2.6k words

༻✦༺

(y/n)'s POV
Anakin settled into the chair across from me, his eyes narrowed as the guards secured him in place. They nodded at me once they were done and left the room, just like they always did.

I opened my mouth to say something, but as usual, Anakin was quicker. "You do know we're inside, right?" he asked, a hint of sass in his voice.

I sighed, tapping my pen against the table, feeling uneasy. "Yes, Anakin, I'm fully aware."

He nodded slowly, leaning forward and pressing his tongue against the inside of his cheek. "Then why the sunglasses, Doc?" He tilted his head, his gaze fixed on the glasses.

"I had my pupils dilated," I replied, shrugging as I glanced down and opened my notebook, eager to change the subject. "So, before your arrest, you were part of a gang called the Sith." I looked back at him, noticing the irritated glare he was giving me. I decided to push on. "But your role isn't clear in any of the records. What exactly was your position in this gang, Anakin?" I leaned back in my chair, waiting for his answer.

"Take them off," he said firmly, completely disregarding my question.

I shook my head. "No, now answer my question."

He let out a single chuckle, bending down to scratch the corner of his eye before sitting back up. "Alright, take them off, and I'll tell you."

I dropped my pen in annoyance, letting it clatter onto the notebook. "Fine." I raised my hand and removed the glasses, revealing my bruised eye. "Happy? Now answer the question." I placed the glasses down forcefully in front of him, and his eyes flicked to them before returning to mine.

"Sweetheart," he leaned in, resting his elbows on the table with a sly grin, "I don't have a role. I am whatever I want to be."

Note: Leader?

The authorities and the courts are still on the hunt for the mastermind behind it all, unaware that he might have been right under their noses all along. "Are you saying you're the—"

He raised a finger to silence me. "Sh, it's my turn now sweetheart," he said, lowering his hand and folding it neatly in front of him. "Tell me, what happened to your face?"

I let out a sigh, wishing we could skip this subject. "Is that your only question for today?" I asked, arching an eyebrow, which made my face twinge a bit at the sting. It still hurt, unfortunately, and in my experience it will hurt for another few days.

He frowned, glancing down for a moment before shaking his head and meeting my gaze again. "No, I already know what happened. I'm not stupid. So my real question is: why did he hit you?"

I hesitated, knowing I had to stick to our agreement. "I was late again."

He nodded slowly, then raised a finger, motioning for me to come closer. "Come here, I want to see."

I shook my head, picking up my pen and shifting in my chair. "No, I think we should continue the session—"

"Yes, of course I'm the boss, do I look like a follower to you?" He scoffed with an eye roll, "But I'd prefer you keep that little detail to yourself for certain reasons. If you tell anyone I am, I'll just call you a liar and say you made it up to help boost your career. And as someone in residency, I'm sure you don't want that kind of heat." He shrugged casually, as if he hadn't just threatened my entire future. I was taken aback; this guy appeared to be no older than twenty, yet he was in charge? It didn't quite make sense, but somehow it did, as it was clear to me in this short time ive know him that he likely only valued his own opinions. "There, question answered. Now let me see. I've had my share of black eyes," he said, gesturing for me to come closer again.

T I listened carefully this time and got up to approach him. "What do you think you can actually do?" I asked with a hint of sarcasm, leaning down so my face was close to his.

"I'll assess how bad it is and tell you how to speed up the healing," he replied, his eyes examining the bruise.

I tried hard to avoid looking at him because of the awkward closeness, but eventually, I couldn't resist and met his gaze. His blue eyes locked onto mine, and we held that connection, just inches apart.

"It doesn't seem too serious," he finally said, still holding my gaze. He placed his hand over mine, which was resting on the table, and I was surprised by how cold it felt. A shiver ran up my arm. "Just ice it daily, especially before you sleep, and keep your head elevated at night. By the way, you look even more beautiful up close." He added with a charming smile. I rolled my eyes and stood up, creating some distance between us, while also pulling my hand away from his.

