Fic: "Idiocy" (Star Wars, Luke/Mara)
Happy Birthday ginchy! Sorry this is a bit slap-dash and last minute.
Title: Idiocy
Fandom: Star Wars
Rating: PG
Characters: Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade
Timeframe: AU
Summary: Luke and Mara are forced to confront their true feeling for one another.
A/N: This scenario is completely and unashamedly stolen from the Smallville episode “Committed” (along with one or two lines.)
The mission had been a bad idea right from the start.
Mara struggled against the bindings which securely fastened her wrists to the arms of her chair with no success. Similar bonds tightly held her ankles to the legs of the chair and a cold steel bar around her middle kept her upright and flush against the rigid chair back. At least this is good for my posture, she thought wryly, and almost smirked. But Mara quickly reminded herself that it was not the time for humour, black or otherwise. Not when she was being detained against her will, and in all likelihood, was going to die a very painful and inglorious death.
Inwardly, she cursed herself, Skywalker, and most of all, Karrde. After all, it was Karrde who’d owed the favour to some New Republic Intelligence agent, and he who had convinced her to agree to take part in their latest undercover operation on his behalf. “You have the most experience at this sort of thing, Mara,” he’d told her. “Espionage is your speciality.”
She hadn’t argued with that, but had refused outright - she was no NRI lackey. After all, it was Karrde who owed the agent the favour, not her. But he’d spent days subtly working on her, until her resistance was broken down, simply by annoyance and she’d agreed. “But now I’m the one you owe the favour to, Karrde,” she told him with a hint of pleasure. “Be prepared for the day when I will collect.”
He’d simply laughed and told her that he looked forward to it. Mara had, begrudgingly, gone to NRI headquarters for her mission - apparently there’d been a string of abductions that no agent had been able to solve. Usually such matters would be left to the local police, but Mara had discovered that the abductions had included some of Coruscant’s wealthiest and most connected citizens and therefore required the NRI to step in.
“A thousand people go missing on Coruscant every day and no one cares,” Mara had told the head agent with cynicism. “But when one or two of those people are upper-levels an entire NRI taskforce is needed?”
The agent, an older but pretty woman, tossed her blonde hair and smiled at Mara serenely. “Exactly,” she said without a hint of shame. It had occurred to Mara at that moment that perhaps Karrde hadn’t owed the woman a favour but rather had other matters on his mind and was hoping to impress her. Damn him, Mara thought. I hope the date is worth it, Karrde.
Mara heard a groan of pain and shook herself out of her reverie. Luke Skywalker sat across from her, the bonds at his hands, ankles and waist a mirror image of hers. He’d been unconscious for some time, and was only just beginning to stir.
It had been at the last minute when Mara learnt that she wasn’t going undercover alone - Luke Skywalker was going to be her backup. He hadn’t owed anyone a favour, nor was he trying to woo anyone with this service; apparently it was just the sort of thing Skywalker did. A lot of the higher-ups in the NRI had been his friends during the Rebellion days, after all. That knowledge hadn’t made Mara feel any less disgusted by his constant do-gooding tendencies. In Mara’s experience, after all, when someone seemed too good to be true, they were. Still, so far Skywalker was proving her wrong.
She still hadn’t liked it when they’d been explained their mission, however, and she’d almost backed out. Apparently all of the abductees had been engaged, and so the NRI had thought the best way to investigate was for her and Luke to go undercover as a soon to be married couple. Mara had balked at the idea, and claimed that no one in their right mind would believe that they were in love. But Skywalker, annoyingly, had goaded her into it, as an opportunity to demonstrate just how good her talents were. She had never been able to resist a challenge like that, and she would be damned if she let Skywalker of all people show her up, so she’d agreed to continue.
That had been a mistake. Oh, they’d found the culprit alright, or, more fittingly, he’d found them. Apparently she had been convincing, because they’d been visiting Cameo Jewellers in one of Coruscant’s prestigious shopping districts under the pretence of buying an engagement ring, when they’d been drugged and knocked out. Mara had awoken in their current predicament in what appeared to be a damp and dingy basement.
Luke groaned again and his eyelids fluttered. “Mara?” he asked groggily as he regained consciousness. His hands pulled against his bonds and he became alert very quickly. “What happened?”
“The jeweller,” she told him. “We shouldn’t have had that complimentary champagne.”
Luke grimaced. “I needed a drink after all those pet names.”
“You’re the one who said to make it convincing, pumpkin,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Yes, convincing, not saccharine,” he shot back. “Muffin.”
“That’s how idiots like that talk,” she explained to him slowly, as if he were a child. “I wish I could un-hear half of what your sister and that husband of hers call each other.”
“Yes, Mara, because all people in love are idiots.” Luke rolled his eyes.
“You got it.”
