Disclaimer: As much as I wish they were mine, all mine, Obi-Wan and Anakin belong to GL and the good folks at Lucasfilm or whatever SW company that applies.
Vee017: What a compliment! Thank you so much! Not explicit enough? blushes Maybe this chapter will be more to your liking?
Rae Valerious: You can't say I didn't warn you! Come, feed your addiction! It IS true love!
Liana-Chan: You're glad it finally happened? Think about how long they had waited! Tee-hee! They're not done yet!
Alchemy Dream: LOL at your cheeks flushing! Mine did, too, when you sent that delicious sketch of the two of them! Thank you again, too, for the kind words. Anakin purred last chapter, this time he growls! Enjoy, and tell me what you think!
Finally, XtinethePirate! This just would NEVER have been possible without all of your encouragement and awesome beta skills! I'm so grateful to you, so awed by your talent, I cannot even find the words. Benchmark, indeed! Love you, darling!
Well, here it is! The final chapter of my very first fic--what a delightfully romantic time I've had with them, writing this tortured, angsty, and HOT love story! If you liked Passion, I think you will love Serenity. Thank you all for loving them as much as I do! Stick with me--new stories are in the works for these two!
Chapter 5: Serenity
They lay together, bodies glowing in the aftermath of their passion, their love, their devotion to each other. Obi-Wan's head lay on Anakin's chest, hearing the rhythmic beating of his now-lover's heart. Anakin's arms wound around his Master, holding him as though he would never let go.
Obi-Wan Kenobi had never thought it could be like this. That he could ever feel like this. As if his whole life had been in anticipation of this moment. He did not need to open himself to the Force, for it was humming in the air around them. Anakin Skywalker had taken half of his heart and made Obi-Wan whole. He couldn't help himself—the words came effortlessly.
(Anakin, I love you.)
(I know. And I love you, Master. Obi-Wan. I have always loved you.)
Obi-Wan looked up at Anakin, surprise widening his clear blue-green eyes as a lock of hair fell over his face. "You have? Since when?"
Anakin chuckled, brushing the hair out of the way, hugging his lover closer. "Force, I denied it for a long time; I can't believe you never knew, never suspected. I thought for sure I gave myself away every time I rescued you!"
"And who, precisely, caused me to need rescuing? As I recall, you always made me the bait, love," Obi-Wan said, protesting Anakin's version of events.
A worry in Anakin's forehead crinkled the scar above his eye. Laying his head to the side, he said quietly, "I nearly lost you more times than I want to remember, Obi-Wan, because of my arrogance. And I wasn't able to save you on Jabiim…" he trailed off.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes, willing away the memory of his time in captivity, his separation from Anakin, his torture at the hands of that dark Force-user. He knew Anakin held himself responsible; he would not accept any other explanation or forgiveness from Obi-Wan.
"When I finally found you and saw what Ventress did to you…." His fingers searched along Obi-Wan's shoulder, finally finding and lovingly tracing a long, jagged laser whip scar that even bacta hadn't healed just right. He sighed, wistfully. "I had been lost and so alone while you were gone, Obi-Wan. Getting you back… I just couldn't fight it any longer; I had to stop lying to myself. That's why I insisted that I be the one to care for you, to make sure you were ok, to keep you safe." The surety in his voice was betrayed by the slight tremor in his arms as he held his beloved Obi-Wan close.
Obi-Wan saw the pain in Anakin's eyes, the same pain Obi-Wan carried in his own heart, at the thought of what their forced separation had nearly cost them. He reached up and gently brushed Anakin's cheek, softly tracing the scar, remembering bitterly, Yet another gift from Asajj Ventress.
Anakin sighed again, drawing strength from his Master's loving touches. Not trusting his voice, he whispered, "And it almost killed me, thinking you would never love me, this way, the way I love you. Later on, I acted out…inappropriately… because of my feelings."
Obi-Wan's heart fluttered at the admission. "I remember. You had so much anger, so much frustration. I had just assumed you were unhappy to still be a Padawan, my Padawan. And having to baby-sit me like a youngling…" He lowered his head back down to Anakin's chest, intently studying its rise and fall with each breath, as his arm stole up to hesitantly run over the smooth skin, the defined muscles.
"Yes, I wanted to be a Knight, but I never wanted another Master," Anakin said emphatically, drawing a smile from Obi-Wan. He planted a soft kiss into Obi-Wan's hair. "You will always be my Master, one of the greatest gifts ever given to me," he said softly, slowly running his hand in lazy circles across Obi-Wan's back. "You're very quiet." It was more of a question than a statement.
