Title: Found
Fandom: Star Wars
Pairing: Luke/Ezra
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Star Wars. It's not my toy box and I'm merely playing.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: When Luke goes to explore what's left of the Lothal temple the last thing he expects to find is a lost Jedi.
A/N: Written for ambiguously for the
raremaleslashex. Post Return of the Jedi and S4 of Rebels.
Found:
Ezra drifts. He travels with the purrgil. They show him how to travel between the places where the remains of Jedi temples decay. It’s beautiful. It’s distracting. There’s somewhere he needs to be, but there is so much to learn from the purrgil and it's easy to drift lazily with them among the stars. He knows how to travel now and so he tells himself if he's needed it will be easy to get there. Remembering where or why he might be needed becomes increasingly difficult. He drifts and he forgets. There's somewhere he needs to be.
*
It's not difficult to find the remnants of the Lothal temple. The Force there calls at Luke, as if it's promising it has things to teach him.
Lothal is beautiful. Years free of the Empire's control have allowed it to prosper. People here feel secure. They have a sense of safety that stuns Luke. It makes Luke want to relax and meditate when he finds where the temple once stood. Artoo isn't with him, but Luke knows how he would complain about Luke making himself vulnerable out in the open. He scrubs a hand through his hair and walks around slowly with his eyes on the ground just feeling, just looking for guidance.
He worries his sister and the Rebellion might need his help. They’ve mostly won and he knows there’s a plan for retaking Coruscant. Luke reminds himself that Leia would get a hold of him if she needs him. He set out to find Jedi temples and teachings with the hopes of finding a place where he could one day build a school. Luke’s only met a few force sensitive children, but he wants to be ready to help them when they want to learn. He doesn’t want anyone to feel as if they’re struggling to find guidance the way he did.
Luke stops as he realizes he’s so lost in his own concern for how his sister is and the future he’s hoping to build that he’s not seeing the place he came all this way to explore. He takes a deep slow breath and tries to refocus.
Luke doesn’t want to feel overwhelmed by the task ahead of him. He sinks to the ground. He’s going to medicate in this place that feels so rich with the Force, that feels so safe, and then he’ll explore and move forward.
Maybe he can build a school here, on Lothal, where the temple used to be?
“NO.” The word booms across Luke’s senses. It’s not just loud. There’s a bright light, a pulse of something. There’s a rush of protectiveness too. It’s overwhelming for a moment. He lets it rock him back.
He’s seen Force ghosts. He’s heard of Loth wolves. He’s stood on Dagobah with a Jedi Master. And yet Luke is certain he’s never heard of anything like this. There’s a man standing in front of him, naked and glowing. when a moment ago he’d been alone. He’s beautiful, if unkempt, with long dark hair and a full beard. His eyes are luminous for a moment before they fade into a bright blue. For as ethereal as he looks he still feels like a man to Luke. He’s protective of this place, this planet. Is he another Jedi Master that’s been in hiding? That would make sense, except for how he looks as though he’s the same age as Luke.
“No?” Luke asks.
“Leave.”
“No.
“If you build a school here the Empire will come and slaughter everyone.”
Luke tilts his head and sighs through his nose. “Who are you?”
“Ezra Bridger. Who are you?”
“You’re Ezra Bridger?” Luke’s eyes widen. “I’ve met your family. Sabine helped me learn how to use my lightsaber and Hera answered so many questions.”
He stands up and brushes off his pants, then grabs the bag that he packed his clothes in.
“You’re lucky I was planning on traveling for awhile,” Luke continues as he takes out a shirt and pants, then holds them out to Ezra.
Ezra frowns down at the clothes. Then he looks down at himself and yelps, “Where are my clothes?”
He notices his hair next, pulls it forward to stare at it with wide eyes. Luke presses the clothes against Ezra’s chest, then takes one of Ezra’s hands gently and guides it to his beard. Ezra’s eyes go wide. “Karabast, how long have I been gone?”
Luke bites his lip. How does he tell Ezra it’s been years?
“We won the war,” he offers.
“We?” Ezra asks, eyebrows going up, voice suspicious, even as he takes the clothes.
“The Rebellion. The Empire lost.”
Ezra closes his eyes and rocks back on his heels. Then he shakes his head and puts on the clothes, before he points out, “You didn’t actually tell me who you are.”
“I’m Luke Skywalker.”
“Skywalker,” Ezra repeats frowning. “I used to have a holocron where some of the lessons were an Anakin Skywalker teaching different lightsaber forms.”
“He was my father,” Luke says.
Ezra grabs his hands and squeezes, “Have you met Ahsoka or Rex?”
“Yes, they’re looking for you actually. Sabine is with them.”
“What?”
“We won, the war is mostly over.”
Ezra frowns and leans in close. “I thought we won. Is the war over or not?”
