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Ahsoka hadn’t been Anakin’s Padawan for long when she had to tell him her most shameful secret.
Anakin was in the pilot's seat of The Twilight, fixing an issue with the navigation system, when Ahsoka shyly approached him.
Her anxiety practically radiated off her as she stood a few feet away from him, fiddling with her silka beads.
Ahsoka felt more comfortable around Anakin than she had around any other Jedi she'd met before. She normally felt so intimidated by the older Knights and Masters.
But with Anakin, he just felt like an older brother, or a favorite uncle.
That wasn't to say she didn't respect him, despite the banter and teasing they shared back-and-forth.
Their mutual habit of sniping at each other on missions was what made her so nervous as she approached him, worried he'd make fun of her for her little secret.
"Hey, Snips" he said without turning his head.
"Hey, Skyguy" Ahsoka responded.
She stayed in place, fidgeting.
Anakin sighed, turning to face her.
"You know, I can help you better if you tell me what's wrong" he said, raising an eyebrow before going back to his work.
"It's embarrassing!" Ahsoka whined a little.
That made Anakin pause, putting down the tool he'd been using and standing up, looking down at Ahsoka sympathetically.
"Whatever it is, you can tell me and I won't laugh. Unless... would you like me to holo-call a female Jedi for you?" Anakin asked "I'm not going to freak out, no matter what it is. But I understand if this is something you'd rather not discuss with me"
Anakin rarely missed a chance to tease her, so Ahsoka appreciated the respectful tone he adopted.
But it wasn't needed. Anakin had the wrong idea.
"No, it's okay, Skyguy. It's not that. I'm already experienced with the whole period thing-" Ahsoka said, smirking as Anakin looked slightly shocked at how casually she discussed menstruation "What? I thought you wouldn't freak out?"
"I'm not freaking out. I just thought you'd be... shyer about it" Anakin said.
"Looks like freaking out to me, Skyguy" Ahsoka smirked "You can't handle a little blood, huh?"
Anakin shot her a disapproving look, wordlessly pointing to the scar on his face.
"That doesn't mean anything. Maybe you fainted when you got it?" Ahsoka said "Hey, I always meant to ask, how did you get it? Padme once told me you slipped in the bathroom and-"
"We're getting off-topic" said Anakin quickly "What's bothering you so much, Snips?"
She sighed, her smile fading.
"I don't know how to pilot a ship"
Anakin paused, surprised.
"You... don't? But all Padawans can pilot a ship by your age. It's kinda a necessity, Snips"
Ahsoka lowered her eyes.
"...I tried but..." she trailed off.
Anakin stepped closer, before kneeling down, looking worried.
Anakin was so tall that it was strange to look down at him.
"Yeah?" he pressed.
"I tried, but... I was instructed by an old teaching droid and it must've had some wires crossed. It was really nasty and it... uh..." Ahsoka trailed off "I made a mistake and it backhanded me. Master Windu had it melted once he found out"
Anakin looked appalled, touching Ahsoka's shoulder gently.
"I'm so sorry"
"It's okay. It's not like you did it" she shrugged, before smiling weakly "Of course, with the mechno-arm, you could probably do the same damage"
Anakin looked even more worried, squeezing her shoulder.
"Damage?"
"The tip of my lekku was severed" Ahsoka touched the area, where there was a barely-noticeable scar running around the tip.
"Oh, kark, Ahsoka..." Anakin looked utterly horrified.
"It's not your fault, don't worry about it. I just want to know how to fly" Ahsoka said quietly.
Anakin nodded without another word, getting to his feet again, taking Ahsoka's hand, and gently guiding her to the pilot's seat.
Ahsoka sat down, looking up at her Master and rubbing her hand. Anakin had never taken her hand like that before, it almost felt paternal. It was nice.
Anakin put the navigation console back together easily.
"Okay, take a hold of that wheel, and let's get started. How much do you know?" he asked, wrapping an arm around the chair and smiling down at Ahsoka.
"...The Twilight, are you sure? What if I crash it?" Ahsoka said, feeling anxious.
"If you crash it, Ahsoka, we'll all be dead. So you don't have to worry" said Anakin. At Ahsoka's look, he amended himself "...Ahsoka. I'm right here. If we're in any danger, I'll take over. Okay?"
Ahsoka sighed, looking worried.