"I was thinking that I don't really remember a time that I didn't love you, Anakin."
"Oh, how about on first sight! Come on!" Anakin protested, giving the older Jedi a playful swat.
Obi-Wan laughed lightly, looking up at Anakin with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "All right, all right! If you must know—"
"I do!"
"—you were a sweet boy, a perfectly awful adolescent," he chuckled, "an unbelievably talented student, a disarmingly attractive young man, and my most loyal friend."
"'Disarmingly attractive'? Oh really? Such thoughts for a Jedi Master!" Anakin teased, thrilled by the thought of his Master thinking such… such….improper thoughts, about him! Anakin uncharacteristically blushed, thinking that his Master had been checking him out!
Of course! "That's why you were watching me practice!" he blurted out. "Obi-Wan Kenobi, you randy nexu! Here I thought you were just being my overly critical Jedi Master—ha!"
Oh fucking Sith! Obi-Wan groaned, rolling away out of Anakin's arms, hands covering his face in utter embarrassment. I must look like some old, disgustingly lewd stalker from the pleasure district. Charming vision you've created for yourself, Kenobi!
Sensing Obi-Wan's distress, Anakin rolled to the side, scooping up his master into his arms, so that they were spoons, bodies touching head to toe. He reached for the hand covering Obi-Wan's face, entwining their fingers. He nuzzled his nose into the soft coppery hair that spilled down Obi-Wan's shoulders on to the pillow.
"Obi-Wan, there's no need to be embarrassed. Honestly, what do you think I was doing in the Gardens this morning, before we meditated? I wasn't exactly reciting the Code, you know." He choked out a laugh. "But Force knows, I probably should have been!" Anakin opened himself to the Force and projected to his Master what he had seen, had felt, this morning as he watched Obi-Wan in his katas.
Now it was Obi-Wan's turn to blush—how could Anakin see him that way? It was just an exercise, and he was just Obi-Wan Kenobi, after all. Anakin had seen him hundreds of times in the same exercise. The younger Knight clearly was mistaken—wasn't he? How could he think of Obi-Wan this way? It just wasn't possible, was it?
Anakin answered the unvoiced question by pulling Obi-Wan tight against him, his desire pressing into Obi-Wan's back. He placed dozens of tiny kisses along his Master's shoulders as he brushed the cinnamon waves out of the way, gaining access to his lover's lean neck. He breathed in deeply, savoring the scent that could only be Obi-Wan.
Unconsciously, Obi-Wan arched back against Anakin, amazed at the stamina the younger Jedi had. Anakin's kisses became more urgent, his breath hot against Obi-Wan's ear, as his tongue darted lightly around the lobe, teeth nibbling, tasting. Anakin sat up and gently pushed Obi-Wan on to his back, arms holding his body above Obi-Wan's, eyes locked with his Master's, almost black with need, longing.
Obi-Wan understood what his lover wanted, needed. He reached up, grabbing a fistful of those impossibly soft strands, and brought Anakin's open mouth to his, claiming it as his own. Tongues fought to taste and touch every space. With his free hand, Obi-Wan pulled Anakin down, needing to feel the weight of his partner's body pressed against his.
Freed from the burden of holding himself up, Anakin shifted his hips, eliciting a sharp moan from Obi-Wan as their bodies moved against each other, a delicious, forbidden friction that continued to build between them, threatening to overcome them both.
Obi-Wan's head lolled to the side, eyes closed, hardly able to catch a stray thought as Anakin worked his hands over his Master's chest, rolling his thumb over a nipple as he devoured Obi-Wan's neck, sucking and licking his way up to his lips. Completely enraptured, Obi-Wan had never thought he would have wanted, would have needed, anything as much as he wanted and needed Anakin right now.
"Anakin!" He managed to say, the name forcing its way past the blockade of red full lips and silky wet tongue.
Anakin pulled back. "What is it, my love? Do you wa—want me to stop?" Anakin could hardly get the words out, out of breath and out of sorts, his emotions raging through his veins, setting his nerves on fire each time he touched Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan's eyes widened. Hardly! He lifted his hands to his young lover's face. "Anakin," he drawled, letting his hands slowly drift down Anakin's shoulders, then lightly down his back, feeling every muscle, every indentation along the way. Anakin gasped when Obi-Wan's fingers danced over his buttocks, lingering just a little too long…
Their eyes met, drowning in the ocean of dark passion they saw in each other. Their lips met, inciting an inferno that burned down through their bodies. Their bodies met, joining them together, moving as one, until they both found release, a wave of ecstasy and bliss washing over them. As the wave subsided, they gently floated back to reality in each other's arms, lightly kissing, softly caressing, as though they still had much to learn about each other.
