chapter description • anakin moves in across from you. his emo look and his annoying muscle car leaves an impression on you. when your nissan doesn’t start, he’s surprisingly eager to rescue you.
“Sorry about my son’s car.” Mr. Sheev, your new neighbor apologizes. His embarrassment bleeds through his smile.
Your father’s eye twitches, a very clear sign of anger, but he smiles a toothy grin. “Hopefully he can adjust to life on our little street.”
Shmi, Sheev’s new wife—they shared that they had just gotten married a month ago—replies, “Anakin grew up in a very different neighborhood. I’ll have a talk with him to tone it down.”
You gaze across the street to the house nearly identical to yours, the conversation between the Palpatines and your parents fading into the background. The boy—you assume is Anakin—is hosing off his black sports car. You know absolutely nothing about cars except that it looks fast and your dad hates muscle cars. They’re loud. He likes peace and quiet. He’s retired so maybe that’s normal for someone his age.
“I’d never buy my teenage son a Mustang.”
You roll your eyes at your dad’s comment. Not his place to say that.
Sheev laughs surprisingly, like he’s not at all offended. “Oh, I agree it’s not wise.” He looks at his wife for a moment and then says, “Anakin is eighteen. He works and bought that car himself. Didn’t ask me though.”
Your mother’s eyes widen. “That’s good though. Not many kids have the dedication to save up for their own car. Where does he work?”
“At some junkyard,” Sheev replies with a grimace.
You look down at your phone and ignore the conversation as you sit in the chair beside your mother. Your sister shares some pictures of her kids in the family group chat. They’re growing up so fast!
“Anakin!” Shmi shouts, waving him to come over.
You glance up again. His car is covered in white soap suds. You watch him sigh, place the rug in the bucket, and jog over to their front porch. He’s panting a little when he stops. He stands by his mom. He’s taller than he looked from afar and is even taller than Sheev. His black combat boots are nearly falling apart. You’ve never seen a baggier pair of jeans nor ones with so many holes. His shirt is probably too sizes too big for him and advertises for some metal band you’d likely hate.
“Hi,” he says, shaking the hand of your father and your mother. His eyes lock onto you, and you stare into his eyes until it becomes too awkward for you to maintain.
You really hadn’t meant to do that. He’s really cute, but those piercings... the ring on the side of his lip and his eyebrow. You’re not too sure about them.
“What are you studying in school, Anakin?” your mom asks him.
Anakin glances at his mom for a second. “Well, I’m out for the summer. Just graduated. I think I’m going to take a gap year and work.”
The look on Sheev’s face makes even you nervous. Somehow, you can tell this topic is rather contentious for Anakin and his parents.
“Your father was telling me about your job at the junkyard. Do you enjoy it?” your mother continues the conversation you were hoping would just die. It is obvious he’d rather be washing his car.
“Stepfather,” he corrected, “and I love it. I get to tear things apart and help people make use of old things to build something new.” There is a sparkle in his eyes when he says that.
Anakin reaches into his pocket and holds his phone to his ear. He turns his back to them. “Hey, Rex.” He pauses to listen. “Uh, yeah. Sure. I’ll be right there.” He hangs up and starts walking to the house. “Gotta go. I’ll be back at some point tonight.”
Sheev runs after him. “Thought you said you were coming out to dinner with your mom and me.”
“Can’t,” Anakin says.
In the middle of the street, Sheev stops, and Anakin continues. He rinses off his car and drives away. All within the minute. You cover your ears as he speeds down the street.
Shmi’s face is red. “I’m sorry about them. It was lovely meeting you all.” She runs down their driveway to catch up with her husband. She’s quicker in her pumps than you had expected. Her husband storms inside, and she chases after him.
Your father scowls and gets up from the couch. “I hope they move out soon.”
“Ruwee!” your mom scolds. “They seem like good people.”
You follow your parents inside. You stand around in the kitchen as your father starts the Keurig.
“Their kid is a freak,” he snorts.
You roll her eyes. You bite her tongue. Your father doesn’t understand self-expression in the least bit. He wears white new balance sneakers and a polo shirt.
“I’m going to bed,” you announce, leaving them in the kitchen. Your parents are probably going to complain about the new neighbors for the next two hours. You trek up the stairs.
Your nighttime routine begins with a bath.
Blue and red flash in his rearview mirror. Anakin hits the turning signal and shoulders it. The cop pulls in behind him. He rolls out the SUV. Hand on his gun, he strides to Anakin’s window. Anakin turns his hat forwards and sits up a little in his seat. He quickly extinguishes his cigarette on the dash and tosses it in the cup holder.
Anakin rolls his window down a quarter.
“License and registration.”
Anakin already had the items in his hand. The officer checks over them for a few minutes before returning them.
“You do realize you were going one hundred and twenty on the interstate.”
Anakin says nothing at first, knowing better than to admit to it. “Is that right?”
“I could take you to jail right now.”
Anakin taps his phone. He’s going to be late. “I guess. Do what you have to do.”
“What was your thought process?” The cop seems really perplexed about the whole thing.
“I just got this car last week. I guess—I wasn’t really paying attention. My bad,” he answers coolly. “You gonna arrest me?”
The cop relaxes his arms. “Look, I am going to give you a warning. My son drives a car like this. Just try to keep it under eighty-five, alright.”
“Yes, sir,” Anakin says politely before rolling up the window.
He leans back against the headrest and breaths for a moment. Sheev would lose his mind if he had gotten arrested. The cop drives away, and Anakin lights another cigarette to calm his nerves.
He answers Rex’s call, and his thick voice booms through the speakers. “Where ya at?”
“Got pulled over.”
“You fuckin’ with me?”
“Nope.”
Anakin revs the engine a couple times before taking off. He fishtails as his tires burn and smoke. He hits sixty miles per hour in four seconds, and eventually stops at a hundred.
“You coming or what? Obi-Wan and Cody are already here.”
“Fuck ‘em. They can wait.” He takes the next exit and slams on the breaks to avoid flying off the road on the turn. “And guess what.”
Rex sighs. “What now?”
“There’s a girl I like.”
“Who?” Rex nearly shouts.
Anakin chuckles. He hasn’t dated anyone in over a year. His job has kept him busy, that and modding his vehicles and bikes. Dating is so mind numbingly boring most of the time. While Rex would rather be under someone, Anakin would rather be under a car. But this girl was different somehow.
“My neighbor. Don’t know her name. She’s... well, super hot.”
“Are you actually going to do something about it?”
“Probably. But Sheev had to embarrass me in front of her. I have a feeling I’m not her type. She really fits in where I’m living now. That uppity-ass subdivision. God, I hate it there. But she’s literally perfect looking, and I-I think I should talk to her at least.”
“You think?” Rex sighs. “I need you to get a girlfriend so that I can spend more time with Snips instead of you.”
“Very funny. You know you’re not her type.”
“Whatever. Where are you now?”
“Literally five minutes away.” Anakin accelerates through a red light.
The rusting fence around the old truck stop has been opened already. Anakin goes through. He sees a group of vehicles parked side by side. Rex’s is the newest.
And Anakin was envious.
There were very few things that Anakin ever wanted that belonged to someone else. But Rex’s 2018 Shelby in lightning blue is something to envy. Anakin never actually believed Rex’s story about winning it in at a repo auction for 20 k. He still thinks Rex stole it.
This week the meet is at the abandoned truck stop in town. It’s just Anakin and his friends from home. They race, drift, and do other stupid things that only wear out their tires even more. It’s nothing serious. He’s not into street racing yet. None of them have the money to compete. They’re all kids from the trailer park he grew up in save for Obi-Wan and Cody. They’re the only outsiders. They just fit in.
Anakin parks beside Rex and turns off his car.
“It looks better than I thought it would,” Rex teases, referring to Anakin’s 2007 Mustang. Sure, it had a hundred-and-twenty-thousand miles on it, but it’s a GT premium and was garage-kept. “I see you blacked it out.”
Anakin shrugs, sliding out the vehicle. “Yeah, it’s temporary. I’m about to paint it yellow. Our new house has a garage which is cool. I can help you with touchups too. Just bring it over.”
Rex grimaces. “I don’t think I’d fit in at the hills.”
“How do you think I feel? Sheev bought my mom a brand new BMW X2. I-I hate that car. I can’t really afford to get parts for it if it breaks down. My mom’s Accord was just fine.” Anakin presses his lips together. He’s rambling again. “He offered to get me a Supra.”
Rex’s jaw falls. “So where is it?”
Anakin shakes his head. “I don’t want his money. He’s not my fuckin’ dad.” He pats the roof of his car. “My mom said my dad would’ve loved this car. Sheev tried to sell my—my dad’s—F-150 because it,” Anakin makes air quotes, “doesn’t fit in the hills.”
“Skyguy!”
Anakin is nearly knocked to the ground when Ahsoka throws herself on him for a hug.
“It’s been months!”
Anakin pats down his clothes. She’s covered in dirt, as usual. “Yeah, a lot’s happened.”
She sniffs him. “Are you smoking again?”
“No,” he smiles at her, “that kills people.”
“As if that would stop you,” she adds.
Rex waves at her. “Snips, nice to see you.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing you race.” She moves past Anakin to get closer to Rex.
To conceal his huge smile, Anakin covers his mouth. Rex has to be sweating. He’s had a crush on Ahsoka for forever.
“Cody’s been making a lot of adjustments since the last one.”
“I’m not worried,” Rex manages to say. His face is nearly red.
“Neither is he,” Ahsoka laughs. She turns back to Anakin. “Lana says hi. She’s also pissed at you for not answering her calls.”
He gives her a glare, but she doesn’t back down. “She’s hurting.”
“She’s not my problem,” Anakin snaps. “I’m tired of you and everyone else making me feel that it is.”
“Sorry,” she huffs. “Let’s just forget I said anything.”
The three of them walk down the line of cars to where Obi-Wan and Cody wait. Obi-Wan is still in his blue mechanic uniform and is tinkering with his Camaro. Anakin taps his shoe with his boot.
Obi-Wan finally looks up. “Hey, Ani. So good to see you.”
“The red is sick,” Anakin says, referring to Obi-Wan’s new paintjob.
“Did it myself last weekend. I was worried it might be too flashy.”
They laugh.
“I mean... that’s kinda the point of a car like that.”
Obi-Wan narrows his eyes and tries to look serious. “Now, this is a perfectly reasonable vehicle. It gets ten on the highway.”
“Shit!” he exclaims. He ducks around Obi-Wan to get a better look under the hood. “I’d think you should at least be getting fifteen.”
“Not the way I drive it.”
You rifle through your belt bag for the house key when you remember you left your water on the table. Nearly tripping on your own shoes, you sprint through the living room and into the kitchen to grab your ice blue Stanley 40 oz. You prefer the filtered water from home instead of the hospital tap because it has a chlorine taste. That can’t be healthy.
The feeling that you’re forgetting something important finally passes, and you can breathe again. You step down the porch stairs and unlock the door to your Nissan. You sit down in the seat and set your cup in the holder. Lifting your arms, you stretch and then scroll through Spotify to pick your playlist for the drive.
You jump, hearing an engine roar behind you. Through the rearview mirror, you see Anakin and his car. He gets out of the vehicle and checks the tires. You catch yourself smiling like an idiot, and instantly, you slap your cheeks. He’s eighteen.
You press the brake and turns the key. The car shutters, and the engine comes on but within moments it stalls and dies. You cry a little inside because you’re already running ten minutes late. The first thing you do is text the supervising doctor that you are likely to be late because of car trouble.
You exit your vehicle. Realistically, your only choice is to wake up your dad.
“Hey!”
You turn on your heel. The neighbor boy is sprinting across the street to get to you.
“Hi, Anakin,” you say, standing still.
He stops a few feet away. His hesitance to be close to you is noticeable. “I hope I didn’t scare you. I just heard your car wouldn’t start.”
You stare at the cement driveway. “My dad can just jump start it.” Clearly, he came all this way to help you. You should let him. There is just something in the way he looks at you that leaves you uneasy.
“Oh.” He sounds disappointed. You wonder if he’ll walk away. “Or... I could check it.” His smile is suspicious. Maybe he knows you can’t tell him no.
“Okay,” you agree. “Just don’t tell my dad.” You laugh.
“I have the feeling he probably doesn’t like me,” Anakin says. He holds his hand out. There are already several tattoos along his arm for someone his age. “Keys.” He says that like it’s an order. But coming from those lips its almost attractive.
You toss the keys, too nervous to get closer to him. He catches them, and for some reason his lip curls up into a smirk.
The first thing Anakin tries is to start the car up. You watch him listen closely to the sounds it makes. Then he pops the hood.
“I’m gonna get my multimeter.” He starts walking down the driveway. “I think you were right about the battery.”
When he returns, he holds a strange device in his hands, and you assume this is the multimeter. You know nothing about cars or car batteries except that the last time this happened to your mom’s car, it was the battery. He attaches the device to the two battery posts.
“Your battery is really low. When was the last time you had it replaced?”
Your eyes widen. This is embarrassing. “Honestly, I have no idea. My dad takes care of all the vehicles.”
