"Look," Luke said, throwing his hands up and exasperated beyond all reasoning at this point. "If you try and give me the Empire, I'm going to abdicate the throne and give it to Leia."

Vader shook his head. "Negative. Not allowed."

He shrugged nonchalantly, making a mockingly pitying face at his father. "You won't be able to stop me –"

"I will put it into law."

Luke gaped, thrown off guard, and not at all appreciating the smug amusement that he could feel radiating off his father in response. But not one to be outdone, he instantly shot back, using every ounce of annoying teenage sass that he still had in him to do so.

"Then I'll undo that law!"

"And I, in turn, will make sure that that law is my last act as Emperor." Vader retorted, pleased with himself. He raised a hand, pointing his finger in Luke's face and he barely refrained from swatting the gloved hand away, knowing that doing so would end with him getting his ass kicked in their training duel later. "And it would behoove you to know that it is considered to be in bad taste to undo the last act of your predecessor as your first act as ruler."

If ever there was a condescending word, it was behoove. Luke made a mental note to strike it out of the galactic dictionaries in the future during the week that he was emperor.

As it was, Luke offered his father a smile that was just a little too sweet because two could play at this game. "Well, what's to stop me from declaring to the collective peoples of the galaxy that in your very old age, your mental faculties were in serious question at the time your law was written? I'll just announce that there is no way you would ever do such a thing to your favorite, and might I add, only child, if you had been in your right mind."

"How old do you think I am, boy?" Vader demanded, almost spluttering in his outrage.

Luke sniffed, checking the cuticles on his flesh hand with a somewhat dismissive air. "Couldn't say. I'm not sure I can count back that far." He was prepared and shoved Vader's Force presence away from him when it snuck up behind him (he had a suspicion that he'd almost had his feet knocked out from under him) and bit his tongue to keep himself from laughing. "I failed math in 7th grade, you know. I'm probably disqualified for the position of Emperor for that alone. What a damn shame."

"I have seen your grades and you did not fail in math." His father was glowering at him but the air between them was still friendly. "And you asked who would stop you? I would."

"How?" Luke insisted. "You'd be dead."

"I will find a way to stick around, even if I have to haunt you." Vader warned.

A smile tugged at Luke's lips then. He didn't doubt that for a second.

"Then… after I give the Empire to Leia… I guess you'll just be forced to come and explore the galaxy with me. I'll need someone to keep me out of trouble."

Something warm fluttered between them and while he wouldn't admit it, his father wasn't actually opposed to that idea. Luke sighed, dropping his shoulders and looking up at the Sith Lord helplessly.

"You know I don't want to rule, Father." He said, pleadingly. "I wouldn't be happy. I'm too much like you."

Reaching out, Vader brushed a few strands of hair out of his eyes before wrapping his arm around Luke's shoulder and pulling him close for a side hug. "I know." He said quietly, and Vader wasn't convinced just yet but it was still progress.

And a little progress was better then nothing.

A/N Did I say I'd update every other day? Obviously I'm a big fat liar. For reals though, I'm in my last semester in college and I'm kind of all over the place right now. Most of the time, I consider it a successful day if I hear my alarm in the morning, let alone post something.

Anyways, slightly longer chapter than usual. The dialogue came to me while I was working and I jotted it down on my break. Not sure how these two idiots got to this point but I hope it gave you a good laugh anyways. :)