The way to get started is to quit talking and begin utilizing her talents.
Year 6
———————
Kat
I've been in a Lambda-shuttle twice, but somehow, they weren't quite what I'd hoped for in the perfect white ship I saw so long ago. This one though, Vader's command shuttle, it lives up to my expectations. The systems are top-of-the-line and probably updated often. Or, hell, maybe Vader wrecks his ships and just gets new ones, so it's always the most updated technology.
The thought of him crashing somewhere other than Mustafar sends shivers down my spine. He and Yellow Eyes both live big lives outside of me—how often did they get hurt? Were they in danger every time they left the planet?
An uncomfortable feeling creeps up my spine. Maybe it's because he's planted a seed in my mind that I might be able to really help him one day, help him understand his body mods. Whatever it is, I wish I could do more to help him and his master. I haven't tried cracking the algorithm for Vader's suit in over a month, maybe it's time to try again.
Shaking my attention back to the shuttle as I enter the cockpit, I lift an eyebrow and do a quick spin. It is impeccable, not a speck of dirt on the floor or dust on surfaces. He didn't look at me when I boarded, fiddling with the navigation, and thankfully, he doesn't comment on my twirl, either.
I sit without wasting any more time, which ends up being a good decision. He takes off before I'm fully strapped in, and apparently, he still doesn't look at me while I examine the ship and play with the computers because when I'm finally satiated and pick the book up off my lap, he makes a small sound of amusement.
"A book?"
I nod, but it is my turn not to look at him, instead searching for the page I was on. One.
Time ticks by, the ship silent except for light, occasional beeps, and the sound of my own breathing. I reread the same page over and over, unable to comprehend any of it with Yellow Eyes next to me. I don't think he has stopped looking at me since he jumped to hyperspace, and it makes me feel warm and nervous.
"How long have we been flying, Kitten?" I look up in surprise before glancing at the screen.
"Almost two hours, sir," I answer with a curious expression. It doesn't feel like it has been that long. Though I'm anxious and excited and allowed my thoughts to go wherever, the time had passed with an undeniable pleasant ease.
"You must be the slowest reader to have ever lived." I give him a dirty look, the lovely ease dropping away. It only makes him chuckle before he elaborates. "You haven't turned the page once."
I sigh when I realize he isn't exaggerating, I'm still on the first page. In my defense, it isn't a page-turner to start with. I decided against bringing any sort of romance because I can still see a dream I've had of him making me read one to him. Since I'm not confident that isn't something he'd request of me, I chose a thrilling book on...
I close it to glance at the cover. Oh. Right. Histories of Known Hyperspace Phenomena. As I said, thrilling.
I toss it into another chair. When I peek over at him, he has a crooked grin that says he thinks he's gotten something he wanted from me.
"I should be offended you thought you would be so bored with me you'd need a book." A smile almost breaks across my face but I manage to look back into hyperspace. Is he flirting with me?
"I don't get bored."
"That's obvious. Everyone else at the palace is itching to get reassigned."
I'm silent for a moment, remembering my unusual boredom during those early months of being stranded on Mustafar. I hadn't been positive I'd ever leave the planet, yet I finally am.
"Did you know Mustafar calms for two hours every day?" His smile fades as he gives me a curious look. He must've expected me to joke.
"I've seen it calm, of course."
I nod and settle deeper into my chair. "It's a two to three-hour event, and it happens an hour later each day. Every thirty-seven hours. I've deduced it has something to do with the planet's chaotic rotation and the closest moon. I think the delay in time has something to do with the moon because its axis is unique to this system. It changes. No one has bothered to figure out why, as far as I can tell."
I'm just babbling, talking to fill the silence. I don't sound particularly interested, though I am. I am just so nervous under his full attention.
"I'm intrigued," he says after a pause, his gaze finally off me and out into space. It encourages me to go on.
"I used those hours to explore the planet before I met you. I was...restless. I don't know why. As I said, I don't get bored."
"Your body's survival instincts, perhaps. Staying stagnant was more dangerous than seeing what was outside the compound."
"Hmmm." That's an interesting theory, one I hadn't considered.
I'm still tossing the idea around when he speaks again. "So, why bring a book then?"
"So you wouldn't feel obligated to entertain me," I say honestly, seeing no reason to lie.
"I am not obligated to do anything for you, Kitten."
"So you sent me books because you wanted to?" I try to tease, but I refuse to look at him.
