"A visitor, Ma'am!" Threepio comes waddling into the main room, his voice chipper for the late hour.
"A visitor? Who is it?" Padmé asks, beginning to tie a proper robe around her night dress. She knows there aren't any scheduled meetings and most people would wait until morning to meet with her for other matters.
"A male Togruta. His voice is programmed into my databanks but I cannot match a face to him."
Odd. And more than a little suspicious.
After another second to gather her blaster, Padmé moves past Threepio. She hides it under the layers of her robe, keeping one hand close at all times.
When Padmé opens her apartment door, she isn't expecting the Togruta to look oddly familiar. Or have a rag laid on top of his head. "Oh. Hello." Her posture straightens and a pleasant smile turns her lips upward. Who...?
"Padme." The voice shocks her out of her false politeness. "I know how it looks-"
"Ani?!" Padmé gasps, her eyes scanning over him again. It's not possible! He's...what?! How can this be Anakin?!
Her natural reaction is to deny it, assume it's some kind of joke or mistake. But his face is the same, even when it's colored differently. His body frame hasn't changed either. And those eyes...
"I promise, I'll explain everything." Anakin sighs, his shoulders already slumping. He looks desperately at her, a weak smile on his lips. "But can I come in first?"
It takes a moment, but Padmé eventually gathers herself enough to nod, letting him in. His right lekku brushes against her as he passes and the feeling is strange, but not entirely foreign.
He better have a good story.
"Have you already eaten?" Anakin asks on the couch, his posture closed. Padmé thinks of sitting next to him, of giving comfort to his obvious awkward feeling, but she can't bring herself to move.
"Yes." She says, still staring. Pure white skin with red and blue patterns. It's not the same as Ahsoka, but not entirely unusual a coloring either.
Somehow, she reasons that it fits him well.
"Good, good. I ate too. And I probably couldn't share your food anyway." Padmé gives him a confused expression. "Uh, Togruta are carnivores."
Right. She knew that.
With a deep breath, Padmé straightens and finally walks toward the couch, settling beside him. "I'm sorry, Anakin. This is all just...so..."
"I know." He laughs, but the humor doesn't reach his eyes. "It's been rough to figure out, but we're getting better."
"We?" Padmé inquires, her shock turning into burning curiosity. What in the worlds happened?
"Me and Ahsoka. We were on a mission and.m touched a force artifact. A really, really old one too. It did something to our biology and now I'm a Togruta and her a human."
Ahsoka as a human? That, Padmé would like to see.
"So, how long will you be like this? You and Ahsoka, I mean. I can't imagine the Jedi Council would like you two going out of commission for too long."
When Anakin shakes his head, Padmé stares with growing amusement as his extra parts move with him. "I have no idea, but I doubt it'll be long until the council decides we're fine enough to go back out regardless of our situation. It's not like we're injured."
Leaning forward slightly, Padmé catches Anakin's gaze. "You don't think it's permanent, do you?"
Not that she has an issue being married to a Togruta but she's ver hesitant to fully embrace these changes. It would change a lot between them and their lives. She would have to make special meals if they decided to eat together. She would have to get used to his new lekku and montrals instead of that sandy blond hair she loves so much. And what about...other parts?
"I don't think so." Comes Anakin's answer. "If it were a Sith artifact, I wouldn't be so sure, but it's not. Besides, Master Yoda seemed to have a handle on this. He may already know how to fix it."
It's comforting, at least. But still very strange. How could a single artifact, force-influencing or not, change someone's biology? It doesn't make any scientific sense to her. Then again, nothing about the Jedi is very scientific or reasonable.
"...are you uncomfortable when I'm like this?"
Anakin's voice snaps her out of her thoughts. "What? No! No, I'm just thinking." He doesn't look entirely convinced, though. Maybe she should do a little less thinking and more talking.
"It doesn't matter." Padmé decides, pulling Anakin's hand into her own. Their fingers interlock. "I'm not going to let this ruin a chance to be together. Okay?"
A smile grows on his face and he nods, his red markings shifting color slightly. Based on what Padmé knows about Ahsoka, it means he's blushing.
