Chapter Text
“Lord Vader will see you now.”
The neutral tone from the protocol droid echoed in her mind while she looked around the barren room of Vader’s quarters. It was cold. Not in temperature, just emotionless. Like he was.
Padmé padded barefoot around the small sitting area that looked staged rather than welcoming. As if someone made him a list of required furniture and that’s what he had added. His bed was equally plain. A thick black blanket covered simple gray sheets and if not for the untucked corner near his pillows, she’d question the last time it was used. She let her hand drag across the covers. At least it seemed soft, she thought. Softer than the textured wool of his sofa that she was certain wouldn’t feel great against her skin—assuming she knew what he had in mind.
If he had the decency to show up, that was. For now, she’d been summoned—from her bedroom—for nothing. Just a toy that he’d requested for the nighttime.
She swallowed hard.
Padmé liked to believe she was well prepared for anything the galaxy may throw her way. Some people called her idealistic, others ventured to use naive, but she felt informed and decisive at every turn. Until now.
When it was announced that the heir to the empire was formally courting for a bride, Padmé threw herself at the opportunity against some of her friends and advisors judgment. It was a chance, a real one, to have a glimpse inside the imperial machine. No one in the rebellion or anywhere else believed such a marriage would be apolitical. Lord Vader was ruthless and unforgiving. Not exactly marriage material in any conventional sense. And if anyone was right for the situation… It was her.
Except… It worked. She was a woman on the inside, sure, but that also meant she was on the inside. The last she’d seen of her friends was across a ballroom for the smallest of seconds before Vader whisked her away with a firm hand against her back. The Emperor and Vader were working to crush any semblance of uproar but they couldn’t just ban senators from official business—like the declaration of their intent to marry. What she’d seen on their faces and in their eyes, even briefly, was something akin to horror over her decision.
If only they knew.
Padmé clutched her hands in her lap then sat atop Vader’s bed. She didn’t know which scenario to prefer less: that he left her in anticipation all night, or that he joined her. He’d never asked for her so late.
Despite the constant news attention over the conversations of heirs and the imperial lineage, Vader had never done so much as kiss her through the months of their courtship. Even when she expected it. Braced for it. He simply dropped her off at her room and disappeared again to somewhere she wasn’t privy to. She’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop that would lead them back here for what felt like a lifetime.
The door whizzed open. Padmé rose to her feet immediately at the sound of boots entering the room before his cloaked figure stood before her.
“Milord,” she said, inclining her head.
Vader brushed by her without a sound, hanging his robe on an arm that jutted out from the wall before kicking his boots nearby. She fought herself but couldn’t help but stare while he continued removing clothing as if he were alone.
She considered maybe this was a mistake. The droid had, somehow, gotten the order wrong and Vader wasn’t sure how to dismiss her, but then she thought about how foolish that sounded. Even in her own head.
“Your heartbeat is elevated,” he said with his back still to her.
Padmé pressed a hand to her chest to notice it herself. She cleared her throat and tried to stay calm. “I wasn’t sure when you’d be arriving. Your droid brought me here—”
“I know.” He turned toward her, shaggy curls falling around his neck, golden skin littered with small scars she knew better than to ask about. Only his pants remained. “I asked for you to join me.”
“T-the words used felt more like a summons,” she stuttered out before she could think better of it.
The corner of his lip lifted. “Is that a problem?”
“No, milord.”
“Good,” he said cooly. He started toward her and Padmé sunk her teeth down into her lip. Without his uniform or cover, she thought he’d be less commanding but was quickly being proven wrong. Vader stopped in front of her. He tucked a curled finger beneath her chin and lifted her face. “We need to talk.”
Padmé’s mouth went dry. “What about?”
“We should sit down first.” He released her chin and her head almost rolled right off her shoulders. Gesturing with a finger toward her then the bed, she followed him without question. Vader sprawled out across his mattress, making the bed look miniature in comparison then smoothed a hand into a spot she assumed was for her.
Padmé took a seat next to him. “Have I done something?”
Vader’s eyes glanced at the ceiling then back at her. They lingered on her face briefly, then roamed lower, burning her cheeks red as they did. “Not at all. You’ve done everything right. Everything,” he emphasized. “Emperor Palpatine thinks that is a problem.”
She almost scoffed. “The Emperor is upset I haven’t done anything wrong?”
His yellow eyes bored into hers. Searching. She’d heard a rumor once that he could read minds but until this moment, she didn’t believe a word of it. “He thinks you’re perfect. For me. For this marriage. For...” he trailed off as did his eyes again. “Important matters for diplomatic relations.”
