When the Galaxy Falls

Author's Note: No comment except that my younger sister wrote this, and um... I hope y'all enjoy! :D

~ Amina Gila


It started out as another every day in the life of Anakin Skywalker: complete chaos. Only, not the type of chaos he's normally accustomed to. The type he never seems to be ready for. Ignoring the aches spreading throughout his body, he twists around and pushes himself off the ground, turning back to the battle.

Count Dooku throws Obi-Wan out of sight, and Anakin hears the resounding crash. He must've been dropped from a height based on the sound, and an icy cold rage rushes through him. The Count hurt his master. He could have killed him

In that moment, the Force surges. He doesn't understand it or take the time to contemplate it. Anakin shoves himself to his feet and jumps at Dooku, kicking him over the railing while the Count is momentarily off-guard. Anakin leaps after, swinging his lightsaber at him. He's fueled by anger, and it strengthens the force of his blows as he wildly hammers at the elder's defenses.

If he wasn't so focused, maybe he would have noticed Obi-Wan rising from the other side of the room. He doesn't – not until the familiar snap-hiss of an igniting lightsaber rings out. Dooku's and Anakin's blades crash together in a saberlock, and Anakin glances across the room towards the Chancellor as something ripples through the Force. No, it's more like...

Obi-Wan stands over the Chancellor's now-dead body, looking and feeling decidedly smug.

"What?!" Anakin shrieks, Force-shoving Dooku back. The Count seems momentarily stunned himself as he takes in the scene.

"I believe you neglected to tell me the Sith in the Senate was the Chancellor," Obi-Wan remarks mildly, turning around to look at them. At Dooku, assumedly, or he truly has lost his mind. Provided he didn't already, Anakin thinks half-hysterically.

"What?!" Anakin repeats again, looking back to the Sith. He's dreaming. He must be, because there's no way Obi-Wan would randomly lose his mind and murder the Chancellor for literally no reason.

"That would be correct," Dooku confirms grudgingly. "How did you come to this knowledge?"

"It was surprisingly simple to guess," he replies lightly. "Now, I believe we had a battle to fight?"

"Why – what, why did you?" Anakin demands. He's rambling, really, but can't grasp what just happened. Did Obi-Wan really...?

"I'll explain everything later," he assures. "Now, we need to get off the ship. Let's get this over with."

Nothing makes sense, and Anakin still isn't convinced Obi-Wan is even remotely in his right mind. Quite the opposite, actually. Even so, he lunges at Dooku again. He needs to get himself and Obi-Wan off the ship as fast as possible now.

Anakin throws his all into the fight, losing himself in the Force. He tunes everything else out, until he feels nothing except his opponent and Obi-Wan. A strange emptiness lingers in the back of his mind, but with how detached he feels, how deeply lost in the Force, he doesn't think about it.

Obi-Wan is fighting... strangely sloppily. It's the same, but unfamiliar. It's as though he hasn't fought in a long time and has forgotten how.

It makes it harder, more difficult for Anakin to find a gap in the Sith's defenses.

It's nothing but sheer luck, Anakin thinks, that Dooku finally stumbles when Anakin Force-shoves him, leaving an opening enough for Anakin to plunge his blade through the Sith's chest. Anakin flicks off his saber, panting.

"Well done," Obi-Wan tells him, squeezing his shoulder. Anakin nearly gapes at him because of how freely it was offered. Clearly, he is losing his mind because Obi-Wan doesn't act like that. He... doesn't. Everything about this situation screams of wrongness. "We should go."

"Master, I don't... why? What happened? Why did you...?" Anakin backs away from him. Something is happening. Something is wrong, very wrong, and he doesn't know what. He has no idea why Obi-Wan could have done this. It doesn't make any sense.

"Does the Force feel different?" he asks instead.

"I..." He doesn't question it, instead reaching into the Force. The answer hits him immediately; yes, it does. The darkness in it has... changed. And maybe... somehow, the veil of the Dark Side that so long has clouded everyone's senses seems to be... fading. Anakin pulls his senses back in a rush, not wanting to feel if the veil will fall all the way and the Force overwhelm him. Logically, it doesn't make sense. He's half-Force, technically, so it shouldn't hurt him, but... it does. It always has. "Yeah," Anakin mumbles. "The veil of the Dark Side seems to be falling. Why? What happened?"

