Dropped in a Fanfic

Chapter 27

"Since I'm already here," he shrugged, but it was a genuine offer.

"Just standing there is enough," I assured. He didn't press, and quiet fell over once more. It wasn't often that we ended up alone. Mostly just in situations like this, when Bail got called away and I stayed behind.

These moments felt the most dangerous.

He wouldn't do anything. I was too much of a wimp to either, but my heart still fumbled whenever I snuck a glance at his form by the glass windows, contemplating the Coruscant skyline. I tried to get him to take a chair early on, even pushing one in his direction, but he wouldn't take it. Standing made him more comfortable, giving him a clear view of the room. It also kept things formal. Him clearly the guard, me clearly the guarded.

We talked sometimes. About Anakin and Ahsoka, or even the kyber. But it wasn't awkward to say nothing, soaking in the silence. There was something inexplicably comforting about his presence. I didn't sink into those contemplative spirals about the fanfic or my place when he was here. I could just stay in the present. Focus on my job. My life, if I ever really had a right to call it mine.

Maybe that was his natural effect on others. Maybe I was just that happy to be close to him, even for a couple hours.

~~~

"Are you hungry?" He murmured.

I perked up, my fingertips pausing over my keypad. "Is it lunch?"

"Yes." His eyes locked on the clock hung on the far wall. I'd had my nose down for so long I hadn't noticed, or how he'd slowly migrated towards the bookshelves against the far wall.

I sat back, stretching my arms up over my head. "What should we get?"

"What would you like?"

"You say that every time I ask," I plopped my chin in my hand, staring, "marker forbid you have preferences, or tell anyone about them."

He folded his arms behind himself. "I don't eat here often, and whatever you decide is always nice."

My smile scrunched. He had a special way of mixing flattery and excuses to turn the tide in his favour. The vanity in me was left fluffed every time, but I wasn't going to give the reaction he wanted.

"We should probably order in," I said, glancing over the stretch of files and paperwork littered next to my holoscreen. Tetralis had shown up as expected, the proposal a 4 inch paper stack tucked carefully under his arm. Bail would have the lovely task of giving the final check before it was sent off. "I'm... not even halfway done."

Obi-wan slowly crossed the room. "It wouldn't hurt to take a break."

I hummed noncommittally, considering it. In truth, a crick in my back had been growing and I could feel the stiffness in my shoulders from the deep hunch I settled into. Fresh air would be nice. It wouldn't hurt to stretch my legs either. "Alright, you've convinced me."

We headed off, navigating the corridors. The nice thing about this place was that everyone was always busy. Unless they were good acquaintances or had something to say, most Senators were happy to leave their greetings at simple smiles and nods. I'd already perfected my polite smile, and Obi-wan was a picture of pleasantness.

Around the mid levels of the building was an atrium, its domed ceiling made up of hexagonal glass planes that refracted the daylight in glittering shapes across the polished floors. Various cafes and food places lined one half, and on the other held abstract sculptures and plant life strategically dotted between sitting tables and stone benches. We took a leisurely pace along the edge of the atrium, looking over our options.