#fivestup

Fives:

* EXTREMELY ticklish in most places on his body

* His worst spots are his underarms/ribs and hips tho

* WILL SCREAM, and I mean fucking SCREAM, like he’s being MURDERED, when you tickle him

* Despite begging HYSTERICALLY for his attacker to stop, he actually likes being tickled. It’s fun for him and a good way to relieve stress

* Not opposed to burying his face in people’s necks to use his beard as a weapon - and a weapon it is.

* The 501st’s resident tickle monster - if shit starts, he’s the instigator 99% of the time

* Echo and later Tup are his most frequent victims

* Part of the reason he likes long hair is because soft, light things tickle like CRAZY for him, so soft hair draped over his neck/chest/stomach/etc will have him SCREECHING

* None of the Domino Squad had long hair when they were cadets but they did have a very soft, fluffy blanket that they used to get Fives in this way.

* Squeals when someone tickles his neck

* VERY squirmy - also kicks his feet all over the place (which is a good thing to be aware of, Jesse ended up with a nosebleed once because of this)

* Teases A LOT when he’s tickling someone despite the fact that he can’t stand being teased when he’s on the receiving end

* SO DRAMATIC too, he’ll scream out things like “PLEASE I’M GONNA DIE!!” while being tickled

* All in all, the very definition of “can dish it out but can’t take it”

Echo:

* Where Fives’ laugh is loud and screechy, Echo’s is quiet and squeaky

* Most of the time he doesn’t get very loud at all, but if he’s laughing really hard his laugh gets all hiccupy, like little wheezes

* His neck and hips are his worst spots

* His feet and the backs of his knees used to be pretty bad spots too before the Citadel - sometimes, oddly enough, he misses being able to be tickled there, and wonders if that makes him weird

* Being tickled is something that helps with body dissociation for him, the sensation reminds him that he’s real and he’s still alive

* Doesn’t retaliate often (because why start a fight you know you won’t win), but when he does he’s absolutely RUTHLESS

* Often gets ganged up on, poor thing 🤣

* Tries to cover his mouth to muffle his laughter/hide his smile a lot of the time

* Wants to be cuddled afterwards

* Curses a lot through laughter

* Also has a tendency to kick his feet, but not as violently as Fives does

* Usually gets tickled because he’s being annoying (or talking too much)

Rex:

* Straight-up has the sweetest, most endearing laugh of any Clone

* (At least that’s what Cody thinks 😉)

* Worst spot is his feet, he’ll literally snort-laugh if you tickle him there

* Then again, he’ll snort-laugh no matter where he’s being tickled if he’s laughing hard enough

* Also; will absolutely stream tears from laughter, his whole face will be wet once his attacker finally lets up

* Most frequently the victim of Cody because only Cody knows where he’s the most ticklish

* Used to think tickling was immature and unprofessional, but in later years realized it might be a good way to let loose and boost morale with the shinies (and older troopers as well)

* Occasionally uses it as a playful threat to keep certain troopers (*cough* Fives) in line

Cody:

* Not overly ticklish anywhere except for the backs of his knees

* Only two people know this: Rex and Sister - in fact, Sister was the one who mentioned it to Rex

* When they were cadets, Sister used to pin Cody’s legs and mercilessly tickle the backs of his knees because he was being “too grouchy”. Cody does not appreciate her reminding him of this

* He’s never been fond of touch and tickling really isn’t an exception, unless he’s particularly in the mood to be a little shit, in which case his usual touch-aversion goes out the window

* That being said, most of the time his only victim is Rex, but if Fives and/or Echo are being particularly annoying and nothing else is going to make them leave him alone, he’s not opposed to going after them either

* Specifically LOVES tickling Rex, especially after they’ve been through a difficult time, because 1) he knows it helps cheer Rex up at least a little, and 2) he gets to hear Rex laugh, yay!!

