Obi-Wan stood in the center of Emperor Palpatine's ornate apartments, feeling at a complete loss for the first time since he'd left Tatooine. Until that moment he had been moving ever forwards, living only in each moment and not thinking further than his next act. For the first time he was floundering, unsure of what he should do.
He had followed the faint traces of Anakin's Force signature up to these very suites, but there was no evidence that Anakin had spent more than a few moments there. Only long enough to leave that brief trace before he was smuggled off elsewhere. Obi-Wan had no idea where to even begin searching for the next location It could quite literally be anywhere on Coruscant. With all of his powers there was no limit as to where Sidious could hide Anakin.
Obi-Wan's eyes were fixed to the large HoloNet screen hovering some two hundred meters beyond the curving transperisteel window. He didn't even need to read the captions to know that the masked and fettered figure next to the Emperor was Anakin.
Without even realizing it, Obi-Wan found himself standing with a hand pressed to the window as though he could reach through and touch Anakin. Perhaps even pull Anakin to safety. It wouldn't be that easy, though. Sidious wouldn't give Anakin up without a fight. Fortunately, neither would Obi-Wan.
Stalking back towards the access panel, Obi-Wan began the journey back down to the base of 500 Republica. But not before leaving behind a few tracking sensors that would let him know if Anakin was brought back to the suite. He didn't think that it was entirely likely, but he wanted to cover all possibilities.
"Good morning," Obi-Wan murmured as Anakin slowly blinked his eyes open. With the tip of his right index finger, he lightly brushed Anakin's rumpled hair out of his face. "You look better this morning."
With a muffled groan, Anakin rolled into Obi-Wan's chest. Anakin wound his long arms around his lover, holding tight to Obi-Wan when he began to shudder and shake. Obi-Wan kept his body pliant, allowing Anakin to shift about at will. Anakin wedged a thigh between Obi-Wan's so that he could pull the older man's leg over his hip. It was only when Obi-Wan rolled himself on top of Anakin that the blonde finally seemed to stop shaking. He buried his face against Obi-Wan's throat and released a shuddering breath.
"Looks are deceiving, I take it," he amended, pressing a kiss to Anakin's temple.
"Every time I wake up I think that you being alive was just a dream," Anakin confessed, his face still hidden so that the words were muffled. "I saw the blade go through you and I saw you crumple. You just fell. Like a droid that's lost power..."
"I won't deny that it hurt, but I'm fully recovered now," Obi-Wan assured Anakin, murmuring into his hair. "The scar is barely even noticeable."
"It's all that I can see."
Obi-Wan maneuvered himself so that he was able to look up into Anakin's strained features. "Then you need to look elsewhere, love."
It only took a few insistent kisses for him to awaken Anakin's ardor. He knew Anakin well enough to know that it was physical comfort he craved then. Anakin had always been incredibly tactile. Moreso when he was upset. And Obi-Wan had never failed to offer up that comfort.
His concern right then was finding Anakin and getting him out of that mask. The rest he would deal with as it came.
He was going out of his mind. He couldn't even seem to twitch a single finger. It was his own stupidity that had brought him to his current predicament, but he had to at least try and escape. There was no way he could be Sidious' pawn indefinitely. To be trapped in that mask once again was a torture Anakin had hoped to never endure a second time.
So ignoring the fact that his arms were bound—something that had never hindered him in the past—Anakin had attempted to evade his guards. And while he had managed to duck and roll away from them, it hadn't ultimately done him much good. Even before he'd gotten to his feet there had been hands on him; some holding him down, others jabbing him with lightning prods. He had jerked and cried out under the assault. Sidious himself had done nothing about it even though he was standing only a few paces away. Only when hey were convinced that he was subdued did the Red Guards let up.
As a result of that escape attempt, Anakin was now strapped down more securely to the table in what Sidious mockingly referred to as his quarters. Twenty-one separate straps as well as that strange blue force field all kept him completely immobile. He couldn't even scream because the gag was still firmly in place, held there by the mask itself.
What was more frustrating was that he was completely alone. He was alone and in complete darkness. As a result, finding ways to distract himself was difficult.
There was no reason for him to be nervous. Being intimate with Obi-Wan had always come naturally to him. It was quelling such reactions that was often the challenge. Their relationship was technically forbidden by the Code they had both dedicated their lives to.
In that moment, though, Anakin felt just as unsure as he had that night he'd wandered into Obi-Wan's room that night more than a year before. In the beginning he had been fine; he'd welcomed the kisses and the fingers tracing over his skin. But once the blankets slipped down and Anakin could see the still-pink scar so very close to his lover's heart his confidence had faded almost completely. Obi-Wan had almost died because he had been so stubborn and headstrong, wanting vengeance against Ventress for what she'd done to Obi-Wan a few months before.