You expect Anakin to make fun of you because you’re a fully grown woman whose dad still takes care of her.
But Anakin doesn’t.
“I would look into getting it replaced,” he says, clearly trying not to laugh. “For today so you can get to—wherever—I’ll jump it.” He gestures at the car.
“Work. And are you sure? I don’t wanna inconvenience you,” you say crossing your arms. He’s being too nice.
“You can inconvenience me any time,” he says. He sounds completely serious.
In less than five minutes, he brings his Mustang around and jump starts your car.
“You know that thing is really loud.” It’s the first time you’ve seen a car like this up close.
“I know.”
You walk around the vehicle, and you notice that he’s absolutely fixated on you the entire time. It’s weird, but you’re not going to comment. “It’s nice. I bet it goes like two-hundred miles an hour.”
He laughs. “I wish. On a good day, maybe one fifty.”
You gasp. “That must be dangerous.”
He tilts his head and looks down at you. “Do you want me to say no?”
“It just seems... unnecessary.” You’re not really sure why you’re concerned for his life.
“I’m careful.” His eyes descend, and he’s not shy about checking you out. He looks back up to your face as if to check if you’re okay with that.
But you act like you don’t notice. “My dad hates your car. He’s been complaining about you nonstop.”
Anakin noticeably steps closer. “Sheev hates it more, and he has to live with me.”
“You’re terrible,” you say and slap the side of his arm playfully. Your fingertips touch his skin. And he’s warmer than expected.
He nearly flinches. “Sometimes.”
You hadn’t thought about the action, and you realize the touch was a huge mistake. So, you panic and say the first thing that comes to your mind. “I—I noticed you didn’t get home until four last night.”
“So, you’re stalking me?” He’s trying not to smile. And you don’t want to give him any inclination that you’re interested because... you’re not.
You roll your eyes. “No. Your car is so loud you can hear it a mile away.”
He clears his throat. He probably didn’t expect you to tease him back. Anakin blinks and nods. “Yeah. But that’s kinda the point.”
“I’ll never understand boys and their cars.”
Anakin turns his head away. You can still see the pink on his cheeks.
Suddenly, you remember the time. Now you’re definitely going to be late for work. “I have to head to the hospital. Thank you so, so much, Anakin.”
“What do you do?”
You duck your head to fit into the driver’s seat. “I’m a nurse practitioner. I just graduated from grad school last fall.”
His eyes go wide. “Wow.”
“Yeah, I’m old.”
“No. That’s impressive.” He still stands in the same spot, like he doesn’t want to leave.
“You probably should go before my dad wakes up and sees us talking.”
With that, you roll up your window and back out of the driveway. He watches you intently as you pull away.
original au by @avaaawritesss feel free to use my work as inspiration (no direct plagiarism please :/) and tag me!! id love to read ur works too
this idea was originally written for anidala. click here if you are interested in the original version!!
comment 🖤 ⛓️ down below if you'd like to be added to the taglist for this fic
chapter description • you go with anakin to the bonfire party and meet the rest of his friends. it's obvious you don't belong there. everyone stares at you, including anakin's ex girlfriend lana.
chapter warnings • classism, foul language, kissing/making out, fade to black scene hehe
table of contents | chapter 5
Your attempt to “dress down” for the bonfire did nothing to conceal your beauty and would do nothing to help you fit in with the rest of the girls at the creek. He knows little to nothing about women’s fashion, considering his mom only ever bought new clothes from Walmart. But he suspects, your hoodie and little shorts are probably some expensive brand along with all of your jewelry like an influencer would have.
You walk a block down the street when Anakin picks you up. He knows you haven’t told your parents about your relationship yet, and despite being a grown adult, you’re still afraid of what they think. He chooses not to let his mind wander about your issues with your parents too much. He doesn’t want them to stand in his way of loving their daughter.
Oh. Love.
He starts to drive off once you’re buckled in.
You catch him off guard when you lean over to kiss him on his cheek. Then you snatch up his right arm to press smaller kisses on his hand. This is the only time he’s every wished for an automatic transmission because he has to pull away in order to shift to gears
“Sorry,” he mutters.
“I missed you. You’re a terrible texter.” You laugh about it, but he can tell it bothers you. He hears it in your voice.
Every time you text him, he’s floored. Like he doesn’t know how to react or what to say. Usually, he’ll reread your message about ten times before turning his phone off. He’ll wait before attempting to type out a response. He’ll delete every single one until he thinks his reply is perfect. Also, he doesn’t want to seem desperate because he is... desperate for you. And letting you see that side of himself—he’s not sure he’s ready to fully let you in. He’s never been in love before.
“I’m usually at work, and I try not to be on my phone. I’ll do better,” he assures you.
You rub his shoulder. “I—I shouldn’t be on my phone at work, but I dunno, I wanna talk to you, Anakin.”
Sure, it’s reckless, but he takes his eyes off the road so that he can see you. And with the sweet smile on your lips as you look up at him, he decides to pull over right then and there. They can be a few minutes late. He needs to kiss you more than he needs air to breathe.
At the lake, Anakin parks his car beside all the other vehicles. Most of them look like they came straight from a junkyard.
You cringe at yourself for thinking that. You shouldn’t judge. Anakin would probably break up with you had he heard that thought. But in your own defense, you’ve never been around people outside your family’s selective social circle. This is a completely new experience.
“Did you bring bug spray?” Anakin asks you turning the Mustang off.
“No. I didn’t know we were going to be in the middle of the woods.”
“It’s a creek.” He tilts his head as he ponders over your words. “There are definitely mosquitoes in summer, Angel.” His eyes turn wide, and he licks his lips. “Sorry,” he corrects.
You turn away to hide your blushing face. “I’ve never been to a place like this. I wasn’t thinking.”
“I have some in my trunk,” he says. “Let me get the door for you.” He trots around and swings the passenger door open.
“Thanks, Anakin.”
“You should always let me do that, okay,” he requests.
Flustered, you flail your hands around in embarrassment. “You really don’t have to.”
“I want to.” He looks down at his boots. “I know I don’t really look like a gentleman, but I can be when it’s deserved. And you deserve it.” He almost smiles before ducking away to pop the trunk.
You follow him. He holds a green spray can up to you. You reach forward, but he moves the bottle before you can touch it.
“May I?”
You nod and he kneels.
He looks good from this angle. You start to play with his hair, and he swats your hands away playfully. “I can’t focus if you do that,” he says.
You sink your hands deeper into his hair and gives him a head scratch. “Why?”
He sighs and tilts his head back, meeting your gaze. He’s so serious all the sudden. “Because... i—it’s,” he shakes his head and looks down at the grass, “a turn on for me,” he whispers shyly.
“Then I should do it more,” you affirm.
You can tell he’s smiling.
“Later.”
Quieting, Anakin sprays your legs with the bug spray and spreads it across your skin with his hands. The action is more intimate than you expected, and your skin tingles everywhere he touches. Once he finishes, he sprays his own arms and legs quickly and tosses the can in the trunk.
“You might want to spray your neck. Your arms should be good unless you take off that hoodie.”
“I’ll be okay, Anakin.”
He holds out his hand for yours, and they interlock fingers as they head to the group gathered around the bonfire. To you, it’s far too hot to have a bonfire, but you suppose it’s some weird tradition they have despite the summer heat. With the sun going down, it’s not quite so bad.
You definitely underestimated how out of place you would feel here. Even with Anakin at your side. Everyone stares at you the moment they enter the circle of Anakin’s friends. The only other person you know here is Rex. He rises from his blanket to greet you. A skinny girl with dark skin and bright blue eyes follows him.
“You must be (y/n)!” the girl waves. “I’m, Ahsoka!”
You’re surprised that Ahsoka knows who you are. Has Anakin been talking about you to everyone? Does he really like you that much? “Nice to meet you.”
“I think you undersold her, Rex. You’re gorgeous.” She hits Anakin’s arm. “What is she doing with you? Just wait until Lana—”
“Ahsoka!” Anakin says sharply, shaking his head. “Don’t.”
With the weird looks Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rex are giving each other, it’s obvious something’s up.
“What?” You ask, more to Anakin than anyone else.
He groans. “It’s nothing. Just a girl I went out with for a second.”
They hadn’t gotten around to discussing your pasts. So, it doesn’t necessarily mean anything—the fact that Anakin didn’t mention this other person. But Ahsoka’s grimace is suspicious. Since they’re in front of his friends, you choose to drop the subject.
“Oh,” is all you say.
“Lana is here,” Ahsoka murmurs.
Anakin rolls his eyes. “I. Don’t. Care.”
“Fine. I tried,” Ahsoka sighs.
A group of the boys come to say hello to Anakin. You don’t know anyone else besides Ahsoka and Rex. The rest seem to just stare at you and act like you don’t exist. Taking it personally would be foolish. They don’t know you.
As he catches up with everyone, Anakin is smiling and laughing. You’ve never seen him so comfortable. You can tell he feels at home here. You can’t say the same. You have never been out in the woods like this, bugs swarming all around. Your idea of a bonfire is the one they have in your backyard, a decorative fire pit. Not a giant pile of sticks and leaves.
But you’re happy to integrate into Anakin’s world. You want to be his.
While Anakin is distracted, Ahsoka grabs your hand, “Come sit with us!” She brings you over to her small group of girlfriends sitting on a blanket. “This is (y/n). She’s Anakin’s new girlfriend.”
Oh, actually... you haven’t made it official. But you aren’t about to correct her.
Ahsoka’s friends all look at each other before waving and greeting you.
“How long have you been with Anakin?” someone asks.
“Rude!” Ahsoka scolds. “Ask her something about herself. Not Anakin.”
The girl, who is probably still in high school, scoffs. Then she opens the cooler beside her, “Wanna beer?”
“I’m alright. Thank you.” You lean closer to Ahsoka. “Who’s Lana, other than Anakin’s ex.” You do feel guilty about not asking Anakin about it first, but he seems like he doesn’t want to talk about it. At all.
Ahsoka points to the other side of the fire where Anakin stands. You watch as a girl with neon pink hair jumps on Anakin from behind.
“That’s Lana.”
You observe them interact. Anakin quickly pushes Lana off him. They talk. She’s all smiles. He looks upset. But you can’t help but think they look perfect together. She wears the same type of clothes Anakin does. Her jacket has more holes in it than the pants Anakin always wears.
“Lana was in love—is in love with Anakin. They’ve known each other since the first grade.”
“Did they date?”
“Eh... sorta. It’s complicated. Anakin more or less gave her a chance, but his heart wasn’t in the relationship. As you can see, you refuses to accept that they aren’t meant for each other.”
“He doesn’t feel anything for her?”
“Not like that. He likes you.”
It isn’t long after Ahsoka tells you that, that Anakin looks your way. Your eyes meet across the flames. And he comes over to you.
He doesn’t look at anyone else but you. “They’re gonna go riding four wheelers. I don’t wanna leave you here alone.”
“I’ll take care of her,” Ahsoka promises.
Anakin seems hesitant to accept the offer.
“Can I go?” you ask. You’ve never been on a four wheeler. Your family isn’t the outdoorsy type whatsoever.
Anakin laughs at you. “It’s fun, but muddy. I wouldn’t want you to get your nice clothes or,” he inspects your white sneakers, “shoes messed up.”
You kick your sneakers off and unzip your lululemon scuba hoodie. “Mud can’t stain this.” You refer to your black shorts, sports bra, and bare feet.
He pauses to slowly take you in, and you become aware of just how much skin you’re showing. “Okay,” he says, offering his hand to pull you up from the blanket.
He holds your hand more tightly when you pass all his friends. Anakin leads you to one of the four wheelers. The wheels are huge. This looks unsafe. He sits on first and pats the space behind him.
“Get on.”
You hold onto him as you lift your leg to get on the vehicle. He takes your arms and wraps them around his waist.
“Hold onto me,” he says, looking at you over his shoulder.
He doesn’t need to ask. You’re looking for any excuse to have your hands all over him.
When he starts the rumbly engine, the vehicle shakes. He revs it before taking off ahead of everyone else. The wind he’s creating feels amazing through your sweaty head. He dodges trees left and right. He just about leaves everyone else in the dust.
“They’ll catch up!” he shouts, seemingly knowing what you had been thinking.
He swerves to miss another tree, and you scream. Head against his back, you can feel his heavy laughter. You have never heard him laugh like this before. He sounds so free.
“Do I need to slow down?”
You want to say yes. But you want to hear him laugh like that even more. “No, I’m fine. I trust you!”
They speed down to the bank of the creek or... lake. Whatever.
It’s muddy. The giant tires carve out valleys in the bank and fling mud everywhere. Soon, you’re covered in it. Anakin spins out purposefully and drives through every puddle he sees. You’re surprised to find yourself laughing along with him. This is almost like that time you had a mud bath at your mother’s favorite spa.
By the time you both return to the bonfire, the sky is dark and the mud has nearly dried on your skin and hair. You aren’t as bad off as he is, but there’s still mud all over you. He stops the four wheeler and helps you get off it. You try to dust off a bit, but it doesn’t do much of anything.
