Your prison is walking this world all alone

[jedi_librettist]

Ben watched out the window as the ship dropped out of hyperspace. He took a shaky breath. It was time. He wouldn't burden his brother anymore. He walked back to his cabin. He didn't know how what he would do after he left. It didn't matter. This was the right thing.

Comments

[jedi_librettist]

Ani nodded against Ben's neck. An arm snuck up and wrap around Ben's neck. "Dada not bad."

Ben stopped, closing his eyes. He bit his lip, trying not to cry.

[middleoftheforce]

There wasn't much that could be said to that, was there? He clapped his brother on the shoulder, in what he hoped would be taken as the reassuring gesture it was meant as.

[jedi_librettist]

Ben automatically stiffened at the touch before leaning into it. He still couldn't get used to touch as something benign. He walked closer to his mother. Whatever else happened, he wanted his son to know Leia.

[middleoftheforce]

As they arrived at her quarters, Leia waved them both in ahead of her. She would go grab them some food and come back, but she had the feeling Ben needed the time to get used to being around people who were not entirely awful again.

[jedi_librettist]

Ben set Ani down when the reached his mother's quarters. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The apartment reminded him of their home when he was a child except without Han's tools. "Is this... Did she..."

[middleoftheforce]

"Did she...?" He wasn't entirely sure how that one was meant to end.

[jedi_librettist]

"This is just like home."

Part of him expected to walk down the hall and find their childhood bedroom.

[middleoftheforce]

"Leia likes keeping things familiar." Not exactly true. She liked keeping things exactly as they were when Ben was with them so that it was familiar for him when he came back.

[jedi_librettist]

Ben nodded drinking in the sight. If it weren't for Ani's presence, he could almost believe the last fourteen years were a long nightmare. He walked over to a familiar painting. It was simple and plain, a child's representation of space seen from the cockpit of the Falcon. "She kept it."

[middleoftheforce]

"She kept a lot of stuff."

That didn't begin to explain it.

[jedi_librettist]

"This isn't even very good."

He couldn't believe their parents hadn't thrown it away after the twins went to the training temple.

[middleoftheforce]

"She liked it," was the only explanation he could give, coming with an arm shrug.

[jedi_librettist]

Ben ducked his head, blushing. "There's only two things I do that people like now."

[middleoftheforce]

"You'll find other stuff," he said, giving a shrug. That's what tended to happen on bases like this, people picked up skills they didn't think they'd have.

[jedi_librettist]

Ben shrugged. He was far from convinced. He hadn't learned many new things in several years.

He looked over at a loud crow from his son. His face grew paler as he realized what the toddler held. "Ani, put that down!"

[middleoftheforce]

Solo look round. "What's he got?"

[jedi_librettist]

"Mom's Alderaani porcelain Thranta," he shot back, running over to the kid and prying the priceless item away.

Ani promptly started wailing at the loss of the toy.

[middleoftheforce]

"... Well, shit." That would have caused some problems if it had been broken - it was hard to find anything Alderaani on the market, even if you were willing to look in less than savoury places. He winced at Ani crying, trying to remind himself he'd need to get used to it.

"Hey, Kid, come on."

[jedi_librettist]

Ben set the figurine where Ani wouldn't be able to reach it and leaned down to pick his son up.

The toddler leaned away, reaching for the thranta. It floated back to his hands.

"Ani, no. You can't have that. We'll find something else to play with." He looked up at his brother. "Did she keep our old toys?"

[middleoftheforce]

"Uh," he gave a moment's thought, moving to the storage cupboard in the room and opening the door. "I think there's a couple of things here? Not much, but some stuff."

[jedi_librettist]

"Mine," the child declared, holding it to his chest.

Ben sighed, reaching to take it away again. "No, it's your grandma's. Look, there are toys near your Uncle Bail."

[middleoftheforce]

He pulled out the box that had a few toys in it, opening it to let Ani in to take his pick.

[jedi_librettist]

Ani turned away from his father's hands, still holding the figurine. He ran over to the toy box, repeating that the thranta was his.

"I'll... I'll find you a toy thranta, Ani. I don't know where. Somewhere. But that's not a toy."

He looked over at his brother, eyes wide.

[middleoftheforce]

He wasn't really sure what to do, and couldn't help but shrug in response. He knelt down at the box.

"Hey, wanna give me the Thranta?"

[jedi_librettist]

Ani held the figurine tighter. "Mine," he insisted, reaching for a toy. "It fwy."