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He let his shoulders relax a bit as the steaming cup before him warmed his left hand that was cradling it. It had been a rough week of political meetings the NR insisted he had to be a part of as a Jedi and he was done for the moment. The hustle of the crowded bar was soothing as he hid in his little corner. He came here a few times and was thankful that he was never disturbed. He could hide here, enjoy his favorite beverage of hot chocolate and unwind a moment in the chaos just letting the force relax him.
A loud chink echoed into his sphere and his eyes zeroed in on the disturbance making out a bottle of Corellian fire-whiskey and the slim hand that held it.
“Farmboy,” Mara Jade greeted easily sliding into the darkened booth and he looked at her with surprise.
“How did you find me?” He questioned shocked and for a moment Mara stilled and just met his eyes. Her condescension was clear and he frowned at her.
“Did you really just ask me that question?” She inquired and he huffed leaning back into his seat. “What a nice image you must have in your head of me that you forget who I am,” she spat annoyingly.
“You aren’t who you were Mara,” he answered easily. “You use that as part of your core but I know exactly who you are now,” he responded easily and that time her eyebrows did rise in amusement as her red lips curled up. She pulled two glasses towards her and poured generous measures in each.
“Do you?”
“You should be a Jedi,” he ribbed with a small smirk and she clicked her tongue at him.
“On that, let’s have a drink,” she deflected as she pushed his mug of hot chocolate away
and replaced it with the fire whiskey.
“What if I don’t want to have a drink?” He sighed taking the glass in his hands and swirling the liquid around slowly.
“This could be why you don’t get laid very often. When a beautiful woman gives you a drink farmboy, you take it,” she scolded and he smirked at her, his eyes meeting hers and she saw her friend start to shed his Jedi Master shroud before her. He needed to do that from time to time. Remember he was human.
“Most drinks with you don’t end with us being naked but rather us in jail or throwing up,” he reminded holding the glass aloft and she chinked hers against his taking a healthy gulp as he did the same. She finally smiled.
“Drunk you is a lot of fun,” she remembered fondly and he smirked pulling the bottle to him. He silently inspected the label and glanced at his friend noticing this was a pretty expensive vintage.
“What are we celebrating?” He questioned pouring a bit more into her glass and into his.
“You are looking at the official nerf who liaisons between the Smuggler’s Alliance and the New Republic,” she mumbled taking another gulp of the drink and he smiled at her. “Though you should have already known that.”
“Just because my sister is the head of the government doesn’t mean I get special knowledge privileges. I haven’t worked in intelligence since my glory days,” he mused taking a swallow.
“Yet, you knew,” she pointed out and he huffed. She poured them a bit more.
“That’s because I stalk you, not because my sister is a snitch,” he muttered and her eyebrows rose in shock as she glared at him. “Like you don’t stalk me?” He challenged and her eyes narrowed amused.
“Let’s see. I first kept tabs on you to kill you than I had to keep tabs on you to avoid you as to not be trapped in a Jedi training ambush,” she mused and he spit the drink out of his mouth in shock. Mara openly grinned as she brought her drink to her lips as he laughed. She felt her muscles start to relax as the liquor traveled through her bloodstream. She could see the tension leaving Skywalker as well.
“You are such a brat. If you would just finish your damn training I’d leave you alone,” he snapped pointing a finger at her and she snickered, pouring him another drink.
“Maybe I like you bothering me,” she said easily and he shot her an annoyed glance. “Have you ever thought about what would happen if I did actually finish my training dustbrain?” She inquired and he looked thoughtful for a moment.
“I’d have my best friend travel with me around the galaxy to fight evil sith lords with?” He questioned and she pushed his shoulder playfully.
“I’d be better at it than you and it would kill your pride,” she sighed and he turned to her with shock, his eyes wide as a laugh left his lips.
“Let me get this straight. You are not accepting your destiny and claiming your birthright as a Jedi because you think it will emasculate me to have you be better than me?” He questioned with shock and she looked thoughtful a moment.
“Wow. I’m a much better friend than I thought,” she said tipping the glass to her lips to drain it. She placed it back on the table and it shattered. Luke let out a breath, quickly containing the explosion with the force and she watched silently as he pushed all the glass pieces back into a small pile. “Flimsy glasses. Brought another,” she breathed pushing the pile away from her and pulling out another from her bag. Luke groaned and pulled her hand to him as he gently picked a piece of glass from her palm, a small drop of blood leaving. “Why do you do that? I’m a big girl,” she fussed as she yanked her hand back to him.
“Because you secretly like to be fussed over,” he muttered and she shot him a horrified look as he poured them another round, the bottle two-thirds gone. “You have another bottle in that bag?”
“Why else would I even carry a bag?” She huffed and he smirked at her.
“Extra power packs and thermal detonators.”
“True.”
“Let’s play a game,” Luke began and she pulled off her coat, shrugging out of it as she leaned back against the booth cushions, letting her eyes roll at his nature.
“I hate games.”
“Have you ever thought about what would have happened if my father had turned me?” He questioned and Mara’s head lifted.
“You want to play what if?” She questioned and he nodded motioning with his hand for her to go crazy with the possibility. “Hm. I imagine when you were at Bespin?” She questioned and he watched her beautiful brain turn that thought over. “Two scenarios,” she began holding up two fingers. “You would have killed your father to please Palpy or killed him to please your father than I would have had to kill you,” she mused pressing her lips together.
