For allbingo
Dec. 26th, 2021 08:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofleithianTitle: Baby, You’re A Firework
Summary: Poe attempts to do something in honor of Ben’s Naming Day.
Prompt: Fireworks
It was Ben’s Naming Day. And because his birth coincided with the defeat of the Empire on Jakku, there were people all over the galaxy shooting off fireworks in celebration. Ben almost wondered what that was like, actually. Happy Battle of Jakku day! Oh yeah, and I guess Leia Organa’s son was born then too.
When Ben was a youngling, he remembered that his family had their own fireworks that they shot off in the backyard. Everyone had their favorites. Dad had ones shaped like ships. Mom had ones that almost mimicked the ones on Alderaan. And so on and so forth. It was all sorts of stuff that his family brought over in order to celebrate.
Force, that seemed so very far away now. Too very far away. Now Ben was at the Academy, and he was all but alone on his Naming Day.
“Ben?”
Tai Zordani. Ben turned around to look at the Quellian native. They’d met when Ben had first come to the Academy, at age nine. (Poe had been twelve, and he’d tried to put on a brave face despite the fact that his friend was leaving)
“Hi, Tai.” Ben shot him a tired smile.
“You shouldn’t be sad on your Naming Day, Ben.”
" ‘Should’ and ‘shouldn’t’ are bantha shit,” Ben said wryly.
Tai chuckled. "Touché. But I am worried about you.”
Ben nodded. "I just miss my family. As usual.”
"I can see that. I know your Naming Day overlaps with the Battle of Jakku.”
Ben chuckled bleakly. “Yeah. But no pressure, I suppose.” He sighed. "I just feel useless, Tai. I’m nearly twenty and I haven’t done anything useful with my life.”
“I’m sure your uncle felt the same way.”
“My uncle blew up a Death Star after training on the Falcon with a lightsaber for, like, fifteen minutes. Bad example.”
“Now, now, Ben,” Tai said, a twinkle in his eye. “You weren’t there. For all intents and purposes, it could have been twenty minutes.”
“Touché.” For all Tai was sweet and earnest (Ben wouldn’t compare him to Poe, though. Tai was more like the brother he never had), he could be almost Hennix-like when he put his mind to it.
“Really, Ben,” Tai said, “You forget that before that, he was a farmboy who wanted more than what he was given. You're forgetting that for all his being the son of Anakin Skywalker, he started out as…well, a nobody. You don’t have to put on some big production in order to be extraordinary. Sometimes it’s the small steps that count. And the big ones, like rescuing a princess. Plus, your uncle had help.” A quirk of his lips. “So you could say that he blew up the Death Star with no training whatsoever. I’m…actually not sure about how much training he had total…”
“Tai,” Ben said, but he was almost about to laugh.
“My point is,” Tai said, "Every step you’re taking is important. And I’m sure your family wouldn’t want you to become some sort of carbon copy of them. Just you.” Then, “By the way, Ben, your uncle was wondering what you wanted to do for your Naming Day."
The Force chose to shriek a warning just then.
“I’ll think about it, Tai,” Ben said before going into the hut.
***
It was contacting Poe later that Ben noticed Poe looked a little…singed. His brows furrowed. “Poe…are you okay?”
“I — I’m sorry, Ben!” Poe exclaimed. “I…might have had some issues with the fireworks…”
“Are you hurt?!”
“No! I’m fine. Better than I have any right to be.” Poe sighed. “I was just worried about how they were celebrating your Naming Day at the Academy. So I decided to…fix that.”
Silence. Despite the situation, Ben doubted that he had felt more grateful for Poe’s misguided way of trying to celebrate his Naming Day.
“Poe," Ben said. “That was incredibly stupid — but definitely the highlight of my day.”
"Really?”
“Yes!” Ben said. “I mean…today was a bit rough. I’m not going to lie. I mean…just agonizing over stuff. How I’m going to measure up to expectations. I mean, Tai tried to help…”
“Good on him." Poe sighed as he spoke. “I wish I could be there with you right now, Ben. But…you’re you, Ben. I wouldn’t have it any other way. A kind, supportive, brave man with an extraordinary gift. You’re my best friend. And…well, I did this because I love you.”
I love you. It had always been there, on the tip of Ben’s tongue. He just had been afraid to tell Poe, for what pressure he was putting on him.
“I love you too,” Ben said. “I love you more than anything in this galaxy.”
