“Did you see that, Master?!”

Your voice, bright with an irrepressible excitement, cuts through the humid air of the training room. He doesn’t answer immediately; instead, he lets out a low, contemplative hum. A lazy and uncharacteristically soft smile tugs at the corners of his lips as he turns his gaze toward you.

Of course, he had seen it.

The truth was that Anakin was always watching you.

Whether he was ostensibly checking the form of your katas, ensuring you weren't slacking off on your endurance drills, or simply standing in the shadows of the balcony above, his eyes rarely left you. He told himself it was the duty of a Master to be vigilant, but in the quiet of his own mind, he knew it was something more magnetic.

So, naturally, he hadn't missed the moment you successfully mimicked one of his 'infamous' lightsaber flourishes; a risky, inverted-grip spin that he’d spent weeks perfecting.

“Yes, I saw you, Padawan,” he says, his voice dropping into a warmer register.

Your bubbly energy was a strange, intoxicating thing to him; it acted as a balm, smoothing over the jagged edges of his temper even on days when he felt ready to curse the entire galaxy and the Council along with it. However, the Knight in him feels the need to temper your enthusiasm with a bit of caution.

“You need to be more careful, though,” he adds, stepping closer. He reaches out, his gloved hand coming to rest briefly on the top of your head. It’s a gesture that’s half-scolding and half-tender. “My tricks aren't easily replicated for a reason. You’re talented, but if you mistime that rotation, you’ll lose a limb before you even realize you’ve made a mistake.”

He keeps his tone light, a gentle reprimand, because the last thing he wants to do is extinguish the glow of your pride. He is genuinely happy for you; thrilled by your progress and the way your face lights up.

He’s even happier by the way you look at him, even though it’s so, so wrong. He knows that look— he feels it echoed in his own soul —and not acting on it was the hardest part of being your Master.