Obi-Wan was beyond delirious, completely undone by this new intimacy with Anakin. How could I have denied this for so long? He was fascinated by all that was Anakin: the way Anakin's lean body felt pressed beneath his own, the way he bit his lip whenever Obi-Wan touched him, the way he had called out his master's name in ecstasy. Even after being caught, he still couldn't help watching Anakin. It was a habit he had no intention of breaking.
(Obi-Wan?)
(Hmmmm?)
(Please don't ever leave me. Ever again.)
He reached for Anakin's hand, pressing it to his lips, as they lay there, foreheads almost touching, savoring their new bond. "Oh, my dear Anakin. Force, I tried to let you go, but I never was able to sever our bond. I was selfish and I didn't want to." He allowed himself a lopsided smile. "Something always seemed to get in the way. There was Dooku, and Palpatine, and…," abruptly, his mouth closed, not certain he wanted revisit that wound, to even think about her. Them.
Anakin finished it for him "Padme." Obi-Wan cast his gaze down, unable to stop the panic he felt rising within him, the sickening of his stomach at the mention of her name. Will he grow tired of me? Will he miss her softness? Her youth? Her beauty?
"I can hear you, you know. Master, Obi-Wan, stop, please!" Force, I hate how much he's suffered because of my selfishness. Anakin frowned, regret passing in a dark shadow over his handsome, tanned features. "I see now how much I've hurt you, and I'm so sorry. I lied to you and put you in a position where you had to lie for me. I'll regret that for the rest of my days. You are not Padme, no. You are Obi-Wan. My Obi-Wan. Look at me…"
He reached down and tilted his Master's head up, looking intensely, lovingly, into his eyes. "I have never, and will never, love anyone as I do you. You are my best friend, my Master, and the one who owns half of my heart. I will love you in this life and long after I pass into the Force." He leaned forward and pressed his lips gently to Obi-Wan's, sealing his pledge.
(I do love you. Know that. Believe that. Always.)
Obi-Wan's lips trembled, feeling himself awash in the devotion he felt from Anakin. Tears again threatened to spill, and Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes shut to hold them off. Sith, when did I become such a bloody romantic? he chastised himself, as he burrowed his head further down into the crook of Anakin's arm. It amazed him that he, a Jedi Master, felt such security and contentment in the mere physical presence of this man.
Anakin absently ran his hand through Obi-Wan's now decidedly mussed up hair, enthralled that this again was his right to do. Force, I've missed this.
Obi-Wan delighted in Anakin's touch, the way he lovingly stroked his hair, remembering how angry Anakin had been when it was cut off. "Would you like me to grow it back? I would do that for you, my love."
Anakin smiled, thinking of that flowing coppery hair, how young and sexy it made his Master look. "You would do that? I don't know—I'd have to fight the Padawans off with Master Yoda's stick. They'd all want a piece of— "
"Anakin!" Obi-Wan interrupted, horrified at what Anakin had implied.
Anakin laughed at his Master's modesty. "You don't get it, do you? Sith, you don't even know!" He laughed all the harder, making the bed bounce.
"Get what? What are you talking about?" The older Jedi searched Anakin's face for answers, but only found more questions. "Precisely what don't I know?" He asked, suddenly paranoid.
"That in addition to being held up as the paragon of Jedi virtue and morals, you are the object of many an un-Jedi-like fantasy in the hallowed halls of the Temple. I wouldn't doubt that many in the Council have a hard time concentrating during those dull, dull meetings, with Obi-Hot-Kenobi in there!" The look of shock on Obi-Wan's face just made Anakin shake with glee.
Anakin whispered conspiratorially, "When we were on Ansion, Barriss Offee actually asked me how I could possibly stand to be around such a young and sexy Master all the time. She even asked if your hair was as soft as it looked!"
"Anakin Skywalker! She did not say that!"
Anakin's sides heaved with laughter. "She did! It was all I could do not to say 'I know! Isn't he fucking hot?'"
Obi-Wan was mortified. Barriss Offee? How would he ever look at her again? "I don't believe you."
