moments, Vader noticed at the edge of his mind he hadn't felt Luke's consciousness even go near sleeping. He didn't get too close for fear of disturbing the boy, but even at the safe distance he kept in their bond, he felt Luke's messy thoughts, his disorganized worries flitting through his mind one after another.

Vader felt more than saw Luke's eyes open a second time. Once again just… staring.

Frustration threatened to take hold of him, and he almost told his son to close his eyes and keep them shut or so help him. He was going to, before deciding otherwise. Maybe Luke needed a lack of attention. Surely he would get bored, tired of his own incessant worries and fall asleep. He could only fight the inevitable for so long.

If he gave him attention and started up more conversation, the child would most likely never sleep. So Vader settled with going back to typing up his monotonous reports, even daring to hope the repetitive sounds of the keyboard would aide Luke's journey to sleep.

He waited and waited, forcing himself not to glance at the clock as the minutes slowly ticked by. If his nightmarish Jedi training had instilled anything in him, it was patience.

Or so he thought.

Luke's shields, Vader assumed unintentionally, had been slowly but surely opening wider and wider, subjecting his father to a flurry of nonsense. Worries and hopes and plans and worst-case scenarios flew by too fast for Vader to even pick out a single one, all of them buzzing irritably like bugs. It was grossly distracting.

His mind drifted back to a few moments ago, of Luke rambling a bit and the yawn that had escaped him as he spoke.

Vader chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment before deciding to speak. "To say your mind is occupied would be an understatement."

Luke slightly startled at his father's words, almost as if he was being pulled out of the pool of his own thoughts, shaking off the water. He seemed unsure of whether or not to respond. "…Sorry. My shields get worse when I'm this tired."

Vader turned slightly towards him.

"I usually wouldn't give you that kind of information but," Luke shrugged slightly. "I figured you knew anyway."

Vader inclined his head slightly. "That is correct." He waited a beat before asking, "What is distressing you so deeply that you cannot sleep?"

Luke looked slightly taken aback, his tired eyes sharpened just a bit. His eyes flitted to the ceiling and back. Vader half expected another defensive response, another stubborn denial, but was surprised with his son's answer. "…Hard to say exactly. Everything?"

"…Everything," Vader repeated dryly. That did not help.

Their Force bond interacted in a hesitant, uncertain manner. It was as if Luke was trying to… show him how he felt, his shields being tugged open a bit wider, this time on purpose.

Vader appreciated the sentiment, and noticed how nervous the boy felt.

It was strange.

Luke was hardly the type to be afraid, more often than not falling into anger or a false sense of confidence.

The Force didn't lie though. Neither did the anxiety on Luke's face or the stiffness of his body language. It seemed his weariness was making it more strenuous to pretend otherwise.

"You have nothing to fear," Vader said lowly. And he meant it. He wasn't quite sure what exactly his son had been afraid of this whole time, but no harm would come to the boy as long as he was there. He let his unspoken words flutter through their bond.

Luke let out something akin to a sigh, digesting the words. His hands fidgeted with the hem of the blanket. "But… what about the Emperor?"

"What about him?" Vader said angrily. Just the thought of that foul monster made his mouth taste like lead. "Is that truly the thing that is keeping you awake? Do not waste your energy on him."

"But- I don't know- isn't he after me or something?" Luke asked, avoiding eye contact.

Vader narrowed his eyes. He observed his son, uncomfortably readjusting his head on his pillow, his bloodshot eyes darting aimlessly from place to place, too ashamed to keep eye contact.

This was just so unlike him. Luke didn't seem like the type to let worries follow him and take hold. The boy was remarkably good at staying in the light, for better or for worse.

But a part of Vader could recall the nights Anakin stayed up never ending well. It always seemed the less rest he got, the later into the night he stayed awake, the crueler his thoughts became. Sleep deprivation had a particularly merciless tendency to soften the sharp edges of confidence down to a dull insecurity.

Another memory forced its way into Vader's mind. Padmé running her fingers through his hair, her hand on his shoulder, just… talking. Sometimes a bit about herself and Naboo, sometimes asking Anakin a bit about himself and Tatooine.

Sometimes about "the baby".

While he hated the mere existence of Tatooine and practically everything to do with it, he didn't mind it as much when his wife asked, blinking her soft brown eyes at him. It soothed him, hearing her voice, asking about nothing important. Anakin usually hated idle chatter, but something about it made everything feel a little less… real.

