[ He realizes too late that he can't. He can't make himself go, preferring maybe in this brief moment to go down with the factory rather than parting from Anakin again. Selfishly. Selfishly. But Anakin rubs his chin and nods, indicating that he likes it, his new facial hair and just at that small gesture, that tiny second in time, something releases inside Claude, something lets loose and he would have turned eventually, slower than necessary, but eventually, if not the other man had reached out for him in the Force, twirling him around very nicely and softly and carefully, then - like a huge, powerful hand between his shoulder blades - pushing him forward, towards the waiting Falleen CEO, shouting for him and waving both arms frantically. And the rest of him melts. The rest of him breaks free. So, Claude runs, shouting back to the CEO, get out, get out, get out, I know where I'm going, while he keeps his back on Anakin, not even looking over his shoulder to check he's getting away as well.
So, they'll make a place for him. He's done horrific things, but he's also done great things and while the two don't compare, just measured in action, the intention weighs just as heavily, right? It must. It absolutely has to, by now.
And if Anakin continues to fight not only the Empire but himself? They can make no other demands of him, and shouldn't either, unless they want to push him beyond his breaking point.
The question is not if he'll work for them. Anakin needs work for no one, even now. The question is whether he'll work with them. And if nothing else, then with Claude, yeah? Claude can handle him, even if he refuses to be his handler.
That's the last thing he remembers thinking before he's dragged inside the nearest evacuation vehicle and taken away from the factory behind them, crumbling to the ground from the top-down. The way things need to be done, when it comes to structures like this and structures like the Empire and all power structures, the end. ]
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Claude trusts him with that.
Because he's just shown himself trust-worthy, hasn't he? He's not contacted him, he's not followed or tried to intervene. He has worked on himself first, like Claude told him to and now, it's Claude's turn to do the work. To build up that trust on his end, too. He needs to talk to Padmé, because after this, he imagines Anakin might not have many more places to go.
So, they'll make a place for him. He's done horrific things, but he's also done great things and while the two don't compare, just measured in action, the intention weighs just as heavily, right? It must. It absolutely has to, by now.
And if Anakin continues to fight not only the Empire but himself? They can make no other demands of him, and shouldn't either, unless they want to push him beyond his breaking point.
The question is not if he'll work for them. Anakin needs work for no one, even now. The question is whether he'll work with them. And if nothing else, then with Claude, yeah? Claude can handle him, even if he refuses to be his handler.
That's the last thing he remembers thinking before he's dragged inside the nearest evacuation vehicle and taken away from the factory behind them, crumbling to the ground from the top-down. The way things need to be done, when it comes to structures like this and structures like the Empire and all power structures, the end. ]