AN: Hello everyone! Long time no see!
Welcome to my oneshot fic. Each chapter will be a new oneshot, each with a different theme. For example, this first oneshot's themes are temporary tattoos and hand holding.
This is my first time writing for the Star Wars fandom, and I hope I do the characters justice. Enjoy.
The door creaked as it was pushed open, and two cloaked, hooded figures strode into the stale-smelling shop. They held themselves with the confidence of ages, of knowing that they could accomplish anything. The shop employees stopped and stared as the pair wandered around, examining the shelves.
"Are you sure about this, Anakin?" The shorter figure muttered to his companion, who chuckled under his breath.
"Scared, Master?" Anakin replied, smirking from beneath his hood. They were dressed in Standard clothing, but unknown to them, the style of the cloaks they still wore gave them away as Jedi.
"Don't be absurd. I'm simply making sure this is a legitimate organisation, and that-"
"It's a tattoo shop, Obi-Wan. It's not going to be a 'legitimate organisation'." Anakin ignored the horrified expression on his old master's face, and reached instead for a temporary tattoo. "What do you think of this one, Master? I think it would suit you." Obi-Wan simply stared at Anakin from under the shadow of his hood. "Perhaps not, then." Anakin replaced the pink, glittery animal tattoo back on the shelf.
Obi-Wan sighed, leaving his former Padawan to his own devices (most likely a mistake, but Anakin was old enough to get himself out of trouble) to explore the suspicious shop. It hadn't been his idea to get fake tattoos, of course, but Anakin could be very persuasive when he set his mind to something. He was determined to get Obi-Wan to relax after their latest mission, and this had been what he had decided. How this was supposed to be relaxing, Obi-Wan didn't know.
However, he hadn't wanted to upset his friend and so had reluctantly agreed to accompany Anakin to the dingy shop. Obi-Wan wasn't sure he wanted to know how Anakin knew of this place.
Staring at the shelves, lost in thought, Obi-Wan reached out randomly and snagged the first packet his fingers touched as he felt Anakin returning to his side.
"Chosen yet, Master?" Anakin's joyful voice inquired. Obi-Wan looked down at his hand, surprised to see a simple yet elegant design of a flower in the packet. His heart gave a sudden lurch as he recognised the flower as one that Qui-Gon had cared for in their apartment when Obi-Wan had been but a Padawan. "Nice flower." Anakin was leaning over his shoulder, hair falling across his face as he saw Obi-Wan's choice. He shoved his hair back with his free hand. "Look at mine!" Obi-Wan obligingly turned and studied Anakin's fire pattern.
"It's very nice, Anakin, but don't you think it's a little too... obvious?" He inquired, referring to the size of the tattoo. It would cover most of Anakin's back. The young Knight grinned at him.
"Nah, it'll be fine! Anyway, the only time I take my robes off is when I'm in our apartment or if we're sparring. They only last a few days, anyway." While talking, Anakin had turned and started to walk towards the counter, Obi-Wan by his side. "These two, please." He plucked Obi-Wan's packet from his fingers and placed both tattoos on the counter along with the correct number of credits.
"Thank you, sirs. Would you like to get them applied here or would you rather do them yourselves?" The employee behind the counter asked. Anakin glanced at his friend before making the decision.
"Let's get them done here. I don't trust you to put mine on properly." He teased Obi-Wan, who rolled his eyes good-naturedly.
They were led into a back room and Anakin was asked to strip to the waist, while Obi-Wan simply had to bare one of his arms. He chose his left.
Once the employee had gotten over the shock of seeing Anakin's prosthetic, he asked Anakin to lie on his front on the low table in the middle of the room, and Obi-Wan sat next to him as the employee cleaned Anakin's back with a rag covered with alcohol. Anakin squirmed.
"It's cold!" He complained, and Obi-Wan sighed in mock-irritation. Anakin extended his flesh hand to Obi-Wan. "Hold my hand?" He asked, pouting. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. Anakin grinned in reply, not lowering his arm. With a sigh, Obi-Wan took his former Padawan's hand loosely in his own.
"Why do you need me to hold your hand, Anakin?" He questioned dryly, watching as the assistant carefully placed Anakin's tattoo on his back. "Surely you don't need my reassurance about a fake tattoo?"
