AN:
Cheire – Aww don't cry. Anakin will be okay. And thank you so much! I also love these little moments of their romance. I think what makes their relationship heightened in canon is also the distance. He is away at war and they don't get to live together. But yeah canon always only shows the big pivotal moments of a relationship, so it's nice to explore the little everyday interactions.
Special Delivery
And all I am is a man
I want the world in my hands
I hate the beach, but I stand
With my toes in the sand
Use the sleeves of my sweater, let's have an adventure
Head in the clouds, but my gravity's centered
Anakin listened closely as Palpatine described his duties from behind that large mahogany desk. He talked and talked. About responsibilities and opportunities. It made Anakin think about his own reality filled to the brim with difficulties and sacrifices. This here all seemed too good to be true. A perk or a poison? Anakin was normally skeptical but the more he listened, the more he believed in what this man was saying. No man could utter a lie so convincingly. He knew too much to be faking his own knowledge. Maybe that was the secret. Tell the truth. The ugly truth. And then you'll have their trust.
The old man was too understanding, too empathetic, putting himself in Anakin's shoes throughout the conversation. Although Anakin was undoubtedly excited, he still wondered whether he could take on a project of this size. A job that hundreds probably lined up for – to be Palpatine's assistant.
Don't blow it.
They weren't alone in the big office with the wall-length windows. A woman stood to Palpatine's right. Completely silent. She was poised, stoic, and at least 5 foot 8. She had short black hair, a square face (very Demi Moore), and in this light, her eyes looked reddish-brown. She seemed to be around 30. Anakin guessed 32 or 33. Her height was probably the reason why she could wear contrasting patterns – a maroon striped turtleneck and a black and white checkered skirt. The skirt was quite short. She didn't dress like a lawyer.
"For now, you'll mostly be filing until I'm sure I can trust you." Palpatine went on with an infectious charm. His words relieved Anakin's busy mind. They got on like a house on fire. Palpatine was taking a risk with Anakin, but Anakin was glad to see Palpatine was also being cautious. It made Anakin feel more secure. The probation period made Anakin believe this wasn't a decision made lightly.
"Thanks. I really appreciate it." Anakin had no complaints. All he could feel was the nervous elation that came with good fortune.
"Happy with the salary?" Palpatine asked
"Definitely." Anakin nodded assuredly. "The money's good. Real good, especially with the twins on the way."
Palpatine's quizzical thin white brow shot up. "Twins?"
Fuck. A record scratch sound blasted in Anakin's head. Everything halted. He probably shouldn't have said that. "Padme was going to tell you, she just wanted to settle in first." He explained sheepishly.
"Hm." Was all Palpatine presented. He then strangely seemed to gloss over the topic, turning to the quiet, tall woman in the corner. "This is my first assistant. You'll be shadowing her." Palpatine stood and therefore Anakin followed suit as his new boss swayed a hand in the woman's direction. "Asajj, meet Mr Skywalker."
"Call me Anakin." Anakin insisted as he shook her hand.
"Call me Miss Ventress." She replied. Anakin concealed a smirk, puzzled by the need for dominance. Perhaps him being second assistant meant he was coming for her job. Or maybe this was part of some hazing ritual.
Palpatine had a tendency to laugh at her responses. She always liked keeping people on their toes. That was his Ventress. In all her seriousness she can weaken the spirit of those around her with her grim takes.
"Your shared office is down the hall, third door on the left." Palpatine resuscitated the finer parts of the occasion. Always making up for the atmosphere Ventress killed. One could always rebuild the mood with whatever fragments, splinters laid on the ground. He pointed Anakin in the right direction.
Anakin thanked him and took that as his cue. Ventress was about to follow him but Palpatine caught her elbow and held her back.
"Be nice." The message was laden with agonizingly stretched syllables.
"I'm never nice." She glanced at him with wiling eyes. "But that's why you hired me."
Ventress was straightening papers on her desk. Her desk was opposite Anakin's. A stand off between the first and second assistant as she watched him with curiosity and pessimism. Anakin could feel her suspicious stare breaking through the space between their respective corners.
"How old are you?" She asked boldly.
Anakin looked up innocently. "22. Well, almost 22."
"Married with children at 22..." A sound came out that was a mix of a scoff and a snigger.
"I was actually 20 when I got married."
Again, a mere breath blew from her lips as she clasped her hands together over her papers. "It's rare to be married that young here in the city."
Anakin reached in his pocket for toothpicks and began fiddling with one between his fingers. "I'm a small town guy."
"Guess that explains it." Her strong features did not soften. "A city boy would be taking advantage of your good looks, probably in the bathroom of a club, fucking some girl whose name you can't remember."
Okay. Anakin thought to himself. Quite blatant. Quite rude. Guess the civilized city is as crass as the rest of the world. Or maybe he should respect her honesty. He'd rather spend his days in these four walls with a straight-talker than the opposite.
Anakin rolled his lips inward, trying not to snicker, but a sarcastic manner spilled out. "While I do enjoy syphilis... I enjoy having a family more. It gives me purpose... a sense of right and wrong, you know, morals."
Before he'd know he was being hypocritical. Anakin did a pretty good job at twisting his "good" intentions. At this point he believed he hadn't done anything that the people buried under the sand didn't have coming. Lying to himself came easy now.
"So you think there's a right way and a wrong way to live..." Ventress concluded and steadily observed him. No longer in small, distant doses.
"Yes." He spoke bluntly.
"Why should you be the judge of that? Sounds quite totalitarian... And that word you use, purpose, is misleading. Wasn't it Nietzsche who said morality is subjective?" The frosty look on her face waned. Maybe he struck a sympathetic chord. There's something symphonic about tyranny and a law firm. Always balancing the fight for power and the delegation of it.