"Precisely. I assumed you didn't know who sends them, as you never thank me." I hear the teasing deep beneath his tone, so I smile at the hyperspace swirls.
"I figured if you wanted thanks, you would have left a note. Nor did I assume they were mine. Just a loan. But thank you," I finish quietly, hoping he hears the sincerity.
"They're yours. You should look at someone when you thank them." My heart picks up speed at the low way he says it. I move slower than I should, but I'm scared. Not scared for my life, exactly. Just scared. Perhaps because this feels so normal, and neither of us is normal.
But, I do meet his eyes, pleased by the amusement in them. "Thank you, sir."
He lets out a little huff. "You really haven't figured out who I am? Or created a name for me? You've worked for me for six years years, Kitten." My heart picks up at this because is he going to tell me his name?
"I call you Yellow Eyes." I think his lips twitch.
"I am aware. You say it around the droids," he adds when I narrow my eyes at him.
We just stare for a moment too long, and when I do finally respond, I want to jump out of the airlock in embarrassment.
"I would like to know your name," I say in a tone so quiet, I must sound like the whisper of a human. I want nothing more—to know his name would change everything. He would become real to me, more than just the mysterious man I dream about.
He grunts and breaks eye contact, and I happily look away once more. My heart still seems to be going too fast, too hard.
"If I tell you my name, you cannot say it around people, and you cannot look me up. I need you to respect this about me, Kitten." I always respect him.
"Records of the Jedi are gone," I say with a shrug. So, maybe that is why Letty has never seen him, why he creeps around without being noticed. He is recognizable.
"You have balls bigger than most hardened men, little one," he says, causing my head to jerk to him in surprise. He laughs and grips his stomach. I assume that means he was joking...
"Seriously, those are my stipulations," he says once he chills out.
"Okay, I agree to them, but you don't have to tell me. I did think of a nickname for you once, but I refuse to tell you," I add with a grin.
Please tell me your name. Please tell me.
"Alright. That changes my stipulations. I'm adding one. You'll tell me the nickname."
I shake my head. "First, I already agreed to your terms, you can't change it after—"
"I can do whatever I want."
"And second, it isn't bad. But you'll still hate it."
"Three terms, little one," he says after a pause, holding up three fingers.
"Gods," I mutter. "Fine."
"You tell me first."
"Puppy." He raises an eyebrow, but I look away, my cheeks redder than they've ever been, I'm sure. "It's not a play on 'kitten.' You looked at me once," I begin.
"I've looked at you more than—"
I laugh and wave my hand to cut him off. "Shut up," I say with a giggle. "You're so annoying.
"Like a puppy?"
"No!" I burst into laughter, embarrassed by it. I cover my smile with my elbow and shake my head. "The way you looked at me, you had these puppy dog eyes, like you wanted something from me. I thought you were silently pleading for me to understand something, but I don't even remember what we were talking about. The name just popped into my head."
"Well you're right, I don't like it."
I smile to myself. "I know."
He is quiet for a while, and I wait, nervous once more.
"My name is Anakin."
My chin lifts as I frown into space. It takes a moment, but when it clicks, I snap to face him, my chair finally spinning toward him. I may not have known much about the Clone Wars at the time, but there were a handful of names mentioned often enough. And though as far as I can tell, much of the history has been wiped clean, some reports of a certain Jedi remain.
"The fucking hero of the Clone Wars?" I'm so shocked I don't even notice I just cussed at him.
He simply raises an eyebrow. "You know of me, but not what I look like." Though he is keeping his face even, I hear a hint of satisfaction beneath his words. Either for his reputation or my knowledge of it, I can't be sure.
"Father didn't let me watch holos. I was only ever allowed to read about current events. He said they were too bloody, and I argued you were fighting droids. He said Jedi bleed like everyone else. I didn't believe him at the time because I always heard tales of the Separatists 'almost' getting a Jedi." I'm rambling again, just saying exactly what pops into my mind.
"It was bloody. The clones bled. They lived and died that war."
I look at him again. It was subtle, but there was a flutter of something in his tone. Regret, maybe. Suddenly I remember what the stormtrooper said so long ago, that Vader employed clones. There must be more than just Hammer.
So, Vader and Anakin likely worked together before the Republic fell. Who did that make Vader?
"What were they like?"
He smiles, a distant one as if his mind is far away. "Loyal. To the extreme. A bit like someone else I know."
