Room 405 [Tuesday, sunrise]
[continued from here]
For the next several hours, Rory and Anakin spent quite a bit of time doing, well, that.
And when they weren't enjoying each other's presence carnally, they were snuggling close and talking about anything and everything that occurred to them - what would happen in the morning, random memories from the past few months, hats....
Until finally, after one particularly exhilarating round of...um, that, Rory noticed the gray sky outside tingeing pinkish as she curled up against Anakin's side.
"It's morning," she murmured.
"I saw," Anakin said, swallowing hard.
"I hate morning. More than ever," Rory mumbled, snuggling closer and squeezing her eyes shut.
"Me too," Anakin whispered. He wrapped his arms around her and glanced at the chrono.
"I need to get up," he said.
He made no move to actually do so.
"Stay," Rory murmured into his shoulder, clinging a little tighter. "Please. Just...stay."
Anakin sighed. "You know I can't," he whispered.
"You could," Rory said, knowing exactly how ridiculous it sounded. "You could stay here."
"Rory." Anakin kissed the top of her head and then sat up. "I have to go. I hate it, but I have to."
Rory sighed. "Fine," she said, suddenly angry.
Anakin looked at her, not trying to hide the hurt in his eyes. "You understand having responsibilites," he said. "I can't just turn away from mine."
Rory took one look at him and her face crumpled.
She looked away, determined to be mad.
Mad was a lot easier to deal with than hurt or sad or alone.
"Right. Of course not."
Anakin sighed softly and pushed himself out of bed, heading towards the shower.
"You're not really mad at me," he murmured as he passed her.
Rory was torn.
She wanted to follow him, but she was a little bit unclothed. And she was much, much more modest than him.
But getting dressed? Getting dressed meant that she could leave his room.
And that meant they were that much closer to goodbye.
So she compromised.
A few seconds later, Rory appeared in the bathroom doorway with Anakin's inner tunic on, because it covered the essentials.
"I am too mad at you."
Real mature, there.
Anakin smiled. "Nice shirt." He looked at her. "Want to keep it?"
He reached in to check the water temperature, then raised an eyebrow. "Care to join me? Or are you too mad?"
"Am I allowed to keep it?" Rory asked, softening significantly. "And maybe. I am mad, though. Seriously."
Anakin nodded. "If you'd like," he said. He looked into her eyes. "And you're not angry. You're frustrated and scared...and so am I." He turned away. "I'm getting into the shower--do what you want."
"I am angry," Rory said again, frustrated. "Just...maybe not with you."
She sighed and pulled his shirt over her head. "Shower, yay."
Anakin gave her a small smile and pulled her into the shower with him. He yanked his hair out of its ponytail and let the water run over him, tilting his head back so it covered his face, too.
At his heart, he was still a desert boy and water would never lose its wonder.
"I've never seen anyone like water as much as you do," Rory said softly, standing out of the way of the spray.
Anakin blushed. "On Tatooine, there are people who farm moisture from the sky. Water is rare, precious. I've never gotten used to this, really."
"I take it for granted," Rory admitted. She glanced at him before looking away and crossing her arms self-consciously. "Bad habit, doing that."
Anakin reached out to pull her under the spray. "It's just me," he whispered. "No reason to be nervous."
"I'm too skinny," she said reflexively. "And I'm sorry for being a brat."
"You're perfect," Anakin said, tipping her head up to look at him. "And there's no need to apologize."
"I'm far from perfect, and I'm being a pain because I don't want you to go and I'm sorry and if I didn't love you as much as I do I would be way less of a bitch and I'm sorry," Rory said in one breath, tears pooling in her eyes.
Anakin could practically hear the chrono ticking off the seconds until the transport landed, but this was too important to rush.
"I'm sorry, too," he choked out, hoping that the shower's spray hid the tears on his cheeks. "I hate making you hurt like this."
"S'not your fault," Rory said, trying really hard not to start bawling and only half-succeeding. "S'unreasonable to ask you to stay. You can't. I know that."
Anakin pulled her close and whispered comforting nothings in her ear.
