Office hours

[sith_happened]

Anakin's desk was covered in electronics as he spun a tiny screwdriver between his fingers and consulted his schematics again.

It was easier to keep his mind off of unpleasant thoughts when his hands were busy.

The door was open.

[OOC: What Anakin and Molly talked about NFB, please.]

Comments

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Ours or yours?" Rory asked curiously.

[sith_happened]

"Mine," Anakin said. "It needs to be updated."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory bit her lip. "Do you need help?"

[sith_happened]

Anakin took a sip from the cup Rory had brought him and made a face.

"Coffee would be nice," he hinted.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"That will help you sleep," she replied with a small frown. "You need it. I'm a woman with a mission, and when I know you've slept a full eight hours, you can have coffee again."

[sith_happened]

"You first," Anakin muttered not-quite under his breath.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I slept last night," she said more loudly. "Went to bed at midnight, got up at seven-thirty. So hush."

She pulled out the paper. "Did you read the interview?"

[sith_happened]

"I did," he replied. "You did an excellent job with it."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"It could've been better," she said, biting her lip. "The picture came out nice though."

[sith_happened]

"I didn't know I looked that scary," he said quietly.

He wasn't exactly up to looking into the mirror yet.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"You don't look scary," Rory said, blinking. "You're cu - "

Oh, the blushing. "You're...not scary."

[sith_happened]

Anakin smiled. "I'm cuddly?" he tried.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory snorted. "Hardly."

She steeled up her courage, and said, "You're actually kind of attractive. Not for me," she hastened to add, "but it's certainly an improvement over the suit."

[sith_happened]

Anakin's cheeks went red. "Good to know," he said softly. "Not that I was ever planning on putting that suit on again."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I'd recommend against it," Rory said dryly. "It'd make a hell of a Halloween costume, though."

[sith_happened]

Anakin tried to repress a shudder.

It almost worked.

"I think I'll pass."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory's expression softened. "Still a little raw for me to be making jokes, huh?"

[sith_happened]

He nodded. "It was claustrophobic and I hated it."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I can't imagine what it was like," she whispered. "I tried, and it was horrible."

[sith_happened]

Anakin looked up sharply. "Don't try," he said. "Please. I've made you miserable enough."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory's mouth twitched upwards at that. "You realize that by telling me not to think about something, I won't be able to not do it, right?"

[sith_happened]

"That wasn't my intention," Anakin said, cheeks flaming up. "I'd been working on it and I could breathe without the helmet on for almost 20 seconds."

It had taken close to 20 years to get there, too. The man's sheer stubbornness was its own force of nature.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory's brows went up. "You told me it didn't come off."

[sith_happened]

"It wasn't supposed to," Anakin said. "I mean, there were components to it--it wasn't welded to my skull or anything--but for almost twenty years, when I looked in the mirror, that's what I saw."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Was your vision clear, or did you have....I don't know, crosshairs or something?" she asked quietly.