"Okay" she finally said. Anakin smiled, patting the seat comfortingly.
"...alright, Ahsoka. To start with, I want you to navigate us around that meteorite up there" Anakin pointed at the rock- about as large as a Jedi Cruiser- before smirking.
"Don't navigate into it" he teased.
Ahsoka pouted, trying to hide her genuine fear that she would do just that, before gently starting to turn the ship.
She turned too sharply, nearly throwing herself from her seat. Anakin held onto her chair tightly with one hand, throwing his mechno-arm around her to keep her steady.
"Level us out, Snips!" he said.
Ahsoka, panicked, jerked the steering wheel in the opposite direction. She nearly turned the ship upside down, all the while bringing it back into the path of the meteorite.
Without another word, Anakin dragged her out of the chair by the back of her shirt, grabbing the steering wheel as he sat down and steadying the ship effortlessly.
He pulled Ahsoka down into his lap, wrapping his free arm securely around her as he flew them around the meteorite without breaking a sweat.
Ahsoka stared out into space, breathing heavily.
"...Snips?" Anakin asked softly.
Ahsoka stared at him blankly.
"Why are you holding onto me?" she finally said.
"...Ahsoka, you screamed the The Twilight down. I think my ears are still ringing" Anakin said, not unkindly "I think you might've had a panic attack. Go take five"
Ahsoka stared blankly at Anakin, touching her throat.
It did feel raw, but she couldn't remember screaming.
"Ahsoka. Go" Anakin nudged her to her feet "I'll come in and check on you soon"
Ahsoka was lying on her stomach in her bunk, her head buried in her pillow.
Her lekku picked up on the sound of Anakin approaching the door and opening it, but she didn't move an inch.
She grumbled as she felt Anakin rub her shoulder, clearly trying to be comforting.
He just made her feel worse.
Maybe you're not made to pilot starships...
"You wanna talk about it?" he asked.
Ahsoka shook her head.
"Okay, then we're gonna try again" he said.
"What?" Ahsoka gasped, quickly sitting up and staring at Anakin in disbelief "I nearly killed us both!"
"Exactly. I can't have my Padawan flying around like that. It makes me look bad" Anakin's expression was neutral "So, we're gonna practice, again, and again, and again... remember the training we did with Rex?"
"Oh... no..." Ahsoka groaned, letting her head fall onto the pillow again.
"Cheer up, Ahsoka. At least this training won't involve you being knocked unconscious repeatedly"
"...hopefully not" Ahsoka said skeptically "But with my flying, who knows"
Anakin laughed at her comment, leading the way back to the bridge.
The Twilight nearly lost a wing as Ahsoka tried to navigate around some floating debris. Anakin reached over, steering them to safety effortlessly before patting Ahsoka's shoulder.
"Again"
Ahsoka's first attempt at rolling the ship resulted in even Anakin getting motion-sick, the ship hastily put on autopilot as the two occupants ran for the sick bags.
"...again" Anakin said, his voice a little muffled as his head was still stuck inside his sick bag.
The side of The Twilight got scratched, but there was no damage beyond the superficial as Ahsoka successfully flew them around an asteroid belt a couple of days later.
She looked up, smiling, and found Anakin beaming proudly down at her.
"You're a natural, Ahsoka" he said comfortingly "Now, have you ever landed a ship before?"
Ahsoka shook her head, her smile fading from nerves.
"Do you think you can do it smoothly?" Anakin asked.
Ahsoka shook her head again.
"Fantastic. I always crash. We'll make a good pair. Now, as we approach The Resolute, start reducing your speed and navigate us into the hangar. Nice and easy"
Anakin dropped down into the co-pilot's seat, offering Ahsoka another smile.
Ahsoka's eyes widened.
"But... we're still one jump away from The Resolute" she finally said.
"Yeah, I know. So you gotta take us into hyperspace first" Anakin crossed his arms, leaning back.
Ahsoka knew how to do it, of course, it was one of the first things you learned before even touching a starship.
But still...
"What if something goes wrong and I blow us to pieces?" she asked, her voice wobbling a bit.
"Ahsoka..." Anakin leaned forwards, looking into her eyes "If I didn't think you could cut it as my Padawan, I would've told you to kriff off back to Master Yoda when I first met you"
Ahsoka raised one of her brows.