Anakin feels disgusting caked in dried dirt and bug spray and sweat. He takes off and runs across an old wooden dock and cannonballs into the water. He stays under for a moment, letting the temperature of the creek cool him off. When he comes up for air, you are standing on the edge of the dock watching him for a few moments before jumping in too. Your decision is quick. He barely has time to register the action before it’s splashing him in the face
“I can’t touch the bottom,” you say, paddling toward him.
You grab his shoulders and hold onto him. For a while, you float, his back to you until he turns around. His breath catches seeing the reflection of the moonlight in your eyes. You’re looking up at him. He can’t restrain himself anymore around you. Anakin cups your face and kisses you roughly in front of everyone. He’s happy to do so. He wants everyone to know that you belong to him.
Anakin parks at the start of your driveway to let you out. You ask him to drive you straight home to shower after they fed each other smores at the bonfire while they dried off from the creek. Lana left him alone, which he’s still relieved about. And there’s no angry messages on his phone. Maybe she’s grown up some.
He's lost in thought when you open the door for yourself to leave.
“I was supposed to get that!” he snaps.
You laugh at him. “Anakin, I’m sorry. Do you want me to get back in?”
“Is that even a question? I don’t want you to go.” He stares at your lips for a moment. “And you didn’t give me a goodnight kiss.”
You clutch your heart dramatically. “How will you survive?” you say before crawling across the towels covering his seat just before planting one on him.
He still tastes chocolate and marshmallow but maybe it’s his stupid imagination.
You swat his hand away when he tries to slide his hand up your back.
“I’m nasty. I can’t feel hot like this,” you grumble. “I tried to be a good sport. I still feel gross. I definitely smell.”
Your pouty face is fucking adorable. He wants to kiss you again, but he respects your wishes. “I think it makes you sexier.”
You roll your eyes at that. “Thank you, but that’s not gonna work on me.”
“Whatever,” he says. “Have a goodnight then if you’re not gonna kiss me anymore or... other things.”
“I’ll text you later once I’m all clean.”
“I’m holding you to that.”
“You’d better respond.” Your eyes are serious when you say that.
“I will. I promise.” He’s serious too now that he knows it’s real.
You: just finished showering. call me?
Delivered.
You messaged him ten minutes ago, and he still hasn’t read it. Of course, Anakin usually takes a while to respond. So, you likely don’t have anything to worry about, but you keep overthinking everything that happened at the bonfire. That was the first time meeting his friends and your first time at a party like that.
You probably did something to embarrass him. You probably shouldn’t have asked at all about his ex-girlfriend. And you definitely shouldn’t have asked Ahsoka about Lana. That was invasive of you. You should have respected his privacy more.
You set your phone on your nightstand and crawl into bed. You shouldn’t have been surprised hearing a buzz as soon as you’re comfortable.
Anakin: look out your window
You tumble out of bed and nearly trip on your covers to get to the window. Pushing back the curtains, you see him perched on the roof of your house like Spider-Man. For a moment, you question if this is real. Then he waves at you.
You unlock the window to let him in your bedroom. He closes the window for you while you stare in awe.
“I climbed up the tree and that one branch gets close enough for me to jump on the roof.” He narrows his eyes. “Didn’t you hear me land?”
“No.”
“Guess I’m better than I thought.” He wanders to the center of your room and looks around. “Wow. Everything’s so... neat.”
You run over to your bed and try to fix the messy sheets. “I keep my room clean most of the time. I do have laundry in that chair.” You point.
“That’s it?” He leans his head back. “You should see my room.”
Once your sheets are arranged more tastefully, you move to his side once more and set a hand on his arm, giving it a small squeeze. “Did you want to see my bedroom or something?”
He pulls you into a tight hug. A suffocating hug actually. His exhale is slow as he relaxes. “I should have asked. I was just going to call you back, but then I was thinking that’s stupid because you live right across from me. I can just come over. But now I’m realizing that I’m in your bedroom without your permission.”
“You don’t have to ask.”
“Oh really?”
“What’s mine is yours,” you whisper, reaching up to run your fingers through his hair.
He closes his eyes.
“Does that include you?” His voice is breathy.
“Especially me.” You sniff his shirt. “You smell good. Like soap.”
“I showered too.”
You still massage his scalp. “So, we’re both clean.”
On your tip toes, you pepper kisses around his lips. He laughs.
He pulls your hands down and holds them, resting his chin on your head. “I wanna make sure this is real before we—”
“It is, Anakin. What do I have to do to convince you that I’m crazy about you? I’d do anything for you.”
Y—you are? You would?”
“Yes.” There’s a hint of exasperation in your reply, but only because you can’t believe he doesn’t see it. “I like you. And no one else.”
“Well... when you put it like that.” Anakin has this crazy, wild look in his eyes. you gasp when he grabs you and picks you up so easily. Then he drops you on the bed.
He hesitates for a moment, glancing at you, asking for permission. So, you tap the spot beside you, and he crawls onto the mattress and over your body.
original au by @avaaawritesss feel free to use my work as inspiration (no direct plagiarism please :/) and tag me!! id love to read ur works too
this idea was originally written for anidala. click here if you are interested in the original version!!
comment 🖤 ⛓️ down below if you'd like to be added to the taglist for this fic
if your love was a cig', i'd smoke my lungs. every time i think i'm done, i need another one - sombr
neighbor!anakin x fem!reader
series description • anakin moves in right across from your house. you’ve never met anyone like him before with his ripped jeans, giant metal band t-shirts, piercings, and tattoos. his souped up mustang is the neighborhood nuisance and your father’s worst nightmare. but you can't seem to get away from him. and after you kiss at that stoplight, you’re not sure you want to.
series warnings • age-gap romance (anakin is 18; reader is 23), foul language, classicism, drinking, smoking cigarettes, mild violence, some sexuality, anakin’s appearance is inspired by sam monroe
chapters:
𝟷. boy next door
𝟸. stoplight
𝟹. hopeless
𝟺. muddy
𝟻. boyfriend next door
original au by @avaaawritesss feel free to use my work as inspiration (no direct plagiarism please :/) and tag me!! id love to read ur works too
this idea was originally written for anidala. click here if you are interested in the original version!!
boyfriend next door | neighbor!anakin x fem!reader
chapter description • you invite anakin over to meet your parents once you finally make things official. initially, things go smoothly, until the evening becomes a victim of murphy's law: anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
“And where were you last night?” Sheev inquires, as Anakin waltzes through the front door. Sheev peers at him over his reading glasses and sets his phone down.
Anakin pauses. His mom and Sheev are still in their bathrobes while they watch TV in the living room as they do every morning. Usually, Anakin is already at work around this time. Watto was pissed that he called out at the junkyard. Instead of doing his job, he spent all morning with you, right up until you actually had to leave for work. Then he rolled around in your bed for a few hours, reveling in the fact that you might love him back. Images of your. body in the low lighting of your room are still alive in his mind. He’s probably not going to get much of anything done today. All he can think about is you.
“It’s not really any of your business,” Anakin replies, only looking at Sheev.”
“Anakin,” his mother scolds. “I tried to wake you up this morning for work, but you were gone. Your car was in the driveway.” She gets up from the sofa and approaches him. “We saw you in the cameras leaving the neighbor’s house. What were you doing over there?”
Anakin can’t lie to his mom. Lying to Sheev is one thing, but his mom trusts him implicitly.
Anakin looks down at his shoes. “I’m seeing the neighbor’s daughter. It’s supposed to be a secret.”
He’s surprised to see the smile on his mom’s face and even more surprised when she hugs him. “Ani, that’s wonderful!”
“Yeah.”
“She’s so pretty.”
“Yeah.” And even prettier without clothes, but he wasn’t about to say that aloud.
“Well, this is good news. I will admit it is shocking considering you have very...” Sheev’s eyes scan over him, “eclectic tastes. But I am glad you aren’t with someone like that other girl your mother told me about.”
Anakin rolls his eyes but knows better than to say anything back.
His mom gives Sheev a warning glance, but he ignores her.
“You might want to start looking for a better paying job than a junkyard if you want someone like this girl to stick around.”
“Sheev!” His mother yells to her husband. “Please!”
Anakin doesn’t have a sarcastic retort ready. He can’t even disagree with Sheev for once. He’s right. And they all know it. Despite your constant assurance that you like him for who he is and nothing else, Anakin knows that isn’t enough to make someone stay. You deserve to have someone who can take care of you not just someone who wishes he could.
“It’s fine, Mom,” Anakin says as he stomps up the stairs to his room.
The sound of your ringtone wakes him up from his afternoon nap. You must be on your lunch break now. You told him you would call. Anakin felt guilty for not taking that seriously.
He holds the phone up to his ear. “Hey.”
You giggle like a child. “Did I wake you up or something? You sound so sleepy.”
His face hurts from smiling. He’s never smiled this much in his life. “You didn’t let me get any sleep last night.”
“Don’t even pretend that you’re upset about that.”
“I told my mom about us,” he blurts out.
You’re silent which makes his heart race. Why’d he say that like that. You were flirting with him, and he brought his mother into the conversation. Instantly, he knows he killed that mood. And on top of that, you still haven’t made things official.
“Oh, actually that reminds me!” you begin. You sound happy. “I wanted you to come over for dinner this Saturday to meet my parents.”
So, you don’t think his comment was weird. On one hand, that’s relieving. On the other, you want to introduce him to your family. He had assumed that wasn’t happening anytime soon.
“Really?”
You gasp. “Is it too early for that? Oh gosh. I don’t want to push you or make you think I’m crazy. It’s just... I want my parents and my sister to meet my boyfriend.”
Boyfriend?
Had he earned that title already?
“You want me to be your boyfriend?”
The line goes dead for a moment. “Well, this is embarrassing.”
He shushes you. “No, not at all. I—I’m just—I don’t know what to say.”
“I’m sorry. It just came out, and I—”
“No, I wanna be your boyfriend more than anything else in the entire world.”
“Does that mean I get to be your girlfriend?”
“I don’t want it to be anyone else,” he says. Sighing, he turns over on his back and stares at the ceiling. “I can’t wait to see you again.”
“Only a few more hours,” you say back.
He groans. “That’s like forever. You should have called out too.”
“I wish. Does this mean you’re going to come by Saturday?”
“I want to. I really do, but I know your dad hates me.”
You scoff. “He hates your car. He doesn’t know you.”
“I’ll go, but you have to promise me that you’ll tell them you’re going out with me first. I don’t want to... jump scare them.”
“Anakin, you’re not going to scare them. And I was planning on telling them about you first.”
“Okay.” Meeting your parents as your boyfriend is a huge deal. Meeting them before had been inconsequential, but this dinner could make or break this relationship. If they hated him, it would be over. “I want it to be perfect. What should I wear?”
“It’s casual.”
“That doesn’t help. What are you wearing?”
“A white dress. Just wear whatever you want. My dad will probably wear his fishing shorts and an ugly dress shirt.”
“Okay.” That’s even less helpful. What do you deem as an ugly dress shirt? He wants to ask more questions, but talking about it only makes his anxiety intensify. “I’ll be there. I might have to smoke a pack before I get there though.”
“You’ll be fine. Be yourself.”
“Can we talk about something else now?”
“What do you wanna talk about?”
“Last night.”
On the twenty-minute drive from the hospital to your family home, you shake. You physically shake. Over your lunchtime call with Anakin—your boyfriend!—you promised him you would finally tell your mom and dad about them. And if you didn’t do it today, you never would.
You never considered that accepting a ride home from Anakin at Vapor that night would change your life and be the reason you’re no longer single after twenty-three years. You still can’t believe that you and Anakin are actually an item. It all seems too good to be true. While from the outside you may look strange together, Anakin understands you better than anyone else you’ve ever known. You’re freer with him than you’ve ever been. You don’t have to pretend with Anakin.
Your father complains about Anakin’s Mustang almost everyday, and you know he doesn’t approve of his style. You weren’t sure what to think about it at first either, but now you can’t picture Anakin without his dark clothing and piercings.
You pull into the driveway and go inside.
Your mother greets you the moment she hears the door. “Darling, welcome home!”
You enter the kitchen. Your father is sitting at the breakfast table. Your mother is at the stove stirring dinner which smells like potato soup.
You stare at your father who still scrolls his phone. Your chest is heavy with the words you need to say to him. While you are twenty-three, your parents still have a say-so in who you go out with. You might not like it, but you currently live under their roof.
“I’m going out with a boy, Dad.”
Your father looks up finally, setting his phone on the table. “It’s about time. Do we know this young man?”
You know your parents want you to find someone. But the someone they have in mind is someone from money, a regular attendee of their country club, and mildly attractive with a personality as stale as cardboard.
With a nervous smile, you say, “You do.”
“That’s wonderful!” your mother pipes in.
“Yes, Anakin, the boy from next door,” you quickly say before your parents can get another word in. If you waited, you would have chickened out.
Your father stares at you a moment, processing. “What?”
“Yes, Dad. That one. The one with the car.”
Your parents saying nothing makes you more frightened than them yelling at you.
