Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Anakin had to force himself to keep the same pace as his spouses instead of running to the entrance like he was a nine-year-old. The parking lot wasn’t too crowded, so at least he could take his time in looking. All he wanted was an older cat that liked to snuggle. He didn’t care what it looked like. Padmé and Obi-Wan said it would be his cat since he was the one who wanted a pet for so long, but they would help take care of it, which they’d probably regret saying when it came to the litter box.

The teenager at the front desk directed them to a desk in the back where all the animals were, and when they got there, an employee asked him to fill out a form before he was allowed to look. He could hear meowing from where he sat, and he knew Obi-Wan was trying not to laugh at how excited he was.

Soon after he handed the form back, another employee came out from behind the desk. “Hi, I’m Tala. Just follow me.”

They were taken to a huge room that had more natural light than fluorescent due to the large windows and the cloudless sky. Every cage lining the wall to his right was occupied, and Anakin was relieved to see plexiglass doors on the cages instead of metal bars. There were enclosed areas in the middle of the room that held maybe 10 cats each, as well as a cat tree as tall as him and everything else they needed. Overall, the atmosphere didn’t make him feel anxious.

“So based on what you wrote, I thought we’d start with Squiggles.”

“I’m sorry,” Obi-Wan said, an eyebrow raised. “Squiggles?”

Tala laughed. “We name a lot of the cats here, so we have to get creative sometimes. You can definitely rename any cat you adopt, but we don’t recommend you do that with cats that have had their name for years. ‘Squiggles’ can be changed.”

Anakin thought it was cute. He could call it Squig for short. But Squiggles didn’t give a good first impression since he hissed when Tala opened the door. “How about we come back to him if I don’t like your other suggestions?”

“Sure. Just remember that the way a cat acts in the shelter won’t necessarily be how it acts in a home. This is a very stressful place for an animal, so a cat that’s very nervous here can be totally chill after it settles in its new home.”

“I understand.”

The next cat they were shown was all black and had piercing green eyes that immediately got Anakin’s attention, especially since that was all he could make out of the inky void in the corner of the cage.

“Lexy is shy,” Tala said as she crouched down to open the door, “but she’s a sweetheart. You wrote on the form that you were interested in looking at cats that have been here for a long time. She’s been here for three years.”

Padmé gasped behind him. “That poor thing. Why?”

“Black cats tend to linger in shelters because of superstitions or they just aren’t considered pretty or cute. And in Lexy’s case, she’s also missing a front leg, so the deck has really been stacked against her.”

Anakin’s breath got caught in his throat as he was hit with memories of confusion and flashing lights and severe pain and an all-consuming fear of death. He blinked hard a few times, breathed, and slowly reached his hand out. As he waited for Lexy to do something, Obi-Wan knelt beside him. Maybe he had noticed his brief distress. They had all agreed not to act too affectionate with each other just in case that got a bad reaction, but Obi-Wan being near him was enough anyway. Anakin’s heart rate calmed down and the tension left his body. He couldn’t remember the last time something like that had happened.

When Lexy wouldn’t budge, Anakin put his hand down on the surface in front of her, figuring that was the least threatening approach he could take. Eventually, she edged forward a little and sniffed his fingers. Because she didn’t shrink back into the corner after she was done sniffing, he took a chance and very slowly raised his hand to scratch the top of her head. She let him, looking into his eyes the entire time. It felt like a plea.

“I’ll take her.”

Tala didn’t even ask if he wanted to see the others first. Instead, it looked like she couldn’t smile any wider.

While they waited for Lexy to get checked out by the vet, Tala went over the basics of cat care. Anakin knew most of it already from watching YouTube videos and Obi-Wan’s surprisingly extensive research, but he nodded along and took the pamphlets. Tala also went into Lexy’s history. Although they didn’t know why she was missing a leg, it appeared to be from some kind of physical trauma. She was brought in as a stray, and after a few months, she was in perfect health. They guessed she was about 10 years old, and that was right around the age Anakin had wanted, not too old that it would die within a year or two, but not too young that it would be running all over the house most of the day.

“It’ll probably take a while for her to warm up to us,” Padmé said after Tala left.

“That’s okay. You know I’m patient when it counts.”

