squad fic: prequel trilogy part 3

[splinteredstar]

shorter because i wanted to cut it here originally

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Kylo shoots a look over at rey and finn. "Who knows what?"

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"We explained that we weren't trained as jedi, nothing past that though." Rey says. "I mean, you kinda were, but we hadn't gotten that far."

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Mace's eyebrows go up, but obi Wan nods. He'd thought the man seemed Jedi trained

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"So very little historical context, if you're wondering." Finn adds

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Great. Kylo's entire life is historical context

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"A blow to the jedi, I suspect." Yoda says. "Something approaches, threatening us."

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Kylo snorts. "The Jedi were wiped out." A ripple of shock and disbelief echoes back and forth in the room. "The reason i know you can't defeat the sith as you are is because you couldn't then."

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Another look between the council members. They'd known it was bad, but...

"It's..." kylo drags a hand through his hair. "Fuck. Where do I even start..."

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"You could start with the Jedi being wiped out!" Vos says, half rising, until mace holds up a hand.

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"Again, that is a matter for a other time." And more alcohol, possibly. "So. The Jedi in your time were completely destroyed."

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Kylo force grabs a chair and drags it over to him, leaning on the back of it and scrubbing his face with a hand

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(Kylo trying to figure out the quickest way to explain this that will actually make sense )

heyktula

(good luck, Kylo, sweetheart. Cuz, uh, that's complicated.)

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"...mostly wiped out," Kylo corrects, looking upward. It'll be easier if he doesn't have to make eye contact, and he misses the mask suddenly. "There were a few survivors. One of them found my uncle Luke. Between them and - another survivor, Luke got, hah, maybe four months of actual training in the force. Neither of them survived long enough to teach him much more than that."

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"Grandad and uncle luke," he rubs the carvings on his arm, "they were able to defeat the sith master, end the line."

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"The sith were erased." Kylo's lips curled, just a little. "But there are more things in the galaxy than the sith."

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"And then I came around. The strongest force sensitive kid in 30 years. Mom said that every force sensitive being in the sector felt it when I was born."  Another bitter smile. "Probably true, all things considered."

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Anakin swears under his breath

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Kylo tilts his head down, his bangs covering his face. "....I first heard his voice - I don't know when. Five, maybe six years old. Someone in my head that no one else could hear, who only showed up when I was alone. He made the noise of...." a vague hand wave "everything easier to deal with, so I liked it."

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Mace's blood runs cold. Kylo feels completely honest, no indication of any falsehood in the force

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....and I think that's where I have to stop for the night. It's. Not technically a cliffhanger

heyktula

I am so proud of Kylo right now.

He is being very forthcomimg.

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It's kind of cathartic for him tbh.

Justifying why he's a fuck up to the Jedi

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He's never really - put it all in a line, ya know? Spelled it our

Out

Even Rey and poe haven't heard some of the details about the early times

heyktula

Right so in a sense, being questioned is like therapy, where you can go over everything all at once.

 

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Yeah. Plus he knows he's gonna have to be honest if the Jedi will believe him at all

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Plus like.

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This is one of the things I do

Where I don't really have - middle gears

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Either I completely clam up or ALL OF THE WORDS AT ONCE

Especially with emotional subjects

Kylo is currently on the "all of the words" setting

He's gonna be /super/ burned out afterwards tbh

Yesterday at 9:03 PM

heyktula

Yeah, the poor guy is going to be really exhausted afterwards.

 

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Okay so I don't know if it's gonna be plot relevant and tbh I don't know enough to really work her into the plot

But headfic scene that takes place sometime in the future

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Hux and Ventress have been forced to go to some thing together. Maybe she's his body guard. She is resentful of both having been forced into this and the fact that four people have assumed she and Hux are fucking

Maybe he expects to fuck her. She can't bloody /tell/

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"So you're Palpatine's new pet," she snarls at him, mock cloying. "I like men who know how to kneel."

Hux raises an eyebrow, unruffled. "What a coincidence. So do I."

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....they get along better after that

Today at 7:36 PM

heyktula

Omg, yes, I love that.

♡♡

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Okay.

So I cut off half way through a scene last time

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Jedi temple, shielded room, concerned Jedi. Kylo leaning over the back of a chair, explaining how he came to be

heyktula

Yes! *buckles up*

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"I didn't think it was dangerous" Kylo says, his hair covering his face. "It was - it was a way I could deal with the noise, without bothering anyone. Luke was trying to rebuild the Jedi and mom was trying to rebuild the galaxy and - they both taught themselves everything they knew of the force, and mom never had to be /taught/ how to shield-"

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He breaks off, shaking his head. "He... I didn't tell anyone, and they didn't notice, because - no one knew that was a thing that could happen, and by the time they realized that something was wrong...." his metal hand clenches on the back of the chair and it creaks. "By then, I trusted Snoke more than them."