“He’s coming over this weekend when you’re grilling to meet everyone,” you add before the silence kills your boldness.
“Isn’t he too young for you?” your father asks.
If your father asked you this a few weeks ago, you would have said yes. And Anakin is very young, but he’s sensible and so very sweet to you. Oh, and you’re pretty sure you’re in love with him, but you’re too afraid to tell him yet.
“Darling,” your mother begins to protest. You can discern that from her voice.
“He is my boyfriend regardless of your feelings,” you say to both. “I will not take your opinions seriously until you give him a chance. That’s all I’m asking. Just meet him on Saturday... withholding your prejudices.”
“It’s just—just the way he dresses. It’s strange,” your mother says. “That’s all. He doesn’t really... fit in with our life here.”
“He fits in with mine perfectly. And if you just give him a chance, I think you’d see what I see.”
Your dad only grumbles in response, but he doesn’t protest, which means Anakin can come over. Your mother still frowns.
You: told them. they seemed oddly okay?? with it. their fear of me becoming an old maid exceeds their fears of an emo boy.
Phone in hand, Anakin reads your text as he steps down the stairs. He chuckles at your humor, and he can’t stop smiling.
Anakin: don’t call me that please.
He types back and sends the message. This time, strangely, not overthinking his response.
His mother is waiting for him to come downstairs in his new outfit he just purchased from Dillard’s. A store he never thought he’d ever shop at. Since he could remember, his clothing had been exclusively from thrift stores.
He’s wearing a black dress shirt and khaki slacks. He hates how tight the pants are. He can barely stand them.
There are practically tears in her eyes when his mom sees him.
Anakin rolls his eyes. “Don’t get used to it. And I’m not sure I’m even going to go like this. I just want to be acceptable to her parents.”
She hugs him. “I hardly recognize you without your piercings.”
“Oh, I didn’t take them out. I switched out with clear studs. Let’s just hope they don’t look too closely.”
Still holding onto his arms, she looks at his face. “You are handsome regardless, but are you sure you want to go like this? If they don’t accept you for who you are—”
“She does, and that’s all that matters. I just want her parents to like me. I know she cares what they think. Eventually, they might come around to the real me.”
And that is the truth. He only cares what you think. Now more than ever, he’s sure you’re worth it. He’d do anything to be with you and anything for you, which isn’t healthy but he’s so in love.
Just a few more days before the big event, and he already wants to throw up.
You jump up from the sofa when you hear the doorbell. You run to the door before either of your parents have a chance to get up. Looking through the glass, you see very familiar faces. Not the one you were expecting.
Your sister Brittany and her husband John are always late. And they are still quite late, but not as late as Anakin. You really hope he’s not standing you up.
“That better be that boyfriend of yours,” your dad quips.
You huff. “Anakin... he’s still at work.” Of course, you could see his car across the street, but your dad doesn’t need to know that. “Brittany is here.”
You wear a wide smile when you swing the door open. Offering a big hug to Brittany, you say, “So happy you’re here, Sis.”
Brittany squeezes you. Then her daughters, your nieces, come round to hug your legs. John pulls his phone out to snap a picture.
“You girls are getting so big!” you exclaim. They refuse to let go.
“I got braces.” One of the girls shows off her teeth.
“They’re so pretty! I had braces too.”
Brittany snorts. “Your Aunt got grandpa’s teeth.”
“Brittany!” you snip, shooting her a glare.
Before long, the girls are rushing over to their grandparents all giddy. You and Brittany watch them dote on the grandchildren. It’s good to see your parents smile more. They have been so concerned with finances as of late, and it has taken a toll on them.
Brittany grabs your arm and drags you into the dining room. John goes to sit with your parents.
“Mom says you have a boyfriend. Why didn’t you tell me?” She sounds hurt.
“Ow ow ow! Let go!” you brush your sister off.
“I can’t believe you told Mom first.”
“Brittany, it’s not that I didn’t want to. I just wasn’t sure if it was serious.”
“You’re bringing him over to meet Mom and Dad! That sounds very serious to me,” Brittany says.
You turn away for a moment, shielding yourself from your sister’s intensity. “It happened really fast. I honestly—”
“Are you pregnant?”
Your eye twitches. “Seriously? No. I’m not that careless, but I really like Anakin. And I want everyone to like him too. I got tired of sneaking around.”
Brittany reaches for your hand and pulls you in for another hug. “I’m not mad. I’m happy for you.” She sets her chin on your head. “You’re my baby sister, and I want you to tell me about your life. I don’t want to hear it from mom.”
“I’m not sure if it’s going to work out.”
Brittany pushes you back. “What?”
You check your watch. “He was supposed to be here almost an hour ago.”
“Have you texted him?”
“I don’t wanna nag him.”
“Jeez. I think you should. He might have taken a nap or—”
“He doesn’t want me anymore!”
“Don’t say that!” Brittany snaps.
You sigh. “I’ll call him.”
“Go now!” your sister orders, holding her index finger up.
Brittany truly looks the part of a mother right now. You leave the dining room and tread up the stairs. You’re about halfway there when the doorbell rings. Your heart stalls for a moment. Then you shout, “I’ll get it!”
You see a familiar silhouette through the glass of the door.
You open the door and step out, closing it softly behind you.
Anakin’s back is toward you which makes you nervous. Lightly, you step around him. His nose is red and so are his eyes.
“Hi?”
He breathes. “Sorry.” His voice breaks on the word.
“For?”
“I’m so late. I failed you. And when you didn’t call—”
“I didn’t want to be annoying!” You reach forwards and take both of his hands in yours. “You’re shaking.”
“I’m terrified,” he admits, swallowing hard. “I don’t want sympathy at all. So, I’m just telling you this to explain why I’m late. But I had a panic attack and was throwing up. It’s not a big deal. It happens to me sometimes.”
You don’t hesitate to hug him. You feel the tension in his body dissolve, and he softens in your arms. “You don’t have to do this.”
“This shouldn’t be a big thing! I’m meeting my girlfriend’s parents. This is normal.” He sighs. “I keep telling myself this, but it doesn’t stop my chest from getting tight.”
You rub small circles across his back. “Breathe. It’s just us out here.”
“I feel so uncomfortable,” he tells you. “I hate these clothes. I feel like I’m being suffocated.”
You clutch his face in your hands. “I’d be more than happy to get rid of them for you.”
A small, barely discernable grin spreads over his lips. “I’d like that too.” He presses his forehead to yours. “I don’t know why this is so hard for me. I just want them to like me.”
You notice something missing on his face. “Where’s your lip ring?” You finger the clear stud he put in.
“Wanna make a good impression.”
You look at his ears. The piercings once decorating them are all nearly invisible. “I don’t like this.”
That makes him smile. “Me either. I feel horrible.”
“You don’t have to change anything. I hope you didn’t think I was expecting you to change yourself before coming over.”
“No. I know. This is all my idea.”
“You can go back and change.”
“No. I want your dad to know I’m serious about you. I can’t—I can’t live with myself if I turn back now.”
You offer your hand to him. “Don’t let go.”
Your boyfriend gladly accepts your hand. He mouths thank you. And you turn the doorknob.
“Brittany’s really excited to meet you.”
You push the door open, Anakin behind you. It’s an odd sensation because he always insists on opening the door for you. But you don’t mind this time. He needs protecting right now.
You’re relieved to find Brittany standing near the door. Although... your sister might have been watching you the whole time. You wouldn’t put it past her.
Brittany hugs Anakin like he’s part of the family. “It’s so good to meet you, Anakin. She’s told me so much about you.”
You wince at the lie, but you appreciate your sister’s attempts to make him feel welcome.
Anakin looks eager to get away from her reach. Brittany is a stranger to him after all. “It’s nice to meet you too.”
Brittany stares at him for a little too long. “Oh my gosh, no one told me how cute you were!”
“Brittany!”
“Thanks,” Anakin says.
Your parents approach. You see the fear in Anakin’s eyes. Your father surprisingly offers his hand to shake.
“Thank you for having me over,” Anakin says, his voice projecting.
“It’s nice to see you again,” your mother says.
You can finally breathe. This isn’t going as terribly as you thought it might be. Your father is at least tolerating Anakin.
“We should get the grill going, John,” your father announces. Maybe one day Anakin will be invited to “man” the grill with them as your father often puts it.
You sit on an outdoor chaise lounge with Brittany, your bodies huddled close together. Your dad and John are still flipping burgers, chatting, and laughing. Anakin is playing cornhole with the girls.
Your nieces took an immediate liking to him and begged him to go outside and play with them. Anakin was more than willing to agree to their demands. You can’t take your eyes off him. The way he’s interacting with the girls is precious. His expressions are overdramatic, and he purposefully misses his throws. The girls laugh at him, clutching their stomachs. You didn’t expect he would be such a natural with kids.
“Sis.”
“What?” you manage to divert your attention to your sister.
“I like Anakin,” Brittany says. “Look at him with them. It’s pretty freakin’ cute.”
You bite your lip. “I know. It’s making me think indecent things.”
Brittany leans in, suddenly very interested in you. “Like?”
You shake your head, internally scolding yourself. Anakin just graduated high school. It would be a terrible idea. “He’s too young to be a dad now. We’d have to wait until he graduates college.” Those words leave a sour taste in your mouth. Ugh, you feel so old compared to him. You’re never going to work out!
“He does know you want a family?”
“Uh... we haven’t talked about that, but I don’t think he would be opposed to the idea.”
“Wait... how old is he?”
Your shoulders droop. You hide your face in your hands. You wish you could crawl in a hole and die. “So... he’s eighteen.”
Brittany’s jaw actually drops.
“I know. I’m terrible.”
Your sister shrugs. “Whatever. He seems mature enough for you, I guess. You always were quite childish.”
“You’re so mean!”
Despite being so invested in watching your boyfriend play with your nieces, you hear the back door slide open. You turn for a moment expecting to see your mom, but instead, you see something out of a nightmare.
Charles and his mother.
You actually fall out of the chaise lounge, right onto the cement. Brittany stands to help you up. Anakin is running toward you. You’re so thankful that he cares enough to come to your aid, but you don’t want Anakin anywhere near Charles.
Charles strolls across the patio to greet you. “Hello!” He gives you a frontal hug, one that you try to resist, but he doesn’t seem to pick up on the fact that you’re trying to pull away. “It’s been a while. You look swell.”
Finally free from his grasp, you step back and turn to where Anakin once stood. You planned to introduce Anakin to Charles as your boyfriend to set a boundary, but Anakin’s already inside.
“One second,” you say, chasing after him.
He’s moving too fast. He makes it out the front door. You really hope he’s not abandoning you already. By the time you’re outside in front of the house, Anakin stands in the driveway, lighting up.
“Anakin.”
He stares at you as he defiantly takes a puff from his cigarette, exhaling smoke through his nose. “I’m gonna quit. I’m down to half a pack a day.” He paces back and forth.
“I’m so sorry about Charles. My parents no doubt invited him over on purpose. Why’d you run away?”
His hands are shaking. “Look, I knew immediately that he’s into you. I saw you both standing there and thought you looked perfect together. He fits right in with your family.”
“So you ran?”
Anakin shakes his head. “No. I just—I can’t deal with watching a guy try to hit on you and withdrawal at the same time.”
“You could have done something.”
“You wanted me to?” Anakin asks.
“I don’t like Charles. I actually find him super annoying, but he’s rich and my parents have been trying to get us together for nearly four years.”
It’s true. Your mother and Charles’s mother are shameless about that fact. For the last six months, they have seemingly taken a break after you humiliated Charles in front of the whole family at Christmas when you denied him a kiss under the mistletoe. You thought they had finally taken the hint.
“You can stay here, Anakin, if you need to. I’m going to go back and have a word with my mom.”
“No way. I’m not letting you go back around him alone.” Anakin kneels and taps his cigarette out on the cement.
“You’re not letting me?”
“Just let me have this, okay?”
“Fine,” you huff.
“Also,” Anakin pulls you close, running his hands under your arms and up your back, “we haven’t been alone for a single moment today, and it’s killing me.”
He has that look in his blue eyes, the one he gives you when he’s feeling very greedy. And it’s a look you can’t resist because his passion scratches an itch very central to your being—the craving you have, to be desired so deeply. He makes you feel like the center of the universe when you’re alone.
Anakin traps you between him and the wall. “You’re so hot,” he says, leaning in, lips drawn to your neck like a magnet. He smells like cigarettes.
“My parents have security cameras. One right above the doorbell—” your voice breaks when his nose brushes against your ear, and you’re sure he knows how sensitive your ears are by now.
“I just wanna kiss you,” he whispers.
“You have a very indecent way of doing that.”
Anakin leans in, seeking your lips.
But the escalation of your encounter halts the moment the door cracks open.
“Hey?”
You look up, horrified to see Charles through the opening.
Anakin backs off, obviously disturbed.
“Charles, what are you doing?”
His gaze darts back and forth awkwardly. “I—I, uh, came looking for you.”
“This is my boyfriend Anakin.”
