Beyond - Legends The Talk [Fic-Gift for devilinthedetails, Luke/Ben, Humour, Mush]

As a participant in the 16th Annual Non-denominational Holiday Fic-Gift Exchange, I am happy to (finally) present my fic for @devilinthedetails !

devilinthedetails requested:
"A mushy story featuring Luke bonding with his son Ben (from Legends)."

Well, I saw this prompt and thought, "There's an easy one!" but I quickly realized that mush is more complicated than it seems. So, my hat's off to all you mush writers who make the warm fuzzies look easy. ....I hope my awkward humour is a close enough approximation.

Title: The Talk
Author(s): UltramassiveUbersue
Timeframe: Beyond Legends
Characters: Luke, Ben, Han, Leia
Genre(s): Humour, mush, a bit of angst
Keywords: Luke, Ben
Summary: As Luke takes his first camping trip as a single father, Ben has some tough questions for him.
Notes: Fic-gift for @devilinthedetails.


The last time Luke took his family camping, Ben had ambitions of cooking every meal on a stick over the fire. Mara was happy to indulge him and mixed the dough with him to bake soda bread, brought pre-cooked sausages, and showed him how to thread thinly cut vegetables on a skewer like a ribbon. Luke loved to see the childlike joy she took in Ben's activities, as she had so few normal childhood experiences herself. Camping was Ben and Mara's special time; Luke was in many ways just there to assist them and experience it vicariously.

Just as Luke finishes packing their gear, Han saunters in and leans against the doorjamb, his arms crossed.

"Leia tells me you're going to have the talk," says Han.

Luke smiles wryly. "Got any tips?"

"Make sure you answer his questions, even if they make you uncomfortable. He needs to know that you're the person he can talk to about anything."

"Understood."

"Good luck out there."

This will be his first "talk" without Mara. He will need that luck, and he is grateful when Han gives him a hug.

"You've got this," Han says, patting his back. "You're a good father, Luke."

He thanks him, but also admits, "I almost don't want to do this." He has put this off and Ben is now thirteen, but with everything that has happened, it seems almost ridiculous to talk about normal things like sex and peer pressure. He tries to imagine any scenario in which Ben's peers offer him drugs, and cannot think of any. It feels like they are problems belonging to inhabitants of a different universe.

But this is why they need to talk about these things.

Leia had said to him, "I spent every waking moment of my teenage years learning how to lead. Which was the right thing to do, but there was a cost. I was absolutely smitten with Han, but I was at a complete loss for what to do. I was sending a lot of mixed signals, and he thought I was playing games with him. It never occurred to him that I could be an elected senator have no idea how dating works, and I certainly didn't know how to explain that to him."

Luke wants his son to be better equipped than that. For all of Ben's lived experiences, he retains an innocence that is very sweet, but Luke would be doing him a disservice if he failed to educate him about life.

"Listen," says Han, "What Ben needs right now are normal experiences and time with his family. Embarrassing conversations with his dad are exactly what he needs."

Luke does not need Han to tell him what he would give to have had this experience with his own father, or to have the chance again with his own sons. This is not just a duty, it is a privilege, and Luke goes over all potential conversation topics in his mind as if he were giving a keynote speech.

"Try not to psych yourself out," says Han. "You're well prepared for this, and you'll be glad you did it."


Luke and Ben spend the day hiking the trail down the mountain and to the lake. As they set up camp, Luke ponders how to begin. Maybe he will start with drugs. That seems to be the easier one.

After nightfall when they have eaten dinner, cleaned up, and are sitting by the fire, Luke starts.

"So..."

"Hey Dad," Ben interrupts.

"Yes?"

"I have a question."

Luke is excited to be bonding already. "Sure," he says cheerfully.

"How come Jedi are allowed to have sex, but they couldn't before?"

"Um."

"Did you change the rules because of Mom?"

"No," he says, feeling a little nervous that this might turn into an interrogation. He tamps that down; he can handle it. "It wouldn't be right to change the rules for everyone else because of what I wanted to do."

Ben appears deep in thought. "Okay... so why did you change them?"

"Well..." Luke considers. "I'd been debating how things should be for a while. On the one hand, Ben Kenobi never got married, and he was my model of what a Jedi should be. On the other hand, there were very few of us left. But I think what decided it for me was when I learned that there was a Jedi sect during the Old Republic that allowed marriage and romantic relationships." He feels confident that this is a good answer.

"So you changed the rules because of Callista."

Dammit. "I clarified the rules because of Callista."

"Uh-huh."

