Would You Cut That Out! - Luke/Mara romance/humor, written for the MMM 'inter-personal conflict' challenge, have your favorite couple have an argument that is resolved in a mushy way. I hope you all enjoy my rare forray into the world of mush!
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Mara smiled to herself as she watched her newly wedded husband sip a cup of caf at the counter. The sun had barely stretched over the horizon and it was still too early for words, but she was comfortable with the silence between them. After returning from their honeymoon mere days ago, she had come to realize that tranquil time together was just as valuable as fighting side by side in battle and engaged in passionate embraces. Luke's hair was still messy from fingers run through them and a few abnormally long strands fell into his eyes as he glanced through the news. She fought back a smile, and then chided herself for being a sap.
A sip of her own caf further enhanced her positive feeling about the morning, though there was little a cup of stimulating drink couldn't do to improve her mood. The mug was warm against her chilly hands. Maybe I'll get Luke to warm me up more later, she grinned wickedly, taking another slow sip.
Luke began to tap absentmindedly on the countertop as he read, fingernails making a repetitive clicking sound. Unaware of his fidgeting, Luke continued to tap at a more rapid pace, scrolling through the news and humming a made-up tune good-naturedly.
A rather intriguing account caught Mara's eye as she glanced at the flimsy in front of her, a mission summary for the two of them."The Eriadu system tap is well known for its abundant tap supply of environmental resources and tap varied species, the effects of these resources tap impact trade routes as far out tap as the Corellian sector tap"– Mara stopped reading and closed her eyes. There it was again. Tap tap.
For the most part, she ignored it. She pulled up the piece of flimsi closer to her face pointedly. Her eyes narrowed, trying to concentrate on the words in front of her, but found all she could focus on was the tapping…
She glanced up, wondering if Luke realized just how irritating that noise was. Apparently not. Noticing her less than friendly gaze, he looked up and flashed her an innocent farmboy smile. Mara forced a smile on her face in reply and looked back at the document in front of her.
Tap, tap, tap…
The finger tapping, the humming, it was all too much. "Would you cut that out!" she barked out before she could stop herself.
Luke stopped, his face falling in bewildered surprise. "What?"
"Could you stop that… tapping."
He glanced down at his hands, as if not believing he could have done such a thing. "Sure Mara." He replaced his fingers unmoving on the table, lips sealed shut. A bit startled by her outburst, Mara turned back to the flimsy in front of her. Well it had been annoying—Luke would have done the same if she were the one tapping incessantly at this hour in the morning, right?
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Noontime arrived, and Luke found himself staring blankly at a list of reports on the screen in front of him. Through the window to his left he could hear the busy bustle of rushing speeders and the whistle of the wind against the buildings. The air was crisp and the sun bright, it seemed to be calling his name, begging Luke Skywalker to forget his work and take a leisurely walk
I have to focus, he thought, attempting to focus his tired eyes on the endless statistics.
The comlink chirped and Mara answered it within the second. Her casual tone of voice told Luke that the call was not for him, and he turned back to his papers once again.
Minutes later, he still could not remember a single word he read.
Mara's melodious voice seemed to fill the apartment as she chatted with the other person. At first it seemed as though she was merely breaking the silence, hence why it seemed so loud… but as the minutes passed Luke was disbelieving. Mara talked on the comm loudly.
As if to prove his point, Mara let out a loud barking laugh and continued talking at an even higher volume than before. There was no point concentrating now.
He rose from his chair and rounded the corner to find Mara sitting at the table, legs crossed, and still talking with as much gusto as ever.
"Mara," he whispered, not wanting to interrupt her conversation. She did not even hear him. "Mara," he voiced a little louder.
Still no reply. He waved an arm in her direction and she looked up, looking slightly miffed. "Yes?"
"Can you try not to talk so loud?"
"What?" Luke could hear the person on the other line continuing to speak.
"I'm trying to do work here, and all I can hear is you talking!"
Mara's eyes widened a bit, and she placed a hand over the mouthpiece of the comm for a second. "Sorry for trying to have a conversation in my own house, Skywalker."
The comment should have come off as light and teasing, but it hit a wrong nerve in Luke. "Then I'm sorry for trying to work quietly in my own house," he mumbled back, retreating back to his office.
Why was she being so unreasonable? After all, they were sharing a house, and she was behaving rather childish. Not a simple "sorry" or quieting down, rather his attempt at negotiating was taken in the completely wrong manner. Minutes later Mara moved into a more private room of the house, muffling her conversation. Luke was grateful, but an uneasy feeling in his stomach caused more distraction from his work than any conversation could.
