Obi-Wan's Present:
D96/32 BBY, Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Obi-Wan paused outside the door to his shared quarters with his young Padawan and slumped his forehead against the door.
The progress report that he'd just given to the Council – which had felt more like an interrogation – had left him feeling beyond tired and possibly even a little depressed. Anakin was talented and clever, and oh-so quick to pick up on new Force skills. Why that scared the Council was beyond him. Kriff, the boy hadn't even had a proper education in normal things like writing and math to start with and in just a month with access to the holonet and education programs had already surpassed his age group in reading material; soaking up books and new knowledge like a sponge. The fact that Anakin could speak three languages easily and knew a smattering of half a dozen others, all just from listening to the scum of Tatooine, should have been their first indication that he was very intelligent despite his adorable and very young appearance.
The High Council wanted Obi-Wan to slow down Anakin's progress so that the boy didn't exceed what was normal for a nine year old… The same boy who'd already determinedly passed his Initiate Trials with only three weeks of training because he didn't want the other younglings to think he was getting the special privileges of a Padawan without earning it.
Whatever. Those old fogies are just afraid he'll show them all up before he's even old enough to legally drive the speeders he's already giving me heart attacks with. I'll just keep teaching him as much as he wants to learn and get wiser about what I tell the Council we've been doing. Anakin would be hurt if I changed how I taught him now.
Resolved and feeling more settled now that he'd made a decision, Obi-Wan straightened and waved a hand at the keypad to open the door. He was greeted by the smell of something wonderful and sweet on the air and a small body barrelling into his lower half as an excited Anakin cried, "Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan!"
The recently minted Jedi Knight reflexively returned the enthusiastic hug – the boy was incredibly affectionate and had all but begged for hugging and cuddle privileges pretty much the moment they'd first formed a Force bond after Qui-Gon had died. Somehow, Obi-Wan was going to have to teach Anakin to be less demonstrative – at least in public - to those he liked before the Council got wind of this too. But not just yet. There was still a hole in Obi-Wan's heart that his Master had left him with, and the separation from Satine wasn't helping much either, so he basked in Anakin's love like an abandoned mooka.
Obi-Wan chuckled as Anakin continued to cling to his waist. "I wasn't gone that long, Ani. Two hours at the most."
The boy looked up at him with sparkling blue eyes and a secret smile. "I know, but I have a surprise for you!"
"You do?"
"I do." Anakin finally let go of him only to grab his hand and pull him towards the small kitchen with bouncing steps. "Come on!" he encouraged when Obi-Wan didn't walk fast enough for his liking.
"All right, I am!" Obi-Wan laughed. And then came to a sudden stop as he turned the corner and saw the cake and wrapped present on the table. "What is this?"
"It's your birthday presents!" Anakin said, still bouncing on his toes.
With wide eyes, Obi-Wan checked the date on his wrist chrono and saw that it was, in fact, the twenty-fifth anniversary of his birthday. "Oh."
"You like it?"
Obi-Wan looked down at that hopeful, eager little face and felt his heart melt into mush. "I do like it," he said solemnly, vowing to eat that cake even if it tasted like dirt. (Anakin had proved quite a capable cook already though, so Obi-Wan had a feeling it would be better than that.) "But how did you know it was my birthday?" I didn't even know it was my birthday. But he wasn't going to admit that.
Anakin beamed. "I looked it up on the Temple records. It was easy!"
Having recently filled out a bio page for the nine-year-and-two-months-and-change old boy from Tatooine in the Temple database, Obi-Wan had to admit, "Yes, so it is."
Anakin tugged on his hand again and directed him into a chair in front of the cake that looked like chocolate with berries on top. Obi-Wan sat, feeling a little overwhelmed. He didn't have the heart to tell Anakin that Jedi didn't celebrate birthdays. Or Life Day. Or any other holiday. Maybe one day he'd break it to him if the boy didn't figure it out on his own, but for now, he was going to cherish this moment. And when Anakin's birthday rolled around next year, Obi-Wan would have a present for him too. He had to clear the lump out of his throat before he could say, "This looks amazing, Ani, thank you." And then, "I didn't know you could bake."
Anakin shrugged, leaning against Obi-Wan's leg as he effortlessly summoned the present over and floated it into Obi-Wan's hands. (Not an inappropriate use of the Force if it's still called practicing, right?) "I didn't know I could either, but I found instructions on the holonet, ordered what I wanted from the Temple store, and then followed the directions. It was easy enough. The batter tasted good," he added with a shy look up through his lashes, "so I hope the cooked version is too."