"Thanks," I said quietly, acknowledging his advice but ignoring the flirtation, as I returned to my chair.

"You're welcome, and don't forget the shovel," he said with a mischievous grin and a soft laugh.

"Why on earth would I need a shovel?" I asked, my brows furrowed in confusion.

"For when you kill him." He shrugged, a smirk spreading across his face. "It's the ideal tool; not only can you use it to take him out, but you can also dig his grave with it. Unless you don't have one, then a fire poker does the job well. It's tough and reliable—and I can tell you have one because I can smell the firewood on you when you come in sometimes.."

I stared at him, my mouth slightly agape, as if he had lost his mind. Well, he kind of had. "Thanks for the advice, Anakin, but unlike you, I'm not a murderer."

He studied me for a moment, his expression unreadable. "In this world, it's either you kill or you get killed, sweetheart. So make sure you're on the right side."

I laughed softly, shaking my head. "Do you really think that?" I asked, genuinely curious. "This twisted view you have of the world? I know you've faced tough times, and you didn't deserve what happened to you. But that doesn't mean everyone is bad or out to harm you. There are good, kind people out there."

"That's what I've been told, but I haven't met any yet," he replied quickly, a cold glint in his eyes.

Feeling a bit offended, I said, "What about me? Don't I treat you with kindness?"

He took a deep breath, then let it out dramatically. "I think we're done for today."

I frowned, glancing at the clock. "What do you mean? We still have fifteen minutes left." I looked back up to meet his gaze.

"Yeah, well, I'm too tired to keep talking," he said with a shrug, turning his head toward the door. "Guard!"

༻✦༺

I let out a frustrated sigh as I glanced at my notepad, which had only one crossed-out note on it. Today had been unproductive, and Anakin wrapped up our session so quickly that I barely had a chance to voice my objections.

Fortunately, Doctor Kenobi had left a while ago, so he wouldn't be reviewing my notes. I was stuck here late, going through files of other patients he wanted me to start seeing, while Anakin remained my main focus. Doctor Kenobi mentioned that I had been doing well lately and wanted to give me more responsibilities. This meant I would likely be here until around midnight, and it was only ten o'clock now.

At least I didn't have to worry about Jackson getting upset. I had already told him about my late night, and he even stopped by earlier to bring me some food. Though I'm sure that was his way of making sure I wasn't lying and was actually here, working.

I shut the notepad and opened my drawer, planning to tuck it away until I needed it again tomorrow.

As I reached for the bag of food to start unpacking it, I suddenly noticed something was off with my left hand.

My heart raced the moment I realized my ring was missing.

"Oh no," I murmured in a panic, dropping the bag and rolling my chair back to search my desk and the floor around me.

When I couldn't find it, my anxiety spiked, and I stood up to rummage through everything in the room. I even checked the couch, digging deep into the cushions, and searched the bookshelves. I nearly started crying because I knew Jackson would kill me if I came home without my ring. I could already hear the accusations of not having my ring after a late night of work and feel the oncoming bruises.

After coming to the conclusion that it wasn't in my office, I took a deep breath and tried to remember the last time I had seen it, planning to retrace my steps.

I remember having it when I got here today. There's a faint image in my mind of my fingers gliding over the black flower on my desk, the one Anakin crafted for me. I definitely had it at the beginning of our therapy session.

"It's not that bad," he finally said, still holding my gaze. He placed his hand over my left hand, which was resting on the table.

He didn't care about my eye; his focus was on getting close enough to take my ring. But why would he want a ring like that in a place like this? It's not like he could sell it. Or maybe he just wanted to annoy me, and it was working.

I let out a frustrated groan as I stepped out of my office and into the dim, empty hallways. I headed to the fifth floor to retrieve my ring. There was no way I was going home without it.

I took the elevator, tapping my foot on the floor in impatience. "Finally," I muttered as the doors opened, and I walked toward his cell. I knew which one it was; his file had the number, and I remembered it well—501.

