Star Wars the Clone Wars - One shots

What's this? - Part 1

Anakin has a scar on the back of his neck. Ahsoka wants to know what it's from.

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Ahsoka hates ice planets.

She always has, and she always will.

Anakin knows she hates them- as he's not the biggest fan himself- so he always ensures her big fluffy coat in on the kit list. Without it, he would need his lightsaber to defrost her by the end of whatever mission they're on.

Even in her coat, Ahsoka's freezing. Her toes are numb, her hands have gone a light orange which she's just managing to hide from the medics, and if her montrals weren't hidden under a padded hood, they could be carved like an ice sculpture.

The cold makes her miserable.

She doesn't mind fighting droids or having to carefully step across thin ice, but it's really the general coldness that gets to her. Master Plo once told her that- as a youngling- she would never run barefoot like the rest of her clanmates. She always had to wear fluffy socks or slips, which he found- in his words- 'amusingly adorable'.

He's such a dad, he puts Obi-Wan and Anakin to shame.

"Keep up, Ahsoka!" Anakin calls from the front of the group, prodding her through their bond. Sighing, she widens her strides, trying to ignore the way the cold seeps through her bones like venom.

The medics stick close by- probably by Anakin's orders- and push energy pouches into her numb fingers whenever they stop for a break. Before they set off, Rex gave her his buff which he wears under his helmet so she can cover her mouth and nose as they trek across the treacherous ice, but when they stop for surveillance, Ahsoka pulls the buff all the way up so it covers her eyes, allowing her breath to warm up her entire face.

Usually, she would refuse the extra help, but the guys have a higher body temperature than her, and their cold climate gear is far superior to her coat and boots. So, this time, she accepts the buff and rations without protest.

She's still cold, but the spirit of unity amongst her men spreads a warmth through her chest.

After fourteen hours, Anakin finally announces that they'll be setting up camp.

It's not nice to sleep with a bedroll being the only thing to separate her body from pure ice, but it's better than hiking for klicks on end.

She doesn't sit near the fire to eat her hot rations which Anakin kindly makes for her. Instead, she sits in her sleeping bag, huddled inside the tent that she'll be sharing with her Master. It's snug for the two of them, and that sucks on hot planets, but it's nice when it's cold.

Anakin joins her for dinner instead of socialising with the men, saying he could use a sit down as well and the tent will warm up faster if they're both in there. He's not much company whilst he's hungry and tired, but Ahsoka doesn't fancy too much conversation considering she's freezing her lekku off.

"Beats Tatooine, right?" She tries to joke as she waits for him to finish his meal.

"I got used to the sand, even though I didn't like it," he murmurs between mouthfuls, "but I'll never get used to snow."

"Neither," she agrees, and they slip back into silence.

Soon enough, Anakin suggests they settle down for the night. It's got warmer inside the tent, but once she's laid down and can feel the hardness of the ice beneath her, Ahsoka's tiredness suddenly evaporates and she's left wide awake and cold whilst Anakin snores like a bantha beside her.

How he's comfortable enough to sleep, she'll never know. Anakin usually stays up well into the early hours, so his exhaustion is a clear sign that trekking across the ice wore down even the toughest Jedi Knight in the entire GAR.

Ahsoka curls into a ball, tucking her hands into her armpits to try to warm her fingers. She closes her eyes, trying desperately to sleep, but not succeeding. It's too cold. She hears Anakin sit up beside her, and then a rustle of fabric disturbs her montrals which are hypersensitive from the cold.

She cracks an eye open, seeing Anakin is in the process of removing his outer tunic. "Are you hot?" She asks, astounded.

He jumps slightly, not realising she's still awake as he glances down at her, "I'm near boiling in here, Snips; are you-" he pauses, eyes glinting in the low light as he watches her, "You're shivering."

"It's minus thirty degrees." She mutters, curling in on herself even more.

Anakin sighs, and she hears him tugging the zip of his sleeping bag, "Come on, then."

She lifts her head up, "What?"

"I'm not waiting around for an evac in the morning because you got hypothermia." He says in a teasing tone, even though she knows he's serious. "Climb in."

"Fine," she mutters, sliding out of her own sleeping bag and shuddering as the cool air hits her exposed skin.

Anakin takes her arm to guide her into his sleeping bag- he always forgets that her Togruta eyesight is far better than a human's, especially in the dark. She presses against the heat of his forearm, her lip quivering at how delightfully hot his skin feels against hers.

She slides her legs inside his sleeping bag, instantly marvelling at how warm it is. Anakin's like a heater. "Thanks," she mutters.

"Try to get some sleep." He yawns, laying down as well but turning his back to her.

Ahsoka scans his back, feeling the warmth radiate off his base layer. They aren't touching, but she feels like she's wrapped in a warm hug.

It's nice- feeling a normal temperature on a planet made of ice.

Her eyes travel Anakin's form as she waits for sleep to take her. Her Master's usually clad in Jedi robes, so it's strange to see his clearly defined muscles through his shirt. She wonders how much he can press. Rex can squat about a hundred kilograms, so Anakin- with his heightened strength from the Force- should be able to lift-

"Stop eyeing me up," Anakin mutters, and Ahsoka feels her lekku flush with embarrassment.

She lifts her eyes to the back of his head, suddenly curious as to how his hair feels. Having none herself, Ahsoka has always been fascinated by the concept of styling and cutting hair. Sometimes, she runs her fingers through the hair of men who have been injured. It soothes them, and it satisfies her curiosity.

Anakin moves his head, probably still feeling her eyes on him, and his longish hair falls to the side, revealing his neck. Ahsoka frowns, her Togruta-sharp eyesight narrowing on something she hasn't noticed before.

She takes a breath before speaking, "Master?"

He hums tiredly in response.

"What's this?" She lifts a hand, tapping the thin, silver scar which sits at the base of his neck, no longer than her pinkie finger in length. It doesn't look like a battle scar- it looks surgical.

Anakin goes tense.

He turns suddenly, and she drops her hand, expecting to see him glowering at her, but instead, Anakin keeps his eyes closed.

"Master?"

"Go to sleep, Ahsoka." He snaps, "I don't like repeating myself."

His tone is clipped, stern. Usually, when it's just them, Anakin never refers to her as anything other than 'Snips'. She knows she's lucky he didn't call her 'Padawan' or else she'd really be in his bad books.

With a light sigh, Ahsoka closes her eyes. She adds the scar on the back of his neck to the list of topics that Anakin will absolutely refuse to talk about, along with Tatooine, his family, and his past.