“I hope she doesn’t end up being an unholy terror,” Obi-Wan murmured.

Anakin gently nudged him with his shoulder. He had a feeling Obi-Wan would become the most attached to her out of all of them.

Lexy was given to Anakin soon after he paid the adoption fee, and he sat in the back of the car with her for the 20 minute ride home. She looked so tiny in the carrier. Obi-Wan had suggested getting a large carrier since it would be better if there was too much room for the cat than not enough. Anakin used that same logic when picking out a litter box. He tried to interact with her, but all she did was burrow into the towel they had put down as a cushion. If that was what made her feel safe, that was fine. Anakin let her be.

Knowing the cat should be kept in a single room for the first couple of days, they had all gotten the third bedroom ready the previous weekend. Obi-Wan and Padmé had assembled the cat tree and scratching post, while Anakin had set up the litter box, put out the food and water dishes, and strewn toys all over the floor. It was a little cat haven that Anakin was very proud of.

The second he opened the door on the carrier, she shot out and immediately went under the bed, which wasn’t surprising. As Obi-Wan had instructed, Anakin left her alone in the room for a few hours, and when he cautiously entered, she was still under the bed. Her bowl of dry food had been disturbed, so that was a good sign. He sat on the floor and moved one of the chaser toys around to see if he could coax her out.

“You’re like me, you know,” Anakin said quietly. “I hope you lost your leg from an accident and not because someone was cruel. I lost part of my arm in an accident, one that was my fault. I almost died.” He paused when Lexy reached out to swat at the toy. It was just once, but it was progress. “I still have nightmares about it sometimes even though it’s been almost nine years, but they got less frightening after I started talking about them with my therapist. I should’ve listened to Padmé a long time ago about seeing someone. It feels good, trying to work through . . . well, a lot of things.” He smiled when she swatted at the toy again.

Anakin got up and opened one of the smaller cans of wet food from the dresser. He emptied it onto a plate, hoping the smell would be enticing enough for her to overcome her wariness. Eventually, a black nose popped out to sniff it after he’d placed it on the floor near the edge of the bed, so he very slowly took it away and left it near her food dish. Assuming she wouldn’t come out with him being so close, Anakin went back to his original spot on the floor and waited. Within a minute or two, Lexy hobbled out from under the bed, peered at him, and went straight for the wet food. It had to have been a while since she last ate because she licked the plate clean, but she didn’t go back to her hiding spot. Instead, she sat by the foot of the bed and watched him.

He picked up the toy, but it quickly became obvious she wasn’t in the mood to play anymore. He wasn’t really sure what to do, so he took out his phone and sent a group text to Padmé and Obi-Wan to give them an update. Padmé said that ignoring her might work, which Obi-Wan agreed with, and Anakin figured it was worth a shot. He opened a game on his phone and didn’t make eye contact with Lexy for nearly half an hour before she got close enough to him to sniff his knee. Anakin put his phone down and rested his hand on the floor, palm up. She sniffed his fingers, and to his amazement, rubbed against them. Smiling, he scratched the side of her head, and she leaned into his hand a little.

“Maybe it won’t take you that long to warm up to us after all,” he whispered.

The moment only lasted a few minutes. Once she had her fill of scratches, she went back under the bed, and Anakin took that as his cue to leave. He had some research to do on three-legged cats anyway.

That night, while he was lying between his spouses, his mind wandered to a different kind of adoption. He had never been against adopting kids, but whenever he thought about his children, he imagined them as being a mix between himself and Padmé. That just didn’t seem so important anymore, especially with the addition of Obi-Wan into their family. Anakin almost preferred adoption now. There were so many kids in the system, and they deserved a good home. But would an adoption agency turn them away because they were a triad? He was too afraid to look into it and find out there was yet another way they would be discriminated against. There was still time before they had to seriously start thinking about children, so he filed his questions away to deal with later. Shifting closer to Padmé, he wrapped his arm around her waist and drifted off to sleep.

Not wanting to overwhelm her, only Anakin went into the room for the first two days. On the third day, Padmé went in, but Lexy stayed under the bed. Anakin joined her, thinking that Lexy would be more comfortable with him there since she was familiar with him. After they ignored her for a while, she came out and allowed Padmé to pet her for a minute or two before she lied down in front of Anakin.

