Heyo, human beings from outer space!
Sooooo, I got this idea from @ashskywalker66 so thank you so much to her for letting me use her idea.
Read on if you dare.
Ahsoka shuttered as the thoughts of the previous mission flashed through her mind. Anakin cursed at their quarter's lock that wasn't opening. He jammed the keycard into the slit again, nearly bending it from the impact. It didn't work so he growled and cursed again.
Sighing, Ahsoka typed in the punch code and the door slid open.
"I-I was gonna do that next..." Anakin muttered.
Ahsoka rolled her eyes, trying to scrape some of her usual attitudes. "Sure, Skyguy. Sure." She left him searching for a witty response at the door.
Meanwhile, Ahsoka marched straight to the refresher to take a shower. She hoped it would help her relax. She wanted nothing more than to do just that- she'd seen too much for being 14 and she wanted it out of her head. Since it wasn't that simple, relaxing would do sufficiently.
Except, though relaxing was simple, it wasn't easy. Even after her shower, every muscle in Ahsoka's body was tense. She wrapped herself in large robes rather than her tube top, but she still trembled. She curled up on the couch, but she still couldn't relax. She was exhausted, but she couldn't even close her eyes.
Anakin collapsed on the couch next to her and she jumped. Ugh, now she was going to decide to be jumpy, too.
Anakin looked every bit of exhausted that she felt. He also looked relaxed- something she wanted desperately to feel.
Ahsoka had an idea of what could calm her down. She just had to ask Anakin... no, she was afraid. He could be angry or worse- laugh at her.
"Do you need something, Snips?" Anakin breathed.
"What?"
"Do you need anything? It was a rough campaign. You want something to eat or some water or to watch a show?" Anakin lifted his head.
"Oh," Ahsoka hesitated. "There's one thing. Could I... Could I maybe... uh, braid your hair?"
Anakin gave her a questioning look and Ahsoka regretted asking. He didn't look angry or like he was about to laugh, but she was embarrassed anyways. Ahsoka felt inclined to continue.
"Senator Amidala taught me, and it's very relaxing. I just thought it might help," Ahsoka felt very small.
"Sure thing, Snips," Anakin replied.
Ahsoka perked up.
"Want me to sit on the floor? I mean, you are pretty tiny..."
"Hey!" Ahsoka grunted. "No, you can sit on the couch."
"Okay, but I'm telling you, you won't be able to reach my head," Anakin said in a sing-song voice.
Ahsoka knew this. She simply couldn't resist trying to show him up. So Anakin slumped on the couch and Ahsoka stood on her knees on the armrest.
Ahsoka started twining her fingers through his hair. She worked out some knots and combed through some dirt. Then she sectioned it four times.
Careful not to pull any of his hair, Ahsoka began the braid. She started out with only three tiny strands. Then she slowly added more and more to the top of each side as she worked her way down.
For the next section, Ahsoka did the same thing. The only thing she did differently was that she added the hair to the bottom instead of the top.
By that point, snores had begun escaping Anakin's mouth. Ahsoka giggled. Braiding hair must be relaxing for him, too.
Ahsoka probably should've stopped. She could've woken him up if he pulled too hard. But she didn't stop.
He sleeps like a dead bantha, Ahsoka decided. Almost nothing wakes him up.
The next two sections were soon wound into several tiny lines of braids. Ahsoka felt her head tipping and she had to straighten it. She couldn't sleep, not yet. She had to take the braids out first.
Ahsoka fingered at the elastic holding Anakin's braid in place. She paused to rub her tired eyes. She had to stay awake a little bit longer. She had to take his hair out of the braids.
Before Ahsoka could snap the elastic with her sharp fingernails, she felt herself slump onto Anakin's shoulders. She didn't care anymore- it felt good to sleep. Ahsoka allowed herself to drift into the relaxing sleep that she had wanted.
* * *
Obi-Wan knew his padawans well. He also knew that the mission they had just returned from had been rough. He knew that Anakin might fall asleep like a rock, but Ahsoka would definitely have much more trouble.
No one opened the door to their quarters when Obi-Wan knocked, so he invited himself inside. What he saw was not expected.
Anakin slouched on the couch, facing a direction that someone on a couch normally wouldn't face. His hair had been wound into many braids that lined his head.
None other than Ahsoka herself was draped over Anakin's shoulder. She curled into herself on the armrest, fingernail under one of the elastic bands holding Anakin's hair in a braid.
Obi-Wan chuckled and shook his head. He scooped Ahsoka into his arms and moved her to the other side of the couch. He found two blankets, one for Ahsoka and one for Anakin. Then he left them in peace.
Padawans...
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Word Count: 901
Published: Feb. 5, 2022
Woo! I did it! I hope you enjoyed, especially you, Ash!
Requests are open!
Bye, peoples!