Hey guys!
Thanks so much for all the reviews! So happy that so many seemed intrigued with this story. Originally I wanted to make this a 4 chapter piece, but I've already written at least 5, so look forward to some twists and turns!
Without further ado, here's the next instalment!
A blast rocked the ship, sending it cascading out of the sky. It jolted back upwards, narrowly avoiding a fiery demise and leaving it's shaken cargo seeing their lives flash before their eyes.
'For God's sake Anakin!'
'Sorry Master!' his cheerful voice did little to calm the frayed nerves of the crew behind him. He had been like this all day! Jittery, sporadic, distracted. In other words, not the man you want to be piloting a ship in a war zone.
Anakin wasn't fazed. Sure, today had been slightly jumpier and jerkier than usual. Sure, his usual effortless grace and dignity had taken a bit of a shudder since yesterday. But they were all still alive! What was the problem? They just needed stronger stomachs; really, all those sudden drops out of the air were doing them a favour. Fear is weakness leaving the body.
Honestly, for the life of him he could not concentrate. So deep in his own thoughts was he that he would completely miss approaching battleships, not seeing them until they were bang centre of his vision. Instead of ploughing down droids with his usual vigour, he wanted to grab them by the shoulders and yell 'What did she mean!' right in their metal faces.
He sighed. Last night had been…crazy? Confusing? Complicated? He still struggled to remember how it had all transpired (those beers had clouded the proceedings in a murky fog-he was embarrassingly out of practise.) All he remembered, was that, somehow, by some miraculous twist of fate, Padme had suggested they had sex. Thank goodness that one part of the night was crystal clear in his mind, because if anything was a sign that he had been dreaming the whole thing, that would be a pretty huge clue. But no. She had said it. He was sure of it! The rapid beating of his heart whenever he recalled her wicked smile, the pause, eyes downturned and lips parted, before she made the lethal suggestion, acted as proof that it did in fact happen.
But how! And why!
Surely he hadn't told her how he felt?! No, that wouldn't make sense. Padme was far too good a person to rebuff his awkward declaration of feelings with the suggestion of a pity-fuck. No, it would have been all 'Oh Ani, I'm so sorry' 'Oh Ani, I want to be here for you!' 'Oh Ani, have you tried therapy? I know the best guy- you'll be over me in no time!'
So… they had been discussing sex? Wait, it was all coming back to him! They were talking about getting girls at the front line! And The Princess! And…
Another jolt rocked the ship. Anakin lurched forward, very nearly hitting his head against the dashboard and being tugged back forcefully by his safety belt.
'JESUS MASTER!'
Ahsoka's voice pierced the sanctity of his cockpit. 'What was that!?'
Anakin chuckled. 'Must have been an air bubble. Or a missile strike. I'll leave it to your imagination Snips.'
He needed to get out this ship, get back to camp and, most importantly, get some answers.
On a normal day, his crumpled cargo might have had something to say when his voice came blaring down the intercom, announcing that they would be landing back to camp earlier than expected. But the clone troopers had been cowering in the corner praying to land for about 20 minutes, Obi Wan was having trouble regaining control of his shaking sweaty palms and Ahsoka was too busy fighting a losing battle with her digestive system. So as Anakin put the ship into hyperspace without so much of a peep. God, it was refreshing when he could just do whatever he wanted and no one put up a fight! Moral of the story: recklessness always worked in his favour.
Padme was absentmindedly flicking through her commlink, ignoring the nagging holomails of Chancellor Palpatine while watching Bail Organa sip coffee and struggle to muster control over his shaking hands.
'Are you OK Bail?'
The words were out of her mouth before she could even consider putting his discretion first.
He sighed. 'I haven't felt like this in a long time, Senator.' She could tell. The bags under his eyes were somewhat of a giveaway. 'I thought I could handle three whiskeys! That Obi Wan Kenobi can drink me under the table!'
Padme chuckled, powering through the pounding of her own head.
'Did you and Anakin have a late one?' Bail asked, a hint of intrigue glinting in his eyes.
Padme brushed it off. 'Why, are my black eyes giving it away!'
Bail laughed. 'Oh not at all Padme, you look remarkably fresh actually.'
Phew, she thought. Didn't want to look crusty if she was going to run into Anakin again. Especially after last night's conversation…
She snapped back into focus. God her attention span on a hangover was pathetically small!
'We ended up around 1ish I think.'
Bail gasped. Well, he was in the graveyard of his 40s after all. Any night that went on past 10pm merited a week's recovery.
'Oh wow!' Bail feigned shock. 'What did you two possibly have to talk about for that long?'
Padme narrowed her eyes. For someone who was so hungover, he sure did have energy to pry.
