Chapter Text
“Psst, Snips.” She squeezed her eyes shut tighter and pulled the blanket up over head. She wasn’t ready to get up yet. What time was it anyways? It was way too early, and that was saying something because, well, she was a morning person. “Hey,” he whispered again, this time setting his hand on her shoulder and shaking her gently. She didn’t want to be annoyed with him, after all, things were going pretty well. But it didn’t sound like an emergency, so why was he waking her up? Actually, now that she thought about it, he sounded kind of excited.
That thought was enough to spark her curiosity and she instantly felt more alert. She silently cursed to herself. She didn’t normally mind being curious, but sometimes it interfered with what she really wanted to do. Like sleep.
She rolled over and blinked up at him. “What’s going on?”
He looked as though he was trying really hard to contain himself. “I have a surprise for you.” His mouth twitched anyways.
Now she was really curious. “A surprise?” He handed her a datapad, tapped the screen and then practically ran out of the room. She stared after him for a minute before looking at what he’d given her. Ever since they’d set off on their own, it was like he was a completely different person; lighter. She smacked herself on the forehead. That’s because he’s not a Sith anymore, you idiot. Of course he’d be lighter!
But no, that wasn’t what she meant. Yeah, he was lighter in the force too, but it was the way he carried himself. Like everywhere he went he had a spring in his step. Like the oppressive weight of every horrible thing that had tortured him for so many years had finally been lifted off his shoulders. It didn’t mean that he didn’t still get moody; uptight, surly, even angry sometimes. That was to be expected after all, he had habits he still needed to break but even so, there’d always be an edge to him. She suspected it had even been there before becoming a Sith. But overall, he’d definitely been in a better mood all the way around. She might even go so far as to say he was... happy.
She smiled to herself. That made her happy too. To think that because she’d believed in him when nobody else really had, she’d helped him completely turn his life around. As strange as it was, he’d helped her turn her life around too. And she’d had no idea until she’d gotten to know him, how messed up hers had been.
But that was neither here nor there right now and she finally peeled her eyes off the door where he’d disappeared and down at the datapad he’d given her. She flipped through the screens. First a set of instructions, then a list of things she’d need and then coordinates. What kind of game was this? She nearly laughed out loud when she saw he’d written ‘a nice dress’ on the list. She’d never worn a dress. Well, she supposed the one she’d used to wear as a Jedi was technically a dress, but she’d never thought of it that way.
The planet they were currently on was a very wild place, very sparsely inhabited. Where was she going to find a dress? She shook her head and continued down the list. Wildflowers... candy... candles? What was all of this for? She scrolled back to the first screen and looked at the instructions again. Apparently, she hadn’t read it very closely.
Step one: go into the refresher. Uh, okay, Skyguy. She rolled her eyes. She dragged herself out of bed and yawned, then she shuffled to the bathroom. On the one hand, she felt like she should ask more questions, on the other, well, she doubted she’d get any answers out of him. If he’d wanted to tell her what was going on, he wouldn’t have handed her the datapad and disappeared, shifty and mysterious like.
She stood in the doorway staring blankly at the scene in front of her. The bathtub was full of bubbly water that must be warm because it was still steaming, sitting on a small crate next to it was a couple towels and some fancy looking soaps. On every available surface there were lit candles and wildflowers. And on the mirror he’d written “Skyguy loves his Snips” with something red, that unfortunately was now dripping down the mirror because of all the steam. What was he up to now?
She looked down at the datapad again. Step two: take a bath. Are you saying I need one? she said aloud but had a hard time even pretending to be offended. Whatever he was doing, it was sweet so far. She shrugged to herself and did as he instructed. After enjoying the warm bubbly bath, she wrapped the towel around herself and headed back into her room, picking up the datapad on the way out.
Step three: get dressed. She was about to mutter to herself that she still didn’t have a dress when she looked up and saw one hanging near her bed. What the...? Had that been there the whole time or had he put it there while she’d been enjoying the bath? She set the datapad down long enough to take the garment in both hands. It was surprisingly soft, nothing like Jedi clothes which was all she’d ever really known. Where had this come from? How had he gotten it? And why?