"Okay. Then what are we going to do tonight? It's already pretty late, but I don't have anything tomorrow..." He trails off, clearly an idea already on his mind.
Padmé's heart picks up. "I have one early meeting but there's a three-hour gap between sessions." She knows it isn't ideal, but there's rarely a day she gets completely off. And those are usually forced onto her by someone else -like Threepio, or Sheev.
There's a moment where they just sit there, watching each other. Padmé's heart increases into a quick beating, her stomach flipping every time he downward. Despite the long, hard months they've fought, he still manages to look like nothing's changed at all. Like they're still on Naboo, doing nothing but wasting time together.
Oh, how she wishes she could waste that much time with him. Picnics on the hills, soft conversations by the fireplace. And all of her determination to not fall in love instead spent on loving every single part of him. Her wonderful husband.
"You know..." He starts, his voice low and rumbling. "I did some research on human and Togruta anatomy. Apparently, it's not too different from...normal. And there wouldn't be any risk of pregnancy either."
Padmé chews on that idea. It's appealing and more than a little exciting but...
"Not tonight." She decides. "It's still too new, I think. And I don't really want to bet on that pregnancy part until I'm sure." No matter if their genes would work together, it could still be dangerous to try without knowing for sure whether a baby would start growing or not.
"Okay." Anakin accepts easily, just like he always does when she's not in the mood. "Then let's watch more of that holovid you were showing me. About the Wild Space animals?"
That, she's up for. Standing from her place on the couch, Padmé grabs the remote to her holo, then settles down against Anakin's chest. He wraps his arms around her easily, his chest rising and falling against her back as she flips through channels. Finally, once she's selected the right holovid, she sets the remote down and watches.
For a long while, they stay in silence. It's not too outrageously interesting to Padmé, mostly because she'd rather learn about something more relevant to the core worlds, but it makes Anakin laugh and the sound is just as nice.
This episode seems to be about Lysatra and its many different native creatures. A native couple walks with the show's host, telling him all about how they care for the domestic creatures and keep predators out of their land. It's such a different life from the one Padmé is used to. Farms and small settlements barely big enough to be considered cities. Hardly any political connections besides their trade and shipping businesses.
Padmé blinks slowly, her mind fogging with the warm and quiet company.
She blinks again, the holo's images blurring together until they're nothing more than blobs of color.
She blinks one last time, the excited voices just barely registering in her mind.
"HA!" Anakin laughs. "Now that's a pun Obi-Wan would appreciate. Right, Padmé?" He turns to his wife, only to find her face completely still and soft with sleep. He freezes, his face growing hot as he realizes how loud he was talking.
"Sorry, Honey." He whispers this time, a fond smile forcing itself on his face. She's always so peaceful in sleep. Her daily worries can finally wash away and it's nice to know he helps her relax like this. That he's someone she can trust.
Shifting ever so slightly, Anakin turns off the holo with a wave of his hand. With even more careful shifting, Anakin manages to sit the two of them upright, then scoops Padmé into his arms. She stirs at the motion but falls asleep quickly after. From there, Anakin lifts her up and walks them into her -their- bedroom.
Placing her gently on the right side, he slips off her day shoes and untangles the pins from her hair. There aren't as many, but just enough that sleeping with them in would give her a headache. He sets each down on her nightstand, then runs a hand through her locks to make sure he's gotten all of them. Only then, does he tuck the blanket around her and move to his own side.
The warmth from earlier returns once Anakin has her pressed against his chest again. He tries to lay his head down, only to find the same problem as before.
His montrals are in the way.
With a sigh, Anakin turns his head upward, trying to rest on the spot between bumps, but the angle is awkward and it'll hurt his neck if he stays like that. Shifting again, he tries to rest his chin on the top of her head, only to find that his lekku block that as well. With a huff, Anakin draws himself away, throws both lekku over Padmé's shoulders, then settles behind her again. This time, he rests his forehead against her shoulder; and finally, the position is comfortable.
"Goodnight, Angel." He whispers into the darkness. He imagines her saying it back, her voice sweet and very in love.
Anakin follows her into sleep soon after.
It's a shorter chapter, but I hope the fluff makes up for it. And for those who want something more spicy later on, I may write that as well. If enough people want it, at least.