Darth Vader Goes to Therapy

Aftermath

It was an effort to get Vader back to his chambers, an effort to get him into his personal medical bay, and a colossal effort to get Vader to sit still while the med droid worked on fixing him.

"You look exactly like me when I was your age!!"

Luke dodged as Vader attempted to pinch his cheek again. "Yes, you told me, fifteen times now." He was working on unclasping the colorful cape from his shoulders. "Could you please sit still so I can get this off?"

"But I look weird without my cape."

Luke glanced at him. "I didn't realize you cared so much about your looks."

"I care that I look terrifying. Capes are great for that."

He wasn't wrong. "Well, this is a special type of terrifying, but I don't think in the way you want it."

"Terror is terror."

"No, believe me, there are definitely different types of terror."

Once, when he was younger, he remembered waking up early in the morning and sneaking down to the kitchen. There, he found the biggest kitchen knife his aunt had, pulled out the leftover bantha steak from the fridge, and started smacking the meat over and over again with the knife. When his aunt found him, he remembered grinning up at her with the knife in his hands and proudly asked, "Hi, Aunt Beru, want some bantha?!"

Years later, he'd always wondered how she'd managed to not freak out as she told him, "Wow, that's a really cool knife you found. Can I borrow it? It looks so interesting."

He'd handed her the knife without a second thought.

Please let this work, he pleaded to no one in particular as he made a show of looking over the cape. "You know, actually, I'd love to try that cape on. I bet, since it looks so great on you, it'll look great on me."

Vader looked him over as the med droid managed to inject something in his arm. Then, "You're too little."

Luke bit the inside of his cheek, trying not to snap at him. He'd long since grown out of being worried about his short stature, but to hear it put that way by his father...

"That's okay. Children are supposed to try on their parents clothing at least once in their life, you know."

Vader stared at him for a moment, his breathing far too loud in the echoing medical chamber.

"Really?"

Luke shrugged. "Sure."

Vader breathed loudly for a few breaths more before finally he reached up with his free hand and unclasped the cape. It dropped heavily onto the examination table.

Luke scooped it up before he could change his mind--and found it was incredibly heavy. It was as though Vader were wearing a weighted blanket rather than a cape, but he didn't hesitate to throw it around his shoulders, clasp it and try not to choke as he gestured to himself. "Well?"

He waited as Vader looked him over. He knew he looked ridiculous, but his father gave an approving nod. "It is too big, but it will suffice."

Luke let out a relieved breath. "Well, I bet black would look better on me."

"You're not wrong."

"So...I'll be right back. You just. Stay here and be good for the med droid."

Stars, it felt like he was talking to a five year old, not a Lord of the Sith, but Vader seemed too preoccupied with his melted smoothie to notice.