* Rex is the only person who’s allowed to tickle him back. Honestly, Cody would let Rex do just about anything to him, lol

* Echo and Fives managed to get him ONE TIME (at Rex’s encouragement), and he was PISSED afterwards 🤣

* Cody’s not much of a laugher most of the time either, and Rex takes a little too much delight in getting him laughing way harder than he usually would

* Has a pretty hearty and baritone laugh - really not much of a giggler, but Rex likes that, he thinks Cody’s laugh is very handsome 🤭

* Can stand being tickled for a fairly long time (longer than most), but after a while even he has to give in and plead for mercy - his laugh usually gets a little higher pitched right before this 🤗

Tup:

* His worst spots are his neck and his feet, but he’s fairly ticklish everywhere else too

* Very wiggly - he has to be held down or he’ll manage to squirm away

* Fives would describe his laugh as adorably childlike (while blushing bc his boyfriend is SO CUTE-)

* Raspberries make him SHRIEK

* Uses those wonderful long locks of his as a weapon (especially against Fives when he figures out how effective that is against him 😉)

* Self conscious about how giggly he gets, often buries his face in a pillow or a blanket or whatever he can find to muffle his laughter

* Gets kinda grumpy after being tickled (mostly because he doesn’t want to admit he had fun) but it’s way too cute for anybody to take him seriously

* Surprisingly ruthless - LOVES getting revenge, especially on Fives 😏

* The type of person to squeal “THAT TICKLES!” even if that’s, well, obvious 🤣

* Being teased makes him blush

* Just about PANICS if he gets asked “are you ticklish?”

Dogma:

* Sees tickling as incredibly immature and unprofessional, stop fooling around

* It’d be much easier for him to maintain that stuffiness if he wasn’t so susceptible to being tickled 🤭

* His neck, stomach, hips, and thighs are all pretty bad spots, with his thighs being the absolute worst

* Gets tickled for being “too grouchy”

* Has a surprisingly loud laugh for someone who’s typically very quiet and not overly talkative

* Also gets ganged up on quite a bit, especially after the Umbara arc

* Never even attempts to get revenge - like I said, he thinks tickling is immature and childish, there’s no way he’s stooping that low just to get back at somebody (plus he knows he’d still end up getting tickled himself, but he won’t admit that)

* Secretly likes being reduced to a puddle from being tickled for so long, it makes him feel like he’s cared for (again, would never admit this)

* Also cries from laughter very easily, like Rex

* Initially tries his hardest not to break - he’ll scrunch up his nose, bite the inside of his mouth, clench his jaw, anything to keep himself from laughing or even smiling, but it never works in the long run

* Definitely complains about how ticklishness wasn’t programmed out of Clones

Hardcase:

* Definitely Fives’ partner in crime about 50% of the time

* Really likes being the one to restrain/hold down a victim while somebody else tickles them - he and Fives are absolute menaces when they work together like this

* Not overly ticklish himself - his ears are a sweet spot, though, as are his feet and underarms

* Also, post-Umbara, the skin around the edges of his burn scars became slightly more sensitive to light, feathery touches

* His laugh is so fucking loud it’s ridiculous, you could probably hear him laughing from the other side of a star destroyer (it’s very endearing though, absolutely no one finds it annoying)

* Thrashes around so much it takes multiple people to hold him down to tickle him - and even then, he will not stop squirming

* You will get punched or kicked completely by accident if his arms and legs aren’t being held in place (this resulted in yet another nosebleed for Jesse). He’s super apologetic if he accidentally hurts somebody, but he really can’t help it unfortunately

* Loves giving tickle-hugs!!

