For allbingo
Jun. 10th, 2021 02:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofleithianTitle: Best Friends Forever
Summary: Ben overhears his parents planning to send him away and confides in Poe.
Prompt: Fear
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
His parents tried to keep their voices hushed. Of course they did. Even at ten years old, and not having much perspective about the galaxy, he knew that Mom and Dad would never do anything to intentionally hurt him. And yeah, Mom and Dad had their problems, but that only made them brave just for fighting through them. Even though Mom was tortured by Vader and forced to watch her planet blow up. Even though Dad was abused by Proxima. They were still good parents, and they loved him.
“...it’ll be good for him,” his mother was saying. “Ben’s powerful, and he has to learn how to control it.”
“Leia, he’s just a kid. I barely got a childhood; let Ben have his...”
“It’ll be like sending him to school," Leia said. “Just a...special school. For Jedi.” She seemed to be fighting back tears, though. Like she was trying not to cry.
It was enough to make Ben afraid. His mother shouldn’t be close to tears. His mother should be happy. Then again, he wanted everyone in his family to be happy.
Sleeping was difficult. Even turning over in bed, he could still hear his parents — they were speaking quieter now, their voices hushed like ghosts, but Ben could still catch their thoughts.
He deserves a childhood, his father thought.
If I don’t get him to Luke’s, that thing will get him... his mother thought. Ben could catch images from her mind: shadows and monsters and outstretched bony hands...
He shivered, wishing he could block out everything.
***
When he contacted Poe, the thirteen-year-old stirred, clearly in the midst of a bad dream. Then, “Hey, Ben. What do you need?”
Even though Poe was a Big Kid now (then again, he’d always been a Big Kid; Ben just hadn’t found it most obvious until Poe turned eleven), Ben still appreciated that Poe still took him seriously. Even if Poe’s older Big Kid friends liked to tease Poe about him “babysitting” Ben. Ben didn’t like them. He could feel them, oafish teens that Poe was nothing like.
“I can’t sleep,” Ben said. “Mom and Dad want to send me away...”
“Oh, kid, I’m sorry.” Then, “What for?”
“Mom thinks I can train as a Jedi. I just...I don’t want to leave him.” Ben kept his voice low, a stage-whisper. He didn’t want to get in trouble for being up late.
“Oh, kid,” Poe soothed. “We’ll still be able to stay in touch, right? Messages, holograms...”
Ben sniffled. “Yeah.”
“And no matter what happens, we’ll always be best friends."
“We will,” Ben said. He didn’t like leaving Poe, but he could trust him, couldn’t he, that they’d always be best friends? Forever.
Summary: Ben overhears his parents planning to send him away and confides in Poe.
Prompt: Fear
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
His parents tried to keep their voices hushed. Of course they did. Even at ten years old, and not having much perspective about the galaxy, he knew that Mom and Dad would never do anything to intentionally hurt him. And yeah, Mom and Dad had their problems, but that only made them brave just for fighting through them. Even though Mom was tortured by Vader and forced to watch her planet blow up. Even though Dad was abused by Proxima. They were still good parents, and they loved him.
“...it’ll be good for him,” his mother was saying. “Ben’s powerful, and he has to learn how to control it.”
“Leia, he’s just a kid. I barely got a childhood; let Ben have his...”
“It’ll be like sending him to school," Leia said. “Just a...special school. For Jedi.” She seemed to be fighting back tears, though. Like she was trying not to cry.
It was enough to make Ben afraid. His mother shouldn’t be close to tears. His mother should be happy. Then again, he wanted everyone in his family to be happy.
Sleeping was difficult. Even turning over in bed, he could still hear his parents — they were speaking quieter now, their voices hushed like ghosts, but Ben could still catch their thoughts.
He deserves a childhood, his father thought.
If I don’t get him to Luke’s, that thing will get him... his mother thought. Ben could catch images from her mind: shadows and monsters and outstretched bony hands...
He shivered, wishing he could block out everything.
***
When he contacted Poe, the thirteen-year-old stirred, clearly in the midst of a bad dream. Then, “Hey, Ben. What do you need?”
Even though Poe was a Big Kid now (then again, he’d always been a Big Kid; Ben just hadn’t found it most obvious until Poe turned eleven), Ben still appreciated that Poe still took him seriously. Even if Poe’s older Big Kid friends liked to tease Poe about him “babysitting” Ben. Ben didn’t like them. He could feel them, oafish teens that Poe was nothing like.
“I can’t sleep,” Ben said. “Mom and Dad want to send me away...”
“Oh, kid, I’m sorry.” Then, “What for?”
“Mom thinks I can train as a Jedi. I just...I don’t want to leave him.” Ben kept his voice low, a stage-whisper. He didn’t want to get in trouble for being up late.
“Oh, kid,” Poe soothed. “We’ll still be able to stay in touch, right? Messages, holograms...”
Ben sniffled. “Yeah.”
“And no matter what happens, we’ll always be best friends."
“We will,” Ben said. He didn’t like leaving Poe, but he could trust him, couldn’t he, that they’d always be best friends? Forever.