This makes me grin like a damn fool. It is the best—possibly the only—compliment he's ever given me.
I know I am inching toward a line he doesn't want me to cross, so I decide to steer the conversation away from the Jedi.
"Thank you," I say softly and lean the side of my head into the seat to look at him. I'm glad he sees my loyalty.
"I didn't know you accepted compliments."
I'm trying not to smile but failing. "To be as loyal as someone actually engineered to be loyal is a fairly flattering one."
He smiles into the hyperspace swirls. "I've met a lot of people, Kitten. You are the most loyal one I've ever met."
"But you knew—" I stop myself. "I apologize. It's still new information to me, that slipped out." He doesn't want to speak of the Jedi, this was clear. I am such a fool sometimes.
He finally looks at me sideways. "Thank you," he says after simply staring at me for too long. My heart slams against my chest. "I appreciate you, Kitten. I don't appreciate much, but I appreciate you."
Oh gods. It is too much. I can't keep this up. My heart and stomach are dancing with glee.
"I think we're getting a bit too sappy, here," I say with a faint smile, which causes him to give me one in return.
"The books you read sound sappy, but you don't want it in your life."
"The honest answer?" He nods. "I feel things fluttering around inside me, and I don't recognize them, and they're scary."
He lets out a long, dejected sigh. "Yeah." Then, after a pause, "Yeah. I agree. I recognize them though. And they're still scary."
I want to ask if it's because loss is scary, but I'm not about to push him. I also don't think I can handle a conversation about feelings with him, because mine are far too strong.
Anakin. Anakin. I like it. I don't see a Jedi when I look at him, though I can imagine him being one, once. His eyes often look haunted, though, the kind of stare you only see in war veterans.
"Where are we going?" He looks at the chrono before answering.
"It took you three hours to ask that. That's impressive." I just give him a look, which he returns. It takes a lot of effort not to smile under his stare.
"As you know, I don't show my face much." I nod. "But after so long, people are starting to forget. And some people just don't care. Others have known." He sighs. "Anyway. On Coruscant, there are certain establishments that I frequent. They're all good about being discreet. I'm taking you to one."
"Wh-what?" I squeal. "Coruscant?"
"Why does this frighten you?" he asks with a curious tilt of his head.
For a moment, I don't have the answer. "I don't really like people."
He scrunches up his nose and releases a quick sound of amusement.
"You like people just fine. You don't like crowds, and you won't be in crowds, Kitten."
I try to calm my beating heart, unsure if he is correct. But also...how would he know that?
"Sir," I start to ask if we can go anywhere else but I'm cut off when he flies out of his seat and grips my jaw roughly. His eyes blaze and I briefly notice he is as warm as he always is, as if he is constantly running a fever.
"I swear, Kitten, if you call me sir one more time on this trip, I will lose it."
Fire burns through me, I don't know if I want to run or taunt him. Or just kiss him.
"You want me to call you by your name?" I ask, positive he doesn't.
"Why does that bother you?" he asks in almost a growl, as if offended by the thought.
"It seems personal," I whisper. My chest rises and falls a bit violently, tapping his forearm each time.
"Personal, Kitten? Really? I've made your ass bleed." I jerk in his hold, closing my eyes to hide my desire.
"My ass," I point out.
He cocks his head and smiles like he is laughing at me. "You want to make my ass bleed?"
"I don't think so," I reply with a frown.
"Good, I bleed enough for the both of us." He lets go but his hand touches my face, and it feels so good that my eyes flutter closed. His palm is warm on my cheek, and I'm surprised the soft touch feels just as electric as his rough ones.
"I can't decide if I want to fuck you now, so I can focus at dinner, or if I should wait until you have some wine in you."
I stare, once again speechless in his hold.
He cracks a large grin. "I know what you're thinking. Why not both?"
It was exactly what I was thinking. He works his jaw, and I thought he was rolling it over in his head, but apparently, he is waiting for me to speak.
"Well?"
Ah, fuck it. I'm so damn wound up, I practically launch at him. My arms wrap around his neck, my hands twisting into his hair as my lips find his. To my pleasure, he lets me. He doesn't object when I tug on his hair, doesn't stop me when I shove my tongue into his mouth to find his.
He is glorious. His hair is soft and thick and if I pull just right, it makes him groan. He tastes faintly sweet, and when I pull on his lip, feeling myself losing control, he smiles against my kiss and tugs me out of my chair. I break off and let out a sound of surprise as he falls into his chair, pulling me on top.
