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You arrived in Coruscant just after dusk. The mission took up your entire day, and aside from the urgent messages sent by the Council, you didn't even have time to connect with anyone from the Temple. Although you attempted to communicate with Anakin through your comlink several times, he wasn't responding.
It had been a few weeks since your knighting ceremony, and during that time, you had spent a lot of time together, practically finishing and starting each day at either his quarters or yours. You had no illusions that you would like to conclude this busy day in his arms.
"General Kenobi!" you exclaimed, descending from the platform where Obi-Wan waited, unfortunately, unusually without his apprentice by his side.
"Here she is!" Kenobi replied, bowing to you and the crew, whose members saluted as they descended from the platform.
"How do you feel after your debut?" Obi-Wan asked with a hint of pride, walking with you towards the Temple's interior.
"As you've probably heard, everything ended successfully. We returned intact, didn't lose anyone... Let's hope this streak continues." you replied, walking slowly alongside Kenobi.
"I deeply believe it will." he said, smiling at you.
"If you'll excuse me." he added, attempting to catch one of the troopers on the way with a mission report.
You nodded and stood by, waiting for Obi-Wan to handle his business, but thoughts swirled in your head - Anakin's absence worried you, and considering the lack of contact, you knew something was definitely not right.
You paced in circles, fidgeting with your nails until Kenobi finished his conversation, and when the two finally parted ways, you walked back with him.
"What's with the melancholy, young lady?" he said, eliciting a gentle, albeit very brief, smile from you.
"I don't know... Just... Uh... Have you seen Anakin?" you asked with clear doubt in your voice.
"Good question... I saw him in the morning heading to the Chancellor. Later, we had a council meeting, but he left early, said he wasn't feeling well." Kenobi replied, increasing your doubt.
Through years of war, battles, you had never seen him sick – even days after the divorce with Padmé, he never skipped a council meeting, as he used to say, 'focusing on work helps forget about problems.'
"I guess he'll sleep it off, and he'll be better tomorrow. Then, you can discuss today's events. Surely, you need some rest too." Kenobi added after a moment of silence, to which you nodded.
"Sure..." you replied as you reached the crossroads where you should go in opposite directions.
"It's probably nothing serious." you added, forcing a smile, which Kenobi genuinely reciprocated.
"May the Force be with you." Kenobi said before heading towards his quarters.
"May the Force be with you." you replied, and as you turned in your direction, your smile was replaced by genuine emotions.
You knew you should go straight to your room, but you couldn't. You couldn't bear not knowing what was happening with Anakin, not knowing why he was feeling unwell.
Taking a deep breath, you headed to the elevators and descended one floor, navigating through a dark corridor towards Skywalker's quarters.
When you stood in front of the door, you decided to knock, but after waiting for over a minute with no response, you realized no one was opening. You pulled the handle, but the door was locked. Feeling drained to wait any longer, you ultimately used the Force to open the door. You tried to do it as quietly as possible.
When the door unlocked, you noticed R2-D2 inside. The vigilant droid immediately directed its diodes toward you but, sensing no threat, didn't react chaotically.
You decided to take a few quiet steps into the bedroom, and suddenly, a sight unfolded before your eyes that shattered your heart into pieces.
Anakin sat shirtless on the floor, leaning against the metal frame of his spacious bed, his face buried in his hands.
"Anakin." you whispered, not knowing how to handle the situation.
Skywalker didn't respond, and you approached him, kneeling beside him. In doing so, you accidentally knocked over a few empty, disposable coffee cups scattered around the room.
"Hey." Anakin finally spoke after a while, but so softly that you could barely hear him.
"What's going on? Please, tell me." you asked, gently stroking his shoulder.
His exposed skin was feverish, his bangs stuck to his forehead, and strands of hair seemed matted – you could barely see his eyes, especially since he kept avoiding your gaze, looking down.
"I'll be fine... I just feel... Sick." he replied after a pause, forcing a smile... A smile that you immediately read as filled with pain.
"Anakin, please, be serious... I've never seen you in worse shape, and I... I'm terribly worried." you said. He didn't reply.
He removed your hand from his shoulder and gently placed it on his own, then proceeded to kiss it fervently. He didn't part his lips from your delicate skin for a few minutes, and on one hand, you didn't want to press, but on the other, you wanted to know what was troubling him as soon as possible.
You sat still until you felt something that broke your heart. You felt a tear from Anakin's eye drip onto your hand. Sensing it run down your wrist, you decided to gently lift his chin with your other hand, tilting his head towards you so he finally looked at you.
"Please... Look at me." you whispered with sadness in your voice, and finally, Anakin's eyes met yours, instantly causing them to glisten.
His eyes and eyelids were reddened, and on his cheeks, you saw both dried and fresh streaks from tears, which you delicately wiped away with the back of your fingers as soon as you noticed them. He looked like he hadn't slept for a very long time – he was visibly worn down, and his forced smile only emphasized that.
