(A/N) First in a series of Master Padawan interactions this is Anakin/Obi-wan, next Is probably Anakin/Ahsoka or Yoda/Dooku. Haven't decided.
He wasn't quite sure what to do now. He had never considered himself particularly gifted with children. Even the small children in the temple, whose behavior was mostly contained, regulated, and under control; he had never quite known what to say to them. He had thought that one day he might take a Padawan, but Padawan's were usually thirteen, not nine years old. And you had met them well before the time came for the pair of you to begin doing things together. Before you were sharing an apartment. Before you were sitting in the cafeteria, staring at each other over bowls of porridge and fruit.
This small blonde boy was watching him with raised eyebrows, and for not the first time that morning, he longed for some of Qui-Gon's easy graces of communication with other beings. He had been told many times that he had the voice, mind, and demeanor for diplomacy, and his former master had often left negotiations up to him on planets while he saw to other parts of the missions. But children were not diplomats, and this child had been raised entirely away from all of the teachings that Obi-Wan had spent his life dedicated to. So, alas, they sat in silence even longer, and he couldn't think of a single word to say.
"I had a dream last night," it was an obscure topic of conversation, but he seized on it, nodding as Anakin continued, stirring his porridge absentmindedly. "About Qui-Gon."
Obi-Wan swallowed too quickly, covering it with a small cough. Anakin recoiled form him slightly, and Obi-Wan realized he might have thought he was mad. "What was it about?" He tried to sound inviting, but it wasn't a tone that came easy for him. He doubted that Anakin's dream would amount to much, it was more than likely a byproduct of the stress of returning from Naboo and the recent bustle of Qui-Gon's funeral. But still, it was better than the impenetrable silence that usually settled between them.
"It was about the three of us, actually." He said, his words were cautious. Obi-Wan had realized several days ago, when Anakin had torn a set of his new robes, not realizing exactly how long they would be, that he was very worried about upsetting his new master. Not, Obi-Wan was certain, because eh particularly cared whether or not Obi-Wan was upset, but because of his past as a slave. To upset an authority figure could mean a condemnation, pain, misery, something to clearly avoid. Obi-Wan had not been angry, he had vowed silently to himself that he would never allow himself to get that angry at Anakin. He never would want the boy to be afraid of him. He had never been afraid of Qui-Gon, respected him, yes, but fear was not part of that equation.
"Really?" Obi-Wan cut part of his fruit open with his spoon as Anakin nodded. "What was it?"
"We were just talking." Anakin seemed relieved that Obi-Wan was interested, and the man wondered vaguely if something had been bothering him that morning. He had been even more quiet than normal before they had come down to start the day. "I couldn't see him, not really, only hear him. I could feel him though, near me. Does that make sense?"
Obi-wan nodded carefully, starting to think their might be more to this dream after all. "We talked about my being a Jedi. He said I could be strong and powerful, but that I had to be careful and listen to you and the council. He said you would train me to be a great Jedi." Obi-Wan swallowed, lost for words again, listening to the story that Anakin was telling with greater ease now. "He showed me some things the force could do, he had me move things, run, leap, tumble. It was amazing!" He was beaming, and Obi-Wan gae him a half smile, wondering that if Qui-Gon had manifested himself to the boy, why he would bother with such trivial things.
"After that we just talked. About my mother. About the Sith that you killed, Master." It was the first time that day that Anakin had addressed him as such. It still felt so odd to Obi-Wan to hear it. Most knights were full Jedi for two to three years before taking an apprentice, his transition period had been hours, where he watched Qui-Gon die to when Master Yoda removed his Padawan braid and promoted him to knight and he had received Anakin as his Padawan. "And about you."
Anakin blushed a little, clearly nervous, again, that Obi-Wan would be mad. "What did he say"
"Well, he told me about you. How powerful you were, even though he said you didn't know it." True to character, Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows in doubt. He had never felt that he was anything above that of an ordinary Jedi, in fact, he could name several that excelled at things he found himself having to pay more attention to. But since they had returned to the temple, he had noticed a change in the Jedi around him. He had heard their whispers. They had names for him, "Sith-Killer" was a common one that he had heard follow him down corridors or in the meditation room. He had been acknowledged by Masters that had practically ignored his existence for the past 20 years, and even two council members had approached him about his fight with the Sith. It made him uneasy, he was being labeled beyond his own control, and the hallmarked rage he had felt when initially fighting Darth Maul was not something he wished to be glorified by the other Jedi. "He also said he hope we could be close."
"I hope that as well, Anakin." And he had. His close bond with Qui-Gon had been incredibly important to him, not something he wanted to relinquish, but that had been severed from him. He wanted the same type of bond with Anakin, despite how rocky their beginnings had been. The boy nodded, and, dropping his gaze, waited a moment before speaking.
"He also said you were hard to talk to." Obi-wan blinked slowly, trying to swallow that piece of fruit that now seemed too large for his throat. His own master had always had a way of pointing out the flaws he didn't want to see, or simply hadn't noticed. This however, was one he was fully aware of. "Sorry, Master Obi-Wan, I didn't mean to upset you."
"You haven't, Anakin." He sighed, no longer wanting to eat the rest of his breakfast, but he did finish the last of his water before speaking again. "I'm supposed to learn from you as well in our time spent together." Anakin nodded, his disinterest in his food mirroring Obi-Wan's. The older man stood, and Anakin followed, the two of them walking down the hallway in presumed silence again. "I want you to be able to speak with me, Anakin. I apologize if I am hard to talk to sometimes, I'll work on it."
"He said something else, Master." Anakin looked back up at him, whipping his short braid to the side of his head. Obi-Wan waited expectantly, stopping outside of the door where Anakin was going to one of his first temple lessons. "That when you did talk, I should always listen since you know what you're talking about. He even said you could be funny." Anakin smiled at him, and Obi-Wan recognized the joke behind his words. The first one exchanged between them. He returned it, opening the door for Anakin to walk inside with another group of Padawans, seated in a meditation circle around Master Cin Drallig. The boy stepped away from, turning to leave.
"Anakin." He called, and the boy turned back, his eyes questioning, slightly nervous. "May the force be with you." He wasn't leaving on some long journey, some extended period of time; it was simply a class. But Obi-Wan felt that something was needed to cement what was now a small connection between them.
"And with you, Master." And with a small smile, the boy turned and disappeared.