Hello, and welcome to Day 4!
Today's theme is stars, and I... yeah. I wrote this. I like the "Obitine is married and happy" AU a LOT, so you might see another fanfic about it. We'll see.
Hope you like it!
At night the stars stand, resolute, rightful rulers of the inky black sky. They dot their kingdom in small clusters that somehow make up a whole, working silently to poke silver holes in the cover of black. They reign together and unanimously, using only glowing serenity and silence to lull most of the world into sleep. They let the weary rest, the trapped be free, the separated be reunited.
But balance is the way of the world, and the reign of the stars cannot be permanent. It never can be and never will. The stars, wise as they always are, consciously abdicate after their allotted hours at the throne of the sky, leaving the kingdom in the hands of the rising sun. The stars gave way to the first light, and inevitably the mornings.
For two of the stars' most adamant supporters, this meant something different each morning. Perhaps, Satine waking to the scent of breakfast cooking, kissing Obi-Wan on the cheek as he wrapped his arm around her waist. Or Obi-Wan waking up to gentle kisses from the woman pressed on top of him, quietly telling him that he had to wake up. Satine leaving for the palace as Obi-Wan desperately took the chance to sleep in, smiling to herself when he came a few hours later and waved at her from outside of a window. Obi-Wan leaving at the crack of dawn and wrapping his worn cloak around his sleeping wife, blanket crumpled at her feet. Satine coming back into the bedroom, fully dressed, and giving her unconscious husband's hand one last squeeze. Then there were the sparse, sparse mornings where they woke up in each others' arms and they had nowhere to go, nothing to do, and no obligations except to each other. Those were the best.
As always, the rosy pink of the mornings matured, blooming into a beating yellow. The painted streaks deepened their hold on the world, illuminated nails digging into the heavenly throne. The reign of the sun marched on, undoing the good done by the stars.
This made afternoons were far more strenuous. Heavily laden with attacks and merciless exhaustion, they rocked whatever thin walls the couple had built together. Relentless debates, explosions, battle after battle wore down the Jedi and the Duchess. The light was the inevitable veil forcing them to stand apart, outstretched fingers never permitted to touch.
The sun went down, and the light slowly died. The yellow simmered into a burning orange, whose tongues of flame at sunset crumpled into black ash, smeared across the sky. The stars peeked out over the horizon, warily assuming their places once more. Their time had come. The sky was theirs again.
They brought the sun's day to an end, allowing Obi-Wan and Satine small refuge in each other. The change brought with it new happenings. Obi-Wan coming home early and making a dinner by candlelight for an exhausted Satine. Satine arriving first and trying to work when Obi-Wan would sneak up behind her and place gentle kisses on her neck. The two bumping into each other at the door, laughing and embracing each other desperately, loving whispers traded in each other's ears. The pair both working for hours, banding together to whip together a meal far after dinnertime. Satine standing just outside of the room as Obi-Wan took a call from the Jedi Council, and giving him her fiery opinions on the war the second it was over. Obi-Wan wondering if he should risk asking her to accept Republic military force on Mandalore to combat Death Watchs' threats, that only get bolder. Their disagreements are far shorter now, however. They're both far too worn for them, painfully aware of the other's views, and the futility of trying to change them. The Duchess and the Jedi operate in silent agreement that conflict between them is to be kept to a minimum. This is a time for recovery. There are no bitter rays of sun to invade their refuge.
The stars watch as the two make their way to bed, rarely staggering. They don't do much more than cuddling often. The two are far too tired from their demanding days. Their positions change according to their moods, however. Some nights it's Obi-Wan pressed against Satine, protective arm wrapped around her smaller frame. Or Satine hugging Obi-Wan tightly, face buried in his auburn hair. The two lying on their sides, facing each other and quietly talking as Obi-Wan plays with Satine's hair. Satine draped on top of Obi-Wan, who was crumpled in a sitting position after a particularly punishing nightmare. Obi-Wan clasping Satine to him after she returned to the Mandalorian Civil War in her dreams, rewatching every instant in which most everything she had ever known was torn from her grasp. It was better now, though. Everything was. No matter what, they'd find themselves in the capable hands of the other if anything went wrong. Neither would ever give up on anything, much less each other.
Regardless, there were still the times spent completely apart. The nights when Obi-Wan looked up to the sky, wondering if they were too far apart to even see the same stars. The nights when Satine waited alone, never going to bed until she knew where Obi-Wan was and if he was alright. The nights when Obi-Wan arrived at their home, only greeted by a message from Satine saying that she might have to work all night. The nights where Satine would come home in the dead of the night, finding Obi-Wan slumped over a nicely-set dinner, the romantic lighting melting around him. The nights where Obi-Wan stumbled home at unthinkable hours, caught by Satine, who helped him over to the couch and nursed him back to health with only minor complaints about the war. The mornings when Obi-Wan woke up to the rumble of attack, wishing with all his heart that this could have been one where his first sight in the morning was Satine, expression peaceful and framed by dusty gold hair.
But at least now they didn't forbid all mention of each other. Obi-Wan didn't scold himself for imagining her gorgeous smiles, that only got more common by the day they shared. He didn't tell himself to stay away, terrified of getting attached and hastily tearing a piece of her away. Satine didn't lock away the memories of their misadventures, taunting her from their small pockets of happiness. No longer did the futility of her adoration for him let her push him away. They both allowed themselves to love and be loved unconditionally.
The stars had done their jobs well.
Thanks for reading!
Laugh Until You Obitine Out!
