xxv. ❝anakin and padmé ❞
10.07

Grey — Sloan Memorial wasn't immune to Halloween, not when Atlas Lee-Sunny was working. It was practically a requirement to embrace the chaos of costumes and candy when he was around on the 31st. The nurses' station looked like it had been hit by a festive whirlwind — pumpkin-shaped candy bowls, strands of orange and purple fairy lights, and a garland of paper bats swaying slightly every time someone walked past.

There was even a foam graveyard sign perched on the counter with "RIP SLEEP" scrawled across it in glittery letters. Atlas had been the mastermind behind it all, of course. He always is, he always will be.

He stood in the middle of it now, his gender-bent Padmé Amidala costume as dramatic as it was fabulous. He adjusted the decorative belt at his waist before turning his attention to one of the nurses. "Your witch hat is crooked," he pointed out, reaching up to tweak the brim. "There. Now you're ready to cast some spells, or maybe scare Derek into actually sharing his snacks."

The nurse laughed, swatting him lightly with a clipboard. "Atlas Lee—Sunny, he'll always share snacks with you."

Atlas grinned, tossing a mini chocolate bar into one of the overflowing candy bowls. "Too much? No, no, just enough." His eyes twinkled as the other nurses joined in with their own laughter.

They adored him, and honestly, how could they not? He's always been so kind to them, and seen them as someone who was much more than a nurse who was only good for drawing blood. They did everything they could to help, and Atlas appreciated them.

Across the room, Derek Shepherd leaned casually against the counter, his Anakin Skywalker costume effortlessly cool and perfectly tailored, of course. Thanks to Lilla, who had great sowing skills, something she picked up after her husbands passing. He watched Atlas with an amused smile tugging at his lips. Derek had tried to convince him to go as another Jedi, but no, Atlas had insisted on being Padmé.

'Balance in the force,' he'd said, as if that explained anything. Derek had little idea of who everyone was, he only just recently watched Starwars: Attack of the Clones.

"Padmé, love," Derek called over, his voice low and teasing. "Aren't you supposed to be diplomatic? You're a little too comfortable throwing shade."

Atlas spun around dramatically, his regal headpiece catching the light. "Shade? Anakin, please. I would never." He smirked, making his way toward Derek. "Anyway, shouldn't you be brooding in a corner somewhere? Isn't that kind of your whole thing?"

Derek chuckled softly, shaking his head, but before he could respond, the sound of little footsteps approaching caught their attention. A small boy, no older than six, stood hesitantly near the edge of the nurses' station. He was dressed as a pirate, complete with a slightly-too-large hat that kept slipping over his eyes.

Atlas's expression softened instantly, and he crouched down to meet the boy's gaze. "Ahoy there, Captain!" he greeted, holding out a fist for the boy to bump. "Are you here for treasure?"

The boy's face lit up as he nodded shyly. Atlas gestured to the nearest candy bowl. "Well, you've come to the right place. Take as much as you want, just don't forget to share with your crew!"

The boy giggled as he scooped a handful of candy into his little bucket, and Atlas gave him a wink before standing back up. Nearby, one of the nurses leaned over to Derek and whispered, "He's too good at this."

Derek watched as Atlas high-fived another child and adjusted the crown on a little girl's princess costume. His smile softened. "Yeah," he said quietly. "He really is."

╚═ ☆ ═╝

The kind of night where the world felt alive, full of laughter and excitement, as kids in costumes darted up and down the street. The Lee-Sunny/Shepherd house was no exception — its porch was decorated with carved pumpkins, flickering candles, and an enormous plastic spider that Atlas insisted looked 'just realistic enough to keep everyone on their toes.'

Atlas stood by the door, grinning as he handed out candy to a group of tiny superheroes. He crouched down to eye level with a particularly shy Spider-Man, holding out the bowl. "Wow, Spider-Man, you've been busy tonight, haven't you? Saving the world and collecting candy? You deserve an extra chocolate for that." The little boy giggled, mumbling a quiet 'thank you' before scampering off with his friends to where a group of moms stood at the end of the driveway.