Anakin grew serious, his voice taking on a deep intensity. "Master, although you think otherwise, your face is young, your body is incredible, and you are completely, unbelievably…." he searched for the word "…sexy."
Obi-Wan saw his lover's eyes turn a darker shade of blue, felt the passion behind the words. He glowed from the compliments, though still uncomfortable with the thought of being the object of such scrutiny by his fellow Jedi. Barriss Offee? I will never go to the Healers again.
"What about this thing?" Anakin asked, tugging playfully on the soft whiskers on his Master's chin. "You know I've never been fond of that!"
"Not negotiable. I have to keep some standards, you know. If what you say is true, and I highly doubt it, you've always been given to exaggeration, I'll need it to maintain any sense of propriety. After all, I am a Jedi Master." Suddenly, he turned away, sober. "Well, for the time being, anyway."
Anakin felt the sadness and regret in his Master's voice. "What do you mean?" he asked cautiously, placing a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder and gently rolling him back, forcing his Master to meet his eyes.
"Anakin, the Council will never approve of…this." He waved his hand in front of them. "Of us. They've wanted to separate us for quite some time, you know that. The Council is inflexible, stagnant and unwilling to change." The words came out with more ferocity than Anakin thought possible for Obi-Wan.
Anakin closed his eyes, fearing what was coming, reality returning in hurtful stabs to his heart. Obi-Wan was first and foremost a Jedi. Anakin knew that. It was what made Anakin love him the most. Obi-Wan had made a commitment to the Jedi Order, its way of life, and would not, could not betray it.
Obi-Wan gave him a sad smile. "Anakin, I can hear you, too. Yes, you are right. I love the Order, and I've loved my life as a Jedi." He turned his body so that he faced the younger man fully. "I have given my life to serving the Jedi Order, but I cannot surrender my heart. If forced to make a choice, I will leave the Jedi." Obi-Wan did not realize until the words left his lips that he was ready to make such a commitment to Anakin. Impossibly, it was an easy decision to make.
Anakin was stunned, stunned that his Master, the embodiment of the Jedi Code, could even consider leaving the only life he'd ever known. For him. Anakin knew, deep down that he was not worthy of such a sacrifice.
"No! Absolutely not!" he said, sitting up and forcing Obi-Wan to sit up as well. "I will not let you do that. Being a Jedi is who you are—what you have always wanted to be, what you have always loved to do. I will not let the Council take that away from you, even if it means… letting you go," he said, bowing his head down, unable to look at Obi-Wan.
Oh Anakin, how I love that you would do that for me. "Anakin, don't you see? You are what I've always wanted, what I've needed. I will not let them take you away from me. I will either be a Jedi with you by my side, or I will leave this life here. That is not negotiable." His hand moved to tilt Anakin's chin up, and saw that his lover's face was wet with a tear sliding down his cheek, just past his scar. Obi-Wan reached up to tenderly wipe it away.
Without hesitating, Anakin took Obi-Wan's hand and held it to his cheek. "Then we will leave the Jedi together, Obi-Wan. There is no life for me as a Jedi without my Master."
"Anakin, I cannot ask that of you," he said, his heart aching at the thought of Anakin making such a sacrifice for him.
"Since when have I needed your permission to do anything?" Anakin replied with a hoarse laugh.
"Well put. Somehow, I do not think Mace will be pleased, " Obi-Wan said dryly.
They stood there together in the Temple Gardens, fingers laced together. Two robes, one black, one brown, fluttered as the breeze caught the hems. Facing each other, the two Jedi looked into each other's eyes, smiling as they saw their love reflected in them. As it had done that evening not so long ago, when the Master watched his former Padawan in secret, the Coruscanti sun was beginning its descent, golden light bathing them in a warm radiance.
The Gardens were quiet, much like that morning not so long ago, when the Knight came to confront his Master, only to fall deeper in love. Then, it had been the two of them, separate souls. Now, they were not alone, never alone, two souls joined as one.
Together, they waited. Waited for their destinies.
The meeting with the Council had been… difficult. Not long after Obi-Wan and Anakin had made their private vows to one another, both were called before the Council. There were few secrets in the Temple, and apparently they had not shielded themselves particularly well. Both were prepared for censure at best, expulsion at worst; both had pledged their life and their love to one another, with or without the approval of the Council. Obi-Wan had been correct—Master Windu was decidedly not pleased.