She watched him decide on his answer as he sat back with his hands interlaced behind his head. "He is one of the greatest philosophers to ever exist... He also had syphilis." Anakin popped the toothpick in his mouth and lifted his cheeks in a vibrant grin.
"A-ha." And there was Ventress' first closed-lipped smile. "Now I see why Palpatine hired you, pretty boy."
Padme walked down the hall, two floors above hers, passing the peaceful grey walls that looked like they were weeping from the faint white paint stencils of leaf outlines along the skirting board. She stood outside Anakin's new office, waiting for him. Anakin rushed out as soon as he saw her. "Hey baby!"
Ventress tried peering over her desk to sneak a peek at them.
The first words out of Padme's mouth, before a 'hello,' was: "Palpatine came to see me."
Anakin sighed guiltily. "I know. I'm so sorry, it just slipped out."
"First day on the job and you already got us in trouble." She mocked him lightly.
"I know." Anakin lowered his head shamefully and groaned.
"It's okay – it went well. Surprisingly well. He wasn't upset about the pregnancy. We discussed maternity leave and he even offered me the option to work from home."
"Really? That's great!" He sighed in relief.
Padme finally stepped into the office and saw the other desk and Ventress behind it. Her forehead lined, confused. "I'm sorry, have we met?"
"No." Ventress remained in her seat, tugging at her earlobe and fiddling with her earring. "Padme, is it? I joined a year after you left."
All Padme could dish out was a hum, and the look on her face was hard to decipher. Her demeanor reserved, her voice tight. Perhaps she was impatient, cold, protective... or just hungry.
Either way, the awkwardness had everyone swallowing past the dryness in their throats. Anakin ran a hand over the back of his neck, watching the women smile painfully at each other.
"Anyway," Padme turned to face her husband. "I'm heading home. You almost done?"
"Actually no. But here–" He grabbed the car keys from his pocket and handed them over. "Take the car."
She looked down at the key. "How will you get home?"
"Bus. . .cab." He gave a laid-back shrug.
"We can share a cab on the way home." Ventress chimed in. Like a hazard.
"Oh-kay." Suspicion flitted across Padme's face but she eventually breathed out. "See you at home."
Padme left after her last words. No kiss. Not even a fleeting touch goodbye. Anakin still couldn't figure out how to interpret the frail and conscientious interaction between the two women. Blame it on the hour, the circumstances, intuition?
'Cause it's too cold for you here and now
So let me hold both your hands in the holes of my sweater
"Special delivery!"
That pleasant voice came from behind the front door after a knock. Padme walked confidently to open it, with her ivory shawl over her shoulders. Anakin stood ostentatiously in the hallway – a wide grin on his face.
"Nice package." Her eyes flicked down there before giving an exaggerated sigh. "But I can't let you in. My husband will be home any minute."
Anakin clicked his tongue and shook his head slowly. "If I was your husband, I wouldn't have left you alone."
"I believe he's working."
He leaned in, impishly. "That's right. He has a very important, high-paying job." Anakin gave her hips a squeeze before strolling in with his magnetism and flair.
Her eyes squinted at him. "You're in a good mood."
He turned back on his heel, facing her for a split second before doing a 180-turn with raised arms in the air. His smile was electric, unfurling a buzz through the living room. "I had a great day! The job's not even that hard. It's just filing and organizing shit."
Anakin collapsed onto the couch like it was made of heavenly silk clouds. He felt draped in attention he used to not believe he deserved. It was like Palpatine was some fairy godfather, showing him his worth.
Padme followed his lead and sat beside him, twiddling her thumbs. She was grappling with bringing up a topic that might just be on the tip of her tongue because of some bias she had. She didn't want to discourage his happiness, but she couldn't shake off the weird vibe she got from his new coworker.
"And the woman in your office... What's she like?"
"Intense. She's. . .assertive." He added with a chuckle.
"Okay." The word was almost held back in her throat.
Noticing the distinct quietness in her voice, Anakin's gaze shifted back over at her. Her eyelids felt heavy to lift. Beyond that there was not much else to see. She didn't give many tells, but he sensed the undercurrent of discomfort.
Her thoughts were rolling in... mere seconds elapse between each other.
Instead of pushing it, he decided he'd transport her out of it. Shake her out of whatever troubled her.
"Come here." Anakin dragged her to him, his arms wrapping around her from behind. Her back leaned against his chest. His arms bracketing her seemed to swallow her worries. She considered chalking them up to pregnancy, hormones, jealousy... Because something about his caresses and frisky phrases makes everything else seem miniscule.
He tipped her chin up with two fingers, his thumb stroking just below her bottom lip. He had this way of creating a nearness that's never enough. It has you wanting to prolong the moment before it has ended. Her head was bent as far back as possible, caught by his arm. She looked up at his head above her getting closer. His lips move slowly and softly over hers with the smoothest of strokes. Every time his mouth closed on hers, a flame lit – to honor, inspire, to blur everything else into nothingness. His lips would urge hers intensely to yield. And she did, helplessly.
Carried away by heat and engulfed in the scent of her perfume, a weakness showed on his face. It was what a kiss from her did to him. "I love you."
The way he looked at her. The way he murmured those words so warmly. It sunk her earlier dubiousness at the office. She's happily foolish, or foolishly happy.
There were tremors and trust and timeless love embalming them for each other.
She gazed up at him with eyes alive and sassy. "I know."
Touch my neck and I'll touch yours
She knows what I think about
One love, two mouths
One love, one house
No shirt, no blouse
Just us, you find out
Nothing that I wouldn't wanna tell you about
Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood