'How come you still haven't reset Artoo? Isn't it protocol to reset droids after a certain amount of time?'
'Only when them gaining humanoid-like emotions becomes an issue. And considering Artoo's not owned by the senate anymore, I get to decide whether he needs a reset.'
Anakin was underneath his ETA-2 starfighter on a creeper. With his back supported by the tool, Anakin worked on the ship above him with a toolbox next to him on the floor. Anakin, Sol and R2-D2 sat in the hanger underneath the Jedi Temple, where the ships of the Jedi were stored when they weren't required for transportation. Personal ships of Jedi and carrier ships were stationed there, and droids worked on the repairs and upkeep in the solitude of the underground hanger.
Sol sat on the wing of Anakin's starfighter with her legs dangling over the edge. Below her was the exposed legs of the tinkerer, who was the culprit of the sounds of clanking metal and twisting valves that could be heard from underneath the ship. R2 was sat on the ground, having recently been updated by Anakin. The droid had his covers taken off to have his circuits surveyed before Anakin was able to make some personal adjustments that could prove to be useful on missions. Afterall, R2 was a gift from Padme, as a sign of her appreciation for being her bodyguard in the previous year.
'You know, he's technically my droid, too,' Sol said as she looked at the R2 unit below her. 'Padme said it was a gift for both of us, and Threepio went with her, remember?'
'Well, since Threepio was my droid, he was never yours to trade,' Anakin rolled out from under the ship to send her a smirk with raised eyebrows. 'And besides, Artoo doesn't even like you.'
'That's not true! Artoo, do you like me?'
A series of beeps sounded and the red light on his front panel lit up as he talked. Sol looked blankly at the droid and blinked in confusion, before looking back down at Anakin from the wing to see he held his same smirk on his perfect sculpted face.
'I didn't understand that. What did he say?' Sol asked and Anakin rolled his eyes, before sliding back under the ship. The tinkering was heard again, and Sol huffed, knowing that she wasn't going to get an answer out of the Skywalker. She looked back to R2, trying to give a pleading look for her previous question. She saw the front panel open, and a metal rod folded out to bend like an arm. Currents of electricity buzzed from its tip and the droid looked directly at her as it showed its gesture. He then folded the arm back up into his body and the panel closed, sounding some more beeps.
She didn't know what R2 meant, but she hoped that he had motioned a thumbs up, and not another rude gesture.
'Why did you go and see Padme yesterday?' Anakin asked, his voice loud to be heard from underneath the ship.
'Just to catch up. She says she has been busy.'
'I bet. I know Chancellor Palpatine has been working non-stop at finding these separatist bases.'
'How do you know about Chancellor Palpatine's paranoia?'
Sol watched as Anakin rolled himself out from underneath his ship and sat up on the creeper. Without turning to her, Anakin called for R2 to dispense him his lightsaber. R2 was holding it in the compartment in his head, and Sol didn't want to ask what he would need his weapon for when tinkering with a starfigher. She was more interested in how Anakin was aware of the chancellor and his endeavours with the separatist movement.
'Ani?'
Anakin sighed at the second call for an answer. With his saber in hand, Anakin let his hand fall with his elbows leaning on his propped-up knees. He reluctantly turned his head up to Sol and looked at her with a small grimace. Sol raised her eyebrows in question and waited for Anakin to speak.
'I-I'm close to the chancellor. He's been there for me since I was a boy,' Anakin admitted with his gaze shifting around the hanger. 'He told me about the separatist bases and about how he's concerned. The Council doesn't like that I talk to him as much as I do, but I don't care. The chancellor is different from Jedi. He has more of a ... realistic view on things.'
'I'm not opposed to you being friends with the chancellor, Ani. That's your choice,' Sol said, and Anakin's tense shoulders sagged, relieved to not be judged. 'But I can see why the Council don't like your friendship with him.'
Sol left the subject at that, and Anakin was grateful for this. He rolled back underneath the ship and Sol heard the ignition of his lightsaber. The hum of its searing blade slicing through something was heard before the blade was sheathed. The curiosity got the better of Sol and she slid off the wing and dropped to the ground next to Anakin's legs. Her boots let out a soft thud and she dropped onto one knee. While R2 whistled from behind her, Sol lowered her head to look underneath the starfighter to see what he had needed his weapon for.