He didn't think it really mattered whether or not he believed them--seeing Rory this upset was twisting his stomach into knots.
Rory leaned her forehead against his shoulder, trying to stop crying.
It wasn't his fault. And the fact that she was being so selfish was something she was already starting to beat herself up for, mentally.
He had responsibilities. This was bigger and more important than her.
"It'll be okay. I'm fine," she said after a few seconds.
Anakin gave her a searching look but decided not to push it.
He reached for the soap and completed what was--for him--a scandalously short shower.
With his wet and naked girlfriend.
Life was just not fair sometimes.
"I'll take pictures of everything for you, just like before when you were gone," Rory said hollowly as she hopped out of the shower and grabbed a towel.
Anakin nodded, feeling numb.
He dried off, then slung the towel low around his hips and walked back into his room and reached for a clean set of tunics.
The rest he piled into a bag along with his datapad, the yearbook, and the globe and photo album Rory had given him.
He looked around the room--he couldn't take anything else with him.
His eyes rested on Rory. He really wished he could.
Outside, the sun peeked over the horizon.
Rory quietly got dressed in her clothes from the day prior, her hair settling into slightly frizzy, damp waves.
"You should teach the Council 'Ever the Same,'" she said with a small smile.
Because she really, really needed to be silly. Or...well, she needed to be anything that wasn't sad or empty, and being angry hadn't worked out.
Loneliness would come soon enough.
Anakin gave her a small smile. "I will. And get video of it to show you."
He glanced over at the turtle tank. "Could you watch Yoda for me until I get back?"
Because he was coming back, dammit.
Rory nodded, biting her lip.
"Anything you want me to pass on to anyone?"
Anakin ran a hand through still-damp hair. "Tell everyone I said goodbye?" he said softly. "Angel and Aeryn and Parker and Peter and Molly and John and Bridge and Angela and Marty..." his voice broke. "And everyone," he repeated.
He looked out the window and sighed. "I've got to go."
Rory looked down.
"How far can I walk with you?" she asked, her voice suspiciously tight.
"To the gates?" Anakin suggested, walking over to her and cupping her face in his hands so she'd have to look at him.
His eyes were bright with unshed tears. "For as long as I live, there will never be someone who will replace you," he said quietly. "A part of my heart is always, always yours."
Rory looked up at him as her tears finally fell, trying to get her voice under control.
It was several moments before she could actually speak, and when she did, her voice was soft and more than a little shaky.
"And I will never, ever, ever forget you. Or meet anyone like you. There will never be anyone who'll be special to me in the same way. You're in my head and my heart and probably my toes or something, too, and I couldn't get you out even if I wanted to."
Her cheeks were wet with streaming tears and her voice was barely above a whisper, but her red and shining eyes left little doubt as to how completely, absolutely, and utterly she meant every clumsy word.
Anakin tilted his head and kissed her like he would never get another chance.
He dropped the shields against other people's emotions that he normally had up without thinking about it, allowing himself to really feel what she was feeling, trying to imprint this moment in his memory.
And to ignore the voice in his head that was chanting "last time" over and over again.
Rory moved as close as she could, and focused on kissing him.
And in that quiet, shining, all-too-brief moment, the world fell away.
She was overwhelmed with the sheer concentration and intensity of what she felt, her fear and frustration melting into a single much more Roryesque feeling:
Hope.
As she touched his braid, Rory knew - she was absolutely certain - that he would be back.
Because he had to be.
Anakin finally broke away and leaned his forehead against hers. "I love you," he said. "For always."
"I love you too," Rory whispered. "More than I actually realized, even."
She rubbed a thumb under either eye. "We need to get going."
Anakin nodded and wiped at his own eyes, then summoned his bag with a wave of his hand. "Sooner I leave, sooner I'm back, right?"
He opened the door with a trembling hand. "Ladies first."
"You are coming back," Rory said, her hands in her pockets as she walked past him and stood in the hallway. "You have to."
Anakin closed the door quietly behind him and began walking down the hallway, carefully not looking back.
"Of course," he said.
