#youdon'tbelonghere

[exomal]

"You don't belong here."

A young Anakin Skywalker contemplating his place in the Jedi Order.

[ilonga]

angstpril day 6

prompt: “You don’t belong here.”

(context: I finally caved and made a wandavision au)

ao3

"Rex!" Anakin says as he opens the door to his and Padme's villa. "Come in, come in. The twins are sleeping, so we might have half a minute of peace."

Someone laughs, far away.

Rex steps in with a matching smile of his own. "Good to see you too, Anakin. Though I admit, I'm actually here to get something repaired."

Anakin takes the joke good naturedly as they head over to the living room. "I'm only useful as the village mechanic anymore, I'm afraid. And the stay at home parent. People only come over for company anymore if they're looking for my wife."

Rex looks around. "She's still working, then?"

"Late nights. You know how it is. Always something to do as the Governor of Theed."

He doesn't know how it is, actually. But he nods along anyways.

"Would you like anything, Rex?" Anakin calls from the kitchen. Rex, for his part, sits awkwardly on the couch. Luke and Leia are sleeping in their cribs to the side of the room. Cute kids, Rex thinks. Although they're certainly menaces when they're awake. "We've got—well, just fruit mostly. Oh, there's some wine over here too—"

"Fruit would be nice."

"Excellent." Anakin says, and joins him with a plate full of pears.

"They're cuter when they're asleep," Rex responds, eyes still on Luke and Leia.

Anakin laughs at that. "Tell me about it. When they're awake, they make it their mission to tire out their father as much as possible."

"Well," Rex says with a half smile, "it's good that you're there for them."

Anakin nods absentmindedly. "Force knows I must have exhausted my mother when I was their age."

His mother. Right.

"You didn't have a father. . . did you, Anakin?" Rex says uncertainly. He's not really sure where this is going—the words are just. . . flowing.

"No." Anakin says, blinking rapidly. He turns back to Luke and Leia. "The closest thing I had was. . . well, my Jedi Master, I suppose. Obi-wan Kenobi."

Obi-wan . . . Obi-wan Kenobi. Wait. 

"He . . . died, didn't he?" Rex says slowly. "He died. Fighting Sidious."

Anakin's head snaps up to look at him. "What did you say?" he says softly.

"I don't. . ." I don't know. He has no idea where that came from. But. . . it's true. He's certain of it. But then what. . .? 

"Rex." Anakin's looking at him differently now. Recognition has dawned in his eyes, recognition that Rex hadn't even realized was missing until now. "Captain."

"General." Rex says. Suddenly it feels like a fog of some sort is lifting.

"You don't belong here, Captain."

"What?" Rex says, then— "No. No, Anakin, wait—"

He blinks and it's all gone.

He's standing back outside the entrance to Theed.

Alone.

[imwhite-blog]

That mother needs to have her brain examined.