Vader wished Piett would walk faster.

It was almost time for the end of Luke's shift at this caff shop. In addition to preparing to hunt down Kenobi, he had spent all of his time learning what he could about his newfound son. That included learning everything there was to know about the ridiculous caff shop he worked at. He hadn't understood why initially; the mechanic shop made a lot more sense, given his skillset. But then Vader had hacked into Luke's school records and found a scholarship that only covered thirty five thousand credits, meaning the last fifteen were up to Luke to cover.

He looked up how much moisture farmers made.

It was less than the maintenance workers.

He would rectify it, naturally. It enraged him to know that his son had been raised in such squalor. Didn't his stupid step brother know Luke was technically an heir to the Empire?! He would deal with that when Luke was ready, but for now he would need to figure out a way to subtly get his son the funds he needed.

But first, their project.

He watched Piett reach the caff shop. The words The Screamin' Bean were painted on the door, and Vader wondered what fool had named the shop such a ridiculous name. But when Piett entered, the place looked respectable enough. If his son had to work at a caff shop, he could do worse.

To his dismay, there was quite the line.

"Tell everyone to move out of your way!" He snapped, flexing his fingers as he wrestled with the desire to do it himself.

Piett, naturally, couldn't answer without looking crazy, and as useful as he was, he wasn't exactly intimidating. So when he tapped the shoulder of the person in front of him and said, "You need to move out of my way," the guy scoffed and turned around, going back to ignoring Piett.

If only Piett was Force sensitive…

But no. The only other Force sensitive in that room that he was aware of was his son, and as the line moved and the holocam got a glimpse of what was behind the counter…

His son.

He wasn't working the drinks-that was manned by a twi'lek and another human woman. Instead, he was hunched over what looked to be a board of some sort, squinting his eyes at it as he was...writing? Drawing something? Vader couldn't tell from this angle, and he had never been so curious to see what it was then this moment.

"Tell Luke good morning and ask what he's drawing."

Thankfully, that was a task Piett could easily do.

Luke immediately looked up, and Vader's jaw clenched as he noted the black eye and bruising along his cheek and lip. But the swelling had gone down, at least. The human woman making the drinks winced as she darted by him, and Vader wondered if Luke wasn't doing the drinks because of his...condition.

Maybe he would like this shop, after all.

"Oh. Hey Firmus."

Vader felt the stab of jealousy at Luke greeting Piett and not him...but Luke didn't know the truth. He wouldn't until he was sure the galaxy was safe for him. The boy, after all, was the sunniest person he'd ever met. He'd never last five minutes near the Emperor.

But he forgot that as Luke held up his work.

It was a bunch of hearts in various colors. On the biggest heart were the words, "3 Words. 8 Letters. Say it & I'm yours." Then on a slightly smaller heart it read, "I got caff."

He stared at the image. He...had to admit, there was some artistic talent there, but he would need to amend his earlier thought.

Luke wouldn't last two minutes on the same planet as the Emperor.

"I messed up on one of the hearts." Luke turned it back around with a frown, using his sleeve to erase it.

By that point, it was Piett's turn in line. Luke was thankfully still in the frame, so Vader continued to watch how Luke practically bent over his work, wondering if he always did that, as the twi'lek greeted, "Hello again! Will it be the-"

"A triple espresso to go, please!" Piett yelped.

"That is completely unbecoming. Do not yelp in front of Luke." He immediately chastised, not taking his eyes off of Luke, who looked up at Piett's order.

"That's a lot of caffeine." He noted. "You okay?"

"You could say I had a late night." Piett replied. Considering that he'd reported to Vader that morning that Craig was dead and disposed of, Vader did not doubt it.

"Ah. Studying?"

"Convincingly say yes." Vader ordered. It was probably too early for Craig's absence to be noted, but when it was he wouldn't have Luke suspecting anything.

Piett had no trouble giving a convincing answer, and Luke went back to finishing his work while Piett's drink was being made. Just as it completed, it seemed that Luke too was done with his sickeningly cheerful sign. "Go find us a table." Luke said, straightening up. "I'll be right over."

Vader wanted to make a comment about their assignment being more important than working at a caff shop, but he remembered the fifteen thousand credits Luke was responsible for and he didn't stop Piett from complying with the request.

It wasn't long, but it felt like a million lightyears before Luke finally appeared at their chosen table, out of his work apron and holding…

Vader squinted at the drink in Luke's hand.

