just you and me (and the rest of the world) || anakin & ahsoka

Chapter 4

DID YALL SEE THE SPIDER-MAN NO WAY HOME TRAILER?!?? ANOSJWJDNKSJISIJ

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It isn't a terribly long ride, from her dad's place to her mom's. Long enough that she can't switch apartments for any shorter increments of time than a week, but short enough that she can afford to take a shuttle from one to the other if she really wants to.

Anakin is a good driver. He hasn't always been, from what she's been told by her mother. Apparently he'd been famous for getting the two of them pulled over almost every time that he'd driven her to school, but all of that had stopped after she'd been born.

Even though he's not like that anymore, it isn't difficult for her to imagine her dad like that—reckless. He'd had her at fifteen. Her entire life exists due to his recklessness.

This is Anakin's least favorite part of the week, every time.

Ahsoka's told him before that the sounds of the speeders passing by is comforting to her. She's said that it reminds her of the time that she spends with him because the traffic isn't as noisy on the higher levels, where she stays with her mom.

Anakin is the opposite. He hates the sound of all the different engines humming around him. To him, these noises are associated with this—driving her up to Ayra's apartment.

Driving her away.

There's a part of him, deep down where all the dark things like to hide, that finds joy in the fact that Ahsoka prefers spending time with him over Ayra, and he feels horrible about that. Perhaps this is the reason that they could never quite have a stable relationship. Because no matter how much they'd loved each other once, there had always been something else, lurking beneath the surface.

Jealousy—is what is. Once Ahsoka had been born, the both of them could focus their love only on her. She'd both brought them together, and torn them apart.

But that hadn't mattered to him, because as soon as he'd stared down into those bright blue eyes of hers, he'd known that he would choose her over anything and everything else—even Ayra.

He glances to the side, catching sight of Ahsoka changing the radio again, leaning forward in her seat to squint at the glitchy screen that shows which song is playing. It's hard to make out much of a tune to anything with the static of the device and the pouring rain outside of her window.

That's something that the two of them can agree on when it comes to sound—they both love the rain. They don't get much of it when they're at his apartment, only the dirty runoff from above.

But this is glorious. It's storming, thunder rumbling and lightning cracking up in the sky over them.

"Why don't we just listen to the rain?" Anakin laughs, catching her head just a moment before it can crash into the radio as the speeder jolts.

"But our song was on!" she protests when he switches it off.

"How could you hear that?" he says, giving her a look that screams I don't believe you.

"Montrals," she replies, rolling her eyes and pointing at the peaks on top of her head. "I am half human, idiot."

"Don't call your dad an idiot," he says back with a smile.

She grins back but doesn't say anything.

They've only got about five minutes left of the drive, so he supposes that now is as good a time as ever to tell her that they aren't going to be seeing a bike race on her birthday.

"Hey, Snips," he begins when they pull to a stop at the next light, and he can see in the way that her eyes widen slightly that she knows their next topic of conversation is more serious than the one prior.

"What is it?"

"You know those tickets that you wanted me to get for your birthday?"

He sees her expression waver for a moment in response to the mixture of his words and tone, and he feels the ache in his stomach grow because he knows that she's going to give him way more grace than he deserves, be too forgiving because she's just too good.

"If you weren't able to get them, that's totally okay, I know that they're expensive and it's really more important to me that I'm with you than it is what we're doing, so—"

"Ahsoka," he says softly, sighing. "I am so sorry."

"It's fine, really, I—"

"I know, I know." He turns the corner that leads to Ayra's building. "I am going to get us there at some point, I promise. I just don't have the money for it right now."

She doesn't say anything until the speeder is very still, on the landing pad.

"You're the best dad I could ever ask for, you know?"

"And you're the best dau—"

"No," she interrupts, placing a hand on his shoulder when he turns to face her, mouth open in slight shock. "I need you to remember that, okay? I don't think that you always do. But, truly, I wouldn't want anybody else."

When he hugs her, it's tight, and she melts right into it, holding onto him with just as much strength, inhaling his familiar scent. He smells like his workshop, like gasoline and engine grease, and like the citrusy shampoo that he lets her lather into his hair when she asks to wash it. He smells like the coziness of his apartment, not quite freshly cleaned, but warm and welcoming, loving and comforting. He smells like home.

"I'll call you every night," she promises, like she always does when she stays at her mom's.

"I know, 'Soka."

She pulls back and watches him reach behind himself to pull something off of one of the back seats—a book.

"This is my yearbook from when I was in high school. I thought that you would enjoy looking through it, since you'll be starting soon. Lots of embarrassing pictures of me and Uncle Rex for you to tease us about," he explains with a playful smile.

Her eyes light up as she takes the book from his hands, looking down at it excitedly. She flips open the front cover.

"Skywalker—take good care of my little 'un for me. See you this summer, Rex," she reads, giggling. "Oh, I'm going to have fun with this."

"I'm sure you will. You want my jacket to put over your head while you walk in? It's still raining," he offers, shrugging the garment off.

Before she has a chance to answer, hurried footseps are rushing across the platform, carrying one Ayra Tano, a large umbrella in hand.

"Ahsoka!" she calls, waving with a bright smile.

Ahsoka waves back, trying to mimic her cheerful expression, hoping that she can get away with an I'm tired if her mom asks her why she isn't quite herself, like she always isn't when she stays here.

"I think I'm covered, but thank you."

"Alright," he replies, leaning in for one last hug goodbye, the yearbook poking uncomfortably into his side when she attempts to wrap her arms around him. There's a kiss on each of their cheeks and then Ahsoka is climbing out of the speeder, calling,

"Love you!" over her shoulder.

He smiles at his ex-girlfriend as she arrives at his window, Ahsoka scurrying over to her side to avoid the rain.

"Thank you for driving her," Ayra says as he rolls the window down. "You know, if you ever need a break—"

"You can take her for longer, I know," he recites, having heard this same sentiment far too many times. Ahsoka smirks at him from beside her mother. She knows he'll never take her up on that.

"Alright, see you in a week, Anakin." They hug loosely and then Ayra's back is to him as her and Ahsoka squish together beneath the umbrella, making their way into the apartment.

"Love you too, Snips," he replies softly.

He puts his jacket back on.

—

time for some ayra and ahsoka development in the next few chapters yayayay. and uncle rex and ahsoka storiesss woowooooo!!