Asoka couldn't sleep. As soon as she closed her eyes and drifted off, there was a loud clap of thunder. Togruta shuddered and sat up in bed. She had never been afraid of thunderstorms before, until the night Robert first climbed into her bed and pinned her to the mattress, knocking her unconscious by pressing down on her neck. Even now, she could clearly see his rough fingers on her throat, feel the weight and heat of his aroused body, smell the foul odour of sweat... Thunder rumbled again in the sky, echoing off the trees, rain drummed on the roof, and the wind howled ominously like a hungry predator. Asoka opened her eyes and rubbed her face with her hands, chasing away the nightmare. She glanced at the cradle - Luke and Leia were sleeping peacefully. In childhood, people sleep most soundly; it is only later, with age, that the psyche becomes unstable and the quality of sleep deteriorates. So, for now, the children were lucky, but their father... Poor Anakin, Asoka thought, because it was very cold out there in the hallway, with the wind blowing in from all sides and water seeping in from above and below. It wouldn't take long to catch a cold and die. And before she knew why, Tano got to her feet and headed for the door.
***
By the time the Togruta woke up from her nightmare, Anakin was shivering with cold and almost completely soaked. He regretted a hundred times that he had given up warmth and comfort for the sake of the one who had already abandoned him once, and it would not be surprising if she did so again. Meanwhile, the wind and rain showed no sign of letting up. On the contrary, they seemed determined to drive Skywalker not only out of the house, but out of the porch. So he didn't care what others thought, and Asoka could go right back where she came from, taking Yoda, Jokast, and anyone else she wanted with her, while he, personally, was going home. To his own home, he dares to remark for the doubters and idlers. Getting up from the mattress, Skywalker resolutely pulled the door handle towards himself. However, he didn't even have time to touch the polished round piece of wood before he felt someone pulling the door towards them from the other side. And when it finally opened, Anakin and Asoka, standing on either side of it, stared at each other with undisguised surprise. But another flash of lightning reflected in the puddle of water by the porch left them no time to think, and Ahsoka immediately grabbed Skywalker by the wrist, dragged him into the house, and slammed the door shut. Once inside, Anakin almost fell to the floor, forming a puddle of water around himself.
"You had to do that," Asoka said discontentedly. "It wouldn't have taken long to freeze to death.
The next moment, she began to help him get rid of his shirt, untying his belt, and then, turning away, told him to take off the rest so she could take it out into the porch. Anakin did not resist, being in no condition to do so. When Asoka returned from the porch, he was sitting wrapped in a blanket. Togruta didn't seem to notice, not even surprised to see him in his, so to speak, almost natural state for the first time.
"Haven't you dried yourself yet?" she said reproachfully, pulling two towels out of a drawer, handing one to him to dry his hair, which hung in wet icicles down to his shoulders, and without waiting for his consent, or even asking him, began to wipe the shoulders, back and chest of her companion in misfortune. When she reached the last one, Asoka again involuntarily lingered on the old scar, this time allowing herself to look at it more closely. Yes, indeed, the mark looked old, though not like the one on Skywalker's face, but no less than six months old. The inflammation and redness had long since subsided, and the tissue had healed. Now the scar was an even greyish-white colour and felt almost the same as the surrounding skin, except that it was slightly rough to the touch. Once again, Asoka struggled to resist asking where it came from. She also felt a sharp desire to run her hand over the mark, gently stroking this trace of old pain, erasing even the memory of it. Anakin still did not resist, but he felt that these gentle and careful touches were making him breathe faster, and just below his navel, he could already feel a slight tickling sensation. Ahsoka didn't notice this, continuing what she was doing, and only when Anakin lowered his palms over hers with a barely perceptible movement did she freeze in indecision. Skywalker didn't want anything, he just wanted to let her know that it was enough and it was time to stop, but Tano was so surprised that she flinched and almost fell on top of him again. Only at the last moment did she grab the shelf. At that moment, their eyes met and they stared at each other for several long seconds. Anakin couldn't take his eyes off her and now saw Asoka's face closer than ever before. Force, answer me, why is she so impossibly beautiful? Why does her gaze make me sink into myself, and why are her full, bright lips so alluring? They drew him to touch them and throw himself into the depths of this perfection. How he wanted to stand up right now, pull her towards him and give in to the call of instinct. But Anakin knew that if he allowed himself to do so, he would regret it for the rest of his life. With an effort of will, he looked away, letting go of Asoka's hands at the same time.
