Accismus⋆౨ৎ˚⟡.• Anakin Skywalker⋆౨ৎ˚⟡.•

57.

'Have you ever thought about buying a speeder?'

'Why would I need to? Where do I need to be that can't be reached in a ship?'

Sol rolled her eyes and shook her head as she looked out to the city. In her yellow speeder, she sat in the passenger seat while Anakin sat in the driver's seat. When they were together, Sol never found herself in driving. In her Padawan days, she was reluctant to let the arrogant Skywalker drive one of the few belongings Sol had. But when Anakin would walk around to her door and hold it open for her, Sol stopped putting up a fight.

'Where would Artoo go in one of these?' Anakin leaned over to gesture towards the boot that was the colour of a sunflower, and Sol tried to focus on his attempt at a joke. But she was too busy beaming at how close Anakin was.

With his neck stretched to peer to the tail of the speeder, Sol was able to smell the freshness of his chest. In his twisted position, she noticed how his gloved hand relaxed on the controls. Coruscant's city lights reflected off his tanned skin and when he turned to face the windshield, Sol was taken by the vibrance of his eyes and the length of his hair. The blonde tips curled and had grown past Anakin's ears, making Sol think to suggest seeing a hair styler to sharpen them up. But when he turned to catch her stare, and the edge of his lips threatened to grow into an uncontrollable grin, Sol threw out the idea in an instant.

'What?' Anakin asked, and Sol leaned her head back in the chair without moving her stare.

'Nothing... just thinking.'

'Thinking about what?' he reached out and took hold of her hand that sat on her knee. With her fingers bare from her gloves, Sol felt the warmth of his skin. She thought about how amazing it would had been to have Anakin's body heat in the icy base on Hoth.

'About Ahsoka.' 

The hitch in the corner of Anakin's lips sagged and the width of his eyes reduced. Anakin's face was a picture of his emotions, and Sol knew that she had reminded him of his sorrows. 

They had arrived on the rooftop of a building far from the Jedi Temple, and Anakin had been in a better mood since this morning. But Sol needed to talk with him about his recent rant about the Jedi Order in Padme's apartment. The topic of Ahsoka was an unavoidable conversation, hence why Sol had asked Anakin to take them to a quiet rooftop away from the busy speeder lanes that ran through skyscrapers.

'If you want to talk about it, Ani, we can,' Sol said with care in her voice. She held the man's hand in hers and wanted to show that she was all ears. They would be heading back to the temple for dinner soon, and if he was in a bad mood in front of Obi-wan, Sol knew it would be a painful meal.

'What else is there to talk about?' he shrugged with his eyes on his lap, reverting to his teenage behaviour. Sol couldn't let him block himself off, as she wouldn't get anything out of him.

'What about what you said at Padme's?' Sol prompted. 'About the Order?' 

There was a pause before Anakin's head lifted to look at Sol. She gave an expression that she hoped showed that she wouldn't judge him. With her violet eyes soft and blinking, Anakin saw that Sol wanted to listen to his rants. Just like Chancellor Palpatine, Sol wanted to play the listener, and Anakin could let his troubles out to her and her alone.

'I didn't mean it when I said I didn't know if I wanted to be part of the Order anymore...' he started, his words slow and careful. 'I want to be a Jedi. I want to keep fighting in this war, because I'm good at it. I just feel like... I take one step forward and start to feel like I'm doing good, until something sets me back, again. The Council... I know they don't trust me.'