“There are still remnants of the Empire and they still have Coruscant, but we have won. The Emperor is dead.”
Ezra’s eyes are really blue and the hope Luke sees there makes him want to tell Ezra everything. It takes effort not to let the words just start spilling from his mouth.
“Vader?” Ezra asks.
“He’s the one who killed the Emperor. He wanted to be good in the end. He...he died killing the Emperor,” Luke tells him, holding back the truth. He’s promised Leia. They’ve decided not to tell anyone who Vader really was, but standing here with Ezra leaning close Luke wants to tell him, wants someone other than him and Leia to know that Vader died saving his life, that he wanted to be Anakin Skywalker again.
“Is…” Ezra starts, then pauses and squeezes Luke’s hands again, before he’s tilting his head back. Luke looks up, following his gaze. There’s something massive there. Luke can’t see it, but he can feel how far away it is, just past the atmosphere and practically in orbit. It’s...It’s something alive and it’s mentally connected to Ezra. Luke stares at Ezra. Ezra’s face is upturned and there’s a smile playing at the corner of his lips as he communicates with whatever that creature is...and then the creature is gone. Ezra’s knees buckle as the connection disappears and Luke grabs him, uses his own body to support Ezra’s weight as Ezra attempts to regain his balance. Together they change tactics and ease slowly to the ground.
“I’ve got you,” Luke reassures.
“It’s been awhile since it was just me in my own head,” Ezra manages, clinging to him.
Luke rubs his back, then reaches out mentally and offers. Ezra sucks in a breath and tilts his head to stare up at him. Then Ezra is leaning in, pressing their foreheads together as he cups Luke’s face. “Are you sure?”
Luke nods.
Their eyes meet.
Ezra wets his lips and insists, “Really sure?”
“Yes. I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t…”
Oh. Luke’s eyes widen as he feels Ezra reach back. They connect. He can feel Ezra. They breathe in tandem. The wash of relief at not being alone in his own head isn’t his emotion, but Luke feels it run through him all the same. They breathe out. Purrgil. Ezra’s been traveling with the purrgil. The purrgil didn’t leave Ezra on the Chimera after they dumped it on a planet in Wild Space. Ezra knows how to travel like the purrgil do, he knows the locations of Jedi Temples that Luke didn’t even know existed until this moment. They breathe in. Luke feels Ezra shift carefully through his memories. There’s a question in it and Luke lets him in, lets him see. For a moment it’s a confusing tumble of information as Ezra asks questions, offers commentary, and is sympathetic.
Then Ezra laughs and Luke settles back into himself. Their eyes meet. They’re foreheads are still pressing close. They’re still breathing together.
“You’re attracted to me,” Ezra teases, sounding delighted.
“You were naked,” Luke reminds, even as he can feel Ezra’s attraction to him.
Ezra pushes Luke onto his back. Then they’re kissing. It’s a rush of want and sensation...and Ezra backs away. “That’s…”
“Intense,” Luke supplies. Ezra nods before pressing a kiss to the corner of Luke’s mouth. Luke wants to lean in, wants to kiss again, but maybe slowly this time. As Ezra’s lips graze his again Luke sorts through the memories from Ezra again. “When was the last time you ate?”
“What?” Ezra asks, sitting back.
“Food Ezra, when was the last time you ate something?” The nearest farm is far. The nearest town is even farther. Lando says he has property here and Luke’s welcome to stay there if he needs to, but that’s far away too. He really doesn’t need Ezra to collapse.
Ezra sits back in the dirt and brush, frowning as he contemplates the question. Luke shifts up onto his elbows and studies him.
“It’s been...I did eat,” Ezra insists. “Learning was just more important. You’re right, I think I’m hungry.”
Luke sits up and finds his bag, then hands Ezra a ration bar.
“Thanks,” Ezra says wryly.
Luke smiles. “Eat. I’m going to set up camp and then we can make something.”
Ezra nods, before his gaze goes past Luke, as if he’s really seeing where he is for the first time. “You can’t build a school here.”
Luke pauses, eyebrows raising. “I don’t even know how to teach yet or if there will be students.”
“There will be, but it can’t be here.”
There are suddenly so many questions Luke wants to ask, but he can feel the certainty in Ezra’s words, the protectiveness for this place. Luke sighs. “Eat. We have to figure out how to let Ahsoka, Rex, and Sabine know they don’t need to keep searching for you. We have to figure out how to let your family know you’re here. That’ll come first. And I think that there are a lot of Jedi Temples to explore before I try to settle into teaching.”
“Before either of us settles into teaching,” Ezra adds as he opens the ration bar and takes a bite.
Luke nods and smiles. He brushes a kiss against the side of Ezra’s head and then tries to find where he set his camping gear. He feels less lost now that there’s a clear path forward.
