A/N: If you haven't guessed by now, I'm trying to highlight some of the cracks in their relationship. The distance is taking it's toll on both of them, and Padme especially, is becoming more and more paranoid that Anakin will get bored of her. The age difference between the two of them is finally hitting home - for Padme anyway, and I wanted to express this, because it is a big part of their relationship.

Being apart only makes their desire and passion for each other so, so much more intense, and when they finally get together, it's just an explosion of pent up lust. I enjoy writing moments like this. As I've said before, I really love writing Padme and Anakin dialogue. Their relationship and the way they interact with each other is so intriguing to me. They tease and then they argue and then they get serious.

Anakin is such a sweetheart oh my god.

I hope you enjoy this chapter. I feel like it's high time Anakin took care of Padme for once.

With her insecurities somewhat soothed, Padme actually managed to enjoy herself. Or, maybe it was just because she'd had several shots of vodka. Either way, she was feeling more at ease. The more of Anakin's friends she met, the more she regretted not meeting them earlier. They were actually really nice, even though half of them were even younger than Anakin; Kit Fisto, a relaxed, laid back guy with light brown hair set in dreadlocks, Rex and Cody, twin exchange students from Australia with a habit of saying mate and s'truth – which Padme didn't quite understand, Luminara Unduli, a quiet Iranian girl who had a wise, philosophical air about her that reminded Padme of Obi-wan.

Yet, despite everything, a voice of concern arose within her, nudging at her conscience. It was all too familiar. She'd done it all before, when she was a freshman. And it had been great, back then, when she was eighteen, nineteen, twenty. But she was past all of that now. She was older. Her version of a good time was a lot more relaxed, going out to bars or grabbing coffee. Adult things. Grown-up things. It made her feel old.

She couldn't say anything, especially to Anakin, because it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to hold him back from experiencing things like this, enjoying college life while he still could. If she told him how she really felt, he would constantly worry about whether she was having a good time, fretting about her, and he wouldn't enjoy himself. His selflessness when it came to her was unparalleled.

The guilt was eating her alive. She didn't want to feel this way. But she couldn't help it. Only now was she realising the age difference between the two of them. Of course, she had always known he was younger, she'd known that since she'd seen him again that summer. But, it had never really hit home. It had never been seen as a problem. Until now. You're just being paranoid, she told herself. You're just overcomplicating things, as usual.

To quell her anxiety, she just drank more. Not a smart decision, of course, but for once, Padme didn't want to be smart. She wanted to let go of all the tension. She hadn't realised how much this distance between her and Anakin was straining her emotions, but her outbreak earlier made that perfectly clear. It was making her crazy, possessive. The longer they were apart, the more she craved him.

Aayla Securra followed her when she went to get another beer, sitting beside her as she watched Anakin, Rex, Cody and Kit playing pool – honestly, whoever owned this house was incredibly privileged. "You alright?" she asked, resting her cup on her knees and glancing at Padme with large, dark eyes. "That's, like, your sixth in an hour."

Padme glanced down at her drink, eyes widening in mild surprise. "I hadn't even noticed," she admitted. Her brain was feeling fuzzy and she'd lost count of how much she had actually drank, only that it wasn't enough. Aayla nodded awkwardly and took a sip, making Padme feel guilty. She was only trying to be nice, and Padme had been rude to her, twice.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Aayla" she said timidly. "About before. I – I was rude." She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

Strangely, Aayla simply laughed good-naturedly. "It's alright. I can understand. You saw a girl with your man. You got jealous," she sighed, shaking her head. "We've all been there before, honey, trust me."

Padme laughed softly. "Still, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she apologised sincerely. "I'm not usually like that."

Before Aayla could reply, Anakin let out a roar of triumph and slapped Rex on the back, both cheering loudly. As the two celebrated in front of a sullen Cody and Kit, Anakin glanced at her, asking for her praise, a wild grin on his face and she beamed back at him, laughing at his expression.

"You have nothing to worry about," Aayla continued with a smirk. "Seriously, Anakin talks about you so much. It's really annoying, actually."