Is that sass that Luke is hearing? This is good, he reminds himself. This is normal. They sit in silence for a while, whittling sticks and poking at the fire with them.

"Hey Dad?"

"Yes, Ben."

"Did you wait until you were married to have sex?"

"No," he says. An easy one. "I waited until I was engaged."

"But you get engaged, like, right after you start dating someone."

Not an easy one, then. "Not always. Just twice."

"That's a lot."

"It is," he admits.

"Did you get engaged so you could have sex?"

"No," Luke says patiently, "I got engaged because I wanted to get married."

"Oh." Ben does not think his father lies, but he is not buying this, either. "Hey Dad?"

"Yes, Ben."

"You and Callista didn't get married."

"No, we didn't."

"When did you decide you weren't going to get married?"

"I didn't decide it, she did. I found out when she left." He was absolutely devastated at the time.

"Oh." Ben notices with some surprise that his father is still sad about this, but before he can ask a follow up question, Luke asks:

"Hey Ben?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you trying to catch me out in a lie?"

"...No..."

Luke chuckles inwardly. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay... I'm trusting you..."

They poke at the fire some more.

"Hey Ben?"

"Yep."

"You're asking a lot of questions about sex. Is there something on your mind?"

Ben shrugs.

Don't push him, said Leia. He'll talk when he's ready. "Okay." Luke decides to continue this tomorrow.


They eat a nice breakfast of egg hash and sausages, pack up camp, hike to the top of the ridge to take in the view, and set up camp in the tree line just below it. Ben is excited at the novelty of sleeping in hammocks, and Luke smiles as Ben starts talking about portaledge tents and rock climbing. This is exactly the kind of thing that Mara would join his enthusiasm in, and they would talk animatedly about it until they had a plan for the next trip. Luke mostly listens and makes mental notes of Ben's ideas.

He cannot replace Mara, but he can improve on what they have. Luke thinks about the gear they will need and other logistics of surprising his son with a new adventure.

Night falls and they poke at their campfire.

"Hey Dad?"

"Yes, Ben," says Luke, feeling quite content.

"I have a question."

"Go for it."

"Did you love Mom more than Callista?"

Luke tries to imagine what his feelings would have been if Callista had never left and if they had a family, and he honestly does not know. "It's just different," he says. "There are different kinds of love. With your mom, it was the kind where you go through a lot together and build your lives together. We had you. We were a team." He is starting to feel a little teary, so he stops.

"What was it like with Callista?"

"Oh, it was intense. I didn't think I'd have very much time with her-- at first."

"Was that when she was part of the ship?"

"Yes."

"And you thought she was going to die?"

"That's right."

They sit in silence for awhile.

"Hey Dad?"

"Yes?"

"How do you fall in love with someone who's part of a ship?"

Luke is unsure how to answer this. "I just felt her presence and... we talked and... I got to know who she was, and I knew right away that I loved her."

"Do you mean you could feel her presence, like, physically?"

Luke knows where this is going and realizes that he has never had this discussion with anyone until now, which he had considered a blessing. "Spiritually, mostly. But... physically... sometimes."

"Did you guys have sex?"

Absolutely no lying, Leia had said. "Not technically..."

"Knew it," says Ben, proudly.

"Knew what?"

"You weren't engaged yet." He looks positively smug.

Luke is incensed. "How do you know that?"

"You didn't think you could get married while she was part of the ship."

Don't get defensive, Leia had said, but Luke's honour is at stake. "We wanted to get married."

"Uh-huh," says Ben, smirking.

"It's true!"

"How would that work, then?"

"We were trying to sort that out."

"Suuuuure. Hey Dad?"

"Yes, Ben," says Luke, sighing.

"How do you have sex with someone who's stuck in a computer?"

"Well, you don't, technically," says Luke, exasperated.

"Oh."

Luke is happy to move the conversation to something else, but--

"Hey Dad?"

"Yes, Ben."

"How do you make out with someone who's stuck in a computer?"

Luke reminds himself of Leia's point that, whatever embarrassing question Ben has will pale in comparison to how embarrassed Ben will feel when he really needs his guidance. So Luke does his best here, which involves trying not to cringe as he says, "To be honest, I think she did most of the work."

"Why?"

Luke imagines Mara observing them from the spirit world and laughing her ass off as he valiantly fights the urge to facepalm and fails. "Because she knew what she was doing."

"Because she'd had sex before?"

"Yes."

"And you hadn't?"

"That's right. Also..." this is one of many moments that he cannot believe what he is hearing himself say, let alone that it is true, "she had more experience with being stuck in a computer."