“She’s very soft,” Padmé said. “Have you tried brushing her yet?”

“A little. She doesn’t seem to mind it.”

“You know, now it looks kind of cute that you use a black glove for your arm.”

It took a second for Anakin to understand what she meant, and he grinned when he decided to use Lexy’s missing leg as the explanation going forward.

On the fourth day, Obi-Wan went in with Anakin. Much to their surprise, Lexy went right up to Obi-Wan and rubbed against his knee, so he scratched between her ears. She flopped down next to him and stretched before looking at him as if to ask why he stopped.

Obi-Wan would definitely become attached. It wouldn’t even bother Anakin if Lexy picked Obi-Wan as her favorite because he had to agree that his husband was pretty great. He smiled as he leaned forward. “Maybe you’re a cat whisperer.”

“Or maybe she’s just gotten used to her surroundings.”

As Obi-Wan continued to scratch her head, she began to purr, and his lips twitched into a smile.

On the fifth day, they let her out. After exploring for nearly an hour, she decided she’d had enough and went back into the bedroom, but instead of going to her usual hiding spot, she jumped up onto the middle platform of the tree and made herself comfortable in the cubby.

Anakin was so happy with the progress she was making. Even though it was still too early to figure out what her personality truly was, he knew he’d made the right choice in taking her home. They would give her the life she deserved.

Chapter Text

After Anakin knocked on the door, Obi-Wan had the irrational urge to throw something. He had just gotten into the tub. “Yes?”

He poked his head in with an apologetic smile. “I can’t find my car keys. Do you remember seeing them?”

There were key hooks by the door to the garage for that very reason, and Obi-Wan didn’t understand why Anakin never used them. “No. Just take my car if you’re going to be late.” At least he’d managed to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

“Okay, thanks! I’ll fill up the tank on the way back.”

Obi-Wan imagined how frustrated Padmé was going to be later when she found out Anakin lost his keys again. It was like having a house overwhelmed Anakin. If it wasn’t his keys, it was his sunglasses or his thermos or his snack that he swore he had just put down on the end table. Obi-Wan figured his husband would settle in another month or two. After all, they’d only just moved six weeks ago. Their routines had been disrupted, and it would take time to find new ones.

Eyes closed, he cleared his mind with a deep breath as he sunk a little farther into the hot water. He liked that the tub was in the second bathroom—his private bathroom until they had a kid old enough to use it—and not in the master because he could soak without interruption, unless he wanted a head massage from Padmé. That was a favor he had returned more than once since it turned out he was quite good at giving head massages. And although it sounded unkind, it was nice when it was just the two of them shut away from the rest of the world. They loved Anakin dearly, but there were times they needed a break.

The door creaked open.

“What is it now?” he asked without opening his eyes. He just wanted a moment to himself. It had been a long week.

No reply came.

“Anakin—” Obi-Wan stopped when he looked at the door and saw nothing. It was only open maybe six inches, but it was letting all the warm air out. “Anakin?” He should be alone in the house, his husband off to his therapy appointment and his wife visiting her sister. All alone, except . . . He slowly looked down to the bottom of the door and saw one green eye. “Bloody hell!” He moved so suddenly that water threatened to slosh out of the tub. “Lexy! What are you doing?”

She meowed and hopped into the bathroom after pushing the door open even more.

“No! Damn it, Anakin. You didn’t shut the door properly.”

At least Anakin hadn’t been there to witness him going “full Brit,” as he liked to call it when Obi-Wan used British slang. He thought it was hilarious, especially if he had no idea what Obi-Wan said.

Lexy sat right in front of the tub and looked up at him with a face so cute, he couldn’t stay mad for long. She’d only been in the house for two weeks, and she already had him wrapped around her little paw.

“I can’t even pet you. I’m wet.”

She stared at him for a moment before she stretched up to look into the tub, her nose going wild as she investigated.

“See? Nothing interest— That was a terrible idea.”

Lexy had jumped onto the edge of the tub and wobbled a bit.

