[fic] A Certain Reverence (Star Wars, young!Luke, Ben, G, for drakyndra)
To prove that I haven't forgotten the drabble requests from back in January, here's a short fic. drakyndra requested Star Wars gen, child!Luke, and a bit of Ben. Luke is maybe eight here, or thereabouts.
Title: A Certain Reverence
Author: Rynne
Fandom: Star Wars
Rating: G
Word count: 1,135
Summary: "The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible; but all natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence." - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature
The stars are up there, floating lazily through the sky. So lazily that Luke can't even see them move, even though Aunt Beru told him that stars do.
He doesn't see the stars very often. They're not visible during the day, the light from Tatooine's suns drowning out anything else that might appear, and he's not allowed outside at night.
He sneaks out sometimes, anyway. He tiptoes past the open door of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's room, keeping track of Uncle Owen's snoring--whenever there's a pause, Luke freezes, because that means Owen is between awake and asleep and is listening, both for the soft patter of Tusken feet on sand, and for the little boy who sometimes can't sleep without going outside.
It's cold outside at night, but Luke doesn't bring a blanket. Cold is such a strange, new feeling that he relishes it when he feels it, astonished at the process of shivering, marveling at the patterns of rough goosebumps that pop up from the bare skin of his arms, the sleeves of the shirt rolled up so he could feel night and starlight and chill air. Eventually, the novelty of being cold wears off, and the warmth of his bed feels even better than usual.
He feels the stars calling to him tonight, so he slips out of his room and walks on quiet feet past his uncle's snoring form, moving confidently through the night-touched homestead. He knows where everything is, and has never bumped into anything, even though he can't see very well. He pauses for a moment in the middle of the courtyard and looks up. There are stars there, set in patterns both that he's had pointed out to him and that he's made up himself, but he can't see as many as he'd like; the walls are too high.
He hops up the stairs, dashes through the garage, and stops, once outside. He can't go very far, he knows, not without running into the fence that keeps the Sandpeople away, but he doesn't mind. He doesn't need to go far. He's not surrounded by walls right now, and that's enough for him.
He walks a few meters away from the homestead, then lets himself fall backwards into the sand, uncaring of the tiny grains that caught in his hair and slipped down the collar of his shirt. The best way to look at stars is on his back, where it's natural to look up, and up, and up.
He's always amazed at how many stars there are. "Has anyone ever been to them all?" he'd asked Uncle Owen once.
"No," Owen had replied. "There's too many, and too many undiscovered. No one has the time to go to all of them."
"I want to," Luke had said, wistfully.
And he still wants to, even though Uncle Owen is probably right. But surely one of them isn't too much to hope for...just to visit one, to get off this planet and see the stars...
He feels the goosebumps now, though he's not sure whether they came because of the cold or the idea of leaving. Tatooine's not that bad, not really, but there's so much out there, so much for Luke to see, to explore. He wants that, wants it with an ache deep inside him. Aunt Beru tells him to be content with what he has because so many people have less, but Luke can't help it. He wants more.
He yawns suddenly, and blinks, and starts to feel sleepy. The hypnotizing stars, mesmerizing him with dreams...but he stands, combs the sand out of his hair, brushes it off his shirt and pants, shakes it out of his boots. Though he wants to, he can't leave Tatooine yet. He doesn’t know when he can, but he knows the time is not now.
But as he turns to trudge back into the homestead, he sees a new shadow, a hooded darkness that wasn't there before. It stands still, and Luke's eyes widen and he almost yelps, before remembering that Uncle Owen, with his ears trained to hear the slightest noise, would surely wake up, and if he found Luke out here, he wouldn't be happy. Besides, it can't be a Tusken. Tuskens travel in groups, and there's only one shadow, and it hasn't hurt Luke yet.
Luke eyes it nervously, but it doesn't seem about to attack. It seems to be...waiting.
"Hello?" Luke says, softly. The quiet sound still carries in the stillness of the desert, but Luke hopes that Owen doesn't hear it. The nerves are going away, and now Luke just feels curious. He doesn't want his uncle to come up and spoil whatever's going to happen.
The shadow stepped forward, raising its arms, and Luke almost takes a step back before he sees that the darkened hands are only pushing back the hood, revealing--
Ben Kenobi.
Luke gapes, for a moment, his mouth falling open. Ben steps forward, and even through the darkness, Luke can see the upward curve of his lips.
"You're up late," he observes, in the silence of Luke's speechlessness. His voice is quiet but rough, as if he doesn't use it very often.
"I wanted to look at the stars," Luke replies. "I like them."
Ben laughs, lowly, and for a moment his eyes flash like miniature stars themselves. "I do, too," he says. "Sometimes I come out and watch them. They're very clear, here."
"Is that what you were doing?" Luke asks. He frowns. "Why are you out here in the middle of the night, anyway? Were you going to spend the night here?"
"I wanted to see--something," Ben answers, cryptically. Luke sighs. Adults never tell him anything clearly. "And sometimes I like spending the night outside."
'' 'S dangerous," Luke points out.
Ben reaches out, puts a hand on his head, smoothes his hair back in one graceful motion. Ben often does things like that when he sees Luke, and though Luke thinks it's sort of weird, he doesn't really mind. "Then why are you outside?"
"I wasn't going to be very long!" Luke looks up, again, at the stars he can see but cannot reach. "I just wanted to see the stars..."
Luke turns just in time to see the brief smile playing on Ben's lips before it's gone. "Go to bed, Luke," he says, his voice suddenly calm and even, though with an undertone of warmth. "The stars will still be here."