"Master Kenobi—Obi-Wan. You have been a Jedi your entire life; you live by the Code and your commitment to the Jedi ideals. Our way of life can be challenging at times, but the sacrifices we make are for the greater good. Surely, you understand this," Mace implored, his dark eyes glaring into Obi-Wan's.
Master Yoda nodded sagely. "Yes, listen to Master Windu, you should, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Seductive, alluring, passion is, but serenity a Jedi seeks."
Obi-Wan sought strength, calm in the Force. "Master Yoda, my whole life I have sought serenity, only to have it slip through my fingers. I have followed the tenets of the Order and given my life to serving the Republic. But I can no longer refuse what I believe is the will of the Force, or the call of my own heart." He looked at Anakin with a grateful smile, as he reached for his partner's hand.
"I have found serenity—search my feelings if you must, Masters. Anakin is my serenity, he is my life. If I must choose between the Jedi and Anakin, I will choose that life of serenity."
Mace harrumphed, rolled his eyes, and sat back in frustration. He couldn't believe one of the greatest Jedi in the history of the Order was willing to throw it all away for a mere boy, an infatuation, a moment of weakness.
"What about you, Skywalker? I have no doubt you share this reckless decision with your…your…" Mace faltered, looking for words.
"Partner, Master, Lover?" Anakin's eyes flashed as he challenged the Jedi Master into an uncomfortable silence in the chamber. He looked around, almost daring any of the Masters to make a derogatory remark.
"Yes, Master Windu, Obi-Wan is all of these to me. It is his decision to leave the Jedi—I did not, and would not, make it for him." Anakin's voice lowered to a growl as he fixed all of his intensity and passion into a glare that bore into Mace, "But know this—I am a Jedi because of Obi-Wan Kenobi, I am a Jedi for Obi-Wan Kenobi, but I will not be a Jedi without Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Anakin felt his Master flush with pride, but also sadness. Anakin had no reservations, he was sure in his purpose. He was willing to make this sacrifice to be with Obi-Wan. Like ending it with Padme, it was an easy decision, for it was the only one he could make.
Mace kept his face impassive, although Anakin could swear that steam was starting to come out of his ears. Could he truly spontaneously combust? Anakin wondered idly.
Mace heaved a great sigh. Here it comes, thought Anakin. Mace's voice rumbled, "Obi-Wan Kenobi. Anakin Skywalker. You have been brought before this Council to determine the future of your Jedi commissions. By your own admission, you have willfully subverted the Jedi Code. You have also made it clear that you no longer wish to follow a basic tenet of the Order."
Obi-Wan snuck a sidelong glance at Anakin, feeling the tension rolling off the younger man in thunderous waves, seeing the Jedi's hands clenching and unclenching.
(Anakin, please calm yourself. It will never do for you to lose control now. Please, my love.)
Anakin didn't know how Obi-Wan could remain so calm, when his career, his life was about to be irrevocably altered. For Obi-Wan, he took a deep breath and let some of the tension out of his body and into the Force.
Finally, Yoda spoke. "Long time, have I watched the two of you. Knew, I did, that the Force willed you together as partners. Qui-Gon Jinn saw this, and brought you together, Master and Padawan, though resisted, both of you did," Yoda chuckled at the memory of the headstrong Padawan and the eternally frustrated Master.
"Leave this chamber, you will. Meditate on your destinies, we must. May the Force be with you," he said, with an air of dismissal.
Obi-Wan led his agitated love over to a bench in a secluded grotto of the Gardens.
"Obi-Wan, how long do you think they'll take? What do you think they'll decide?"
Obi-Wan pursed his lips, thinking, then blew out his breath. "I honestly do not know. You know, it did not help that you challenged Mace like that."
"Yeah, I know. But you liked that I did, anyway," Anakin replied, giving his Master's hand a squeeze.
Obi-Wan snorted. "Yes, if I must admit it, I did. He was being a pompous, disrespectful ass." He leaned his shoulder into Anakin's, whispering, "And you looked so, so…powerful doing it. I love it when you get all dark and brooding, you know."
Anakin nearly snapped his neck turning to face his lover, mouth gaping in astonishment by such an open and personal admission from his usually-reserved, intensely-guarded Master. "You've been on me for years to lighten up, telling me that it was 'completely inconsistent' with the image of a Jedi." He smiled wickedly. "Well, I'll be sure to be more dark and brooding from now on, as long as you keep telling me all your little secrets." He leaned over and gave Obi-Wan a light kiss, fingertips grazing his cheek lovingly.
