arlo's adventures // a 'sparky' anthology

touch starved (one-shot).

takes place sometime before chapter 3, masters in trouble.

I stroll through the long corridors of the temple just before the sun comes up. I already had my morning tea, read a few pages of my book, and with a sudden burst of energy, I decided to take a walk through the quiet halls before the next chaotic day starts. I can sense that everyone is asleep and resting as I walk past their doors, but then I come across one room where someone lies awake, restless. I immediately recognize it to be Arlo's room. I should probably check on her. I walk up to the door and knock gently. She doesn't answer. I'd be willing to bed she's pretending to sleep. 

"Arlo, I know you're awake," I say quietly, but loud enough for her to hear me. "May I come in?"

"No," she mutters back. 

I feel myself grow slightly more worried. Something is obviously upsetting her. "I can tell something is wrong, I could sense it as I walked past. Please, let me in."

I hear her murmur something to herself as she opens her door using the Force. I walk towards her bed and stand to the side of it, crossing my arms. She sits on her bed, knees up to her chest, hugging herself, back against the wall. 

"It's late," she tells me. "Why are you up?"

"Actually, it's quite early, my young Padawan. Six in the morning, to be precise. Now, care to tell me what's wrong? You look as if you've seen a ghost."

"I, um, had a nightmare," she tells me quietly. 

My heart sinks a little. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that, little one. Would you... like to talk about it, perhaps?"

"No."

"...Okay. I understand. I could stay here with you if you want to fall back asleep, if you'd like? You look tired."

"I'm fine. I don't sleep much anyway."

My brows furrow in concern. "Why not? Are these nightmares a normal thing for you?"

"You could say so, yeah."

"Lucky for you, I know a trick for that. Before you go to bed, just think happy thoughts. Think about a memory that you're fond of, or really anything that makes you smile. It helps keep the nightmares away," I tell her. 

"I have a limited selection of happy thoughts, Master."

I mentally slap myself. That was stupid, of course she doesn't, I should've been able to figure that out. "...Right. Well, we'll make some good memories of our own, how about that?"

"If you say so, I guess," she mumbles. 

"Then we can start tomorrow. Let me know if you need me, okay?" I say to her as I step slightly closer to her bed and reach carefully for her shoulder. And she flinches, and if my heart hadn't already sunk, it absolutely plummets this time. I freeze, I don't want to startle her, then sit on the very edge of her bed and sigh. "Arlo... can you tell me the last time someone touched you and wasn't trying to hurt you?" She ponders it for a moment, then shakes her head no. "Not at all?" I ask again. 

"Why would anyone touch me without hurting me?" she questions. "What's the point?"

"So you're not touch starved, dear," I tell her. 

"...That's a thing?" she asks me, not fully believing me. 

"It certainly is, little one. And you've got it bad. Understandably so, of course, but you know I won't hurt you, right?" She  thinks about it and shrugs. I sigh. "That's hardly an answer, Arlo. So just as a reminder, I'm your master. You are my padawan. It's my job to protect you. You're safe with me," I assure her in a soft tone. And I mean it. How could I ever let anyone hurt her? How could I hurt her? The poor girl's been through enough. She seems to believe me this time. She opens her mouth to say something, but then doesn't. "Yes, Arlo? What is it?"

"...Will you stay?" she asks me, so carefully, softly, eyes a little bigger, more scared than usual. I could never say no to that look. I would scoop her up and hide her from everything that could cause her pain in this galaxy if I could. 

I nod. "As long as you need me to, little one. I'll go sit on the couch." I notice her hardly reach out her hand towards me, but pulls it back. I look at her knowingly. "Unless you want me to sit here next to you?"

"...Please?"

"Of course, dear." I sit back a little more on her bed, back resting against her pillows, putting my legs up and crossing them over her blanket. She carefully scoots a little closer to me. She trusts me. I hold my arm out, offering the space next to me to her, testing the waters. She hesitates. "It's okay," I tell her, and she moves next to me, sitting under but still not touching my arm. My hand carefully meets her shoulder. I can feel her tense up slightly, but she doesn't push me away, and as soon as it comes, she relaxes and lets herself fall into my side, clinging around my stomach tightly, head tucked under my arm. I wrap my free arm around her and rub it up and down her back. 

I lean back further into the pillows to put us into a slightly more reclined position and breathe slow and steadily. Arlo unconsciously mimics my pace, slowly luring her back to sleep. Just as I did for Anakin when he was still a young boy on his own restless nights. Arlo's soft snores into my tunic begin to make my own eyes begin to droop, and even though I was just wide awake, I fall asleep holding the young girl.