In which Anakin gets attacked, rejected and shouted at… In that order, yes
Prologue or two conversations Anakin didn't really want to have
Anakin's face was covered with blood. He looked furious, but his dark expression was mitigated by the childish pout of his lips.
Obi-Wan smiled condescendingly, secretly amused by how young his pupil still was. Anakin's nose wouldn't stop bleeding, but it didn't seem to be broken; which was a good thing as the boy had categorically refused any kind of medical help. Too embarrassed to tell a stranger what had happened to him –Obi-Wan suspected.
"She hit you with a tree branch, uh?" asked Obi-Wan trying to sound professional –and failing miserably. Anakin threw him a dirty look, and Obi-Wan had to lower his gaze. The older man knew that he should be feeling sorry for Anakin, but the entire situation was too humorous. Anakin getting attacked with a tree branch; there really was a first time for everything.
"She left a little scratch here on your eyebrow, too" considered Obi-Wan, pointing at his right eye "You should get this checked, it's deep enough to leave a scar…"
Anakin made a dismissing gesture with his hand. He would rather die slowly and painfully than admit it aloud, but he was pretty sure a scar would look almost good on him; he was much more worried about his nose. He had already broken it twice and knew that a third one could be fatal. He just wanted Obi-Wan to say that his look wouldn't be ruined forever, but Obi-Wan was being his annoying self and trying not to laugh in his face.
"Here you go" he said, handing Anakin a wet tissue, sounding happier than he had intended. The boy glared at him, but accepted the tissue and pressed it against his nose, throwing back his head to stop the bleeding.
"Does it hurt?" Obi-Wan asked, trying to sound sympathetic.
Anakin did not answer, but showed him his middle finger –his pride burning more than his nose.
"Oh don't be a child" Obi-Wan's eyes were now wide with humorous delight "It's not broken and you'll survive it…And consider this! This is the first time you are the victim!" he added smiling widely. The offensive gesture had granted him the right to laugh openly; that's how his relationship with Anakin was like.
Anakin shook his head "You could be more supportive, you know?"
"Ani, you're not seriously hurt and you have to consider.."
"What?! You made me help in a kindergarten when I punched that guy in high school!"
"Stop whining" Obi-Wan replied, still smiling "That was different and you know it…You attacked him without any reason…"
"…He was looking at me…"
"And committing the crime to breath, for sure" Obi-Wan replied. Anakin glared at him again but fell silent. Obi-Wan smiled again, knowing he had won the round, at least "Besides, you'll be fine in no time… And if that cut scars, you'll be even more successful among girls…"
Anakin made a show of rolling his eyes, but he was secretly reassured by Obi-Wan's words. He didn't care about his looks that much –of course, he was not a girl- but he had to admit that he didn't mind either his handsome features. He enjoyed being considered hot –especially since he had started dating a truly beautiful girl.
"That bitch is dead" he commented darkly "Fucking Ventress"
"Anakin," Obi-Wan pronounced solemnly, the affectionate Ani gone with the boy's murderous attitude "She's a problematic girl in a problematic environment… You could have ended exactly like her…" he continued, stroking his beard with a thoughtful expression "And Ahsoka told you that she intended it as a favor…"
"Yeah, of course! And trying to take my eye out is her peculiar way to make friendship!" Anakin retorted sarcastically. Obi-Wan sighted. Always acting melodramatic.
"You were insulting her…" he reminded Anakin, shaking a little his head "You attacked her in the middle of the street shouting and calling her whore…"
"She wanted to take Ahsoka into a fucking sex club!" Anakin shouted, looking almost crazy.
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, making Anakin scoff with frustration.
"Ahsoka is not that stupid"
"Oh no, she is" Anakin spat suddenly "She's freaking me out! Always doing things just to annoy me, and to make all the grown-up with me…with that fucking skirts!" he added, disgusted "You can see her ass!"
Obi-Wan shook his head, the urge to laugh starting to face again. He had met Ahsoka alone on some occasions and her skirts had always been long enough. So, either Anakin was allucinating because he didn't want his little girl to grow up –which was more than enough to make Obi-Wan hilarious- or, either, Ahsoka was deliberately trying to irritate Anakin with her clothing. Anyway, one of those days, he should really be making Ahsoka some kind of present; he wanted to thank her for driving Anakin as mad as the boy had done with him.
"You have no idea, Obi-Wan" Anakin concluded darkly.
