"True," she said, "but her relationship with you is also good for the both of you, and he needs to understand that. You're all adults, and being a Jedi doesn't give him the right to decide who any of you can or can't have a relationship with. I had enough of my aunts trying to do that when I was younger, I'm not about to let my brother start doing it."
"And you'll find that most relationships just 'happen' in one way or another," Leia said. "True, arranged marriages can and do happen, especially among wealthier families, but actual love isn't something that can be forced or- ultimately- prevented. It has to be natural, and it's inevitably unpredictable."
The stab of dread was met with a brush of warm reassurance from her. Relationships with long odds were practically a family tradition and though the results had been... mixed, to say the least, Ben's were definitely off to a strong start, even if he couldn't see it.
Leia couldn't help but chuckle at Ben's next reaction, though. "I'm not sure how you planned to talk about relationships without coming around to this eventually," Leia said as Ben blushed redder than a Sith lightsaber. "The emotional part of a romantic relationship is important, but you can't ignore the physical part."
She listened, smiling a bit as Ben talked about both of them liking to mess up his hair; she fondly recalled Han ruffling little Ben's hair when he came in from a day's play covered in dirt and grinning unrepentantly. Then Leia would lead him off to the refresher for a bath, him babbling about his latest adventure with Poe while she listened indulgently all the way.
The way he deflated though, his shame a what had happened filtering through the Force, changed the smile to something much gentler. She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Ben," she said, "the fact that something made you uncomfortable is nothing to be ashamed of. That's part of being in a relationship; learning what your partner enjoys and what they don't. Trying to pretend that you're fine with something when you're really not just leads to problems down the line, and besides, Rey's Force-Sensitive; if you'd tried to hide it, she'd have picked up on it sooner or later, and probably would have been angry at you for hiding it."
"Trust is a big part of a relationship," she said. "Being able to share the parts of yourself that are broken and imperfect, the dark parts as well as the light. Trying to hide them just to avoid an argument is doing both yourself and your partner a disservice. Rey and Poe care about you; if something hurts you, they'll want to know so they can help."
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branchandroot
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Date: 2017-04-18 04:38 am (UTC)"And you'll find that most relationships just 'happen' in one way or another," Leia said. "True, arranged marriages can and do happen, especially among wealthier families, but actual love isn't something that can be forced or- ultimately- prevented. It has to be natural, and it's inevitably unpredictable."
The stab of dread was met with a brush of warm reassurance from her. Relationships with long odds were practically a family tradition and though the results had been... mixed, to say the least, Ben's were definitely off to a strong start, even if he couldn't see it.
Leia couldn't help but chuckle at Ben's next reaction, though. "I'm not sure how you planned to talk about relationships without coming around to this eventually," Leia said as Ben blushed redder than a Sith lightsaber. "The emotional part of a romantic relationship is important, but you can't ignore the physical part."
She listened, smiling a bit as Ben talked about both of them liking to mess up his hair; she fondly recalled Han ruffling little Ben's hair when he came in from a day's play covered in dirt and grinning unrepentantly. Then Leia would lead him off to the refresher for a bath, him babbling about his latest adventure with Poe while she listened indulgently all the way.
The way he deflated though, his shame a what had happened filtering through the Force, changed the smile to something much gentler. She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Ben," she said, "the fact that something made you uncomfortable is nothing to be ashamed of. That's part of being in a relationship; learning what your partner enjoys and what they don't. Trying to pretend that you're fine with something when you're really not just leads to problems down the line, and besides, Rey's Force-Sensitive; if you'd tried to hide it, she'd have picked up on it sooner or later, and probably would have been angry at you for hiding it."
"Trust is a big part of a relationship," she said. "Being able to share the parts of yourself that are broken and imperfect, the dark parts as well as the light. Trying to hide them just to avoid an argument is doing both yourself and your partner a disservice. Rey and Poe care about you; if something hurts you, they'll want to know so they can help."