Title: "Love by the Numbers"
Author: gizzi1213
Rating: G
Word Count: 384
Pairing: Anakin/Palpatine
Summary: Anakin needs proof of Palpatine's love.
Disclaimer: It's all owned by George Lucas; I'm just playing in his sandbox.
Warnings: This is unbeta'd, all mistakes are my own.
Author's Notes: lumy12/Wendy made me do it! It was pure blackmail!!
"You don't even miss me when I'm gone, do you?" Anakin asked forlornly.
"Of course I do, Anakin. I love you. How can you even doubt that?" Palpatine sighed with infinite patience. He was used to his young lover's constant need for reassurance. He snuggled more intimately against Anakin's muscular young body, reveling in the sexuality that the boy exuded.
"You never contact me when I'm on a mission." Anakin knew he was being unreasonable, but he didn't care.
"I'm the Chancellor, Anakin."
"Exactly my point!" Anakin cried, turning his intense gaze on his lover. "You're the Chancellor, you can do whatever you want."
Palpatine just chuckled at the naiveté behind that belief. "I wish that were true, love, but my actions are under constant scrutiny. We've discussed this; we must conduct our relationship with some discretion."
Anakin sniffed and rolled onto his side, giving his back to the older man. "That just means you don't love me enough to take the risk."
Palpatine grit his teeth at the overly emotional response, "What would you have me do then to prove that I love you when you are away on missions?"
Anakin, his back still a solid wall between them replied, "See? You don't even listen to me. I told you I wanted to hear from you when I'm away on a mission." Even Anakin was a bit surprised at how whiny he sounded, but his feelings were hurt. He figured being whiny was allowed under such circumstances.
Rolling onto his side, Palpatine spooned himself against Anakin's broad back, wrapping an arm about the boy's lean torso.
"If it will make you happy, I promise to get a message to you every day."
Anakin peeked over his shoulder, "Every day?"
"Every day. If you need constant comments to prove I love you, you will get constant comments."
Anakin rolled over, pulling the slighter man into a tight embrace. "You don't have to, just knowing you would is enough," he said.
Rolling his eyes at the unpredictable nature of his lover, Palpatine curled up sleepily, using Anakin's shoulder as a pillow. Just before falling asleep, he made a mental note to make sure his assistant sent some inane message to Anakin every day.
It was a small thing to do to keep the boy happy.