They couldn’t kiss, but with Ben’s fingers brushing the comm screen, it was something close to a kiss.
Summary: Poe attempts to do something in honor of Ben’s Naming Day.
Prompt: Fireworks
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
It was Ben’s Naming Day. And because his birth coincided with the defeat of the Empire on Jakku, there were people all over the galaxy shooting off fireworks in celebration. Ben almost wondered what that was like, actually. Happy Battle of Jakku day! Oh yeah, and I guess Leia Organa’s son was born then too.
When Ben was a youngling, he remembered that his family had their own fireworks that they shot off in the backyard. Everyone had their favorites. Dad had ones shaped like ships. Mom had ones that almost mimicked the ones on Alderaan. And so on and so forth. It was all sorts of stuff that his family brought over in order to celebrate.
Force, that seemed so very far away now. Too very far away. Now Ben was at the Academy, and he was all but alone on his Naming Day.
“Ben?”
Tai Zordani. Ben turned around to look at the Quellian native. They’d met when Ben had first come to the Academy, at age nine. (Poe had been twelve, and he’d tried to put on a brave face despite the fact that his friend was leaving)
“Hi, Tai.” Ben shot him a tired smile.
“You shouldn’t be sad on your Naming Day, Ben.”
" ‘Should’ and ‘shouldn’t’ are bantha shit,” Ben said wryly.
Tai chuckled. "Touché. But I am worried about you.”
Ben nodded. "I just miss my family. As usual.”
"I can see that. I know your Naming Day overlaps with the Battle of Jakku.”
Ben chuckled bleakly. “Yeah. But no pressure, I suppose.” He sighed. "I just feel useless, Tai. I’m nearly twenty and I haven’t done anything useful with my life.”
“I’m sure your uncle felt the same way.”
“My uncle blew up a Death Star after training on the Falcon with a lightsaber for, like, fifteen minutes. Bad example.”
“Now, now, Ben,” Tai said, a twinkle in his eye. “You weren’t there. For all intents and purposes, it could have been twenty minutes.”
“Touché.” For all Tai was sweet and earnest (Ben wouldn’t compare him to Poe, though. Tai was more like the brother he never had), he could be almost Hennix-like when he put his mind to it.
“Really, Ben,” Tai said, “You forget that before that, he was a farmboy who wanted more than what he was given. You're forgetting that for all his being the son of Anakin Skywalker, he started out as…well, a nobody. You don’t have to put on some big production in order to be extraordinary. Sometimes it’s the small steps that count. And the big ones, like rescuing a princess. Plus, your uncle had help.” A quirk of his lips. “So you could say that he blew up the Death Star with no training whatsoever. I’m…actually not sure about how much training he had total…”
“Tai,” Ben said, but he was almost about to laugh.
“My point is,” Tai said, "Every step you’re taking is important. And I’m sure your family wouldn’t want you to become some sort of carbon copy of them. Just you.” Then, “By the way, Ben, your uncle was wondering what you wanted to do for your Naming Day."
The Force chose to shriek a warning just then.
“I’ll think about it, Tai,” Ben said before going into the hut.
***
It was contacting Poe later that Ben noticed Poe looked a little…singed. His brows furrowed. “Poe…are you okay?”
“I — I’m sorry, Ben!” Poe exclaimed. “I…might have had some issues with the fireworks…”
“Are you hurt?!”
“No! I’m fine. Better than I have any right to be.” Poe sighed. “I was just worried about how they were celebrating your Naming Day at the Academy. So I decided to…fix that.”
Silence. Despite the situation, Ben doubted that he had felt more grateful for Poe’s misguided way of trying to celebrate his Naming Day.
“Poe," Ben said. “That was incredibly stupid — but definitely the highlight of my day.”
"Really?”
“Yes!” Ben said. “I mean…today was a bit rough. I’m not going to lie. I mean…just agonizing over stuff. How I’m going to measure up to expectations. I mean, Tai tried to help…”
“Good on him." Poe sighed as he spoke. “I wish I could be there with you right now, Ben. But…you’re you, Ben. I wouldn’t have it any other way. A kind, supportive, brave man with an extraordinary gift. You’re my best friend. And…well, I did this because I love you.”
I love you. It had always been there, on the tip of Ben’s tongue. He just had been afraid to tell Poe, for what pressure he was putting on him.
“I love you too,” Ben said. “I love you more than anything in this galaxy.”
They couldn’t kiss, but with Ben’s fingers brushing the comm screen, it was something close to a kiss.