Luke yawns, suddenly much more tired than before, nods and starts off towards the garage. "G'night, Ben," he calls, turning around to look at Ben one last time. Ben nods at him, then draws his hood up, and all Luke sees is a comforting shadow watching him. He smiles to himself and goes inside.
Title: A Certain Reverence
Author: Rynne
Fandom: Star Wars
Rating: G
Word count: 1,135
Summary: "The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible; but all natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence." - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature
The stars are up there, floating lazily through the sky. So lazily that Luke can't even see them move, even though Aunt Beru told him that stars do.
He doesn't see the stars very often. They're not visible during the day, the light from Tatooine's suns drowning out anything else that might appear, and he's not allowed outside at night.
He sneaks out sometimes, anyway. He tiptoes past the open door of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's room, keeping track of Uncle Owen's snoring--whenever there's a pause, Luke freezes, because that means Owen is between awake and asleep and is listening, both for the soft patter of Tusken feet on sand, and for the little boy who sometimes can't sleep without going outside.
It's cold outside at night, but Luke doesn't bring a blanket. Cold is such a strange, new feeling that he relishes it when he feels it, astonished at the process of shivering, marveling at the patterns of rough goosebumps that pop up from the bare skin of his arms, the sleeves of the shirt rolled up so he could feel night and starlight and chill air. Eventually, the novelty of being cold wears off, and the warmth of his bed feels even better than usual.
He feels the stars calling to him tonight, so he slips out of his room and walks on quiet feet past his uncle's snoring form, moving confidently through the night-touched homestead. He knows where everything is, and has never bumped into anything, even though he can't see very well. He pauses for a moment in the middle of the courtyard and looks up. There are stars there, set in patterns both that he's had pointed out to him and that he's made up himself, but he can't see as many as he'd like; the walls are too high.
He hops up the stairs, dashes through the garage, and stops, once outside. He can't go very far, he knows, not without running into the fence that keeps the Sandpeople away, but he doesn't mind. He doesn't need to go far. He's not surrounded by walls right now, and that's enough for him.
He walks a few meters away from the homestead, then lets himself fall backwards into the sand, uncaring of the tiny grains that caught in his hair and slipped down the collar of his shirt. The best way to look at stars is on his back, where it's natural to look up, and up, and up.
He's always amazed at how many stars there are. "Has anyone ever been to them all?" he'd asked Uncle Owen once.
"No," Owen had replied. "There's too many, and too many undiscovered. No one has the time to go to all of them."
"I want to," Luke had said, wistfully.
And he still wants to, even though Uncle Owen is probably right. But surely one of them isn't too much to hope for...just to visit one, to get off this planet and see the stars...
He feels the goosebumps now, though he's not sure whether they came because of the cold or the idea of leaving. Tatooine's not that bad, not really, but there's so much out there, so much for Luke to see, to explore. He wants that, wants it with an ache deep inside him. Aunt Beru tells him to be content with what he has because so many people have less, but Luke can't help it. He wants more.
He yawns suddenly, and blinks, and starts to feel sleepy. The hypnotizing stars, mesmerizing him with dreams...but he stands, combs the sand out of his hair, brushes it off his shirt and pants, shakes it out of his boots. Though he wants to, he can't leave Tatooine yet. He doesn’t know when he can, but he knows the time is not now.
But as he turns to trudge back into the homestead, he sees a new shadow, a hooded darkness that wasn't there before. It stands still, and Luke's eyes widen and he almost yelps, before remembering that Uncle Owen, with his ears trained to hear the slightest noise, would surely wake up, and if he found Luke out here, he wouldn't be happy. Besides, it can't be a Tusken. Tuskens travel in groups, and there's only one shadow, and it hasn't hurt Luke yet.
Luke eyes it nervously, but it doesn't seem about to attack. It seems to be...waiting.
"Hello?" Luke says, softly. The quiet sound still carries in the stillness of the desert, but Luke hopes that Owen doesn't hear it. The nerves are going away, and now Luke just feels curious. He doesn't want his uncle to come up and spoil whatever's going to happen.
The shadow stepped forward, raising its arms, and Luke almost takes a step back before he sees that the darkened hands are only pushing back the hood, revealing--
Ben Kenobi.
Luke gapes, for a moment, his mouth falling open. Ben steps forward, and even through the darkness, Luke can see the upward curve of his lips.
"You're up late," he observes, in the silence of Luke's speechlessness. His voice is quiet but rough, as if he doesn't use it very often.
"I wanted to look at the stars," Luke replies. "I like them."
Ben laughs, lowly, and for a moment his eyes flash like miniature stars themselves. "I do, too," he says. "Sometimes I come out and watch them. They're very clear, here."
"Is that what you were doing?" Luke asks. He frowns. "Why are you out here in the middle of the night, anyway? Were you going to spend the night here?"
"I wanted to see--something," Ben answers, cryptically. Luke sighs. Adults never tell him anything clearly. "And sometimes I like spending the night outside."
'' 'S dangerous," Luke points out.
Ben reaches out, puts a hand on his head, smoothes his hair back in one graceful motion. Ben often does things like that when he sees Luke, and though Luke thinks it's sort of weird, he doesn't really mind. "Then why are you outside?"
"I wasn't going to be very long!" Luke looks up, again, at the stars he can see but cannot reach. "I just wanted to see the stars..."
Luke turns just in time to see the brief smile playing on Ben's lips before it's gone. "Go to bed, Luke," he says, his voice suddenly calm and even, though with an undertone of warmth. "The stars will still be here."
Luke yawns, suddenly much more tired than before, nods and starts off towards the garage. "G'night, Ben," he calls, turning around to look at Ben one last time. Ben nods at him, then draws his hood up, and all Luke sees is a comforting shadow watching him. He smiles to himself and goes inside.