Jesse:

* The amount of times this man has gotten kicked/punched/kneed/etc in the face because he was tickling someone is not even funny

* Like actually, it’s a miracle his nose has never been broken

* Once got a black eye from attempting to tickle Kix

* Only about one step down from Fives when it comes to his reputation as a tickle monster - only difference is that he can hold his own a lot better when the tables get turned on him

* His ears, neck, ribs, stomach, and thighs are all very ticklish places

* Also laughs very loudly - not as loud as Fives or Hardcase, but pretty damn close

* Most often the victim of Sister - she loves getting him to drop the stern, stoic face and making him laugh

* Specifically grows stubble to give tickle-kisses

Kix:

* Rarely ever struggles or fights back, especially after that one incident where he punched Jesse purely on instinct (he still feels bad about it). Unfortunately this leads to him being an easy target

* Fairly ticklish in most places, but his neck, stomach, and hips are his worst spots

* Also, lightly tickling or drawing circles on his palms makes him fidget adorably

* Jesse and Sister will frequently gang up on him and tickle him until he’s crying

* Usually gets tickled because he’s being mopey or worrying too much

* Just like his voice, his laugh is very sweet and soft and quiet, he rarely ever laughs loudly unless he’s been taken by surprise and even then he usually quiets down

* Threatens to get his attackers back - never does because he already knows that won’t end well for him

* Tickle-kisses on his neck make him squeal

* Doesn’t snort when he laughs as much as Rex, but if he’s been tickled for long enough, eventually he starts snort-laughing and it’s really fucking cute

Sister:

* a FUCKING. MENACE.

* It’s fairly rare that she’ll tickle somebody (especially someone who isn’t Kix or Jesse) but when she does they are DONE FOR, she is RELENTLESS.

* Fives won’t stand too close to her when he’s not wearing armor for this exact reason (she is proud of this 🤣)

* Just like Tup, uses her long hair to her advantage when its not tied up in braids

* Not very ticklish herself in most places, but her hips are a bad spot. The only person who knew this for a long time was Cody, but he’s more than happy to tell anybody who asks him (and here I will reiterate: Cody is a little shit 🤣🤣)

* Likes to cuddle her victims afterwards - she’s not completely evil, after all 🤭

* Same as Cody, she has a fairly deep, hearty laugh and rarely ever giggles

* However she does have an evil chuckle that tells whoever she’s about to tickle they’re absolutely fucked 😈

* CHASES HER VICTIMS

* Loves to tease, too

* Has gotten pretty much everyone on the 501st laughing to the point of tears at least once - and here I will say again, MENACE, RELENTLESS

A bump to Tup's shoulder made him start, and he glanced to the side. A familiar bucket tilted back at him, as Fives easily matched Tup's pace, having caught up from wherever he'd been roaming before.

"Stare any harder and your visor is going to melt clean off your face," Fives said, a grin in his voice. "What did Hardcase do this time?"

Heat touched Tup's cheeks. Probably the only heat in the entire tundra.

"Hardcase didn't do anything, I was just… Cold," Tup finished, lamely. He hadn't realised he'd been glaring.

"There's a relief. Hear that, 'Case?" Fives raised his voice. "Tup here isn't trying to kill you with his brain, after all!"

A stiffness in Hardcase's shoulders—where he marched directly ahead of Tup—that Tup hadn't noticed abruptly eased. Hardcase laughed and glanced briefly back, though he didn't stop marching.

"Good to know! Was starting to worry," he said, affable as ever.

Tup longed for the frozen ground to eat him. How long had Hardcase been worried that Tup was mad at him? When Tup was only mad at the stupid frozen wasteland! At the big fat grumpy clouds squatting above the horizon? He screwed up his face inside his helmet. The whole tundra was giving him the worst headache and he—

"Would you look at that?" Fives said, his voice turned light and wondrous. He'd stopped marching.

Startled, Tup raised his rifle in readiness for the danger and scanned behind him, only to see that the rest of the column were also faltering to a stop, and they were all looking… up. Tup tilted his head to see, too, and gasped. Those fat black clouds had finally split open like ripe fruits and snow had begun to spill out of them in floods.

A delighted laugh came from behind Tup—Dogma, he'd recognise that sound anywhere—and Tup laughed, too, as a snowflake landed on his visor with perfect delicacy before melting away. He looked over at Fives, who had raised his hand to his own visor, as if trying to touch the snowflakes, or perhaps trace their shapes in the air.