"Remember what I said, about Palpating being the Sith?"

Anakin gapes. "That's impossible. You're – you're being ridiculous."

"Oh, I wish I was. Let's get out of here, before the ship crashes."

His mind whirling with more questions than Anakin can even begin to attempt to sort through, he heads for the door to the turbolift. The ship shudders, and Anakin feels the warning in the Force the same time he senses the ship's artificial gravitational force start moving. It shifts sideways, towards the walls. At least, he supposes, it's taking him towards where he's already headed. "We have to hurry," Anakin warns, scrambling through the door to the turbolift. It would be easier to wait, but if the ship is this badly damaged, there's too much risk of it making the hyperspace jump with them aboard or being destroyed altogether. "We're out of time."

"Everywhere we go," Obi-Wan sighs, jumping after Anakin when he climbs down into the shaft. It twists the rest of the way onto its side, and he finds himself wondering if it's going to rotate all the way to the ceiling soon – unlikely.

Maybe, Anakin hopes, they'll be able to get to the door they need to before the gravity is fixed. It won't be long, so they need to hurry. The chaos is making him, only momentarily, focus on something other than the million questions swirling through his mind.

He and Obi-Wan came in alone, and they're going out alone, and – and it feels like a failure. Dooku is dead, though. If they take down Grievous...

That's the moment gravity gives out, and the Invisible Hand lurches sideways as it starts tilting. Anakin reaches out blindly, trying to get a hold of something so he can survey his surroundings and figure out where to go. He doesn't know where, or he'd jump through a doorway, but it was too fast, and they can't risk going through the wrong one; it will only take them that much longer.

And, instead of trying to find his own spot, Obi-Wan grabs him. "What is wrong with you?" Anakin yelps, and it's not his fault if he sounds a bit hysterical.

"I'm perfectly alright," he promises, and Anakin scoffs.

"You are not. You killed the Chancellor."

"He's the Sith," he replies, and Anakin finds himself wondering if Obi-Wan hit his head... or something. He's clearly not in his right mind. "You do have a grappling hook with you, right?"

"Yes, I can't very well reach it," Anakin grumbles. He's holding onto Obi-Wan with his left arm, after all, and he's mildly concerned at the safety of being so up-close to a clearly insane version of his former master.

"Hold on to me," Obi-Wan tells him lightly.

"Why wouldn't I? Are – oh." Anakin glances down, to see his master pulling out his own grappling hook.

"Let go," he orders. "Before the turbolift comes our way."

Anakin blinks in confusion – because how would Obi-Wan know that? – but obeys without question.

A few seconds later, they swing through one of the doorways a good distance below as Artoo's call comes in. The gravitational field seems to have stabilized for the moment, thankfully.

"We're okay," Anakin promises the droid. "We're on our way out. Come down here." The droid beeps affirmatively.

Anakin stands up, scanning the room in search of droids or any other unfriendly objects. There are none, and they need to keep moving. "The hanger?"

Obi-Wan shakes his head. "It's probably destroyed." Since when did he get so good at predictions? Normally, Anakin would simply brush it off, but everything about him warns of something being wrong. "Grievous is on board. We may have time to stop him before we land."

"... Land?"

"Assuming you can fly this thing," Obi-Wan hastily amends, and he's talking way too fast like he's hoping Anakin won't notice... something. "It seems like we'll be going down."

"For the record, I agree," Anakin grumbles, and they head out the door.

He doesn't even know how it happened. They were walking down the hall, some turns later, when a white ray-shield suddenly hisses to life around him and Obi-Wan, trapping them in the center of the hall. "Every time," Anakin groans, looking around, frustration surging through him.

"How did this happen?" Obi-Wan huffs.

"Artoo?" Anakin calls into his comm. "We could use your help."

The droid whistles back that he's on his way, and Anakin turns back to his mostly insane former master. "Well, you distracted me," he accuses on answer.

"Oh, so it's my fault now."

"Seeing as my master assassinated the Chancellor, and hasn't offered a reasonable explanation, I think I have a reason to be distracted," Anakin snaps.

Obi-Wan sighs. "I suppose you're right."