She opted for breezy (or as breezy as she could manage in her depleted state). 'Oh you know Ani! He is the antithesis of the ever-silent Jedi Master isn't he!'
She saw Bail clock the use of her nickname. Clock it all you want, nothing's happened between them! Yet…
'You're right there. Plus, you two are so close that I'm sure you never run out of things to say' said Bail, concealing a slight smirk.
Bail was on a mission today! Wasn't he supposed to be known as the peaceful Senator from Alderaan who avoided drama like the plague?
And he wasn't done yet.
'I guess you needed to keep him up long enough to get that awful Princess away from him.'
'Bail!' she was actually a bit shocked at his brazen side.
'What do you mean! If the Princess wants to spend the evening drooling over Anakin, that's none of my business!'
'Oh no no Padme, that's not what I meant!' Bail had gone bright red. So he should, she thought indignantly. 'I meant for his sake! He didn't seem at all keen for her attentions. I wasn't insinuating anything about you and him-'
She cut him off. 'Ok well good.' She haughtily pressed some buttons on her holopad, making a display of fake-typing.
'Please accept my sincere apology for being so unprofessional' Bail's eyes pleaded his embarrassment. So she would forgive him. For now.
'Don't worry Bail, I know what you meant.' She chuckled good-naturedly. 'I think our first hangover in months has transformed you into a gossip and me into a petulant child!'
He laughed too. 'Then lets vow never to drink again.'
'Deal.'
He sighed. 'I was expecting this to be a quick observation mission. Get the all clear for the war front, bundle Princess Ecosa off home where she belongs and be done with it. Instead here we are, two days of drinking and showering with team of clones. I'm too old for this.'
She laughed. 'At least we are getting an active depiction of life at the front line if nothing else. Come to think of it, where is the Princess?'
'Still showering.'
Bail shot her an exasperated look. 'Oh to be young and selfish again!'
Padme chuckled. 'Well if she's otherwise engaged, shall we go over some legislature for Palpatine's vote next week? You know, to pass the time?'
'I suppose that's a good idea' said Bail reluctantly. 'What else are we going to do to shift this hang anyway?'
'I know! There's no holoscreens, no junk food', Padme complained, her moany hangover alter ego back in business, 'We can't even people watch when everyone around us is literally a clone!'
'Don't speak too soon Padme' Bail's wicked gossip glint was back too. They couldn't budge these new personality flaws today!
Padme turned to see a ship docking at the camp entrance, and from it, the shaky bodies of Obi Wan and Ahsoka stumbling out. She couldn't meet Bail's eye as she saw Anakin jump from the cockpit and run over to the pale form of Ahsoka, jostling her and laughing. He looked like a man from an advert, the After to his colleagues Before.
He spotted them, jogging over.
'Morning Senators! Feeling a bit ropey this morning Pad?'
It was her turn to get bumped by this force of energy.
'Nice to see you're fully on form Ani!' she laughed, 'No creeping hangover dread for you then?'
'On form?! Are you joking Senator?' Ahsoka had trudged over, still slightly pale in the face. 'He has just given us the worst piloting The Order has ever seen. I'm not joking- I spewed three times and I was completely sober all night.'
'Maybe that one sip of alcohol had a drastic effect then Snips?' Anakin laughed 'thank God I intervened before you drank more or you would have been in the vomit double figures by now'.
'There is nothing to blame except your horrendous piloting Master' she looked over at Obi Wan, who was still shaking and gazing glassily off into the distance. 'Master Kenobi looks like he will never be the same!'
'You lot need to realise that we are at war, not an amusement park. Sometimes life's tough- get over it' he said, smirk so wide that even Padme wanted to slap it off his face on Ahsoka's behalf.
'Well whatever Master' she scowled, 'I'm going to go for a nap. Valuable time that I, a skilled Jedi, could be using to plan our strategy, is being wasted on recuperating due to neglectful piloting from you. I hope you're happy.'
'I'm ecstatic Snips.'
Padme grinned as Ahsoka plodded off. She turned back to her bench, noticing Bail was long gone too. He must have had the same idea…
Suddenly she felt a little sheepish. She looked up and Anakin and smiled, fiddling with her sleeve.
'So Ani are-'
'So how are yo-'
They burst into nervous giggles after speaking at the same time. Anakin looked down, fiddling with his glove before speaking.
'Sorry Pad, I was just wondering if you were feeling as bad as the rest of them today?'
She laughed. 'I have been fresher I won't lie to you Ani.'
'Well you look good as new!' he grinned.
'That's what Bail said too!' she blurted it out before she had even realised what she was saying.
Anakin narrowed his eyes.
'Sorry Ani, that sounded so arrogant! My usual filter must be on a hangover vacation today.' She giggled.