In that moment, Tup had the fierce and sudden longing for peace, that Fives might look like that always.

"It might be cold, but it's so pretty," Fives said, still with that light wonder in his voice.

Tup couldn't argue. He didn't even want to. He wanted to see how that wonder looked on Fives' face without the bucket between them. Maybe he could be brave and ask if Fives wanted to warm up together after the slog finally ended…

Before he could say anything, Jesse suddenly bellowed down the line.

"It won't be pretty when we all karkin' freeze to death! Get a move on, troopers!"

“So…” Rex was snapped from his thoughts by Fives’ casual voice from beside him - he always seemed to gravitate towards Echo and Fives when Cody wasn’t around at times like these, “where’s Cody, Rex?”

“Fives…” Echo said warningly on Fives’ other side, and Tup, who was standing between Fives and Rex, elbowed him in the side.

“What?” Fives demanded, looking at them both, “I’m just asking a question!”

“He said he had something to attend to,” Rex answered before whatever was going on between the three younger Clones could escalate any further, “he’ll be here shortly… I hope.”

The last part was said more under his breath, but the others clearly still heard it, even over the music and chatter from the rest of the guests crowded around them.

Fives smirked, and both Echo and Tup glared at him.

Rex would have paid more attention to what the hell was going on with the three of them if he hadn’t been so uncomfortable.

But in a few minutes, Rex spotted Cody entering the crowded room, Anakin and Padmé greeting him at the door.

He looked so cheerful, much more certain of himself with so many people around than Rex ever would be.

He quickly crossed the room, weaving between other guests, to Cody’s side.

That was when Cody’s disposition abruptly changed.

As soon as he caught sight of Rex, suddenly he did look nervous, the faintest red flush coloring his face. He also had one arm tucked behind his back.

The anxiety in Cody’s face quickly turned into an awkward, boyish grin, and he reached to put only one arm around Rex as he leaned in for a kiss.

“Thank goodness you’re here,” Rex sighed, laying his head on Cody’s shoulder, “you know I hate going to formal events on my own, whatever ‘errand’ you had to run better have been damn important, Codes.”

He tried to keep his tone light, but some of the stress of the evening bled into his voice and made his words sound angrier than he’d meant them to.

Cody, however, seemed unfazed, still grinning at Rex.

“Well, I dunno…” he said slowly, “are flowers important?”

He drew his arm from behind his back as he said it, presenting Rex with a bouquet of vormur flowers - the Mandalorian blooms had become an almost traditional gift from Cody.

Rex laughed softly, taking the flowers with an affectionate roll of his eyes.

“I suppose…” he murmured, feeling his own face begin to flush, “thank you, Cody.”

Rex was still admiring the flowers when he realized Cody had suddenly dropped out of sight, and the moment he noticed this, there was an abrupt chorus of gasps from the surrounding guests as the room went oddly silent - even the small band Padmé had hired for the night stopped playing.

Rex looked down and found himself gasping too, one hand coming up to cover his mouth and (for some reason) taking two steps back from Cody.

The commander had knelt down on the floor, on one knee, with a tiny black box in his hands that he had raised as if in offering to Rex. He was smiling, but it wasn’t his usual confident, sarcastic smirk - it was nervous, and almost shy.

“Rex…” he said softly, “well… listen, you always were the one who was better with words, so I’m not really sure what to say here. I’m not sure what I’m technically supposed to say either, other than…”

He trailed off, and Rex blinked several times in quick succession, his brain frantically trying to catch up with all the rapid twists this evening had taken in the span of only a few seconds.

“Aw, hell,” Cody chuckled, dipping his head for a moment before gazing back up at Rex with an absolutely radiant (but still anxious) grin, “Rex… will you marry me?”

He cracked open the little box as he said it, and another dramatic gasp swept through the onlookers. Rex saw Padmé grasp Anakin’s arm out of the corner of his eye.