That time Obi-Wan couldn't resist. He burst into laughter.
"I had you" he said, his body still shaking with laughter.
"It's not the same thing" Anakin replied, offended "She's a girl, there's also all the protection thing you didn't have to worry about"
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow "Really? Most of the bad things I've done in my life were to cover some of your crazy stunts…"
"Yeah, but you didn't have to worry about me going around dressed like a whore, that's something, believe me… Girls can be fucking monsters, Obi-Wan" he concluded, shivering unconsciously.
"Well, then consider that Miss Ventress is a girl, too, like Ahsoka" Obi-Wan said.
"A girl? You think that's a girl?! Ventress is not sixteen… She's a woman, and they're supposed to be… Well, sweet, I guess.. Not to get a fucking tree and smash it on your fucking nose!"
"You are a misogynist" Obi-Wan interrupted "What would Padmé think of that?" he asked with a knowing, irritating, smile.
"You think that's a feminine behavior?" asked Anakin, looking incredulous.
"I think that you are more intelligent than blabbering stereotypes about sweet women and virile men…"
"This is not… I'm not a mys- whatever, Obi-Wan… Girls should behave a little better than we do, okay?"
"Misogynist, Anakin, and you are saying nonsense! Everyone should behave not girls…"
"Obi-Wan" Anakin fought the urge to cry in frustration "Please! Don't debate everything!"
"I'm not debating for the sake of it" he answered calmly, assuming his I'm-a-philosopher-I-like-to-talk attitude, that drove Anakin mad "Trying to get you behave like the intelligent boy you are! I don't understand your stereotyping girls-"
"That's because you're on team bananas!" the boy exploded "You don't care if girls are sweet or not!"
Obi-Wan blinked. Then, he blinked again, staring at him. They exchanged a long look in silence.
"Excuse me?"
Anakin's face grew very red. Oh. Man. Nice shot, Skywalker. He and Obi-Wan were used to talk a lot –to argue actually; about every-day life, news, even politics sometimes. They discussed Anakin's life a lot, too–even his sex life on rare occasion. (Anakin had a very embarrassing, but also kind of comforting, memory, about that). But they never, ever, talked about Obi-Wan. Not a thing about his life, his family, his feelings; not a word about the people Obi-Wan loved, or had loved.
"L-look, it's fine…" Anakin murmured after a while, as Obi-Wan didn't seem to be ready to get his communication skills back anytime soon. "I'm sorry but…"
"It's okay" Obi-Wan replied dryly "I'm not sure I know what you mean, but whatever". Kriff, he didn't want to have that conversation with Anakin. The boy had already enough problems of his own, without having to deal with his personal tragedies.
"Obi-Wan, look, I'm sorry…"
"I said it's okay".
Anakin fell silent and lowered his gaze, his cheeks burning. He felt really stupid –but also a little hurt. Obi-Wan never told him anything about himself; Anakin knew that he hadn't really liked him at first, but he had come to love Obi-Wan as a brother, a father sometimes, and he felt a little rejected at times. Like Obi-Wan could not really trust him. For a brief moment he entertained the thought of starting to shout again and to get his tutor finally open about his feelings.
"So, can I kick her ass?" he said instead, pretending the last five minutes hadn't happened "You know, I would totally murder her if she was a boy, and I wouldn't want to be discriminating…." He added casually.
Obi-Wan opened his mouth to protest, but laughed instead.
"You are an idiot, Anakin"
"Oh Anakin again, uh?" The boy replied, a wicked grin on his face "You were all Ani before…"
Obi-Wan covered his face with his hands. "You will be the death of me, Skywalker"
"Well, at least I'm pretty, Kenobi" Anakin replied grinning, regretting it immediately. Obi-Wan's eyes were wide again and he had completely frozen.
"Oh, c'mon! Not in that sense!" the boy added quickly, exasperated.
And, despite everything, Obi-Wan laughed again.
(((((())))))
Two hours later, Ahsoka had to fight the urge to roll her eyes.
"You're being over-protecting again" she said, crossing her arms "Besides, you have a job, why can't I have one?"
"Because my job is not prostitution!"
"Skyguy, for the hundredth time, it was just a modeling job and they paid well…"
"Yeah, modeling, of course! Modeling in a sex club!"