“Oh,” she whispered. “For… An heir…”
Vader nodded. “I know this hasn’t been discussed or approved. My med-droid hasn’t run any tests, but…” His hand suddenly brushed against her knee. It made her jump so he gripped her leg, long fingers curling around the back of her knee. “The wedding is soon. There are… Things. Expected of us.”
Her eyes settled on the hold he had on her leg. Anything to steel herself away from the conversation she was in. “You haven’t so much as kissed me, and now you’re—”
His grip tightened. “I’m what?”
“Talking about an heir!”
In one quick motion, he tugged on her leg until she was much closer and stared her down. She let out a yelp.
“I will do what I must,” he said through gritted teeth. “But it would be preferred that we are on the same page.”
What did he expect her to say? What would she say? Her point still stood—she hardly had contact with him and now he was discussing the possibility of children. Or rather, the necessity of them…
“Is that what you brought me here for? So you could force—”
“I will not force you.” His tone was final. “There are countless women for the task. Willing women.”
Padmé wanted to roll her eyes but it probably wasn’t the best choice for the moment. “So why am I here, then?”
“I thought you were willing,” he said as nonchalant as a weather report.
“I—”
Was she? Logically, she assumed one day there would be some required intimacy if he chose her for his bride, but that day seemed so far off when she agreed to the courtship. But Vader was right with their wedding fast approaching. Questions would be mounting, she was sure. The holonews tabloids were always out for a scandal and she could only imagine the Emperor’s reaction if said scandal was between her and Vader… But “producing an heir” made it all so… She shuddered. Clinical. Impersonal. Inhumane.
If this was to be the outcome, she could at least try to get there organically… As much as one could given the circumstances.
“Padmé?” he asked, bringing her even closer until she felt the heat radiating off of his skin between them.
“I don’t know what to say,” she admitted. “I don’t know what you expect of me.”
Vader’s gaze made her feel exposed. Small. Like her only choice was to curl in on herself but she didn’t want to give this man the satisfaction of it, either.
His palm slid to the inside of her thigh while his grip remained tight. “There is time, of course, but I think it would be best if we spent our nights together.”
“Okay,” she said, hoping her voice wouldn’t crack.
“And I’m going to kiss you. Now.”
Padmé’s chest tightened as did the sheet in her fist but she nodded anyway before his weight shifted in the bed. What she expected was some crushing, bruising power move from Vader. Instead, he met her lips with a pressure so light she wasn’t sure it’d happened until she opened her eyes and saw his face mere centimeters from hers. He blinked back at her then leaned in again.
Their second kiss was searing. His other hand found its way into her hair while his tongue pressed to her lips once she relaxed into it. She opened herself to him and Vader had no issue taking charge. Padmé wrapped her arms around his neck, shocking even herself in how wanton she was, how good his mouth felt on hers. He made a needy noise against her lips when she gently scratched his scalp, dragging her fingers through those curls of his. Each of his movements felt… Almost desperate? And with every noise he reciprocated, she absentmindedly wondered how often he’d done this.
When Padmé became desperate for air, she pushed away, chest heaving to catch her breath.
Vader stared at her, pupils wide, love-bitten lips red and glistening. It occurred to her then that maybe the current heir to the empire might not be who she assumed him to be—based on the bravado of his comments regarding willing women, at least. Maybe there was still a few things about him she needed to learn.
“That was—”
“Amazing,” she finished, letting her hand fall from his neck, touching as much of him as she could in the process.
He shivered in response. He opened his mouth to speak but his comlink in his discarded uniform interrupted them. Vader grumbled but rushed off to retrieve it. Padmé took note of the slight bulge to his pants as he did.
Vader snatched the device from his clothes and snapped an order at whoever had disturbed them. It was probably in her best interest to pretend she wasn’t paying attention, but it was hard to focus on anything else. He threw the comlink once he’d finished and it shattered against the wall.
“Is… Everything all right?”
Vader sighed. “I have to go. But I want to see you again. Tomorrow night.”
Padmé, without hesitation, nodded her head. “What time can I expect you?”
“I’m not sure. I will tell the guards to keep you informed. I can expect you’ll find your way here on your own?”
“Yes milord.”
A smirk tugged at his lip. “That’s a good girl,” he said.
A jolt shot through her at his words. “I’ll be waiting, then.”
Vader, no doubt, noticed. His smirk grew wider. “I’m looking forward to it, milady.”