There were two rings inside the box, nearly identical, even down to the shape of the stone embedded within each one. The only difference was the color of the stones - one was a deep and shimmering sky blue, and the other fierce sparkling orange-gold.

“Codes-” Rex choked out finally, realizing that several seconds of dead silence had stretched out.

“I figured we’d swap colors for once,” Cody went on with a laugh - he was rambling out of self consciousness over being watched by so many people in such a vulnerable moment, “you take the orange one, and I’ll take the blue? That way we’ll always have a little piece of each other with us.”

Someone muttered something about Cody claiming not to be good with words, and there were a few tiny chuckles, but they died immediately as the room continued to hold its breath and wait for Rex’s answer.

“Codes…” Rex repeated, not sure if he’d be able to say anything else ever again.

He found himself slowly melting to the floor, his hand reaching for the back of Cody’s neck and drawing him into a kiss.

There was a collective “aww” from everyone watching, but neither Rex nor Cody really cared about them anymore.

“Please tell me that’s a yes.” Cody murmured, almost shakily, when their lips parted, his nose still barely a hair’s width from Rex’s and an absolutely adorable sparkle of anxiety in his brown eyes.

“Codes,” Rex said again, this time with a chuckle, “of course it’s a yes!”

“IT’S A YES!!!” Lionel erupted from somewhere on Rex’s left, right before the rest of the room burst into cheers.

Rex and Cody stood back up together before they were swarmed, locking into another, much longer kiss.

Cody had already slipped the ring with the orange stone into his hand, and Rex allowed him to slide it onto his ring finger with a smile, watching the gem glitter like fire against his skin. It fit perfectly over his knuckle, hugging the base of his finger like it was always meant to be there.

“Let me put yours on.” He murmured gently, taking the other ring from the box.

The deep blue was going to fit Cody so nicely.

Rex noticed, as he slid the ring onto Cody’s finger the same way Cody had just done to him, that he was trembling slightly.

“Your hands are shaking.” He murmured, and Cody huffed a shy laugh.

“I might have been a little bit nervous…” he mumbled, prompting a few sympathetic chuckles from the friends around them that they had both honestly forgotten were there.

“Did you really think there was any possibility I’d say no?” Rex asked with a smirk, and Cody’s eyes gleamed as he grinned back.

“No.” He answered.

With both rings securely on their respective hands, the newly engaged couple was showered with congratulations, it seemed like everyone at the party wanted to get a look at the rings.

Rex was still holding the flowers against his chest, and when Cody noticed this, his smile momentarily grew even warmer. The man was melting with love and it was easy to see.

“So…” Ahsoka mused with a smirk after giving her congratulations, “you finally popped the question, huh, Cody?”

She didn’t wait for an answer, just winked over her shoulder as she whisked away again.

Cody looked confused.

“Did you tell her?” Rex asked with a laugh.

“I didn’t.” Cody replied, still looking perplexed. “How did she-?”

He turned to Rex and saw him smiling.

“Well, it’s Ahsoka,” he murmured, “she’s been in on our relationship longer than most nat-borns.”

Cody narrowed his eyes, then huffed a laugh.

“I guess.”

Fives, Echo, and Tup were among the last to appear in front of them both.

Now Rex finally understood why the three of them had been acting so strangely.

“You knew all along, didn’t you?” He asked Fives, who’s eyes widened innocently.

“Me?” He asked, raising his hands, “no! Not at all!”

“Did they tell you?!” Cody demanded angrily, looking between Rex and Fives, “Fives, if you ruined the surprise I’m gonna strangle you-”

“Codes,” Rex cut him off with a laugh, grabbing Cody shoulder as he took a menacing step towards Fives, who immediately shrank back in fright, “they didn’t ruin it for me, leave Fives alone.”

“He almost did,” Tup pointed out, pinching Fives’ side, “he’s been hinting about you being up to something all evening, Cody.”