"It was not a sex club!" Ahsoka shouted offended "It's downtown and it's a club for gentlemen…"
"The Outlander!" Anakin did not believe his ears "I saw more boobs in there than…"
"Oh, so you know it!" the girl said, pointing to him an accusingly finger "Things grew cold with your lady, uh?" she added incoherently.
"Excuse me?" Anakin asked –sounding exactly like Obi-Wan had some hours before.
"That's not the point anyway" he reasoned, forcing himself to ignore the insult. Wow, he was really acting like Obi-Wan. He wondered stupidly how a beard would look on him.
"It's… I thought you hated her! She's a bully, Snips… I, she… Listen, I don't like Ventress, ok?"
"Why? Because she goes to the public university?" Ahsoka said with mocked contempt "And she's got tattoos and she's not all clean and pretty like.."
"Snips, what the fuck are you talking about?"
"You have changed" she accused him, angrily. Ahsoka didn't even know why she was telling him this –except the fact that she wanted to hurt him. "You don't like us anymore, uh? No, now you are a good guy, in your fucking private university…"
"I've got a scholarship" he pointed out "And I've got tattoos" he added incoherently, as if accusing him of discriminating tattoed people was the thing that had offended him the most in Ahsoka's discourse.
"But you are ashamed!" Ahsoka accused again, rage burning in her stomach. Why was she so angry? Why was she taking everything out on Anakin? He deserves it. He deserves it, he deserves all of it.
"What are you talking about, Snips?" he said, looking hurt.
"Don't call me Snips! I hate it when you do it!" she snapped, furiously.
Anakin looked really taken aback by this.
"I…" he took a deep breath. She's just a little girls, he had to remind himself "Why don't you tell me what's happening with you?"
"There's nothing wrong with me… You, you are the one who thinks is better than anyone else in this block, just because he has a posh girlfriend who-"
"Ehy Sn- Young lady, stop already!"
But Ahsoka had no intention to stop. She wanted to attack him –because really, Anakin was almost family to her and she didn't have a true family to attack. And she wanted to hurt him, hurt him a lot, because she loved him and he was going to abandon her for a beautiful new life she couldn't be part of. And, deep down, she wanted to make him angry, to make him react and behave like himself, not like Padmé or Obi-Wan. She wanted to get the angry boy she knew back, because that was her Anakin, the one no girlfriend could take away from her.
"I don't think I'm better… This… This has nothing to do with Asajj Ventress…"
"But it does! You… You will hate me too like you hate her, uh?"
"Ahsoka stop being a fucking bitch or, I swear, I'll-" he shouted, throwing her a hard and furious look. For a moment her eyes widened –with fear, Anakin realized with a rush of feral satisfaction. But he had been Ahsoka's teacher in that respect, and he had thought her never to submit to anyone. A moment later her jaw was hard again and her lips were as thin as they could get.
"You are ashamed" she repeated, slowly but vehemently.
Anakin lost it completely at the new accusation. He punched the wall as hard as he could –the sudden pain telling him that he had punched it too hard and regretting it. Fuck he thought furiously, worrying about what kind of mechanic he could be if he had broken his hand. Damn you, Ahsoka!
He wasn't ashamed. At all. And that was not the point, was it? He hadn't forgotten who he was and where he came from, thank you very much. He lived in a public institute like she did –his home consisted of a bed, a chair, a table and a common kitchen.
He opened his mouth, decided to shout again, but stopped.
Ahsoka was now shaking her head and she seemed on the verge of tears. Oh, no, Anakin thought, all the rage suddenly leaving him. Why is she crying now? He asked himself desperately. He sighted and opened his arms to hug her, trying to ignore the pain in his right hand. She resisted at first, pushing him away.
But then she sniffed and threw herself into his arms, starting to cry on his shoulder.
"You're fucking crazy, Sn- Ahsoka" he said, stroking a little her back. She cried harder and Anakin felt his shirt starting to get wet. He sighted.
"I-it's not t-true that I hate it when you call me S-snips" she murmured, her nose still pressed against his collarbone. Anakin let out a small laugh: "I know" he replied.
Obi-Wan could say whatever he wanted about how difficult it had been to deal with Anakin, but he remembered what he was like when he was seventeen and that was pretty simple. When he was not high, he was trying to get laid. Once a week he got into a brawl just to chill out. That was all. Ahsoka at seventeen was a kriffin' monster. One moment she was all flirty with Kit –which was more than enough to drive him nuts; then, she was acting all mature and doing the you-are-over-reacting-again part with him; seconds later she was shouting and getting furious and trying to offend him, his girlfriend and him again. Then, she started crying, like she had been holding the tears for days.
