Coruscant- Sunday

[notconflicted]

Things happened quickly after... everything. It was hard when you’d been at war for a long time and it all stopped suddenly, but in this case it didn’t so much stop as get replaced with a new kind of chaos. The day after her father’s death, Sia was declared Empress in an almost throwaway part of a statement announcing the rule of the new Galactic Triumvirate, linking the Empire, Galactic Alliance and Jedi as a united front. There were countless meetings and debates and arguments about how to go about things but the decision to move everything to Coruscant had been unanimous. The Jedi took over the old Temple, while the GA and Empire shared the massive Imperial Palace, and while she had nothing to do with the name of the building, she still considered it a little victory.

The issue was that Palpatine had been a crazy person and built it out until it was way, way too big, with countless rooms that no longer had purposes. A lot of the lower levels had never been properly restored after the Yuuzhan Vomg War, and the capital had most recently been occupied by the Sith before being abandoned for Korriban some time ago. They were moving people in and starting up regular business, but it was happening around a lot of work that had to be done.

The rooms were mostly perfectly habitable, though, so Sia was working from her apartment near the top of the palace while her offices were being set up, and she returned from a frustrating Triumvirate meeting in a dusty conference room with two people who didn’t seem to like her much, only to find that Vitor had discovered a new hobby called “let’s run around in front of the giant window and bark at everything in the sky.”

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” she sighed.

[For one!]

Comments

[suitably_heroic]

"That's what they keep telling me," Atton agreed casually, from the door.

He had a backpack slung over his shoulder.

They'd officially reached the end of what he could do for Sia, besides being emotional support.

[notconflicted]

Sia had a reply ready for that, at least until she looked over at him and spotted the backpack. It wasn’t like she hadn’t known this was coming, but... “That time, huh.”

She snapped her fingers to get Vitor’s attention, then gestured for him to go play in the hall. He’d be fine out there, and it’d stop the barking, at least.

[suitably_heroic]

"Can't stay here forever, princ-- empress," Atton said casually. "I know, hold your tears."

[notconflicted]

She was doing a pretty good job at adjusting to the new title... except maybe in this one specific case.

“You say that like I shouldn’t be sorry to see you go,” she said. Also casually.

[suitably_heroic]

"Ah, like you don't have better things to do than hang out with a washed-out, born-again Jedi," Atton said, stepping into the room.

[notconflicted]

“That’s actually precisely one of the reasons I like hanging out with you,” Sia pointed out. “And stop calling yourself washed-out.”

[suitably_heroic]

"You're going to start making me blush," Atton said.

He set his backpack down. "Look, I have to go, Si," he said. "I have stuff going on back home, too. And Sparkle'd be lost without me."

[notconflicted]

“I know. You got important,” she said, with a touch of a smile. “I’m surprised you’ve stayed this long, honestly.”

[suitably_heroic]

"You looked like you needed the help," Atton said, and for a moment there was actually a kind of awkward shuffle in his feet. "Uh."

[notconflicted]

“I did,” she said, taking a couple steps closer. She still did, but she also had to figure out how to handle everything without getting dependent on anyone. “Though... if the day ever comes that you get bored with retirement and everything back home...”

[suitably_heroic]

"Are you offering me a job, or can I just come here and be a concubine?" Atton joked.

[notconflicted]

“Which would make you more likely to actually do it?” Sia joked right back.

[suitably_heroic]

"Give me a few weeks and I'll get back to you," Atton joked.

Joking was easier. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed her until he'd shown up back here.

[notconflicted]

Sia raised an eyebrow. “Oh, it takes a few weeks to think about the concubine thing?”

[suitably_heroic]

"Hey, you know how many women are pounding down my door lately?" Atton said. "You think I'm going to be a sex toy to just any empress that shows up and asks?"

[notconflicted]

She did sort of want to know the answer to that first question. For reasons. But what she said was, “I’d like to think I’m not just any empress.”

[suitably_heroic]

"Yeah?" Atton said. "Make your case."

[notconflicted]

Really, the only logical answer to that was to close any distance between them and lean up to kiss him.

Experience meant she half expected him to push her away, but even if he did that wouldn’t be a problem till at least a couple seconds from now.

[suitably_heroic]

Well, back in the day he'd been a young adult pretending to be a teenager, dealing with being kissed by a teenager.

... And now technically the age gap was even worse, but you know what, none of it mattered because Atton was way too stunned about this happening at all to do anything about it. Besides settle his hands on her hips out of pure reflex.

[notconflicted]

Okay, he wasn’t pushing her away. Huh. So she added a little more pressure to test things out, sliding a hand to the back of his neck.

[suitably_heroic]

You know, Atton'd argue till his dying day that he was a better catch than Antares was, just because Antares was such a nerf herder.

But he'd never argue he should be the one to be making out with Sia Fel.

Still, he wasn't pushing her away. His hands slid up her sides once he got that under control, and he kissed her back, returning some pressure.

Look, he was only human.

[notconflicted]

Also, really, Atton was just a better catch in general.

Sia parted her lips to deepen the kiss a little, letting her other hand wander over his back. They hadn’t really gotten this far before, and she was glad not to have the pollen behind it this time, letting her really focus on him.

[suitably_heroic]

They hadn't gotten this far before, and they probably shouldn't.

But the reasons not to weren't as urgent as they were the last time she'd kissed him, so Atton was happy to lock the door on the should-they-or-shouldn't-they thing for now. He cupped her cheek, taking the opening she offered and pressed for more.

[notconflicted]

She was completely fine with giving him more, sighing against his lips and pulling herself closer until she was flush against him. This felt good, and it seemed like it had been a long time since she’d been able to feel good, and it wasn’t like there weren’t feelings she’d been repressing for a while now.

[suitably_heroic]

And Atton finally put the last of his internal narrative aside and let her. His hands slid up her back as he drew the kiss out.

He kept it nice. Deep, but even. He wasn't going to make this anything more than it was without her pushing for it. But she'd gotten pretty damn good at the kissing business.