For Cal

[hisfathersimage]

It was two months after Endor.

A perfectly normal (for him) night's sleep was interrupted. It was like a mental hiccup, or a system reboot. He wasn't aware of anything and then-

The bond snapped into place before he gained awareness. It was old and young and familiar, a previously cautious candlelight that felt closer to a hearthfire now, tempered and warming and clear. The memories rushed back as he woke, sitting up with a choked gasp and a flare of Force awareness and anxiety bright enough that he felt Leia awaken on the otherside of the system with it.

He couldn't explain to her. To anyone. All he could do was throw on clothes as he went, grabbing the bare necessities and choking out something about 'Jedi business, another Jedi, I can feel him' before he was loading up R2 and the X-Wing.

Outer Rim.

He went to Botajef. Intersection of major hyperspace lanes. Near Dathomir, near Yavin, it felt significant and right.

And once he was there, he set himself outside of the main city and he reached out, along the bond and just in general, because he knows the bond is good, but at the same time, he isn't confident about it.

Cal Kestis. I'm here. I know you.

Comments

[bunchofscrewups]

"Yeah. It's actually pretty cool. It's rich with minerals, so it's great for mining, but the surface is really unstable. Geonosians settled it first, and they figured out that the only way to build is to do it beneath the surface. They constructed a ton of droids before the Clone Wars. But I guess they left at some point after the battle with the Republic there, because when some refugees fleeing the Empire found the planet, it was abandoned."

During his time there, he'd remembered Xorrn mentioned during the Clone Wars, all that time ago. Most of what he knows, though, he's picked up from echos and BD-1's scans.

[hisfathersimage]

The name is familiar, but he can't place where immediately. "Geonosians were involved in the clone army, weren't they?" That sounds about right. "Sounds like an interesting place, anyway. You were there recently?"

[bunchofscrewups]

"They were with the Seperatists. But, yeah, I was there just now, actually. Helping out. The Empire, uh ..." his tone shifts into something wry, "didn't appreciate their business practices."

And there's no need to elaborate on what that means.

[hisfathersimage]

Luke grins.

Jedi, sure, but there's part of him that remains that farm kid who just delights in things going 'boom' and the Empire going splat. "I hope you returned their regards."

[bunchofscrewups]

That grin is really something else, and infectuous. Cal returns it, with a bit of a laugh.

"Oh, yeah. We came to an agreement."

[hisfathersimage]

An elevator up and they're on their floor. The door opens ahead of them with a thought; Luke gestures Cal and Artoo in ahead of him. "I hope this agreement was heavily in your favour."

And then the door's shut and he's dropping his cloak to the floor and stepping in to kiss Cal again.

[bunchofscrewups]

He has manages to make a sound of confirmation of that fact. While the Empire's not completely gone, they've had a considerable setback, so he doesn't feel too bad about leaving them to take care of the rest. Talking about that is definitely less important than kissing Luke, so he's not about to complain about that.

BD-1 makes a noise behind him, something about leaving them alone, before he jumps down to probably inspect everything in this room.

Cal's hands come up to cup Luke's face, thumbs stroking over his cheeks as he draws him in just a tad closer. As memories are wont to do, everything had gotten more unclear as time went on, and he hadn't had anything to remember Luke by. Kissing him now feels like it's bringing things back into focus, conversations they've had and quiet moments they've shared, and he's so glad for that. Luke doesn't smell exactly the same, because evidently Duplicity doesn't smell the same as wherever he came from (should ask him about that), but he feels the same. It's perfect.

[hisfathersimage]

Artoo makes a rude noise at the humans and spins off to investigate, complaining to BD about humans doing ridiculous human things.

It's probably best, because Luke is pushing against Cal, urging him back towards whatever piece of furniture they encounter. It hasn't been that long, no, and yet... he's aware of the years echoing over the bond. The wash of memories coming back into focus, half forgotten moments brought back by a touch or a scent.

"You smell so different," Luke murmurs between kisses. "You feel different. But you're still so, you?"

[bunchofscrewups]

And here he thought a shower would be the first priority. Maybe it still is but, for now, he'll sit down on the couch that hits the back of his legs, hands clasping Luke's shoulders to bring him with.

"Mmph. Good."

Truth be told, that's another one of those worries that he'd sometimes think about. Mostly fleetingly, because he knew making assumptions wouldn't be fair to either of them, but it's difficult not to worry after so long. That he'd be so different, changed too much, for Luke's liking.

Now, it feels silly that he ever worried about that in the first place. Does love really go away so easily? From his experience, it's easy enough to hold onto.

[hisfathersimage]

Luke folds down into Cal's lap, straddling him so he can keep kissing him, talking, doing all the things that reestablish who they are together.

He leans back just to pull off his gloves, hands brushing over Cal's face and jaw. "You're all prickly," he murmurs fondly. Then he slides himself closer, chest to chest and tipping Cal's head back to kiss him slower and deeper than before.

[bunchofscrewups]

As soon as Luke's weight settles on him, he involuntarily lets out a pleased sigh, as he strokes his hands firmly down Luke's chest. Right now, he really is reminding himself of just what Luke feels like.

The 'prickly' comment startles a laugh out of him, as he moves his hands out of the way for Luke to come closer. It's fine by him, because this way he can refamiliarise himself with Luke's back, too, as heat and pleasure surges across his skin with the deeper kiss.