Luke shook his head and shut his eyes. “Shut up for a minute so we can get out of here.” He paused for several moments, then his eyes snapped open. “I can’t use the Force.”
“You think I would have been sitting her watching you get your beauty sleep if we could access the Force?” She shook her head in disbelief. “Really, Skywalker. He’s got a ysalamari or something.”
“Does he know who we are?” Luke asked, sounding slightly worried. He’d grown a beard and dyed his hair black for cover, but there was still a chance that the jeweller could have figured out who he was.
“I don’t know,” she told him truthfully. “He hasn’t been back since I woke up.”
As if on cue, the door to the basement opened and in strode a tall man with auburn hair - the jeweller who’d shown them engagement rings. “So the happy couple is awake,” he said, sounding pleased. “Congratulations,” he continued. “Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Or the last.” He smiled toothily, with the look of a man who was clearly insane.
“Why are you doing this?” Luke asked. “Where are all the other couples?”
“They didn’t pass the test,” the jeweller said simply.
“What test?” Mara asked apprehensively.
“A test of love.”
Mara didn’t think things could get any worse, but evidently they had. She glanced over at Luke, and saw he was just as concerned. The jeweller did not see their exchanged glances, and instead crossed the room to where some complicated and home-made looking machinery rested.
“You see,” the jeweller began and he prepared his equipment. “People just do not understand the magnitude of marriage. They lie to one another, they cheat, and eventually, they kill the person they claim to love with their words and actions. It is terrible.” He continued to speak as he began to attach some of the equipment to them; probes on their temples, finger cuffs with cables attached and electrical wiring to the bars around their middle. “I see so many couples who are doomed to fail because they just aren’t ready to be married. They are deceitful, and undeserving. So I decided to help them.”
“You can help us by letting us go,” Luke told him calmly. “Whatever pain you’re feeling, this won’t help.”
The jeweller ignored him and finished his preparations. “I am going to ask you some questions,” he told him calmly. “Tell the truth, and you will know whether you are truly meant to be with one another. Lie, and face the consequences.”
Mara glanced at the equipment on the table, including a monitor which seemed to be recording her pulse and heartbeat and a container which held what looked suspiciously like an electrical charge, then looked to the jeweller’s hand, which appeared to hold a remote of some kind.
“Look, I’m going to level with you,” she told him seriously. “There’s no need to test us - we’re not engaged, we’re not even a couple. It was just an act.”
“Do you not think that I have heard every excuse?” the jeweller asked her, almost amused. “You would say anything to avoid facing the truth.”
“She is telling the truth,” Luke chimed in. “We’re not together.”
The jeweller seemed annoyed and sighed angrily. “Question one,” he exhaled, addressing Mara. “Have you ever lied to your fiancée?”
Mara slumped her shoulders, defeated. Fine, she thought to herself, I’ll play his little game and tell him what he wants to hear. I don’t have a fiancée, therefore, I couldn’t have lied to him. “No.”
The monitor made an angry beeping sound, and the jeweller looked disappointed. He pressed the button on his remote and all of a sudden Luke was shocked with an electrical charge from the container. He flinched , crying out in pain and Mara felt her stomach drop. Evidently there had been enough doubt in her mind for the answer to read as a lie.
“Stop it!” she cried out. The jeweller released the button and Luke relaxed, out of breath and clearly in pain.
“See what happens when you lie?” the jeweller asked. “You hurt the one you love.” He shook his head in disapproval of her. “Question two - are you ready to get married?”
Mara closed her eyes, and calmed herself. She could out-think this. The answer was no, of course she didn’t want to get married. However, if she answered no, there would be no shock, but the jeweller was so volatile and obviously thought he was some kind of champion of love. If he thought that Mara had become engaged to Luke when she didn’t want to be he might kill them both anyway as punishment. So she had to tell the jeweller what he wanted to hear - she had to beat the machine. Mara cursed the absence of the Force, for with its assistance she could have calmed herself so any answer would read as the truth. She slowed her breathing like Luke had taught her, keeping her pulse stable and heartbeat regular. Mara opened her eyes and looked at the jeweller. “Yes.”
The awful beep sounded again and the jeweller pressed down hard on the button. Luke was shocked once again, only this time it seemed more intense. His head was thrown back as he screamed in agony; blue electrical charges skating his entire body. Mara wondered briefly if this was how he’d looked when the Emperor had tried to kill him and felt tears spill from her eyes at her own responsibility for the pain.
“I’m sorry!” she cried desperately. “Please stop - you’re killing him!”
“No,” the jeweller said gruffly, although he released the button. “Your lies are.”
Luke’s head lolled back against the chair, his breathing heavy as his body was wracked by sobs of pain. Mara didn’t know what to do - she couldn’t stand to see him in so much discomfort, not when her lack of ability to control herself had been responsible. She knew that she couldn’t fool the machine and dreaded what else the jeweller would ask her, knowing that another shock would probably finish Luke off.
