A/N: So, I nailed my assignment. 28/30. Thank you very much. *sighs in relief* So... you all know what that means. Updates! Hooray! Finally! *cheers*.
Once again, I just want to thank you all for all your support with this story, and TBND. I hope you'll stick with me until the very end... which is long time coming, if I'm being honest. MUCH LOVE!
Sorry for the way I end this chapter... I'm a Sith, remember? ;)
A day later, Anakin was discharged from the hospital, and Padme went to pick him up and bring him back to her apartment. Whilst he was able to fly, he had difficulty dressing himself with only one functioning arm, and so Padme offered for him to stay with her for a week so she could help him. As noble as her offer was, she also just wanted to spend time with him. They'd been apart for too long, and they'd both been through so much over the last few days, and all Padme wanted was to be with him and forgive and forget – to spend a week of lazy bliss with Anakin. Surely, she deserved that. They both deserved that.
He was like an excitable puppy during the entire car ride home in her Mini Cooper. The way he was acting was as though he'd been in the hospital for two months, instead of just two days, but Padme found it rather endearing. She listened to him intently, every now and then glancing across at the passenger side, watching the way his entire face lit up into a broad smile as he constantly thanked her for coming to get him and letting him stay with her, even though she wouldn't have let him go back to Chicago just yet anyway. He caught her looking at him and tipped his head in confusion.
"What?"
Beaming across at him, Padme shook her head. "Oh, nothing, Ani. I'm just… happy you're here."
He returned her grin. "Me, too."
When they arrived home, after helping him up the stairs and in the door, Anakin finally confessed that he was exhausted and needed a nap, as the medication he was on made him drowsy, so Padme helped him strip down to his boxers and slide into her bed, which was difficult considering that even the act of sitting down caused him immense pain in his poor ribs. Now that he was shirtless, she could see the dark purple bruising that decorated his tanned skin. It looked awful and incredibly painful, but Padme tried her best not to draw attention to it. Anakin didn't need her gawking at his injuries. He eventually managed to get comfortable, and Padme sat by him, stroking his hair fondly.
"You don't have to stay here," he muttered through a yawn, a sleepy, adorable expression on his face.
In response, Padme gently pressed her lips to his forehead. "Shh, go to sleep, Ani," she whispered lovingly.
He beckoned her closer for a kiss and she obliged, before he closed his eyes on a soft sigh. Within seconds, he was sound asleep. She was content to watch him for awhile; the scar over his eye was still angry and red, yet his stitches had been removed, which she took as a good sign. There was also a greenish-blue bruise forming around the scar, and she winced just looking at it.
Her poor Ani. So battered and broken. And yet, still so beautiful.
Her heart ached for him. She never wanted him to feel this sort of pain ever again, physical or emotional, if she could help it. Padme vowed that she was going to protect him with her very life. He was her everything.
Anakin woke about two hours later, groaning in pain, and Padme administered his medication immediately. He swallowed his tablets, and then smiled up at her, running his thumb over the delicate bones of her wrist. "Don't look so worried, Angel," he told her. "It's alright."
She bit her lip and twined her fingers with his. "I don't like seeing you in pain, Anakin," she confessed.
His eyes grew soft, swimming with loving affection. "I'm feeling much better now that I'm with you, Angel."
The tender words brought silly tears to her eyes, and she beamed down at him, giving his hand a tight squeeze. "What can I do for you? Is there anything you need? Are you hungry?"
"Silly question," he teased with a knowing smirk. "I'm always hungry, Padme."
"What do you want? I'll get you anything you like," she offered him, sweetly. While he was injured, she was going to make sure he was as comfortable as possible. And, there was a big part of her that enjoyed taking care of him.
He paused and chewed on the inside of his cheek, eyes darting across the room as he concentrated. "Pizza."
She smiled. "Well, then, pizza it is. I'll go order some." She stood up and went for her phone, and he called out, "Meatlovers, please," as she left the room. Once she'd ordered his pizza, and a supreme one for herself, she went back into her room, and Anakin looked up at her, expectantly.
"I brought Game of Thrones with me," he informed her, a hopeful grin on his face, and she didn't miss the excited lilt to his voice. "Wanna watch it?"
His childlike request made her smile at him, and she nodded immediately. "Of course, Ani. It's our thing, remember?" She winked at him, causing him to grin wider in response.
Padme could feel his eyes on her as she set up her laptop on her desk, input one of the DVD discs, and turned it so that it was facing the bed, and when she turned around, she caught his searing gaze staring at her, and it made her swallow a little at the intensity of it.
