Anakin watched worried as Obi-Wan pushed the food around his plate without eating it.

The older man's shields were completely up, but Anakin did not need to be in his mind to know something was very wrong-- and so did his mother.

Shmi and Anakin had held a conversation for the first half of the meal, but now silence had fallen over the trio, as the woman threw worried glances to the Jedi master.

During the past year, Shmi Skywalker had come to love her "other son", as she liked to refer to Obi-Wan, but she knew he was an intensely private man and she did not want to embarrass him by trying to pry in his life. Thus she bit her lower lip and looked at Anakin, urging him to do something with a tilt of her head.

Anakin nodded in acknowledgement, so she took her dirty plates and eating utensils, posed them in her lap and piloted her hoverchair from the living room to the kitchen, giving privacy to the two men.

Once they were alone, Anakin pulled his chair closer to the other man's and put an arm around his shoulders. "What's wrong, Obi-Wan? Has something bad happened? Was there some incident with some Jedi you knew well? And don't try to tell me everything is fine, for I know it isn't."

Obi-Wan dropped his fork and looked at the younger man, his expression pained. "I didn't wish to bother you with this."

"You will never bother me. I am here for you as you have been here for me during my first days working at the Temple. Remember how hard Master Windu was with me about my lack of formal training as pilot? How he made my life impossible questioning every repair I did and then inspecting my work to be sure it was well done? Remember the evenings I spent ranting about the man? How you helped me to overcome my nervousness and taught me some simple Jedi relaxing technique, so that Master Windu's comments would not bother me so much?"

Obi-Wan nodded and Anakin squeezed his shoulders. "So tell me, what is causing you such distress?"

Obi-Wan posed his elbows over the table and folded his hands in front of his face. "Garen came to visit me yesterday night. He said he was concerned about me being with you."

"Oh, why?" Anakin asked, feeling his doubts resurface. "Because I was a slave? Because I am not as educated as you? Because I am a male?"

"Because you are a male…and because he is aware you were a prostitute. He saw it in your medical records and believes you have taken advantage of my shaken emotional state to seduce me and have me take you here."

Anakin paled, with shock but also anger. How did Master Muln dare to throw mud over the most beautiful thing that had ever happened to him? He started to say it aloud, but stopped, as a horrible thought crossed his mind. "You- you don't believe it, do you?" he finally managed to ask with a trembling voice.

"What? Oh, no Anakin, I could never even think of something like that!" Obi-Wan reached out and squeezed Anakin's arm in reassurance. "The only deception at the beginning of our story, was my invented name. I know you, I have seen your mind and your heart and they are pure and true like you. However I have been hurt by the idea that the man I have considered like a brother for most of my life could think something so mean. To accuse you of having seduced me, and me of letting you manipulate my feelings without noticing it. All of it because he cannot understand why I am in love with a man!"

Anakin nodded, feeling relieved but also a bit foolish. He was well aware Obi-Wan loved and trusted him, but sometimes he fell prey to his insecurities. Certain days he was afraid that his current life was nothing but a dream and that one morning he would wake up and find himself on his cot on Tatooine.

Pushing away those thoughts, Anakin concentrated on helping Obi-Wan.

"Well, I believe he can be understood. You have told me you never showed interest in other men, thus it is easy to guess you wouldn't love me like this had I been whole. It's natural; I know it's my special condition that makes me appealing to both straight and gay men. There is mental and emotional affinity between us, so I guess that in another reality, we would probably become good friends, perhaps even close as brothers, but not lovers." Anakin paused to look at Obi-Wan and receive his nod of agreement. "So, since I suppose you didn't reveal to Garen the truth about my physiology, I can understand why he finds our pairing strange to the point of suspecting something is out of place. I could talk with him, Obi-Wan. I could tell him my real nature and make him see how I have been able to win the heart of the handsomest Jedi in the Temple!" Anakin concluded with a smile, hoping to raise Obi-Wan's spirit, if only a little.

Obi-Wan smiled weakly, before sobering again. "It won't be necessary, Anakin. Garen will come around in due time. You don't need to divulge intimate aspects of yourself and our sex life to convince him. The only important thing here, is that we love each other and we are fully aware of it."

Anakin nodded. "I completely agree. So, now that this is settled, would you please finish your meal? You would not get to feed a bird with the little food you had."

Obi-Wan smiled again, but this time it reached his eyes. "As you wish…Mom."

Anakin swatted his arm then watched with relief as his lover attacked his food with vengeance.

Yes, things would work out, he could feel it. They just needed to give it time.