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He tips his head back. He still doesn't make eye contact. Rey sends a pulse of emotion at him, warm and comforting. "I don't - I don't know, how much of it was...me and how much of it wasn't. He - he talked to me in my head but I've never known if - that was all he did. I don't know. But he was always there, always watching, always paying attention to me and telling me what I should be like." A faint, bitter smirk. "It seemed nice, at first."

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"I," and here he stutters, here he swallows, tripping over the temple, over the scent of burned flesh and Snoke crowing in his mind. "I left for him. He called me. One of the two. Everything is a bit....blurry, in those days."

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Silence for a long moment. Kylo is lost in memory, in those first few weeks, stumbling through Snoke's citadel and drowning in power. In those early, faint whispers of fear.

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"I - I couldn't leave, after that. Even if I wanted to, even if I started to think I'd gotten in too deep, that the person I trusted was using me, I - I couldn't think it, because he would hear it, and - make sure I regretted it. I couldn't doubt because he'd /know/ and - "

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Rey gives up on the force and ducks under Kylo's arm, tucking herself against his side.

heyktula

(me too, Rey. I feel so awful for Kylo right now)

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Silence. Kylo bleeds guilt into the air like an open wound in the sea.

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"But you did leave, in the end." Mace prompts.

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He - force help him, he believes the man. It lines up, it makes sense, no dissonance to indicate a falsehood

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"I tried, but he -" he gestures with his metal hand, and Mace stares at it with discomfort. He lost his arm to his dark master, Anakin had said. "It didn't work."

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"We got you out," Rey cuts in, fierce as a sandstorm. "We got you out and we killed him."

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"Yeah." Kylo shakes his head. Finally, he makes eye contact with mace, if just for a moment. "I - guess that's it. Now I'm just...trying figure out who I am without him in my head."

heyktula

*weeps quietly*

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*offers napkin?*

*tissue, rather*

heyktula

(too late, I'm already weeping into the napkin, lol)

(I'm just so proud of Kylo)

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Kylo shrugs. "That's - why I wanna help. So that - what happened to me, doesn't...happen to anyone else."

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Kylo is rapidly running out of words.

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Adi steps up, careful. "That kind of long term influence would have left... marks in your mind. I believe you," and she does, but. "But if you would allow our healers,"

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Kylo stiffens. ".....I don't. Like people rooting around in my head, now."

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"I'd be with you, if you want?" Rey says, still against his side. "If you want to try."

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"I'll...I'll think about it." Kylo says. He's curious, honestly. Mostly he's exhausted

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And I honestly don't know how to close out the scene. Some agreement on what training will look like and when

heyktula

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh yes.

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Assume that Anakin is having a lot of feels and kylo has passed out. Possibly on Rey's shoulder, until she pushes him off

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She loves him but he's huge

heyktula

That he is.

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And yes.

Training with a chunk of the Jedi.

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Mace supervising.

And now I'm out of words.

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Yoda is v suspicious

heyktula

Eeeeeeeeee, this is so interesting though.

I'm so proud of Kylo because he's come so far and he's trying so hard.

 

 

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Okay. So. Headfic

Kylo is curled up somewhere. Rey may be curled up next to him. Jedi are. Unsettled

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Let's check in on the other set, eh?

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Hux has quickly become a trusted advisor to the chancellor. It is not unusual for him to be in meetings late into the night.

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In the privacy of the chancellor's office, hux is every inch of the loyal sycophant he remembers the old officers being. He speaks of the progression of the war, and the rise of the Empire

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"Of course, my lord, there were some who were... suspicious of your growing power," hux says, carefully. He'd discussed this with Anakin, but it was still risky.

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"Hmm, of course." Palpatine says, quiet. "Do you know names?"

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Hux bows. "I do, my lord. They called themselves the agreement of 2000, and I am familiar with their attempts." A slight smile. "They were unsuccessful, of course, but if you consider them worth watching..."

heyktula

(heck yeah, Hux!)

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Or removing, but hux was sure that would not be the case.

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"Hm. Perhaps." A pause. Hux and anakin agreed on what would happen, and yet. "Chose one or two, and see if you can... become close to them. If they take your into their confidence, it will make observation easier."

Hux bows, and hides a smirk.

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It's bail Organa. It was always going to be bail.

heyktula

Yes, Bail!

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Hux is still annoyed about it.

 

 

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Hux makes an appointment with Bail Organa, now a young senator

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Bail is - suspicious of Palpatine, but it's nothing concrete. Just a few things that are too extreme, a few rules he doesn't agree with. Rumors and speculation

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Many rumors swirl around palpatine's new assistant, appearing out of no where, who does not smile and rarely speaks

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Bail smiles politely at the man sitting across from him and tries not to feel nervous

heyktula

(I love seeing the squad through other people's eyes.)

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"Hello, what can I help you with?"

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Hux's eyes flick around the room, watching the window. It's closed, thankfully

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Hux folds his hands. "Senator, this may be a difficult conversation, but I ask you to trust me." Bail feels a cold sweat down his back.

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"There are forces at play that seek to destroy the Republic and to take control over the galaxy in its place."