Since Obi-Wan did not want to deal with a drenched, panicked cat, he quickly picked her up and deposited her on the floor. As a result, his hands were covered in black fur, so with a sigh, he grabbed the towel he’d been resting his head against and wiped his hands off. “So much for a relaxing soak,” he mumbled. A chill ran through him now that more of his body was out of the water. “I won’t blame you. You’re still new here, so I understand that you’re curious. I say we blame Anakin for not making sure the door was latched.”

Lexy ignored him in favor of licking where he’d touched her with his wet hands.

Obi-Wan huffed out a laugh and quickly got out of the tub. Water probably dripped on her because she bolted out of the room before he could shut the door. She was quite swift for only having three legs.

He didn’t see her again until he was well into an episode of a nature docuseries in the living room. She looked at him like she was debating whether she wanted to be pet or not, but she soon became captivated by the birds on the TV screen, her head following them as they flitted about. Eventually, she put her front paw up on the entertainment stand to get a closer look.

“Hey, don’t even think about it.”

When she looked over her shoulder, he patted the couch, but she didn’t move. It would take time for her to feel entirely comfortable around him. She went back to watching the TV, but at least she sat down on the floor. Not too long after the episode moved on to a different animal, Lexy got bored and wandered off into the kitchen. They had already discovered that she liked to jump up onto the counters, which horrified Anakin the most and led to him doing some frantic research on how to stop her. Foil didn’t work, and keeping that much sticky paper around wasn’t practical since there wasn’t a place to put it during the day. Obi-Wan suggested they never leave anything tempting out, including dirty dishes, and she would eventually stop jumping up after never finding anything to eat.

He was so focused on the show that he jumped slightly when Lexy appeared on the couch cushion next to him. Just as she had to get used to them, they had to get used to her. Since she wasn’t actively seeking his attention, Obi-Wan decided to leave her alone, and after she spent some time cleaning herself, she curled up to take a nap. He knew that her closing her eyes while being in a physically vulnerable position meant she trusted him, and he wasn’t sure why he felt so moved by that. Maybe it was because he’d had the colony of feral cats on his mind for the last two weeks. Poppy never got used to him, yet Lexy took to him instantly.

The sound of a door opening caused Lexy to perk up. The more noise Anakin made, the more nervous she got, and she ran in the direction of the stairs.

“Hey,” Anakin said as he tossed Obi-Wan his keys. “You feel more relaxed now?”

He wanted to tell him that the keys should have been put on a hook, but he let it go. He didn’t want to sound like he was nagging, which was something Anakin had accused him of doing ever since they moved. “No. Lexy opened the door shortly after you left.”

“Oh, sorry. I keep meaning to fix that.” He went back into the kitchen like that was the end of it.

Obi-Wan was about to follow Anakin before he decided it wasn’t worth getting into a fight. Living together as a triad was an adjustment for all of them, but Anakin didn’t understand how much harder it was for Obi-Wan. Despite his therapist telling him otherwise, he felt selfish for wanting so much time by himself. She had been trying to get him to talk to his spouses about his struggles with living together, but he was afraid they would get offended. At least it wouldn’t look bad if he was doing something that required him to be alone. Working in the study didn’t count because work was not the same thing as a leisure activity, especially an activity that helped to improve his mental health. Although he loved Anakin and Padmé with all his heart, being in the house with them sometimes felt a little claustrophobic.

“How has she been?” Anakin asked after he sat next to him with a plate of cookies. He held one out to Obi-Wan, but he declined.

“She was napping on the couch before you startled her.”

“That’s good! Well, not that I startled her, of course, but she’s getting more comfortable with being out of the bedroom.” He smiled as he pointed at Obi-Wan with a cookie. “I knew she’d like you.”

“Why?”

“You have a friendly vibe, and you’re usually pretty calm. Animals can sense these things.”

He hadn’t felt all that calm for over two months. Getting ready for the move was stressful, as was moving and unpacking and living with other people. At least he was handling the stress a lot better than he used to. Maybe that was the difference. Poppy might not have wanted to go near him because she could sense what a complete mess he was at the time.

Obi-Wan didn’t notice Lexy until Anakin had put his plate aside and tried calling her over, but she sat down where she was instead and stared at him.

“At least she’s out,” Anakin said after he gave up.