She traced her fingers down the beading that decorated the tastefully high neck top. It was somewhat similar to her other dress but much longer. And instead of sleeves, it just attached behind her neck and left her back mostly exposed. The beading started at the neck and weaved its way around the entire dress in geometric patterns. It was a beautiful shade of lavender, almost violet. A color she’d never before really worn. Some shades clashed horribly with her orange skin but as she held her arm up to it, it looked as though he’d put a lot of thought into finding the right color.
She pulled it on and hooked it up underneath her back lekku, admiring the way it draped her body so gracefully. She smiled when she finally saw her reflection. She’d never before given much thought to the way she looked. Sometimes she’d knit-pick parts of her appearance that bugged her, like her round cheeks or button nose, but she’d never before looked in the mirror and felt... well... beautiful.
She looked up after twirling around and saw his reflection. She smiled again. He’d dressed himself up too. He still wore mostly black, but it was sharper and cleaner. Tailored more to his body type. Nice slacks and a light blue shirt, and a shiny looking jacket over it. He’d brushed his hair quite a few times it looked like, because it looked particularly soft and inviting. It fell around his face in golden waves and he looked almost angelic. Then she noticed the bouquet of flowers in his hand.
She turned around and looked him up and down. He looked so good, not that he didn’t usually, but there was something about the way he was standing there that made the heat rise in her cheeks. She liked his mischievous half-smile smirk thing that he usually gave her when he was teasing her, but he didn’t say anything. She had the strongest urge to run into his arms, but then remembered the datapad. He’d put so much effort into it, she might as well do it properly. She headed over to the table she’d dropped it on and flipped to the next screen.
Step four: kiss your Skyguy. She laughed before she could catch herself and spun around, surprised to find him right there. She studied his face for a moment, loving his bright blue eyes, and even happier they were no longer golden. Though whether she’d admit it out loud or not, she’d liked them too. But there was a softness in the blue ones, something both simple and ridiculously deep. And when they were on her, they took her breath away.
She reached her hand up and ran her fingers through his silky soft hair, smiling to herself as she twirled a few strands between them. She stood up on her tiptoes, leaning in real close. She hovered near his lips and he closed his eyes in anticipation. But she moved to his cheek and kissed him softly there first. “Kiss my Skyguy, huh?” she breathed. “I can’t imagine why I’d want to do that.” She laughed again when he brought his hand up with the flowers almost as though he was convinced that would be the final temptation and she’d melt into his arms. Oh she was definitely melting, she just didn’t want him to know it... just yet. He looked at her hopefully and she tipped her head back and laughed again.
“But the bubble bath! And the dress and the flowers and the love note!” He pouted.
“All very lovely, thank you. But to be fair, you didn’t specify where to kiss my Skyguy,” she teased.
“Note to self, be more specific next time,” he muttered under his breath. She kissed him on the cheek again and he looked back at her. Then without really thinking, she kissed his jaw too and when he tipped his head back, she trailed them down his neck. She paused near the collar of his shirt, popping the top button undone so she could kiss him there too.
When she finally looked up at him again, she was surprised by the heat in his eyes. She could feel his tension, as though he was fighting his own muscles, so he didn’t reach for her. She brought her hand up to caress his cheek and he leaned into it ever so slightly.
“What’s this all about anyways?” she asked finally, leaning into his chest and wrapping her arms around his waist.
“I was reading up on this culture galaxies away. They call it Valentine’s Day. A day where you do lots of romantic things to shower your spouse with love and attention. It’s a holiday of sorts. It’s all about hearts full of candy and flowers and dim lighting, I guess. I don’t really get the point of it, but I thought it would be fun,” he explained, leaning his cheek against her montral.
“Well, I’ve taken a bath, gotten dressed and kissed my Skyguy, so what’s next?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he whispered. “I didn’t think I’d get this far.” She looked up at him to find him looking serious.
