NOVEL WEB C8 Music!
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The next morning, Peter rose early, eager to tackle the challenge of fixing his Walkman. Long before classes began, he sought out droids, asking every single one he passed if they knew where he can get some tools to fix his device, and it didn't take long for one of them to escort him to just the place he was looking for.
In a storage room, which was actually fairly close to his bedroom, Peter found himself surrounded by an array of peculiar devices. And sadly, the droid ran off to fulfill its daily duties, leaving Peter surrounded by unfamiliar equipment.
Sitting on the cold floor, Peter examined the tools, his lack of knowledge evident. He sighed in frustration, but determination sparked in his eyes as he began testing each tool, attempting to decipher their functions.
Soon enough, he found a cylindrical device in hand, which he was fairly certain would act as a screwdriver. 'Here goes nothing…' Peter thought as he stared down at his treasured Walkman.
As Peter was about to press the button on the side of the foreign tool, the door suddenly swung open, revealing the small, azure-skinned figure of Aayla Secura. Holding spare parts in her tiny hands, she froze at the sight of Peter, though her gaze soon fell on the device in his hand.
Aayla, recognizing the cylindrical device in Peter's hand, urgently shouted, "Wait! Stop!"
Pausing, Peter looked at her with confusion, prompting Aayla to drop her spare parts and rush over to him. She swiftly snatched the tool from his hand and questioned, "Do you know what this is?"
Shrugging, Peter admitted his ignorance. Aayla, holding up the tool, explained, "You old idiot! This will fry anything it comes into contact with. It's made for ships, not handheld devices…" She said, gesturing to his precious Walkman.
Alarmed by the revelation, Peter's frustration intensified. 'Why does all of this have to be so complicated…' He thought as he felt his emotions run wild again, especially his self hatred, as he almost destroyed his mother's Walkman.
Instantly, Aayla took a step back as she sensed his hatred spreading throughout the force, radiating from his very being. "A-Are you okay, Peter?" She stuttered, clearly frightened.
Hearing Aayla's scared voice, Peter froze for a moment and looked up, his eyes shining a dull yellow as he saw the little girl before him cowering in fear. "Oh, sh*t…" he muttered as he took in some slow breaths and began to meditate, wrestling his emotions until they were under control.
'Why does this keep happening to me?' Peter wondered as the hatred which filled the room slowly retracted back in Peter's body.
This has been bothering Peter ever since his first outburst. It confused him how he could have such horrible control over his emotions. After all, he used to be an adult in his past life, and on top of that he was a fisherman. Patience was his greatest ally.
'But why can't I just stay calm?' Peter thought, his mind wandering in and out of meditation.
Aayla watched him meditate, calming rapidly as well, but still a bit frightened of Peter. As she stood rooted to the ground, she couldn't help but wonder, 'Is he a Sith?'
Meanwhile, Peter's mind raced for answers once again. And he could only think of two reasons as to why this was happening.
First, he is a child now, which means he has a child's brain that is susceptible to higher emotions and lashing out. But that doesn't explain why he can meditate so well, or why his outbursts seem so strong. 'Am I stronger in the force than they're telling me? Wait… they never told me what my midichlorian count was…'
Taking these thoughts and stuffing them away for later, Peter thought of the very likely second possibility. And that's his race, a half Celestial, due to his evil, soon-to-be dead father. 'Maybe Celestials have a higher rate of emotional outbursts during childhood and puberty?'
Either way, he needed to get his emotions under control, or else someone might… 'Wait, Aayla saw it…'
Opening his eyes after reigning himself under control, Peter cast a regretful gaze around the workshop. The weight of his inexperience bore heavily on him, a stark contrast to the confident Star-Lord that his comic book counterpart portrayed.
Aayla, seeing that Peter was awake now, looked him up and down as she kept her distance. "…"
"I'm sorry about-" Peter tried to speak, but Aayla quickly interrupted him.
"Are you a Sith?" Aayla's innocent yet probing inquiry hung in the air. Peter, sensing the unease, quickly shook his head, denying any affiliation with the dark side. He explained, "No, I'm not a Sith. I just... have trouble controlling my emotions sometimes."
The atmosphere in the storage room crackled with tension as Aayla, her wide eyes still reflecting fear and suspicion, questioned Peter's allegiance to the light side of the Force.
Aayla, though still wary, listened as Peter continued, revealing the source of his struggles. He showed her the Walkman, explaining its significance, "My mom gave me this, and I've been trying to fix it, but I keep making matters worse…"
"What is it?" She asks, leaning over to take a look, clearly a lot less scared than she was before.
"It plays music…" Peter revealed as he smiled down at his most prized possession.
Upon hearing about the device, Aayla's eyes lit up with excitement. However, her enthusiasm waned as she cautioned Peter to keep it hidden. "We're allowed to study music, because it's technically an art, but we can't listen to it just for fun," she warned, a glimpse of rebellion shining through her childlike demeanor.
Smiling, Peter sensed a kindred spirit in Aayla, someone who didn't strictly adhere to the Jedi rules. He appreciated the shared secret and the understanding gaze that passed between them.
Aayla, seemingly more open now, suggested, "You should tell Master Yoda about what happened. He can help."
Peter, however, hesitated, fearful of the potential consequences of revealing his struggle with the dark side. He nodded his head, feigning agreement. "Yeah, I'll talk to Yoda about it."
Aayla, displaying an innocence matching her age , offered, "I can tell him if you want."
Peter, not willing to risk exposure, firmly shook his head. "No, no, I got it. I'll talk to Yoda. You don't have to worry about it."
