It had been so late when they had arrived at the Alderaanian lakehouse the night before, that they all had all just clambered into their respective beds and nodded off instantly. Now, in the bright sunshine of the morning, Anakin and his children had done a quick tour of the house already and were tucking into some breakfast. As always, Luke had managed to spill blue milk on the table as he poured it over his krispy koonies, and Leia kept dropping her spoon on the floor, leaving a halo of half-chewed koonies around her chair legs.
Anakin felt Obi-wan's presence in the force change subtly, indicating he was on his way to the dining room. As he leisurely wandered into the room stretching his arms, in casual clothes rather than a jedi tunic for a change, Anakin groaned on the inside – how could the man be so effortlessly sexy? He checked that his mental shielding was up and gave himself a quick reprimand 'Obi-wan is only here for this kids you fool, so don't go getting any inappropriate ideas'. Obi-wan took a seat at the table. "Sorry I slept in, the beds are very comfortable here – I was dead to the world" "Good morning uncle Obi" said Luke and Leia politely, receiving a warm smile in return. "Good morning Leia and good morning Luke. What time did you get up this morning? Must have been very early." "Tell me about it" Anakin butted in. "The little menaces consider themselves to be my own personal alarm clock." The twins giggled. "Daddy was being boring, we wanted him to play with us" Leia explained to Obi-wan matter-of-factly. Given that it was still quite early in the morning, Obi-wan wasn't surprised that his old friend looked so sleep-deprived these days, if he was woken at the crack of dawn every day by these little bundles of energy. Hopefully he'd be able to catch up a little during this holiday.
"What would you like for breakfast Obi-wan?" Anakin asked. He was suddenly acutely aware that all their food was very kid-centric – he himself just ate whatever the kids ate, it was easier that way, but he suspected that the older man might not be so keen to start the day with a bowl of krispy koonies. "We've got, let's see… krispy koonies obviously..." "Krispy what?" "Uh, koonies… it's like little bits of crunchy… something. I actually have no idea what it is, but the kids like it, so that's good enough for me. I let them have whatever they want for breakfast, but I do make sure they eat healthily at lunch and dinner, I promise!" the young father babbled, worried that Obi-wan thought less of him for not cooking a nutritious meal for the younglings in the mornings. "Don't worry Anakin, I'm not judging you" Obi-wan soothed, reading his former padawan's reaction with ease.
Anakin gave a little insecure smile, before listing off the other options on offer. "I'm surprised you didn't bring any noria cakes, given that we shared a breakfast table for over a decade - don't you remember that's pretty much all I ever ate?" Anakin kicked himself, how could he have forgotten the one thing that his master ever ate for breakfast unless they were having a special-occasion breakfast and cooked something fancy. "I'm-I'm sorry, I j-just… I haven't forgotten, honestly... I'm just so tired… I c-can't think straight" he stuttered, embarrassed that he must appear to care so little for his former master that he couldn't even remember something as simple as that. "You can have some of my koonies, uncle Obi" offered Leia, pushing her half-finished bowl of cereal towards him. "Thank you Leia, but I think I'll get my own bowl of koonies – you finish yours. It's no problem Anakin, really, we'll have to go to the shop to get more food later on anyway." They proceeded to eat their breakfast, Anakin brooding silently, worrying that Obi-wan was wishing he hadn't come, while the man in question was in fact quite enjoying talking to Luke and Leia, and charming them by doing little force tricks on the utensils when their father wasn't looking – he held his finger up against his lips so they wouldn't tell Anakin, who had always been reprimanded by Obi-wan if he was ever caught doing the same thing when he was young.
"Ok guys, pass me your bowls" ordered Anakin. "That includes you, master jedi." "Don't be silly Anakin, I can wash my own bowl" resisted Obi-wan, holding onto his bowl. "No, I insist – you're here to have a holiday, you don't need to do any dishes, that's my job." "You need a holiday too you know, I really don't mind." "No way, you are my guest and that's that – give me the bowl." "But…" Luke and Leia watched with bemusement as the two men argued over the dishes, they didn't know why their daddy cared so much about washing uncle Obi's bowl himself. "Will you come and read us a story, uncle Obi?" asked Luke, interrupting the debate. "There. Go relax and read a story and I will do the dishes." Obi-wan finally acquiesced. As he waited for Luke to pick out a book for him he sank into a couch and pondered – had they really just had a heated argument over something as trivial as the dishes? Why was Anakin so wound up about it, couldn't he see that Obi-wan wanted to help him? It might be a loong week, he thought to himself.