"Please, tell me..." you whispered, cradling his feverish face in your cool hands.
"I haven't slept well..." he whispered as you gently stroked his face.
"I think you meant to say 'I haven't slept at all.'" you replied, casting a fleeting glance at the scattered coffee cups with grounds. Anakin always drank strong coffee, but never this strong.
"Please... I'm really scared." you added after a moment, once again locking eyes with him.
"Me too." he responded, and you furrowed your brows, unsure of what he meant. Your hands returned to his, and you slowly rose from the floor.
"First, please get up. Sit here, comfortably." you indicated the bed and offered him your hand to help him up. Anakin took your hand and pulled himself up slightly to sit next to you on his soft mattress. You embraced him gently and again locked eyes with him, signaling that he should continue.
"What are you afraid of? What do you mean?" you asked softly, watching as his gaze scanned your slightly brighter face.
"Something haunts me... I feel it again..." he replied after a moment of hesitation, and you tried to piece together the fragments.
"Again? You mean..."
"Nightmares," he answered before you could finish, and you felt powerless.
You didn't want to ask for details - a part of you wanted to know, but another part protested.
"They're worse, more realistic than ever..." he added after a moment, not breaking eye contact with you.
"Anakin... How can I..."
"Hold me." he suddenly replied, and without hesitation, you embraced him, burying your face in his neck.
His grip was desperate and strong - stronger than ever. He held you as if the entire world depended on it, as if letting you go meant losing you forever. You felt his unstable heartbeat, and your eyes welled up at the thought of the non-physical pain Anakin was involuntarily enduring.
You remembered that nightmares had haunted him years ago, but you had never been this close to him - never had the opportunity to help him somehow endure them.
"I'm here... I'm with you." you whispered into his ear, gently running your fingers through his hair.
Minute by minute, you felt his body calming down, and the tension slowly dissipating. There was still a sense of brokenness, but both of you knew that it couldn't be bypassed in a matter of minutes.
"Let's lie down, okay?" you asked after a while, lifting your face from his neck enough to look into his eyes. Anakin nodded, and both of you simultaneously fell onto his soft pillows, lying facing each other, never letting go.
"I would give a lot for you not to have to go through this... I would do anything." you whispered slowly, and now it was Anakin who cupped your face with his hand.
"I wouldn't want you to give up anything." he replied after a while, and you didn't even prepare a response.
You moved closer to his face, and when your lips met, you left him with a sweet, short kiss.
"Please." he whispered, pleadingly, not wanting the kiss to be so short, and quickly returned his lips to yours, kissing them tenderly and not parting for the next few longer moments.
When you both ran out of breath, you separated your lips, touching foreheads and listening to only your accelerated breaths. The atmosphere seemed dense, but there was already less pain and more of something you had been suppressing for a long time.
"Anakin..." you whispered, and at that moment, your heart raced the fastest. Skywalker looked at you, feeling the emotions tearing through you.
"I love you."
And the world stood still – both his and yours. You unloaded a huge emotional burden, but you didn't know how he would take it. His eyes sparkled, and you would bet that hearing your words momentarily held his breath.
Despite his own shock, he read each of your emotions and scanned your face as if getting to know you anew. He didn't even have to look for answers – he didn't need to make sure that your words came straight from the heart. Both of you felt that the burden of pure truth had been thrown off, just waiting to be voiced.
"I love you too." he finally uttered, the voice you had been waiting for, causing tears to gather in your eyelids.
Anakin's eyes were also glistening, but this time you saw a flash of relief and happiness in them, until finally, a genuine, beautiful smile appeared on his face, which you instantly reciprocated.
After gazing at each other's love-struck faces, your lips met again, this time in a more passionate, tension-relieving kiss, the sincerest and strongest you had ever shared. Both of you were breathless, breaking it.
"Promise me something." you said between deep breaths, and his eyes immediately looked at you, expecting the continuation of your words.
"Fall asleep with me now... I'll be right there with you, just please, get some rest." you spoke with clear seriousness, and after a moment of hesitation, Anakin nodded, and his smile returned to its place.
"I'll try." he whispered before gently sinking onto you, so that he was in your embrace.
"Relax, think of something that brings you joy." you whispered to him, and with your free hand, you reached for a blanket lying next to both of you, covering Anakin enough so that he wouldn't feel the cold on his exposed skin at any moment of the night.
You didn't care that you were fully dressed – you didn't want to give an inch away from him, not now, when he finally gained a bit of peace. You looked at his closed eyes and gradually calming breath, gently circling your fingers on his back.
When you kissed him on the forehead, the corner of his mouth lifted in a sweet smile, and your head landed on the pillow – not to fall asleep, but to - before doing so - make sure that Anakin had drifted into a peaceful sleep.
Soon, all tension disappeared – you felt only calm breaths on your skin and the touch of his chest rising and falling rhythmically.
Only peace surrounded him.
Only peace and your tender gaze, which soon faded away to drift together with him.