#padawan braid

Your stomach was groaning, your legs feeling like you were dragging a ball and chain around your ankle, your clothes ragged, skin dirtied and greyed, from dust and grime. Your bare feet dragged you through the quiet night halls of the Jedi Temple. 

Anakin caught a glimpse of you, your unkempt appearance, you were obviously not a jedi, nor a padawan. Hesitation flashed across his gaze, slowly moving out to confront, but not wanting to scare you away. 

“ Excuse me, you can’t be here.. This temple is for Jedi, are you lost? ”

He watched as your gaze locked onto him, your eyes widening, looking like a deer in head lights. Within a blink of an eye you took off, your bare feet padding against the cool flooring. You ran faster, hearing the approaching of boots behind you. A hand reached out, fingers digging into your arms, pulling you to a halt. 

“ Do you even have a place to return to? ”

No words left you, only a nod.

“ I will escort you. ”

Another nod. 

Anakin trailed behind you, following your long journey back to a small hut, far from any other parts of the city. 

The hut was small, only a piece of cloth for a door, a dirt floor, cut outs for a window but no glass. Only a small bedroll on the floor, with a dingy blanket draped across. 

“ Do you have any family? ”

A gentle shake of the head.

“ Do you have food to eat? ”

He watched as you walked off to the far corner of the hut, coming back with a small loaf of bread. Anakin watched as you broke a piece for him, pressing it into the palm of his hand, before taking a bite of your own piece. 

Your eyes looked to his, he was watching as you ate your bread. Gently your hand reached out, lifting his hand that held the bread to his lips. Even though you needed it more, Anakin ate the bread, wanting to please you and be grateful for the offering.

“ You cannot sleep here. ”

- 

That’s how you found yourself here, Hand clasped in Anakin’s, his clothes wrapped around your figure, hood pulled over your head as you snuck through the quiet halls. You watched as he pushed open a door, reaching almost the ceiling revealing a large bathing chamber, steam billowing from the room, warm water running into the bath. Gently ushering you inside, before shutting the large door, sealing it with the lock. 

“ You can take a bath, no one will bother us. ”

Anakin turned away, his back facing you, attempting to give you privacy. 

Your hands moved to Anakin’s cloak that hung from your shoulders, sliding it off, letting it collect in a heap on the floor, your tunic and pants coming to join it. 

Anakin heard a soft sigh leave you as you sank into the tub, that was the first sound he had heard from you since he found you. Quietly, as you slipped under the bubbly water Anakin came to sit beside the tub, his fingers swirling in the bubbles. 

His fingers gently massage your scalp, spreading the soap about your hair, removing the grime. Anakin washed your hair, detangling the strands, cleaning the dirt from your skin. 

When you finished, Anakin turned away listening to the water drip from your skin back to the tub, he heard your wet feet pad across the tile as you slid into a robe.

Quietly he threw out your old clothes, grabbing his cloak before leading you back to his quarters. With gentle hands he sat you on the floor, sitting behind you on the bed. His fingers gently carded through your hair, coming through the locks, before collecting the strands in his hand. Slowly he fixed your hair into a braid, securing the style with a stray piece of clothes. 

Standing from the bed, he laid out clothes for you on his bed, turning away to allow you to dress. All he could think about when he saw you was how frail you looked. The collar of his shirt hanging from your shoulder, his pants hanging low on your hips, your bones protruding from your skin. 

Pulling back the blankets, Anakin made a space for you on his bed, laying out a small bedroll on the floor for himself, reaching out, you stopped him. 

Moving over, you made space for him beside you, allowing for him to crawl into bed beside you. Anakin had never laid beside a girl before, he wasn’t sure where to place his hands, or how to lay. Anakin’s breath caught, feeling your fingers intertwine with his. 

-

In the morning Anakin woke, his arms were wrapped around your waist, face buried against your neck, legs entangled with yours. Gently he withdrew from the bed, quietly beginning to dress in his Jedi robes. 

Your head raised from the pillows, braided hair tousled, your eyes half lidded and unfocused. 

“ I have to go train, I’ll be back later, okay? ”

You nodded softly, your body plopping back down onto the bed. You began spending your days like this, alone in his quarters, hearing the outside chatter, but enjoying the solitude. Every evening Anakin came back to you, freshly bathed, and exhausted. Growing comfortable with the new situation he would curl on top of you each evening, laying his head on your chest, feeling your fingers toy with his hair as sleep embraced him. 

- 

The evening approached and Anakin returned this time, he collected his cloak, gently dressing you in, concealing your face with the hood. Holding your hand leading you to another Jedi’s quarters, his master, Obi-Wan. 

Opening the unlocked door he guided you inside, pulling down the hood of the cloak to reveal your face to Obi-Wan. 

“ This is the girl you’ve been stowing away? ”

Anakin nodded, you looked in between the, confused, questions running rampant through your mind. 

“ And you wish to bring her along for this mission? ”

“ Yes. ”

“ She needs training. ”

“ Yes master, I know. ”

Obi-wan nodded, glancing at you again.

“ Bring her for your morning training. ”

- 

You trained extensively over the following weeks, picking up everything Obi-wan taught you. He regarded you as an exceptional student, allowing you to continue staying hidden in the temple inside Anakin’s Quarters.

It didn’t take Obi-wan long to discover the depth of yours and Anakin’s relationship. He saw the shared glances, the way your small hand reached for Anakin’s. He saw it all and knew it was damned from the start. 

Obi-wan waited until his suspicions were proven true without a doubt. He had caught you together on a mission, your lips pressed to Anakin’s in a gentle kiss, his arms around your waist. 

Wanting to wait until the moment was right, he watched as you went off to bed that evening, walking to the far end of the ship, leaving Anakin beside Obi-wan as they piloted the craft. 

“ You know you are to become a Jedi soon, take the oath and all. ”

Anakin responded with a soft nod, “ yes master. ”

“ You know what the oath entails, especially about.. Attachments. ”

Anakin responded with another nod.

“ You need to think of where your priorities lie. ”