Padme warmed at her words, eyes still trained on Anakin, and felt her cheeks flush with affection. Of course he had. He had never been shy in expressing his devotion to her. He told her every day, in various different ways, yet it was always the same. I love you, I love you, I love you. There was no reason for her to be jealous at all; it had been pathetic and she was so, so embarrassed by how she had reacted. How could she possibly doubt him? He belonged to her as surely and completely as she belonged to him.

"How long have you two been together?"

"Five months," she replied, happily. Five agonisingly beautiful months. "But, we've known each other a lot longer than that."

Aayla nodded. "What's long-distance like?"

Sighing, Padme ran her fingertip along the rim of her cup. It was difficult to explain. Of course, she didn't regret being with Anakin at all. Distance was unavoidable, and they made it work. But, that didn't mean it hurt any less. "Honestly? It's... hard," she admitted miserably. "I mean, it's always worth it, always – for the moments we get to be together, but…"

Aayla hummed, shaking her head. "I don't know how you do it," she marvelled. "I think it would kill me."

Padme laughed at that. "Are you in a relationship?" she asked, merely curious. The way Aayla's eyes drifted over to where Kit was standing didn't escape her notice, but she didn't say anything. It was not for her to pry into a strangers' love life. She wasn't like her sister, in that respect, at least.

"It's… complicated," Aayla muttered eventually. She didn't say anymore and Padme left it at that. She didn't want this girl to think her any ruder than she probably already did. "The sex would be pretty wild though, right? When you get back together?" The sudden, very personal question, made Padme blush and she bit her lip, swallowing the lump in her throat. She didn't know what to say to that. Padme was very conservative about her relationship with Anakin in public. But she couldn't deny the truth… it was wild. The separation only made their yearning for each other more intense, so that when they were finally together, it was an explosion of passion and pent-up lust. She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat as she felt her core flush with heat.

Sensing her discomfort, Aayla smiled at her sheepishly. "Sorry, that was pretty personal. I tend to lose my filter when I drink."

Before she could respond, Anakin approached them, and she'd never been more grateful for his presence. He stood in front of Padme, arms crossed, eyebrows raised, a devilish smirk on his face. "Securra, you'd better not be telling Padme about what I actually get up to in class?" he warned her, grinning slyly.

"Of course not, Skywalker," Aayla winked. "We wouldn't want your precious Harvard girlfriend to know you sleep in class. What would she think of you then?" she feigned shock, clutching her hand to her chest.

Anakin's annoyed expression made Padme snort with laughter, and Aayla winked at her, before standing up and heading over to Kit, bumping Anakin in the shoulder as she passed. He cursed after her, and she flipped him off casually, before he sat down next to Padme, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Don't listen to her, angel," he grinned. "She's full of lies, that one."

Padme rolled her eyes. "Sure, Ani," she retorted, playfully.

Anakin placed his hand on her knee, squeezing it gently. "I'm glad you're not yelling at her now."

"She's nice."

"Not as nice as you." He pulled her, none-too-gracefully, onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. She sighed into his embrace, content. Never did she feel more at home than when Anakin's arms were around her. Smiling, she turned her head to kiss him, when he sniffed and screwed up his nose. "You smell like beer," he informed her, rather formally, as though it was his civic duty to point that out.

Pouting at him, she frowned. "Like you can talk." If anything, he'd drunk just as much as her. No doubt he smelt just as badly too.

Though he kept a poker face, his eyes flashed dangerously and Padme grew aroused at the sight of it. "You probably taste like it too." The way he teased her, flirted with her, causing her to react exactly the way he knew she would. He was far, far too perceptive. He could read her so easily.

She returned his darkened gaze, smirking at him. "Do you want to find out?" she teased, voice low and seductive and he growled, "do I ever," claiming her, tongue licking deep into her mouth and she moaned into it. Normally, she would never have done such a thing surrounded by a crowd of people, but the alcohol had muffled her common sense and rationality and all she could think about was Anakin, his lips, his hands, his body. They stayed that way, lip-locked and oblivious, until Aayla whistled rather loudly, calling out for them to 'get a room before I barf'.

Padme blushed deeply as they broke away, but Anakin simply looked smug and incredibly pleased with himself. Despite his complicated past, he was a very simple man to please. All he seemed to need was her love, her affection, to know that he was all she'd ever need. And she could never deny him that, the one thing that was so certain and clear in her mind. It was easy to love Anakin. As natural as breathing.