"Because you haven't taught me to use a lightsaber," Rory continued, her voice relatively steady. "And you have to see Bucky when he's born. And Yoda will miss you."
Anakin bit his lip--hard--and nodded.
They walked down to the third floor, then the second, then out into the lobby.
Anakin swallowed around a lump in his throat and pushed open the door leading outside.
In the early morning sunlight the school was beautiful. Today he didn't notice.
He walked to the gates, then turned to look down at her, tears threatening to spill over again. "I'll see you soon, okay?" he said.
"You better," Rory mumbled, her voice breaking again as she awkwardly stared at the ground.
Anakin wrapped his arms around her and held on tight.
Rory held on as tightly as she could.
And in what was probably the most ridiculous of her last ditch efforts, she attempted to maneuver his robes around her.
She was small. They'd never notice her.
That made Anakin smile despite himself.
"I have to go, love," he whispered, trying to disentangle her.
"I could totally stow away," she said, offering a tiny, tiny smile. "And...I know you have to. And nothing I do or say is going to keep you here, and it's unfair to think you could and I'm sorry and I just don't want you to go."
Anakin listened to Rory babble. "I know," he said finally, reaching down to squeeze her hand one last time.
He glanced at the sun. "They're waiting for me," he said, looking into her eyes.
Rory bit her lip and squeezed his hand, nodding.
"Then you need to go."
"I love you," he whispered, voice hoarse, then pulled his hand away, squared his shoulders and started walking quickly towards the coordinates where the transport was waiting.
He didn't look back.
"I love you too," Rory whispered as he headed off. She stood there quietly, watching the transport take off, and stayed still for a long, long time.
Then she silently headed back to the dorms.
She had a turtle to retrieve, after all.
[OOC: The fact that Anakin is gone (and yes, he'll be back in two weeks or so when his player's back from vacation, yay) is good for broadcast; the rest isn't. Preplayed, no IC interaction, blah blah. OOC comments are welcome, though. :) And I'm posting this before I go to bed because it's closer to the actual time of the post than if I put it up when I awaken later.]
For the next several hours, Rory and Anakin spent quite a bit of time doing, well, that.
And when they weren't enjoying each other's presence carnally, they were snuggling close and talking about anything and everything that occurred to them - what would happen in the morning, random memories from the past few months, hats....
Until finally, after one particularly exhilarating round of...um, that, Rory noticed the gray sky outside tingeing pinkish as she curled up against Anakin's side.
"It's morning," she murmured.
"I saw," Anakin said, swallowing hard.
"I hate morning. More than ever," Rory mumbled, snuggling closer and squeezing her eyes shut.
"Me too," Anakin whispered. He wrapped his arms around her and glanced at the chrono.
"I need to get up," he said.
He made no move to actually do so.
"Stay," Rory murmured into his shoulder, clinging a little tighter. "Please. Just...stay."
Anakin sighed. "You know I can't," he whispered.
"You could," Rory said, knowing exactly how ridiculous it sounded. "You could stay here."
"Rory." Anakin kissed the top of her head and then sat up. "I have to go. I hate it, but I have to."
Rory sighed. "Fine," she said, suddenly angry.
Anakin looked at her, not trying to hide the hurt in his eyes. "You understand having responsibilites," he said. "I can't just turn away from mine."
Rory took one look at him and her face crumpled.
She looked away, determined to be mad.
Mad was a lot easier to deal with than hurt or sad or alone.
"Right. Of course not."
Anakin sighed softly and pushed himself out of bed, heading towards the shower.
"You're not really mad at me," he murmured as he passed her.
Rory was torn.
She wanted to follow him, but she was a little bit unclothed. And she was much, much more modest than him.
But getting dressed? Getting dressed meant that she could leave his room.
And that meant they were that much closer to goodbye.
So she compromised.
A few seconds later, Rory appeared in the bathroom doorway with Anakin's inner tunic on, because it covered the essentials.
"I am too mad at you."
Real mature, there.
Anakin smiled. "Nice shirt." He looked at her. "Want to keep it?"