"...Obi-Wan would've killed you for being so rude" she said.
"Nah, he wouldn't have. Because you'd have run me through with that lightsaber of yours first, my snippy little Padawan" Anakin teased "But my point still stands. I know you have it in you to be amazing. No, actually, you are amazing. Have you seen your statistics compared to the other Padawans? I get to be the smuggest Knight in the temple!"
Ahsoka smiled shyly.
"Come on, you're being ridiculous"
"Ahsoka, I'm not. Your scores are some of the best since me!"
Ahsoka raised her brow even more at that.
"Okay, okay. My meditation scores were always... in the negative figures. But you know what I mean!"
"You're such a sleemo, Skyguy" Ahsoka laughed, looking back out at space, navigating them gently around a small cluster of rocks.
"Ahsoka, you kick ass, like your Master before you. That's saying something, too! I was born with a wheel in my hands" Anakin mimed piloting "I never felt scared to fly, I was never scared to take the wheel. I used to podrace and that is... uh... something else."
"I know. Master Kenobi showed me old footage of you racing on Tatooine..." Ahsoka admitted "He's so proud of you"
Anakin smiled softly, looking touched.
"He's an amazing Master, It was hard, you know. I'd just left the only home I'd ever known, and the man who promised to train me died. But there was Obi-Wan, prepared to care for me, train me, and raise me” Anakin smiled fondly.
Ahsoka hesitated.
“…are you really happy to do that for me?” She asked quietly “To care for me, raise me… training is a given but… you’re so young. Surely you don’t want to be tied down. You really didn't want me when I was assigned to you, after all”
Anakin looked like he wanted to say something, before thinking better of it.
“I know attachment’s forbidden, Snips. But I’m pretty fond of you” he said “It would be my honor to guide you through the galaxy, to see you grow and learn under my guidance”
Ahsoka smiled warmly at him, before punching them into hyperspace smoothly.
She crashed The Twilight.
The ship smouldered in the hangar of The Resolute as Anakin scooped Ahsoka up off the ground, carrying her out over his shoulder.
“I’m so, so sorry…” Ahsoka sobbed out, dangling uselessly over Anakin's shoulder.
Her orange fingers grasped the top of his belt to stop herself from swaying as Anakin used his lightsaber to cut them out of the wreck.
She sniffled meekly as Anakin jumped onto the floor of the hangar.
“It’s okay. You did your best. You did so well with hyperspace!” Anakin encouraged, patting her back with his mechno-arm.
"I crashed!" Ahsoka said, despairing.
“Practice makes perfect, Snips” Anakin reminded her, walking across the hangar with her still slung over his back.
"Can you put me down?" Ahsoka complained.
Anakin paused, before pulling Ahsoka off his shoulder, cradling her in his arms for a brief moment and looking at her with open fondness as he dropped down onto one knee.
He wasn't angry in the slightest, in fact he smiled teasingly at her.
"You certainly are my Padawan" he said, before dropping her harmlessly onto the ground "I crash most times I'm landing"
"Ow" Ahsoka complained as she hit the floor (the fall was only ten inches at most, she did it for effect).
"Ahsoka, you did really well today. I'm so proud of you" Anakin offered her his hand, helping her to his feet.
Behind them, The Twilight burst into flames.
"...I'm mostly proud of you" Anakin slung an arm around her shoulder, guiding her to look at the wreck "...you're helping me fix that, just so you know"
"I know, Skyguy" Ahsoka leaned against him, smiling.
He was warm, she felt safe and sound with him.
Ahsoka was fast asleep, dreaming of chasing a Raxshir through a field of flowers.
She groaned in annoyance as she heard someone calling her name, shifting in bed. She had the tip of one of her lekku in her mouth, a childish habit she'd never outgrown.
"Ahsoka... 'Soka... Snips..."
It was Anakin, she'd know his voice anywhere.
She mumbled some obscenities in Togruti.
"Well... that's not very nice. It's also anatomically impossible for me" Anakin's disembodied voice said, reaching out and moving Ahsoka's lek out of her mouth "Come on, wakey-wakey"
Ahsoka responded by biting his finger, waking up properly as she glared up at the Jedi intruder interrupting her sleep.
Anakin looked like he was trying not to laugh.
"Um... ow?"