"I see you're warm," she said, removing the towel. "Get dressed and go to bed.
She placed a dry set of clothes in front of him and tactfully turned away, straightening the bed. Anakin quickly put on his underwear, shirt and trousers, then began to settle down in the corner, on the rug next to the cradle. Ahsoka saw this and said firmly,
"What are you thinking? Get into bed right now."
"No, I'm fine here," Anakin protested desperately.
"But it's better and warmer here," Asoka insisted, without explaining why the bed was warm. "After all, it's yours. Don't make me feel more guilty than I already do."
"All right," Skywalker relented reluctantly. "But only if you leave me alone."
He got up and went over to the bed, quickly diving under the covers and turning away from the wall.
"There, are you happy now?" he muttered without turning his head.
"More than ever," Ahsoka replied, wiping the floor, then took the blanket and sat down on the rug, leaning her back against the wall and her shoulder against the cradle, wrapping herself in it, ready to sleep there for the rest of the night. What a Sith. Anakin noticed this out of the corner of his eye and felt a hot wave of shame wash over him from head to toe. He knew what he should do, but his heart... How could he possibly ask this girl, who had tarnished her reputation more than once, to lie down next to him, where Padmé had lain before? Noble, well-bred, of high birth, dressed in an elegant satin shirt with hand-finished detailing. No, he couldn't even think about it, because he had no need for this woman. Although at that moment, an inner voice chuckled maliciously, hinting that things were not at all as Anakin wanted to believe. Wants, yes, that's the key word. And with each passing day, it becomes stronger and stronger, and it sounds more and more often when Ahsoka is nearby. But what kind of Jedi is he if he can't even control his own emotions and feelings? But to do that, he must first admit that they exist. Anakin told himself that he could do it and that he would definitely succeed.
"Ah... Ahsoka," Skywalker called out hesitantly, almost unrecognisable.
"What?" she replied, a little startled by the unexpectedness of it. I wonder what he wants from her at this hour? Usually, such night-time conversations between men and women did not end well. It was worth remembering what her stepfather did to her mother at night, and what Robert did to her.
"You shouldn't sleep sitting up, your back will hurt in the morning, and anyway..." Anakin continued without a hint of malice. "You can lie down on the other side if you want."
"No, I don't want to," Asoka replied firmly. "I'm fine here."
"Don't be silly," Skywalker insisted. "It's still a long way to morning, and if you sit like that all night, you won't be able to get up, your whole body will ache and it will be awful.
"It's okay, I'll endure it, I'm not a princess," the Togruta stubbornly objected, thereby spilling the last drop into Anakin's cup of patience. That's it, enough, he had tried to persuade her, which he shouldn't have done in the first place. He jumped out of bed and, in one leap, was beside Asoka, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her roughly across the room.
"Come here, now! Who's talking to you?" he snapped, pushing her down onto the edge of the bed. Asoka felt tears welling up in her eyes. She had hoped so much that Anakin was different. Special. That he wasn't capable of doing the same things as her stepfather and stepbrother. But, alas, he turned out to be no better than other men. Maybe even worse. Tano resisted as best she could before realising that there was no point. Anakin gave her the blanket and turned away to face the wall, without even touching her. Asoka lay awake for a long time, until she realised that sleep had overcome her, warmed by the heat of Anakin lying next to her. And already in her sleep, she involuntarily reached for this source of living warmth, Skywalker moved towards her, and literally within minutes they were lying tightly clinging to each other. It was in this position that Master Yoda found them in the morning.
***
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