He reached in to check the water temperature, then raised an eyebrow. "Care to join me? Or are you too mad?"
"Am I allowed to keep it?" Rory asked, softening significantly. "And maybe. I am mad, though. Seriously."
Anakin nodded. "If you'd like," he said. He looked into her eyes. "And you're not angry. You're frustrated and scared...and so am I." He turned away. "I'm getting into the shower--do what you want."
"I am angry," Rory said again, frustrated. "Just...maybe not with you."
She sighed and pulled his shirt over her head. "Shower, yay."
Anakin gave her a small smile and pulled her into the shower with him. He yanked his hair out of its ponytail and let the water run over him, tilting his head back so it covered his face, too.
At his heart, he was still a desert boy and water would never lose its wonder.
"I've never seen anyone like water as much as you do," Rory said softly, standing out of the way of the spray.
Anakin blushed. "On Tatooine, there are people who farm moisture from the sky. Water is rare, precious. I've never gotten used to this, really."
"I take it for granted," Rory admitted. She glanced at him before looking away and crossing her arms self-consciously. "Bad habit, doing that."
Anakin reached out to pull her under the spray. "It's just me," he whispered. "No reason to be nervous."
"I'm too skinny," she said reflexively. "And I'm sorry for being a brat."
"You're perfect," Anakin said, tipping her head up to look at him. "And there's no need to apologize."
"I'm far from perfect, and I'm being a pain because I don't want you to go and I'm sorry and if I didn't love you as much as I do I would be way less of a bitch and I'm sorry," Rory said in one breath, tears pooling in her eyes.
Anakin could practically hear the chrono ticking off the seconds until the transport landed, but this was too important to rush.
"I'm sorry, too," he choked out, hoping that the shower's spray hid the tears on his cheeks. "I hate making you hurt like this."
"S'not your fault," Rory said, trying really hard not to start bawling and only half-succeeding. "S'unreasonable to ask you to stay. You can't. I know that."
Anakin pulled her close and whispered comforting nothings in her ear.
He didn't think it really mattered whether or not he believed them--seeing Rory this upset was twisting his stomach into knots.
Rory leaned her forehead against his shoulder, trying to stop crying.
It wasn't his fault. And the fact that she was being so selfish was something she was already starting to beat herself up for, mentally.
He had responsibilities. This was bigger and more important than her.
"It'll be okay. I'm fine," she said after a few seconds.
Anakin gave her a searching look but decided not to push it.
He reached for the soap and completed what was--for him--a scandalously short shower.
With his wet and naked girlfriend.
Life was just not fair sometimes.
"I'll take pictures of everything for you, just like before when you were gone," Rory said hollowly as she hopped out of the shower and grabbed a towel.
Anakin nodded, feeling numb.
He dried off, then slung the towel low around his hips and walked back into his room and reached for a clean set of tunics.
The rest he piled into a bag along with his datapad, the yearbook, and the globe and photo album Rory had given him.
He looked around the room--he couldn't take anything else with him.
His eyes rested on Rory. He really wished he could.
Outside, the sun peeked over the horizon.
Rory quietly got dressed in her clothes from the day prior, her hair settling into slightly frizzy, damp waves.
"You should teach the Council 'Ever the Same,'" she said with a small smile.
Because she really, really needed to be silly. Or...well, she needed to be anything that wasn't sad or empty, and being angry hadn't worked out.
Loneliness would come soon enough.
Anakin gave her a small smile. "I will. And get video of it to show you."
He glanced over at the turtle tank. "Could you watch Yoda for me until I get back?"
Because he was coming back, dammit.
Rory nodded, biting her lip.
"Anything you want me to pass on to anyone?"
Anakin ran a hand through still-damp hair. "Tell everyone I said goodbye?" he said softly. "Angel and Aeryn and Parker and Peter and Molly and John and Bridge and Angela and Marty..." his voice broke. "And everyone," he repeated.
He looked out the window and sighed. "I've got to go."
Rory looked down.
"How far can I walk with you?" she asked, her voice suspiciously tight.
