Fic: White Rabbits (Star Wars, 19/?)
Title: White Rabbits
Chapter: 19/?
Author: Diana Michelle (butterfly)
Warnings: Spoilers for Revenge of the Sith.
Pairing: Anakin/Obi-Wan; implied Anakin/Padmé.
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: Anakin takes a chance.
Disclaimer: Not Lucas, don't own a thing, not making any money.
Chapter Index
Chapter Nineteen -- What You Can Get
“…which is when Mistress Padmé noticed that she was pregnant.”
Anakin shook off the odd feeling of dread that had been stealing up on him in last few minutes and focused on Threepio’s words.
“I wasn’t here when she found out?” Anakin asked, and the thought disturbed him.
“No, Master Anakin,” Threepio said. “You didn’t have a chance to come to Coruscant until almost four months later.”
“We were in the Outer Rim for five months,” Anakin said, disbelievingly. Even with all the turmoil that the war had caused so far, this sounded like a new level of chaos.
“No doubt we communicated with the Council regularly,” Obi-Wan said. “And perhaps we merely didn’t have time for casual visiting if we did return to Coruscant on occasion.”
Anakin shot Obi-Wan an aggrieved look, but Obi-Wan actually seemed to be listening to Threepio, which was nothing short of astonishing.
Even more amazing was that his hand was still on Anakin’s shoulder. Even when Anakin had been young, Obi-Wan’s touches had always been rare and fleeting.
The only sustained contact they generally had was when Anakin was in the process of rescuing Obi-Wan, and even then, Obi-Wan always let go of Anakin the instant that he was safe.
Perhaps the difference was because Obi-Wan couldn’t connect with the Force - though Obi-Wan had never been physically affectionate, he’d constantly reached out to Anakin through the Force, reassured Anakin in that place beyond words or touch. Without the Force, perhaps Obi-Wan had found that he, not Anakin, had been the one who’d needed that connection so badly.
“Your movements were fairly well-known, after the fact, Master Kenobi. And Mistress Padmé watched the HoloNet daily,” Threepio said. “There were so many rumors, and so many unconfirmed casualty reports. Chancellor Palpatine announced that he disapproved and that he was trying to stop the more lurid ones from surfacing, but his efforts appeared to be largely unsuccessful. Mistress Padmé started voicing concerns that he wasn’t trying his hardest.”
“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me,” Obi-Wan said.
“Because you always believe the worst of any politician,” Anakin said, holding up his left hand to let Threepio know that he should stop talking for a while and let Anakin and Obi-Wan argue this out. “It’s one of your least pleasant character traits, Master.”
“Surely, I don’t always believe the worst of politicians,” Obi-Wan said. “That’s hardly sensible.”
“You’ve never trusted Padmé,” Anakin said.
“Oh, yes, she certainly wasn’t hiding anything from me,” Obi-Wan said, his voice sharp, his fingers tightening on Anakin’s shoulder for just a moment. “And she most definitely never lied about something that she might have reason to believe that I’d like to know, and something that, quite frankly, I did have the right to know.”
“Fine, fine, I get the point,” Anakin said.
“I’m not sure that you do,” Obi-Wan said. “No, I did not trust her, and I was right not to.”
“Yet, you say that you still trust me,” Anakin pointed out.
“Anakin, do you really believe that you were hiding your feelings from me?” Obi-Wan asked. “We were both pretending that it wasn’t happening - I was deceiving myself as much as you were.”
“Does that lessen the deception?” Anakin said, reaching up and placing his right hand over Obi-Wan’s hand on his shoulder. The touch sensors under the glove registered Obi-Wan’s body heat as slightly above normal, though not at all dangerously so. “We both lied to you and it was my decision to keep… our relationship from you. Padmé wanted to tell you, even though she thought it best to hide it from everyone else.”
“Anakin, is there something else that you aren’t telling me?” Obi-Wan asked, pulling his hand out from under Anakin’s.
“No,” Anakin said vehemently, turning towards Obi-Wan and reaching out to grab Obi-Wan’s wrist. Obi-Wan looked down at Anakin’s hand, and then back up at Anakin, brows drawn together and lips parted in surprise.
“I won’t be disappointed in you,” Obi-Wan said softly, showing no outward signs of stress, though his heartbeat had quickened.
“Yes, you will be,” Anakin said. He loosened his grip slightly, though not enough to allow Obi-Wan to pull away. “I know you will.”
