Room 317 [after classes]

[tatooine_doofus]

After an interesting conversation with his father early in the morning, Luke had gone for a long run.

And then an even longer session alone with the punching bag.

And then he'd tried some meditation.

Now? He'd spread parts to a small droid out all over the floor, back carefully turned away from the half of the room that was supposed to have a Z in it, and fiddled around with electronics.

Loud Corellian rock was blaring from his stereo and out through the open door.

If you asked him? He was fine.

Comments

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"THE ZOMBIES AT CARITAS WANT YOU TO TURN THE MUSIC DOWN," Dawn yelled over the music as she lounged in the doorway, "AND THEY'RE ALREADY DEAD, SO YOU DON'T NEED TO WAKE THEM."

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

"WHAT?" Luke yelled back. "YOU WANT IT LOUDER?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

She stuck her tongue out at him. "ARE MY EARS BLEEDING? I THINK MY EARS ARE BLEEDING! YOU'RE WORSE THAN SPIKE!"

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

"WHO'S MIKE?" Luke shouted, then reached into the Force to turn the stereo down. "Also, hi."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Hey. And Spike, not Mike. I have no idea who Mike is. What's with the rock concert?"

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

"I needed something to drown all the thoughts in my head?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Everything okay?" She asked, sitting down on the nearest sittable surface.

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

"My dad's getting married?" he replied. "It's fine!" he added quickly.

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Of course it is, and no one said differently," she said, using what she hoped was a soothing tone. No point in spooking the Skywalker. "Um, congratulations! To who?"

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

"Rory," Luke said, "and I'm happy for them. I am."

And he'd keep repeating that as often as necessary.

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

Cool. "Uh huh. I mean, why wouldn't you be, right?"

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

"Exactly," Luke said. "It's not like I ever knew my mother even though one of the new students is now wandering around with her face but without the weird hair and I'm three months older than my soon-to-be stepmom, but that's all normal for here and it's stupid of me to think that it's not."

Breathe, Luke.

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Okay, whoa." Dawn held her hands up, not positive he wasn't going to explode. "Back up. Someone's here who looks like your mom? And no, that's not normal, and it's okay to be one with the wiggy. Just...breathe, okay?"

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

"I'm trying," Luke said, clenching his jaw tightly.

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

It struck Dawn for the first time that maybe Luke could be scary, given the right circumstances. "See, the cool part about breathing? It happens all on its own while you're thinking about other stuff. And you've got a whole bunch of other--ohhhhhhhhhhhh. I'm sorry about the your mom thing. I'd be all weirded out too, if someone who looked like mine was here."

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

"It's been a really, really long few days," Luke whined.

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Are you really that upset about your dad getting remarried?"

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

Luke stared at his feet. "Is that horribly selfish of me?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Not horribly, no. But--how come?"

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

"Because I still don't know anything about my actual mother," Luke said. "I have a name, six pictures and a father who won't talk."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Have you checked Special Collections?" She chewed on her bottom lip in thought. "I'll help you look, if you want. And just because your dad's getting married doesn't mean he doesn't love her, or remember her, or miss her, you know? Just--he's maybe doing the bravest thing ever by risking all that pain again."

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

And Dawn didn't know the half of it. "Rory's being pretty brave too," Luke admitted softly. "He's...not the easiest person to get along with."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"So maybe it's okay that they found each other? Just maybe?" She reached out to hug him. "If he's that tough, your mom must have been awesome, Luke."

[tatooine-doofus.livejournal.com]

Luke held on tightly. "Very, very awesome," he decided.

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"You had to get it from somewhere, right?" Nope, not letting go until Luke was ready.