Anakin scrubbed his way aggressively through the pile of dishes, making lots of noise and spraying dishwater everywhere. Why couldn't the man just kriffing let him show that he could do something useful for once, that he was capable of taking care of them? Instead of the nice gesture that Anakin had intended they had ended up quarreling, and now Anakin was nervous that maybe this had been a bad idea, maybe inviting Obi-wan would only push them even further apart, if that was possible. He gripped the edge of the sink and closed his eyes tightly, willing back the tears that were threatening to appear. He shook his head, regained his composure and pulled the plug before joining the others in the lounge.
A few hours later, they were all making their way down to the lakefront which was just a short walk from the house. The lakehouse was located in a rural area near one of Alderaan's lowest mountain ranges, and it was a fairly idyllic situation, truth be told. The small lake beside the house was essentially theirs alone, there were a few inhabitants of some other species in the forest at the opposite end of the lake, but no other houses very close by. The nearest village, Cantara, was only ten minutes away by speeder and had all the basic necessities covered, as well as another lake that was a popular holiday destination, with wide sandy beaches. A forty-minute speeder trip would take them to Poltaria, a much bigger city by Alderaanian standards.
Their little lake did not have a beach, just a grassy lawn that stopped abruptly at the water's edge, and a jetty that went some way out into the water. Anakin was being pulled inexorably towards the jetty by his children, Obi-wan following behind carrying a book and a blanket. When they reached the water's edge, Obi-wan spread the blanket out and lay down on it. He opened the book and pretended to read, while actually watching Anakin and the kids, his sunglasses hiding his eyes. The younger man was barefoot, wearing some old torn black t-shirt and scruffy black shorts that contrasted with his golden tanned skin and hair, sun-bleached from all the hours he now spent outdoors maintaining the temple grounds.
All of a sudden, Anakin grabbed the kids under his arms and ran down the jetty, wildly leaping off the end fully clothed. On surfacing, he threw the twins up into the air as they squealed joyfully, splashing back into the cool clear water before trying to gang up on their dad to dunk him. As he watched the Skywalkers cavort, Obi-wan realised he was hearing Anakin laugh for the first time in many years. He admired Anakin's physique as his soaked shirt clung to his muscular torso, marveling that he was still in such good shape despite being permanently on temple duties. He must manage to squeeze some training in around all his other tasks, Obi-wan thought, before reflecting that all his daily menial tasks were probably quite a good work-out in themselves. He then caught himself – what was he doing thinking about this stuff? He was sixteen years older than this man, and those kids right there were the result of Anakin's love for someone else. He shook his head to clear his mind and forced himself back to the turgid book in his hand.
Out of the blue, the soaking wet Skywalker twins pounced on top of the unsuspecting Obi-wan. "Come play with us, uncle Obi!" Anakin rushed after them, towel in hand, apologising profusely. "Luke! Leia! What are you thinking? Get off master Kenobi this minute, you're getting his book wet. I'm sorry Obi-wan, I take my eye off them for a minute…" Obi-wan put his book aside and stood up, little Leia holding his hand, trying to pull him towards the nearby swings. "Look, you don't need to say sorry, I'm totally happy taking a turn playing with them. It's why I'm here, after all." "But you were enjoying your book, I'm sorry, I don't want them to be a pain." The younger jedi looked down at his children who were impatiently waiting for the adults to finish. Obi-wan put his hand under Anakin's chin and tilted his head up, more sharply than he'd intended, so that he could look him in the eyes. "Damn it Anakin - Don't. Say. Sorry. I want to play with them." He let Leia and Luke drag him away, leaving Anakin standing there, his skin tingling where Obi-wan had touched him. How he'd longed to be touched by that man – but this wasn't quite how he'd imagined it.