"I'm sorry Ventress broke your nose" Ashoka sniffed, after a while.
"It's not broken-" he added quickly –to reassure himself, mostly.
"I know she can be bullying" she interrupted "t-that's why she likes me, 'cos I'm the only one who can s-stand up to her" she explained, a hint of pride in her voice. "I told her I needed money and she told me about the Outlander... she works there, she's a waitress"
Anakin sighted "Why don't you ask the Chancellor to hire you? You're a good mechanic, we could work together..."
Ahsoka shrugged "I want my own job" she replied stubbornly. I'm not as good as you are.
"You are seventeen, Ahsoka, there'll be plenty of time for your own job…"
"And what about college? Not everybody can win a scholarship, you know"
Anakin hugged her tighter. He felt so guilty, now. When he was Ahsoka's age he didn't give a fuck about his future; he got into college only because Obi-Wan had made him study, following him like a watching-dog, and because they had given him Ahsoka to take care of. He couldn't really bring a ten-year old to use deathsticks or getting her killed in brawls. Her simple presence in his life had saved him.
"You will do it, Snips, you're much smarter than most of the kids there…"
"And what if I don't?" she asked anxiously, crying even harder.
"You will get it, don't worry now" he said softly, stroking her back and unconsciously pressing her tighter against him. For a moment she relaxed against his chest, the familiar grip of his strong arms making her feel safe. The reassuring touch of a father, making his child feel protected. But Anakin was not her father; he was not even her brother. He didn't have to be there for her, he didn't have to stay and take care of her. And yet he was so much more than a friend and he was all the family she didn't have and the only stable relationship she really had.
"No, I won't" Ahsoka snapped "I checked… Yours is fucking difficult to get… If I'm lucky I'll get a partial one" she concluded, rubbing her eyes.
Anakin fell silent for a moment. He remembered the day he had gotten the hologram announcing him that yes, indeed, he had been admitted to Couruscanti University with a full scholarship, nonetheless. (It was also the first time he had seen Obi-Wan really proud of him. He simply had not believed it at first.)
"You don't have to win mine…" he explained softly, looking for the right words "You are a very good athlete, Snips, there are plenty of full scholarships for sports…"
But Ahsoka shook her head again, determined to make him admit that she was going to be a complete failure –even if she did feel a little better now.
"You are good, too, and you didn't get a sport one…"
"That's because I was kicked off the team when they found me positive to deathsticks" he replied reluctantly but honestly.
Ahsoka freed herself from the embrace and she looked up to face him, inhaling to clear her nose a little.
"I didn't know" she said simply "You told me you played when we met…" she added, her tone getting dangerously sharper.
"I was" he explained quickly, afraid that the situation could escalate quickly in another match of I-hate-you-Anakin. "I was playing… Obi-Wan told my coach that without sport I would get too aggressive… So I was training with the team, but I was not part of it, anymore…"
"You hadn't told me" she whined.
"You were ten, Ahsoka" he laughed "Besides, they assigned you to me because of that, too…"
"I bet you regret it now" she sighted.
"Don't be stupid" he said, rolling his eyes "I would never regret having met you"
She nodded weakly, lowering her gaze not to make him see the slight blush on her cheeks "What if I don't get in?" she whispered again, holding herself.
"We'll find another solution, Snips" he stroke her cheek, trying to get her making eye-contact with him again "There are plenty of good universities… and a partial scholarship will be enough, Ahsoka" he added.
"If I get a job, maybe" she retorted.
"Even if you don't" he replied slowly. He knew that it was a difficult subject and he should be careful.
"I… I have some money now" he continued "The chancellor pays me disgustingly well" he added. Which was the utter truth, even if he was well aware that his money would never be enough to pay for full tuition –for three or five years, let alone.
"I think you'll win a full scholarship" he reassured her "But if you don't and you get a partial one, I… I can help you"
Ahsoka shook her head "Thanks, but you cannot afford the half of it" she sighted.
