Secretly Normal

Cold

(A/N: Hi's it's been like 5 years. Thanks to everyone for sticking around and for all the kind comments.)

Space is cold. It used to bother Anakin, now that he's spent more of his life in space than he ever did in the desert, it feels as much like home as anything else. That being said, it still felt cold.

If space was cold, then Coruscant was worse. Cold seemed to settle into the durasteel skyscrapers, seemingly trapped along with the cold hearts of those whom dwelled on all levels down to its very core. Thankful for his thick Jedi robes, he shuddered slightly as he moved down the landing ramp. The only thing on his mind: getting home. Padmé wouldn't be there. She was back on Naboo, much to his displeasure. Nevertheless, he planned on stopping by. Being anywhere but the equally cold halls of the Jedi temple. And now, without a Padawan...

He felt his heart clench at the thought, chest aching with all the things the Jedi were depriving him of - all the things he deserved - all the people he needed. The halls were unbearable. As soon as he was able to, he left for his wife's apartment. When he arrived, he changed into the clothes he had well-hidden there. He let out a deep sigh, shuddering again, no longer as a Jedi but as only a lonely man, wanting for slumber. Body aching from exhaustion, head pounding with echoes from battles, stomach lurching from the sights of war. It was dizzying. Forcing it from his mind and suddenly not hungry, he crawled into her large bed. The covers were heavier than he remembered. Soon, he fell fast asleep, warmed only by the thick comforters of the bed and by his thoughts of her.

-----

Moved purely on instinct and before he fully comprehended his own reflexes, he caught a hand moving towards his face. It was accompanied by a soft gasp.

"Ani, it's me."

He blinked, squinting in the suddenly harsh sunlight. He knew his wife by her presence and was more confused about why he'd been so startled. Suddenly feeling dizzy again, he wondered if the light was too bright. Was it noon? That would explain why he felt so warm. The strength to speak eluded him. Head falling heavy, he buried his face in the pillow beneath him. "What time is it," he mumbled. Or, so he thought. What it actually sounded like was a muffled groan.

"Anakin? Please turn over. I need to- Anakin, please. You're burning up."

He comprehended her seated beside him, but only  through the Force could he understand the meaning of her words. Kind of. Burning up? That phrase was in Basic, right? Is she speaking Basic?

"Meh...ch...toa...h..."

It was the in-comprehensive response in Huttese that sprang her into action. After ordering her golden droid companion –once a gift from her husband– to call a medic droid, she began gathering what medicines she stored on her own and, more importantly, started on some of her mother's natural remedies.

------

Hours later the apartment was dark again. He could only recall glimpses throughout the day. Padmé scurrying over with tea that tasted like a liquid duraplast and forcing him to stomach some kind of herb that tasted like gravel even without his functional sense of smell. At some point some droid rattled off about his symptoms. He had slept most of the day.

Cocking his head around to try to see the rest of the room, he realized how sore he felt. Padmé was still present in the apartment, he could sense her, but lacked strength to call out to her. As if sensing him a few minutes later, she returned to the room to check on him.

"What's wrong with me?" He croaked.

She smirked, sitting beside him and running a hand gingerly along his hairline. "You're ill, Ani. I didn't even know Jedi could be ill."

Grumpily, he grunted, as if to scoff at the fact. "I'm only ill with my undying love for you."

As poor-timed as it was, she couldn't resist a smile at the statement. He really could be too much sometimes, even while ill. She placed a kiss on his forehead and stood.

"It's been a little while, I will return with more medicine. Please try to take it gracefully this time."

Anakin groaned again, childishly. "You didn't tell me I had minutes left to live. Please, I would like to spend it with you."

"Don't be so dramatic. You have a cold, that's all."

A cold? "A what?" He managed to say through a cough, baffled.

"It's not so bad. Everyone-"

"Jedi do not get colds."

She smiled, turning to leave. "Well then maybe my love isn't a Jedi yet."

His eyelids shut while his nose scrunched up, body still hot and heavy, unable to truly think clearly, but for the first time in a long time, feeling warmer than he had in months.