𝕮𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡, 1
━━ 𝘼 𝙇𝙀𝘼𝙋

━━ 𝘎𝘌𝘖𝘕𝘖𝘚𝘐𝘚
𝟸𝟹 𝙱𝙱𝚈

The first thing she feels is a terrible, numbing headache. Someone must have tried to hammer a rusty nail into her skull, or that's what it feels like at least.

The pain slowly, slowly ebbs and she is finally able to acknowledge her surroundings. Her back is leaned against a stone wall, she can feel the rough surface through the fabric of her tunic. It is chilly, and a steady draft bringing a rotten stench makes her shiver.

She groans and opens her eyes. A metallic taste fills her mouth.

"Selyn?"

She jumps at the familiar voice. "Anakin!"

As her eyesight adjusts to the darkness, she sees him pacing at the end of their cell. Relief washes over her. He's been captured, too, but he's alive and they're together.

He rushes to her side. "How are you feeling?"

A sudden wave of pain splits her head in two. "Splendid. Just splendid."

He cracks a smile. "At least we have each other now."

They appear to be alone in this cell. Guards are stationed outside, the insect-like creatures Selyn understands to be Geonosians.

"Where's Nadia? And Obi-Wan?"

"Interrogated separately. And Padmé has been taken to Dooku."

Worry turns Selyn's limbs even colder. Interrogation. That doesn't sound good.

"I discovered a droid manufacture here. The Seperatists are building an army of droids to attack the republic."

"A droid army to attack the republic?" Selyn echoes, head spinning.

"But wait, I didn't even tell you the best news yet." Anakin throws her an easy grin, leaning against the wall. "We're sentenced to death by public execution."

Selyn pulls a grimace. "Fun."

After a few minutes the headache fades into a distant throbbing in the back of her head, and she's able to stand and take Anakin's place at the end of their cell, pacing the small space.

Her head feels dizzy, but not only because of the gas that knocked her out.

As she looks up she finds Anakin's intense gaze lingering on her face. "I missed you," he says.

Selyn comes to a halt. "Me, too."

She awkwardly folds her hands behind her back, unsure how to voice this endless number of thoughts that occupied her mind every day since Crylles.

"I'm sorry we never had the chance to speak again," Anakin adds. "There were some things I wished to say to you."

"I had so many thoughts. And doubts," Selyn admits. "The past months were horrible for me; I was plagued by so much guilt for breaking the code. But at the same time, I just...I missed you so much. What can be so wrong about that?" she finishes desperately.

"I don't think we should feel guilty for what is in our hearts," he says quietly.

"I know. I know that now." Because she does. With him next to her it all makes so much sense.

Anakin pushes himself off the wall, crossing the space between them. His hands rest on her arms, just as warm and firm as she remembered them to be. "You were with me every day, Selyn. And the pain from being away from you was greater than my guilt of breaking the code."

"I couldn't escape you, Anakin," Selyn says. "You were everywhere, in my thoughts, even in my dreams. I can't run from..."

She hesitates, searching for words.

"...you."

"...love." he finishes her sentence. Her eyes widen at his words.

But he takes her head between his hands, firmly, but the touch of his thumb on her cheek is gentle.

"Say it as it is, Selyn."

She finds her cheeks flush at his intense gaze, his eyes darting over her face, her lips, as if he is drinking up every detail of her.

"Face it."

"We're so young, what should we know about love?" She says desperately, clutching his hands with hers.

"Our lives might end in a few minutes. I think we have the right to live and feel these last moments to the fullest."

His eyes, ocean blue and unafraid, find hers at last.

Swirling stars and the misty, wild scent of the desert, whispers for only the sky to hear and kisses under protection of the night's raven wings rise vividly in her mind.

"I..."

Selyn stops, heart hammering in her chest. She looks up to him, into this intense emotion in his eyes and feels as if her soul was stripped bare before him. She has never said those words to anyone, and they're scary and huge and something that will irrevocably change her, for all eternity.

It feels as if she's about to jump of a cliff, adrenaline cursing through her veins, fingers shaky as she gazes into the deep blue waters below.

And so she leaps.

"I love you." The waters are welcoming her, pulling her into their blue embrace.

Her voice shakes slightly as she realizes that these words are now woven into their very souls, binding them forever.

"I love you, Anakin," she repeats, braver this time.

He kisses her, soft and gentle like he did that night on Crylles. She pulls him closer, and one of his hands buried in her hair and the other wrapped around her waist as if trying to fill space between them completely. There is something hungry about this kiss, maybe because they will be facing death soon, and Selyn abandons every other thought, her mind going blank, only able to focus on where their bodies are touching. As if the only purpose of her existence was to be held by him, kissing him.

She swears she could get drunk on this feeling.

They break apart, slightly breathless.

Selyn grins sheepishly. "I believe you owe me an answer. Because so far, I've been the only one admitting my feelings, and that makes you look like a coward."

He laughs, caught off-guard. His hands still rest on her cheeks as he speaks again.

"I love you, Selyn. And if we die today know this: in our short lives the best thing that happened to me, was you."

Then Anakin pulls something from inside his tunic.

Selyn gasps as she recognizes the necklace that she's tried on when they were Crylles, the honey-coloured stone shining even more warmly than she remembers.

A wide smile spreads on her lips. "I can't believe you bought that!"

He seems pleased seeing her joy. "Of course I did."

"Have you been carrying this around with you ever since?"

He shrugs. "I didn't really have the chance to give it to you in the past months, did I? I could have hardly given it to Obi-Wan and asked him to pass it on to you."

Selyn laughs, despite their situation. "He would have fainted. Maybe killed you before that, too."

"Or worse - he could have lectured me." Anakin pulls a grimace.

"Turn around," he commands and Selyn obeys. He puts on the necklace, his hands lingering on her shoulders and sliding down her frame until he wraps them around her waist, pulling her close, her back pressed against his chest.

"Whatever happens now, I'm glad we got to break some rules first."

Selyn tilts her head to her side, looking at him. "I'm glad this galaxy brought us together, Anakin Skywalker."

He kisses her again, and for the moment being their world is sunlit, bold, vibrant. Ready to be claimed by two young hearts.

✧･ﾟ:* 𝕬𝘜𝘛𝘏𝘖𝘙'𝘚 𝘕𝘖𝘛𝘌 *:･ﾟ✧

good old romance shit, spoiling y'all with the selykin content 🥰

this little character development of selyn in this chapter is something very personal to me, I think a lot of people can relate with how she feels - she is scared of what she feels deep down at first, like it's been her problem throughout the entire act, and understandably so - love is something very huge. But now we have a breakthrough, and there's no turning back now 💪 Also maybe you guys spotted a few interesting metaphors in this chapter? 👀 I will build on that, and its all linked to Selyn's general arc and Anakin's role in it hehe

I wasn't so sure wether to split this chapter up into two parts, and in the end I did because I didn't want it to be too long - next half of the genesis arc coming next week!

hope you enjoyed! pls tell me what's on your mind  🫶🫶

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