shine through the small cracks of your wooden hut. You shift slightly as you stir beneath the thin covers. As you sit up, the rickety cot creaks beneath your weight and you yawn, stretching out your aching muscles. No matter how long you remained on the island, you could never tire of living here. It was beautiful, especially in the early mornings. Although you were never much of a morning person before Jedi training began, it was something you needed to get accustomed to. You stand up and wander over to the trunk at the end of the cot, propping it open to dig around the mess for your training robes. Suddenly, you flinch as the ringing of a loud bell echoes over the island.

Shit, you think with a small groan, I'm already late.

Hurriedly, you tug off your night clothes and pull on your training robes. They were a wheat color and were cinched tightly at the waist by a leather utility belt. Although they could be rather uncomfortable at times, they were light and did the trick during a duel or battle. You brush your teeth as quickly as possible and practically kick open the door, rushing outside.

A familiar gentle breeze greets you. The sky was a light gray and was streaked with thick clouds blocking out the warming kiss of the sun. It seemed as though it was going to rain later on and you certainly hoped so. The island was so at ease and so peaceful when it rained. The ocean waves pound against the rocky shore as the wind batters them back and forth. Along the edges of the island, the tall green grass sways steadily and rubs together. Your feet thud against the stone steps as you rush toward the main temple. You weave through the huts, hoping to get there faster, as you manage to tame your hair, frazzled from a long night of tossing and turning, the silver hilt of your lightsaber collides rhythmically with your hip as you run. You had a tendency for tardiness and you knew that Master Luke would not be very pleased with you. One could get three strikes for being late and when those three strikes were up, one would have to scrub down the steps. How many strikes did you have? Twenty-six. Now it was going to be twenty-seven.

You skid around the corner and come to a halt in front of the doors. As your chest and shoulders heave from the room, you approach a very displeased-looking Luke Skywalker. He always stood by the doors in the morning to make sure everyone was accounted for. You waltz up to him and give him a big smile.

"Good morning, Master. Lovely weather we're having today, isn't it?" You attempt to slide past him, but he steps in front of you.

"Very nice weather indeed. However, it looks like it might rain. You might want to finish scrubbing the steps before it does." Luke gives you a wink and looks up when he hears the clatter of footsteps approaching. "Ah, and it looks like you're going to be having company. Late again?"

You look up and blink in surprise at the boy standing next to you. Ben Solo.

"S-Sorry, Uncle-" he pants, stumbling over his words as he rushes to correct himself "-I mean Master! It won't happen again."

"Just go inside," Luke gestures to the doors, out of patience.

You and Ben exchange looks.

"What?" He scoffs softly. "Don't look at me like I just showed up with a Porg on my head."

You chuckle. "Sorry, it's just... it's unlike you to be late. Especially three times and especially when the punishment is manual labor. Besides, if you keep being late then you'll be taking my job. We can't have that around here."

Ben slings his strong arm around your neck. "Butterfly, you're always going to carry that honor in my book."

You grin as his face lights up with laughter. His smile itself could brighten up any room. His dimples were deep and his dark brown eyes always glittered. His lips were full and tinted pink. He had very pale skin that somehow managed to look as smooth as porcelain, and it was littered with freckles that mirrored the stars in the night sky. Ben runs a hand through his messy black curls, clearly not having had enough time to get ready in the morning. Even as you both enter the training hall, he doesn't remove his arm from around you. Your heart flutters wildly at his touch. He was your best friend. He had been exactly that ever since you arrived on the island. Now you were nineteen and he was twenty-two. And yet... you couldn't fight away the strong feelings you kept for him.

Master Skywalker would reprimand you if he found out about it. According to him and the many rules of being a Jedi, you weren't allowed to have any emotional bonds. Especially not romantic bonds. Still, you couldn't keep your mind from wandering. You wanted to be with him, but it simply wasn't going to happen. That wouldn't keep you from your little fantasies; your master couldn't do anything to stop those.

"All right!" Skywalker's voice booms around the hall, pulling you back into reality. "Let's get started!"

~

You flinch slightly as a metal bucket filled with water drops down beside you with a dull thunk. The sudsy water sloshes around and spills onto the steps as Ben tosses his sponge into it. He crosses his arms and sighs, gazing up at the many steps winding across the entire island. There were even more running up the small mountain.

"Come on," you sigh as you get on your hands and knees. "We should get this done before it starts raining."

"Good thing I have a very experienced partner," Ben teases as he squats down to start scrubbing the step above you.

You wrinkle your nose at him. "Shut up, I haven't done it that many times."

"Sure. If you count nine as 'not that many.'" He wrings some of the water back into the bucket. "I'm sure you know the exact number of stairs."

"No," but you shift as he stares at you expectantly. Eventually you mutter, "eighty-five. Eight-five and a half if you count the broken one halfway through."

It goes quiet for a moment and though no words are spoken, you almost feel a darkness in the air around you. It presses down on the both of you like a cloud of thick smoke, causing your heart to palpitate and your lips to curve down.

"Listen..." Ben trails off. The joy from his tone suddenly disappears.

"Yeah?" You look up and furrow your brows, pausing your menial task.

He bites his lower lip. "If... If I..." he sighs, sounding defeated "...promise me you'll always be with me. No matter what happens."

"Of course," you nod, but you couldn't help but frown deeply at his request.

"Good," Ben plants a rather forced smile on his face. "Because I'm going to need someone to scrub the steps with when we're older."