Let me make this clear, in case the relationship tag or the summary didn't clue you in. This will contain Obikin slash (aka Obi-Wan and Anakin falling in love). I don't write graphic love scenes, the most you can get from me is kissing, but they will fall in love (again) so please, if this isn't your deal, turn back now.
Obi-Wan sighed as he finally reached his guest room. The flight from Britain hadn't been bad, they didn't even experience turbulence. Still, it was a relief when the plane had landed and he was on solid ground again.
He hated flying.
The only time he ever enjoyed it was when he was with Anakin, and even then only when the other man behaved enough. Obi-Wan's stomach did flips as he remembered all the aileron rolls that Anakin had done during practice.
"This is fun Obi-Wan!" Anakin said over their comm.
"Not quite," he replied, barely holding down his lunch as the younger man spun their plane in another defensive manoeuvre.
"It is if you stopped being so uptight!" Anakin whooped in glee.
Obi-Wan enjoyed Anakin's company. He enjoyed seeing the man happy. Usually, the combination of the two made Obi-Wan happy as well. It's just that he and flying didn't really mix. He hated the feeling of trusting a machine with his life.
"I'm not uptight," Obi-Wan shouted. "I'm just cautious. If men were meant to fly, we would have wings!"
"Oh for the love of," Anakin murmured. "Trust me!"
Obi-Wan did. No matter how short their time together had been, Obi-Wan trusted Anakin explicitly. It was himself he didn't trust.
Several times a day he would catch himself reaching out for the man. He always stopped himself before he could touch Anakin, but he was afraid that one day, he would be too slow. That one day Anakin would see the love in his eyes and then turn away in disgust.
It was ironic that he had been the one to send the younger man away, given how attached he was to Anakin. But back then his duty had come first. Sending Anakin away had been a good decision.
Obi-Wan stood and moved to his suitcase so that he could begin unpacking. He still had some time before lunch, which Rey had informed him was when he would meet Ben's extended family. Moving aside his carryon, he unzipped his case and started moving his clothes to the closet.
Putting things in order always brought him a sense of peace. It was something that Anakin had teased him about.
"Why is your tent so neat?" Anakin said over tea one time.
"I beg your pardon?" Obi-Wan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Your tent," Anakin said, gesturing using his teacup, causing Obi-Wan's eye to twitch. "Why is it always so neat?"
"Can you not do that?" Obi-Wan grabbed his arm. "That belonged to my mother."
"Sorry," Anakin murmured, fully chastised.
"As for my room," Obi-Wan said. "It is neat because I like things to be as orderly as they can be."
"You're anal huh?" Anakin smirked.
"In a sense," Obi-Wan agreed.
Anakin laughed. A moment later, Obi-Wan joined in. Anakin's laugh was always infectious.
"Oh Obi-Wan," Anakin had said in between giggles. "Never change."
Obi-Wan didn't. Through the years he had always maintained his routine. His marriage had failed because he couldn't bend enough to accommodate his wife. The only time he could consider that he changed was when he raised Rey, and after she left for university, he fell back into his old habits.
Change was good. Stagnating wasn't.
He stopped transferring his clothes and stared at his half-unpacked suitcase. Perhaps now would be a good time to change.
Obi-Wan dug through his carryon and pulled out the picture of him and Anakin.
"Well old friend," he said as he set the picture on the side table next to the bed. "Here's to change."
He gave Anakin's face a touch and wandered out to the hall.
The clerk at the desk had said something about the hotel having massage services.
"Will you be alright Dad?" Leia asked as she hung his tux and inspected the room that Anakin was settling into.
"I'll be fine," he assured her.
"Are you sure?" she asked, concern clear on her face.
"I'm sure," he nodded. "Thankfully I won't be sharing a room with Luke."
As much as Anakin loved his son, he did not want to be roommates with him. Especially not on a wedding weekend. There were lines that had to be drawn and never crossed.
"I suppose," Leia said. She had wanted the two to room together, just so Anakin wouldn't be alone. She worried about her father a lot. "He should be here soon."
Like Anakin, Luke was a pilot, and a good one. He had enlisted in the Air Force, which was where he met Mara. Unfortunately, Mara had died in a malfunctioning plane. Luke hadn't been the same since.
"At least he got leave for this," Leia said. "Even if it's only for the weekend."
"You know how much he loves Ben," Anakin pointed out. "He wouldn't miss this for the world."
Ben was their family's darling, there was no doubt about that. As much as Luke loved his twin sister, Ben was the apple of his eye. It was a wonder that Ben didn't follow in their footsteps and become a pilot.
"True," she nodded. "I have to go unpack. Don't forget about lunch, okay?"
Leia left him alone to unpack after that, but he didn't touch his suitcase. He never really unpacked if he could help it. Aside from his tux, which was already hanging in the closet thanks to Leia, he didn't really have any clothes that he thought would be worth hanging.
Instead, Anakin lay down on the bed and thought about the flight over. The initial acceleration, the lift off, the feeling in your stomach as the plane stops touching the ground, even the landing. He missed it.
He used to love flying. It was a rather liberating feeling when you were in the cockpit controlling everything. He had tried flying after the war, but it just didn't seem right. Something had changed him.
It just wasn't the same without Obi-Wan.
Anakin let out a sigh. He had tried to bring Padme along with him that one time, but she refused because she had been pregnant with the twins. After they were born, he had already decided to clip his wings. Sure he took them out flying on special occasions, but it just wasn't the same.