"Come here," he called to her softly, patting the bed beside him with his left hand just as the theme song began playing. She crawled up beside him, careful to keep her distance so that she didn't knock his ribs, but Anakin, it seemed, didn't appreciate the gap. Instead, he put his good arm around her shoulder and hauled her into his side, so she was pressed up against him. The contact made him hiss just a little.
"Careful, Anakin," she warned, moving to shuffle away from him, but his tight grip on her shoulder prevented her. "I don't want to hurt you."
He merely kissed the top of her hair and ran his hand up and down her sides gently. "You're not going to hurt me, Angel," he whispered. "Just…let me hold you. I-I...need to hold you."
The way he said it, so desperate and lost worried her, and she glanced up at him in concern. "Ani…what is it? What's wrong?"
Meeting her gaze, he swept his eyes over her face, slightly forlorn. "I love you," he murmured quietly, barely audible.
Smiling softly, she giggled and stretched up her neck to kiss his cheek. "I know."
He shook his head, meeting her gaze seriously and almost solemn. "No, you – you don't understand," he insisted. "I can't…Padme, I can't be without you anymore." It was one of the most heartbreaking phrases she'd ever heard him say. Anakin sounded weak, vulnerable and so, so young. Once again, it reiterated just how deep his attachment to her was – an attachment that was mutual in its intensity, but it never failed to surprise Padme. She had never been loved like this before; so completely and solely and surely. There was no other feeling in the world that could compare.
"I know you're busy," he continued, eyes pleading with her frantically to understand what he was trying to convey. "I…I know how important graduation is to you, and I – I don't begrudge you that, Padme. Really, I don't. I admire that – I love that about you. But…I needyou."
"Ani…"
"I can't do it anymore, Angel," he implored, stroking her hair softly with his fingers. "I can't be without you for two months again. It's…it's too much for me. It hurts. And, Skypejust isn't enough."
His admission made her want to cry. She should have known how hard being apart from her like this would be on Anakin. He'd confessed to her many times before that she was a soothing balm to his soul; she grounded him and gave him purpose in life. Of course, it was hurting him to be apart from her. Just as it was hurting her, as well. She'd said it before.
Distance was their biggest threat.
It made everything between them so much more intense – fueled their jealousy and anger, frustration and desperation. The sooner she graduated, the better. Their relationship simply couldn't handle more time apart than was necessary.
Padme bit her lip as she looked up at him. Maybe she had been selfish. Maybe she should have visited Anakin more often, regardless of how busy she was, to prove to him that he was just as important to her as her studies, if not, more so. No wonder he'd lashed out at Clovis so violently, even with his traumatic past.
He missed her. Terribly so.
She should have known that. She should have prevented that. It made her feel incredibly guilty.
"I'm sorry, Anakin," she muttered softly.
"No, don't…" he shook his head adamantly. "Don't apologize, Angel. It's not…it's not your fault. It's just…I miss you, that's all. Maybe…maybe we could try to make it only two weeks, y'know? Even three, if you're really super busy. I can – I can live with that." He turned to nuzzle into her hair, adorably possessive, and his fingers slid from her shoulder to her waist and curled tighter around her, as he inhaled her scent deeply. "I just…I need you, Padme," he whispered into her hair, voice low and rough with emotion. "Sometimes, I think I need you more than I need air."
She whimpered and reached up to stroke his jaw tenderly, pouring all her affection for her beautifully dysfunctional golden boy into that one action. "Oh, Ani," she cooed tearfully. "I need you, too. I'm so sorry if I don't show you that enough…I don't mean to. I love you. Just…graduation has been consuming my life lately…" she broke off and made a grimace. The past month and a half had been a nightmare, and she still had four more months to go. "But, I'll try, Anakin," she promised, flashing him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I promise. I promise to come visit you more often…I'll bring my work with me if I have to. But, it won't matter, because then we'll be together. You're even more important to me than my studies are. I hope you know that, Ani."
He smiled brightly down at her and then closed the distance between their mouths, kissing her fiercely. Again, she could feel that underlying hunger, that raw need as he moved his lips against hers, and it caused a tremor of arousal to shoot down to her core. As much as she needed Anakin's presence in her life, Padme couldn't deny that she need this, too; his body, his passion, his desire. As wonderful as their frequent Skype sessions were, it was nothing compared to the real thing. She trembled a little into his mouth and felt him smirk against her lips, obviously pleased by her reaction. His fingers found the sliver of skin between her sweatpants and her shirt, and the touch of his hot skin against hers set her nerves alight. She needed his hands all over her body. She needed to feel that fiercely possessive touch of his that drove her wild.
