Anakin awoke with a groan and hissed when the light of day pierced his vision. What time was it? He moaned again as focused on the chrono on his desk. Was it really light at this time of the morning?
And who was making all that awful noise?
Slipping on a loose tunic he had thrown on the floor the night before, he stumbled through the common room and into the kitchen.
His Master was there, cooking first meal and whistling.
He never whistled.
Anakin rubbed the sleep from his eyes and squinted against the harsh light in the room.
Obi-Wan spun away from the cooling unit and saw him standing in the doorway.
"Good morning, padawan!" He issued out in a jovial manner before he went back to whistling once more.
"Unh." Anakin replied before sluggishly seating himself at the table.
"What time did you get in last night?" Obi-Wan asked.
Anakin was awake enough to understand the implications of that. It was past curfew, but he had been having such a good time with his friends, that he had lost track of time. It wasn't like they were doing anything wrong. They were just practicing for the upcoming tournament.
"Second hour." He finally groaned out, expecting the verbal lashing that he knew he was about to receive.
"I thought it was pretty late. Sometimes when you're having fun, time just seems to slip away, doesn't it?"
Anakin sat dumbfounded, staring after the strange man in the room who was preparing their food. "Huh?" He finally stammered out.
"Just don't make it a habit, padawan. You need to stay rested. We could be called out on a mission at any time, and I need you to be at your best."
"Uhm…yes, Master." Anakin had the strongest urge to reach over and pinch himself.
He took two bites of the eggs and tubers deposited on his plate and grimaced. It was his Master all right. Nobody else could possibly cook this bad.
Obi-Wan eventually stopped singing and joined his padawan at the table.
"What do you have planned for today Anakin?" He asked in an animated voice, to which Anakin squinted in return, bringing another bite slowly to his mouth.
"Nothing much, Master."
"After our exercises and sparring practice, I suppose you can join your friends for the afternoon. Just don't come in too late again."
Anakin pushed aside his plate and stared levelly across the table. "What have you done with my Master?"
"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked between bites, chuckling softly.
Finally coming full awake now, Anakin's face dawned in realization, his eyes opening wide. Pointing his finger across the table at his Master, he grinned widely. "You met someone, didn't you?"
Obi-Wan merely smiled in return, shoving around the eggs on his plate with his fork.
"Well? Who is she?"
"I don't know." The older man sighed and leaned back in his chair. "And I'm not sure I want to know. Not yet."
"I don't understand." Anakin replied. What kind of relationship could you have with someone just over the Holonet?
"Don't get me wrong. I'm enjoying her letters immensely. She's witty, charming, intelligent and always makes me smile." Obi-Wan's blushed slightly at his description. He wasn't used to discussing things of such a personal nature with his padawan.
Anakin smiled in return. "And you don't wish to meet her in person because..?"
"Because, what if I'm not what she's expecting? What if she doesn't like the fact that I'm a Jedi?"
"You mean, you haven't told her? How long have you two been writing?"
"About three weeks. She doesn't know what I do, and I don't know what she does, and we want to keep it that way." Obi-Wan's hand rubbed over his beard, and Anakin recognized the gesture for what it was. His Master was worried.
"Does she want to meet you in person?" Anakin asked.
"She's mentioned it once, but I'm not ready." Obi-Wan admitted shyly.
"Not ready because, maybe she might be a Gamorrean in disguise?" Anakin joked, but Obi-Wan looked at him seriously.
"That wouldn't matter. She's the most wonderful woman I've ever met. I truly believe the Force has brought us together."
"Then you should meet her." Anakin said solemnly, locking onto the gaze of Obi-Wan across the table.
The Jedi Master looked back and slowly began nodding.
"You're right, padawan. I should. I'll set up a meeting with her for tomorrow night."
Obi-Wan's smile following his statement was a bit shaky, but his eyes were sparkling and blue, and when he rose from the table, he began singing again.
Anakin smiled himself. This was perfect. His Master was in love. And just in time for the laser ball competition too.