Office hours [all day]

[sith_happened]

Even though it was December, Anakin had all of the windows open in his office to clear out the smell of pipe smoke.

What the H-E-double hockey sticks had he been been thinking last week?

He'd gotten the mistletoe to stay out in the hallway after giving it a stern lecture about teacher/student boundaries and was now going through his exams and administering final grades.

His office was open, if cold.

Comments

[solo_sword]

Jaina knocked at the door. "Look who's back in color!"

Like she could talk.

[sith_happened]

"But have you brought me a pot roast?" Anakin asked, grinning wryly.

[solo_sword]

"Anything you heard is a vicious squirrel lie," she said immediately.

[sith_happened]

Anakin snorted. "Really."

[solo_sword]

"You know them. They're never not drunk," she said.

[sith_happened]

"Hard to argue with that logic," Anakin admitted. "So you were completely normal and they were out of their minds?"

He can tell if you're lying...

[solo_sword]

"Exactly," she said. "I'll deny it forever."

[sith_happened]

Anakin's lips curled up in a wicked smile. "Must have been bad."

[solo_sword]

"It wasn't, because it didn't happen," she said. "Did Rory get to see you like that?"

[sith_happened]

Anakin shook his head. "I moved into a completely abandoned house and began fixing the lawn. In December."

[solo_sword]

"You spent the weekend as a black and white squatter?"

[sith_happened]

"I also went to a sock hop with a ruler to make sure kids were leaving space for a spirit," Anakin said.

[solo_sword]

She had, too, but if he didn't see her, even better to be able to say she was totally normal.

"...Space for a spirit?"

[sith_happened]

"I was apparently Quite Protestant, too?" Anakin offered.

[solo_sword]

"You were fun all the way around, huh?" Jaina asked.

[sith_happened]

"Oh, I was a lot of fun at the bowling league," Anakin replied wryly.

[solo_sword]

"And I missed it." Genuine disappointment here.

[sith_happened]

"We can go bowling some other time," Anakin said, "but I play to win."

He meant "cheated".

[solo_sword]

Like Jaina didn't.

"It'll happen," she said. "I'm sticking around for a while, so there's time."

[sith_happened]

Anakin's face lit up. "You're staying past the semester?"

[solo_sword]

She nodded. "I'm not ready to go back yet. Things have been pretty quiet there, and they don't specifically need me right now, which is good because I don't think I'm ready," she said. "Besides, knowing some of the stuff Anakin's going to have coming up, I want to be around if he needs someone who was there."

[sith_happened]

"How close are we?" Anakin murmured, looking suddenly heartsick.

[solo_sword]

"I'm not sure, but I'm not thinking that far ahead," she assured him. "I still have to go blind and there's Yavin and Ben has to get born still. There's still too much to think about that yet."

[sith_happened]

"It's a little terrifying that we have a checklist of events like this," Anakin said. "It's my least favorite part of Fandom."

[solo_sword]

"I like the part where I can feel prepared," Jaina tried.