The night wore on, Padme drank more and more, and somehow was convinced to play beer pong with Anakin. They were teamed up against Cody and Rex, and Padme was so drunk by this point that she could hardly see straight. She hadn't played beer pong since she was twenty-one, and for good reason. It was lethal and caught up to her all at once. Apparently, they won, but Padme didn't take much notice, because the world was spinning and suddenly there was two of everything. Her head was pounding, and she felt incredibly dizzy and extremely nauseous.

Anakin was holding her firmly by the shoulders, trying to steady her. "Woah, Padme. Are you alright?" he asked her, full of concern.

She blinked up at him, surprised when she saw his face appearing twice before her eyes, side by side and blurry around the edges. She giggled and swayed on the spot. "Ani… there's two of you."

"Fuck," she heard him mutter, before he put his arm around her waist and one of hers over his shoulder, supporting her. "Come on, I'm taking you back."

She stumbled, blindly, tripping over her own feet and laughing at nothing and everything, euphoria washing over her and leaving her body numb. But soon, that euphoria faded and was replaced by sickening nausea, and suddenly she was bent over the bushes, hurling her guts up while Anakin held her hair and rubbed her back, soothing her with kind words that she couldn't understand. It was awful and the bile burned an acidic path up her throat and she began to cry at the horrible sensation while Anakin wrapped her protectively against him, smoothing out her hair.

She didn't remember how they got back home, but suddenly, she was sitting on the floor of the shower, naked, while cold water rained down on her. Closing her eyes, she screwed up her face, trying to stop her head from spinning but it only made it worse. That was the last thing she remembered.

The light was blinding when she eventually opened her eyes, and she groaned, squeezing them shut again and wriggled further underneath the covers, not at all prepared for daylight. A soft chuckle rumbled beside her and she snuggled closer to it's source, finding warm skin and lean muscle. Anakin. With a silly smile, she curled herself into him, whatever part of him she could find, crushing her face into him and squishing her nose. Gentle fingers traced up and down her arm, leaving goose-pimples and she only clutched him tighter.

"Morning, sleeping beauty," she could feel his deep, beautiful voice, light with amusement, vibrate through him and sighed happily at the sound of it. She adored his voice; it conjured up feelings inside her that she couldn't quite explain. She loved how it could be dark and dangerous when he was flirting with her, or gentle and sweet when he told her he loved her, or rough and hoarse when he cried out her name as he came inside her. It was her favourite sound in the world.

"Mmmm," she mumbled into his chest and she felt him shake with laughter again.

"How are you feeling?" She responded with a groan. "That bad, huh?"

Padme frowned against his skin. "Anakin," she managed to growl, though it required more effort than she was ready for. "No talking. Sleeping."

He laughed again, such a gorgeous free sound, but it was full of mockery. Of course, he was finding the whole thing incredibly hilarious and if she had the strength, or the will, she would have hit him. Instead, she simply dug her nails into his skin as a warning.

Then, because he was cruel and enjoyed tormenting her, he continued conversing with her, his voice unnecessarily loud and annoying in her ear. "Y'know, I was expecting a hero's reward after having to take care of you last night," he was saying, all bravado and wounded ego. "I mean, first I had to hold your hair while you emptied the contents of your stomach. Everywhere, might I add. Then, I had to get you out of your clothes and sit you down in the shower, which was difficult because you couldn't sit up straight. And then, I had to dry you off, while you were passed out, and put you in bed. And you can't even say good morning."

He finished his monologue with a dramatic, wounded air, grinning down at her, and she'd had enough. Growling and cursing, she finally opened her eyes, squinting up at him in irritation, and hissed, "good morning, Anakin."

He rewarded her with a sweet kiss to the top of her hair. "There you go. That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"I hate you."

"No, you don't," he said, all self-assured and completely confident. She hummed, partially annoyed, partially amused, because he was right. She didn't hate him. Not at all. He was annoying and childish and irritating, but she loved that about him, just as she loved everything else. "Are you going to get up anytime soon, angel?" he asked, using his favourite nickname for her, knowing it would melt her resolve. "I want to take you out for breakfast."

She groaned at the thought of having to leave the bed. "Why, Ani?" she whined, shaking her head adamantly against him.