Anakin shrugged and lay down on the towel, closing his eyes and enjoying the sun on his skin. What a foreign feeling, to be free from the relentlessness of child-minding or work for a moment. He rolled over on his side and opened his eyes again to watch his former master playing with his kids from afar. Obi-wan was so perfect, it was ridiculous. To a stranger, the older man might appear a bit of a swot, a bit of a pushover, but Anakin knew otherwise. He'd seen his master in the heat of battle and knew that he was lethal with a lightsaber, easily outfighting as well as outwitting most opponents. It was one of the things Anakin most admired about the object of his affections – that he was confident enough in his abilities that he didn't feel the need to act tough or wear clothes that showed off his superbly toned body. He didn't care that Obi-wan was considerably older than he was, even in his forties the man put to shame every man that was in Anakin's own age bracket. Gods, Anakin thought, if only he had made some different choices then perhaps he would have had a chance with this man rather than having to settle for fantasies. But then he thought of his children, those little demanding beings that were nevertheless little rays of sunshine in his otherwise dreary life, and his heart twinged. Another set of choices and they would never have existed. He didn't want that. Resolving to stop thinking about it, he rolled over again to pull out some headphones from his bag and lay back with his eyes closed to lose himself in music – one of the simple luxuries that he was usually denied, as a single father needing to keep his ears open.
The entire day passed under the Alderaanian sun, the two men taking turns to play with the kids while the other one relaxed, with brief trips to the house every now and then to grab a snack. Eventually the sun dipped low in the sky and they decided it was time to head back indoors to have dinner. Anakin insisted on cooking dinner and pretty much forced Obi-wan into a couch in the lounge, where he was now sitting watching the news on the holonet. He grimaced internally, remembering how terrible the results of Anakin's infrequent attempts at cooking used to be. Perhaps with daily practice he had improved by now, he hoped. Anakin had waved his hand in the direction of the twins, making the case that they were still alive and healthy, weren't they? So it couldn't be that bad. And besides, Obi-wan was here for a holiday, not to be their servant, he had said firmly before walking off to the kitchen.
Wanting to keep the peace, the older jedi surrendered and leaned back in the couch, only to involuntarily sit up again when the familiar face of Padme Amidala appeared on the holonet, being interviewed at length about some new senate initiative. He could feel through the sudden tension in the force that Anakin could hear her too, however he was interested to note that neither Luke nor Leia, who were sitting by his feet playing quietly, paid the slightest bit of attention to their mother's voice. Cautiously probing Anakin's feelings more deeply in the force, taking care to shield himself thoroughly so the young man wouldn't notice, he perceived that there was no sadness or sense of loss in Anakin, on the contrary he could feel strong resentment, as well as something odd that he couldn't quite interpret, but seemed almost like relief. As the holonet moved on to the next story, Obi-wan sat back and pondered over his intriguing observations.
"Food's ready, come and get it" Anakin called a little later. He doled out helpings to the younglings, who dutifully started eating. As Obi-wan served himself he noted that alas, daily practice had indeed not made one iota of difference. The rata tubers were burned, something once leafy and green had been boiled into an identifiable sludge, and the nerf patties were somehow both burnt on the outside and under-cooked in the middle at the same time. He felt Anakin's gaze upon him and looked up, thanking him for the meal. "It's ok, you don't have to pretend that it's good, Obi-wan." Obi-wan glanced over at the kids, expecting them to be screwing their little noses up, but was surprised to see that they had almost finished already. "They're used to it by now" said Anakin, correctly reading Obi-wan's thoughts. He shrugged with resignation and looked down at his plate. "I do my best." "I'm certain you do" replied Obi-wan kindly.
Despite having done the cooking, Anakin still wouldn't let Obi-wan do any of the dishes. Obi-wan was about to argue, but stopped himself. If Anakin wanted to over-react about this – and wasn't over-reaction one of the man's most identifying features? – then fine, he would go and play a boardgame with the kids. As Anakin scrubbed at the dishes alone, he wasn't sure whether they had just taken a step forwards or backwards in their friendship.
