No. 24—Fight, Flight, or Freeze
Blood Covered Hands | "I don't want to do this anymore." | Catatonic
A/N: This is a Vampire AU.
"Ah, Anakin," Palpatine purred. "So good to see you again."
Anakin twisted his hands in the bonds that kept him on his medical bed. He was kept on IVs and a catheter so that he never had to be freed unless they were turning him for bed rashes or occasionally when Palpatine was being especially generous and let the red-clad guards take him on a short walk.
Not that it mattered. Anakin was rarely strong enough to get up anyway. Every time he stopped being too weak to move much, Palpatine came back for another visit.
"Go away," Anakin said.
"My power is running low," Palpatine said. "And I'm getting so hungry. You always fill me up more than anyone else."
Anakin glared at him. His only consolation was that Palpatine's bites hadn't managed to convert him into a vampire. Yet. That was the only silver lining to being constantly drained of his blood as often as Palpatine could without killing him. "I'm still going to kill you one day."
Palpatine pushed his head down with the Force and strapped Anakin's forehead down, exposing his neck. He chuckled. "So you keep saying. And yet I am still here."
Anakin tensed, curling his hands into fists. He knew what was coming next. Technically, he still had the defense of the Force, what little didn't get drained by the Sith emperor every couple of—well, Anakin wasn't quite sure what. He could toss Palpatine against the wall or choke him. But Anakin had learned the hard way that using the Force on Palpatine was a really bad idea. His eyebrows still hadn't fully grown back from the electrical torture.
Palpatine bent down and sank his teeth into Anakin's neck. Pain stabbed through Anakin's skin. He gasped, resisting the urge to cry out. He never got used to it, even after all this time.
"Please," Anakin whispered. "Stop."
Palpatine said nothing, his mouth still stuck to Anakin's neck.
Weakness spun through Anakin's head. He blinked hard. "Stop, please. I don't want to do this anymore."
Palpatine drew back. Blood glistened on his lips. He pressed his hands to Anakin's neck. "If you are sick of this, then consent to the ritual and embrace the Dark Side. I will transform you into Darth Vader."
"Never," Anakin spat. He didn't want to become a slave to Palpatine. If he let Palpatine perform the ritual on him, then he would have his every move controlled by Palpatine. Anything Palpatine told him to do, he would be forced to do it, even if he hadn't embraced the Dark Side. Thank the Force the ritual required a willing participant to work. "I would rather die than become your slave."
Palpatine lifted his hands, covered in blood, and leaned forward. "Very well." And he latched onto Anakin's neck again.
Anakin groaned. His head spun. "Please." His eyes grew wet. Back on Tatooine, he had built machines and maintained a junk shop for Watto. The blue alien would make him podrace for him and occasionally beat him if he misbehaved. Throughout his Jedi years, he'd done his best not to remember those days on Tatooine, hating his memories.
How he missed those days on Tatooine. As bad as Watto was, he'd seen Anakin as a person, even if Anakin was Watto's person. And in his own way, he had started to care.
Palpatine only saw Anakin as a meal and a power boost.
When Anakin could barely keep his eyes open, Palpatine unlatched and slapped a bacta patch on Anakin's neck. "Until next time, my delicious Chosen One."
Anakin blinked at him, his eyelids heavy. "I don't belong to you."
Palpatine smiled, his fangs streaked with blood. "Yes, you do." He swept out of Anakin's cell, the door hissing behind him.