Title Swamped
Rating PG
Pairing Anakin/Obi-Wan Clone Wars-era
Summary In a swamp, it's difficult to find happiness. For imadrablue's V-Day challenge.
Prompt There is only one happiness in life: to love and be loved. - George Sand
Notes Thanks to my lovely citizenjess for the title and kind words and just for being Jess. :)
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Covered in mud and grime and sweat and blood, Anakin Skywalker could not find anything joyful about his current situation. Knee-deep in the putrid swamp of some backwater planet he'd never even heard of, cutting down battle droids and listening and feeling his Clone troopers dying by the dozens, he worked with a grim determination. Battle made him feel alive, but it did not make him happy.
Not anymore, anyway.
Beside him, Obi-Wan shifted his pack. Anakin glanced over towards his former Master, wishing he could suggest they stop and rest, regroup, reorganize. Shower. But there was no solid ground he could see, none he could sense with the Force, and so they were obliged to continue on. It was getting tedious.
He didn't complain, though, kept his head up, kept plowing forward. There had been a time, before the War, before being Knighted, that he would be in full-out whine mode by now. Master, there's guck in my boots. Bugs are biting me. I have to use the 'fresher. We smell bad. Maaasssstttter can we go home now?
But he wasn't that boy anymore. Sometimes he wondered if he was anything anymore. Anything more than a trained killer, a weapon. The closed fist of the Republic. The thought pained him, and he frowned against the mud covering his face.
"Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin," Obi-Wan said quietly, not looking over at him, not breaking stride. "You're brooding."
"And you're eavesdropping," Anakin countered, his tone as light as his thoughts were burdensome. He said no more, but risked a sideways glance over at his mentor. Obi-Wan, of course, was right. He was brooding. It might have been better than whining, but it still was not becoming of a Jedi.
Obi-Wan turned his head ever so slightly. "I'm sorry you're not happy with this assignment," he said, and Anakin was grateful his opinion - though unvoiced - was being validated. "I must admit, I had been hoping for somewhere a little drier, myself." Obi-Wan often joked, whenever they were on a planet such as this one, that he would retire to Tatooine at the end of the war and never step foot in another swamp again. The thought of Obi-Wan haggling with Watto made Anakin smirk.
"But," Obi-Wan continued, "since I have to be on this horrid, smelly planet, I'm glad I'm on it with you."
Anakin raised a mud-encrusted eyebrow. "That's… sweet, I guess," he said, wondering if Obi-Wan had contracted some sort of malarial fever.
Obi-Wan chuckled. "My point is this," he said, stopping abruptly. "Right now I know there are few things in life for you to truly be happy about." He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for Anakin to nod his agreement. When he did, Obi-Wan continued. "But that you are loved, and that, I would hope, you do love… that can bring happiness."
It sounded like a lesson Qui-Gon might have come up with, but Anakin knew this was from Obi-Wan's heart. He blinked, somewhat taken aback by Obi-Wan's admission. Though they'd had a sexual relationship ever since Anakin had come of age (and, Anakin recalled, it was at his insistence), Obi-Wan had never come right out and said that he loved Anakin.
Anakin knew it was because Obi-Wan struggled with the idea of attachment, of the fear of admitting his love and then losing Anakin as he had lost Qui-Gon. Anakin couldn't blame him for any of that, since he had roadblocks of his own to saying those words.
Padme, first and foremost among them.
But for now he pushed thoughts of her aside and focused on Obi-Wan's words. "You love me?" he asked, trying not to sound like an overeager Padawan.
Obi-Wan nodded. "Of course I do." And then he started walking again, without another word, only glancing over his shoulder long enough to see Anakin's smile.