A place only we know

[gwenchan]

Fandom: Star Wars

Personaggi: Anakin Skywalker, Padme Amidala

Rating: Teen and up audiences

Additional tags: Established relationship, Fluff

Prompt: Cielo

Today is a good day.

Naboo is always a delight to visit, a  haven away from the turmoil of war and politics, and the perfect place for a tormented soul to rest.

Rolling on his back on the fresh grass Anakin can see his same thoughts reflected in his wife's eyes.

His wife. Even if it's has been years now, the word sometimes is still strange in his mouth. Last time they went to Naboo she was still only Senator Amidala and him just a Padawan in training and her bodyguard, still fresh from getting to know her again but already madly in love. Now he is a General of the Grand Army the Republic, he has troops at his command and a young Padawan to train. 

Padme frowns. "Is there something wrong, Ani?" 

Her lips curl into a concerned pout, so sweet and caring it almost makes his heart ache. She shouldn't worry for him, not when in Senate she has already other problems ever other days. She should only relax, let all the worries to him.

He sighs a moment and smiles. "No", he assures, lips stretching into a grin. "I was just admiring how beautiful you are."

It's an old compliment, but it still catches her by surprise and Anakin doesn't need any special trick to see it. It's all in the faint blush spread across her cheeks, eyes glinting, and the way she pouts when she thinks he is messing with her on purpose.

"Be serious, Ani!" she chastises, but her tone glints with repressed laughter and no wrinkle cut across her perfect forehead.

He grins wider. "But I am."

Stretching out both hands, he grabs her by the shoulders, the silk of her embroidered dress so soft under the fingers he stills has, and drags her on top of him. Her lips taste of the strawberries they ate just easier and above them, the sky is clear, clean and bright. It is the perfect sky to fly, the wind just right - maybe he could convince Padme to go for a ride later.

Or, better even, they could simply stay here till the sun is high in the sky, spread on the grass and enjoying in the picnic Padme's mother prepared that morning. In the distance, a herd of Shaaks is grazing onto the tender grass. 

Anakin kisses Padme again with eagerness and she sighs into the kiss. He's not an inexperienced kid anymore, growing up first in a hut on a forsaken sand planet and then sheltered by the Jedi temple. He knows love now and knows what she likes. He rolls atop of her, cards fingers through her locks for once let down free instead of being pulled up in the complex hairdos she often spot in Senate. It flows like fresh water and Anakin thinks its perfume is the best in the world. 

They could make love here. They are alone, no soul in sight safe for the Shaaks, no one would know, no one would bother them. But something in the atmosphere tells Anakin it's not the moment. The quiet and the peace are almost too much and they call for a different kind of love and contemplation.

He doesn't complain. They kiss a bit more and by habit, he lifts a hand to caress her cheek. It's his artificial hand and he stops mid-air, already lowering it for the other, the one still made of flesh. Padme, however, doesn't give him the time. Her fingers, warm and tender, interlace with the metal and wires that form Anakin' prosthetic, as she brings it to her face. She leans into the touch with absolute ease.

It's ok, her sweet expression seems to say. It's ok, you don't have to hide. It's enough to make the weight on his chest be a little less pressing, enough to wash away the doubts.

He rolls on his back once more to let her rest her head on his shoulder, both gazing at the sky above and soon finding great amusement in searching shapes into the few clouds rushing in the blue. 

Soon they'll have to return to Coruscant, back to the demands of war and politics. Today, however, he can pretend that doesn't exist. Today there are only the two of them, alone and at peace in a meadow under the sun. Today they are just Anakin and Padme. Today they are husband and wife in love.

Today is a good day.