Behind him, Derek leaned against the doorway with a soft smile, watching Atlas work his magic. "You're really good at that, you know," Derek said as the door shut behind the latest round of trick-or-treaters.

Atlas turned, raising an eyebrow. "Handing out candy? Yeah, it's a gift. I trained for years. Being a surgeon sure helps, love."

Derek smirked and shook his head. "I mean the whole... making-kids-feel-like-they're-the-center-of-the-universe thing."

Atlas shrugged, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Well, maybe because they are. At least to somebody." He walked back into the living room, where a half-empty candy bowl sat waiting on the coffee table. Dropping onto the couch, he let out a contented sigh. "You know, I'm really glad Cam has a friend to go trick-or-treating with this year. He was so excited when he left."

Derek followed, sitting down beside him. "Yeah," he said, his voice warm. "It's a big deal for him. And Starlee's probably having the time of her life with your mom. Lilla texted me a picture of her decorating cookies — half the frosting ended up on her face, of course, she gets that from you."

Atlas laughed, already picturing the scene. "That sounds about right."

For a moment, the two sat quietly, listening to the muffled sounds of laughter and footsteps from outside. Derek reached over, resting his hand lightly on Atlas's. "You ever think about doing this again?" he asked, his tone softer now.

Atlas looked at him, puzzled. "Handing out candy? Sure. I've got a lot of years left in me."

Derek rolled his eyes, but there was a fondness in the gesture. "No, I mean... having another kid. You've always said how much you love being a dad. And, I don't know, I've been thinking about it a lot lately — whether we'd adopt again, or maybe try surrogacy this time."

Atlas blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in the conversation. But it didn't take him long to smile, his eyes softening. "Yeah," he said quietly. "I do think about it. Sometimes I'll catch myself wondering what it'd be like, adding one more to the chaos. Another little pumpkin running around on nights like this."

Derek nodded, his gaze only on his husband. "I know it wouldn't be easy, not that it ever is. But I can't help thinking about how much love there is in this house. How much we have to give."

Atlas squeezed Derek's hand, his heart swelling at the thought. "You're right. We'd figure it out. And hey, if we survived Cameron's dinosaur phase and Starlee trying to repaint the walls with markers, we can handle pretty much anything."

They both laughed at that, the memory of those chaotic moments more precious than they'd realized at the time. The sound of the doorbell brought them back to the present, and Atlas jumped up to answer it, candy bowl in hand.

As he opened the door, a group of teenagers, dressed as everything from zombies to cereal boxes, cheered. "Cool decorations, man," one of them said, gesturing to the giant spider on the porch.

"Thanks," Atlas replied, handing out handfuls of candy. "Take as much as you want; it's a slow night."

When the door closed again, Derek was still sitting on the couch, watching him with that quiet, thoughtful look he always got when he was deep in his own head. "So," Derek said slowly, his lips curving into a small smile. "Are we doing this?"

Atlas set the candy bowl down and turned, meeting his husband's gaze. "Yeah," he said, his voice firm but warm. "Let's do this."

Derek's smile widened, and for a moment, the house felt even warmer, even fuller, than it already was. Outside, the sounds of Halloween carried on, but inside, all could be heard was the steady heartbeats of two so helplessly and devotedly in love.

"I love you, my Anakin Skywalker." Atlas shuffled forward, wrapping his arms around Derek's neck.

Derek leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Atlas's glossy lips, "I love you more, Padmé Amidala."

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hello again! starwars costumes, awe! atlas being padmé and derek being anakin — ahhhh!

we're getting close too 700k reads, and that's honestly amazing! i think if we can hit 700k reads before my birthday, 24, may, than maybe something special could happen? thoughts? what do y'all want?

also, i published a mark sloan fic, with pedro pascal as my ocs face claim. check it out and comment, id love you forever :)

ps. i haven't decided if i want derek to die at the end of this book, and the second book be like an au of what it would be like if he didn't die? or have him just not die? you all seem to love magnetic hearts and souls, and i want to give you all the rest of the show. thoughts on this too?