Okay. Something is definitely wrong here, because at the very least, he should have had an equally sharp comeback. Obi-Wan doesn't – or at least, very rarely – admits Anakin is right. "Did you hit your head?" Anakin demands. He's beginning to seriously start questioning Obi-Wan's mental state. He checks him over with the Force, to be certain, because that's not a question his master will ever answer. He seems fine, physically, though a little banged up from the duel, which is to be expected.

Obi-Wan's shields are pulled tight, but Anakin senses a strange sort of... darkness in him which doesn't belong there. "... Master?" he asks slowly, warily, taking a step back. The only thought in his head right now is too stupid and outlandish to contemplate, but it's literally all that comes to mind.

"Anakin, it's alright," he promises. "It'll be okay. I don't have time to explain now."

"Are you trying to test my focus?" Anakin demands.

Before Obi-Wan has time to reply, Artoo zips into the hall, rolling so fast he crashes into the opposite wall and bounces back, spinning in a circle. Another door opens, and a group of destroyer droids and super battle droids spills into the hall. That's the end of that, Anakin realizes grimly. They're going to be dragged off to Grievous, but at least Artoo is with them.

The droids put them in stun cuffs and take their lightsabers, before leading them to the bridge. It would be easy enough to escape, but they won't, because this will be all that can give them a chance to kill Grievous before he escapes. Neither asks about a plan, because they both know it.

"Ah, yes, General Kenobi," Grievous croaks when they enter. "The Negotiator. We've been waiting for you. That wasn't much of a rescue."

"That depends on your point of view," Obi-Wan replies mildly.

"And, Anakin Skywalker," the cyborg adds, stalking over and prowling over him. Did no one tell you anything about personal space? Anakin hisses mentally, looking away as Grievous prowls only inches away from him. "I was expecting someone with your reputation to be a little... older."

Anakin glares at him, as Grievous stands a little straighter – he's towering over Anakin, and suddenly all he can think of is his own padawan telling him how enormous the cyborg was after the second time she encountered him. Ahsoka had been quite shaken up both times. "General Grievous," he replies, suddenly a tad too smug. "You're shorter than I expected."

"Jedi scum!" he growls, turning and stomping a few feet away.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan interjects, sounding like he's trying very hard not to laugh. "We have a job to do. Try not to upset him."

"Your lightsabers will make a fine addition to my collection," Grievous continues, depositing their lightsabers in a pocket of his cape. Get your filthy hands off those, Anakin wants to snap, but keeps his mouth shut; his time will come soon enough

"Not this time," Obi-Wan retorts, smugly. "And this time, you won't escape."

It's his cue, now. "Artoo!" Anakin orders sharply. The astromech zaps a few nearby droids, and in the momentary distraction, they grab their lightsabers with the Force and cut themselves free.

"Crush them!" Grievous shouts to his nearby MagnaGuards. "Make them suffer!"

The two droids move forwards, flailing their electrostaffs, and Anakin attacks one immediately while Obi-Wan takes the other. He's fought them more times than he cares to count throughout the war.

It strikes at him, with one side then the other, repeatedly, and Anakin blocks the blows in rapid succession, seeing weaknesses. It only takes moments. He ducks beneath the end, slashing it clean in two. The few battle droids are moving forwards now, and Anakin takes down the ones in his path as he works his way towards Grievous. Whatever happens, the cyborg cannot escape. Not this time.

Obi-Wan is hurriedly making his way towards Grievous from the opposite direction. The general is cornered now, but Anakin has had enough for today to risk it. He jumps over a console, landing right behind Grievous. The cyborg grabs an electrostaff off the floor – it's faster than taking one of his lightsabers and uses it to block the what-would-have-been lethal blow.

His arms split in half into four, and he uses two of them to draw and ignite his lightsabers.

Anakin dives aside as one of them slashes at him; it's close enough that it would've cut him clean in two. The cyborg drops the electrostaff, taking his other two lightsabers. Obi-Wan comes at him from the side, as Grievous shifts position, spinning his top two lightsabers in a deadly whirlwind. Obi-Wan catches one of the blades with his own, and Anakin uses the distraction to move forwards, aiming a blow from the other side.

The fight is fast and furious, just as the one with Dooku had been. The cyborgs four flailing lightsabers are close enough together it makes it extremely difficult to get past. It's easy to see, now, how Grievous was able to kill so many Jedi.

It will be hard, and it will take time, but Anakin knows who will come out on top of this fight; he can sense it. This is it, the day in which the Clone Wars will be brought to an end.