Charles looks him up and down. “Well, sorry for interrupting.” But the smirk on his face indicates he’s not sorry at all.
Anakin tilts his head to the side, toward the vehicles in the driveway “Is that yours?”
Instead of moving further inside, Charles steps out onto the front porch. “The black Supra? Yeah, it is.”
“It’s nice,” Anakin says.
You don’t know what to think about the subtle aggression in your boyfriend’s voice, and you really don’t know where he’s going with this. You really hope he’s not trying to race Charles.
“Would you wanna go for a spin?” Charles offers.
Say no. Say no.
Charles is a reckless driver. That’s his second Supra.
“Sure,” Anakin replies. “Never been in one.”
Charles struts down the driveway and starts going on and on about the horsepower or something. You have never understood “car-talk.” Anakin follows behind Charles.
Anakin gets in the passenger seat like he’s on a mission, not looking back at you once.
Nothing about this day is going to go right for you, is it?
“I’ll bring him back in one piece, babe,” Charles says with all confidence.
“Don’t—” call me that. He hides inside his car before you can get the words out.
Charles takes off down the street without even warming up the engine which gives Anakin an uncomfortable feeling similar to that of nails on a chalkboard. The exhaust system Charles has installed on his Supra makes it nearly twice as loud as it should be, not that Anakin really minds, but it does catch him off-guard. That and Charles’s super reckless driving in a neighborhood. He’s fishtailing in the street where kids play. Anakin refuses to let concern show on his face, but someone could get hurt if he keeps this up. Anakin is no stranger to reckless driving, but he primarily limits himself to abandoned parking lots and the interstate after hours.
“Maybe cool it,” Anakin suggests calmly.
Charles’s prideful smile bugs him. Anakin knows he’s doing it on purpose to make him uncomfortable, and to show off. “Aw, am I going too fast for you?” He doesn’t give any indication that he’s gonna slow down.
“No. I would’ve gapped you easily. We’re in a neighborhood.”
Anakin knows his arrogance is childish. He shouldn’t have bragged that his car is faster, but there’s something about Charles that’s so off-putting. His common sense was left behind a long time ago.
“Look here,” Charles growls, “I don’t know who you think you are, but we need to have a little talk to discuss what’s mine.”
“Oh really? Like what?” Anakin would punch Charles squarely in the jaw if it wouldn’t kill them both.
“You know who I’m talking about?”
“Oh. You mean my girlfriend.”
Charles rolls his eyes and says sarcastically, “Of course, her. She’s the most perfect woman I’ve ever seen.”
“Well... I guess we can agree on that, but that’s about it.” Anakin hates hearing him say your name because you doesn’t belong to Charles. You don’t belong to anyone, but if anyone is going to claim ownership of your heart, it’s Anakin.
“The her parents love me and want me to marry their daughter. So, you’re going to back off. The life I have planned for her is what she deserves. A perfect life.”
Anakin might never be able to give you the perfect life. He’s not even sure what he wants to do with his life yet, and he knows he’s never going to be exactly the perfect guy for you. But the way Charles talks about you is sickening.
“Does she have a say in this? Because it sounds like you’re delusional and planning her life out for her.” Anakin scoffs. “And you wonder why she can’t stand to be around you.”
“Watch it. Do you know who you are talking too?”
“An asshole, clearly.”
The breaks screech and smoke when Charles slams down on the pedal. “You don’t deserve her. Her mother told me where you come from. You’re nothing. You’ll never amount to anything, and you certainly don’t deserve her.”
Charles’s words sting. Deeply. Those are the very words he tells himself every time he looks at his perfect girlfriend. He knows he doesn’t deserve you.
“None of that matters to her because I’m pretty sure... she loves me.”
Charles screams in anger all high pitched. “Get the fuck outta my car.” The locks open.
“But we just got to talking,” Anakin says. Although, he’s ready to leave now.
“Do I need to make you?” Charles says.
Anakin no longer feels so childish. Charles is acting like a toddler compared to him. Even if Anakin isn’t the one for you, Charles certainly isn’t. “No. You wouldn’t be able to pull me out of your car. I’ll save you the trouble.” After he pulls the handle twice, he pushes the door open with his boot. Charles is lucky these are new and not caked in dirt from work.
“You can walk back,” Rush taunts as he speeds away.
His license plate reads kachow, and Anakin laughs for nearly a minute straight.
He left his phone back at his house. He doesn’t mind the walk though. It’s a chance to smoke and think about things. Your parents purposefully set him up with Charles. They were nice to Anakin’s face which makes him even angrier. The only thing that gives him hope is that you didn’t know and were horrified that Charles was invited.
Charles turns around, and the Supra speeds by in the direction of your house.
Dammit.
Anakin starts sprinting. He doesn’t want that guy around you if he’s not there.
Everyone’s out on the front lawn now. Your mom, dad, sister, and brother-in-law. The girls are inside watching cartoons.
Everyone’s screaming at each other which typically only happens around major holiday gatherings like Christmas and Thanksgiving.
You yell because they invited Charles and his snobby mother over. Charles’s mother yells because you keep rejecting her son. Your parents yell at you because they hate your boyfriend. Brittany and John are yelling at each other for reasons unknown. You haven’t been paying attention to them.
And when it couldn’t get any worse, Charles pulls into the driveway with his stupid car. He nearly hits your vehicle.
Like a little girl, you want to run inside and hide under your bed. You used to do that when your parents would fight. You don’t want Anakin to see your family like this.
The group quiets a little seeing Rush approach them.
You jog to him. “Where is my boyfriend?”
Hand on your shoulder, Charles shoves you out of the way. “I dumped him for you.” He keeps walking toward the rest of the group, stopping by his mother.
You run after him. “Don’t you ever do that again. Don’t touch me!”
His mother gets in between you both. “How dare you talk to my son like that!”
Maybe you’re no better than Charles because you shove his mother out the way like she’s nothing more than an obstacle. “What did you do with Anakin?”
His mother grabs you by the hair. “You little whore!”
You fall back onto the cement. You’re so stunned to hear those words from the mouth of someone who appeared “so civilized,” in your parents’ words.
“What did you call my daughter?” your own mother screams.
Suddenly, you is no longer the center of the argument. Charles’s mother and your mother look like they want to tear each other apart.
Their voices continue to escalate. You cover your ears. This is a family gathering straight from the pit of hell. You never should have brought Anakin over. It was too soon. And now, he probably won’t want to have anything to do with you. God only knows what terrible things Charles said to him in that car.
From behind, you hear a loud, echoing crash. Everyone hears it. Their voices finally die down. They turn their heads at the same time to see one of the huge stones outlining their driveway stuck in the windshield of Charles’s Supra.
And Anakin has another in his arms, ready to launch.
Like a bolt of lightning, Charles whisks by you. You think back to his high school football days as he tackles Anakin to the ground before he can do any serious damage to his car.
“Oh my god!” you say, running over to them.
The two boys—you hesitate to call them men right now—punch each other with reckless abandon. Anakin soon gets the upper hand and holds Charles down in a choke hold.
You are... impressed. You didn’t know Anakin could fight like this. He’s stronger than he looks.
Anakin is about to land a punch to Charles’s face when you scream, “Stop it, Anakin. What are you doing?”
He looks up at you then looks down at Charles. He blinks, possibly stunned by his own actions. After a few moments pass, he lets go and Charles rolls up to his feet and runs up the driveway where his mom stands. Her family is still silent as they watch the interaction. Somehow, the chaos now wars between you and Anakin. You’re not sure what to say. His violence toward Charles and his car is uncalled for, but you know he’s been suffering today. He had an anxiety attack once today, but you thought he had calmed down since then.
You don’t know what to say to him. His blue gaze moves behind you towards your family. You also look back to see their horrified faces. Charles’s mother looks particularly angry.
“Sorry,” he says.
You turn back to him. He’s walking away, back to his house, but you don’t move this time. Your feet are stuck to the driveway.
Anakin ran away from the scene. He turned off his phone and drove around town for nearly an hour before crashing at Rex’s. He has resigned to rotting and chain smoking on Rex’s couch while old cartoons play on the TV. Rex is at work, but he keeps a key under a brick right by the door. It’s not a good place to hide a key, but so far, it’s worked. No one would want to break into Rex’s trailer anyway.
For the first couple hours, he replays the events of the day over and over, and that puts him at risk for another panic attack. His chest gets tighter when he thinks about the disappointment on your face after catching him punching Charles. He’s not sure he would’ve stopped had you not intervened. It was stupid. He knows. But Charles made him angry. He hates how Charles talked about you like you belong to him or he has a right to be with you because of your history. And Charles is everything your parents want for their daughter on the outside.
But he’s mostly angry with himself because his outburst has ended his relationship before it really even took off. And with a girl he thought he would marry.
Now he wants to throw up again.
There’s not a pit in his stomach. There’s a crater.
It’s over.
And he knows it.
But how is he supposed to accept this.
You hate him now. Your family especially hates him.
Sheev is probably furious with him right about now. He doesn’t doubt that Charles and his mother went next door for their insurance or to sue them or both. If it wasn’t for Rex’s unknowing generosity, he’d probably have to be committed again. At least this time, his mother wouldn’t have to take out a loan because of Sheev’s money.
Rex’s trailer holds some of the greatest memories of his childhood. The two of them swimming in the above-ground pool, playing video games until the sun came up, and fixing up cars together.
“Hey.” A whisper.
A shoulder pat.
Anakin’s eyes flutter open. The white light stings.
Oh.
Did he fall asleep?
When did that happen?
Rex is beaming. “What are you doing here? You nearly gave me a heart attack when I came in.”
Anakin rolls over onto his side. “How long was I out for?”
“You were sleeping for a little over an hour. Sorry to wake you up. Just wanted to know if everything’s okay, bro.”
Anakin planned to nod and respond with yeah. But he feels his face wet, and his vision slowly blurs. This is so embarrassing. He’s never cried in front of Rex. How pathetic. He quickly wipes his eyes, but the tears don’t stop.
“Sorry,” Anakin mutters.
Rex’s face contorts with concern. He hands Anakin a tissue, which he hesitantly accepts.
“Oh my god,” he turns to face the back of the couch, “don’t look at me.”
“What happened.”
Anakin swallows the painful knot in his throat. “I think it’s over.”
His hands shake, but it’s not from withdrawal.
You waited all night for him to call or text, but he never did. After Anakin had fled the scene, you chewed out everyone. Your parents. And especially Charles. You told him to never speak to you again. Of course, that would last all of one month because your parents would probably invite him over for the next family gathering. More than ever before, you know you should start looking for your own place. Despite making a little over six figures, you never wanted to leave the comfort of your childhood home, but it’s clear that you and your parents are very, very different people.
You want more out of life than their perfectly purified existence.
And while you are desperately in love with the boy living across the street, he’s also your opportunity to taste reality firsthand. Anakin is real to you. He understands life in a way your parents never will. He didn’t come from much, but you want to build a life with him. He has more than potential.
You look into Anakin’s eyes and see your future.
Which is why you’re standing out in the pouring rain in a sketchy trailer park knocking on Rex’s door. It’s the middle of the day. You should be at work, but instead you’re here chasing after hope.
Eventually, the door cracks open.
Rex answers. “Hey?” His voice rises like he’s shocked you’re here.
The house smells like Anakin’s cigarettes.
“Can I talk to him? He’s not answering my calls.”
Rex scoffs. “That idiot. I told him.” He opens the door and lets you in. “I’ll get you a towel.”
There is no overhang on the trailer. You’re soaked. Your clothes stick to your skin. Your hair is flattened. Rex returns with a blue bath towel. You start blotting your clothing and wringing out your hair so that you don’t make a puddle on Rex’s flood.
“Sorry,” you apologize.
“Really it’s fine. I’ll go get him.”
“Is he okay?”
Rex shrugs. “He does this sometimes when he thinks he can’t fix something. When it’s something he has no control over. He shuts down.”
“He never gave me a chance to talk to him about what happened with my family. I was upset, but he wasn’t the only person I was upset with.”
“I think he scared himself. He has convinced himself that you hate him.”
Your initial reaction is anger. You gave him no reason why he should think that. All you did was break up the fight between him and Charles. He literally ran away before you could say anything. Your only regret is not chasing after him. But at the time, you didn’t know what to do.
So, Anakin probably didn’t know what to do either. The whole day had been uncomfortable for him. The only sweet moment of the day was that one moment you were alone, when he was about to kiss you so selfishly. And that memory cools you down
“Is he mad at me?” you ask. If anyone had a right to be angry, he did. Your parents invited Charles over to purposefully ruin their dinner, to purposefully scare him off. And you can’t blame him for leaving like he did. Your relationship is completely new, but you hope he still thinks it’s worth fighting for.
“I think he’s mad at himself more than anything.”
While you dry off, Rex goes into one of the bedrooms and shuts the door behind him. He stays inside for a minute or two before he steps back out, Anakin following him with his head down.
Rex looks at Anakin then at you. “Um... I’ll go for a drive so you can talk.”
Anakin only looks up at you once Rex is gone. He’s wearing boxers and a faded Fast and Furious T-shirt.