Even now, even just with this, he's convinced. No one he's ever slept with could compare to this man.

[hisfathersimage]

Luke is half distracted as they kiss so that he can pull off his boots with the Force and throw them aside before he's moaning softly into Cal's mouth, tongue chasing the taste of him. He's pressing into the bond just as much, his affection, his relief and desire and how damn good it feels to be here.

The real pity is that they can't kiss and talk at the same time, but they have time now. There's no sword hanging over them, the promise of being ripped away.

They can't take Cal away. There's no 'They' here.

[bunchofscrewups]

All of their conversations about the Force had really helped him when he returned. Without it, he's not sure he would have made the strides he has. Even so, he'd also forgotten just how readily Luke uses it for everything, and he feels the movement of it before he hears the sound of the boots hitting the floor. Again, a laugh escapes him, muffled into the kiss, as he buries his hand in Luke's hair and ... ruffles it a little.

Often enough, missing him would be like an ache. In a way, it's almost aching now too, though he can't really say why. Maybe just some remnants of the sensation.

[hisfathersimage]

In the last week, Luke's become worse than ever at casual Force use, the strength of being connected back to his home dimension coupled with the two years of learning and teaching he had done in Duplicity.

He grins at the laugh and it makes the kiss messier, messier than his hair as it gets ruffled up. The touch draws a soft sound of enjoyment that gets lost between their tongues.

[bunchofscrewups]

When he feels that grin against his mouth that he can't help but replicate, he's reminded of what he used to always marvel at in Duplicity. Being with Luke is always so easy. For someone who always finds it so difficult to trust people and who constantly meet people who are the exact same, usually for good reason, it's nice to have something like this.

He's so glad it still feels like this.

Rather than use the Force, he opts to toe his own boots off with his feet, as he settles his hand on the back of Luke's neck. Clearly, he's not going anywhere, but that still helps ensure he doesn't.

[hisfathersimage]

The hand just makes Luke relax a little bit, humming softly into the kiss, and the next one and the one after that. He's already using the Force to pluck at the various buckles of Cal's flight suit, his hands still stroking his cheeks and feeling the roughness along his jaw.

[bunchofscrewups]

At this point, he might have expected those hands to move on somewhere else. He'll take it that Luke likes the prickliness, but it's a little funny that he's still feeling it out.

"Really thought we were gonna shower first," he murmurs with amusement, idly massaging the back of Luke's neck.

So the smell must not be too bad.

[hisfathersimage]

Luke likes the prickliness. And touching Cal's skin, which is readily available on his face.

"Got distracted," he murmurs, but he breaks the kisses to sit up on Cal's lap. "I can move and we can go and get in the shower instead if you'd like."

[bunchofscrewups]

He hums in thought as he plays with some of the hair at the nape of Luke's neck. Would he like that? Maybe he just mostly wants to get out of these clothes.

"Nah," he says, and straightens up to kiss Luke again. "I don't mind."

[hisfathersimage]

It brings back a memory, their last night in Duplicity (his, at least) and sitting outside, bundled against the chill and Luke in Cal's lap. He moves suggestively against Cal, then they're kissing again.

"Okay. Less clothes anyway?"

[bunchofscrewups]

That move pulls a quiet sound from Cal, trapped in the back of his throat.

"Definitely."

So if Luke's done pressing himself as close as possible for the time being, Cal is going to get to work on divesting himself of this suit. They really should have done that before sitting down anywhere, but it is what it is. He'll move as little as he can.

[hisfathersimage]

It's going to be pretty difficult to get completely undressed. At least, it will be for Luke, straddling Cal as he is. He does ditch his belt and overlays and then gets his tunic open before he comes to the disappointing realisation that he does need to move away.

It comes through the link, the need to get naked, to move to do so, regret at moving away, wanting to get undressed. And then he slides back and off Cal's lap, watching his face as he finishes stripping himself down to naked.

[bunchofscrewups]

Maybe a big part of the ease of being with Luke has to do with that link. There's barely any need to talk, when they immediately know what the other one intends just with the very thought. Getting a heads up doesn't mean he likes Luke moving off him, of course, and he heaves an overdramatic sigh as he pulls a hand through his hair and follows suit. To get all this off him, he might as well stand too.

He did consider staying put to watch Luke strip, because he's beautiful and he could never get enough of watching him, but it's been far too long since they were together and he'd much rather be skin to skin quicker. So he reluctantly takes his eyes off Luke to focus on his clothes.

[hisfathersimage]

Luke is barely watching what he's doing, because he's watching Cal strip with far more interest. It's only been a week and it's a lifetime, it's Cal's lifetime and it's written on his skin and in his gaze.

There's new scars. Less than there could be, more than he likes. There's that extra bulk that comes from being mid thirties, not just before twenty and still lean and slender.

He absently steps out of his pants, shoving the piles of cloth aside with a thought and lingering for a moment. He wants to press in close again, but he needs to take a moment to look and take it in and find how much he wants Cal all over again.

"You're still gorgeous."

[bunchofscrewups]

And compliments still make him duck his head a little with a smile, as it turns out. Or maybe that's just because it's Luke saying them and he hasn't heard that in so long now. It flares in his chest like a nebula.

He quickly lifts his head again, though.

"And you're more gorgeous than I remember."