Obi-Wan is fighting sloppily, and he's struggling, even against the two blades Grievous is spinning at him. It's like... he doesn't remember how to fight properly. Anakin tries not to let it bother him much, as he continues. He simply can't fight against Grievous like he does most people, because the cyborg is too strong for that. Anakin draws on the Force to guide him, strengthening his attacks.

It was a slip-up on Obi-Wan's part – not fatal, but as jumpy as Anakin is right now, he still freezes up – that distracts Anakin long enough for Grievous to kick him across the room. He slams into something before hitting the floor. He's struck by the sudden feeling of déjà vu, because that's exactly what happened earlier before the strange disturbance in the Force that seemed to center on Obi-Wan who also seemed to suddenly lose his mind.

Beneath them, the ship is shaking in a way that implies it might be heading towards the planet. They need to finish this fight, and finish it fast, before the Invisible Hand crashes.

When Anakin pushes himself up, Grievous is making a dash for the door.

He reaches out instinctively, slamming the door shut with the Force, sealing them inside.

Before the cyborg can start cutting through, Anakin jumps across the room, flinging him into the wall for good measure. By the time Grievous gets back up again, Anakin is ready. Their duel resumes, fast and furious, a flurry of constant motion.

Obi-Wan is on them, suddenly, cleanly loping one of the cyborg's hands off.

Anakin steps back to regather himself before diving forwards again. The floor is shaking beneath them, and he senses them getting closer to the planet. They have to move fast, or they're all going to die here together. Behind them, he can sense more than see the front of the ship starting to spark.

If they crash, it'll be the end for them all. More than likely, Grievous won't survive, though he has better chances. His metal parts will protect him.

Anakin and Obi-Wan aren't that lucky. They need to end this, to ensure Grievous has no chance of escape.

Anakin stabs his blade towards the cyborg who meets it with his other two, twisting it away from him towards the floor. One of Grievous' top lightsaber raises, likely to lop off his head. Obi-Wan slashes his arm off in the nick of time, and Anakin steps aside as the said arm and lightsaber clank onto the floor.

Grievous swings out with one of his arms, throwing Obi-Wan to the ground. Growling furiously, he wildly swings his sabers at Anakin. They're too far apart to block at once, so he blocks one and dodges the other. It glances across his shoulder, burning through his robes and singing the skin beneath. Anakin steps back, a vague idea forming in his mind. It's stupid and reckless and could easily get him killed, but they're running out of time.

He can sense the fire growing on the front of the ship, and them heading in free-fall closer towards the surface. It's a city. Not only will it kill them, it'll take out a vast number of people. It's not a risk Anakin's willing to take.

Anakin flips over the cyborg's head, barely fast enough to avoid getting himself chopped in half. He lands a little awkwardly, spinning around and sloppily, one-handedly stabs his blade through Grievous' back.

The ship lurches again, violently, nearly throwing him to the ground. Anakin scrambles to avoid Grievous' falling body, sprinting towards the front of the ship.

"We lost something," he says, breathlessly, as he scrambles into the pilot's seat. The exterior of the cockpit is burning furiously now.

"Not to worry," Obi-Wan replies lightly, maneuvering his way across the cockpit towards Anakin. "We're still flying half the ship."

He bits back an instinctive snap of 'how is this funny?', but that would be rather hypocritical.

The controls don't make much sense, not to mention this type of ship isn't meant for landing on the ground. They're practically in free-fall now, and all he'll be able to do to slow them down.

It only takes a matter of minutes before the realization settles in on him, that this isn't going to work. They're moving way, way too quickly, and he won't be able to slow it fast enough.

"We gotta get to a landing strip," Anakin says, jaw clenched.

If not for Grievous, they could have gotten to the controls faster, and he could have slowed it down earlier, and they wouldn't be about to ram full force into the surface. The impact would destroy whatever's left of the ship, and – and it would, no doubt, kill them both.

It would be fine. This is the end of the war, and it wouldn't really matter, as long as he can make sure they don't hit the buildings, but Obi-Wan is here and he can't – he can't. "I already lost one father today," he mutters. Closing his eyes, Anakin reaches into the Force.

It's so strong and so overwhelming, with the emotions and minds of everyone surrounding him. It crashes into him, and it's too much, too much, but he can't stop. It's only through sheer willpower, raw and blinding desperation that he manages to reach all the way across the ship and the ground it's approaching.