“I need time to decompress by myself or I’ll go mad.” He probably should have led into that, especially since Anakin was looking at him like he’d just said he wanted to go clubbing. He also should have waited until Padmé was there. “What I mean is, it’s going to take me quite a while to adjust to living with the two of you. The only person I lived with after leaving the UK was Quin, and that was many years ago. If I can’t do something on my own when I really need it, such as taking a soak, I’ll become unpleasant to be around.”

Anakin winced, but before Obi-Wan could tell him it wasn’t anything personal, he took Obi-Wan’s hand in his own. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so flippant about it. Because you seemed to be doing okay, I thought this living arrangement was working for you, but I should’ve at least asked if that was the case.” He kissed the back of Obi-Wan’s hand and gave it a light squeeze. “Please don’t be afraid to tell us stuff like this. We know what it’s like to first start living with someone. Just let us know whenever you need a moment to yourself, and we’ll respect your space. I can’t speak for Lexy, though.”

As if on cue, she hopped over to them with a tiny meow and let Anakin scratch her head.

Obi-Wan almost laughed because it was her curiosity that led to him working up the nerve to say what he should have said a month ago. He owed her some treats.

Chapter Text

“Ani, I’m fine, really.”

He shook his head as he arranged their three pillows for her to lean against the headboard. “The doctor said you need to rest.”

“Actually, the doctor told Padmé she just needed to stay off her foot for a while and try to reduce the swelling,” Obi-Wan said with a lopsided smile. “She doesn’t have to be confined to the bed.”

“We should take care of her!”

Padmé held in a sigh. She knew from experience how stubborn Anakin could be when she was sick or injured, so she carefully climbed into bed and rested her foot on the pile of throw pillows Anakin had set up. He promised he would be back with lunch in an hour, and Obi-Wan asked her to text one of them when she needed to use the bathroom. Really, she could get to the bathroom herself using the crutches. She would only humor them for a little while because she refused to stay in bed all weekend.

Figuring the best way to pass the time was to read, Padmé grabbed her book from the nightstand. It was a book Obi-Wan had worked on some years ago, and he thought she would enjoy it. The summary was intriguing, and besides Satine’s books, she hadn’t read anything Obi-Wan had a hand in creating. When he told her there was a sex scene in it, she thought he was under the assumption that she would be embarrassed by such a thing. Anakin certainly would be. It turned out he was just curious if she thought it was realistic or not. After all, he had nothing to go by when he’d worked on the book.

Padmé quickly became so immersed in the story that she actually jumped at the knock on the open door. “Has it been an hour already?”

“Yeah. How are you feeling?”

“I’m still fine. It’s just a sprained ankle.”

Anakin slowly walked in carrying a tray from underneath with one hand while holding a mug with his prosthetic hand. He put the mug down first, which was still steaming, and waited for Padmé to put her book aside before he set the tray over her lap. She had no idea where it came from. It could have been Obi-Wan’s, but he didn’t seem like the type to eat in bed.

“The tea is from Obi-Wan. It’s chamomile. I’m sorry the soup is canned, but we don’t have all the ingredients to make it ourselves.”

Padmé smiled because even though they were being ridiculous, it was a sweet gesture. She wasn’t sure why they went with soup, though. She wasn’t ill. “Ani, canned is fine. I don’t want you two going overboard with this.”

“We want you to feel better as soon as possible. You shouldn’t go to work on Monday.”

“I’m not staying home because of a sprained ankle,” she said as she stirred her soup. “I’ll use the crutches.”

“But it’s your driving foot!”

“Then I’ll ask Obi-Wan if he can drive me.”

“And what about putting ice on it and keeping it elevated? You’ll do that at your desk?”

“Anakin, she said I only need to do that for the first two or three days, and I’ve been putting ice on it since last night. It’ll be fine.” Her phone pinged, and the text eased her growing agitation. “Obi-Wan wants you to let me eat my soup in peace.”

The tension effectively broken, Anakin rolled his eyes. “He knows me too well.”

“I’d say that’s a nice problem to have.”

“It is,” he said with a happy sigh. “Send a text when you’re done eating.”

She really wasn’t in the mood for soup, but she finished the bowl because if she didn’t, Anakin would only get more concerned.