Their intimate moment was interrupted by the pizza delivery boy, and Padme reluctantly broke away from Anakin's kiss, retrieved their pizzas and paid the boy, before returning. They continued watching Game of Thrones whilst eating pizza in bed, and the sight of Anakin struggling to eat with only one hand was almost hysterical to Padme. He was making such a mess that she had to go and get napkins and help him raise his pizza slice to his lips. Not that she minded. He was rather adorable, after all.
"Do you need a bib?" she teased after he promptly spilled half of his toppings back into the box that was resting on his lap.
He shot her a frown, which only made her grin wider, and she leaned over ghosting her lips over his. A drop of barbeque sauce lingered in the corner of his mouth, so she licked at it, and he made this little sound of surprise, deep in his throat, at her surprisingly erotic act. Padme took it in her stride, revelling in this more sensual side of herself that she'd recently unleashed, and traced the contours of his full lips with the pointed tip of her tongue, before pulling back and pecking him sweetly. Anakin was pleasantly surprised by her actions, and Padme shivered at the way his pupils had dilated and his eyes had darkened.
She'd aroused him. Good.
Then, because she enjoyed teasing him, she sat back down and continued eating her pizza as though nothing had happened. She kept her concentration fixated on her laptop screen, but could feel him staring at her. It made her smirk. He made a little cough, to clear his throat, and Padme glanced across at him, catching his wide eyed expression and the way his lips were parted just enough so she could see his teeth.
"What?" she lifted an eyebrow, testing him, before slowly taking a sip of her Dr. Pepper she bought with her pizza.
Swallowing some Coke of his own, he shook his head and snorted a chuckle before smiling at her. "Nothing, Angel. Nothing at all."
Padme only managed to finish half of her pizza, and so, typically, Anakin offered to finish it off for her. There was something strangely romantic and endearingly sweet about their afternoon together. It wasn't anything special; they were simply eating food and watching their favourite T.V. show in bed together, and yet, it was one of the best days of Padme's life.
She liked this, just doing life with Anakin, being in his company. She enjoyed teasing him about how much he ate. She enjoyed the way his hand would sneak across to take hold of her thigh and stroke her gently with his rough fingers. She enjoyed the rapt expression that would take hold of him when something shocking happened in the show, and the little noises, the grunts, groans, and gasps, he would make when he was surprised or upset or angry. It was easy, and after the stress they'd suffered over the past few days, it was everything Padme wanted.
After two episodes, they decided to stop, and simply laid there in bed, sleepy and relaxed in each other's presence. Padme curled into his side, and Anakin resumed his gentle stroking of her hair, humming a peaceful tune under his breath. He had a lovely voice, and it was only then that Padme realized it.
"What's that?" she asked softly, intrigued. "It's pretty."
He exhaled happily and pressed a kiss to her hair. "It's Yellow. By Coldplay. Mom used to sing it to me as a kid to put me to sleep. It's her favourite song." A sad smile curled his lips at the memory, and Padme felt a pang of sympathy. There probably weren't too many happy memories of Anakin's childhood. At least he had this one.
"Sing it to me?"
If he was surprised by her request, he didn't show it and simply nodded his head. "Look at the stars, look how they shine for you. And everything you do. Yeah, they were all yellow." There was a tinge of melancholy to his soft, beautiful voice, and it made her grow emotional at the sound of it. She could just imagine Shmi's gentle voice, lulling little Ani to sleep and stroking his golden curls and the image conjured something deep within Padme that she couldn't quite explain. Only that it seized her completely.
"Your skin, oh yeah, your skin and bones, turned into something beautiful. Do you know? You know I love you so. You know I love you so..." His voice trailed off and he lifted her chin with his finger, meeting her moist gaze with his own and then he kissed her. Padme practically melted. He was absolutely the sweetest thing, and her heart filled with love for him. How was it, after everything he had been through as a child, and in his youth, that he could love her so much, so unconditionally? It almost didn't seem possible. And yet, she'd never met a person who had a bigger heart than Anakin. It spoke volumes of how Shmi had raised him, and about who he was a person. It only made Padme love him more, harder.
"I didn't know you could sing," she whispered in awe, cupping his cheek with her hand.
"You're not the only one with secrets, Padme," he responded with a wink, and she laughed in spite of herself. "I've been thinking," he continued, his tone abruptly turning serious. "In the hospital. About what you said – about therapy. And, yeah," he nodded and swallowed. "I think…I think I should see a professional. I think it might…help me, y'know."
