Office hours [all day]

[sith_happened]

A week away without the baby? Anakin had loved it, even if he had begun feeling vaguely guilty about leaving her by Thursday.

Which was why he was now updating the photos in his office (which would also be helpful for when alumni stopped by during the weekend, he thought) and humming "Sweet Caroline" under his breath.

Rory swore that Juliet loved the song. Anakin rather suspected it had something more to do with the guy with the hair and the guitar from Squee singing it.

Either way, the door was open.

Comments

[solo_sword]

"Whatever I'm ready to talk about," Jaina replied. "I don't just dump my problems all over people." And frankly, even if she'd come a long way in addressing certain issues, she didn't see herself starting that anytime soon. She was only trying it now because she felt she had to.

[sith_happened]

"Most people wouldn't view it as you dumping on them," Anakin replied. "It would be you talking about things you've been holding in for years. We can't understand you or how you think if we don't know how you got there."

[solo_sword]

"And that's part of it. There are never ever simple explanations for things. I talk to John, because he knows me and he's seen what it is I deal with all the time. Tahiri's known me long enough to begin with, and add in that she's from about the same time, Rose knows about balancing a job with everything else... It doesn't take explanation, and no one's going to tell me I'm not doing it right. It's just easier sometimes." And she felt bad about that, but it was how it was.

[sith_happened]

Anakin bit back a number of unhelpful comments before replying with a simple, "Uh huh."

Because if she didn't think he didn't understand war, balancing work and family, or life in their home galaxy, there wasn't anything he could do to convince her.

[solo_sword]

"Everyone thinks I work too much, or tells me I need to lighten up. So fine, I try, because it makes them feel better and maybe they'll stop being so concerned. Only that's still not good enough," she said. "I'm doing better than I have since the start of this war. If that's not good enough, then that's too bad. Amazingly that doesn't go over well with people."

And she knew he had issues with her balancing, or at least that was how it seemed, but most of the time now she was fine there.

[sith_happened]

"You think the amount of defensiveness you have about it might have something to do with that?" Anakin asked, keeping his voice even. "Because I very much doubt it's them trying to change you into someone you aren't and is more worrying that you'll burn out before you graduate high school."

Or at least that was his concern.

[solo_sword]

"You think maybe I'm defensive because I hear it from everyone all the time?" she countered. "I get it. I'm not dumb, and I'm not being intentionally difficult. No one ever considers that maybe being the twenty-year-old doing teenager things might be a little weird for me, either. Or that I don't want to go to the bar to look like I'm being social. I had a problem, I did what I could to fix it, I'd think that should be the end of it."

[sith_happened]

"And I am not harping on this because I want to be right about everything," Anakin replied. "I'm not saying you need to be obsessed with makeup or start living at a mall or whatever it is that teenagers on this planet do. I just want you to take a break because you realize that taking a break is healthy, not because you think taking a break will make me shut up and you're counting down the seconds until you can go back to doing something you think is more useful."

[solo_sword]

"I've had six trips since July that weren't for work," Jaina pointed out. "I do some work on them when I can, sure, but six vacations. That's ridiculous for anyone."

[sith_happened]

"It's good for you," Anakin insisted quietly. "You don't have to defend your time away."

[solo_sword]

"That's what I'm saying. And yet I still get people telling me to take breaks and go out more, and you know what, no. I'm good here. That's the thing, everyone wants to help, but it's not helping," she said. "I really am truly, honestly fine here."

[sith_happened]

Anakin watched her eyes for a moment, listening for nudges in the Force, before nodding. "Very well. But when you're not, don't stonewall me?"

[solo_sword]

If he was accepting that, she could give that much. "Okay," she agreed.

[sith_happened]

"Okay," he repeated, giving her a tiny smile. "You do know I love you, right?"

For Anakin, that took a lot to say aloud.

[solo_sword]

"I know. I love you too." Really, if she didn't, she wouldn't have kept showing up with all these issues hanging there. "I feel like we should be congratulating ourselves for this."

[sith_happened]

"Having an adult conversation about issues?"

[solo_sword]

"It's us," she said, thinking that explained her point.

[sith_happened]

"You said I didn't listen," he said quietly. "I'm working on it."

[solo_sword]

"Thanks," she said. Seriously, that went a long way after all this. "I should let you get back to it. I'll see you next week."