Fandom: Star Wars
Pairing: Luke/Ezra
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Star Wars. It's not my toy box and I'm merely playing.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: When Luke goes to explore what's left of the Lothal temple the last thing he expects to find is a lost Jedi.
A/N: Written for ambiguously for the
Found:
Ezra drifts. He travels with the purrgil. They show him how to travel between the places where the remains of Jedi temples decay. It’s beautiful. It’s distracting. There’s somewhere he needs to be, but there is so much to learn from the purrgil and it's easy to drift lazily with them among the stars. He knows how to travel now and so he tells himself if he's needed it will be easy to get there. Remembering where or why he might be needed becomes increasingly difficult. He drifts and he forgets. There's somewhere he needs to be.
*
It's not difficult to find the remnants of the Lothal temple. The Force there calls at Luke, as if it's promising it has things to teach him.
Lothal is beautiful. Years free of the Empire's control have allowed it to prosper. People here feel secure. They have a sense of safety that stuns Luke. It makes Luke want to relax and meditate when he finds where the temple once stood. Artoo isn't with him, but Luke knows how he would complain about Luke making himself vulnerable out in the open. He scrubs a hand through his hair and walks around slowly with his eyes on the ground just feeling, just looking for guidance.
He worries his sister and the Rebellion might need his help. They’ve mostly won and he knows there’s a plan for retaking Coruscant. Luke reminds himself that Leia would get a hold of him if she needs him. He set out to find Jedi temples and teachings with the hopes of finding a place where he could one day build a school. Luke’s only met a few force sensitive children, but he wants to be ready to help them when they want to learn. He doesn’t want anyone to feel as if they’re struggling to find guidance the way he did.
Luke stops as he realizes he’s so lost in his own concern for how his sister is and the future he’s hoping to build that he’s not seeing the place he came all this way to explore. He takes a deep slow breath and tries to refocus.
Luke doesn’t want to feel overwhelmed by the task ahead of him. He sinks to the ground. He’s going to medicate in this place that feels so rich with the Force, that feels so safe, and then he’ll explore and move forward.
Maybe he can build a school here, on Lothal, where the temple used to be?
“NO.” The word booms across Luke’s senses. It’s not just loud. There’s a bright light, a pulse of something. There’s a rush of protectiveness too. It’s overwhelming for a moment. He lets it rock him back.
He’s seen Force ghosts. He’s heard of Loth wolves. He’s stood on Dagobah with a Jedi Master. And yet Luke is certain he’s never heard of anything like this. There’s a man standing in front of him, naked and glowing. when a moment ago he’d been alone. He’s beautiful, if unkempt, with long dark hair and a full beard. His eyes are luminous for a moment before they fade into a bright blue. For as ethereal as he looks he still feels like a man to Luke. He’s protective of this place, this planet. Is he another Jedi Master that’s been in hiding? That would make sense, except for how he looks as though he’s the same age as Luke.
“No?” Luke asks.
“Leave.”
“No.
“If you build a school here the Empire will come and slaughter everyone.”
Luke tilts his head and sighs through his nose. “Who are you?”
“Ezra Bridger. Who are you?”
“You’re Ezra Bridger?” Luke’s eyes widen. “I’ve met your family. Sabine helped me learn how to use my lightsaber and Hera answered so many questions.”
He stands up and brushes off his pants, then grabs the bag that he packed his clothes in.
“You’re lucky I was planning on traveling for awhile,” Luke continues as he takes out a shirt and pants, then holds them out to Ezra.
Ezra frowns down at the clothes. Then he looks down at himself and yelps, “Where are my clothes?”
He notices his hair next, pulls it forward to stare at it with wide eyes. Luke presses the clothes against Ezra’s chest, then takes one of Ezra’s hands gently and guides it to his beard. Ezra’s eyes go wide. “Karabast, how long have I been gone?”
Luke bites his lip. How does he tell Ezra it’s been years?
“We won the war,” he offers.
“We?” Ezra asks, eyebrows going up, voice suspicious, even as he takes the clothes.
“The Rebellion. The Empire lost.”
Ezra closes his eyes and rocks back on his heels. Then he shakes his head and puts on the clothes, before he points out, “You didn’t actually tell me who you are.”
“I’m Luke Skywalker.”
“Skywalker,” Ezra repeats frowning. “I used to have a holocron where some of the lessons were an Anakin Skywalker teaching different lightsaber forms.”
“He was my father,” Luke says.
Ezra grabs his hands and squeezes, “Have you met Ahsoka or Rex?”
“Yes, they’re looking for you actually. Sabine is with them.”
“What?”
“We won, the war is mostly over.”
Ezra frowns and leans in close. “I thought we won. Is the war over or not?”