"I didn't know you had it in you, Kitten." When he sees my blank expression, he laughs, letting his head fall back to the chair. My eyes shoot down to his neck.
"Anakin." He looks back at me with a raised eyebrow. "Please don't make me stop." I don't know how to ask, but I want to do this. I want to touch him and lick him and be on top. I just want to know what it is like...normally.
"You want control?"
"I just want to explore," I admit. He grins and lets his head fall back again, and I watch his neck move in a chuckle.
"That's a good girl for asking, Kitten." His eyes are closed, his neck exposed, a tiny smile still hanging off his lips. "I don't think I'll mind sitting back and enjoying you."
Why does every sentence that leaves this man's lips have to light me up?
I stare for another moment, reveling in the fact that he seems to be letting me soak him up without embarrassment from his eyes.
"Will you tell me if I'm too gentle? I don't want you to hate it—" He cuts me off with a glare.
"Don't assume things, Kitten, we've been over this. And too gentle? Really? You were just mauling my face."
"Are you challenging me right now?" I tease with a sly grin as I lean closer and swipe my nose under his ear, as gentle as I can possibly be, and trail it across his skin.
"If I was," he laughs, pushing me away, "you just won. That was a tickle, not a touch."
I'm still smiling as I kiss him, more to shut him up than anything. I don't know why he is in such a good mood, or why he is teasing me so much, but I think he would banter all day if I let him.
My own smile is gone quickly, however, as his kiss consumes me. His hands grip the side of my head and I tighten my legs around him, letting out a small sound of pleasure.
Eventually, I break the kiss and press my lips to his neck, careful not to do anything that will leave a visible mark. To my surprise, it's difficult. I want to eat him up, to bite and nibble and lick and suck.
The skin is tight with muscles but still soft, like he hasn't been to hell and back on the regular. When I dip my hands under his shirt and slide them up, he reaches down and pulls it off.
The first thing I do as I pull back is trail my eyes to the slash across his stomach. I forget myself then, but I think he wants that. I think he wants me to just do what I want, to forget my insecurities. They drive him mad, I know. My reaction to learning we are going to Coruscant, my hesitant questioning of my job, it all irks him.
I run my fingers across the faded scar, from left to right, and remember the site of him bleeding out in the empty halls of the palace.
"Why did you ask me to help you that day? I held your life in my hands."
"I'm not sure I had much choice. I'll admit, when you ran to get your tools, I wondered for an instant if you were fleeing, leaving me to die."
"I was terrified."
"You've been terrified since you met me." I look up, but he hasn't moved, his eyes still closed. He must sense my motion because he peeks one eye open and smirks before closing it. "I know you were, Kitten. You rarely disappoint me though."
I don't respond—though his words warm something deep inside me. After staring at him for another moment, I back up an inch and trail my lips across the scar. Tears prick my eyes and I don't even know why.
"I changed my mind. I don't want any control."
"Hmm. It's too late. I'm not moving. You either take what you want, or I'll simply wait until after dinner."
At first, I almost cave and kiss him.
But if he wants me to take what I desire...
I push myself off him and drop to my knees, tugging his pants off. I think he may be mentally disagreeing about getting fully naked, but seems to be following through with his decision to let me have my fun.
His eyes are on me now, and even without looking, I know they are feverish.
Oh, stars. It is perfect. It is huge. And I want it pounding in and out of me.
I lean closer and flick my eyes up to his, and I think at that moment, he realizes I'm up to something because his eyes grow wide.
My finger skims around the tip and gently, very gently, moves down.
He growls and lets me finish my cycle up, examining him closely, before he speaks. "Too gentle, Kitten," he says, and his voice is husky, causing me to squeeze my legs together.
I ignore him though, stroking down with the same speed and pressure. This time instead of going back up, my finger follows along to his balls and lightly strokes from underneath to the top.
I lean in and lick them, pushing my tongue up right in between them, and he groans and moves his hips before his hand tangles in my hair.
"Kitten, when have I ever liked repeating myself?" Oh, his voice is strained. I smile politely up at him, humming lightly.
This is taking too long. I drop my panties and climb on top of him, leaning in for a kiss. Instead, I just skim my lips across his and let out a sultry moan, holding myself just above him so the tip of his cock taunts me.
"I want you inside me so bad, Anakin," I moan, giving him a desperate, needy look. He narrows his eyes—but he seems as turned on by his name on my lips as I am.
