drabblewriter

“How you doing?” Luke asks.

Wedge rolls his head to look at him, face set in a scowl. “I'm grounded. How do you think I'm doing?”

Luke holds back a smile as he sits beside him. “You're pretty cute when you're annoyed, you know.”

Usually something like that would bring the most adorable blush to Wedge's cheeks, but now his scowl just deepens as he pushes himself up on his elbows. “I just can't believe Narra chewed me out for going outside mission parameters in order to save your life. Not to toot my own horn, but – you know?” He flings out an arm in a frustrated gesture, seeming to run out of words.

Luke pats his leg. “I may be a little close to the situation to comment, but I think you did the right thing. Narra probably agrees, too, underneath everything, but he has to be the commander. He needs to make sure you're doing what you're supposed to out there and keeping yourself and everyone else alive, too.”

Wedge huffs and flops wordlessly back onto the mattress.

“Besides,” Luke goes on, “I wouldn't worry too much about it. My aunt used to say she didn't know the key to happiness, but the key to failure was trying to please everybody.” He smiles, remembering the words so clearly. “And, besides, it's only for a week. Be a good little soldier and do your extra work, and he might even let you off the hook early.”

“And next time it happens?”

“I'll be more careful next time, and you won't have to worry.”

Wedge snorts.

“Or maybe we'll be having this conversation in reverse.”

“Sure. Or maybe someday I'll be the one in command and conversations like this won't have to happen to all.”

Luke grins. “I wanna be around to see that.”