'You're speaking without thinking, growing in arrogance- shit Pad, you might just be becoming me!' Anakin laughed, sending butterflies racing around her body.
She couldn't handle her heart fluttering like this- not on a hang.
'No Ani my levels of arrogance have years to go before I'm even close to you!'
They both laughed, looking down nervously. Last night's discussion hung stalely in the air, permeating both of their minds. And worst of all, they both knew it.
Anakin decided to just power on. 'I'm surprised you don't feel worse given the state of you last night!'
'What! I wasn't even that drunk!' Padme sat up, enthused to break from the awkwardness.
'Are you kidding?' Anakin laughed, 'you must have forgotten half of the stuff you were saying to me then…'
His attempt to spook her had the opposite effect. She felt suddenly emboldened.
'What, about us sleeping together?'
His gaze shot up. She looked him square in the eye, not flinching.
'Well Ani? Wasn't that what you meant? Or is there something even more dramatic that I mentioned yesterday that I've forgotten?'
He did his classic three-point combo; gulp, smirk, laugh.
'No Pad, that was about it.'
'So what about it then?' she said, her newfound confidence not wavering. 'Have you given it any more thought?'
'Have I?' his voice dropped to a whisper, suddenly aware that they were conversing in the light of day in an open camp, not shrouded in the guise of dark corners and alcohol blurs like yesterday.
'I've thought of nothing else for 12 hours Pad.' He laughed shakily. 'Why do you think I was so distracted on the field today?'
She tried not to let that one inflate her ego too much.
'Well you've mulled it over enough then Ani- any verdict?'
His blue eyes widened. 'Verdict? What do you mean- do I want it?'
She laughed warmly, surprised by how confident she felt. 'Well yeah!'
He looked genuinely surprised. In hushed tones he whispered, checking behind him. Padme almost laughed at how paranoid he was.
'Are you serious Pad?' his eyes shone with danger. 'I thought you were talking hypothetically! I didn't realise you meant we could actually… you know.. in real life…'
She laughed, her mouth open in surprise. 'Ani, you thought my saying we should sleep together to give you relief from the endless cycle of sexual frustration was some sort of cock-teasery? No!' she smiled, shyness suddenly sapping her confidence. 'I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it.'
The sincerity in her deep brown eyes showed him she meant it.
He looked down at his hands, laughing to himself.
'What Ani? My proposition is funny to you?'
'No Pad, not at all! I just… i-um… well I had been trying pretty hard to remember how we got on to this particular subject yesterday and, I guess you just told me.' He ran his hand through his hair. 'Why am I so pathetic that I get drunk and tell you of all people how I can't get laid! That's humiliating!' He suddenly looked panicked. 'I didn't pressure you did I? This wasn't some horrible guilt trip thing?'
'Ani! Not at all!' she rubbed his arm in reassurance, feeling a bit weird about touching him before remembering they would be doing a lot more than a simple arm rub later. 'I offered-I wanted to offer!'
He had blushed bright red. God he was so adorable!
'Out of interest, when you had forgotten how we got on to this particular subject, what did you think had prompted it?' she asked.
'Oh nothing. Something far too humiliating to recall at this time Pad' he looked away, painfully aware that his blush was deepening rather than fading. 'Anyway- so..you want to?'
He looked up, his blue eyes shining. 'You actually want to?'
She grinned, her heart beating out her chest and her sense of confidence returning with renewed vigour. 'Why not Ani! It seems to be the perfect solution! Two friends helping each other out.'
His expression fell slightly at the last part, but he covered it with a smile.
'So wh-when would this happen?' he said, still clearly struggling to get his head around it.
'Well how about tonight?' When his eyes widened in shock, she laughed. 'Well when else would you suggest Ani? Right now? And risk disrupting Ahsoka's evening nap?'
'No- not now!' his hushed voice was back. 'Sorry Pad I just can't really get my head around this. I mean-it's you!'
'I know Ani, I know. Well if you don't want to…'
His eyes shot up. 'No- I do! I do! I definitely do.'
'Ok, sounds like you do then' she laughed.
He nudged her with his shoulder. 'Shut up you.'
'Well Ani, how about we hang out tonight, after dinner, get an early night and see where it takes us?' she fiddled with his sleeve, still aware of the line her flirtatious behaviour crossed. She better get used to it if tonight was going to happen.
He gulped.
'Padme Naberrie,' he extended his hand to shake hers, 'you have yourself a deal.'
Not sure that chapter really provided the excitement you were all waiting for, but you did give me the go-ahead for my silly conversations between the two of them, so here you go!
If anything, this has solidified consent!
The next chapter will be more exciting, I promise!
Please drop me a review!
xxx