It feels like it warps with ease, as it always has with Anakin.

He's never moved something of this size before, not to mention while being inside it.

It takes all his focus to bring the ship to the ground as lightly and slowly as he can, and by the time all's said and done, he all but collapses face-first onto the controls with a groan.

"Another happy landing," his former master remarks lightly, standing up and stepping over to him. "Are you alright?"

"More or less, yeah." He feels faint, slightly dizzy and... out of it. It's taking great effort to pull himself back into his own body and throw his shields up again, to keep himself from feeling the Force so strongly. By the time he succeeds, he feels completely drained.

"I believe you have some questions to ask me?" Obi-Wan prompts.

"A lot more than 'some questions', Master." Anakin pushes himself up. He's completely worn out, and now that the adrenaline rush is wearing off, the reality of the mission is crashing down on him. They won, technically, since Dooku and Grievous are both dead, but they failed because so is the Chancellor, and Obi-Wan did it himself, and... "Why would you do this?" he asks incredulously, tone mingled with confusion and hurt.

"You felt the... ripple in the Force when we fought Dooku?" Anakin nods. "Good. The Force sent me here from... over two decades in the future." All things considered, it's probably not the strangest thing that's happened today.

Anakin stares at him, anyway, his mind scrambling to piece together some decent semblance of a response. "You really are an old man," he manages finally.

Obi-Wan laughs. "How is that the first thing you have to say?"

"What did you expect me to say?" He doesn't even know if he should laugh or cry or both. "I don't..." Anakin slumps against the back of his seat. He's still not certain of this is real or some nightmare. It seems more like the latter.

"I know this is a lot to take in at once, but in the future I lived, Palpatine was Sidious. He destroyed the galaxy."

"That's impossible," he snaps. "You're delusional."

"Again, I wish I was. I know he's earned your trust more than I have, but you must believe this."

"Prove it," Anakin says tightly. "From what it looks like, you just committed treason for no apparent reason. He was my friend." It doesn't – it doesn't make any sense. Why would Obi-Wan do this?

Obi-Wan goes quiet for a long moment. "Fine," he says at last. "You're married – at least I think you are, I never asked. Padme is pregnant with twins, though I don't think you knew that yet; she'll tell you as soon as we reach the Senate. You name them Luke and Leia."

"What – I ..." Padme is – they're going to have a child. Children. He's going to be a father. It's terrifying and exhilarating at once, because he wasn't ready but this, this was the one thing he wanted. He doesn't ask how Obi-Wan knows, because if what he's saying is true, it makes sense how he found out. But – but it means Obi-Wan knows he broke the Code, and he's going to be mad. He's going to be, and Anakin can't face that disappointment.

"Anakin, it's fine," he interjects. "It was your son who helped you save the galaxy, anyway. If not for him, you never could've defeated Sidious."

"I don't – I don't understand." This doesn't make even the tiniest amount of sense, because there's no way Obi-Wan couldn't be angry. It's not possible.

"I've seen a lot in my time in the future. The galaxy fell apart, in part because of my own failure. I still don't know where I went wrong, but now..."

He doesn't know what to say. None of what Obi-Wan is saying makes sense. How could...

Anakin feels a flicker of... something from his former master that he can't quite put a name to. It makes him feel strangely vulnerable, and he hates it.

"Anakin," he asks slowly, seriously. "Are you – why are scared?"

"I'm not," he snaps back, reflexively, even though he is. It's why he couldn't tell Obi-Wan because he was too afraid to see the disappointment that would no doubt have followed.

"I won't tell the Council." Obi-Wan stands, approaching him slowly.

A prickle of unease runs down his spine and he flinches back. Logically, Anakin knows he has nothing to worry about; Obi-Wan won't hurt him. He doesn't even know why something in him curls with dread and his heartrate picks up. Somehow, it seems like a part of his mind can't quite accept that. He knows why. He knows when everything broke down, when he completely lost trust in and the ability to draw comfort from his former master.

"It's alright," he promises, and Anakin thinks he sees a pained look flash over the other's face. "There's nothing to worry about."

He shakes his head and looks away. "I don't – how could Palpatine be a Sith?" It's a likely fruitless attempt to redirect the conversation onto slightly safter ground, but it feels like he's being crushed, drowning in the impossibility of everything that's happened.