Obi-Wan rolling over onto his back was not something Anakin had expected. Neither was being drawn between his lover's thighs. Anakin stared down at him, uncertain if Obi-Wan was truly implying what his position indicated. Obi-Wan simply held his gaze and offered a reassuring smile that was anything but. All it did was make Anakin feel more nervous.
"I am hardly going to be judging your performance," Obi-Wan murmured, no doubt sensing Anakin's own fears. "Have you ever judged mine?"
"That's different," Anakin mumbled, bowing his head so that Obi-Wan couldn't see his face.
Obi-Wan reached up and tilted Anakin's chin up so that their eyes once again met. "No, Anakin, it isn't."
Anakin wanted to protest further, but found that he couldn't. Instead his mind was filled with images, thoughts and emotions that came directly from Obi-Wan. It was impossible to deny the love that the older man felt for him. It was just seeped into every corner of his being—the same as it was for Anakin. He loved Obi-Wan with every beat of his heart and to know that his feelings were returned filled him with a warmth beyond any he had ever known.
So when he eased himself into Obi-Wan for the first time, it was equal parts breath snatching and a homecoming.
Knowing that he could not force himself out of the room, Anakin instead focused on what he could do. Obi-Wan had always told him that he was too head strong, trying for everything when only a half-measure was needed. It was part of the reason they had always worked so well together. Obi-Wan was calm and collected, ready and willing to negotiate. Anakin instead had a habit of firing first without figuring out the whole situation first. Both tactics had their uses and had saved their lives. So Anakin tried to collect his thoughts as he knew Obi-Wan would have.
And when he did he realized that the switch which activated the blue force field around him had not been pushed completely into place. It was loose and with the minute tendrils of the Force Anakin was able to access he could wiggle it slightly. Not much. Just enough so that he could feel the movement of it.
So, mustering all of the patience that he possessed, Anakin began to jiggle the switch. It took all of his concentration which frustrated him completely, but it would be worth it in the end. It might prove to Obi-Wan that he wasn't completely useless.
For roughly the past hour, Obi-Wan had been sensing the faintest traces of Anakin's Force signature. It was almost non-existent it was so faint. However, it was there even if it wasn't strong enough for Obi-Wan to be able to track the younger man. Every time that he tried those misty tendrils would slip right through his grasp and into oblivion.
It was comforting, though, because it meant that Anakin was finally thinking clearly enough to realize that he wasn't completely cut off from the Force. It was something that had taken Obi-Wan himself a little while to figure out when Ventress had taken him captive.
Rather than returning to the industrial sector, Obi-Wan made his way into Coruscant's lower levels. If he was going to find out where Anakin was, the information would come from that part of the city. For a price you could find out anything. Obi-Wan just hoped that they wouldn't send him on a wild bantha chase. He had no time for such antics because if Obi-Wan could sense that Anakin was attempting to use the Force, Sidious would be able to as well.
It was not the first time he had been in such a bar, but Obi-Wan still felt slightly uneasy. The one that he was in—The Durasteel Fist –was notorious when it came to hiring mercenaries. Some of the worst filth of the galaxy could be found there at any given time. The perfect associates for Sidious to hire.
"I need some help with a Jedi," Obi-Wan murmured to the Mugaarian bartender. "Know anyone who could help me with that?"
"What are ya payin'?"
"Fifteen thousand credits."
The bartender whistled softly. "That's a lotta cash. This Jedi must have pissed you off good."
"Let's just say that it's personal. You know anyone or not?"
"I may know someone. What's in it for me if I tell you?"
Obi-Wan gave an annoyed grunt, leaning in close to the Mugaarian's space. "How about this: you tell me, I don't kill you."
For several long moments, Obi-Wan held the bartenders's gaze, making sure the Mugaarian realized just how serious he was. It was stalemate for a while, neither being willing to admit defeat. In the end it was Obi-Wan's determination that won out. His determination came from knowing that he would follow through on his threat. Had the situation not been what it was, Obi-Wan might have been more shocked by the fact he would kill the bartender without regret. The Mugaarian was an obstacle that kept him from Anakin and such obstacles would be eliminated.
Sensing defeat, the Mugaarian scuttled away. For one brief second, while no one was looking, Obi-Wan allowed the hard edge to fade from his expression. Obi-Wan preferred to keep his darker emotions in the background because he feared what would happen if they were allowed to surface too often. He almost hadn't been able to regain control over his anger when Qui-Gon had been murdered by the demon faced Sith. It was only his former master's dying cries that roused him from those dark thoughts that had been consuming him. Had Qui-Gon not lived those extra few minutes there was a chance that Obi-Wan would have fallen. There was no telling what would have happened to Anakin had such a thing occurred. None of the other Jedi Masters or Knights would have taken over his training and it was obvious now that Sidious had already known of his identity. Anakin would have been lost, a casualty of an out-dated Code.