The warm, heavenly presence that made her seem to glow always brought Anakin back to where his feet were, letting his worries leave him for the moment.

Luke shifted uncomfortably once more.

Vader swept his eyes over his son in return.

It seemed his boy wasn't totally fearless after all.

"You will not worry about the Emperor," Vader said definitively. "I have it under control."

Luke's brows pinched together disbelievingly, a small, frustrated huff leaving him. "Are you sure? What if-"

"You will not worry about the Emperor," Vader said once more. "That's an order."

Whatever fight Luke had left in him manifested into a weak scowl. "I don't take orders from you. You're not my boss."

"I'm your father," Vader corrected. "And I am telling you there is nothing to fear. You will worry no longer."

Luke still scowled, but his eyebrows creased a bit with indecisiveness.

"You will go to sleep-" Vader continued.

Luke's mouth opened to object, but Vader kept speaking.

"-After you tell me more about Tatooine."

One could hear a pin drop.

Luke stared at him for a moment, most of his nagging fears dissipating and morphing into confusion. "…After I what?"

"I assume I can't ask for details involving the Rebellion," Vader argued. "So Tatooine will have to do."

Luke stared at him warily for another moment. "…Why do you want to hear about Tatooine? You hate that planet- and don't even try to say otherwise."

Vader nodded in agreement. "I despise it. But I assure you it's merely the place that angers me, not you. Any stories you have to tell about growing up there are welcome. I removed your restraints so you could rest, not lie there ruminating over nonsense."

Luke pursed his lips, squinting his eyes disbelievingly. He slowly inspected their bond, checking if his father was telling the truth. Vader let him.

"Do you have anything better to do?" Vader asked after a moment.

Luke looked to the side and back again. "…I guess not? Uh… lemme- lemme think."

"Take your time," Vader said, settling into his chair. He somehow was both reluctant and curious to hear whatever story Luke would have to tell.

Luke seemed to contemplate for a bit before looking back at Vader. "Alright, this one's pretty dumb but it's the only one I can think of right now."

Vader had hardly expected a flattering story. "Proceed."

Luke shifted, lifting his arms from under the blanket to gesture as he spoke. "Well, when I was little, probably like… five or six? I don't know- anyway, me and Uncle Owen got into this big fight. Well, I guess less of a fight and more me misbehaving and being scolded for it. …Looking back I probably started it."

"Probably," Vader agreed smugly.

The small glare Luke shot him wasn't lost on Vader. "Anyway, I don't even remember what it was about- something stupid probably- especially since I was like five- but anyway, I got the bright idea to… run away."

Vader squinted his eyes. "Run away?"

"Yeah," Luke said, slightly embarrassed. "It was- I don't know, it was really dumb- don't look at me like that, I was a stupid kid."

"Was?"

"Ha-ha," Luke rolled his eyes slightly. He paused, seemingly trying to find his words. "I just- I don't know, I felt like I could. I thought I'd be totally fine. I didn't really… think."

Vader felt the slight tug on Luke's bond as he scrounged for memories to better explain his story. The previous crackle of anxiety had began to dissolve, much to Vader's satisfaction. "I packed like, maybe two snacks and a tiny canteen of water and left."

"I'm shocked you didn't announce your departure," Vader mused, struggling to picture a young Luke suppressing his tendency for dramatics.

Luke smiled slightly. "Well, I knew they'd probably stop me if they knew I was planning to leave." He shot an unamused gaze towards Vader. "Kind of like someone else."

Vader certainly couldn't deny that. "I take it your skill of escapism has been worked on since your childhood?" He said, another piece of Luke's puzzle finally fitting, making sense. It was no wonder he always ran away, it seemed he had never stopped.

"You could say that," Luke said wryly. "It was- I-" a small yawn escaped him as his eyes drooped closed for a second longer than the average blink.

Vader felt a slight hope and smugness rise in his chest, but made sure to keep it to himself.

"I wandered for a while. Had no clue where I was going. I wanted to go to town, got lost along the way somehow." Luke explained, his sentences slowly becoming smaller and less detailed.

"You got lost?" Vader said sharply, feeling a small prick of anxiety for his son's past self. "Tatooine is not a forgiving planet." He added bitterly. "What were they doing? How long did it take for them to notice your absence?"