"So--"

Luke interrupts, "Ben, if you're ever in a similar situation, I promise you, I will tell you everything you need to know."

"Okay." Ben seems disappointed.

On the one hand, the chances of this happening are highly unlikely. On the other hand, unlikely events make up the breadth of Luke's experience.

What should you consider if an ex-girlfriend contacts you out of the blue? Make sure she's not a shapeshifter luring you in as prey.

How long should you wait until you ask a girl out? I don't know, but ten years after she stops trying to kill you is too long.

"Okay, fine. Ben, what do you need to know?"

Ben grins. "What did you guys use for protection?"

"What do you mean--"

"Was it a computer antivirus?"

Luke goes to bed.


They get up, eat porridge for breakfast, pack up camp, hike back to the lake, set up camp, and go for a swim.

After a dinner of frybread, veggies, and sausages, the campfire is roaring nicely. Luke decides to take the lead on the discussion instead of hoping that he can segue from casual conversation, because he has learned nothing new about Ben and Ben has learned more than enough about him for now.

"Hey Ben?"

"Yeah?"

"Are there any girls you like?"

"You mean like-like?"

"Yeah."

Ben shrugs.

"Okay." They are silent for awhile. Luke puts another log on the fire. "Are there any boys you like-like?"

Ben shrugs.

"Oh yeah?"

Ben shrugs again.

"Because it's fine--"

"I know."

"That's good." Luke is very pleased at the possibility that he may have learned something. He decides to be patient and let Ben open up a little more on the subject in his own time.

They poke at the fire. Minutes pass.

"Hey Ben?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you have any more questions for me?"

He shrugs.

"Okay."

They poke at the fire for awhile.

"Dad, I have a question."

Luke inhibits a fist pump and casually answers, "Sure, Ben. Ask away."

"Do you think you'll ever get married again?"

Luke sighs, frowning. Thinking. "I don't know, Ben. Right now, I really don't see it. But later I might."

"Oh."

"Have you been thinking about that?"

Ben nods.

Time for a half-hug. Luke keeps his arm around his son's shoulders and they stare into the fire. "How have you been feeling about that?"

Ben frowns, pondering. After a while, he answers. "I don't know how I feel. But sometimes I get dreams that might be Force visions. I'm not sure."

"Yeah? What do you see?"

"I'm getting out of a shuttle, and I see you in the hangar, and you're holding a baby and telling me she's my little sister."

That is awfully specific, Luke thinks. "And how do you feel?"

"I feel kinda weird. I think to myself that I have a little sister but I kinda don't, because I'm all grown up now. And that thought makes me sad."

This stings, and Luke holds his son a little tighter. "Do you feel like I've... replaced you or something?"

"No," says Ben, to Luke's surprise. "I just feel like... I feel like I'm missing out. Like I really miss you and everybody here. And I feel like I miss being a kid because I just want to hang out with my family, you know?" Ben is getting a little tearful, and Luke gives him a big hug. "I don't know why I feel like this, Dad," he mumbles into his shoulder.

Luke holds him for a while and wipes his own eyes. He resolves to make the most of the rest of Ben's childhood and to make him as happy as possible over the next few years. The galaxy can wait.


They are in their sleeping bags settling down, but neither can sleep yet.

"Hey Ben?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Does the idea of me getting married again bother you?"

Ben takes a while to answer. "I think I wouldn't like it, but when I dream about it, I'm happy."

A more emotionally mature response... another sign that these are no mere dreams. "Is this why you've been asking me questions about Callista?"

"No," says Ben, "It was mostly setup for that antivirus punchline."

Luke rolls his eyes and chuckles.

They sleep.


They hike back home, unpack, shower, and enjoy a big brunch of waffles as they talk about exploring the local mountains.

Han and Leia approach Luke and ask him how the trip went.

"The camping was great!"

"And the talk?" asks Han.

"Ehhhh..."

"Keep trying," says Leia.

They approach Ben and ask him the same questions.

"I managed to work in the joke about computer viruses, but I'll have to wait for rock climbing to get him to tell me what happened with Eliza Porkins and the keg stand."

"Keep trying," Han says, grinning, just before Leia swats him upside the head.

***
Thanks for reading!

 

This is fun to read. Great humor and response to a challenge

 

Luke is more modern and progressive than Disney can ever be

This was a funny exchange about the "talk" and Luke is just trying his best to answer.

