when you write a flashback scene as an introduction to the next chapter but then it hits the word limit so the flashback scene becomes the chapter 😍

—

"We can't keep asking my mom for money."

"Well, who do you expect me to go to, huh? My parents?"

"No," Anakin sighs, shaking his head. "Though it would be really helpful if you could get them to talk to you again. I don't know how we're going to pay this off."

"Don't blame me for my parents not helping with Ahsoka. You got me pregnant."

"It's sort of a two person job so don't blame me either."

"Okay, well what do you want me to do about this other than call your mom?"

"I don't know—maybe get a job instead of draining money from the person who helped you through the most difficult phase of your life?"

"Oh, and you can't do that?"

"I have a job."

"No, you have a toolkit and spare parts you've collected since you were a kid that you refuse to give up."

"Yeah, and I make money with all that while you stay here all day."

"Excuse me? While I stay here all day and raise our daughter without you, that's all," Ayra scoffs.

"Ayra, you know that's not what I meant," Anakin replies lowly, shaking his head. "You know that my mom would be happy to take care of Ahsoka during the day while we make money. Just because you never had to worry about finances or getting a job before your parents kicked you out doesn't mean that you aren't able to learn now."

"Oh please, Anakin, don't act like I've had it easy my whole life just because my family had money. You weren't the one who had to go to high school, visibly pregnant at fifteen. And not just there—grocery stores, restaurants, everywhere."

"You're right. I'll never understand that," Anakin begins, rolling his eyes. "It's not like I had to bring her to school with me—"

"Oh, please."

"And stop her from crying in the middle of class—"

"I can't believe you." She begins walking to the other side of the room.

"Because she would never stop crying for you so it had to be me—"

"You're horrible," she says, shaking her head. "At least you had a caring mother who helped you out when your life went to shit. You should appreciate that instead of complaining about everything and trying to throw me under the bus for still needing the help that your mom is happily giving us."

"Would you stop acting like Ahsoka ruined my life? Because that is the furthest thing from true and you know it," Anakin snaps, pointing a finger at her.

"Well, maybe stop acting like she did!"

"How the hell am I—"

"I don't know, Anakin, why don't you tell me why all of a sudden getting jobs that will take us away from her is the most important thing to you?"

"Because I want to be able to provide for her! She's sick right now, Ayra! She's three years old and things like this are not going to stop happening; she's around kids all the time, spreading germs, touching things, and accidents happen. She could break a bone or something and we need to be prepared for that!"

"We need to build a relationship with her," Ayra argues. "While we do that, we can rely on your mother for a little while longer."

"We can do both at the same time!"

Ayra holds up a finger, montrals picking up on something that his ears are not.

Quiet sniffling is coming from Ahsoka's bedroom. Ayra and Anakin stare at one another for a moment, the sound of Ahsoka calling for Anakin breaking the silence.

Anakin exits the room, leaving the tension behind while Ayra just shakes her head at him, lips pursed in a tight line.

"What's the matter, baby?" Anakin asks, kneeling down beside his daughter's bed, resting his chin on top of the guard rail that keeps her from rolling onto the floor in her sleep. It's black and covered in colorful starfighters—it had been his as a kid, like most of Ahsoka's things. Shmi had been able to find lots of necessities in her attic to save him and Ayra money.

"My throat," she says, tapping her neck with one hand.

"Yeah?" He rises on his knees to lift her up, over the rail, adjusting the sleeves of her fuzzy, purple pajamas once she's in his lap so that they don't hang over her hands.

"And my montrals," she continues, tapping the little bumps on top of her head with both of her hands. The fever makes them sore, Ayra had told him.

"You aren't due for another dose of medicine for about a half hour," he explains, gathering her up against his chest as he leans into the wall. "Is there anything I can do to make it better?" he asks.

She sniffles again and he offers the sleeve of his shirt to her as a tissue. She blows.

Before she can answer his question, the apartment door slams shut. Anakin winces, feeling Ahsoka flinch at the sound.

"Where's Mommy going?"

"I don't know," he sighs, looking over to the line of light that shines through the crack in the ajar door. "Do you want some more soup?"

She removes herself from him, yawning and stretching her tiny arms up high over her head before pillowing it on his chest once again. He smiles.

"Can I have another popsicle?"

The nineteen year old hoists himself up off of the ground, a hand around his daughter to support her weight.

"Sure, what kind?"

"A red one," she says as they exit her room.

"Silly Soka, you already ate all of those ones." He pulls open the freezer, sifting through the individually wrapped treats. "How about blue?"

"Silly Daddy," she mimics, pulling on one of his curls. He swats her hand away. "You already ate all of those."

"So snippy," he chides, shaking his head with a grin. He pulls a blue popsicle out of the freezer. "And so not true."

He tears the package open with his teeth and closes the freezer with his foot before crossing the floor and handing the popsicle off to Ahsoka. While she eats, he leans over the paper that had been sent to their apartment by the healer's office, containing a bill for their recent trip to confirm Ahsoka's sickness.

It's not cheap, but he knows they can afford it if he can just get some more customers. The one thing that he's certain of is that he isn't letting his mom pay this off for them. He and Ayra have to start providing for Ahsoka at some point and this has gone on for long enough.

Ayra doesn't see it that way, he knows, but he's sure that she'll come to her senses eventually.

Something catches his eye beside the envelope—another note. It's short and scribbled down on a plain piece of paper, in black ink. He feels his heart drop to his stomach the moment he reads it.

Going to your mom's for the night. I think we should separate.

He blinks down at it before reading the two sentences over again.

Separate? For the night or for good? She can't be leaving him to raise Ahsoka on his own, can she? Or maybe she just wants them to raise her separately? Unless he's overthinking this and she's just staying with his mom for a night or two.

He's pulled from his thoughts as Ahsoka smacks a sticky kiss on his cheek the moment that she notices his distress.

He shakes his head and turns away from the counter, making his way back over to Ahsoka's room, said toddler handing the rest of her half-eaten, half-melted popsicle off to him. He absently drops it in the garbage can.

He feels sick.

How can money be the thing that divides them? It's stupid, it's insane, it's... honestly, something he should have seen coming. Something he should have been prepared for.

He lays in bed with Ahsoka until it's time for her to take her medicine again, and then leaves her, with a kiss on the forehead,  to sleep on her own.

He tells himself that his only reason for not sleeping a single second through the whole night is because he wants to make sure that Ahsoka doesn't wake up again, but every moment is spent panicking about Ayra's note. He doesn't want to do that to Ahsoka—doesn't want to leave her with one less parent like him, growing up without his dad.

Before he knows it, the sky is light again, and Ahsoka is invading his space as she climbs into his bed, demanding breakfast.

And so he focuses on her while he waits for Ayra to come home and explain to him what the hell is going on, and why money is the thing that has to pull them apart.

—

don't worry we'll get back to the plot in the next chapter! this one felt necessary though. have a good night!