“What?”
“Well, I lost the information I was reading about the other ways they celebrate it before I could finish it. And well...” He shuffled his feet. “I wasn’t sure if you’d go along with it.”
“Oh...” She felt a little disappointed. As curious as all of it was to her, she’d been enjoying it. Maybe she didn’t understand the point of it, but she liked it. Her smile faded as a thought occurred to her. He’d done all of this for her, but she hadn’t even known about this holiday, so she’d done nothing for him. “Step five,” she started, and he looked up at her in surprise. “We go for a walk together.” He smiled suddenly, and she took his hand after setting the flowers down on the table.
They left the ship and walked arm and arm through the fields and down into the forest. Their ship was on the outskirts of a handful of houses. Only two of which were occupied. One by an elderly couple of Rhodians and the other by a young human male. He mostly kept to himself, his sole focus on working the land around his house. The couple would wave at them occasionally if they crossed paths, but they didn’t speak basic, so there wasn’t much conversation between them.
They didn’t really plan to stay here, but Anakin had suggested they spend some time away from fighting and responsibilities for a bit, so they could get to know each other better. She didn’t mind it actually. She used to think that she’d be bored out of her mind away from action after growing up in such a hectic time. But he was plenty interesting himself, and full of adventurous stories. There wasn’t a lot required for survival, so they occupied their time mainly swapping stories, exploring and working on the ship together in comfortable silence. Sometimes they’d workout together or go for runs. Sometimes he’d give her pointers with her lightsaber forms. And other times they’d just meditate together.
She did miss being out of the loop with things going on in the Republic, but overall, it felt like they’d escaped to a whole new dimension where none of the horrors they’d both borne witness to had existed. She liked it here, but she liked it mainly because he was here too. They were so much alike in a lot of ways, and at the same time, they were very different. But they seemed to agree on the important things and that was all that really mattered to her.
He respected her need to ease into a relationship but was plenty affectionate when she needed it. Every day she grew bolder in asking for it and offering it. Sometimes it was hard to resist leaping into his arms and giving in completely, but she wanted them to both be sure and not just do it because that’s what they thought the next step was.
“Where’d you get this dress anyways?” she asked him when they stopped at the edge of a lake they’d never seen before.
“I got it when we stopped on Chandrila,” he replied. “I didn’t really know why at the time, but I saw it and I just thought, you know what would make this dress beautiful? If a certain, very special Togruta wore it.” He winked at her and she giggled. “But I was wrong,” he said suddenly. “The dress pales in comparison to the person wearing it.” She blushed furiously and looked down at the ground. “Ahsoka...” She looked back up at his face. “I know we haven’t really known each other that long, and that our relationship has been fraught with hardships and pain, and my own stupidity... but... from the very first time I saw you standing next to Master Kenobi, I felt drawn to you. In your eyes, I saw hope. I didn’t understand it then, and my Sith training, of course, made it hard to even recognize that potential. When you chased me through the sewer pipes on Kamino, I wanted the game to last forever. Every time you were close, I just wanted more. For brief moments I could forget about the war, and which sides we were on. I could think about something other than pain and soul-wrenching torture and loss. I...” he trailed off and dropped his chin, playing with his fingers.
“Step six,” she started hoarsely, feeling a rush of emotion. Grateful to whatever forces brought them together, and whatever gave them the will to survive it. “Kiss my Skyguy, on the lips.”
She pulled him over to a lower to the ground branch and stepped up on it so she was eye level with him. Then she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. He responded eagerly with so much need it both scared her and excited her. She loved the soft lips, his hot breath, the taste of his tongue, the smell of his skin. Every time it felt like someone had thrown a spark at a bonfire and it had burst to life in a heartbeat. Sometimes it felt like there was so much love and joy in her heart, her chest could barely contain it. As though if she could pull apart her ribs it would fly home to him, where it belonged. She wasn’t even sure if she could call it her heart anymore.