"Sorry about that." Luke said, taking a sip from it. Even with his red lenses, Vader could tell that the drink was multi-colored, with whipped cream on top, and sprinkles.

So.

Many.

Sprinkles.

"I guess we should make a list of the parts we need-"

"What the hell are you drinking?" Vader demanded.

Luke blinked when Piett repeated him, then held up his abomination of a drink. "What, this?"

"Yes!"

"It's a rainbow frappe."

"It will rot your teeth out of your head!" By the Force, hadn't his idiot step brother taught the boy any sort of healthy living habits?! Then again, something like that might have interested himself when he was still fresh off of Tatooine, but Kenobi would have immediately set him straight-

"It's delicious." And with a pointed look, Luke lifted the straw up to his mouth and took a long sip, looking Piett right in the eyes as he did so.

Vader made a furious noise.

Was he being spiteful? !

The boy definitely had the manners of a farm boy. He added that to his list of things he'd need to rectify in the future.

"Maybe you should try it." Luke said, before offering it towards Piett.

"Do not share your drinks with others!" Vader quickly said, horrified, imagining all the diseases he could get from making such an error.

"Relax. Jeez. Who do you think you are, my dad?" Luke rolled his eyes, and for once Vader was speechless. "Look. I got the late shift at the mechanic shop, so I'd like some time to do other work and maybe take a nap before I go in. Can we just start?"

Vader had to bite his tongue to keep from saying all the things he wanted to about all the troublesome issues in that statement. When he was sure he could comment on the matter at hand, he said, "Yes. Piett, pull out the datapad with the plans on it."

Piett did so, laying it out between them, and immediately both Luke and Vader fell into conversation on what would need to be done to make their plans a reality.

It was so...easy. It always had been, when it came to this stuff. Luke was intelligent, beyond the fact that mechanics came easily to him. Vader had met many good with mechanics and little to no sense when it came to actually working on them. But the way Luke talked, it was as if he lived and breathed this stuff, and despite having to talk to him through Piett, Vader could almost feel the bond between them growing stronger.

He...wanted to be there. He wanted to be the one to talk to Luke like this.

Soon, they had a full list of parts. "I might be able to convince my manager to give us some of these for a discount." Luke nodded at the list. "Otherwise, there's a shop on campus with student prices...or so they claim. I haven't actually bothered going there to see if what they claim is true."

"Why would it be a lie?" Vader frowned. If Luke were with him, he'd simply show him into his private hangar where all of these tools and parts were already kept. No charge necessary. But...that would only invite further questions.

"Well, they charge a stupid amount for flimsibooks." Luke rolled his eyes. "Even the holo version is expensive...you should have noticed, right? I mean seventy five credits for basically a hundred pages worth of information isn't normal."

He...actually had no idea. He pulled up Luke's file and made yet another note about the financial troubles his son apparently went through on a daily basis. As he did so, he absently said, "Tell my son I will cover the cost if he scouts out what he thinks is a fair deal."

"If you scout ou- your WHAT?!"

Vader's attention immediately snapped back to the screen, anger rising at the sudden and obvious break of character...but then he realized what he'd just said.

Oh.

Well.

That was...not intended.

Holy kriff! Piett thought in horror. The entire room had gone almost silent, and he was getting quite a number of stares. Including from the said apparent offspring of Darth Vader.

It made sense, and yet it didn't. He'd naturally been far more than concerned when Vader had let Luke go with the vague assertion that he was keeping a potential threat to the Empire alive over a grade, but if Luke really was his son-

...It made the conversation in the kitchen make a lot more sense, and implied Vader hadn't known until that moment.

It also implied that Vader was-

No.

He wouldn't dare think it. He doubted it was something that Vader would keep him alive over.

And yet the idea that Darth Vader had a son?! A child at all?! If anyone had asked Piett about his superiors dating habits, he would have snorted and told them Vader didn't have a type, so there would never be any dating. But apparently, he was very much wrong, and considering that Luke was the furthest thing from Darth Vader as anyone could get, he had to assume that Vader's type was apparently rays of sunshine!

Unless Luke was crafted from a lab using Vader's DNA-

"We do not have time for this discussion." Vader said, apparently deciding to brush off probably one of the most important secret bombshells in the entire galaxy, "I'll explain later. Fix this interaction with Luke, now."