“Do you want to talk?” you ask. “I couldn’t reach your phone.”
“I’m sorry. I needed to be alone to think. I shouldn’t have turned off my phone. My mom was just here earlier. I guess... it was selfish. I needed to be unavailable.”
You hesitantly approach him. The distance between you feels unnatural. Just a couple days ago you were always so close.
“I was annoyed that you shut me out.”
“I would be too.”
“Are we over?” your voice is shaky, but you had to ask. Because you need to know.
“Do you want to be?”
You breathe for a moment, thinking. He’s asking what you want. Sure, it’s the bear minimum, but you’re not used to someone caring enough to ask your opinion. Your parents and childhood friends assume they know what you want.
“No. I’d never want that. I truly want to be with you, Anakin. That’s all I’ve been wanting.”
His jaw slacks like he’s dumbfounded. “Why? I know you meant that. But seriously, why? I have nothing to offer you right now compared to...” his nose wrinkles, “guys like Charles.”
“If I wanted ‘guys like Charles,’ I’d be married off with two kids probably.”
Anakin’s eyes flicker with anger. “Well, Charles has your entire life planned out for you.”
“And I hate that.”
“You didn’t answer my question.” His frown softens.
You smile at him, finally feeling comfortable to do so. But the distance still stands between them. “It’s impossible to put into words exactly why.”
“Try.”
“Anakin, you—you,” your groans, “you’re the only person I’ve ever met that I know I can be myself around. And I know that you care about me... maybe more than you should.” You smile. “And you’re the only one who’s ever stood up to Charles for me.”
“You feel that way around me? Really?”
“Yes.”
“So, you still want to be together?”
“God, yes, Anakin,” you say with an exasperated tone. How many times do you have to tell him that? “I really love you. I came all this way just to talk to you because I miss you, and I need you in my life.”
His glassy eyes bear into your soul. “You love me?”
You had let that slip, didn’t you? Oops. You hadn’t meant to. If you were thinking rationally, you would have been more careful with your words, but that was from the heart because you’ve been thinking that for a while now.
“I do. These last couple days without you have been miserable.”
He nods, agreeing. “Can you hold me?”
Without wasting another second, you embrace him tightly. He rests his head on your shoulder and kisses your neck. His warm exhale ghosts over your skin. You’ve missed his touch desperately and tightens your grasp.
“Don’t let me go, please,” he murmurs.
original au by @avaaawritesss feel free to use my work as inspiration (no direct plagiarism please :/) and tag me!! id love to read ur works too
this idea was originally written for anidala. click here if you are interested in the original version!!
chapter description • you run into anakin at the new nightclub called vapor. you and your girlfriends drink too much, and he offers to drive you all home, once again your knight in flannel armor.
chapter warnings • foul language, smoking, drinking, vomiting, nightclub environment, making out, some sexuality
table of contents | chapter 3
Anakin noticed you the moment you and your friends walked into Vapor, the new nightclub that just opened on the bay last week. Rex and Ahsoka dragged him here tonight. Rex asked Ahsoka, but she asked Anakin to come because she didn’t want to be alone with Rex. He is knowingly the third wheel. So, the two of them don’t catch his attention drifting away continually to the girl in the tiny blue sequin dress.
You dance with your three friends in the middle of the floor with your hands up to the ceiling. You definitely had a few drinks before coming in. Your movements are free and fluid. The sparkling heels make your legs look so long. Your friends are gorgeous too, but to him, you outshine them all.
What are the odds that they would be here on the same night?
You didn’t seem like the type to enjoy this kind of fun. He thought you were little too uptight, but maybe he had been wrong.
Anakin purposefully averts his eyes away from you and refocuses on his friends. Rex has moved to Ahsoka’s side of the table and is showing her stupid TikToks on his phone.
Anakin tilts his head back and downs his second beer. They’re pretty much ignoring him, but he’s happy to sit and enjoy his drink in silence. He’s here if they need him. It was an excuse to go for a drive.
Finally, he takes the opportunity to look your way again. And he can breathe again. The way the lights hit your skin makes his mouth water. He wants your skin between his teeth.
“Anakin, you have to watch this!” Ahsoka holds Rex’s phone in his face.
It’s a video about a dog in a pumpkin costume rolling around on the floor. Anakin doesn’t get what’s so exciting about it, but he pats her on the head.
“So cute,” he says to humor her.
“I just wanna boop his lil nose!” Ahsoka sighs with dreamy eyes. “I wanna dog, Rex.”
“I’ll get you one, Snips. We can go...”
Their voices blend together with the music and the voices all around them when he looks at you a third time.
But instead of feeling heaven descend once more, he’s pricked with jealousy. Your arms are wrapped around the neck of some guy. You couldn’t slide a piece of paper between their bodies. And that makes his blood burn through his veins.
Anakin is hardly aware of his body rising off the stool and approaching the dancing crowd. He hears his friends call to him, but he ignores their voices. He can’t stop himself.
Cautiously, he wades through the bodies.
Until he gets to you.
He taps the guy’s shoulder. “My turn.” Anakin pulls him off and shoves him away. He falls into the bodies behind them.
You stumble. He grabs your shoulders to stabilize you. Your skin against his hands feels too good, but he lets go. You hadn’t given him permission to touch you. You blink hard, as if confused.
“Anakin?”
“It’s me.”
You breathe heavy. “You’re not old enough to drink.”
He leans in. “I have a fake. I’m twenty-two right now.”
Your fingers twist around in the fabric of his flannel. “In that case...wanna dance with me?”
“Uh...um...I don’t really dance.”
You’re pulling him closer, and he can’t fight you. The sweet fragrance of your perfume emanates from the heat of your body. You set his hands on your hips and wrap your arms around his neck just like you had the other guy. He knows it doesn’t mean anything, but he’d rather be here than let someone else hold you.
Anakin hates everything about this environment. The random bodies smothering him in sweat and odor. The EDM dance music numbs his ears. He also feels awkward about dancing with you. This strangely comes so natural to you. Maybe he just needs another drink.
But having you up against him like this... he loses himself and all track of time.
You had three shots of fireball, but Dormé, Sabé, and Mon... you couldn’t remember how much they had drank. You currently found yourself in a bathroom stall, holding Sabé’s hair back as she vomited into the toilet. Dormé and Mon were sitting down at a table somewhere, also too sick to dance anymore.
“Hey, is everything alright?”
Anakin is still waiting for you outside the bathroom. You thought he would have found someone else to dance with by now. Or left. You’re not even sure how they ended up here on the same night.
All of the sudden he was there wanting to dance with you.
“We’re fine!” you shout back.
Sabé wrenches and spills her guts out one more time before falling to the floor and wiping her mouth on her sleeve. She rests her head on the toilet.
“Take me home,” she mutters, groaning and clutching her stomach.
“Don’t lie there,” you say, pulling your friend off the ground. You throw Sabé’s arm around your shoulder and walk her out the bathroom.
Accidentally, you collide with Anakin, who had been standing way too close to the door. He trips back before steadying himself.
“Sorry,” he says softly, hardly audible over the music. “Is she okay?” Concern lingers on his face. You don’t get it because you’re not really much more than neighbors. And it really should remain that way.
“I need to call an Uber and take her home.”
“I can help you with her.”
You nod and Anakin picks up your friend and carries her bridal style.
“You don’t have a driver?” His tone is laced with judgement and so is the look in his eyes.
You shake your head. You stare at the scuff marks on his boots. This is mortifying. “I was supposed to be, but then Sabé convinced me we could just get an Uber.”
“You seem, mostly, sober,” he says, as they walk to the exit doors. “But I don’t want you driving.”
“I won’t.” You take out your phone to text Dormé and Mon to come meet you. “I promise I don’t do this very often. I’m typically very responsible.” What he thinks shouldn’t matter. You don’t need to defend yourself. You’re allowed to have fun, and things don’t always go perfectly, especially when everyone is getting shitfaced. Anakin can’t judge you. He’s not even supposed to be at Vapor. He’s not twenty-one!
You scan the club for your remaining friends.
“I could drive you all home.” Anakin still holds Sabé in his arms. He’s not straining. Not even a little bit. You might have underestimated his strength. “My car holds four, but I think three of you could squeeze in the back.”
“I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you,” is the reasonable thing to say. He’s your neighbor, and he already helped you out three days ago when your car wouldn’t start. Besides, his vehicle is dangerous. Your parents would probably kick you out onto the street if they found out you rode with him. Not that it matters... you’re an adult now.
He's got that same smirk on his face. “I told you. You can inconvenience me anytime.”
He did say that.
And you had forgotten.
“I don’t usually take flirtatious comments that serious.”
Anakin bites the edge of his lip. “It was a promise.”
“So... you weren’t flirting?” You’re not sure why you said that in the way you said that. You are supposed to be shutting down whatever this is. Not encouraging him to stick around.
“I didn’t say that.” The intensity of his gaze stings and makes you feel so small in comparison.
“Oh.”
That just slips out.
Great. What a great comeback.
Your face might as well be on fire.
“Are you... blushing?” He has a stupid boyish grin on his face.
You turn away and start walking into the parking lot. “Let’s just put her in the car.”
He jogs to catch up to you. “So, you’re letting me take you home?”
You hate that he phrases it like that. You especially hate those dreadful butterflies making twisters in your stomach. “I guess I am. This is more efficient,” you say curtly.
You open the passenger door of his Mustang. “Let Sabé sit in the front. She’s way worse off than any of us.”
Very, very gently, Anakin rests Sabé’s body in the seat. “Do you mind if I cover her and the floorboard with some towels in case she,” he winces, “throws up.”
“Of course, you can.” You had not thought about the risk he is taking having four drunk girls in his precious car.
While Anakin is situating the towels to protect the inside of the vehicle from projectile vomit, you notice Mon and Dormé stumbling out of the club. You cup your mouth and scream their names. They wave to you and start walking towards you and Anakin.
“I think that should be good,” he says, more to himself than to you.
“Are you sober enough to drive?”
He nods. “I only had two beers, and that was nearly four hours ago. I have a fast metabolism anyway.”
He’s looking at you. You’re looking back at him.
“Um, Anakin, I really appreciate—”
Dormé jumps on you and actually knocks you on the ground and falls on top of you. Pretty quickly, you feel the weight of your friend being lifted off your back. Anakin scoops you up into his arms effortlessly. He sits you on the trunk.
“Oh my god, you’re bleeding,” he says, bringing your own injuries to his attention. “I can go back in and ask if they have a first aid kit.”
Your knees are bloody and no doubt very bruised. The pain is manageable though. His brows are knitted as he inspects you. Having him this close is more comfortable than you thought it would be.
“I’m alright. Let’s just get them home, and I can take care of my knees after you drop me off.”
He doesn’t exactly like your suggestion, but he doesn’t argue. “Fine.”
His grumbling is adorable.
You, Mon, and Dormé crawl over Anakin’s folded seat and squeeze into the back. You sit behind Anakin. The placement isn’t intentional, but... didn’t want anyone else close to him. Mon sits on the bump in between the seats.
“Don’t worry,” he starts, “I’ll drive normally. I don’t want anyone getting sick. If you need to puke, yell at me, and I’ll hand you a towel.”
Luckily, Dormé and... the puking one—he can’t remember her name—live in the same apartment. He waits for you in the parking lot and smokes with the window down. He knows he should quit, but he’s so nervous around you. And more of a challenge than he thought to be cool around you. He wants you to know that he’s into you, but how can he just say that?
You’re twenty-three. You probably see him as some annoying little kid.
You did dance with him for nearly three hours, but you also danced with that other guy in the same way you had with him before Anakin pushed him out of the picture.
And what if you’re not even single. Although... that wouldn’t change a thing. He’d still be here waiting for you even if you are taken.
He waits about thirty minutes before you come down the apartment stairs. As soon as he sees you in the rearview mirror, he burns his cigarette out and tosses it out the window. He doesn’t usually litter... but.
You’ll smell it on him. Catching him in the act is a different thing.
He unlocks the door for you, and you fall into the seat. He already picked up all the towels and threw them into the trunk. You’re wearing different clothes now. A large blue sweatshirt and running shorts. He likes this better. You look more comfortable, more like yourself again. Not that your tiny dress wasn’t killing him the whole night.
“Were you smoking?”
He coughs and adjusts the collar of his shirt. “Sorry, we can ride with the windows down. It’s a really bad habit, I know. I’m gonna quit. It’s just you—” He shuts his mouth. He was rambling again.
“You... what?”
“You make me...” he looks out the side window, “so nervous.”
You laugh hard. “Anakin, what are you talking about?”
“It’s true.” When he glances your way, he watches your body still. Your eyes stare into his. He can hardly breathe. You’re so pretty. Everything about you. Your skin. Your eyes. Your nose. Your lips.
“Stop,” you whisper, half-smiling.
“What.” He rests his arm on the console. Your voice is so soft he can hardly hear you.
“Don’t look at me like that.” You won’t meet his gaze. You pick at your knees. They blood has dried up by now.
He breathes through his nose, furious that he didn’t catch you in time. “Make sure you clean up as soon as we get back.”