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Bail swallows. "Yes, the sith, correct? The Jedi are hunting them." His association with Kenobi is known, isn't it?

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"The Jedi won't be able to stop him." A new voice cuts in.

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Bail jerks in his seat and looks around. Across the desk, he sees Hux roll his eyes

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There is. A ghost standing in the room

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That's the only word for it. A man - human, or at least human-shaped - transparent and glowing blue and - faintly familiar?

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"Hiya." The ghost says, waving. "I'm from the future. And I'm dead. But the first bit is more important."

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Bail glances back to the other - living - person in the room

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Hux does not look surprised. He is glaring at the ghost with exasperation, one hand rubbing the bridge of his nose

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"I had a plan to introduce you a bit more elegantly, you know." Hux mutters. It might be the most emotion Bail has ever heard from the man.

"This was faster." The ghost says, unrepentant. Hux rolls his eyes.

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(Hux's attempt to be dramatic and impressive one-uped by the nearest Skywalker)

heyktula

I'm laughing g so hard, this is beautiful.

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Bail opens his mouth. "Um."

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Hux lets out a breath.

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"Well then. In the simplest terms possible: This is Anakin Skywalker from roughly 50 years in the future. I am likewise from that time frame. There is a threat to the Republic that, in our history, destroyed it and sent the galaxy into oppression.  We intend to protect it this time."

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Bail opens his mouth, manages "all right then?"

heyktula

Poor Bail.

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He shakes his head. He's - not sure if he believes them, but.

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"If that's the case, why me?"

Hux - smirks, and suddenly the expression is alarming.

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"You and your daughter were fundamental go the rebellion. "

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*to

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The term "rebellion" makes him nervous, makes him suspect exactly what this threat may be. If it's a trap he can't imagine what they intend to get out of it. "Yes, chancellor, I committed treason because of a message from the future".

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Then again - they haven't said so. Maybe it isn't treason. A senator should investigate a threat to the Republic.

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"First question." Bail says. "Daughter?" It's a potential hint to their honesty, or lack thereof. Breha was sterile, a fact known to very few in the royal house.

(That's not canon, but whatev)

heyktula

I love that that's what Bail focuses on.

Rebellion? Ghosts? Wait, though, we get a daughter?

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There are a lot of things focus on! And if they don't know that biological children are impossible for him...

heyktula

Riiiiight.

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Hux glances back at Anakin, eyebrow raised

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Anakin - swallows. It's odd to see in a ghost. "Adopted," he says, his voice thick. "She's - okay." His hand runs through his hair.

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Anakin - god, he can see the resemblance now - paces. "In about five years, I will - break the code, and get married." Bail raises his eyebrows. "Padme. She's... she's gonna be the senator from Naboo, soon, or currently "

Bail- can see that, actually.  Padme spoke often of the young Jedi padawan who saved her planet

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"She - the pregnancy was -" anakin pauses, and bail can read the subtext. His heart hurts a bit. "The children survived, but I - hah, I wasn't fit to father, and -" another pause, and Anakin swallows again. "You adopted my daughter. Leia Organa."

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Anakin stared into Bail's eyes for a long moment, ans bail thinks he's totally honest. "She - she adored you. You raised her better than I could have. She's amazing. I'm so grateful to you for that, I - can't even say how much."

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Bail swallows, and nods. Hux clears his throat.

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"This is much to process at once, I appreciate." Hux says, stiffly. Bail thinks he might look a bit uncomfortable

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"I'm not sure I believe you, yet." Bail concedes. "But I am willing to be convinced. Can I discuss this with my wife?"

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"Yes," Anakin says immediately. "But no one else."

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Hux huffs, but nods

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"I will set up a meeting in two weeks and provide you with a secure connection if you agree. If you disagree," and here hux smirks, and the image is still unsettling. "Well, who would believe you?"

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Anakin rolls his eyes. Bail thinks it's a solid point

And scene cut

heyktula

Eeeeeeeeee I love this.

Anakin wrecking Hux's reveal is hilarious.

Bail being open-minded about everything.

splinteredstar

It's kind of in the "too implausible to be fake" range tbh

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Also I have a lot of feels about Anakin and Bail with hypotetical Leia

Today at 5:06 PM

heyktula

Esp Anakin looking back at it with a new perspective.

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Because he's. So fucking proud of Leia, she's amazing, and he knows he had nothing to do with it

And he's grateful to bail for doing what he couldn't

And he doesn't know how to express it, the enormity of what bail has done for him.

heyktula

I don't even know how you would put that in words.

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I have a lot of feels about anakin being super proud of and super guilty for and kinda terrified of Leia

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also of note: hux being very uncomfortable with the squishy feels currently occurring between anakin and bail

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it's like "yes you love your daughter and are grateful to her father and it's all very sweet /can we move on/"

heyktula

Hux strikes me as being made uncomfortable by all feelings.

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Family feelings especially

Today at 8:02 PM

 

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