Believing Peter's false assurance, Aayla's eyes softened with trust. Peter, seeing that he convinced her, smiled and apologized, "I'm sorry for scaring you like that." He said as he thought. '…and lying to you, but I really don't want to die, so you'll have to forgive me kid.'
"It's okay… just try not to do it again…" She replies, smiling innocently.
Peter then requested, "Can we keep this between us? I really don't want the other kids and teachers to find out about this…"
Aayla, torn between the Jedi code and her newfound connection with Peter, seemed conflicted. However, Peter, glancing at the scattered scraps on the floor, made a shrewd guess. "I won't tell anyone about your little secret either," he added, hoping he was correct.
Instantly, Aayla's eyes widened, and a hint of guilt flashed across her face. Peter's intuition proved right, Aayla was hiding something with those scraps. The unspoken agreement between them solidified as Aayla nodded, promising to keep their shared secrets safe.
The room, once filled with tension, now held a silent understanding between them. Peter, feeling bad for lying to an innocent kid like this, decided then and there. 'I'll look after Aayla and make sure she doesn't die prematurely, like she did in the movies…'
Of course, there was another side to this act of goodwill, a much more selfish and paranoid side. After today, Peter now knew that he had to keep Aayla close, so that she wouldn't accidentally blab his secrets to the world.
Though he didn't mind doing this. After all, Aayla would become strong and wise enough to sit on the Jedi Council. Having her as a companion shouldn't be a loss for him.
…
As Peter prepared to leave the storage room and get ready for breakfast, Aayla's innocent curiosity bubbled up, and she asked, "Can I take a look at your music device?" She really wanted to listen to the music from Peter's world.
Peter, apprehensive to hand over his fragile and precious Walkman, hesitated. However, Aayla's excitement and persuasive charm soon convinced him. "Look, I've been playing… *cough* I mean, studying electronics for over a year now. I might be able to fix it…"
Reluctantly, he handed over the device, cautioning her to be careful. "Please don't break it anymore than it already is…"
Aayla, surprisingly adept with technology, delved into the inner workings of the Walkman. She swiftly used tools and spare parts from the storage closet, demonstrating a level of skill that caught Peter off guard.
He watched in amazement as she fixed the device with ease, making Peter wonder if he was technologically illiterate or not…
Once the repairs were complete, Aayla held out the Walkman toward Peter, a triumphant smile on her face. "It's fixed!" she exclaimed, the pride evident as she stuck out her chest, hands on her hips.
Taking back the Walkman, Peter inserted one of his cassette tapes and hit play, scrambling to put on his headphones. Instantly, the familiar melodies of his and his mother's favorite songs enveloped him.
🚨Play Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Swede🚨(A/N: Listen to the one from Guardians of the Galaxy. Because I don't know if they edited it for the movie.)
🎶Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga🎶
🎶Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga🎶
🎶Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga🎶
🎶Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga🎶
🎶I can't stop this feeling🎶
🎶Deep inside of me🎶
🎶Girl, you just don't realize🎶
🎶What you do to me🎶
🎶When you hold me🎶
🎶In your arms so tight🎶
🎶You let me know🎶
🎶Everything's all right🎶
🎶I-I-I-I-I'm hooked on a feeling🎶
🎶I'm high on believing🎶
🎶That you're in love with me🎶
🎶Lips as sweet as candy🎶
🎶Its taste is on my mind🎶
🎶Girl, you got me thirsty🎶
🎶For another cup of wine🎶
🎶Got a bug from you, girl🎶
🎶But I don't need no cure🎶
🎶I just stay a victim🎶
🎶If I can for sure🎶
🎶All the good love when we're all alone🎶
🎶Keep it up, girl🎶
🎶Yeah, you turn me on🎶
🎶I-I-I-I-I'm hooked on a feeling🎶
🎶I'm high on believing🎶
🎶That you're in love with me🎶
As the music played, Peter's emotions surged, but this time, it was pure happiness radiating off him.
Aayla, sensing the change, felt nothing but positivity emanating from Peter. Surprised by the transformation, Peter seemed to enter a meditative state, hovering above the ground as the music played.
🎶All the good love when we're all alone🎶
🎶Keep it up, girl🎶
🎶Yeah, you turn me on🎶
🎶I-I-I-I-I'm hooked on a feeling🎶
🎶I'm high on believing🎶
🎶That you're in love with me🎶
🎶I'm hooked on a feeling🎶
🎶And I'm high on believing🎶
🎶That you're in love with me🎶
🎶I said I'm hooked on a feeling🎶
🎶And I'm high on believing🎶
🎶That you're in love with me…🎶
…
In this moment, Aayla observed Peter with a mix of fascination and awe. The contrast from earlier, where his emotions had spiraled out of control, was striking. The power of the music seemed to bring peace to Peter's turbulent emotions.
As the last notes of the song faded away, Peter slowly descended to the ground, a serene expression on his face. Aayla, still staring in shock, stuttered. "T-That was beautiful. I've never felt anything like that before," she admitted.
Of course, she wasn't talking about the music, as she could barely hear it, but the experience of feeling Peter's light side emotions, which were just as overwhelming as his dark side, just in a much more wonderful way.
Peter, misinterpreting her words, grinned. "It's a mix of rock and pop from my home world. They're all my mom's favorite songs…"
Aayla, entranced, asked, "Can you play more? I'd love to hear it." She asked hoping to feel his emotions once again.
Peter wanted to agree, but one look at the clock told him that they had to leave for class. "Maybe later…"
A/N: 2048 words :) 🚨Patréon Link🚨