"It's not for me. It's for you." Anakin said, looking up at him. Obi-Wan met his eyes, expecting to feel a flash of amusement through their bond. Instead, he felt genuine care as Anakin laced their fingers together. Surprised, Obi-Wan didn't pull away. "Don't think about it too much." Anakin continued, resting his head on the table and closing his eyes.
Obi-Wan frowned. Shutting his own eyes, he allowed himself to sink into a light trance as the employee began to clean his arm in preparation for his own fake tattoo. Gently probing the bond that linked himself to the man whose hand was still in his own, he looked for an explanation to Anakin's final comment.
With an audible sigh, Anakin dropped most of his mental shields and Obi-Wan felt a flood of feelings rush over the bond. Most were what he expected from Anakin – impatience, agitation, annoyance at not being allowed to move, but as he examined them further, he felt a hint of… affection?
A frown turning down the corners of his mouth, Obi-Wan retreated from the bond and back into his own mind. He had long suspected that Anakin had an attachment to him, especially since the Master/Padawan bond between them had never been severed, but he had never known how deep Anakin's feelings ran.
Reopening his eyes, he observed his former Padawan. Obi-Wan could see the sadness and pain in his countenance. Feeling his gaze, Anakin also opened his eyes, and Obi-Wan could see clearly that he expected his old master to pull away. Obi-Wan took a deep breath, calling on the calming presence of the Force. Duty dictated he pull away and discourage Anakin's attachments, the Jedi Code dictated it, but Obi-Wan couldn't bear the look in Anakin's eyes.
Sinking back into his chair, he readjusted himself so that he could hold Anakin's hand more comfortably. The employee was almost done applying his fake tattoo – how had that happened? He'd only been thinking for a moment – and he would have to move in a second, but for the moment Obi-Wan simply allowed himself to relax. He felt a prodding at the bond, and looked at Anakin, whose eyes were alight with joy. That alone was enough to convince Obi-Wan he had made the right decision, although it helped that the Force seemed to swirl happily around them, not warning Obi-Wan of any danger at all.
Anakin ran his thumb over Obi-Wan's knuckles as he closed his eyes again. Obi-Wan stiffened, but relaxed again as he examined his reaction and realised that he actually quite liked the feeling. However, his lifelong training prevented him from being entirely comfortable with the motion, despite the reassurance of the Force around him.
Thankfully, before he had to make a final decision, the employee told them that they were done and that they could leave. Obi-Wan stood up in one fluid movement, Anakin following a little less gracefully. Before Obi-Wan could do anything, Anakin had swapped hands, wrapping his prosthetic hand around his own. Obi-Wan chuckled.
"You've going to need both hands to put on your tunic, Anakin." At this point, the assistant had sensed that atmosphere in the room and had tactically decided to leave, or he would've seen a Jedi, protector of the galaxy, pouting like a five-year old. Anakin opened his mouth, about to whine, but Obi-Wan gently detached his hand from his. "Put your clothes on." He commanded, refusing to blush when he realised the double meaning of his words. Anakin, however, didn't seem to want to let it go.
"Are you sure, Master? I could walk around like this." He struck a ridiculously provocative pose, earning a genuine laugh from Obi-Wan. Upon reflection, that had most likely been Anakin's intention for the duration of the outing.
"I don't think that state of dress is appropriate for the streets of Coruscant, especially for a Jedi." Obi-Wan replied, still smiling. With a dramatic sigh, Anakin pulled on his tunic and robe. Obi-Wan picked up his own robe, and together the pair left the shop.
As they turned a corner, Anakin bumped his shoulder against Obi-Wan's, which resulted in their hands brushing against each other. For a reason he didn't understand, Obi-Wan grabbed his former Padawan's hand in his own. Anakin didn't look at him, but Obi-Wan could sense the happiness this simple action had brought him.
He took a deep breath of Coruscant air. Why was Anakin so happy? Had he neglected his Padawan? Thinking back over the years, Obi-Wan realised that he must have unwittingly done so. Anakin had just been taken from his mother, the only family he had ever known, and thrown into Jedi life with a new Knight who wasn't sure if he even wanted to train him. Obi-Wan had never been one for touching, and the nine-year-old Anakin must've felt very alone.