Padme filled with pride and gave his hand an encouraging squeeze. The fact that he was acknowledging that he had some issues he needed to resolve was a step in the right direction. It only reiterated how she'd made the right decision in staying with him, supporting him. "That's wonderful, Ani!," she praised him. "I really think it will do you a world of good."
He smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah, I – I agree. They have counselors at the university, I think. I could probably talk to Qui-Gon about it when I go back home. He'll point me in the right direction. He likes me."
"I'm so very proud of you, Anakin," she said fondly, her voice thick and quivering with emotion. "Really. I'm so, so proud of you." Her thumb caught on his bottom lip as she stroked his cheek. "I love you so much."
When he kissed her again, she thought her heart was going to burst out of her chest, it was beating that wildly. He drank from her mouth like a man possessed, as though she was this sweet, sweet fruit he was hungry for, and all she could do was succumb to it. Tingles of arousal shot down her spine and pooled between her legs. She wanted him. She wanted him now. It had been two months since she had last felt his touch, and she couldn't wait a second longer. Mewling into his mouth, she hitched her leg over his hip, unconsciously grinding herself against him. Anakin chuckled, a deep, low rumble of satisfaction, and then hissed at the pain, breaking away from their kiss.
"Careful there, Angel," he teased her with a wink. "You don't want to get me too excited."
She grinned wolfishly. "Oh, but that's exactly what I want," she purred in his ear, her hand sliding deftly over his hip to trace feather-light circles over the top of his boxer shorts, and he groaned.
"Since when are you so bold?!" he asked, lifting an eyebrow in amusement.
"When I haven't seen my gorgeous, sexy boyfriend in two months," she quipped back, cheekily. "Besides, I need you, too, Ani." She batted her eyes up at him sweetly as her knowing clever fingers dipped underneath the waistband of his boxers, combing with her nails through the short, soft, curls that nestled around his quickly growing erection. Her hand went lower, to grip around the base of his cock when he removed his good arm from around her waist and caught hold of her wrist, yanking her hand away.
"Don't," he growled, voice rough and dark with desire.
Embracing her new, empowered side, she met his stern gaze with her own firm challenge, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Or what?" She raised an eyebrow.
With a feral grin, he bent his neck to rub his nose along the contour of her cheek. "Or, broken ribs or not, I'll pin you down and take you right here, right now…" he grazed his teeth along her cheekbone, and she shivered. "And that will be painful. Do you want to cause me pain, Angel?" She shook her head. "Mmm," he smirked. "That's what I thought."
"Fine. Be that way," she said suddenly, a sensuously wicked idea occurring to her. "I'm going to have a shower, then."
Padme wasn't about to let him win that easy. She hurried off into the bathroom, making sure to gather her things as sneakily as possible, though Anakin wasn't paying attention to her, having closed his eyes and rested his head back against the pillow. Rest all you like, Anakin. You're going to need it.
She took longer than she needed to, taking the time to shave her legs, and, when she looked down between her thighs at her downy pubic hair, she decided to shave there, too. Just a little. Padme didn't like being completely bare, and Anakin never seemed to mind, but a little trim wouldn't do any harm at all. Once she'd finished in the shower, she dried herself off and lathered herself in her coconut jasmine body lotion, until her skin was silky smooth and soft. Then, for the finishing touch, she fluffed up her hair, styling it and giving it extra bounce, before she unleashed her newest weapon.
Her black teddy.
When she opened the door of the bathroom, she saw Anakin still lying with his eyes closed, dozing, and a smirk curled her lips. Draping herself seductivly against the door jam, she put phase two of her plan into action.
"Anakin…" she called to him softly, using the most seductive tone she could muster. It worked. Slowly, he opened his eyes, turned his head to look at her, and completely froze. His eyes grew wide, pupils dilating so much and so fast that the blue of his irises was hardly visible, as he raked his gaze up her form. She could feel it like a physical caress, the way it moved up the length of her legs, lingered slightly on the apex of her thighs, and up her breasts before finally reaching her face and hair.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but suddenly closed it again and swallowed thickly. He was utterly and completely speechless.
Yes!
Anakin Skywalker had been rendered speechless by her, and that fact alone was enough to send thrills down her spine. Her arousal only intensified when she noticed the immediately prominent tent rise up in his boxer shorts, evidence of his erection resurfacing, and she flashed him a feral grin.
"See something you like, Ani?" she positively purred with delight.
His eyes darkened to almost black withdesire, and he could only nod and gulp in response, the breath hitching in his chest.