Anakin bit his lower lip, trying to find the right way to tell it. Back then, Obi-Wan had offered to pay part of his tuition himself. Anakin had refused proudly, so he knew that he had to manage this conversation with Ahsoka carefully. He was sure that Obi-Wan would have lent Ahsoka some money, if he asked him too; when he had wan entrance in the university by himself, they hadn't spoken about it anymore, but Obi-Wan would not refuse to help the girl. Knowing Obi-Wan, they would probably have to insist to give the money back once they had gained it.
"We can ask for a little help…" he started slowly "You see, a loan..."
Ahsoka shook her head again, looking a little suspicious "No bank would ever give us a credit"
"I'm not talking about a bank…" he explained. He had not even thought about a bank. "We could ask somebody we know… And once with have earned it we can give it back…"
Now it seemed a pretty fair reasoning, but he remembered those days –he would never accept charity from a man who didn't even like him that much and who spoke with him only because he was some sort of dying wish legacy. (Yeah, he and Obi-Wan had had a rocky start but then they had gotten to know each other better). But put like this, he was hoping that Ahsoka would accept.
But the girl was making a funny expression.
"Somebody like who?" she asked, sounding dangerous again. She would rather go and become really a prostitute, than accept Padmé's money.
"Obi-Wan" he replied, taken aback by her resentful look. What in the earth could have Obi-Wan done to her?
"Oh" she replied, now feeling a complete idiot. Yes, Obi-Wan, of course. "I… I don't know" she said.
Anakin nodded slowly, grateful for that little concession. That was a much more mature reaction that he had had.
"Anyway" he said, decided to change subject "Don't go out with Ventress anymore, please"
She rolled her eyes, a quick reply ready on her lips.
"Go out with Barriss" he pleaded "I like her more"
"She's not your type" Ahsoka retorted wittingly "Asajj is much more like you"
"Asajj's a bitch"
Ahsoka grinned mischievously "If that thing on your eye scars" she said "you'll get that baddass look that'll make your fine lady swoon… You should really thank her"
"Sometimes, I think you and Obi-Wan see me as some kind of rent-boy" he whined, half offended, half flattered.
"Well, you should ask yourself some questions, then"
Hello again folks! Please, be warned that this is only some kind of bonus content (a preview, let's say); truth is that I liked this two conversations but they didn't fit in any part of the story (the characters speak of too many things to be consistent with some narrative sense); but I didn't want to cut them, so I decided to delete the initial prologue (it was pretty boring) and post this one :) I hope you like it! :) So, welcome to Same, Old, In-Between stories! Some notices:
There are different planets, and the same political system but no force powers (so no Jedi, Sith etc.). In my mind characters who are aliens in the original are still aliens in the story, but it's my specific choice to avoid physiological descriptions of those characters, so that everybody is free to imagine what she likes.
If you haven't read "Same, Old, Love, Story" there's no problem; you will understand this one anyway. Of course, if you happen to like this story, you are likely to enjoy the first one, too :D
On the characters. As you maybe know, I try to keep all the characters as IC as possible, given the very alternate universe; but, of course, my descriptions are influenced by how I interpret the characters. So, be informed that A) I think Anakin is very hot. So he will always be perceived as hot by the other characters in this story XD I like to make him angry and desperate, too, because that's very IC. I also try to give him as many flaws as possible –I don't want to turn him into some gary-stu XD In my story he used drugs, not because I think it's cool to use drugs (I'm too old for that XD), but because it's a good metaphor for the emotional issues he has in SW B) I think Obi-Wan is the most tragic character of the whole saga (and I like him a lot for that). He's the only one intelligent enough to get a feeling of what's going on; at the same time, I think he's also too human, to act as he feels he should (that's the tragedy). That's why I make him drink and why I like to torture him with self-doubt and critic reasoning (that's why I gave him a PHD in philosophy). C) Ahsoka; I don't mind her, or better, I like the idea I have of her. She's very difficult to be kept IC because she's the one I changed more to be fit in the story. One of the reasons I decided to delete this little prologue at first, was that she gets too OOC. So, sorry about teenage Ahsoka XD D) Padmé; she's younger than in the saga, and this affect her behavior (a little) but most of all her relationship with Anakin (she's much less rational around him and much more in his power). I also happen to like her relationship with Anakin (luckily the cheesy phase didn't last very long and I could cut it away from my story after chapter 5 XD) :)
I'm Italian, so yeah, I do a lot of spelling/grammar mistakes and, honestly, I'm really sorry for that.
Thank you, thank you to old readers and welcome to new ones :)