What Sol didn't account for, was the sudden roll of the creeper as Anakin pushed himself out from underneath the ship. Before she could jump to stand, Anakin's face stopped to be inches from hers. The only difference was that Anakin was reclined on his back, allowing Sol to be the one hovering over him, when he was usually the taller one. Sol was speechless as she saw the harsh blue eyes that stared back at her, and the raised blonde eyebrows at the sudden closeness, was all that Sol could process.
Anakin didn't move an inch and would usually struggle to keep his head up in the awkward position, but he didn't seem to notice the strain in his neck. Sol was a breath away and she wasn't moving. The hanger was quiet, and the faint sounds of mechanic droids became a whisper. It would be the perfect, secluded opportunity to act. No Jedi were around, and they were ducked behind the starfighter from any droids that happened to wander by.
Lips were close and Sol could feel their Force signatures flaring. She was drawn to Anakin, as if the Force was pulling her downwards. Her lips parted and she noticed Anakin's do the same, making it even harder to pull herself out of the moment. They were closer and getting closer, and Sol could smell the sweet scent that he always carried. Sol's judgement was dulled, and she didn't hear her Jedi mind that told her to stop. There was only Anakin and his lips.
A whistle pitched in their ears and Sol jumped backwards. Anakin shot up from his laying position and had to stop the creeper from rolling him back into the belly of his starfighter. His legs flew up to regain his balance, while Sol fell onto her backside with her palms on the floor behind her. The two met eyes; now out of their trance and their hearts racing, before they looked to the culprit of the whistle.
R2 had moved to be in the space between Anakin and Sol, the droid having moved from his original place in a matter of seconds while the Jedi were preoccupied. His whistle had left a ring in their ears, and they were about to scold the droid before they heard in pursuit footsteps from behind the ship. Sol and Anakin mutually thought to get to their feet as the footsteps moved around the ship and in their direction. R2 backed away as the two stood beside each other, turning just in time to see Master Obi-wan appear.
'There you two are. I've been looking for you everywhere,' he said, his hands on his hips and his tone seeming oblivious to what he had interrupted. Anakin and Sol's cheeks had flushed a light pink and R2 stayed silent beside them as they tried to keep themselves together.
'Sounds like we've got a mission together. We're going to Ahch-To,' Obi-wan cheered. 'It'll be a bit of a history lesson for us all. Did you know that it's said that Ahch-To was where the first Jedi Order was? How exciting.'
Neither could find their words to reply to Obi-wan. Anakin attempted to at least acknowledge the man, but was too flustered to be able to form a sentence. Slurs tumbled out of his mouth, and his attempt drifted off into nothing, making the Jedi Master look at the young man with creased eyebrows. Sol wanted to groan and R2 let out a beep, making Obi-wan's eyes flicker to the droid before returning to the two Jedi Knights.
'Are you two alright?' he asked in concern. 'Is there something wrong with your ship, Anakin?'
'N-No... we were just... talking,' Anakin was able to gather a sentence together, but it wasn't enough to throw Obi-wan off their trail.
'About what?'
'About Padme,' Sol jumped in, feigning a happy attitude and tone. 'I went to see her yesterday and we were laughing at something she said. You know some of the things that come out of that senator's mouth.'
'I see...' Obi-wan narrowed his eyes for a moment and looked between Sol and Anakin, before his suspicions dropped and he clapped his hands together. 'Well, anyway, we'll be leaving this afternoon. I think we'll take Captain Rex's team, don't you think, Anakin?'
'Yes... of course.'
'Right. I'll be off then. Hello, Artoo.'
The droid whistled and Obi-wan turned to leave. Anakin and Sol leaned to the right in synchrony to make sure he was out of hearing distance before their stiff postures slacked with loud sighs. Their heartrates slowed and they looked to each other, knowing that their situation was now even more complicated, but the rush of the exciting events was enough for them to ignore that for the time being.
'Thanks, Artoo,' Anakin said through his sighs to regain his stature. The tone that he was going to have with R2 changed from irritated to thankful in minutes, as Obi-wan could have seen the way Sol and Anakin were inches away from kissing with the droid's interuption.
Sol followed suit and turned to the droid who had made them aware of Obi-wan's impending presence. Although she was flustered and struggled to look at Anakin as he packed away his toolbox, she nodded her head at R2 and said,
'Yes, thank you, Artoo.'