Anakin chuckled. At the beginning he and Obi-Wan didn't even like each other. His superior officer had assigned them to each other though, and they had nothing to do but accept it and try to get along.
It hadn't been easy. He and Obi-Wan were as different as could be. Obi-Wan had that air of privilege around him, while Anakin grew up with a single mother who had to work double-shifts at the diner just so they could get by. They had no common interests, Obi-Wan preferred reading, Anakin spent his spare time working on machines. And their behaviours were completely opposite, Obi-Wan was calm as a cucumber, Anakin barely managed to hold on to his temper.
But they made it work. They became a great team. Kenobi and Skywalker. Skywalker and Kenobi. Never one without the other. Until Anakin got sent back home leaving Obi-Wan to fend for himself.
For as long as the war raged, Anakin kept tabs on the obituaries. Every day that Obi-Wan's name wasn't in the papers was a good day. Years later, with the dawn of the internet, he had looked Obi-Wan up.
He never left the service, even after he had married and had a child. Anakin scowled as he read that line, closing the browser immediately, never mind that he had children of his own. Obi-Wan wasn't supposed to get married.
After that flying, even just on a commercial airplane, had been painful for Anakin.
He missed flying, but it had reminded him too much of Obi-Wan that he decided that it was better off that he stayed grounded rather than risk a crash because he was thinking about the older man.
Anakin wondered if it was just the flight over that made him think about the older man, or maybe it was his nightmare. There was a time when he barely thought about Obi-Wan at all. At first it was because it had hurt too much, but later it was because he had been too busy.
He had been building an empire after all.
After the war, he needed a job. While being a pilot would have been his dream, he knew he wouldn't be a commercial pilot because of the memories of Obi-Wan and because it would have taken him away from his family. Growing up without a father, Anakin knew that he couldn't do that to his own children.
Padme had her political career, one that she learned at her father's knee, and in turn taught to Leia. Anakin had nothing but piloting skills, an honourable discharge, and skills tinkering with machines. The last one had paid off big time.
He had gotten his mechanical engineering degree and started designing efficient engines. His designs were bought by a car company, and the rest was history.
He ran a hand across his face, wondering why he was thinking so much about the past. He should have been thinking about the future. And Ben's happiness.
Checking his watch, Anakin realized that he was going to be late for lunch. Getting up slowly he sighed. At least he was going to meet Ben's fiancée.
When they were checking in, the clerk at the front desk informed Rey that her grandfather had arrived and was currently in the spa. She laughed as she took the key and thanked the clerk. Facing Ben, she just giggled some more at his raised brow.
"Grandfather is here," she explained. "I'm just happy that he's finally going to meet your family, is all."
"Really?" Ben asked as they walked to the lift. "Are you sure? One look at my dad and he'll probably bundle you back to Britain because of how scruffy-looking he is."
"Please," Rey scoffed. "Grandfather would never use the word 'scruffy.' He's too polite to do that. He'd be offended that you think he would do something as uncivilised as that."
"I'd never offend your grandfather," Ben said, suddenly quite serious. "He's the reason you're as wonderful as you are."
"Oh you," Rey blushed, playfully slapping Ben. "Still, I can't wait for our families to meet."
Ben checked his wristwatch. They had enough time to unpack and let Rey have a shower before they were due to meet up with their families for lunch. He couldn't wait for his grandpa to meet Rey. Anakin would be delighted to meet her.
Later, when they made their way to the hotel's dining area, his parents and grandpa were already there waiting for them.
"Grandpa," Ben said, his hand at the small of Rey's back. "This is Rey."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Rey," Anakin smiled, standing as he took her hand. "I've heard so much about you."
"All good things I hope," Rey smiled, charming Anakin. "I've also hear a lot about you Sir."
"Call me Anakin," he said, motioning for them to sit. "Where's this grandfather of yours then? Us old men have to stick together, you know."
"You're not that old Dad," Leia said, patting her father on the arm. "Merely distinguished."
"Ha!" Anakin barked out a laugh. "Always the politician my Leia is."
Rey smiled politely, not quite certain what else to say. Ben squeezed her hand in reassurance under the table. She gave him a grateful look. Still, she couldn't help but glance at the doorway for her grandfather to arrive.
When he did, her eyes lit up and she stood, waving him over. Obi-Wan saw and made his way to their table, shooting a smile at Ben.
"Grandfather!" Rey exclaimed, standing to hug Obi-Wan as soon as he was within range. "I'm glad to see you."
"I'm happy to be here," he replied, his eyes twinkling.
"Oh right!" she said, remembering her manners. "Grandfather, you know Ben."
"Sir," Ben said, standing as he gave Obi-Wan a handshake. "This is my father Han Solo, and my mother Leia."
Obi-Wan exchanged pleasant greetings with the pair.
"And this is my grandpa," Ben said proudly. "Anakin Skywalker."
Ben looked over to his grandfather, who was staring in shock and disbelief at Obi-Wan. He turned his gaze to Obi-Wan, whose smile had slipped a little. Ben's brow furrowed.
"Obi-Wan?" Anakin said, standing up slowly as he addressed Rey's grandfather.
"Hello," Obi-Wan replied, his smile once again back in place. "It's been a while, Anakin."
A/N: Thank you so much lovely readers who leave beautiful comments, you have no idea how much I appreciate them. I still don't know where I'm going with this (I haven't really been to a weekend wedding thing and am basing this off Friends and HIMYM episodes).
As always, reviews are loved.