Obi-Wan held Anakin's hand tighter.
"Hey, Master, when we get back to the Temple, can we spar? I need the practise." Anakin asked suddenly, looking to Obi-Wan.
"You don't need the practise, Anakin, you're the best swordsman I know." Obi-Wan met Anakin's gaze, and watched as a faint flush spread across the younger man's cheeks. Obviously, Obi-Wan hadn't praised his Padawan enough, either.
As they reached the Temple, Obi-Wan came to the conclusion that he liked holding Anakin's hand. This conclusion worried him. Was he forming an attachment?
"Come on, Master, I want to spar!" Anakin said, releasing his hand and bounding ahead. Obi-Wan chuckled, shaking his head but sped up nonetheless.
In the (thankfully empty) training room, Anakin had already shed his robe and was spinning his lightsaber around his body. Obi-Wan threw his robe to one side and ignited his own saber.
"Ready to lose, Master?" Anakin asked, smirking and sinking into his start position.
"Your overconfidence is your weakness, Anakin." Obi-Wan replied, stepping forward and starting the fight.
Their lightsabers twirled in a blur of blue light, with Obi-Wan favouring Sorensu and Anakin relying on Djem So. They spun around the room, never letting up on the other. Anakin Force-flipped over Obi-Wan, hoping to surprise him, but Obi-Wan trusted in the Force and turned just in time to stop Anakin's blow. Their sabers locked, the two men panted as they came to a standstill.
"You're getting better, Master. I've usually beaten you by now." Anakin grinned, hair falling over his forehead. Obi-Wan's fingers itched to push it back.
Instead of saying anything in reply, Obi-Wan faked a sweep at Anakin's legs and instead hit his knees, catching him uncharacteristically off-guard and forcing him to the ground. Obi-Wan swiftly lowered his saber to Anakin's neck, effectively ending the duel. Anakin looked up.
"I concede." He admitted defeat, and Obi-Wan turned off his saber. He gave Anakin a smug look, watching as his old Padawan rolled his eyes and pulled off his tunic for the second time that day. He stood, grabbing his and Obi-Wan's robes from the floor and strode into the changing room, Obi-Wan close behind.
"You only won because I was talking." Anakin grumbled, making Obi-Wan smile.
"You should've heeded my warning, young one. You are too arrogant about your skills." Obi-Wan felt a flash of sudden annoyance through the Force. What had he said?
Reviewing his words, Obi-Wan realised that he had reverted to his 'Master' sayings, and instead of praising Anakin for what he had done well, he had scolded him for what he had done wrong. He felt guilty, and approached Anakin, who still had his back to him.
"I'm sorry, Padawan. I meant what I said earlier, about you being the best fighter I've ever seen. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Anakin's hand came up and covered his own, as Anakin looked over his shoulder.
"It's alright, Master. You're right, anyway. I shouldn't get overconfide… w-what are you doing?" Obi-Wan had got distracted by Anakin's tattoo, and had begun tracing it lightly with his fingertips. Anakin's back tensed beneath his touch as he followed the bold lines. "Obi-Wan…" Anakin sighed as Obi-Wan's fingers explored the rest of his back. He touched every scar he could find, feeling a pang of guilt each time he saw one. He knew the story behind each and every one of them, and most of them were from missions with Obi-Wan where Anakin had been in unnecessary danger.
Suddenly, Anakin had turned and his arms were around him. It was Obi-Wan's turn to tense, but he forced himself to relax as the taller man buried his head into his shoulder. "You're thinking too loudly." Anakin muttered, and Obi-Wan could hear the grin in his voice.
"My apologies, Padawan." Anakin hummed, tightening his grip.
"You know you can't call me that anymore, I'm a Knight now." He replied. Obi-Wan slowly brought one of his hands up and wound his fingers through Anakin's curly hair.
"You shouldn't call me Master, then." He responded, as Anakin practically purred in his arms.
"I know you like it." Came the muffled retort, and this time Obi-Wan couldn't help his blush. Thankfully, Anakin couldn't see.
"Stop talking, Anakin." He ordered gently, and Anakin gave a noise of consent. They stood in silence, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but think that he could get used to this. Perhaps attachments weren't such a bad thing, after all.