“Question three,” the jeweller continued. “Do you love this man?”
Mara looked up at the jeweller in shock, and then back at Luke - she hadn’t expected a question so simple - and yet, it was so complicated. She knew she had to tell the truth and her first reaction was of course that the answer was no. She didn’t love Luke. Mara would say that, and then face whatever the jeweller had planned for them.
But - as the word was on the tip of her tongue, Mara had second thoughts. The word “love” was so changeable, and could have so many meanings. She considered Luke her friend, even though she would never admit it to his face. Despite herself, she enjoyed the way he wasn’t afraid of her, the way he could make fun of her just as much as she made fun of him. And they had a connection through their Force abilities, though the shared loneliness of their childhoods which had formed a bond between them. Mara could talk to Luke without fear of what he would think of her, because he was always accepting and had already seen the worst of her anger, her spite and her moral failings. Yes, she accepted that they had a deep, unspoken friendship - was that love? Did love include camaraderie and friendly affection?
In truth, Mara did not know her own heart well enough to judge how an answer either way would read.
The jeweller must have sensed her hesitation because he drew closer to her, and Mara was keenly aware of his finger on the button which could cause Luke’s death. She had to get this answer right.
She’d told Luke not ten minutes earlier that people in love were idiots - and she was no idiot. But…being forced to face the emotions she always kept so deeply buried she could not even feel them made her unsure. She looked up at Luke, still breathing heavily, his hair dishevelled, a patch of dried blood on his lower lip and knew she couldn’t let him die. His eyes were cloudy, but they looked at her defiantly.
“Just tell the truth Mara,” he told her. “It will be okay. Just tell the truth.”
Luke clearly thought her answer was no, and was absolving her of the responsibility of what the jeweller would do to him if he heard such an unsatisfactory response. She should say no. But what if she did, and it registered as a lie? Could she take that chance?
She remembered how, earlier in the day, she had almost been starting to enjoy herself, teasing him by being the typical over-the-top bride to be, pulling out every embarrassing pet name she could think of, pleased when he could match her step for step. She remembered them sparring at the Jedi Academy, and him giving her no leniency even though he was clearly more adept with a lightsaber. She had appreciated the challenge and the honesty in his fighting style, because she didn’t like to be pandered to. She remembered his gentle acceptance of her past, and his trust in her when most others in his position would have had her thrown in a detention cell for the rest of her life. She remembered their long philosophical discussions on the nature of the Force and the universe, and how intelligent he truly was without being boastful and showy, even when she teased him about being an uneducated farmboy. And most of all, she recognised how his presence made her feel light and without the need for deception, and how he in return seemed to drop the Jedi-War Hero façade and just be. But surely that wasn’t love, although if it wasn’t, what was?
The jeweller drew even close to her, and spoke very slowly, enunciating each word as they struck her directly in the heart. “Do you love him?”
Mara had to make a decision. For one of the first times in her life she felt completely vulnerable and couldn’t contain a sob of despair. She looked up again at Luke, into his understanding blue eyes, a hot tear running down her cheek.
Almost without realising it, Mara felt herself nod ever so slightly and whisper one word. “Yes.”
She watched Luke brace himself for the jolt that never came. The monitor had beeped, but it was a different tone, an almost cheerful sound compared to the shrill buzz of before. The jeweller smiled at her and seemed genuinely happy, his finger relaxing slightly off the button. Luke’s eyes opened wide as he realised what had happened, and looked at her questioningly. Mara sniffed and looked away, slightly ashamed. She hadn’t even known the answer until she’d spoken the word, and the happy beep of the machine seemed to indicate the truth of it. She loved Luke Skywalker. She was an idiot.
“Now, you,” the jeweller turned disdainfully to Luke. “Do you love this woman?”
Luke cleared his throat and looked again at Mara, and then looked away quickly. Mara felt her heart sink, although hated herself for it. She willed herself to stop the tears from falling, calmed herself and waited for his answer of “no.”
Luke mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, and the jeweller drew closer to him, commanding him to speak up. At that moment, one of Luke’s wrist clamps snapped open and in a blur his freed fist darted up to strike the jeweller hard in the face, knocking him down. Luke quickly freed himself before the jeweller could counter-attack, and punched him again, twice, until the jeweller fell down unconscious.
Mara let out a sigh of relief and Luke knelt beside her undoing her bonds. His gaze caught hers, once, and she felt wounded by the apprehension she saw there - he clearly did not know what to do with the information. She quickly looked away as Luke freed her and they found a comm, placed a call to the NRI and waited for the rescue team without speaking.
*************
There was a polite knock at Mara’s apartment door and she stepped out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel as she crossed the room. She’d just finished a long shower wiping the grime and the memory of the awful day off of her and didn’t feel like seeing anyone. But a familiar Force presence told her that the visitor was Luke and she knew she had to face him sooner or later.