Force, this precious child is going to make me cry. Putting the present down in his lap, Obi-Wan ran a hand over Anakin's short hair and then tugged playfully on the stubby little braid behind his ear. "I'm sure it will be fantastic."
"Good," Anakin sighed in relief. "Now open your present!"
Said present was wrapped in a few layers of thin plastic green grocery bags and then taped shut so well, it was going to require something sharp to get into it. Whatever was inside felt soft and squishy, like clothes.
Anakin helpfully handed him some scissors he floated over from the counter. "I got a little carried away," he admitted after watching Obi-Wan examine the package for a full minute.
"True, but it just makes it more suspenseful," Obi-Wan said cheerily. The last person to give him a present had been Satine, before they reluctantly parted ways on Mandalore more than a year ago. (He still wore it on a chain around his neck, showing a level of attachment he really shouldn't have succumbed to, but Obi-Wan couldn't bear to have it anywhere other than on his person.)
As Obi-Wan worked away at the wrapping with the scissors, careful not to cut whatever lay within, Anakin started babbling. "I had a hard time deciding what to give you, Master Obi, since we're not supposed to have needless possessions. At first, I thought I would program a LEP droid to help keep our quarters clean, but as you know, I already did that a couple weeks ago."
"Hmmmm." The little droid was being very helpful, too. The floors were always clean and the refresher sparkled in a way it never had before. Obi-Wan was also surprised to learn that Anakin must have been planning this surprise within days of first arriving at the Temple, because the droid had appeared in their quarters around that time.
"And then I thought I would order you another robe, since you seem to keep forgetting yours in random places, but then I realized that you would just lose that too, so that was a no."
"Very true," Obi-Wan admitted as he finally conquered the last of the tape. The Temple clothing suppliers had learnt long ago to send him a couple new robes every week automatically. Even if he ended up with an extra, he'd inevitably lose three the next week. "Try not to copy that habit, Ani, and Quartermaster Deftree will probably fall on his knees to thank you."
Anakin laughed at the image of the giant, grumpy Devaronian male kneeling before his diminutive self. "Silly Obi-Wan. So if not a cloak," he immediately fell back into his story as Obi-Wan pushed back the now destroyed bags to reveal a beige undertunic made of the softest, thickest fleece material he'd ever seen a tunic made of. It even put his bathrobe to shame. "I thought I should get you something to keep you warm that you can't just peel off and leave behind when we're on cold planets. With another tunic on top and then your tabard, there's no way you're going to lose this." Anakin beamed at him proudly.
Obi-Wan very nearly cried as he hugged the tunic and the boy together. "Thank you, Ani," he whispered into the blond hair. "This is a wonderful present."
"So you like it?"
"Very much."
"Great!" Anakin pulled back a bit and then instantly produced a kitchen knife from somewhere. (Obi-Wan didn't want to know. Anakin was too good at smuggling things around in his clothes.) "Now try your cake!"
Obi-Wan cut two large slices out of the round cake and put a piece on a plate for each of them. There was also a berry cream filling in the middle of the cake and it smelled delicious.
It was.
His Padawan was talented in so many ways, it was no wonder the Council was afraid of him. (Not that they'd ever admit it.)
Obi-Wan and Anakin ate the whole cake in one sitting as their lunch while watching the news (they both liked to know what what was going on in the galaxy) and then Obi-Wan took the boy to go swimming at Water World as a belated birthday present. It was an hour long flight to the other side of the planet, but it was so worth it.
Anakin had gawked at all the pools and intricate, long water slides for a solid ten minutes before leaping into a pool and taking to swimming as easily as he did everything else, laughing joyously and looking at Obi-Wan with clear hero worship. Obi-Wan was fairly certain this was the most fun the boy had ever had in his entire life.
For that matter, it might have been the most fun Obi-Wan had ever had too. (Swimming with Satine probably equalled it, but they'd had fun in a much different way.)
Qui-Gon might not have ever given Obi-Wan a present per se during all of their years together, per Jedi tradition, and it took Obi-Wan about a week of resentment and grieving to realize it, but the gift that was Anakin Skywalker was easily the best present that his Master could have given to a man with an aching heart.
And if he thought he heard his Master's voice whisper, "Cherish him, always, code be damned," in his mind, well, Obi-Wan could only credit that as wishful thinking to be ignored.