"Because," he explained, taking her face in his hands and forcing her to look up at him. The light in his eyes was almost as blinding as the morning sun, but she definitely liked this view better. "You look like you need four cups of coffee and lots of grease."

She couldn't help but grin at that, and her stomach rumbled in response to the word coffee. "You sure know the way to a girl's heart, Ani," she told him.

He bent and brushed his lips against hers softly and she chased the kiss, suddenly needy. "As long as it's your heart," he whispered.

Padme grinned against his mouth, her nose nudging his. "You're such a suck up."

"Is it working?"

"I might need some more persuasion," she teased, stretching her neck to reach his lips again but he pulled away. She whimpered in protest. He was so cruel sometimes, constantly teasing her, and she could never win, but knew she wouldn't want him any other way.

"You need to brush your teeth. Right now," he said firmly, as though that was a good enough reason not to kiss her. She huffed and poked her tongue out at him, feeling like a child but not really caring, because her head was pounding and she couldn't open her eyes properly and her voice was hoarse and she was so incredibly thirsty. She expressed her need for water in a few, short words and he nodded, crawling out over the top of her, kneeing her in the hip accidentally, and she watched him head into the bathroom, eyeing his long, athletic legs and firm ass barely covered by the scrap of material he called pyjamas. It was a welcoming sight.

He returned moments later with a glass of water and her toothbrush, a stripe of toothpaste laying along the bristles in readiness, and she grasped the glass eagerly with both hands, swallowing it down in one, large gulp, before beaming up at him in thanks. "My hero," she praised him.

They sat there, at opposite ends of the bed, for several minutes, Padme brushing her teeth, Anakin smoothing his fingers up and down her calves. It was easy; such a natural state for them to be in. Being together like this was all Padme ever wanted. It was free of tension, and paranoia and jealousy. It was just them and their unyielding love. The intensity was still there, it always was, but the ferociousness had subsided, replaced by a sweet tranquillity of simply being in each other's presence.

"I'm sorry," she muttered softly, blinking up at him under heavy lids. She was extremely ashamed by how she had been acting. Her emotions had gotten the better of her and she had lashed out, at him, at his friends. It was highly embarrassing.

Her apology made him tilt his head slightly. "What for?"

She sighed, placing her toothbrush on the table beside the bed. She definitely felt better, less thirsty, though still needing water, and the taste of peppermint was strong in her mouth. "For being such a mess." The small smile he sent her confirmed that he knew exactly what she was referring to, not simply getting drunk, but everything. "I don't know what's wrong with me, lately."

Anakin slid his hand up to rest on her knee. "There's nothing wrong with you."

Laughing, she shook her head at him. His determination to think the best of her at all times was endearing, and she definitely didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve him at all. "You're too good to me, Ani."

"I love you." The simplicity of the statement always caught Padme by surprise. It was not as though she'd never heard it before. He told her all the time. But there was no hidden meaning, nothing expected in return. He was simply being honest, expressing himself in the only way he knew how. Tears filled her eyes and she beamed at him from the other side of the bed, trying to convey how much he meant to her without saying a word. For a moment, she forgot about her pounding head and parched throat. All that mattered to her was the wonderful boy in front of her, all golden and real and so, so beautiful.

Anakin swung his long legs off the bed, standing up and stretching, before offering out his hand to her. Padme took it and he helped her to her feet. "Come on," he told her. "Get yourself cleaned up and then we'll go, alright?"

It was then she realised she was in her pyjamas and her heart surged with affection. Anakin had dressed her. He had taken the time to dress her, when she had been in no state to dress herself, in an effort to maintain her modesty, and it was that simple action, more than his words, which showed her how much he loved her.

He seemed bemused by her sudden soft expression and asked, "what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because I love you," she whispered, soft and open and light.

Smiling, he fondly stroked her cheek, fingers incredibly gentle. "Go and have a shower."

A wicked thought suddenly crossed her mind and she wet her lips with her tongue, maintaining eye contact, and pulled her pyjama shirt over her head. A shudder of triumph shot down to her core when she saw his eyes darken, and she responded by sliding her shorts down her hips and stepping out of them deftly. "Join me?" she asked, blinking at him innocently, but the sensuality of her voice told a different story entirely.

He swallowed and nodded. Grinning, she took his hand and pulled him along behind her.