She opened the door, and sure enough, Luke stood there, an odd look on his face.
“Skywalker,” she greeted him. “Come in.”
She withdrew into the lounge and Luke followed her. Mara tossed away the towel she was using on her hair, despite it still being damp, and sat down on the couch. She realised too late that her robe was perhaps a touch too short for this, but decided not to draw attention to herself. Skywalker had shown up on her doorstep, after all, she hadn’t sought him out. Luke at down next to her, a respectable distance away, without saying anything.
Mara grew impatient at the silence. “You never said, Skywalker,” she began, “ how you got the clamp undone.”
“I’ve been practising on Yavin with ysalamari,” he explained. “Trying to build up a tolerance to them, or at least find a path through their Force barrier. I was able to focus enough on one clamp, and eventually it worked.”
“Oh,” Mara wasn’t sure what else to say, and so they fell back into silence.
“Look Mara,” Luke began after a while, “about that test-”
“You know that I wasn’t telling the truth, right?” she cut him off hurriedly, seizing her chance. “It took me a while to figure out how to beat it, but I got it in the end.”
Luke appraised her, and cocked his head. “Are you sure?” he asked. “That was a pretty big chance to take with my life,” he added, but there was no accusation in the tone.
Mara shrugged. “You got to bet big to win big, Skywalker. I knew that lunatic wouldn’t let us out of there unless he heard what he wanted.” She paused, and seeing Luke unconvinced, she continued hurriedly. “And even if it was the truth, it would have only been a technicality,” she added. “It may be that I love you as a friend, that sort of thing. I am not saying that is the case, if course, but I suppose it is possible.”
She heard a soft laugh, and looked up to see Luke with a stupid grin on his face. “I don’t believe you,” he said happily. “I came here to say that I wasn’t sure what had happened, but I knew that you hadn’t told the truth, but that little performance has changed my mind.”
Scoffing, Mara said; “Don’t be daft. I just told you what happened.”
“Yes but it’s the way you told me,” he said, still smiling. “You love me.”
“Be serious, Skywalker.”
“I am serious, and so were you.” He tilted his head and seemed to consider it. “Mara Jade is in love with me.”
Mara huffed and rose off the couch, walking towards the window and gazing out at the Coruscant skyline. She’d always felt at home in the city, the cold, metallic buildings were a comfort to her, mirroring the walls and barriers of her own heart. She wasn’t like the desert sun, warming everything it came into contact with, open for the universe to see. She held her secrets close, below the bustling surface, where she thought they could never be uncovered.
“Mara,” Luke voice came from behind her, all levity gone, replaced with a gentleness that she couldn’t stop from kindling her heart. “I didn’t mean to make fun of you, this is just very unexpected.” His warm hand rested on her shoulder.
Mara folded her arms and kept her eyes on the city. “Believe me, I’m just as shocked as you are.”
He squeezed her shoulder, she supposed in gratitude for her shift into honestly. “Is it really that hard for you?” he sounded almost hurt.
In truth, now that she knew it seemed like the easiest thing in the world, so long as she didn’t have to do anything about it. The feelings she could face, and in time, deal with. It was the consequences that she was afraid of.
“Look, Skywalker, don’t feel sorry for me,” she brushed off his hand and turned around. “Nothing has to change, we can go on just like before and you don’t have to worry about me.”
“Why should we do that?” he asked, a small smile creeping back onto his lips.
“Because,” she began. “It makes sense. You don’t love me-”
“How do you know I don’t love you?”
Mara looked at him quizzically. “I saw your face when that psycho asked you the question. It was pretty obvious.” She paused and folded her arms defensively again. “Do you love me?”
Luke blinked. “I don’t know.”
“Well, that makes things clear.” She moved to brush past him, but he stopped her, his hands gently gripping her upper arms.
“I just mean that I wasn’t forced to answer the question like you were,” he said evenly. “I don’t have the threat of death making sure that the answer is truly the right one.”
“Oh.” Mara wasn’t sure what else to say - she wasn’t sure what he was saying. But before she could question him further, he leaned down and kissed her. It was unfamiliar at first, but then Mara closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel everything she had denied for so long. Luke’s hands came to rest on her back as he drew her closer, his lips soft and warm and, strangely, almost familiar. His kiss felt like an affirmation of everything that she had been forced to face that day, but for the first time, she wasn’t scared of it.
When she broke away they both were breathless, although she did not make any move to extract herself from his embrace. His deep blue eyes gazed down at her and he smiled goofily.
“You are an idiot, Luke Skywalker,” she told him, but she returned his smile and wound her arms around his neck, eliminating the distance between them.
“You know what,” he murmured against her mouth as he kissed her again. “I think perhaps I am.”