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Mara slid a light slip on and headed down the hallway to turn the light off in the living room before bed. It was late and Luke still hadn't finished his work. He had been sitting in the exact same spot, staring at the exact same documents, for hours now. In the time that Luke had seemingly accomplished nothing, Mara had scanned through five mission assessments, scheduled three meetings for tomorrow and another four for the rest of the week, made a second pot of caf, flipped through all the holo channels, and even finished a holonovel she'd been reading for months.
Luke had not moved. His head was propped up by the palm of his left hand, and his right hand doodled idly on the flimsy in front of him. Productive indeed, she muttered to herself.
"Coming to bed, Luke?"
His gaze met hers and she could read frustration and fatigue in his eyes. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair slowly and responded in a cautious tone. "I have to finish this Mara."
"You've been working on it for hours."
"Mm, hmm." Then silence, no explanation.
"How much longer will you be, it's getting late," she queried, allowing her voice to fall a bit huskier.
"I don't know." More silence.
"It's getting late."
"Mm, hmm."
He was being unreasonable. Even Luke Skywalker wouldn't take this long to finish some trivial documents or brush off his wife. Wasn't he the one always telling her to open up?
"Will you cut that out!" Mara could have sworn Luke jumped as he swiveled to completely face her.
"Cut what out?" He looked bewildered.
"Brushing me off. You're acting so strange today."
"I'm the strange one?" He looked more agitated now than tired.
"I'm not the one who looked miffed at the suggestion of me having a simple conversation earlier. "
"You snapped at me when I tapped on the kitchen counter!"
"It was distracting," she fumbled, feeling slightly ridiculous at her previous actions.
"I'll be there in a minute," he mumbled nonchalantly, walking straight past her to the fresher.
Mara retreated slowly back into the bedroom, a feeling of defeat overcoming her body. What just happened there? One moment she was preparing for bed and looking forward to the night ahead, and in the next she was yelling at Luke for the silliest of reasons.
A sigh escaped her lips as she fell softly onto the silky sheets and fluffy pillows. Sleep would not come easy tonight. Luke he would not mention it upon his return, for fear of offending her, leaving her to toss and turn in silence. Where had this day gone wrong
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Once again Mara found herself struggling to open her eyes against the cheerful rays of morning sunshine through the picture window of her apartment kitchen. Out of pure habit she plugged in the caf machine and took a seat at the table. Last night's argument was petty, and nothing more than annoyance. How could a few trivial events of the day end up in her snapping at Luke?
Her hands came to rest on her face wearily. Maybe Mara Jade wasn't meant to be a wife. The thought flickered across her mind, as painful as it was realistic. Spending every breathing moment with this man was not as easy as it seemed, though she wanted it to be so much.
As the machine began to bubble and froth she rose to open a nearby cabinet. Her hand instinctively reached for the set of blue mugs at the front of the compartment.
Recalling last night's fight, a grimace passed across her face, and she only drew a single mug from above. She closed the grey door with caution, and sat back down at the table. Her eyelids fluttered closed, as a result of drowsiness or despondency she was not sure.
She waited in silence for the drink to be ready, not quite contemplating and not quite denying the brink of a new day. Silence from the bedroom mean Luke had not stirred yet, for which she was grateful.
Mara reached out to a pile of paperwork that needed to be filled out in a half-attempt at productivity. Her eyebrows rose slightly at the green piece of flimsy resting atop the files. A scrawling script she knew so well adorned the object, along with a small section of flimsi missing from the center.
Mild apprehension gripped Mara for a second before she scanned the words. Her frown lessened upon reading her husband's words.
Dearest Mara,
I'm sorry for upsetting you last night, and all that I did yesterday. I know that after a lifetime of solitude and trusting only yourself that living with someone else and sharing everything with someone else is hard. I know it's an adjustment for me, too.
Don't be mad, and save some caf for me. If you can compromise, so can I. We'll work out this marriage thing out together, one annoyance at a time.
Luke.
A shamefully sentimental smile spread across Mara's features. A twinge of guilt passed through her as she remembered the petty quarrels of yesterday. He was right, marriage was definitely going to be trying. But she was up for the challenge.
She started to place the flimsy back on the table when she realized what the oddly shaped missing piece was—a heart. Below his name was a simple message.
PS. I cut it out.
A laugh fell from her lips as she realized the double meaning. Curse farmboy and his sentimentality, she thought wryly, blinking away uncharacteristic tears. She placed the card down on the counter and reached up to the cabinet to bring down the second mug. Somehow, her morning felt just a little bit brighter already.
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