“Thankfully Rex didn’t catch on.” Echo added, arms folded over his chest.

“You think you’re really funny, don’t you, Fives?” Cody growled.

“No, Sir.” Fives said quickly, in an uncharacteristically quiet voice.

“Codes.” Rex repeated, still laughing softly.

He couldn’t help it, he was just too happy.

“Idiot.” Tup muttered to Fives at the same time.

“Your idiot,” Fives replied, his bravado coming back as he beamed at the younger Clone, “your idiot who loves you.”

Tup rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.

“Then come dance with me, my idiot.” He snorted, taking Fives’ arm and leading him to the area of the wide room where the furniture had been cleared for the guests to dance to the music.

Echo clapped Rex’s shoulder.

“Congratulations, you two,” he murmured, “I’m grateful that I get to be here for this day.”

Rex smiled at him, at the warmth in his brown gaze and the white patches of skin around his eyes and mouth, suddenly thinking about how close they had been to never seeing him again.

If Fives had never told him and Cody about his dreams…

The emotion of the situation finally caught up to Rex, and he blinked rapidly against the tears that welled in his eyes.

“Rex?” Cody asked anxiously, “you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Rex chuckled tearfully, wiping his face in embarrassment, “I’m just… I’m happy. I’m very happy that we’re all here, and that this is happening.”

Cody took his hand, and Rex felt his thumb rub over the ring on his finger.

“And would a dance make you happier?” He asked, leaning in so their faces were barely a breath apart.

“It would,” Rex laughed, “but you don’t like dancing.”

“That’s true,” Cody mused with a half-shrug, “but you do, and that’s all that matters to me.”

“Oh, Codes.” Rex giggled, pressing a kiss to his lips.

“Are we kissing or dancing?” Cody asked teasingly.

“No reason we can’t do both. Echo, would you mind?”

Rex turned back to Echo, holding out the flowers to him.

“Not at all,” Echo murmured, taking the bouquet into his arms, “you two go have fun.”

“Thanks, Echo.” Cody said, and once again the smile on his face made it clear just how full his heart was in that moment.

A small space automatically cleared among the people dancing, and Rex was surprised that Cody didn’t seem self conscious about that, for once their bodies swaying together almost fluidly in time with the music.

Rex rested his head on Cody’s shoulder with a sigh.

“Love you.” Cody murmured softly, pressing a kiss into Rex’s short hair.

Checking one last time to make sure Luke and Leia weren’t disturbed by the noise, Anakin (reluctantly) left the nursery and strode down the hallway towards the cacophony.

He found his friends - although strangely, Fives was absent - gathered around the counter in the kitchen, all looking at something Lionel was holding in their hand.

“What are you all laughing at?”

The room went dead silent the second Anakin spoke, Lionel, Ahsoka, and Echo all freezing in place like they’d been miraculously turned to stone. Then Lionel cleared their throat.

“Nothin’,” they said, “just, uh, tellin’ a funny story. You know I have plenty of those!”

“Uh huh?” Anakin asked disbelievingly, “and it has nothing to do with whatever you’re hiding behind your back?”

Lionel’s eyes widened slightly, but they quickly returned to their cavalier expression. They opened their mouth to answer, but at that moment, Fives appeared from the opposite side of the kitchen with Tup just behind him.

“You have to hear this, Tuppie,” he was saying, “it might be the funniest thing I’ve learned about the general since Nel told us how he got his scar-”

He abruptly clamped his mouth shut when he saw that Anakin was standing there with his arms folded over his chest.

“Erm…” he muttered.

“No, go on,” Anakin encouraged sarcastically, “one of you has to tell me what you’ve found out that’s so funny.”

“Nothing!” Lionel repeated, “honestly, nothing! Just go back to fawning over the twins, you know you want to.”

Anakin eyed them suspiciously for a moment longer before slowly turning back to the nursery, deciding to just let them continue making fun of him - if that’s what was going on - for whatever reason they were doing so.