“Step seven: tell my Skyguy how much I love him.” She smiled into his lips as she kissed him again. “I didn’t mean to fall in love with you,” she said softly. “But you were so handsome.”
“Well obviously,” he chuckled, and she smacked him playfully on the shoulder.
“I never told Master Kenobi about how you kissed me on Kamino. Do you know why?” she asked.
“Because Jedi are boring and don’t know how to feel?”
“No!” she laughed.
“Oh right, because relationships and fun are forbidden.”
She looked down at the ground for a moment and then back at his face. “I never told him about the kiss, because I was afraid if I did, he’d know I’d enjoyed it,” she admitted. “The Jedi believed that love could turn you to the dark side, but... whenever I felt it around you, I only ever felt lighter, happier. And as it went on, I didn’t understand how they could say it was so bad. And now... we have proof that love most certainly doesn’t turn people evil, if anything...”
“It saves their souls,” he finished for her.
“Anakin,” she breathed. “You didn’t just save my life. You made it infinitely better. I had no idea how lost I was, until in your arms, I finally felt... well... found.”
“That’s what it was like for me too.” He wrapped his arms around her back and spun her around until she started giggling. Eventually he got dizzy and they both fell onto the soft mossy ground, tangled up together.
“I don’t know about this Valentine’s Day thing,” she said suddenly. “Because every day I’m with you is a holiday full of love.”
“Ahsoka.” She looked up at his face at the catch she’d heard in his voice. “Will you, uh... stay with me. Forever?”
“Forever is a long time,” she murmured thoughtfully. “But I can’t think of a better way to spend it than with you.”
He smiled and relaxed, dropping his head back into the moss. She dropped her head down on his chest, loving the way he felt beneath her. In some ways it felt too intimate, but that was probably the residual habits of living her life for so long by the Jedi code. Because if she could push that initial reaction aside, she felt nothing but contentment laying there with him. Pressed up against him with his arms wrapped protectively around her. Forever was a long time, but she couldn’t deny it. There was no possible future for her that didn’t include him.
“We could get married,” he said after awhile. “If you wanted.” She didn’t know much at all about getting married, she wasn’t sure she even knew what that meant. “You know, to make it official.”
“I do want to.” She touched his cheek and smiled. “Was that part of the checklist?” she asked.
“No, that was just my heart talking.”
“What does your brain have to say?”
“I don’t know, my heart has it in a chokehold,” he laughed.
“You’re so romantic,” she murmured, trying not to laugh herself.
“I know I didn’t read all of what this holiday entailed, but I like ours much better. Happy Valentine’s Day, Snips.”
“Good luck topping this next year.” She slid up him and pecked him quickly on the lips.
“Now wait just a minute…” But she was on her feet, giggling hysterically as he chased her as she weaved through the trees. She hadn’t exactly tired out, but it wasn’t as easy to run in this dress and besides, she wanted him to catch her. So, she slowed down as she made a circle back towards the lake.
He grasped her around the waist and lifted her off her feet and she pretended to fight him, all the while loving the way it felt in his arms. But then to her surprise, he threw her, with considerable force into the water. She surfaced just in time to have to shield her eyes from his own splash.
“What the kriff?” she asked when he came up for air, but she started giggling again at his puffed-out cheeks. She elbowed him in the gut and he sprayed water all over her. “But our nice clothes,” she complained.
“They’ll dry,” he said moving closer to her and lifting her into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and held his face in her hands as her fingers worked his wet hair out of his eyes.
“I love you,” she breathed finally. He smirked at her, a wild sparkle of mischief and adventure flashed through his eyes.
“Of course you do,” he said. “What’s not to love?”
The next thing she knew they were underwater again. The Jedi didn’t know anything about life or love, for that matter. But neither did the Sith. It didn’t matter now, they weren’t either. And, well… she’d never been more glad of that. So maybe that was selfish, but she stopped caring that it was. Life had a whole new meaning now. It was an adventure, on a grand scale. But it was beautiful on every level. And she couldn’t wait to experience it with him. Officially…