“Just tell me,” Obi-Wan said. Anakin turned Obi-Wan’s wrist so that his hand was palm up, and pushed Obi-Wan’s sleeve back with his left hand, exposing blue veins and pale golden skin. When he glanced up at Obi-Wan’s face, Obi-Wan’s eyes told him nothing. Obi-Wan wasn’t afraid, that much was clear, but the rest of his emotions were veiled and while Anakin could force his way in, Obi-Wan probably wouldn’t appreciate it.
“Yes, Master,” Anakin said, and he felt oddly breathless, as if he were on a moon with a thin atmosphere. He had an idea of a way he could, perhaps, soften the blow.
On the outskirts of his narrowed focus, Anakin could feel something dark struggling to make itself known, but there was no control here, no mind. Just instinct, just the two of them, connecting on a level beyond anything the Council could understand.
He dropped his gaze back down at Obi-Wan’s wrist, finding it much easier to concentrate when he didn’t have to look Obi-Wan in the eyes. The sensors of his mechnical hand told him so many physical details - if he cared to, he could count the number of tiny hairs trapped under the glove at this moment - but it wasn’t enough.
“I’ve betrayed my vows to the Jedi Order,” Anakin said, touching the first two fingers of his left hand to the warmth of Obi-Wan’s wrist. Obi-Wan’s pulse jumped for a moment, and his breathing accelerated slightly.
“Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, a note of warning in his voice, though he didn’t try to pull away.
“Obi-Wan,” Anakin said, his voice slipping a tone or two down. Slowly, he slid his fingers down Obi-Wan’s wrist, through the small gap between Anakin’s thumb and fingers. Obi-Wan shivered as Anakin’s fingers reached the palm of his hand. “After Geonosis, when I escorted Padmé back to Naboo?”
“Yes?” Obi-Wan asked, and the tightness in his voice made Anakin look up again. Obi-Wan’s breathing remained steady, though it had quickened yet again, and his face remained a model of serenity. But he could feel the tension in Obi-Wan’s muscles and the effort that it took Obi-Wan to hide it. Experimentally, Anakin stroked his fingertips up again, past Obi-Wan’s wrist, slipping his fingers under the sleeve of Obi-Wan’s shirt.
Obi-Wan’s mouth opened in reaction, his eyes widening. Just a moment later, Obi-Wan had composed himself again, though Anakin could feel the trembling tension in Obi-Wan’s body.
“When Padmé and I returned to Naboo,” Anakin said, taking a step towards Obi-Wan, backing him towards the wall of the corridor. Obi-Wan glanced over Anakin’s shoulder, where Anakin had almost forgotten Threepio was. Obi-Wan should know better than to worry about that. Threepio always knew when to stay silent for Anakin.
Anakin took another step forward, and this time, Obi-Wan stepped back against the wall, his pulse racing wildly under Anakin’s touch.
“You and… you and Padmé,” Obi-Wan prompted, hesitantly. Anakin slid his hand out from under Obi-Wan’s sleeve, took another step forward, and pressed it against the side of Obi-Wan’s neck. He roughly stroked his thumb against Obi-Wan’s jawline, rubbing against the grain of Obi-Wan’s beard.
“We got married, there in Naboo,” Anakin said. Obi-Wan shook his head, slightly. Obi-Wan’s pupils were huge in the relative dimness of the ship and he was breathing in quick pants through parted lips. Anakin tilted his head down slightly, moving forward again, his body just a whisper away from Obi-Wan’s.
“Your commitment to the Order…” Obi-Wan said. He licked his lips nervously, and Anakin watched carefully, his own tongue unconsciously mimicking Obi-Wan’s.
“Is not the point,” Anakin said. He slid his hand around to the back of Obi-Wan’s neck. “My love for Padmé doesn’t have to involve the Order.”
“Anakin,” Obi-Wan whispered. “If you really love her, why-“
Anakin pressed his mouth against Obi-Wan’s, closing his eyes in concentration. Obi-Wan’s mouth was still open and Anakin took full advantage, slipping his tongue in, tasting Obi-Wan.
For a long moment, Obi-Wan remained frozen under his touch. Then Obi-Wan sighed, the breath of it swallowed up by Anakin’s mouth, and gave in.
The kiss was nothing like the first one that he’d shared with Padmé - Obi-Wan’s beard was rough against Anakin’s skin, and Obi-Wan’s mouth held none of Padmé's sweetness. And yet, in some ways, it was exactly the same.
This, too, was a kiss that he’d wanted for years.