 

I’m not sure what was funnier, Ben trolling his dad, or Luke’s reluctance about opening up his love life (and in Legends, he had more love interests than Tenchi Masaki). A sweet, thoughtful and funny read! Thanks for sharing this!

I want more of this universe.

 

Loved the humor in this story! And sneaky Ben! Loved it.

 

You're very welcome! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

I figure this has to be weighing on Luke's mind so much... on the one hand, he had a happy childhood and knows how to model that caregiver relationship for his son. But on the other hand, Mara grew up a child soldier, and she knows all about resilience in the face of trauma.

On the flip side of that, Luke is comparing Ben's childhood to his own and is going to feel like he's letting him down every step of the way, whereas Mara knows how to fully appreciate and enjoy the fun moments because she had so few. I think Luke reflects on this deliberately and often as a way of receiving guidance from her.

His age is so significant to me because it's around the time that the brain is undergoing extensive synaptic pruning-- essentially choosing the most significant learned information and cutting away the rest. To be experiencing trauma like he does at that age is especially rough. Luckily Han knows what it is like to grow up with instability, and I think his influence is especially important after Ben loses his mother. And Luke naturally goes to Han for advice, not only because he has raised sons, but also because he survived a disrupted childhood and can provide guidance on what Ben needs the most.

He wuvs his wittle boy.

It's kind of a silly question, isn't it?

He definitely heard it from Han.

Yay, mush success achieved!

Partly, Ben has taken on a tremendous amount of responsibility at a young age, so he's going to think about the collective happiness of the people he loves. And then there's his natural empathy. But there are also indications that his dream is a precognition from when he is older and more mature. Luke senses this as a warning that Ben's childhood is slipping away, and he doesn't want him to feel like he has missed out on everything. So naturally, he wants to big him a big hug.

He's been sitting on that joke for so long!

Aw, thanks! I kind of assume that Han is the source of most mischief. He just has that energy.

You're very welcome! It took me numerous drafts and broke my brain a little, so I'm really delighted that it turned out.

 

Thank you!

Thanks! And yeah, Luke's a cool dad (or at least tries his very best to be one).

I'm still mad at Disney for failing to ship Finn and Poe. Like, come on! Cutest couple ever. I can't be alone in this.

Thank you very much!

Oh, I can spend all day writing Ben trolling his dad about his love life. You just know that Luke was raised to be a gentleman who doesn't kiss and tell, but he's also kind of Wilt Chamberlain in space, so...

Thank you!

Thank you very much!

His reputation as an honest person is very important to him. Maybe too important.

Thank you!

I really enjoyed writing their different approaches: Ben's not at all shy with the invasive questions, and Luke is more about patience and making Ben feel safe to open up. Luke's his own worst critic, so he's looking at all the ground he failed to cover as opposed to the successes he had. And Han is absolutely conspiring with Ben to get the dirt on Luke and Eliza Porkins!

I appreciate your feedback and kind words!

 

Great job! This was a very sweet and amusing story. Ben seems to be a little more knowledgeable about some things than Luke might have expected. I really liked seeing all of them as "regular" people dealing with regular life, with all of the messiness of growing up and the happiness and sadness of relationships. A lot of emotions can be confusing, contradictory, and hard to put into words, and I liked seeing both Ben and Luke give it honest tries in hopes of connecting with each other better. The first camping trip without Mara would be an emotional time.

I also loved that the antivirus line was planned, and that Han is scheming with Ben to tease Luke. That seems like a very "Uncle Han" move, LOL. Great work!

 

Thank you! I figured that with the insane volume of responsibility Luke has at this point in his life, Ben can easily blindside him with how much he has learned. I can also see Han being unable to resist telling him funny stories about his dad that might not be entirely age-appropriate.

Since this is an epic saga, profic tends to pile trauma after trauma onto these likeable characters, and I'd rather they get a break and we see these details about what makes their lives worth living. Camping with my family are some of my happiest childhood memories, and I like the idea that Luke and Ben would keep making efforts to connect and communicate this way instead of separating as often happens with teenagers.

Han seems like he would be a fun uncle, and with Mara gone, I assume he'd throw himself into the role of helping Ben prank Luke.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback!

 

Hilarious back and forth with all the awkward questions but underneath it all is a deep affection and desire to connect between father and son. And that antivirus line IS PRICELESS! Thanks for turning that whole head scratching bit of Luke's past with Callista into something we can get a laugh out of.

 

Thank you so much! I figure that Mara's sarcasm manifests as cheekiness in Ben, and that he has Luke's sweetness and empathy. He really treasures this opportunity to just be a kid for a while and have a normal family adventure with his dad. They've had so many tough conversations in the past while that he's eager to lighten things up with a prank.