Yes. Luke was staring at him like he'd gone insane. Piett tried to think of an excuse that would fix such a blunder, and all he could come up with was, "I forgot...to buy...the reading materials…"

"I most certainly did not-"

"Oh." Luke relaxed a little, and a small smirk spread over his face. "Yeah. Okay. I can see why you're panicking. I'll swing by the campus store with you later to help you find what you need. Hopefully they didn't run out or put them in the back."

"Why would they do that?" Vader sounded genuinely curious. He wouldn't have done that earlier, but now that Piett knew Luke was his son, he had a very bad feeling that the entire interaction with him was about to change forever.

He opened his mouth to ask Vader's question, but what came out instead was, "Yes, we'll need to do that. But first, where might I find the fresher?"

Luke pointed at a hallway behind him. "I'm surprised you don't already know."

Piett hastily stood before Luke could reveal just how often he'd visited the caff shop and rushed down the hall, finding the single room fresher, entering, and locking the door.

"What do you think you are doing?!" Vader snapped, "I have no wish to witness whatever you are about to do in here-"

Piett whirled, glaring at...well, himself in the mirror. "Lord Vader, you have a son?!"

"Yes. I already said that. You better not have come in here just to foolishly interrogate me-"

Piett forced himself to take deep breaths. He'd put up with so much already. Just the fact that not only his superior officer, but the second in command to the entire Empire had stolen his identity to get a degree was bizarre enough. Making him be the vocal and body stand in for the insane scheme was even worse. But this?

But he also valued his life.

"Lord Vader, if I am to play this role appropriately, I need to know what I am dealing with."

Thank the stars, he'd managed to sound as calm and respectful as he possibly could in a situation like this. Yet he still waited on pins and needles as he listened to Vader breathe in his ear. He doubted many had the audacity to react like this to the Dark Lord, and certainly most who did probably never lived to see another day, but…

"Very well." Vader intoned. "I do not yet know much about how this situation happened, but it is apparent that Luke Lars is the son I thought dead."

That sentence alone brought up even more questions, but Piett doubted he'd get those answers.

"After our...interrogation, that assumption was proven wrong. I do not yet have the particulars. Either way, it would seem the Force has brought us together."

Piett nodded, managing to maintain a neutral expression. "Would you like me to...bring him to you?"

"Not yet. I considered it, but there are...complications that need to be taken care of before it is safe enough to do so. As a result, you are entrusted not only to maintain my reputation, but you are to watch over my son's safety and ensure his secret is not discovered. If that happens, his life will be in danger."

Well.

He'd...wanted a serious mission. This...definitely qualified as one. Piett was suddenly all too aware that he had probably accidentally stumbled into one of the most important missions in the entire Empire. "Luke does not know?"

"No. And it will remain that way until I can resolve certain challenges and come to collect him myself."

He tried to imagine what that day would be like, and couldn't. The look on Luke's face when he watched Darth Vader come for him...then the look when he found out he'd been spending time with the Dark Lord through Piett the entire time...then when he found out he was an heir to the Empire…

Suddenly the idea of Luke Lars...Skywalker...Vader...whoever he was, struggling for credits seemed laughable and sad at the same time.

"What needs to be done next, My Lord?"

He couldn't think that far ahead. He needed to just take this one second at a time, or he would start screaming. He probably would the moment he was alone in his apartment.

"We must complete our preparation for the project." It was such a struggle to keep a straight face. The project seemed completely inconsequential compared to the enormity of the entire situation.

He was dead certain now that Lord Vader had gone insane.

But instead he managed to say coolly, "Yes, My Lord."

Vader wasn't done. "While Luke is at work tonight, we will also be breaking into his apartment. I would like to find out more information about my son."

Honestly, being asked to break and enter just seemed normal at this point. He was worried what that kind of thinking meant for his own sanity. "Yes, My Lord."

He waited for a moment, then when Vader said nothing, he turned for the door, suddenly wanting to be done with this entire conversation. Pretending to be possessed by Darth Vader suddenly seemed preferable to facing the reality of the entire situation, but just as he opened the door, Vader added, "Oh, and Captain?"

He swallowed thickly, but now that he was technically in earshot of others, he didn't say anything. He simply continued walking towards the golden-haired boy who was waiting for him at the door to the caff shop, smiling at him as innocent as any Outer Rim farm boy should.

"Don't you dare make my son dislike me."

He really wished he'd said no to identity theft.