~end chapter nineteen~
Chapter: 19/?
Author: Diana Michelle (butterfly)
Warnings: Spoilers for Revenge of the Sith.
Pairing: Anakin/Obi-Wan; implied Anakin/Padmé.
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: Anakin takes a chance.
Disclaimer: Not Lucas, don't own a thing, not making any money.
Chapter Index
Chapter Nineteen -- What You Can Get
“…which is when Mistress Padmé noticed that she was pregnant.”
Anakin shook off the odd feeling of dread that had been stealing up on him in last few minutes and focused on Threepio’s words.
“I wasn’t here when she found out?” Anakin asked, and the thought disturbed him.
“No, Master Anakin,” Threepio said. “You didn’t have a chance to come to Coruscant until almost four months later.”
“We were in the Outer Rim for five months,” Anakin said, disbelievingly. Even with all the turmoil that the war had caused so far, this sounded like a new level of chaos.
“No doubt we communicated with the Council regularly,” Obi-Wan said. “And perhaps we merely didn’t have time for casual visiting if we did return to Coruscant on occasion.”
Anakin shot Obi-Wan an aggrieved look, but Obi-Wan actually seemed to be listening to Threepio, which was nothing short of astonishing.
Even more amazing was that his hand was still on Anakin’s shoulder. Even when Anakin had been young, Obi-Wan’s touches had always been rare and fleeting.
The only sustained contact they generally had was when Anakin was in the process of rescuing Obi-Wan, and even then, Obi-Wan always let go of Anakin the instant that he was safe.
Perhaps the difference was because Obi-Wan couldn’t connect with the Force - though Obi-Wan had never been physically affectionate, he’d constantly reached out to Anakin through the Force, reassured Anakin in that place beyond words or touch. Without the Force, perhaps Obi-Wan had found that he, not Anakin, had been the one who’d needed that connection so badly.
“Your movements were fairly well-known, after the fact, Master Kenobi. And Mistress Padmé watched the HoloNet daily,” Threepio said. “There were so many rumors, and so many unconfirmed casualty reports. Chancellor Palpatine announced that he disapproved and that he was trying to stop the more lurid ones from surfacing, but his efforts appeared to be largely unsuccessful. Mistress Padmé started voicing concerns that he wasn’t trying his hardest.”
“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me,” Obi-Wan said.
“Because you always believe the worst of any politician,” Anakin said, holding up his left hand to let Threepio know that he should stop talking for a while and let Anakin and Obi-Wan argue this out. “It’s one of your least pleasant character traits, Master.”
“Surely, I don’t always believe the worst of politicians,” Obi-Wan said. “That’s hardly sensible.”
“You’ve never trusted Padmé,” Anakin said.
“Oh, yes, she certainly wasn’t hiding anything from me,” Obi-Wan said, his voice sharp, his fingers tightening on Anakin’s shoulder for just a moment. “And she most definitely never lied about something that she might have reason to believe that I’d like to know, and something that, quite frankly, I did have the right to know.”
“Fine, fine, I get the point,” Anakin said.
“I’m not sure that you do,” Obi-Wan said. “No, I did not trust her, and I was right not to.”
“Yet, you say that you still trust me,” Anakin pointed out.
“Anakin, do you really believe that you were hiding your feelings from me?” Obi-Wan asked. “We were both pretending that it wasn’t happening - I was deceiving myself as much as you were.”
“Does that lessen the deception?” Anakin said, reaching up and placing his right hand over Obi-Wan’s hand on his shoulder. The touch sensors under the glove registered Obi-Wan’s body heat as slightly above normal, though not at all dangerously so. “We both lied to you and it was my decision to keep… our relationship from you. Padmé wanted to tell you, even though she thought it best to hide it from everyone else.”
“Anakin, is there something else that you aren’t telling me?” Obi-Wan asked, pulling his hand out from under Anakin’s.
“No,” Anakin said vehemently, turning towards Obi-Wan and reaching out to grab Obi-Wan’s wrist. Obi-Wan looked down at Anakin’s hand, and then back up at Anakin, brows drawn together and lips parted in surprise.
“I won’t be disappointed in you,” Obi-Wan said softly, showing no outward signs of stress, though his heartbeat had quickened.
“Yes, you will be,” Anakin said. He loosened his grip slightly, though not enough to allow Obi-Wan to pull away. “I know you will.”
