Office hours [all day]

[sith_happened]

Darth Vader's office door was open, but there was no trace of the dark caped monster.

Instead, there was a tall young man cleaning the room with the vigor of the truly dedicated.

The soft music coming out of the room made it very obvious that there was someone new in charge.

[OOC: Open, but slowplay because work sucks unto a Hoover...]

Comments

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Good, 'cause no one's going to be inviting you," she said crankily. "Are you going to keep teaching here?"

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded, not meeting her eyes. "Fandom has always felt like home."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

The quickest trace of a smile passed over Rory's lips before she said, "Even for the last six months?"

[sith_happened]

"Even then," Anakin said, finally meeting her eyes.

She'd recognize that look.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Don't look at me like that," she said, immediately dropping her eyes and coloring significantly.

[sith_happened]

Anakin blushed as well.

Then remembered another time someone had told him that and blushed even harder.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory crossed her arms around herself. "Who have you talked to so far?" she finally asked, desperate for a change of subject.

[sith_happened]

"Aeryn," Anakin replied promptly, equally grateful for the subject change. "And John. Isabel and Sam Carter. Xander and Molly. Dean. Zack."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Does anyone aside from Aeryn and me know the truth?" she asked very softly, watching him.

[sith_happened]

"Luke?" Anakin said, totally avoiding the question.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory's brows flicked up. "You need to tell people."

[sith_happened]

"I know," he said, focusing on the floor. "I'm going to tell John very, very soon. I don't want to lie to him any more."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"And Molly? Do you know who had to tell her you had died?" she asked very quietly.

[sith_happened]

He winced. "No," he said. "She still doesn't believe that I died. I think I like it better that way."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Me too, considering I was the one who sat there with my arm around her and explained that you might be alive thanks to alternate universes, just like Sam did for me when I was simultaneously mourning you and thinking I was carrying your baby."

Rory paused for a moment, and added, "Good times."

[sith_happened]

Anakin's shoulders had hunched up around his ears as he curled in on himself.

"There's never going to be enough 'I'm sorry', is there?" he whispered, eyes bright with tears he refused to shed.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

And something in Rory cracked a little there.

"Not really," she said, her voice almost gentle. "But you're making a good start. I'm just...it's a lot. Eat your waffles."

[sith_happened]

Anakin poked at them like moving it around the plate was going to make them disappear.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Anakin, I'm not going to feed you," Rory said in that same soft tone of voice. "But I won't leave until I see you finish them."

[sith_happened]

Anakin let out a long sigh. "I'm the grown up here, you know," he said.

He sounded tired, not angry.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"No, you're a grown-up," she replied. "I might be younger, but the country recognizes me as an adult, and so should you. So shut up and eat. You need food and you need a good nap, and if you're not going to take care of yourself, then I'm going to take it upon myself to do it."

[sith_happened]

Anakin bit his lip to hide a smile. "Yes, ma'am," he murmured, then took a few bites from his waffles.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"And stop worrying about me," she added after a moment. "I'm getting better. I actually slept quite a bit and I've been eating more."

[sith_happened]

Anakin gestured at her waffles. "Prove it."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory took a huge, rather unladylike bite, and raised her brows at him in a gesture of defiance.