shortforastxrmtrooper:
As soon as Luke stepped through the door of the mayor’s office, he’d pretty much forgotten why he was even there, too taken aback by the fact that he was here and had managed to bypass the supervision of his aunt and uncle to do it. He supposed he had John to thank for that. Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen had been prettttty skeptical when they heard that Luke was going to be chilling with one of the world’s richest business heirs (a lie but at least he had their permission for when he was actually going to see John), but he’d guilt tripped them by pleading and whining and saying he basically had no friends now that Biggs had went off to flight school and left him to milk cows and feed chickens. It was kinda below the belt and Luke shouldn’t have been able to lie to his guardians so easily, but being able to get out of Cherry Grove for at least a little while was like a breath of fresh air.
He half-wanted to divert his course and go straight for the nearest hot dog cart then skulk around Central Park and see what the big deal was - for a native New Yorker, he’d never spent more than an hour in the city and that had always been under the watchful eye of his aunt and uncle.
But he’d promised Leia he’d come and meet her (linking up with a stranger from the internet - smart, Luke) and she was doing him a favor so he figured he should probably pull through on his promise. Plus, the idea of actually having a job that didn’t leave the smell of manure clinging to him no matter how much he showered, was too good an opportunity to pass up. Inconspicuously he sniffed at the hoody he wore, just to make sure he didn’t stink of farm before walking towards the receptionist’s desk.
“I’m here to see Leia Organa,” he smiled.
The women behind the desk peered up at him from behind her bifocals and gave him a scrutinising up-and-down. The way her face settled into an unhappy expression hinted that this might not be as easy for Luke as he thought it would be. It’s not like 20-year-old kids in ratty hoodies and and taped up Converse were the normal sort of foot traffic in an office as swanky as this. Luke stared back at the woman, holding her gaze with a look of total innocence until she eventually sighed and rolled her eyes.
“I’ll call down for her,” she drawled eventually, like it was some major task for her to do.
“Tell her it’s Luke! She knows I’m coming!” he insisted as she dialed a number on her phone then passed the message along to whoever was on the other side. Luke peered around him as she did, hands clasped behind his back, then brought his gaze back to the woman as she hung up and told him he could wait over in the seating area. Her tone made it clear she’d rather he sit outside until Leia made an appearance, so Luke nodded as politely as he could then shuffled over to the plush cream leather sofas before she changed her mind.
He lifted up magazines where Mayor Organa’s face stared back at him. Luke couldn’t decide whether he looked intimidating for not, but as far as he’d heard, the dude seemed like a nice guy. Dropping the magazine back on the table, Luke trailed a finger over a nice little ornament of a woman doing some sort of ballet pose. He traced up her arm, the porcelain smooth under his callused fingertip, until he reached her hand where it promptly snapped and fell off.
“Shit!” he hissed then clamped his lips together. His head snapped over his shoulder towards the receptionist desk but the crabby lady was too engrossed in whatever was on her computer screen to pay attention to his outburst. Swiveling back around, he repeatedly jabbed the hand of the ornament against where it had fell off, hoping that the action would miraculously have the same affect as extra-strength superglue. To no avail. Naturally.
When he heard someone call his name from behind him, he stiffened then quickly turned, the hand clutching the miniature porcelain one remaining firmly behind his back as he grinned manically at the brunette in front of him, stepping in front of the ornament to block it from view.
“Hey! Leia! …Hey!” he choked out.
“...And I promise, I’ll show him around and explain everything, you won’t even have to interrupt Mr Jabba from his very busy schedule-” of eating chips and day dreaming about the female interns as he licked his fat, greasy fingers “I’ll cover everything, pops!” Leia opened her eyes wide, using the pleading expression that had always got her an extra scoop of ice cream with her pie at the dinner table - her mom liked to call it her final negotiating chip and it almost always worked.
Her father carefully folded his glasses, fixing her with a stern look. “You’ll take full responsibility if he doesn’t work out?” At her eager nod, he added; “And there’s no... funny business going on here? I’m not bringing someone on just because you think he’s... what’re you kids calling it these days? Hench?”
Leia shuddered dramatically, cringing at her dad’s embarrassing lingo as well as the implication she might fancy Luke. From the get go, she’d felt like they had the potential to get along swimmingly and he was cute - in a lost puppy sort of way. But the idea of anything more than a friendship made her feel a little uneasy for some reason. Not that it mattered - she was far too busy with school and helping at the offices for a relationship, and she was fairly sure she wasn’t Luke’s type for several reasons - two major ones being her breasts.
“Daddy, please.” She sighed, although there was no bite to it. Her father cracked, the corners of his eyes wrinkling as he smiled.
“All right, kiddo.” He shuffled some papers, beginning to get ready for his next meeting. “I’ll bring him on if I get a kiss before you go.”
After pecking her father gratefully on the head as she passed by his seat and leaving the office to find Luke was waiting for her, she headed down the in the fancy elevator that had fascinated her when she was young and her parents had brought her to the mayor’s office for the first time. When her father had taken over in the last set of elections, they hadn’t changed much of the decor since it had a lot of historical significance, but their personal touches were here and there, although anyone not close to the Organa family probably wouldn’t spot them.
Knowing not to bother the snappy receptionist, Leia simply walked into the waiting area and called for Luke. A guy about her age with sandy brown hair whirled around like she’d shot at him, a look of panic registering over his face before he began - repeatedly - greeting her. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting really, just that-
“You’re shorter than I thought you’d be.” He was about her height, and since she was about average for a woman it was unusual to meet a man smaller than her - although she knew just how to bring them down to size with a sharp round of words if she had to. Realising that could be kind of rude, even though she was really just thinking out loud, she shrugged. “You know, with all the... farming.”
She noticed him uneasily shifting with his hand behind his back and raised her eyebrows. After glancing over her shoulder at their resident grumpy receptionist to check she wasn’t in earshot, she smiled widely at Luke. “Okay, what have you broken?” She asked jokingly. When he didn’t immediately answer, the smile started to slide from her face. “Wait, you... you haven’t actually broken something, have you?”