Obi-Wan's mouth fell open in a silent gasp as he felt the blunt head of Anakin's cock press into him. He couldn't stop his body's instinct to clench against the slow, burning pain, even if the pain was on the exquisite side. Anakin must have sensed his slight discomfort because he stilled immediately.
"Sorry," Anakin mumbled, ducking his head down so that Obi-Wan could no longer see his eyes.
"There is no need to apologize."
"You used to apologize to me."
Obi-Wan had to chuckle at that. It was certainly true. In the beginning Obi-Wan had been so hyper-aware of Anakin's every emotion that he ended up apologizing even in the midst of their lovemaking if he thought he had hurt Anakin in even the slightest way. The only time his concern had ever been warranted was when his lightsaber had gotten lost in the folds of their thin camp blanket and he had be forcing Anakin down onto it repeatedly. The cheeky blonde had merely informed him that his lightsaber was his life and that he should not be so careless with it. So Obi-Wan had tossed the weapon across the tent where it would no longer interfere with their fucking.
What they were doing at that moment was most definitely not fucking.
Sliding his fingers into Anakin's rumpled hair, Obi-Wan guided the smaller man's face towards his own. He arched his hips at the same moment he caught Anakin's lips up in a kiss. The dual assault had the desired effect, snapping Anakin out of his reservations. His confidence seemed to return as he began thrusting into Obi-Wan without hesitation, angling his hips to compensate as Obi-Wan pressed his feet into the mattress to change the angle of his own hips.
While the friction on his cock wasn't as constant as it could be, the sensation of Anakin moving within him more than made up for it. It was enough to make his thighs tremble and his neck to arch back. A position that Anakin took immediately advantage of, latching onto the side of his throat with his lips. The mark that he would discover the next morning was the furthest thing from Obi-Wan's mind in that moment, his body too lost in the feel of Anakin moving within him.
In the end his release came far too soon.
"So I hear that you're looking for someone who can take on a Jedi," a rather sinister looking man with a Corellian accent said as he slid into the seat next to him. "And that you're offering quite a bit of credits to do it. But, from what I hear, there ain't many Jedi left."
"Enough," Obi-Wan grunted. "How do I know you're not just after the credits?"
The Corellian looked rather smug as he downed a mouthful of some rather foul-smelling alcohol. "I helped bring in that Hero With No Fear. Skywalker. Vader. Whatever he's calling himself these days."
Obi-Wan feigned shock at this revelation. "From what I heard it was the Jedi that brought him down. Some kind of internal purge."
"That the spin being put on it?" he chuckled, rolling his eyes and taking another swig of his drink. "It was all me and my boys."
"Still need proof that you're legit before you see even a single credit."
The mercenary glanced around before reaching into the extremely worn brown flight jacket he was wearing. "This do?"
Anakin's lightsaber was not what Obi-Wan expected the man to pull out.
It took every once of self control that Obi-Wan possessed to not forcibly remove the lightsaber hilt from that scum's hand. He had no idea how the man had managed to walk away with such a prize, but that was hardly Obi-Wan's concern. Where the Corellian had taken Anakin was.
"That thing real?" Obi-Wan asked, arching his eyebrow as though he were impressed.
"Real as it gets. Snatched it when the old man paying us wasn't looking." The man returned Anakin's lightsaber to the hidden pocket in his jacket. "So? We in business or not?"
Anakin had long ago lost track of how long he had been trying to flip that switch. Over and again he tugged on it with the meager amount of the Force he was able to control. It was entirely too repetitive for his tastes and equally frustrating. He kept at it, though. It was the only chance he had of getting out of that room under his own power. Anakin was purposely not thinking about how he would possible get out of the restraints and the mask that was causing him so much trouble to begin with.
Spending so much time in the same position was starting to make Anakin's muscles cramp. All that he could do was clench and release his muscles, but that offered no relief whatsoever. He was still stuck in the same position. Even if he'd been on the watery planet Obi-Wan had taken him to when he was thirteen it would have still be torture for him. Anakin needed to move.
So frustrated with his inability to move, Anakin nearly missed it when the switch finally slipped. It was only when he noticed the absence of the blue haze that he realized that he'd finally succeeded. Had the gag not been in his mouth he would have crowed with delight.
One step closer.
It shouldn't have surprised Obi-Wan that Sidious would be bold enough to hide Anakin in the bowels of the Senate Rotunda. What better place was there to conceal a powerful prisoner than in the building with the greatest influx of sentient beings on a daily basis. Even when the Senate wasn't in session, senators, aides, politicians, and all sorts of other individuals there for whatever reason flowed in and out of the building.
Climbing into the ventilation shaft, Obi-Wan angled his hips so that the two lightsabers hooked to his belt didn't get caught. It would hardly do for him to be discovered when he was so close to finding Anakin. If the instructions he received were correct, Anakin was being held in one of the detention cells in sub-level 6.
Obi-Wan would soon discover whether the price he had paid for the information was worth it.