(A/N) So after you all seemed to like Surprise so well, I was inspired to write this little follow up. Obviously, Anakin sort of knows already, but there are always things to learn ;) Including how to be more careful, an essential skill for a Jedi.
Please R and R, let me know what you think! Submit requests for Obitine month!
"Obi-Wan?" Anakin walked into Obi-Wan's apartment. His master's boots were on the carpet in front on the couch, not in their usual spot by the door. He thought that might have been a little odd, but then again, Obi-Wan had seemed a bit muddled the day before. Their return from Mandalore had shaken him, the fight with Tal Merrick, and the exchange Anakin had missed between him and Satine right before the Senator's death had been enough to make Obi-wan retire early to his room.
"Master?" But Obi-Wan wasn't responding. It wasn't like him to sleep in so late. Anakin stepped closer to his room, and could hear the running water of his shower. He let out a breath of relief, and walked into Obi-Wan's room, determined to leave the small breakfast sandwich he had picked up for his master a place he would be sure to find it. He didn't do this often, for one, Obi-Wan was usually up before the overhead lights even came on in the temple hallways. For another, Anakin rarely had the motivation to leave Padme's apartment when he finally did get to spend time with her. But she had left so early this morning, needing to make motions before the normal bustle of the Senate meeting.
He stepped into Obi-Wan's room, which, in all of the five times he had been in here, had been entirely spotless. The data-shelves that lined the back walls glowed blue with files, but everything was rigidly in order. He was sure all of his former master's clothes were folded neatly in their drawers, his shoes lined up perfectly in the closet. He heard the shower shut off, and set the bag of food on the nightstand, realizing, only when his foot caught on the fabric, that he was standing on one of Obi-Wan's tunics. It was very strange, for Obi-Wan not to have put the tunic neatly in the hamper that he kept down the hall. Anakin glanced around the room, but nothing else seemed out of place. Except one thing.
There was a shape in Obi-Wan's bed, moving up and down slowly. Anakin's mind started racing, he could see, on the shock white pillows, the mop of auburn hair that belonged to his master. But he could hear movement in the refresher. Someone besides Obi-Wan was in here. But who?
He stepped back, deciding that he may not want to know the answer to that question. He stepped back into the main part of Obi-Wan's apartment as he heard the door of the refresher slide open, his heart pounding. This had not been a problem he thought he would have to deal with this morning. He hadn't felt anything strange through their force bond, in fact, when he had tried to connect with Obi-Wan the night before, he had felt a wall. He had thought he was sleeping. Had he been attacked? Who was in here? It wasn't another Jedi, he could sense no force disturbance.
He stopped in the front room of the apartment, debating whether or not to go check and make sure Obi-Wan was okay. He didn't want to invade his privacy, but he wanted to make sure he was safe. He tried to reach out to him, but he was still blocked, the man was still asleep. He held his breath, trying to make a decision, but as it turned out, he didn't have to.
Footsteps, not Obi-Wan's nearly silent ones, but others, started to come up the hallway. He put his hand on his lightsaber hilt, heart racing. But what he saw was not a threat, not even close.
"Master Skywalker!" The Duchess couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice, her hair still damp around her shoulders, not yet done up in one of her headdresses. She was wearing a blue dress, a different one from the day before, and was staring at him, her eyes wide.
Slowly, reluctantly, like a very unpleasant puzzle, all of the pieces slid into place. The shower. The discarded tunic. The force block set up between him and Obi-Wan. His boots in the front room. He simply stared at her for a moment, realizing his mouth was slightly agape. "Ummm….hello…Duchess."
He could feel himself blushing wildly; this was never a possibility he had considered. Or one he thought he would have to deal with face to face. He should have been more careful, for once in his life, he should have thought this through a lot more. "How are you?" He managed to choke out after a moment.
"I'm…perfectly well." She stepped forward, and he almost flinched, but she was simply going to the fridge to get a bottle of water.
"That's, uh, that's great…" He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, looking longingly at the door. "I'll just, well, I'll just go then." He made it all of one step before fate intervened again. He heard another set of footsteps coming from Obi-Wan's room, and both of them turned to watch as the auburn haired Jedi Master, still slightly bleary eyes, wearing his Jedi leggings and a loosely tied robe, come from the hallway.
He held up the bag that Anakin had just dropped off, but at first, he didn't notice his apprentice, their force connection not yet reopened. Anakin cringed at the thought of what that could mean. "Satine, did you leave this?" He was smiling, so much that Anakin started to feel less uncomfortable and more guilty about his intrusion.
"No," She tilted her head, and in a rush, Anakin felt them reconnect as his Master's eyes settled on him.
"Anakin!" Even through his years of emotional repression, his surprise was evident, and the red blush that covered his cheeks for a brief moment, hindered from sight by his beard and uncharacteristically disheveled hair confirming Anakin's uncomfortable suspicions. "I didn't realize oyu had come by."
"I thought that maybe….well after yesterday…you seemed upset….I brought you breakfast…" The words would just not cooperate. "I was just leaving, actually." And he turned for the door, wanting nothing more than to run out of it and not look at his master or the Duchess for a very long time.
"Well, thank you." Obi-Wan set it on the table, making no move to stop him as he disappeared into the hall. "I'll see you later." But he couldn't meet Anakin's eyes as his apprentice disappeared away from the scene.
When he had told Padme, she did not have the sympathy that he had hoped for. On the contrary, she thought it was quite hilarious when he recounted the story for her, especially since she had told him to be careful.
"But, it's Obi-Wan!" He had sputtered at her admonishingly, as the pair watched the Duchess and Obi-Wan from across the floor of the Senate.
"He's a man, Anakin!" She had retorted, rolling her eyes. "And they clearly have feelings for each other." She had hissed under her breath as one of the other senators had cast a quizzical look at them from the next platform over. He looked back at the pair, and noticed, with the keen awareness that the force gave him, that they were touching gently, her hand on his leg, his arm pressed against hers. His embarrassment came back to him, but along with it, the emotions he could feel through Obi-Wan's force bond.
And although, he never needed to ever, EVER experience what he had this morning again; he was glad his oldest friend was happy.
