this is me begging you to go back to rule maker rule breaker like i am fully crying in bed rn you are so talented
Thank you for reading! I do still take my swings at that story every now and then, in my free time when I’m not being crushed by Life.
Attached, out of context evidence:
You smiled at him. You’d practiced.
You’d die before admitting it, but you’d practiced smiling for him since he'd left. People often commented on your smile—at best, they’d say that it was mischievous; at worst, evil. That’s not how you wanted to smile at him once he came back, but you’d never learned any other way.
You wanted to give him a smile that said: Welcome home.
It was the smile you’d practiced daily in front of the fresher mirror. It was the warm, timid smile you brandished right now. You hoped he could see it in the low light. You hoped it made him feel warm, like sinking into a hot bath or eating a freshly cooked meal. Like—well. Like coming home. That’s what this was all about. Making him feel at home.
He sighed and stepped off the stool. “Sorry. Could I…?” He looked around your cramped loft. It was funny, how he could seem so lost in such a small space. “I’m exhausted. Could I lay down somewhere?”
“Oh, I—of course. Sorry, I should’ve realized. Of course.” You grabbed his hand and guided him the staggering three steps toward your bed. Your new bed. You’d splurged on the largest, fluffiest mattress you’d been able to afford. It took up half the space of your apartment and those piece of shit Jawas had priced it like Senator Amidala herself had perished upon that thread count, but it was worth it.
For him, it was worth it.
He lay down. You lay next, facing him. He didn’t take off the helmet, and you wondered how dark it would have to get before he felt safe enough to do it. You ached to kiss him. Instead, he kept toying with something between his fingers, rolling it. You reached for his hand and found that metal ball the kid used to play with. You grabbed it and dropped it on the nightstand next to the bed.
“I can’t believe you’re back,” you whispered. “I can’t believe we can finally… begin.”
“Begin what?” he murmured.
You laughed. “Well. Our lives.”
He didn’t reply for a long moment. You assumed he’d fallen asleep. But, just in case he hadn’t, just in case he was still staring at you, you held the smile you’d practiced for him.
You held it until your face hurt.