"To the gates?" Anakin suggested, walking over to her and cupping her face in his hands so she'd have to look at him.
His eyes were bright with unshed tears. "For as long as I live, there will never be someone who will replace you," he said quietly. "A part of my heart is always, always yours."
Rory looked up at him as her tears finally fell, trying to get her voice under control.
It was several moments before she could actually speak, and when she did, her voice was soft and more than a little shaky.
"And I will never, ever, ever forget you. Or meet anyone like you. There will never be anyone who'll be special to me in the same way. You're in my head and my heart and probably my toes or something, too, and I couldn't get you out even if I wanted to."
Her cheeks were wet with streaming tears and her voice was barely above a whisper, but her red and shining eyes left little doubt as to how completely, absolutely, and utterly she meant every clumsy word.
Anakin tilted his head and kissed her like he would never get another chance.
He dropped the shields against other people's emotions that he normally had up without thinking about it, allowing himself to really feel what she was feeling, trying to imprint this moment in his memory.
And to ignore the voice in his head that was chanting "last time" over and over again.
Rory moved as close as she could, and focused on kissing him.
And in that quiet, shining, all-too-brief moment, the world fell away.
She was overwhelmed with the sheer concentration and intensity of what she felt, her fear and frustration melting into a single much more Roryesque feeling:
Hope.
As she touched his braid, Rory knew - she was absolutely certain - that he would be back.
Because he had to be.
Anakin finally broke away and leaned his forehead against hers. "I love you," he said. "For always."
"I love you too," Rory whispered. "More than I actually realized, even."
She rubbed a thumb under either eye. "We need to get going."
Anakin nodded and wiped at his own eyes, then summoned his bag with a wave of his hand. "Sooner I leave, sooner I'm back, right?"
He opened the door with a trembling hand. "Ladies first."
"You are coming back," Rory said, her hands in her pockets as she walked past him and stood in the hallway. "You have to."
Anakin closed the door quietly behind him and began walking down the hallway, carefully not looking back.
"Of course," he said.
"Because you haven't taught me to use a lightsaber," Rory continued, her voice relatively steady. "And you have to see Bucky when he's born. And Yoda will miss you."
Anakin bit his lip--hard--and nodded.
They walked down to the third floor, then the second, then out into the lobby.
Anakin swallowed around a lump in his throat and pushed open the door leading outside.
In the early morning sunlight the school was beautiful. Today he didn't notice.
He walked to the gates, then turned to look down at her, tears threatening to spill over again. "I'll see you soon, okay?" he said.
"You better," Rory mumbled, her voice breaking again as she awkwardly stared at the ground.
Anakin wrapped his arms around her and held on tight.
Rory held on as tightly as she could.
And in what was probably the most ridiculous of her last ditch efforts, she attempted to maneuver his robes around her.
She was small. They'd never notice her.
That made Anakin smile despite himself.
"I have to go, love," he whispered, trying to disentangle her.
"I could totally stow away," she said, offering a tiny, tiny smile. "And...I know you have to. And nothing I do or say is going to keep you here, and it's unfair to think you could and I'm sorry and I just don't want you to go."
Anakin listened to Rory babble. "I know," he said finally, reaching down to squeeze her hand one last time.
He glanced at the sun. "They're waiting for me," he said, looking into her eyes.
Rory bit her lip and squeezed his hand, nodding.
"Then you need to go."
"I love you," he whispered, voice hoarse, then pulled his hand away, squared his shoulders and started walking quickly towards the coordinates where the transport was waiting.
He didn't look back.
"I love you too," Rory whispered as he headed off. She stood there quietly, watching the transport take off, and stayed still for a long, long time.
Then she silently headed back to the dorms.
She had a turtle to retrieve, after all.
[OOC: The fact that Anakin is gone (and yes, he'll be back in two weeks or so when his player's back from vacation, yay) is good for broadcast; the rest isn't. Preplayed, no IC interaction, blah blah. OOC comments are welcome, though. :) And I'm posting this before I go to bed because it's closer to the actual time of the post than if I put it up when I awaken later.]