"Just going to be in the 'fresher for a bit" Anakin called, smiling a little at the "roger roger" he received in response. He was going to enjoy this to the max, for once knowing that no force-wielding youngsters were going to cause chaos in his brief absence, since they had a top jedi master as their baby-sitter. He carelessly stripped off his grungy old clothes and his leather glove, groaning as he let the deliciously hot water flood over his body. As he lathered himself up, he reflected on that hated, but essential, piece of machinery that had been attached to him. Fortunately, it was fully waterproof and so no hindrance to washing or swimming. He was also well used to it by now, and could do practically everything that he had been able to do before he lost his arm – more things, even, since he could now feel no pain in it and could crush objects in his fist, should he choose to. No, the reason he hated it was because it was an ever-present, highly visible reminder of his failings. As were his children. He rubbed his hands, mechanical and flesh, over his face. They may be proof of his mistakes, but he fucking loved his children, even if he would also love being able to share the burden of raising them. Which brought him to Obi-wan. He sighed. All thoughts eventually led to Obi-wan. The handsome-as-hell Obi-wan. Who was here, voluntarily, unwittingly torturing Anakin all day with his grey-green eyes and his carefully-trimmed hair… his calm authoritative voice and his fucking sexy body… Anakin slid a hand down over his rapidly-swelling cock and eased his need in the only way he could. As he climaxed, his shielding slipped a little, but in his blissful release the young jedi was oblivious to this as he leaned his forehead to the wall, the cascading water cleaning away the evidence of his fantasies.
While waiting patiently for Luke to finish his turn at the game, Obi-wan felt a change in the force, flickerings of desire erupting around Anakin's force signature, and… fleeting flashes of images that he wasn't quite sure what to make of. "Your turn uncle Obi" Luke interrupted him as he tried to pin down what exactly he was sensing, making him lose his grip on the slippery, elusive sensation. "What? Oh, right, sorry." They finished playing the game, Obi-wan slightly distractedly, resulting in him losing badly. A clean Anakin in just a robe, toweling his damp hair, wandered in and collected the children to put them to bed, while Obi-wan headed to the fresher himself. He was still in there as Anakin passed to go to his bedroom, causing him to pause, tempted to reach out in the force to sense beyond that closed door. He thought the better of it, instead simply calling out "good night" before heading to his room.
The jedi lay in their separate beds, both unable to sleep and both having locked down their shielding firmly to ensure their privacy, staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought. Obi-wan couldn't get the image of a freshly-showered Anakin in a loose off-at-the-shoulder robe out of his mind. Stang, did the man have to go around flaunting himself at Obi-wan like that? He had had to call on all his extensive jedi training to not reveal any hint of what he was feeling as Anakin had combed his slender fingers through his gorgeous hair, speaking words to him with those tantalising lips that Obi-wan yearned to touch. 'Sixteen years' he reminded himself. But a devilish voice inside him pointed out how much Anakin had matured since the kids had come into his life – he really was a man now, what difference did a few years make? He further reflected that the man truly seemed to have no form of attachment left to Padme. He had felt desire through the force while Anakin was in the fresher… could it have been directed at him? He briefly fantasised about what he would have seen had he opened the fresher door, before the rational side of him stepped up, gave himself a slap and told himself that Anakin appreciated him as a friend and that was all. He resorted to tried and true meditation techniques to clear his mind, and eventually drifted off into sleep.
Lying spread-eagled on top of his bed, robe discarded carelessly on the floor, Anakin flicked through his memories of the day. Obi-wan force-levitating a spoonful of koonies to Leia when he thought Anakin wasn't looking. Obi-wan pushing the twins on the swings, biceps flexing visibly through his thin white shirt. Obi-wan sitting watching the holonet with the kids playing at his feet. Obi-wan… Obi-wan. He was so sweet to Anakin's children. Observing them interact in such domestic situations made Anakin's heart yearn excruciatingly for that to be the reality of his life – one happy family. But what could ever induce someone as dutiful as Obi-wan to go against the foundation of his beliefs in such a way? Certainly not his disgraced ex-padawan, that was for sure. Anakin grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly into his stomach in a futile effort to fill the void of affection that he longed to give and to receive. He was determined to not feel any disappointment and just to enjoy Obi-wan's presence for this brief sojourn – after all, what had he ever thought would happen? Much later, he too fell asleep.