“Maybe you could wax poetic to them about how their eyes are as alluring as the midnight sky.” Lionel added, and Anakin whipped back around so fast it was a wonder he didn’t snap his neck.

“Nelli!” Ahsoka squeaked quietly, almost pleadingly, hitting Lionel’s shoulder with one hand while the other was clasped over her mouth. Echo and Fives were doing the same, Echo evidently biting his lips hard enough they started to turn red, and even Lionel seemed to be struggling not to laugh, their eyes dancing even as they continued to look Anakin in the face. Only Tup seemed confused, shooting Fives a few nervous glances like he wanted to ask what was going on but wasn’t sure if it was a good idea.

“What did you say?” Anakin demanded, striding up to Lionel so they were practically nose-to-nose.

Lionel shrugged nonchalantly, although their mouth wavered from a line into a cheeky smile for just a fraction of a second as they fought to keep a straight face.

“Oh, nothing,” they murmured, “I was just, uh… struggling to find the vernacular to express my deepest emotion.”

Fives put his head down on the counter, slamming his fist into it repeatedly as his whole body shuddered with the effort it took to hold back his laughter. Echo looked about ready to shove his mechanical hand in his mouth and bite down on it, and Ahsoka was now attempting to cover her whole face with one hand while the other gripped Lionel’s arm so hard her fingernails left little imprints on their skin.

“Where are you getting those quotes from?” Anakin asked, staring directly into Lionel’s eyes as they somehow managed to keep the stoneface act up a little longer.

“Quotes?” They echoed, and now it was clear that they were trying to wind him up - and enjoying it far too much, “who says I’m not coming up with them on my own?”

“I do,” Anakin said sternly, “because I remember writing them down six months ago.”

“You remember, do you?” Lionel responded cockily, “I guess that doesn’t surprise me, considering you spend every second you’re together with your one true love committing every detail of her face to memory forever, and shall you ever forget, you would surely perish from the devastation and despair.”

“Now you’re just bullying me,” Anakin grumbled dryly as Ahsoka practically crumpled against Lionel’s shoulder, and Echo started inaudibly begging under his breath, “where did you find my love letters to Padmé?”

“Find? She hung it on the fridge!” Lionel objected, “with one of them little heart-shaped magnets. Clearly she wanted it to be seen!”

Up until that moment, Anakin hadn’t felt embarrassed, but now he felt his face starting to turn red at the prospect of Padmé proudly displaying his love letters to her. Did she adore them so much that she was decorating the lakehouse with them? Had she always wanted to do that, but refrained because their marriage being a secret wouldn’t allow it?

“So why did you read it?” Anakin asked through gritted teeth, still trying to look as furious as possible.

“Have you never been bored?” Lionel shot back, “oh wait, I forgot - not a single second passes in her company that isn’t heart-racingly exciting, even if all that happens is laying in her arms with her hands in your hair.”

Fives suddenly grabbed Tup by the wrist and dragged him into the living room, with Ahsoka and Echo following just behind. The door closed, but Anakin still heard them all erupt in laughter so loud it made the walls tremble.

Lionel bit their lip, a finally allowing a smirk to curl the corner of their mouth.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Anakin groaned.

“I’m not doing anything to you!” Lionel protested, “I’m just readin’ a letter!”

They produced said letter from behind their back and looked as if they were about to read more from it before Anakin snatched it from their hand.

“Give me that!” He exclaimed in exasperation.

“Hey, in all fairness, it’s kinda cute!” Lionel said, spreading their hands innocently, “even though you get a bit verbose in the second paragraph, seriously, twice is too many times to use the word ‘pulchritudinous’ - I had to look that one up, y’know! I thought it was an insult at first!”

“No word is too big to describe Padmé’s beauty.” Anakin huffed, tucking the letter into his robe before Lionel could try and get their hands back on it.