"Well, I'd say you're definitely excited now," she quipped darkly, flicking her luxurious chestnut mane seductively for extra emphasis. He let out a low rumbling growl as she slowly, tantilizingly walked towards him, swinging her hips more than usual for emphasis and smirked at the way his eyes were drawn to the sensual sway of her hips. His cock twitched in his boxers, and it made her giggle softly.
She came to stand before him, relishing in the way he was blatantly staring at her, like a blind man who was seeing the sun for the very first time. It was intoxicating and sent shivers all the way down her spine to her toes. She bent her left leg seductively at the knee and cocked her hip, rubbing her hands up and down her torso, holding the suggestive pose, her own eyes half-lidded and lusty.
He was struggling with himself, she could see it, because she was standing on the right side of the bed and the only way he could touch her would be to sit up and reach over with his left hand, and to do that would be incredibly painful. The way his jaw locked and unlocked repeatedly was proof enough of his inner turmoil, his gaze searingly predatory. He growled again.
She loved it.
Eventually, he finally managed to get his vocal cords to work and cleared his throat, though his voice were hoarse and husky in his throat. "Wh-what is this?"
She blinked at him coyly, playing with the top daintily with her fingers. "Oh, this little thing? Do you like it?"
He nodded his head vigorously, once again unable to communicate verbally. His eyes were roaming her body frantically, head to toe, seemingly unable to decide where to rest his gaze, and that amused her to no end. "Uh...When did you get this?" he finally asked once he'd regained control of himself, though he not-so-subtly adjusted his erection in his boxers, an action Padme didn't miss.
"The other day," she informed him casually, as if it was no big deal. "I wanted to surprise you."
He smirked at her. "Well, I'm definitely surprised."
She flipped her hair over her shoulder suggestively, then carefully climbed onto the bed, crawling slowly over his body so she was effectively straddling him, holding herself up by her hands and knees. As soon as she was within reach, his left hand was on her, running over every inch of her body with desperate reverence. Grinning slyly, Padme bent closer towards his mouth. "Is it a good surprise, Ani?" she purred softly, her breath feather soft against his parted lips.
He exhaled deeply, his hand skimming down her bare back to rest on the curve of her ass, giving it a not-so-gentle squeeze. "The best fucking surprise in the world," came his hoarse reply. "You're so fucking sexy, Padme. I…I can't stop touching you. I want you… need you so bad…."
"Oh, but what about your...ribs?" she teased.
In answer, he stretched up his neck, chasing her mouth with raw desperation, and so she gave him what he wanted. She kissed him roughly, all the while sinking her hips down to brush her aching sex against his cotton-clad erection, and he moaned wantonly into her mouth. Her tongue invaded his mouth, claiming dominance, and he surrendered to her excitedly, more content with letting his hand wander around to her front, sliding up her stomach to cup her right breast possessively. She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, pulling on it with her teeth, before nipping him and sitting up.
"How bad do you want me, Ani?" she breathed.
He tweaked her nipple roughly through the thin sheer lace and then dipped his hand between her legs, rubbing her slowly, making her arch into him. "So. Fucking. Bad." He emphasised each word with a harsh flick against her lace clad clit, and she hissed, undulating her hips into his touch. It had been too long. She needed him inside her. She couldn't wait any longer.
Shuffling down his body, taking care not to touch him, because he was still injured and bruised, she kneeled above his thighs and took his boxers in her hands, yanking them down his hips, exposing his hard, straining member to her hungry gaze. "I can see that, Ani," she laughed huskily, wrapping her hand around the base of him and leaning over, blowing hot air over his weeping head. The moan that involuntarily escaped his lips caused her own arousal to pool between her thighs.
"Padme…" he pleaded with her, and she knew he was fighting with himself not to thrust up into her touch. Grinning, she licked at the small beads of pre-come that glistened on his tip, and his hand flew straight to her hair, fisting it tightly and yanking her away. "Stop."
She sat on his thighs and cocked her head to the side, feigning innocence. "What?" she blinked at him. The look he gave her was practically molten.
"Take it off...Now."
"Oh," she pouted at him, pretending to be upset, batting her eyelashes teasingly. "But, I thought you liked it," she huffed breathily.
Anakin smirked at her then, eyes black with lust. "Oh, I do," he assured her and then dropped his voice to a low, husky timbre and added, "but I would like it much better on the floor..."
His admission made her giggle. Still, she wanted to make him work for it. There was no fun in it otherwise. So, Padme lifted her eyebrow, daringly, challenging him, and his jaw locked in response.
"Take it off, Angel."