 

I have a soft spot for humorous fics where the Skywalkers are portrayed like a typical Earth family. Nicely written

 

I'm sorry I forgot to reply! Thank you so much-- I'm glad you enjoyed it.

 

Alright, time for yet another awesome fic-gift that I missed reviewing the first time around! I really enjoyed the balance of humor and wistfulness in Luke and Ben's conversations here. The missing piece made by Mara's absence is there, but not in an overwhelmingly sad way; traces of happy memories and love are always there when she's brought to mind, even though it is still a deep loss for the two people who knew her best. I love that Luke thinks of her watching them from the peanut gallery with great amusement, which for this series of "talks" is so headcanon accepted!

This is so sweet, and I really like how we get Luke's memories of camping with the three of them together right off the bat -- it helps to put this trip in perspective, with the fact that Mara's death does still leave an empty space in what was a beloved family pastime. And I like that Mara and Ben were the most into camping as a thing -- it's so fun to see they had that interest in common, and the whole thing just sounds adorable.

Han is great here, even though he is also absolutely scheming against Luke. But his heart is in the right place, and he does really mean what he says -- even though it's a trap. And he and Luke are not wrong that it's good to discuss the seemingly ridiculous, ordinary perils of teenagerhood -- just because Ben has had a whole host of galaxy-ending problems doesn't mean he's immune to those as well.

Aww, Leia! I really like that she's so forthright with Luke about the difficulties that came with her upbringing. It makes a lot of sense to me that she'd want her kids and the other kids in the family to have a bit more grounding in how to manage relationships.

Spoken like a man who just ensured that said conversations would be as awkward as humanly possible!

Going right for the jugular! Also, I love that Ben asks pretty much the same questions that someone who read this era of Legends (but only after seeing the prequels) might ask.

Ben is being such a pill here and I love it! But yeah, about Callista... so many questions. Many (though not all!) of the most awkward of which Ben manages to hit in this interrogation, I mean talk.

Yes, Luke. It's sass. Glad you noticed.

BEN! I mean, Luke does have an interesting approach to how fast his relationships progress towards marriage, that is true...

Aww, Luke. That probably wasn't at all the answer Ben was expecting. I'm glad that Luke is willing to share that story with Ben, since it was a difficult one even though he has moved on from it. His openness in these discussions (as he's being peppered with the most embarrassing questions a certain smuggler could devise ) is really great, and I think that makes a big difference to Ben even if his actual most important questions aren't the Callista-related ones.

The feigned innocence is just pitch-perfect here.

Liked this; Luke isn't trying to engage how Mara would because they are different people and the camping stuff is not really his specialty area. But he's still able to give Ben a sounding board for his camping ideas, and that too is a way for them to connect. And he's planning for future trips too, which is wonderful.

This is so sad and sweet! And I can imagine that there might be a reflex to simply say "of course" to whether he loved Mara more, but Luke gives such a thoughtful answer to that question.

Asking the real questions. I do like that Luke is just matter-of-fact about the whole thing, even though falling in love with a ghost in the machine is pretty unusual even for his strange life.

This had me laughing so much!

I just love this bit! She would, too.

He's not wrong there.

Oh Legends, I never thought I would miss the silliness of Luke's love life but here we are...

Ben, you know what you did.

Just really liked Luke's very dry humor here.

I think I keep saying this, but aww, Luke. And as much as he's mostly occupied with being a prankster, I'm betting Ben very much appreciates the care and acceptance that his dad shows for what information he is willing to share.

I really like that this is the thing that Ben really needs to talk about, all silliness aside. It makes so much sense that he would have questions and insecurities about the possibility of his family changing again when there has been such a recent upheaval. Add in the possibility of it being a Force vision (though apparently not a bad one), and there is definitely enough to weigh on a young teen's mind!

Aww, Ben. Though I'm glad that at least it's a more bittersweet than an unhappy prospect to him.

Okay, this part does make me a bit teary-eyed. You really captured the vulnerability of this moment so well.

Luke is such a good dad here. Think I already said that a few times but it bears repeating. I'm glad that he's very aware of how much pressure is on Ben just from who he is to the Galaxy, and wants to keep him shielded from that as much as he can especially while he is young.

It's heartening to see that he is happy in the the dreams even though it's (understandably) very weird for him.

Such a rascal!

Leia is the best (and in on the scheme, now that was a surprise ).

With friends like these...