A few days later, Anakin was beginning to feel desperate.

Obi-Wan had yet to show any sign of awakening and Anakin could sense Bant and the other healers were starting to worry.

As he sat by Obi-Wan's bedside, the place he left only to visit the refresher or sleep in the nearby bed, Anakin wondered for the first time what his life would be like should Obi-Wan never wake up.

A sob escaped his throat at the mere idea of losing the warm, gentle, soothing presence of his mate—the love of his life.

When he was still a whore, he had sometime imagined that one day, after he had managed to buy himself a ship and left Tatooine behind, when would meet a lover who would stormed into his life, and swept him away. Anakin was passionate by nature, so he had imagined only a man as passionate and a bit as wild as him could have conquered him. And instead…

"Instead I lost my heart to you," Anakin said aloud, brushing back the lock of auburn hair that had fallen over Obi-Wan's brow when the healers had changed the bandages on his back. "The kindest, most controlled, calmest man I've ever met. I thought I would end up with a pilot and a mechanic like me. Someone who would love fast ships and dirtying his hands with grease. Instead I love you, you who hate flying and are always so meticulously neat you can spot a stain of grease on black clothes at several feet of distance." Anakin shook his head fondly. "We are probably the most unlikely of pairs—but I can't go on without you."

"You really love him," a voice said, spoken from behind his back. Anakin turned around sharply and saw Garen Muln standing on the threshold, his eyes fixed over him and Obi-Wan.

"Yes," Anakin replied simply, not bothering to brush away the tears running down his cheeks. "I love him. He is my everything."

Garen sighed, then stepped more inside the room, thus allowing the door to slide closed. "I didn't know until this morning Obi-Wan had been wounded. How is he?"

"He has been in a coma for the past eight days. He had been wounded in his chest during a terrorist attack. He had used his body to protect the Ansion's governor as the building they were in was hit by missile and crumbled around them." Anakin took Obi-Wan's hand to his lips and kissed it as Garen watched.

There was a moment of uneasy silence, then the knight said, "I was wrong to accuse you of using Obi-Wan, of taking advantage of him, Anakin. I can see and perceive how much you love him. I apologize for the pain I caused you." Garen bowed deeply, formally.

"You didn't cause me pain. You made me just angry—but you hurt Obi-Wan very much. You two have been best friends since you were children…how could you talk him in that way? Have you any idea of how deeply you wounded him?" Anakin replied, his words hard, but not accusing.

"I know I hurt him. When he wakes up – because he will, Anakin – I will ask, beg if necessary, his forgiveness. I swear it," Garen spoke fiercely, and Anakin nodded.

One of the monitors suddenly emitted a louder, different kind of beeping, and Anakin turned, startled.

"What is happening now?" he exclaimed, worry warring with hope inside him.

He was about to call for Bant when he saw Obi-Wan's fingers curl and then relax.

"Did you see it?" Anakin asked Garen. "He has moved!"

"Yes," Garen smiled and put a hand over Anakin's shoulder as Obi-Wan moved his head and then opened his eyes.

The injured man blinked several times to focus his vision, before an expression of confusion appeared on his face.

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin murmured. "Do you hear me? Do you know who I am?"

A slight, lopsided grin was his answer. Then Obi-Wan's face sobered as he looked at Garen.

"What…?" he croaked.

"Shh, don't strain yourself. Garen and I had a bit of a friendly talk, and he has something to say to you—but first you have to get better."

Obi-Wan nodded, his eyelids dropping. A few seconds later his eyes closed, but Anakin was no longer worried.

He turned his head to look at Garen and the older man smiled. "What did I tell you? He woke. Now stay here while I go to alert Bant."

Anakin nodded gratefully, before he bent forward to graze Obi-Wan's brow with his lips, as Qui-Tor rolled in his belly, sharing his father's happiness.

--------

Once he woke up, Obi-Wan recovered quickly, so that he was discharged from the Healers' Yard six days after he had regained consciousness.

Later that same night, Obi-Wan and Anakin cuddled together in their bed. Anakin posed his head on Obi-Wan's bare chest, near the faint scar left by the surgery, and breathed in his mate's familiar scent. It was enough to stir his desire.

Anakin bit his lower lips, unsure about what to do. Bant had said Obi-Wan could begin to exercise again, but he was not sure she would agree on them having sex that very night.

"That is it?" Obi-Wan asked in the darkness. "You are so tense."

"May I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Do you feel strong enough to make love?"

Anakin felt Obi-Wan withhold his breath for a moment, as if surprised by his request, then he answered, "Yes, but only if it doesn't get too wild."

"Too wild? With me looking—and feeling – like a supernova ready to explode? You are joking, aren't you?"

Obi-Wan laughed softly, "Nice image, young one." He tugged at Anakin's shoulders, so they could kiss, slowly and leisurely, as their fingers stared moving up and down their bodies.

Their sleep pants were quickly discarded, as their caresses got bolder and more arousing.

Anakin licked Obi-Wan's nipples as his mate's hand dipped between his legs, teasing the sensitive scars there, before circling his opening.

Anakin groaned. "I need you…"

"Then turn on your side…" Obi-Wan ordered in a whisper, and Anakin wasted no time to comply, understanding what the other wanted to do. Obi-Wan embraced the younger man tightly, pressing his chest against his mate's back and pulling Anakin's buttocks closer to his groin.

Obi-Wan wrapped his left leg around Anakin's thigh to get some degree of leverage and slipped inside his mate.

They both gasped together, Obi-Wan at the warmth and tightness of Anakin's body, the younger man at the size and thickness that always took him by surprise.

Delicious sensations coursed along Anakin, as he moved back a little with each long, slow thrust Obi-Wan's body took, meeting them eagerly.

They soon settled in a rhythm that suited both the men and began to climb higher and higher. Anakin was so hot, so tight and lying behind him allowed Obi-Wan's hands to caress his chest, pinch his nipples, stroke his rounded belly, his hairless groin, his limp penis, and the place where their bodies joined as they rocked faster against each other.

It was so good it could not last long and it did not. Anakin and Obi-Wan came together, shouting aloud their pleasure and joy.

They fell asleep as they were, spooned together, still intimately joined, a contented smile on their lips.