“Just tell me,” Obi-Wan said. Anakin turned Obi-Wan’s wrist so that his hand was palm up, and pushed Obi-Wan’s sleeve back with his left hand, exposing blue veins and pale golden skin. When he glanced up at Obi-Wan’s face, Obi-Wan’s eyes told him nothing. Obi-Wan wasn’t afraid, that much was clear, but the rest of his emotions were veiled and while Anakin could force his way in, Obi-Wan probably wouldn’t appreciate it.
“Yes, Master,” Anakin said, and he felt oddly breathless, as if he were on a moon with a thin atmosphere. He had an idea of a way he could, perhaps, soften the blow.
On the outskirts of his narrowed focus, Anakin could feel something dark struggling to make itself known, but there was no control here, no mind. Just instinct, just the two of them, connecting on a level beyond anything the Council could understand.
He dropped his gaze back down at Obi-Wan’s wrist, finding it much easier to concentrate when he didn’t have to look Obi-Wan in the eyes. The sensors of his mechnical hand told him so many physical details - if he cared to, he could count the number of tiny hairs trapped under the glove at this moment - but it wasn’t enough.
“I’ve betrayed my vows to the Jedi Order,” Anakin said, touching the first two fingers of his left hand to the warmth of Obi-Wan’s wrist. Obi-Wan’s pulse jumped for a moment, and his breathing accelerated slightly.
“Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, a note of warning in his voice, though he didn’t try to pull away.
“Obi-Wan,” Anakin said, his voice slipping a tone or two down. Slowly, he slid his fingers down Obi-Wan’s wrist, through the small gap between Anakin’s thumb and fingers. Obi-Wan shivered as Anakin’s fingers reached the palm of his hand. “After Geonosis, when I escorted Padmé back to Naboo?”
“Yes?” Obi-Wan asked, and the tightness in his voice made Anakin look up again. Obi-Wan’s breathing remained steady, though it had quickened yet again, and his face remained a model of serenity. But he could feel the tension in Obi-Wan’s muscles and the effort that it took Obi-Wan to hide it. Experimentally, Anakin stroked his fingertips up again, past Obi-Wan’s wrist, slipping his fingers under the sleeve of Obi-Wan’s shirt.
Obi-Wan’s mouth opened in reaction, his eyes widening. Just a moment later, Obi-Wan had composed himself again, though Anakin could feel the trembling tension in Obi-Wan’s body.
“When Padmé and I returned to Naboo,” Anakin said, taking a step towards Obi-Wan, backing him towards the wall of the corridor. Obi-Wan glanced over Anakin’s shoulder, where Anakin had almost forgotten Threepio was. Obi-Wan should know better than to worry about that. Threepio always knew when to stay silent for Anakin.
Anakin took another step forward, and this time, Obi-Wan stepped back against the wall, his pulse racing wildly under Anakin’s touch.
“You and… you and Padmé,” Obi-Wan prompted, hesitantly. Anakin slid his hand out from under Obi-Wan’s sleeve, took another step forward, and pressed it against the side of Obi-Wan’s neck. He roughly stroked his thumb against Obi-Wan’s jawline, rubbing against the grain of Obi-Wan’s beard.
“We got married, there in Naboo,” Anakin said. Obi-Wan shook his head, slightly. Obi-Wan’s pupils were huge in the relative dimness of the ship and he was breathing in quick pants through parted lips. Anakin tilted his head down slightly, moving forward again, his body just a whisper away from Obi-Wan’s.
“Your commitment to the Order…” Obi-Wan said. He licked his lips nervously, and Anakin watched carefully, his own tongue unconsciously mimicking Obi-Wan’s.
“Is not the point,” Anakin said. He slid his hand around to the back of Obi-Wan’s neck. “My love for Padmé doesn’t have to involve the Order.”
“Anakin,” Obi-Wan whispered. “If you really love her, why-“
Anakin pressed his mouth against Obi-Wan’s, closing his eyes in concentration. Obi-Wan’s mouth was still open and Anakin took full advantage, slipping his tongue in, tasting Obi-Wan.
For a long moment, Obi-Wan remained frozen under his touch. Then Obi-Wan sighed, the breath of it swallowed up by Anakin’s mouth, and gave in.
The kiss was nothing like the first one that he’d shared with Padmé - Obi-Wan’s beard was rough against Anakin’s skin, and Obi-Wan’s mouth held none of Padmé's sweetness. And yet, in some ways, it was exactly the same.
This, too, was a kiss that he’d wanted for years.
~end chapter nineteen~