hurt // obikin au [on hold]

s i x

"what was going on in there?" padmé questions, eating a fry off her plate. the smirk on her face turns the corners of her mouth soft.

"you have ketchup on your chin," anakin responds by way of distraction.

padmé wipes her chin. "i hope you didn't think that was your way of not answering my question."

anakin rolls his eyes. "did you finish the philosophy homework?"

"anakin." padmé's voice is irritated, but he doesn't look up. "anakin," she says again, her voice much softer and much more serious that time.

"i don't know," he finally answers, very quietly. he stares at the wood grain of the table. "i don't know. it was...he wasn't being weird. i don't know. he was, like...he was checking up on me, because i wouldn't get out of bed...and then..."

"ani," padmé says slowly. "you like him, don't you?"

anakin's head snaps up. "what?" his voice is both disgusted and appalled. "what the hell, padmé?" he can't fathom why she would say that when she knows how much he hates that assumption.

"anakin --" she looks flustered, and her cheeks are pink. this is the first time she's ever made anakin angry.

it frightens him, to be angry with her. "don't. don't you fucking say it, amidala." his voice cracks like a whip, and he sees padmé flinch. he closes his eyes -- he doesn't want to say anything stupid, doesn't want to hurt her. he tries to remind himself of how much he loves padmé, of how she's his best friend, but he can't reach his affection through all the rage.

"ani, p-please," she murmurs. he can hear the hiccup in her voice, the crackle that shows she's about to cry. he's frightening her, and he hates himself for it. he needs to go before he snaps.

he pushes back from the table, stalks off through the cafeteria. he can hear her following after him, her tiny, quaking breaths. he bets her heart is beating so hard, so fast. he knows how she gets when she's scared, knows she's most likely trembling like a baby bird.

"stop following me," he snaps, spinning around to face her. his voice comes out much harsher than he meant it to, and padmé jerks herself to a stop.

"you don't get to do that." she isn't scared anymore; just angry. "you don't get to get angry at me for telling you the truth."

"i get to get angry for whatever i fucking want!" he yells back. her logic is only making this worse.

"don't yell at me!" she yells back.

"fucking hell!" anakin is so frustrated he's shaking. he needs to hit something, now, and he tries to reign it in because the closest thing to him right now is padmé, and he refuses to hurt her. "seriously, padmé. stop following me."

"fuck you! i'm trying to make sure you're okay!"

"fuck you!" anakin retorts, "you're the reason i'm mad in the first place!"

"no, you're mad because you're fucking blind, you piece of shit!" she's even
madder now.

"padmé, stop it." his voice is still angry, but weaker.

"no, anakin! everyone from here to fucking  jakku can see how you feel about obi-wan!"

"stop."

"there's nothing wrong with it! jesus christ, you're gay, anakin, not a murderer!"

"LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE, PADMÈ!" he has to yell it, to make her stop, but punching the nearest building may have helped that, too. "jesus, fuck," he hisses, cradling his probably broken hand.

"anakin," is all she can say, surprised. if she'd been watching, if she hadn't been baiting him, she would've stopped. it isn't often that she lets her emotions get the best of her.

his knuckles are bruising badly and they hurt to touch. "leave me alone," he says to her, coldly. "all you're doing is making this worse."

her eyes well with tears. his are stinging, too. "is this it?" she asks, "are you cutting me off now like you do everyone else?"

"no," he answers. he means it. "no, padmé, you idiot. just...give me some time, okay?"

- - -
"well, you look like shit," obi-wan says by way of greeting as anakin walks in the room, hand all bandaged.

"eat my ass," anakin snaps, making his way directly to the bed.

"gladly." anakin groans loudly, voice muffled by the pillow, knowing he walked right into that. "hey, what the hell happened to your hand?"

anakin had almost forgotten. "padmé pissed me off and i punched a brick wall."

obi-wan whistles. "why?"

"because i'd rather hit a wall than hit her." anakin turns his head to face the wall so he can no longer see obi-wan.

"what'd she say to piss you off so much?"

"nothing," anakin says, too quickly.

"wow, i'm convinced," obi-wan says dryly. anakin doesn't have a response. "you know you can talk to me, right? i won't laugh or make fun of you."

"no, you'll just make it all a huge sex joke."

"mr. skywalker, i am offended," obi-wan says in a haughty voice, and anakin is surprised to find himself laughing. "your laugh is adorable." obi-wan's voice is very soft when he says that.

"shut up," anakin mumbles, but some strange emotion is bubbling in his stomach and all he can do is hope that what padmé said isn't true.