You’re smiling more. “You’re changing the subject.”
Anakin digs in his pocket for a piece of gum. Holding the package to your face, he offers you some. You wave your hand no. “I’m alright.”
He leans back and chews his gum, ignoring your earlier comment entirely because otherwise he’d say something stupid like it’s because I want to kiss you.
And he really shouldn’t think about that when they’re alone. He offered to drive your friend group home just so he could have some time with you. He wants to know you better, to see if you’re more than only a pretty face.
“Anakin. You didn’t—"
He depresses the clutch pedal with his foot and shifts into neutral and revs the engine so loudly you cover your ears and ducks, shutting you up. Quickly, he reverses and backs out of the parking space.
“I have tinted windows,” he remarks. “No one can see you.”
You sit up. “You probably just woke up everyone in the apartments. This is embarrassing.”
He leaves the complex relatively quietly and pulls out onto the street. You’re still shaking your head. “I can’t believe you did that.”
He bites down on his lips to stop himself from smiling. You’re adorable when you’re frustrated.
They drive pass a sign that sets fifty-five miles per hour as the speed limit. You glance at his speedometer and notices that he’s driving a whopping thirty. You start to panic a little. Is something wrong with his car? Your father always said that sports cars were unreliable money pits.
Unintentionally, you check Anakin out. He’s leaning closer to you, his arm on the console. He has a distant look in his eyes, as if thinking about something important. He’s not exactly being chatty like you thought he might be when they’re alone.
“My grandma drives faster than you,” you say to break up the silence.
His eyes don’t leave the road. “I’m trying to save some gas.”
You poke his arm. You don’t know why. “I thought you said this thing goes fast.”
He waits a few moments before saying, “Maybe I’m not in a rush.” He turns his head his way, but you can’t look at his face. You know the way his eyes are probably soaking you in.
But you can’t look.
You can’t.
He’s five years younger.
He’s fresh out of high school.
You know it’s too late to push him away. If you really were sure about turning him down, you wouldn’t be in his car after midnight. You wouldn’t be thinking about what it might be like to kiss him. Surely, he’s been thinking about it. Maybe you should have taken his offer for gum.
Oh god. Why are you thinking like this? You’re a grown woman, and he’s hardly a man.
The guilt over the way you feel around him is eating you alive.
The stoplight ahead is green for a long time. You thought you would make it. But it turns yellow, and he’s going so slowly that the sudden stop doesn’t seem so sudden. You hardly move in your seat.
No one else is out on the streets. The only sound is the engine rumbling low.
Anakin turns his body in your direction and for some reason you do the same. He gives you those longing, pure blue eyes that are starting to melt you from the inside out. His large hand reaches and grasps the back of your neck. You swallow. He waits, obviously reading your expression.
When you don’t protest, he persuades you to come closer. Without a moment’s hesitation, he presses a kiss to the pulse point on your neck right under your ear. His lip ring rubs against your skin initially, but the unique metallic sensation quickly passes, and the only feeling is pleasure radiating across your body as he works his way up to your mouth.
He's so gentle and sweet. He’s holding himself back. You can feel it.
A soft moan escapes his throat when you finally kiss him back and wrap your arms around his neck. He sinks into his seat and drags you with him, your stomach resting over the console.
You realize you forgot to buckle up, but that doesn’t seem so important now.
You usually don’t make out with guys you’re not dating, but there is something about him that makes you crazy. It’s a very tight fit, but you manage to shift over into his lap between his chest and the steering wheel.
You feel his body shaking a little while you’re kissing.
Then the car starts rolling forwards. Anakin is quick to fix the situation by putting the car in park. You should probably be concerned that he had his foot on the break the entire time.
You comb his hair back with your fingers and tap his nose with yours. “You’re shaking.”
He closes his eyes and nods. “Can’t help it. I’m a fuckin’ disaster around you.”
“Language?”
He grins. “Sorry.”
You watch his eyes dart to the side. “Shit. Shit. Shit. Someone’s coming.”
You see white lights in the mirror.
Anakin is already accelerating by the time you crawl back into your seat. His jaw clenches a little while he’s focusing. It’s so cute. He shifts between the gears effortlessly. You grip onto the seat. Your stomach feels unsteady as he accelerates. In just a few seconds, he hits sixty miles an hour.
In horror, you watch him run red light after red light. He doesn’t say anything. Neither do you. And surprisingly, there’s no awkwardness, only peace. It was just a kiss. It might mean something. It might not.
Your guilt can’t stop you from feeling the constant rush of excitement. None of your other romantic interests made you feel much of anything.
This is very different.
He’s different.
He parks his car on your side of the street. You pull on the door handle, but it’s locked.
“Wait a second,” he asks. “I-I wanted to ask you something.”
You know you should say goodnight and close this chapter here. Let your story end here.
“C-can I see you again?” He stutters and won’t look at you. The boldness he had exuded leading up to your first kiss has diminished.
You peck him on the cheek. “I would like that.”
He grabs your forearm. “Good.” He kisses the top of your hand. “See you around.”
Anakin gets out of the car to walk you to the front door. They stand there for a moment. You don’t know what to do. Should you kiss him? Hug him? Either of those would be far less humiliating than what you chose. You wave and run inside before he has a chance to say goodnight.
original au by @avaaawritesss feel free to use my work as inspiration (no direct plagiarism please :/) and tag me!! id love to read ur works too
this idea was originally written for anidala. click here if you are interested in the original version!!
comment 🖤 ⛓️ down below if you'd like to be added to the taglist for this fic
chapter description • anakin throws rocks at your window just to ask you if you want to go for a drive. against your better judgement, you agree, and suddenly, things take a serious turn.
chapter warnings • classism, foul language, smoking, mentions of sexuality, making out, body insecurities
table of contents | chapter 4
A/N: for the record, im from a very low income area like anakin in this fic. which kinda inspired his backstory.
Clank.
You lift your head off the pillow and look around your silent bedroom. Everything appears exactly as you had left it. If not for the moonlight streaming through the window, you wouldn’t be able to see a thing, not yourself in the vanity mirror or the pile of clothes at the foot of your mattress.
You throw your head back and settle under the covers. The sound probably came from a dream you had already forgotten.
As soon as you close your eyes to summon sleep, you hear it again.
Then again.
The sound is coming from the window.
You hope it’s not a bluebird again. A couple summers ago a little bird kept flying into your window.
Kneeling on your window seat, you inspect the glass. You flinch as something hits the window. It’s too small to be a bird. It almost looked like a... rock?
That’s when you see Anakin standing in the lawn. He’s looking up at your window, probably waiting for you to notice him.
You haven’t seen him in almost a week.
What you should do is ignore him and go back to bed. Avoid trouble especially when it comes in the form of a cute boy. However, you should know that’s never what you’ve done. Not once in your entire life. There’s something about Anakin that makes you want to do things you probably shouldn’t.
So, you turn on your lamp, sending him the signal that you are, in fact, awake. You wave at him. He smiles bright as soon as he sees you and motions for you to come down. You dance around your room trying to think of what to wear. You turn to the foot of her bed and throw the clothes around. You end up picking out a white camisole with lace at the top and a random pair of black leggings then rushes out the house.
“What are you doing out here? It’s,” you tap your phone screen, “ten fifty.”
He’s staring at your body. Did he hear you?
“Anakin!”
He shakes out of whatever trance he was in and refocuses on your face, where his eyes should be. “Sorry. Y-you look really good.”
You cross your arms over your chest, realizing that you should have probably worn a jacket. “Thank you,” you say in a whisper. “It’s been a while.”
Frowning, he nods. “Yeah, I was busy with work a-and wasn’t sure if you would want to see me.”
“I want to see you.”
He looks up at you. “Really?”
“I was starting to think you didn’t like me anymore.”
Anakin laughs dryly and digs his boot into the ground. “I was just getting in my head about the other day.”
“Why?” you search his expression for something that might hint at his reasoning, why he would pretty much ghost you after they kissed? And it was a good kiss.
“I think—thought I probably scared you off. People tell me I’m too intense about things,” he pulls you closer by your fingertips, “and when I want something, there’s nothing else I can think about.”
“You want me?”
His nod is hesitant. “From the moment I saw you.”
Dumbfounded, you freeze in front of him, not sure how to respond. You barely know each other. How can he be so certain? Just based on appearance alone... you hardly match.
“Sorry,” he says under his breath. “I didn’t have your number, but I was going for a drive and wanted to know if you’d like to go.”
“Don’t drive too fast.”
You watch his expression morph into pure joy, knowing that this is something you want too. The sweet look on his face. reminds you how young he really is. This whole situation makes you feel like you’re back in high school. Not that anyone has ever thrown rocks at your window.
“Here.” He offers you his black leather jacket. The material is faded and wrinkled like he actually uses it all the time.
“I’m okay, really.”
“I’m not. How am I supposed to focus when you—” He waves his hands. “Never mind. I’ll deal.”
His car is already rumbling in his driveway. He opens the passenger door for you and shuts it cautiously once you’re seated.
He trots around the front and joins you inside. Anakin doesn’t touch his seatbelt. Opening the console, he reaches inside. A cigarette now balances between his fingers. He must always keep a lighter in his pocket. You firmly stare him down as he clicks the lighter.
Maybe he notices the disappointment on your face, but his eyes widen as realization hits him.
“Sorry, I—I wasn’t thinking. It’s a habit.”
Smoking isn’t something that you could ever condone. You’ve seen what it does to people. How cancer can affect the mouth and throat. What it can take from its victims.
“You are going to have to quit, Anakin, if—”
“I know.” He stuffs the unlit cigarette in the pocket of his jacket. “And I will. I want to be good enough for you.” There’s shame in his voice and in his eyes.
Maybe... you shouldn’t have said anything. It’s not like he’s your boyfriend, but your family would never approve of him if he were a smoker. The more time that you spend with him, the less you care what they think.
“I’m sorry,” you say, as they still sit in the driveway. “It’s not my business.”
“I want it to be,” he says softly. He stretches his arm across the back of your seat and shifts his body so that he can see out the back window while reversing. In a single motion, he turns onto the street. “Hold on.”
“Anakin, this—”
You squeeze your eyes shut as he accelerates and grab onto his arm, digging your nails into old leather. You lost your stomach a couple hundred feet back. He’s laughing at you.
“I told you not to do that, Anakin!” you scold. Your guts finally caught up with the car, and you felt stable again. You resituate in the seat.
Anakin drives with his left hand on top of the steering wheel. His right-hand rests on the clutch as he shifts through the gears. His hands are large and veiny. His fingers are covered in scabby cuts probably from his work at the junkyard.
You wiggle your hand under his and sink your fingers between his. He eyes you for a second and smiles.
He hums, fully surrendering himself to your lips. Your cold hands slide under his shirt. You smile on his mouth when you find the piercing on his navel. You continue sliding your palms up his body. Of course, it feels good. It feels fucking incredible, but he’s been slacking in the gym and is softer than he’d like to be.
Anakin suddenly breaks from you and tries to pull his shirt back down. Your eyes are inspecting him carefully. Your cheeks are splashed with pink, and your lips are raw and wet.
“You okay?” you keep your hands on the console. You sit in his car as you wait on your Sonic order.
He nods. “Yeah. Yeah. I’m great.” Anakin knows he messed up. He shouldn’t have backed out because you’re probably going to think something is wrong. And he really didn’t want to explain why he had that reaction. Guys weren’t supposed to be so insecure about stuff like that.
“You—you pushed me away,” you whisper. “Which is fine. But did I do something wrong?”
“No. No!” his voice cracks. Great. He doesn’t want your pity, but you’re asking what happened. He can’t think of any reasonable lies. He doesn’t want you to think you’re the problem. Because you’re not. You’re perfect. He’s the one that’s fucked up.
Tenderly, you stroke the side of his cheek. “Something happened. I need to know so I don’t do it again.”
He can’t look at you because if he looks at you, he might cry. You’re being too sweet. He doesn’t deserve it.
“Do you not like me touching your stomach?” You run your hand through his hair again. He loves it when you do that. He closes his eyes and seals in any potential tears.
“I—I don’t,” he whispers back. “I’m sorry. It’s just...I don’t feel like myself right now. I haven’t felt up to going to the gym. I feel like I’m just letting myself go.” He clenches his fist. He shouldn’t have said any of that. It’s too personal. You don’t know him that well.
You hug him by the neck. You don’t say anything. But he doesn’t let himself cry. He wants too, but he doesn’t want to look any more pathetic.
“Sorry,” he says against your hair.
You hold your face close to his. “Don’t apologize. I’m sorry. I just got carried away.”
“It was pretty... hot. Maybe I’ll get over myself eventually,” he tries to sound humorous, but it probably doesn’t land.
“Can we kiss some more?” You peck his lips.
He nods. “Yeah.”
You all but throw yourself on him and capture his lips again. Your desperation is sexy.
He tugs on the ends of your hair, and you tremble under his touch. He’d do plenty more, but the Sonic waiter knocks on the window of his Mustang. You hug your legs to your chest in embarrassment.