Reality set in and Ahsoka's eyes widened. She let go of his finger quickly, shame flooding her features.
"Force, Master, I'm so sorry!" she said, grabbing his finger and checking it for damage.
Anakin flexed his (undamaged and gloved) mechno-arm a little, snickering "No harm done, how do your fangs feel?"
"I'm still sorry!" Ahsoka said, even as she checked her fangs with her tongue quickly.
They were fine.
"Ahsoka, it's fine... come on. I've got something I need you to do" Anakin said "It's a secret mission. Very important"
Ahsoka recovered from her shame and flipped back the sheets excitedly, scrambling to her feet.
"Uh... do you... sleep fully dressed?" Anakin stared at her boots in shock.
"In case I'm ever needed in the middle of the night" Ahsoka explained.
"...right" Anakin blinked owlishly "I prefer being comfortable. If I have to dual Count Dooku in my underwear, so be it"
Ahsoka laughed at the image, letting Anakin guide her out.
"Okay, Ahsoka. We're gonna steal a starfighter, and you're gonna fly me to The Negotiator. Obi-Wan needs us over there ASAP, but I gotta get some sleep myself. So you're on your own" Anakin explained.
"I... you... what?" Ahsoka gasped, staring at Anakin in shock and fear.
He ignored her, walking over to the nearest starfighter that seated two, climbing into the co-pilot's seat and getting comfortable.
"I'm not waiting all day, Snips" he called out, crossing his arms and leaning against the side, closing his eyes.
Ahsoka climbed into the pilot's seat, biting her lip.
"Ahsoka..." Anakin said, his tone sing-song "We don't have forever"
Ahsoka nodded, before steeling herself.
"Get some sleep, Master. I'll get us to The Negotiator" she said.
Anakin didn't answer. After a few seconds Ahsoka heard him start snoring.
Anakin Skywalker didn't snore. Perhaps, on some subconscious level, he didn't want to ruin how good he looked when he was sleeping.
It was said that Anakin Skywalker slept so beautifully that any Separatists who managed to surprise him while he was asleep would immediately throw aside their arms, fall to their knees, and begin worshiping him.
(Padme started babbling nonsense in bed, Anakin liked the ego boost).
So, Anakin didn't snore. Which meant that for Ahsoka's journey to The Negotiator, Anakin was actually wide awake and just feigning deep sleep, ready to grab the controls at any second while giving Ahsoka the illusion of complete control.
As it turned out, he could've actually slept if he wanted to, Ahsoka flew the Starfighter like she was born to do it. The journey was swift, smooth, and without incident.
She didn't even scratch the ship while landing it.
"Ahsoka" Anakin said, opening his eyes and smiling over at his Padawan, who jolted in surprise "I am so proud of you"
Ahsoka just grinned at him.
"Ahsoka, I am so, so proud of you" Anakin said, The Hero With No Fear actually sounding panicked as he navigated them around debris and enemy fire.
They'd been ambushed during a simple diplomatic mission. Half of The Twilight was gone, obliterated into the void of space, while the other half was internally on fire.
There was no safe harbor, and they had mere minutes before oblivion.
Ahsoka was strapped securely into her seat, watching Anakin as he flew, the flames licking against the viewport.
"...Ahsoka, I love you like you're my daughter. I really do. These last couple of years with you by my side have been incredible. You made me a true Jedi Knight. You really did" Anakin was saying hurriedly as he flew.
"...Skyguy..." Ahsoka whispered, her eyes starting to fill with tears.
This is it. This is the end.
"It's okay, Ahsoka... it's all okay. You wanna come sit with me?" Anakin offered, the flames reflected in his eyes as he looked over at her.
Ahsoka nodded, her breath catching in her throat as she undid her seat-belt and ran to Anakin, sitting in his lap as he wrapped his mechno-arm securely around her.
There was an explosion and a shower of sparks, before the console went dead.
Ahsoka gasped, tears running down her face.
"...Artoo! Call Senator Amidala, now!" Anakin called out.
But Artoo beeped in the negative. All signals were being jammed. Anakin groaned, before wrapping both of his arms around Ahsoka, holding tightly onto her.
"...we used to talk about adopting you, did you know that?" he said, stroking one of her lekku "Would you have liked that?"
Ahsoka looked up at Anakin, nodding.
