Rating: T
Time Period: after ROTJ
Pairing: Han/Luke
Warning: hopelessly romantic, corny, jerky narrative, slash!
RAIN
He had left with an awkward smile and a brief handshake. Just like that.
"Have things to sort, you know. Gonna have my life back now that the war is over, kid. And so will you."
What life?
Have I ever had a life? What will be of Luke Skywalker now that the war is over?
He was a Jedi Knight. The only one in the Galaxy.
The only one.
One.
He shouldn't be feeling so alone. He had Leia. He had the Force.
But it wasn't enough. Nothing would ever be enough without him.
A Jedi shouldn't be so greedy. But...
It was getting dark. Heavy clouds covered the sky, making the air thick. Electric charges sparkled. There was a low, threatening rumble echoing through the fields. Naboo could be the perfect background for a fairy tale or a nightmare – it all depended on the weather.
Luke sighed, his mood as gloomy as the landscape he was seeing through the window.
I shouldn't have come.
This used to be his mother's home, kept almost intact by loyal friends of hers. Luke was now in her bedroom, feeling small and uncomfortable and overwhelmed by the memories of a woman he never knew – a woman who, for some reason, he never really thought much about.
Padmé. My mother.
Her clothes were still in the closet – by their size he could tell she had been small like Leia. On the dressing table there was a golden hairbrush with some strands of her hair.
The wind was howling outside. The first drops of rain hit the window angrily.
"Are you alright, Jedi Skywalker? I heard you cough..."
"Yes. It is just a cold. It will heal with some rest and meditation."
He had dismissed the housekeeper with a reassuring smile. Now he almost regretted that – he longed for a cup of hot caf but was too tired to walk the long way to the kitchen...
His head was aching. His whole body was aching. Fever, probably. Damn. Yoda had never taught him how to fight viruses. Guess I gotta do it the traditional way...
After taking a hot bath, Luke grabbed all the blankets he found in the closet and lied down on his mother's bed, his teeth chattering. He felt like he was in Hoth again, in that tiny emergency tent, exhausted, aching and cold.
It would have been nice to have Han by his side, like in Hoth. It would have been nice to have the Corellian's strong arms around him, warming him...
Now his head was on fire though the rest of his body still felt like ice. Tears filled his eyes because of the fever and because of that enormous, cold void in his heart.
Was that how you felt when father left you? Alone, weak... insignificant?
He could picture her lying on that bed, holding her husband's pillow and crying.
Mother...
Raging thunder exploded in his ears. The windows were shaking with the violence of the storm.
Mother...
The lightning reminded him of Palpatine. The unbearable pain he could inflict. But the pain was nothing compared to the horror of seeing the infinite black abyss that was his soul.
Mother, I'm scared...
It's alright, dear...
Mother?
Was he delirious? Warm, soft lips touched his face, loving brown eyes stared at him.
Luke.
The storm was calming down. The lightning and thunder had become sparse and soon, it would be reduced to simple rain.
Luke cracked one eye open. When had he fallen asleep? He tried to move, only to find out he couldn't because of a pair of strong arms that held him almost painfully tight.
"Han?" blue eyes were now completely open, gazing at the other man incredulously.
Han smiled sleepily.
"Hey, kid. Are you feeling better?"
Unable to speak, Luke just nodded. Han stretched and yawned, then turned to him again..
"You looked pretty bad yesterday. I thought I'd taken too long to make up my mind and I'd lost you."
"W-what? Make up your mind about what?"
"About us, you idiot." and with that, Han closed Luke's gaping mouth with a kiss.
Outside rain was falling steadily. The weather forecast announced the spring in Naboo was going to be pretty humid this year.
Rain, feel it on my finger tips
Hear it on my window pane
Your love's coming down like
Rain, wash away my sorrow
Take away my pain
Your love's coming down like rain
"Rain", Madonna.