The hallway was quieter than usual, with only one guard on patrol. I didn't get a chance to see or speak to him, as he turned the corner just as I stepped out of the elevator.

I walked confidently to cell 501 and tapped on the small rectangular window. Peering inside, I found him lying shirtless on his bed, one arm draped over his face. "Go away, I don't want to deal with you today," he mumbled without even glancing my way.

I knocked again, "Skywalker, I know you have my ring; just give it back."

At the sound of my voice, he quickly moved his arm and looked at me, a slow smile spreading across his face. "I was curious how long it would take you to show up." He sat up, placed his feet on the floor, and walked toward the door.

I let out a heavy sigh as his blue eyes came into focus through the glass. "Please just give it back; I really don't have time for this," I pleaded, trying to give him my best innocent look.

He glanced down and then revealed my ring, "Come in and get it, sweetheart."

I chuckled lightly, "So you can trap me and make a run for it? No thanks." I shook my head, deciding it was best to leave and talk to Kenobi about it tomorrow. Hopefully, Jackson wouldn't notice it was missing until I got it back.

"Wait," Anakin pressed his hand against the glass, stopping me in my tracks. I turned slowly to face him. "I promise I won't hurt you, and I'm not planning to escape; at least not today," he said with a smirk and a casual shrug.

"Then why did you take it?" I asked, exasperation creeping into my voice.

He shrugged again, lowering his hand so the ring was out of sight. "Maybe I just wanted to see you outside of our sessions." I could hear him tapping lightly on the door from his side.

I stifled an eye roll at his flirty comment. I had to admit, being flirted with by someone as attractive as him was a nice feeling, but he was still my patient, and I wasn't about to encourage it.

He swore on his late dog that he wouldn't harm me or do anything I feared. Pressing his forehead against the glass, I noticed the door handle twitch slightly.

I frowned, "Am I really supposed to believe that?" I questioned.

He nodded earnestly, "Absolutely. I loved that dog. The guard will be rounding the corner in about thirty seconds, so you have just enough time to unlock the door and get your ring." He urged me, "Now, please hurry. I already said I wouldn't hurt you or run away."

With a heavy sigh, I reluctantly pulled the key card from my pocket and held it up for him to see. It felt crazy to trust him, but honestly—I was more afraid of going home to Jackson's without that ring than I was by Anakin right now, "Just so you know, I have pepper spray with me."

In truth, I had nothing for protection, but he didn't need to find that out.

He grinned, slowly licking his lips, "That's a bit kinky; I wouldn't mind if you used it."

I rolled my eyes with a sigh and hesitated to open it. Many scenarios of what could happen went through my mind and I knew this was a crazy thing to do. So before I made a decision I could regret, I had an idea, "Set the ring down on the floor and back away until your back touches the wall."

He raised a brow, "You really don't trust me, do you?"

"I have no reason to."

He was silent for a moment as he contemplated my request. Then, he slowly put the ring on the floor, and backed away as far as he could. Once I felt more comfortable I pressed the key against the pad, and the lock clicked open.

I pushed the door open and heard the ring slide against the floor. I looked at Anakin to make sure he was still in the same spot and he was, "Go ahead, beautiful, take it; I won't move." He glanced at the ring on the floor before meeting my gaze, a playful glint in his eyes.

I reached down carefully, my eyes on him the entire time and picked up the ring from the floor.

"You should come over here; I can offer you my own special kind of therapy." He teased, a smirk playing on his lips. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, feeling relieved that he wasn't a threat. If he was, he'd have charged this way by now.

I slowly withdrew my hand, shaking my head slightly. "Maybe another time," I replied with a hint of sarcasm as I took a step back, and closed the door behind me.

He walked up to the glass, "I'll remember that," he said with a wink before turning away, but not before giving the door a light tap. "See you tomorrow, Doc. I can't wait to learn more about that fiancé of yours since it seems you fear him more than me—which is insane."

༻✦༺
Hope you liked❤️
Also, nothing Anakin will ever do is random, that man always has a purpose and it'll be made clear eventually❤️
༻✦༺