"Eh, not long," Luke said lightly. The fact that he hadn't immediately gotten defensive over Vader's small jab at his relatives was further proof of his exhaustion. "Apparently they had noticed I was gone like… ten minutes later. Aunt Beru had convinced Uncle Owen to come talk to me, but I was long gone."

Vader scoffed lightly, far too familiar with Luke's ability to disappear to judge his stepbrother too harshly. "You packed quick."

"I mean, yeah, I didn't bring much-" Another yawn. "I packed like two waters and a canteen of a snack."

Vader did nothing to correct Luke's jumbled sentence. A small, amused smirk crept across his face.

"Did you get yourself into any trouble?" Vader asked, keeping the story going.

Luke blinked deeply again before finding his words. "I- a little. Almost. I ended up bleeding somehow. I was- it was fine. I think I tripped. I don't really remember. But I do remember Uncle Owen yelling at me because apparently I had gotten too close to where the Tusken Raiders were."

Vader's eyes sharpened. "Tusken Raiders?" At Luke's age now he wouldn't want his son near those monsters, but five or six? He could've been killed. Immediately visions of the worst case scenario flooded through him.

"Yeah… but Uncle Owen." Luke interrupted his thoughts, closing his eyes for a couple seconds.

His voice trailed off quietly.

Vader waited a beat. "…Uncle Owen what?"

Luke blinked. "Oh- he said I almost got close to them. I didn't. So it was all good. He found me 'n stuff."

"Good," Vader grumbled, irritated by the thought of the dangers of Tatooine and how lucky it was that Luke had even survived. "You have no business being near those heathens."

"Oh," Luke sighed tiredly, closing his eyes fully. "You would not like…" Once again the boy trailed off sleepily, the smallest yawn escaping him before he seemingly forgot his train of thought.

Vader waited a moment but eventually couldn't help asking. "…I wouldn't like what?"

Luke took a minute to reply. "The Tusken Raiders…"

Vader squinted his eyes, trying to sift his way through his son's nonsense. "…Correct… I don't like the Tusken Raiders."

"No, like," Luke said, his voice raspier and quieter. "A bit before I met you… Tusken Raiders… we had an incident."

Vader sat still for a moment before sitting up straighter. "An incident?" He asked incredulously. His vocoder came out louder than it had been the last few minutes, but his son didn't even flinch at the change in volume.

Luke made the smallest hum of confirmation.

Vader's eyes darted to the side and back again in confusion and alarm. "…What do you mean you had an incident?"

No response.

"Luke?"

Nothing.

Before Vader could shake the boy awake and make him elaborate on that cryptic sentence, he felt Luke's side of their bond finally slip into unconsciousness.

He sat still for a moment, his hands dropping back onto the sides of his chair.

For the first time in hours, the ship was completely silent aside from the whirrs and hums of the engine, not a single yawn or comment interrupting it.

Vader felt a bit… blindsided. Of course Luke would choose the most inconvenient time to fall asleep. Of course he always managed to keep Vader on his toes, worried sick like he had never been before.

He rolled the phrase "incident," in his mind a few times before shaking his head. He would ask when Luke woke up.

…Whenever that would be.

He glanced at his son.

The blonde's head was sunken deeply into his pillow, his hair amusingly unkempt and a bit all over the place. His mouth was slightly open and Vader had no doubt there would be an impressive puddle of drool in a couple hours. The previous distressed crease in his face had smoothed out entirely, his eyes gently shut and his lashes brushing his cheekbones.

The whole sight made Vader's chest ache a bit.

He really did look like a child.

It could be hard to remember, but at the end of the day he was still a young man. A kid. Being a Commander was his title, not his identity. He had worries and hopes like all children did.

Vader felt he rarely got to see him so… peaceful. The two were in constant situations of stress and turmoil. It felt nice to see his son resting. Vulnerable. He didn't like dwelling on it, but he grieved how much Luke felt he had to be on guard. They were father and son. It wasn't supposed to be like that at all.

Another notification pinged, lighting up his screen. Vader's eyes didn't even spare a glance in it's direction. He instead kept his eyes fixed on the rise and fall of his son's chest, kept his ears fixed on the soft, sleepy breaths that came from him.

He continued watching in slight amusement. Did Luke truly expect his father to take him seriously?

How foolish his son was. How beautiful. How precious.

A small sigh left him.

Padmé had always told him how hard it was to put babies to bed.

Luke twitched slightly in his sleep, burrowing under the covers further.

A small smile made its way onto Vader's mouth.

She had been wrong.

It hadn't been hard at all.