"Then take it, little one." His eyes are droopy, even through the threatening stare.
I whine and wiggle my hips. Then I push myself higher and slide my hands under my dress, pushing it up so I can touch my breasts, just out of his vision. My head falls back and I feel his eyes on my bare stomach and the bottom of my boobs teasing him.
"Oh," I purr, dragging it out. "I like your hands on my hips, how you hold me so hard, it marks me for days." A low, needy sound leaves his throat, so I meet his eyes.
"Please, Master, I need it."
His eyes seem to flash, and for an instant I remember just how wild this man is. Perhaps taunting him is foolish. But then he grips my hips and thrusts into me, his lips finding mine. I moan into the kiss, shocked by the pain and how it somehow mixes with pleasure until I'm not sure I understand the difference.
"This is what you need from me?" he says when he breaks from my lips. I let out a string of moans and fall against him, burying my face in his neck.
"Yes," I breathe.
"Because I take control," he begins, starting to sound out of breath, "or because I'm rough?"
"Ohh," I try, but I have no answer.
"Or maybe," he says, dropping one hand from my waist to hold the back of my neck, a tight grip that keeps me in place. "I've shaped you to like what I like," he drawls out, a dark chuckle following.
"Yes," I cry, but I'm not agreeing so much as begging him not to stop. His hand slips into my hair and tugs me back so I can look at him. The slight change in position means he hits a new spot, and the familiar feeling of an orgasm building causes my eyes to droop.
"Say something so I have a reason to punish you, because right now, Kitten, all I want to do is praise you."
Personally, I want him to do both. But I don't deny this man anything.
"You should praise me," I pant. "Cats don't praise." I manage to smile, a crooked one that took effort, as I want to drop my mouth open. His eyes are challenging me to say it. "Puppies do."
He growls and yanks me off him. "No," I cry, my orgasm falling away from my grasp. He flips me around, but before I can really beg, he slides right back in.
The sigh I let out should be embarrassing, sounding like he gives me life. Maybe it would have been if he hadn't let out a low sound of approval.
He pushes my upper half down, further away from him, and I have to put my hands on the console in front of me in order to not slide off.
"You know," he says, his hand going to my ass and rubbing my left cheek with deliberate restraint. "I don't like it, but there's something about the way your lips say it that is magnificent. The way your lips pop on the p's..." Smack.
"Let me hear it again, please." He is taunting me. Either I say it and get spanked, or I disobey with the same results.
His cock doesn't slow, thankfully, and I take a moment to grind with him, enjoying this new position. "Please puppy," I say, adding in the please in hopes it will encourage him to give it up.
Smack. To my surprise, he slaps the other cheek, evening me out. I moan like the twisted creature I am and roll my hips roughly into him. It feels really good with him inside me.
"Shit," I mumble when I move with more fervor, hitting that glorious spot and practically rolling his cock over it. "You were right, Anakin," I groan out when I find the breath, then lose my words to a string of moans. I can hear his heaving breathing and occasional sounds of satisfied pleasure, but he is being surprisingly quiet when it comes to words. "You are a god," I finally finish saying, the words slipping off my tongue like silk.
His dark chuckle is the only sound I want to hear for the rest of my damn life. I become aware of his hands firmly on my hips as my body seems to prepare for the inevitable. But then one moves up and pinches my nipple before yanking me back to his chest where he takes control back. He no longer rubs that spot, but it doesn't matter because I am unraveling, his hands touching me everywhere.
"Yes!" I shake with my orgasm, coming around his cock with an aggressive speed. I hear him groan and feel him come, which only makes me rock harder in his arms.
Then I cry out in shocked pain when he slaps my clit. I move to look down at his hand, still coming, when he smacks again. Bright stars splash across my vision, colors of red and white. I think I say his name, but I am lost in the high, unable to process anything but the pleasure dripping through me.
We stop moving at some point before I am totally back in my body, our chests moving fast as we're still intertwined.
"If you're trying to get me into a good mood before our conversation," I sigh and hold the pause for a moment. "You succeeded." I feel his grin on my temple.
"I think I'm getting old, Kitten." I giggle, then embarrassed by it, began to sit up so I could climb off. His arms tightened around me. He sighs in my ear. "You manipulated me."
"No," I whisper, glad he can't see my smile. He laughs, causing him to shake beneath me, and I melt back into his arms.