“I’ve kind of thought that the Emperor would give you to me as a present if I demanded it,” Luke added and she stiffened, her eyes widening as that thought hit her. “He would have wouldn’t he,” Luke spat with distaste and she could sense his disgust at the thought of her being given to anyone as a thing.
“Would you have killed your father to make me your sex slave Farmboy?” She asked leaning towards him and Luke shrugged.
“Depended on what you were wearing the first time I met you.”
“Nerf. I’m telling your sister you said that,” she spat gulping her drink. Luke reached out his hand and caught the glass before she slammed it on the table once more, unaware of her own strength once her limbs and body started to relax. She poured them more.
“What if I wasn’t a Jedi? Wasn’t the man you thought killed the Emperor?” He questioned and she slowly glanced at him, her eyes a bit glassy but still bright and clear. Mara never lost her mind when she was drinking. She was still sharp as a tack. Her body got loose because it wasn’t use to actually being at rest but he knew he would never catch her in an unguarded conversation while intoxicated. There was no such thing as an unguarded Mara Jade.
“Like if I just met you in a bar one day?” She questioned and he shrugged.
“Why not.”
“I wouldn’t even notice you,” she answered honestly and his eyes widened as his jaw dropped.
“This wouldn’t do it for you?” He demanded pointing at his face and body and she shook her head easily.
“You’re too short,” she smirked and he snatched her glass away from her.
“Jerk,” he spat and she shifted closer, reaching over him for her glass. He was tempted to bite her just to be childish. She sat back and grabbed his glass, downing the rest and he shoved her shoulder almost making her spill it out of her mouth. She laughed wiping her chin.
“So sensitive Skywalker,” she hissed and he shushed her. She ducked down in their booth and he did the same as they went silent, hoping no one had heard her slip. After a few seconds of silence they relaxed. He poured them the rest of the bottle, their frames still slouched and shoulder to shoulder in the dark booth. Mara propped her feet up on the other side of the circular booth and Luke leaned into her to give her support.
“What if C’Boath had turned me. Would you have had the guts to kill me?” She questioned and he shook his head.
“Nope.”
“Luke!” She growled, turning angry eyes on him and he shrugged again.
“Can’t. It would be like killing a piece of me,” he said unapologetically and she narrowed her eyes in anger. “I could have turned you back.”
“Not before I killed you.”
“I’ve accepted long ago that if I had to die, I’d rather die by you,” he said staring at the empty cup and bottle. “Need another bottle,” he gently needled her and she elbowed him hard. “Ow, Mara! I hate drinking with you.”
She sat angry for a moment, emotions churning through her painfully and she felt his presence brush up against hers as an anchor to hold onto. This was sometimes a side effect of too much alcohol. The rolling pain of emotions long sense repressed.
“Roll with it,” he whispered, placing his chin on her shoulder and she closed her eyes taking a deep breath. “In,” he commanded. “Out,” he breathed and she obeyed. “They aren’t real.”
Her head lolled to the side to catch his vibrant blue eyes and she frowned.
“How do normal people live with all these messy emotions?” She ground out and he sat back up, laughing out loud at her.
“We make giant mistakes than get over it.”
“Oh speaking of that. What if you would have not fallen for Callista Ming?” She questioned and he groaned, his eyes closing.
“Would have definitely not been annoying for a few months mourning her.”
“Years. It was years.”
“It was not years!” He hissed and she sipped the liquid, the taste smooth and not burning anymore. “I would have kept falling for you if she would have never happened.”
“Hm, let’s look at those two options practically,” she began and he turned giving her his attention. He leaned against the table, his head resting in his palm as she took his glass and used the glasses as her props.
“Aggressive ex-Imperial who hates your existence and often tries to kill you vs. a former Jedi who dotes on you and wants to join you in your insane quest to restore the Jedi Order,” Mara mused and let out a loud humming noise to dramatically compare those two options.
“You are leaving out appearance.”
“That’s because I’d win hands down,” she dismissed and he nodded easily.
“What if I would have fallen in love with you in spite of all that.”
“You mean in spite of myself?” She questioned amused and he nodded lazily, his body relaxed and sleep starting to call at him from the back of his mind. “I’d think you were insane so my opinion of you wouldn’t really change.”
“You know I’m your best friend right?”
“Do you have that delusion because I let you live?” Mara asked amused and he leaned forward, his lips gently touching her forehead and she froze.
“You are my best friend Mara Jade,” he whispered and she pressed her lips together. She watched him settle back into his spot and she slowly opened the next bottle.
“What if I was just a force adept you met at a bar?” She questioned and Luke let out a sad sigh.
“If you weren’t who you were, I would have never met you,” Luke admitted and she raised an eyebrow at him. “A woman as powerful as you in the force? You’d be dead.”
That thought settled on her as she slowly nursed her next drink in her long
fingers.
“But if I had seen you in a bar,” he mused making a suggestive glance at her and her eyes narrowed amused at him.
“You wouldn’t even approach me.”
“Nope,” he laughed taking the drink to his lips. “Way out of my league Jade,” he smiled and she nodded.
“Indeed I am farmboy.”