"I would've loved that. I love Padme, and I love you too" she whispered.
"We love you, Ahsoka... I love you. Now, it's all gonna be okay, just close your-"
There was a crash and a jolt; Anakin's head snapped against the back of his seat and he was knocked unconscious as Ahsoka was thrown to the ground.
Ahsoka clawed her way back up, staring helplessly out at the chaos around them.
It was then that the console suddenly flickered to life. Ahsoka's eyes widened, before she looked out at the chaos again.
An opening appeared within the chaos. There was nothing but clear, empty space beyond it.
Miraculously, one of the few things left undamaged was the hyperdrive.
She had one shot to get clear of the fray and enter hyperspace.
She gently pushed Anakin out of his seat, taking the wheel.
"Twilight to Negotiator, this is an urgent distress call. Have all medical personnel on standby and have the tractor beams ready to pull us in. I'm jumping to as close as I can get to you in ten..."
She spun away from another ship as it crashed and burned before her eyes.
"Nine..."
She dodged the blasts raining down on her deftly.
"Eight..."
She could see clones hovering lifelessly in space. She tried not to think about it too much. She couldn't be distracted.
"Seven..."
"It was an honor serving with you, Commander Tano" one pilot told her, before Ahsoka watched helplessly as their ship was obliterated.
"Six..."
Ahsoka could feel tears dripping down her face.
The only people she could save were herself and Anakin.
If she could even do that.
"Five..."
"Ahsoka? We're ready to receive you, I don't care if you take out the whole bay, just get to us now!" Obi-Wan sounded breathless, relieved, and terrified all at once.
"Four..." Ahsoka's voice was getting shakier and shakier.
She moved gently away from another burning Republic ship, seeing an opening start to appear before her.
"Three"
She prepared the hyperdrive, punching in co-ordinates that would take them as close to The Negotiator as possible.
"Two"
"May The Force be with you" Obi-Wan whispered.
"I love you, Skyguy" Ahsoka said "One"
Anakin woke up in the medical bay of The Negotiator.
Ahsoka was fast asleep on top of him, sucking on one of her lekku as she stayed curled up against his chest.
Her eyes were reddened. She'd been crying.
Anakin reached out, rubbing her back lek.
"...heya, Snips"
Ahsoka woke up slowly, staring at him with wide eyes.
"She hasn't left your side" Obi-Wan was smiling down at Anakin, his arms folded behind his back "We thought we'd lost everyone... it was a horrible, horrible ambush... but you and Ahsoka made it back. We need to be grateful for that. She's quite the pilot"
He patted Anakin's shoulder.
"I'll go tell the medical droids you're awake" he walked away.
Anakin rubbed Ahsoka's back some more.
"You okay?" he asked.
Ahsoka shook her head.
"You're a hero, Ahsoka. How did you get us out of there?" he asked.
"You taught me how to fly. I just... did what you did"
"No, Snips. I freaked out and nearly got us killed. Me. The Hero With No Fear" he smiled.
"I threw up" Ahsoka said, mortified "Obi-Wan saw it"
"He's seen me do worse, Snips. Don't worry about it. I nearly puked too, we were spinning so much" he paused "...maybe you taught me how to fly like that"
Ahsoka smacked his arm, pouting.
"You should be proud of yourself, you're awesome. Like I always said" Anakin settled back down again "...you couldn't even fly when I was first given you, but now look at you? Saving the day"
Ahsoka giggled.
"Sometimes the student... I don't know. We can sometimes teach our masters stuff. Or something like that"
"Get some rest, and tell me what you meant to say when you're feeling more coherent" Anakin winked down at her "...you wanna know what we're gonna do as soon as we get to Coruscant?"
Ahsoka shook her head.
"You, me, and Padme are going to find a very discreet droid who'll organize adoption papers"
Ahsoka gasped, delighted.
"Now go to sleep, young lady, that's an order"
"Fine, Dad. So, I guess we're not even pretending I don't know you and Senator Amidala are married?"
Anakin just laughed.
He settled down, ready to enjoy sweet dreams.
He didn't know why, but he felt like adopting Ahsoka put him down a different path, a brighter one than whatever his fate might've been otherwise...
He shrugged, pushing the thought aside.
He didn't know what his, Padme, and Ahsoka's future held, but he knew it would be bright.
Fin~