Just as she sent him a text to say she was done, something leaped onto the foot of the bed. “Oh my god!” Lexy paused, but when Padmé relaxed, she hopped forward to sniff at the tray. Even after a month, the cat still managed to startle her on an almost daily basis. “There’s nothing left for you,” she said as Lexy moved closer to the bowl. “I’m not sure chicken soup is safe for you to eat anyway.” Padmé scratched the base of Lexy’s tail, which she had seen Anakin do, and smiled when Lexy began to purr.

“Ah, you have company.” Obi-Wan had come to collect her empty bowl, perhaps to spare her more of Anakin’s fretting.

“Yes, and she doesn’t think I’m going to keel over from an injured ankle. How many times did you have to stop Anakin from coming up here?”

He gave her a resigned smile. “Three.” He glanced at the mug as he took the tray from her. “If you don’t like that tea, I can brew something else. I just thought chamomile was a good choice since I find it quite relaxing.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. I’ve only taken a sip because it’s still hot, or it was. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. And don’t worry. I’ll stop him from pestering you. I think some stretching exercises will do the trick.”

Padmé laughed when he winked at her. If the weather was nice, Obi-Wan did his daily stretching exercises in their backyard, and he sometimes took his shirt off halfway through. Both Padmé and Anakin had been caught staring more than once, and they felt so guilty about it, like they were openly lusting after him. Eventually, Obi-Wan told them he didn’t mind if they wanted to watch. Padmé wondered if he was comfortable with it because he knew they wouldn’t do anything inappropriate or because it boosted his self-image. It was probably a combination of the two.

When she brought the mug into her lap, Lexy went to sniff it, but her head shot back as her eyes narrowed. “I guess you don’t like the smell of chamomile tea, huh?” It had an odd flavor, something that would definitely take getting used to, but it wasn’t terrible.

Lexy threw herself down onto her side and against Padmé’s thigh. Although it felt like an aggressive move, it didn’t look like one, especially since Lexy was kneading her front paw into the blanket. Padmé had seen enough cat videos to know that kneading was a sign of contentment.

Her phone rang, and she expected it to be Anakin asking how she was feeling because he couldn’t calm down, but it turned out to be Ahsoka.

“Hey! How’re you doing? How’s Lexy?”

Judging by the number of times Anakin took a picture of Lexy and made a comment about needing to send that to Ahsoka, she probably had dozens of pictures of the cat whose purring was surprisingly loud for such a tiny thing.

“Hello! She’s good. She’s made herself comfortable next to me on the bed that Anakin said I should be on because I sprained my ankle.”

“Oh, no! Are you sure it’s just a sprain?”

“I already saw a doctor, so yes. I can still get around since she gave me crutches, but Anakin insists that I lie in bed. I’d rather be on the couch since I could at least watch something on TV.”

She chuckled. “Yeah, Anakin always overreacts when his people are sick or get hurt. What about Obi-Wan?”

“He just wants me to take it easy. He’s running interference right now. How are you?”

“I’m good, just trying not to freak out about the whole certification process. There’s so much involved, but I know I’ll get through it. I started talking with a girl who’s going through the process too, and that’s helped.”

At least she was able to stay positive. From what Ahsoka had told her so far, it reminded her a lot of the stress she went through during graduate school, and she definitely had her moments of despair. “If you ever need a break, you know you’re always welcome here.”

“Yeah, I know.”  Padmé could practically hear her smiling. “Maybe I could help you guys work on the house.”

“Only if you want to. Now, this girl, is she someone you’d like to get to know better?” Ahsoka’s almost dreamy tone made Padmé think the girl was special.

“What? No! I mean . . . maybe? I don’t know.”

Padmé grinned and started petting Lexy, who had taken to headbutting her arm to get her attention. Enough time had passed since Steela had moved across the country for a job—neither of them wanted to be in a long-distance relationship—so Padmé was glad to hear Ahsoka was interested in someone. “Do you think she’s straight?”

“No, but that doesn’t mean she’d go out with me . . . if that’s something I even want to do. Because, y’know, it’s been a while, and it’s kinda scary getting back out there.”

“I bet Obi-Wan would have some advice for you. He hadn’t dated anyone for five years before meeting us.”