“There are still remnants of the Empire and they still have Coruscant, but we have won. The Emperor is dead.”
Ezra’s eyes are really blue and the hope Luke sees there makes him want to tell Ezra everything. It takes effort not to let the words just start spilling from his mouth.
“Vader?” Ezra asks.
“He’s the one who killed the Emperor. He wanted to be good in the end. He...he died killing the Emperor,” Luke tells him, holding back the truth. He’s promised Leia. They’ve decided not to tell anyone who Vader really was, but standing here with Ezra leaning close Luke wants to tell him, wants someone other than him and Leia to know that Vader died saving his life, that he wanted to be Anakin Skywalker again.
“Is…” Ezra starts, then pauses and squeezes Luke’s hands again, before he’s tilting his head back. Luke looks up, following his gaze. There’s something massive there. Luke can’t see it, but he can feel how far away it is, just past the atmosphere and practically in orbit. It’s...It’s something alive and it’s mentally connected to Ezra. Luke stares at Ezra. Ezra’s face is upturned and there’s a smile playing at the corner of his lips as he communicates with whatever that creature is...and then the creature is gone. Ezra’s knees buckle as the connection disappears and Luke grabs him, uses his own body to support Ezra’s weight as Ezra attempts to regain his balance. Together they change tactics and ease slowly to the ground.
“I’ve got you,” Luke reassures.
“It’s been awhile since it was just me in my own head,” Ezra manages, clinging to him.
Luke rubs his back, then reaches out mentally and offers. Ezra sucks in a breath and tilts his head to stare up at him. Then Ezra is leaning in, pressing their foreheads together as he cups Luke’s face. “Are you sure?”
Luke nods.
Their eyes meet.
Ezra wets his lips and insists, “Really sure?”
“Yes. I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t…”
Oh. Luke’s eyes widen as he feels Ezra reach back. They connect. He can feel Ezra. They breathe in tandem. The wash of relief at not being alone in his own head isn’t his emotion, but Luke feels it run through him all the same. They breathe out. Purrgil. Ezra’s been traveling with the purrgil. The purrgil didn’t leave Ezra on the Chimera after they dumped it on a planet in Wild Space. Ezra knows how to travel like the purrgil do, he knows the locations of Jedi Temples that Luke didn’t even know existed until this moment. They breathe in. Luke feels Ezra shift carefully through his memories. There’s a question in it and Luke lets him in, lets him see. For a moment it’s a confusing tumble of information as Ezra asks questions, offers commentary, and is sympathetic.
Then Ezra laughs and Luke settles back into himself. Their eyes meet. They’re foreheads are still pressing close. They’re still breathing together.
“You’re attracted to me,” Ezra teases, sounding delighted.
“You were naked,” Luke reminds, even as he can feel Ezra’s attraction to him.
Ezra pushes Luke onto his back. Then they’re kissing. It’s a rush of want and sensation...and Ezra backs away. “That’s…”
“Intense,” Luke supplies. Ezra nods before pressing a kiss to the corner of Luke’s mouth. Luke wants to lean in, wants to kiss again, but maybe slowly this time. As Ezra’s lips graze his again Luke sorts through the memories from Ezra again. “When was the last time you ate?”
“What?” Ezra asks, sitting back.
“Food Ezra, when was the last time you ate something?” The nearest farm is far. The nearest town is even farther. Lando says he has property here and Luke’s welcome to stay there if he needs to, but that’s far away too. He really doesn’t need Ezra to collapse.
Ezra sits back in the dirt and brush, frowning as he contemplates the question. Luke shifts up onto his elbows and studies him.
“It’s been...I did eat,” Ezra insists. “Learning was just more important. You’re right, I think I’m hungry.”
Luke sits up and finds his bag, then hands Ezra a ration bar.
“Thanks,” Ezra says wryly.
Luke smiles. “Eat. I’m going to set up camp and then we can make something.”
Ezra nods, before his gaze goes past Luke, as if he’s really seeing where he is for the first time. “You can’t build a school here.”
Luke pauses, eyebrows raising. “I don’t even know how to teach yet or if there will be students.”
“There will be, but it can’t be here.”
There are suddenly so many questions Luke wants to ask, but he can feel the certainty in Ezra’s words, the protectiveness for this place. Luke sighs. “Eat. We have to figure out how to let Ahsoka, Rex, and Sabine know they don’t need to keep searching for you. We have to figure out how to let your family know you’re here. That’ll come first. And I think that there are a lot of Jedi Temples to explore before I try to settle into teaching.”
“Before either of us settles into teaching,” Ezra adds as he opens the ration bar and takes a bite.
Luke nods and smiles. He brushes a kiss against the side of Ezra’s head and then tries to find where he set his camping gear. He feels less lost now that there’s a clear path forward.