“Tinted windows,” he says right before rolling his down.
“One strawberry slush and one Oreo blast.”
“That’s right.” Anakin gives him a cash tip and takes the drinks. He hands you your ice cream and sets his in the cupholder.
You haven’t even touched yours yet. “Can I try?” You point at his cup.
“I’d never tell you no.”
You smile before leaning over to fit the red straw between your lips. He turns his head the opposite way. Did you—was that on purpose? Are you trying to make him think about—
“It’s so good.”
Anakin is relieved to see you sitting upright. “You can have it if you want.”
“No,” you eat a bite of your ice cream. “The Oreo blast is my favorite.”
He drives around town a for a while. He plays his favorite Sleep Token songs for you. You surprisingly don’t hate his music.
He drives out onto the interstate and accelerates as fast as he can, hitting one hundred pretty easily. There’s no one on the road this late. You seem a little more at ease in his car now. He hopes you’ll like it as much as he does one day.
This interstate is the one he takes to get home. At first, he was just wanting to get on to go faster and show off. But now he’s thinking he wants to share this part of him with you. This could be a horrible mistake. You might reject him, seeing where he and his mom had lived all their lives. But if you don’t accept where he came from, that means you could never love him the way he needs to be loved.
“Would you want to see where I grew up?” He slows down some. “It’s about fifteen minutes away from here.”
Your eyes widen in surprise. “Really?”
He laughs a little. “Is it too soon for that?”
“No! No, that’s not what I was saying. I’m just shocked that you would want to. I feel like we’re just getting to know each other.”
Anakin shrugs. “I mean yeah, but I think... before we get too serious... if that’s even something you would want—you should probably understand my life before Sheev came into the picture. I didn’t grow up rich.”
“I’d love to see your home,” you say, giving his arm a squeeze.
This could be the reason he falls for you for real.
Or it could be the end.
Either way, he’d really like a cigarette.
You know Anakin didn’t come from much. At least, that was what your parents relayed to you after they met the Palpatines for the first time. You have lived in the Hills since you were five years old. You went to private school for elementary and high school. College was the first time you experienced real life apart from the upper-class life you had known from the moment you were born. But when Anakin told you that he didn’t come from a good neighborhood, you pictured slightly rundown homes with gravel driveways.
Not a trailer park.
Anakin very slowly drives down a dirt road with trailer homes. Now you understand why he feels like he doesn’t belong in the new place. The two are hardly comparable. At the end of the street is a white mobile home with a metal roof. Anakin parks the car and turns the engine off.
“So... this is my home. The one I was raised in at least,” he says. His voice is a little shaky.
You don’t know at all what to say. Their backgrounds are more different than you had first assumed.
“We still own it, but I know Sheev wants to sell it soon,” Anakin admits bitterly.
You stare at the cloudy windows of the trailer. You feel... ashamed about all the silly things you’ve ever complained about growing up. This place can hardly be called a home, especially for a child.
His cool knuckles rub the side of your arm. “Uh... you’re being quiet.”
You thoughtfully turn to Anakin as you still sit in the car. “I—I don’t know what to say.”
His eyes drop, and the air feels cold. “I understand if—if this is a dealbreaker. I know you come from—”
You hold up a hand. “No. That’s not why. I’m just really sorry that this is where you grew up as a child. It must have been... hard.”
Anakin crosses his arms. He’s not looking at you, and that bothers you. You wonder what he was hoping you would say about his home. Maybe you shouldn’t have said anything at all. This second date—if it can even be called one—hasn’t been turning out well for you. You’ve made things weird again, but you don’t know how to fix it. You’re starting to hate when he gets quiet like this.
“Anakin, I—”
“Don’t feel sorry for me. I have nothing but good memories. All of my neighbors are good people. They just don’t have much. But I don’t need a fancy house and brand-new cars to enjoy my life. That piece of shit—” he points to his childhood home, “was just fine.”
“I—I didn’t mean to offend you.” You shift to the passenger door. His tone cut through you although he probably didn’t mean to. His reaction was understandable. You had pretty much told him that you looked down on his former living situation. You hadn’t intended for your comment to come out that way.
“If it weren’t for my mom getting married, this is where I would still be.” The way Anakin laughs is cold and dark. “You wouldn’t have given me a chance.”
“Anakin—”
“And I wouldn’t blame you.” He rests his hand over yours as it rests in your lap. “Hey.” His tone is strikingly gentle.
His rainy eyes are waiting for yours. You stare at him for a moment, taking it all in. His gorgeous face and his sweet smile.
“I shouldn’t have said that,” you whisper, so captivated by him.
“Yeah, but you did.” He pulls your arm over to his lap and sandwiches your hand between his. You love how rough his hands are, no doubt because of whatever he does at the junkyard.
“I still like you.”
He stills for a moment, probably processing your stupid words, before rubbing your hand again. “Really?”
“You thought—” you swallow the lump in your throat. Oh. He thought you wouldn’t want to be with him because he came from a trailer park. Did he really think so little of you?
“I would understand. I might not like it, but trust me, I know the kind of guys you should be with, and they don’t look like me,” he says that very seriously, not seeking sympathy.
You pat his face, a faux slap. “Don’t tell me who I should be with. I really like you, Anakin.”
His grin peaks out like sunshine from the shadow looming over face. “I really like your lips, and I want them all over me.”
Shyly, you laugh and roll your eyes, but he doesn’t laugh. He stares, eyes dialed in on your mouth. Oh, he meant it.
Like now.
“You know it sucks you took the backseat out,” you say, a teasing edge in your tone.
He shakes his head. “Not funny. That’s really not funny.”
You tug on his hair, leaning in. “But I’m not sure there would be enough room...”
He bites his lip and huffs. “Stop it. That’s not fair.”
“What?” You wiggle your hand free and set it on his thigh. “Stop what?”
Anakin grabs your wrist. His grip is too hard. It hurts. “Not in my car.”
You scoff. “You’ve never brought a girl in here? I don’t believe you.”
“Not you. Not in a shitty trailer park.” He pushes you back into your seat, too strong for you to beat. “I want it to be perfect.”
“That sounds like a lot of... pressure.” You hadn’t intended to initiate the sex talk so early into whatever... this is. But you’ve probably made out about five times tonight so far. Eventually, it was going to come up.
“No—I didn’t mean it like that. I just want it to be nice if we ever...” he smiles, “the back of a car isn’t what I have in mind.”
Through his mirrors, Anakin watches Rex steer into the driveway next door.
You both are taking a break and sitting listening to music. You’re scrolling. He’s been watching your every move. He breathes in every detail. It’s impossible to get enough of you. He thinks about you every moment of everyday. From the moment he wakes up. To the moment his head touches his pillow.
Sometimes even in his dreams.
Anakin taps you on the shoulder. “Would you want to meet a friend of mine? He just got back from work.”
You turn your phone off. “Definitely.”
Anakin shuts the car off. “Rex has been my best friend since I was five. We learned how to work on cars together. It’s been really weird not having him around.”
“I’d love to meet him, and I can imagine that is a huge change.” Your hand rests on the door handle.
“Can I get that for you?”
You duck your head as a soft smile warms your face, and you give him a little nod.
Anakin walks around the front of the car and opens the door for you. Taking his hand, you rise gracefully from the seat. “You look amazing.” He realizes that complement came out of nowhere. He didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. “Sorry.”
“You’re so sweet.” You squeeze his hand.
He doesn’t let go as you walk over to Rex’s trailer. Standing on the porch, Anakin gives a firm knock. A few moments later, his friend swings the door open.
“Sky!”
Rex’s hug is more like a body slam. He seems to forget how much larger he is than everyone else. Not everyone was a quarterback in high school.
Anakin pats him on the back. “Rex, I want you to meet someone.” Rex backs away and freezes. “This is y/n.”
“So, this is the girl you’ve been telling me about.” Rex’s eyes scan over you. “I can see why he’s so obsessed with you.”
Anakin clears his throat and shoots Rex a glare, silently telling him I’m gonna kill you later.
You give Anakin a puzzled look.
“Don’t worry about him,” Anakin assures you. “Rex, aren’t you going to let us in.”
Rex has the stupidest smile on his face. It’s hard not to slap it right off him. This might have been a terrible idea. He didn’t go over with Rex what he was allowed to say in front of you. Most of all, he regrets telling Rex every detail he remembered about you and every fantasy he had about you.
He had to tell someone.... It’s not like he could act on his feelings yet.
Rex’s trailer is surprisingly not a dump, for once. Usually, his furniture is swallowed up in dirty laundry and takeout boxes and beer bottles.
“Did you have someone over?” Anakin inquires, still looking around.
Rex suddenly blushed. “Ahsoka came by. That’s all.”
When was the last time he called her by her name and not Snips? Surely, they were just friends. Surely, they weren’t—Anakin wrinkles his nose at the thought of them... together.
“Do you have a bathroom I could use?” you ask.
“I’ll show you,” Anakin says, taking you by the hand.
When you and he are on the other side of the trailer, he whispers, “Sorry about him. He has no filter whatsoever.”
You lean against the wall. You look up at him coyly. “Is that true?” You twirl a piece of your hair between your fingers.
Anakin faces you with his back so you can’t see the heat on his face. “Don’t believe what he says about anything. He likes to exaggerate.”
“So... you’re not obsessed with me.” Disappointment marks your tone.
He peers at you over his shoulder. “Wouldn’t th-that be weird.”
“No, I’d like it,” you say, turning the knob and finally going into the bathroom.
Anakin doesn’t linger by the door. He doesn’t want you to think he’s listening. That would be creepy even for him.
“Dude, what are you doing?” Rex asks him point blank.
“Huh?” Anakin sits on the creaky leather couch.
“She’s really beautiful and everything, but c’mon, man. You’re not being realistic. She’s not gonna stay with you.”
He drops his head as he nods. “Probably not.”
“She’s probably just messing around with you. What in the world would someone that comes from money and could just about have anyone she wanted... want with someone like you? Like us.” Rex chuckles. “Just get her out of your system and,” Rex plops down beside him, “get out before you...”
“It’s too late.” Anakin crosses his arms over his lap and rests his head there. “I’m hopeless. I don’t even care about sex right now. I just want to spend every waking moment with her. I—I can’t explain it really.”
“Like I said. Obsessed.” Rex shakes his head. “But I’ll scrape you off the ground after she chews you up and spits you out.”
Anakin sighs low. “I didn’t ask to feel like this. She’s just perfect.”
Rex hits his shoulder. “I’ve never heard you talk like this about anyone before.”
“I’ve never felt like this before.”
Rex doesn’t have time to react to his confession. They both sit up straight at the creaking sound of the bathroom door opening. Anakin stands up when you enter the living room. He’s really not sure why he does that. You slip your arm around his waist.
“Oh!” Rex’s eyes light up momentarily. “Ahsoka mentioned that everyone’s meeting down at the lake tomorrow night.”
“No one told me anything.” Not a single text. Not even from Obi-Wan. Ever since he moved away, it hasn’t been the same. He doesn’t get what’s changed. He tries to tell himself that it’s because he lives on the other side of town now, but he knows that’s not it.
“They probably... just forgot.”
“Right,” Anakin pretends to accept that sentiment. They both know better.
“Did you want to go?” Rex asks.
He thinks it over for a moment. If they don’t want to hang out with him anymore, why would he go? He doesn’t have to prove himself to their friends. “I guess.”
“You can bring her. I’m sure everyone would like to meet your girl.”
Anakin shoots him another death glare. He’s lucky he stopped there. He hadn’t asked you what you and he were yet. Being needy isn’t how he wants to be perceived. Even if he is. “I don’t think that nasty lake is her scene.”
“I’d love to go and meet your friends.” you narrow your eyes at him, probably wondering why he just said that. “I don’t mind getting dirty.”
Rex put a hand on his hip, staring at you incredulously. “Oh really. Have you ever swam in a lake?”
“It’s more of a creek,” Anakin corrects with a snort.
“My family has a house on the lake, and we go there for vacation.”
Rex stills for a moment. “A whole second house?”
“Sorry,” you say, guilt creeping in. He can see it on your face.
“No, no,” Rex says, waving a hand. “I’m just surprised is all. That sounds like you’re living the life.”
You tilt your head back and reaches up to squeeze Anakin’s jaw. “I am now.”
He hates how he looks when he smiles big. It usually feels awkward, but he can’t help it when you’re looking at him with those I want you eyes. If Rex wasn’t in the room, he’d be taking off your clothes.
Instead, he pinches your side. “Stop it.”
“Okay, I’m going to go in my room now,” Rex says as he’s walking off. “I’ll see you both tomorrow. You can use the couch.” He glances at them and winces. “Try to keep it down.”
“Rex! I’m taking her home.” Anakin sighs. “Sorry about him. He’s a freak.”
original au by @avaaawritesss feel free to use my work as inspiration (no direct plagiarism please :/) and tag me!! id love to read ur works too
this idea was originally written for anidala. click here if you are interested in the original version!!
comment 🖤 ⛓️ down below if you'd like to be added to the taglist for this fic