Padmé didn’t think he would be annoyed with her for telling Ahsoka that. It wasn’t like it was anything embarrassing. And if Ahsoka asked him why he went so long without going on a date, he could easily say he was too busy with work. While Obi-Wan had no issue with being asexual, he had told them he didn’t want to be so public about it. Telling a potential partner or a close friend was very different from waving the ace flag at a pride parade. But he had no qualms with any aspec person who was very open about it. To him, that part of his sexuality was very personal, so he only disclosed that information if he felt the need to.

“Wow, really? I’m nervous after six months. I couldn’t imagine trying to start dating again after five years. Maybe I should just go for it and hope she lets me down easy if she’s not interested? I’m so terrible at knowing when a girl likes me.”

“You should definitely try.”

“I think I’ll text Obi-Wan later to see if he has any pointers. Oh!”  There was a brief pause. “I’m getting a call from Riyo. That’s the girl. She’s never called me before. It was always texts.”  She let out a frustrated sound, like it was too soon to be dealing with it. “I’m gonna try not to get my hopes up. I’ll talk to you later!”

“Bye! Good luck!”

Maybe Riyo would relieve Ahsoka of her stress and be the one to ask about going on a date.

Lexy pressed the top of her head onto Padmé’s thigh before looking up at her with a quiet meow. “You are too cute,” she said as she stroked Lexy’s back. “I can see why even Obi-Wan has a difficult time saying no to you. I hope this doesn’t mean we’re going to spoil our kids rotten.”

After about an hour of icing her ankle on and off, reading, and petting Lexy, Padmé had enough of lying in bed. Anakin hadn’t bothered her once, so Obi-Wan had probably resorted to doing the stretches that nearly looked obscene. She was sad she missed it. Right after she carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed, she heard a thumping sound coming from the stairs that could only mean one thing. Anakin was upset at being distracted and was running up the stairs to make sure her ankle hadn’t swollen up to four times its size.

“I’m so sorry! I was . . . doing something. How are you?”

Watching his cheeks turn pink, she couldn’t be annoyed with him. “Ani, nothing has changed. And trust me, I would have gotten distracted too.”

Anakin frowned and turned to the doorway just as Obi-Wan appeared, his shirt slung over his shoulder. “You did that on purpose!”

“Perhaps.” Obi-Wan walked over and kneeled to inspect her ankle. After he lifted her leg, his touch was light enough that she could barely feel it through the compression bandage. “Where were you planning on going?”

“Just downstairs to the couch.” And if she wanted something to eat or drink, she could handle it herself since the kitchen was right there.

“That’s a lie,” Anakin said while crossing his arms. “You were gonna go in the basement to work on our project.”

They had all decided to start working on the basement first since that looked like the easiest fix. Half of it was going to be Anakin’s workshop, while the other half would be for storage. They’d already put down the concrete paint, so next on the list was putting the shelves together. Padmé had no idea why Anakin thought she wanted to work on something that required so much movement.

“I sincerely doubt that,” Obi-Wan said as he gently set her foot back on the floor. He looked at the crutches that were leaning against the wall with a slight frown. “Do you know how to get down the stairs using those?”

“I would’ve figured it out.”

“And ended up falling and breaking your neck!”

Obi-Wan sighed. “Anakin, calm down.”

“But—”

He swung his shirt at Anakin’s legs. “Hush.” Standing, Obi-Wan looked down at her with an expression that said please pity me for having to deal with him. He’d been bearing the brunt of it to let her have some peace, and knowing just how melodramatic Anakin could get, she did feel sorry for Obi-Wan. “You would be more comfortable here than on the couch. Besides, I think Lexy wants you to stay.”

The furry void was stretching on her side, toes spread, and when she saw Padmé looking at her, she rolled over with what could only be described as a trilled chirp. She started wiggling around on her back as if asking for scratches, and Padmé’s resolve weakened. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to let her husbands take care of her, at least for the rest of the weekend. Monday would be a different story.

She made Anakin promise to back off so that it didn’t feel like he was trying to smother her with worry, and Obi-Wan helped her get settled on the bed once more. After they left the room, Lexy purred as she curled up next to her, and Padmé almost laughed when she thought that maybe Obi-Wan had tried sending the cat upstairs to convince her to stay put.