After nearly two hours of decorating, Padmé was ready to sit down and take a nap. She looked around the senate atrium, not bothering to hide her smile as she registered the twinkling lights and the wreaths, the artificial snow that drifted lightly down from the ceiling. They wouldn't even make a mess when they melted—something that Padmé was particularly proud of finding when she and the others had looked for the right decorations.
A low whistle startled Padmé out of her reverie. But she knew that whistle, and she knew the light laugh that followed afterwards, and when she turned around, Anakin was already right behind her.
"You have to stop sneaking up on me like that," Padmé said, glancing over Anakin's shoulder. To her relief, no one was there—she knew no one would be here, because she had specifically requested for this part of the Senate Building to be cleared out, but still, it didn't hurt to at least be a little careful.
"And ruin the surprise?" Anakin asked, wrapping an arm around Padmé's waist. He looked up at the decorations, his eyes wide. "Looks great."
"Well," Padmé said, leaning a little into Anakin, "I was in charge, wasn't I?"
"Of course," Anakin said, tipping his head towards her. He looked back up and narrowed his eyes. "But I think you missed something."
Padmé frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you see…it's kind of hard to tell from here, but…" Anakin tugged Padmé backwards, and she let herself fall back a few steps.
"Anakin—"
"Okay, we're good," Anakin said. He pointed up. "See? Missed a spot."
Padmé looked up.
"How'd you get the mistletoe?" she asked, stunned. The little plant dangled above their heads, all green leaves and white berries.
"Asked around, obviously," Anakin replied. "And I heard about this cool thing that people do under the mistletoe, too…you wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, Senator?"
Padmé looked at Anakin. He was smiling down at her, and in that one moment, he looked almost shy.
Padmé smiled back. "I think I might know a thing or two."
A/N: as always, reviews/follows/favorites are greatly appreciated!