Anakin asks Padmé about her droid-sona.
"Hey, Padmé? What kind of droid would you be?"
Padmé turns over in bed to look at her husband. What kind of question is that?! A droid? "Ani..." She sighs, already past amused.
She loves Anakin, but sometimes...
"I've just been thinking about it lately."
What droid would she be? It's silly. Ridiculous. She could never be a droid because she is an organic being, just as a droid could never be the opposite. She loves their little family of droids, but she doesn't confuse them for children! Not the way Anakin seems to, from time to time.
"I...I don't know-"
"Come on, Padmé." Anakin turns toward her, a metallic finger running gently across her wrist. "Entertain me?"
She should be going to bed. They both should...but now she's picturing it. "Not an astromech. I'm not built for that kind of work. Maybe...maybe a protocol droid? Not like Threepio, but a spy droid. I'd pass secrets to the Republic and help save people wherever I can."
Anakin is fully beaming now. "I think you'd be a great protons droid! Maybe a shinny silver with dark trims?"
"They make them like that?" She's only seen them in the one solid color. Then again, it may not be difficult to paint them differently.
"Sure!" Anakin says. "And you could get a set of electric binders to go around your arm braces. Like some kind of droid fashion statement."
That makes Padmé laugh. She still can't believe how ridiculous this is. "Droid fashion...fine. I'd be a fancy protocol droid spy. What about you?" She has a feeling he already knows his answer.
And answer he does. "A C1-series astromech with black, white and blue casing. One leg would be black and gold, like my prosthetic-" He wiggles said fingers, "- and my dome would have red and grey buttons. Since I'd only have two support legs, I can go a lot faster than most R-series. And the extra arms in the dome help with repairs and fighting. Oh! I'd keep an arsenal of tools and weapons in my chamber, just in case there's trouble. I'd fly with a Jedi who trusts me completely and views me as a friend instead of a tool."
"...Wow." It's all Padmé can say.
Anakin's expression falls slightly and he pulls away in embarrassment. "Or, uh, we can go to bed. Sorry to keep you up."
She holds onto his hand again, pulling him back to her. "Ani, you're cute. I love how passionate you are, even if it's about things like this. Don't be embarrassed about it." It's why she fell for him so hard, after all.
Their fingers interlock. "Thanks for answering." He whispers, the night settling over them again. "I just couldn't get it out of my head. You know?"
Indeed she does.
"Let's sleep now." Padmé kisses him slowly, softly. She pulls away before their bodies can think of other ways to stay up. "Goodnight, Ani."
"Night, Angel." He whispers in return, then rolls onto his back. Their fingers stay together as Padmé closes her eyes, content with her life in this moment. She's safe and warm and loved. She couldn't ask for more.
In another life, the small C1-series 4N1 astromech lets out a series of beeps.
Protocol droid, P-4DM3, bends in their charging station to stare down at him. "If I was organic? Why?"
Honestly, I have no idea why I thought of this. I just really think it's cute.