They sat there in silence for a while, Obi-Wan's arm draped around his partner's shoulders, Anakin's head nestled in the crook of Obi-Wan's neck, enjoying their new closeness, both trying to not focus on what could be their last hours as Jedi Knights. The breeze continued to blow, seeming to carry the voice of the Force with it, soothing and calming.
So relaxed in one another, in the Force, neither felt the approach of the two Masters.
"Master Kenobi, Master Skywalker. Good it is, to find you together," said Master Yoda, as he slowly shuffled forward and craned his head to look up at the two Jedi. Obi-Wan and Anakin slowly parted and stood up, only then seeing that Master Windu had arrived as well.
"Master Yoda, Master Windu," they both said, slightly bowing in deference.
"Meditated the Council has. A decision, the Council has reached," Yoda said gravely.
Anakin instinctively took Obi-Wan's hand, lacing their fingers together, finding security in his partner's grasp.
Mace stepped forward, a serious look on his normally impassive face. He studied them both for a moment before speaking.
"Obi-Wan, Anakin. While I do not personally agree with your choice, and have grave concerns about where this could lead, I cannot question the will of the Force and its guidance in this matter. In times past, you would have been summarily discharged from the Order, a consequence that both of you nevertheless seem willing to accept."
As he paused, Obi-Wan stole a look over to Anakin, whose brow was furrowed with anxiety and impatience. He sent calming waves through their bond, pleased when he was rewarded with a soft glimmer of a smile at the corners of Anakin's mouth.
Mace's face relaxed as he continued, "However, the Council is neither blind nor short-sighted. With the ongoing war and the growing threat of the Sith, the Jedi have spiraled out of control and must find balance within itself. The Order, and the Republic, cannot withstand the loss of two of its greatest Jedi due to a rigid adherence to a Code that may no longer be equitable or practical. What once was seen as a weakness may now be a Jedi's greatest strength."
Anakin could stand it no longer. "Master Windu, I don't understand!"
Yoda spoke then, with words both Anakin and Obi-Wan would remember for the rest of their lives. "It is the will of the Council, indeed, the will of the Force, that you, Anakin Skywalker, and you, Obi-Wan Kenobi, be not denied this bond, nor your joint destinies as Jedi."
Yoda turned, looking out to the horizon and the fiery setting sun. "Right, the time is, for the Jedi to unlearn what they have learned. New traditions must be allowed, if to grow, the Jedi are." He turned back to the two Jedi, poking up at the air with his gimer stick.
"Master Kenobi, Master Skywalker, right it is for the two of you to lead each other, and the Jedi Order, on this new path. Your bond is strong, true is your love and devotion to one another. May the Force light your way, now and when return to the Force, you do."
Mace and Yoda bowed, then took their leave.
The two Jedi stood frozen, not believing what had just transpired.
Anakin's hands shot up in the air. "I'm still a Jedi!" he shouted. He turned to Obi-Wan, pointing excitedly. "And you're still a Jedi! A Master!" The twin burdens of guilt and remorse, now lifted from his shoulders, floated away on the breeze. Anakin had never felt freer, more alive.
"I LOVE YOU, OBI-WAN KENOBI!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, spinning around and around, cloak whipping out behind him.
"Anakin! By the stars, do you think you could control yourself? The whole of Coruscant does not need to know that," Obi-Wan chided his love. He had to admit, though, that such a public and emotional declaration from his young lover was erotically titillating.
Anakin stopped slowly, turning to cock an eyebrow, a lopsided smirk curving up one side of his mouth.
(Careful, Obi-Wan. Unless you want me to shout out something else…)
(You are still insolent, Anakin.)
(But you still love me, don't you?)
Instead of answering over their bond, Obi-Wan crossed the distance between them. He reached up, placing one hand to his former Padawan's cheek, encouraged when Anakin leaned into the gesture. "My dear Anakin, I will always love you." Placing his other hand under the golden curls on Anakin's neck, Obi-Wan pulled that sweet, red mouth down to his own, both men sighing into the kiss that made them feel complete. Friends, partners, lovers, Jedi.
When their lips parted, Anakin smiled, blinking back tears, feeling the depth of Obi-Wan's love for him. Obi-Wan, ever the Jedi, smiled shyly, but Anakin could feel the waves of contentment flowing from his love, his bonded love. Obi-Wan looked at Anakin through the Force, no longer afraid, and let himself get lost in that light, that warmth, that bliss. They turned to leave, hands and hearts entwined, both watching the brilliant golden sun sink below the horizon.
END