“Oh, puke,” Lionel muttered, “you’re so adorable it disgusts me sometimes, you know that?”

“I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or a criticism.”

“Take it as both, ya big dork.”

The roaring laughter from the living room had slowly quieted, and now Fives, Echo, Tup, and Ahsoka filed back into the kitchen, all wiping tears from their eyes and breathing like they’d just come out of a battle.

Lionel grinned, and Anakin jabbed them in the chest with one finger as he put the pieces together.

“I know what you’re doing!” He exclaimed, “you just can’t resist being the one who makes everyone laugh, can you?”

“And according to that letter you can’t resist stealing a kiss from those honey sweet lips-” Lionel began.

“Oh, Nelli, PLEASE!” Ahsoka gasped out, clutching her ribs, “my stomach hurts, I can’t do this anymore!”

Lionel chuckled, and Anakin continued to glare at them.

“Alright, fine!” They said after a moment had passed, once again raising their arms as if they were surrendering, “so I like being the funny one in the room, you know that!”

“But why does it always have to be at my expense?” Anakin just about whined.

“It’s not at your expense!” Lionel argued, “it’s just how I show affection, you know that too! Plus… it’s not like I’m gonna run out of material anytime soon, I mean, ‘your love is the rainfall I prayed for on Tatooine’? You gotta be kidding!”

Behind them, Fives let out a muffled squeal into his hands, squeezing his eyes shut.

“What’s going on out here?” Obi-Wan’s voice suddenly asked from across the room, and all eyes immediately turned to him.

“Your joyfriend is making fun of me again.” Anakin replied huffily.

“Again, you could stop giving me material in the form of the mushiest love letters I’ve ever read.” Lionel shot back.

“Love letters?” Obi-Wan repeated, raising an eyebrow, “I didn’t know you were the type to write love letters, Anakin.”

“And neither did anyone else except Padmé until tonight.” Anakin growled, staring blaster-holes into the back of Lionel’s head.

“Blame her for that, she’s the one who put it on the fridge!” Lionel objected.

“What’s there to make fun of?” Obi-Wan cut in, “you were always a lovely writer, Anakin.”

“You wanna hear it?!” Lionel demanded, somehow managing to swipe Anakin’s letter from where he’d tucked it so fast that he couldn’t stop them.

“NEL!” Anakin barked, but it was too late.

“He starts off; Dearest Padmé, I miss you as the sky misses the stars when dawn turns to day.”

They paused for dramatic effect, and Obi-Wan pursed his lips, immediately covering his mouth with one hand before abruptly retreating back down the hallway to the bedroom he and Lionel shared.

Anakin still distinctly heard him chuckling once the door was closed behind him. He sighed loudly.

“Listen,” Lionel murmured, turning back to him, “you gotta know all this comes from love, Kenni. But if you really don’t like it… I’ll stop.”

They handed the letter back to Anakin, and he quickly took it, though he offered them a small smile as he did so.

“No,” he murmured after a moment, “no, I don’t mind it. As long as you didn’t see the most embarrassing part of this letter.”

“The most embarrassing part?” Lionel echoed, tilting their head to the side, “whaddya mean?”

“I think I know.”

Now everyone turned to look behind Anakin as Padmé suddenly appeared in the hallway in her gown, looking like she’d been napping just as the twins had been.

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Ani,” she added, “if you’re talking about what I think you are.”

“What is it, Padmé?” Ahsoka demanded excitedly as she, Echo, Tup, and Fives all crowded around Lionel.

“The way you signed the letter,” Padmé said with an adoring smile, gently taking the slip of paper from Anakin’s hand, “you never did it before on any other love letter you sent me, but it’s why I cherish this one in particular. ‘Just know that I love you more than anything else in this universe, Padmé. Your husband forevermore, Anakin Naberrie’.”

She beamed at Anakin, brown eyes glimmering so brightly it was clear that they were welling with tears. Anakin wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her, but he was frozen, waiting for the second bout of taunting laughter from the others.