Work Text:
When they kiss it feels like lightning and Anakin think that might be a problem. A warning or a promise or just a…
He pulls away. Fives blinks.
“Sir?”
Ah. There it is.
Here’s the thing: Anakin has a much closer bond with his men. He could recognize and does deeply care for each one of them, and of course he mourns every death. He can understand them on a level most Jedi simply can’t because, obviously, most Jedi hadn’t been born and immediately taken from their mother so a bomb could be placed under their skin, more trapping than any shackles, been slaves for nine years of their life.
The problem is that by that logic he is well aware he can never be one of them. So when he gets offers to simply spend time with his men he’s careful with his answers. They trust him, but he doesn’t want to consider how much.
The answer could be “too much.”
His real mistake was probably getting tipsy where the clone who had maybe captured his heart more than he should have was around. And probably drunk too by his rather terrible but incredibly indeering flirting. And maybe kissing him in a corner dark enough that every could claim plausible deniability, later.
And maybe he’d mention it to Padme who had given her permission. So he at least has one less thing to feel terrible about in this situation.
“I…” he offers. “I haven’t seen you in a few months.”
Fives smirks.
“Arc training does that, General,” he says. They’ve already gone through this.
“I don’t want to use you,” Anakin says before he can stop himself, and slips into Their Language before he realizes. “[I am your overseer.]”
“[You’re Anakin,]” Fives replies. “[Did you not want…]”
Anakin blinks. He hardly wants his former trooper to feel unwanted, either.
“[I did,]” he says. “[But you are—]”
“[Not under your command anymore, Anakin.]” Fives replies. Anakin, a quick reminder that the titles which pass so naturally in Basic simply do not exist like this. Fives pulls him forwards and kisses him again as Anakin quite literally Forces himself back to sobriety. “[Wouldn’t mind if you were still mine, though.]” he adds when he pulls back again.
“[I don’t want to use you,]” Anakin repeats. Fives just smiles.
“[And that,]” he explains, “[Is why I do want you.]”
To Fives’ credit, he’s not that drunk, either. He’s thought about this for a while and this just so happens to be the first time he’s been on Coruscant at the same time as Anakin since he’d finished ARC training.
He just so happened to be asked to come out with some of the older 501st vets.
He just so happened to take advantage of a very obvious setup on their parts with his former, very much unfairly gorgeous, General.
The thing is that somehow his terrible flirting works and one thing leads to another.
And the thing is, Fives suddenly remembers, that he’s taken. Kriff. He pulls back.
“[Is this about the Senator?]” he asks. Anakin blinks.
“[Padme?]” he asks. “[No, she’s said she was fine if I found another partner. I mean—]”
“[Then it’s really just your role as overseer.]”
“[No more is needed.]”
“[And I don’t give a Kriff about that,]” Fives says, clearly. In Basic, too. “I don’t give one kriff about it.”
Anakin blinks.
“Are you sure?”
“Again, the fact that you’re asking is why I’m sure,” Fives reminds. “We’re going in circles, Skywalker.”
Anakin laughs.
“I guess we are,” he says. He takes a deep inhale and Fives waits with more anticipation than he’d like to admit. “Come home with me? Just to talk, but… we should talk some place less loud and crowded.”
Fives nods.
(“So how did the rest of the night go then, Vod?” Echo asks, as Fives returns to the barracks the next morning. “Seems like it went well.”
Fives groans as he collapses onto his bunk.
“I think I’m dating the General now,” he says before passing out. “It was a very long conversation.)