"He's a better actor than we gave him credit for, apparently. He had us all fooled. If you don't believe me, trust the Force. What does it tell you?"

Anakin can feel it now, clearer and brighter than ever. There's still so much darkness, but it's the darkness he thinks is a natural part of the Force. And it tells him clear as day what the answer is. He doesn't want to believe it, but Obi-Wan is right, because if nothing else, the Force is the one thing Anakin trusts. Perhaps the only thing he ever has. "It's..." He trails off. He doesn't know what to say, or that there's anything to say.

"I'm sorry, Anakin." Obi-Wan sounds like he means it, at least. "I wish I had time to discuss it with you first, but I didn't see another option." He isn't wrong. There wasn't another option if he was going to move quickly.

"How could we not have noticed?" Anakin asks. "How could we not have seen him right here, for so long?"

"I'll be the first to admit the Council has become arrogant, then," he replies, with the faintest tinge of amusement.

The – what? Obi-Wan laughs when Anakin gapes at him. "It's true, though," he points out.

"Who are you and what have you done with my master?" Anakin asks half-hysterically.

"Need I say twenty years changes a person?" he inquires lightly. "I saw the Order fall, remember? All it took was a talk with you after to realize everything you and Qui-Gon tried to tell me was true."

Okay. He must be dreaming, except the Force tells him otherwise, and it's too very real to be fake. Maybe Obi-Wan is telling the truth, he doesn't know. He wants to believe him, so badly, but he doesn't know if he can. Would it really be... bad if he were to accept this weird version of his former master? He doesn't know, but he's scared to. He doesn't want to let his guard down and be hurt again, like last time, like every time he tries.

There's too much going on, too much for him to process. He can't begin to start working through this, to make sense of it.

The Chancellor was his friend, but he was apparently also a Sith, and – and he's dead now.

Obi-Wan... Anakin has no idea what to think of him. But he knows about Padme, and – and Anakin's going to be a father.

There's a long moment of silence before Obi-Wan breaks it again. "May I touch you?"

It's a strange question, not one he's been asked much, but Anakin cautiously, hesitantly nods.

Obi-Wan steps forwards, leaning down to wrap an arm around Anakin's shoulders, pulling him close.

He can't remember the last time Obi-Wan initiated something like this, let alone so... openly. Hesitantly, Anakin reaches up to slide his arms around the other.

"I thought I lost you," Obi-Wan murmurs, holding him tightly.

"Master..." He doesn't know what to say or do. Whatever happened in the future, it wasn't good. He wants to know, but maybe... it's better if he doesn't. "What are we gonna tell the Council?"

"It's easy," he replies, smugly. "It happened in battle, and there are no witnesses, except us. They needn't know about any of this."

Personally, Anakin has his doubts, but he won't object. He can feel the unfiltered adoration leaking into the Force, and it overwhelms him. For however many years he hoped Obi-Wan would let on how he felt, he never expected it to happen. Oh, he hasn't said, and Anakin has long since accepted that he never will, but this... feeling is enough.

"Padawan," he says, softly, "I am sorry, young one. I never stopped to think about how you would feel. I never have."

Perhaps Obi-Wan genuinely means it, but years of conditioning remind Anakin that this may well be a test. "It doesn't matter," Anakin mutters. He hopes he sounds convincing. "It's your duty."

"Never say that," Obi-Wan orders firmly, pulling back enough to look at him. "You do matter. You always matter."

"I don't..." Anakin looks away, trying – and failing, miserably – to process what his former master is telling him.

"In my time, I never told you until too late," Obi-Wan admits. "I don't want that to happen again. You mean everything to me. Don't forget that."

Something inside him breaks open, and his eyes blur with tears. "I love you, Master," he whispers, throwing caution into the wind. And maybe he shouldn't say it, maybe it's one of the things he should never voice again, but – but he can't help it, because Obi-Wan just said...

Obi-Wan doesn't respond, not verbally anyway. His presence reaches out, touching Anakin's in a gentle, slightly awkward way, like he hasn't done this in a long time and isn't quite sure how to anymore. It's reassuring anyway, something maybe like the promise he's craved for so long.

"It's going to be alright," he promises, leaning down to kiss Anakin's forehead. "I'll make sure of it this time."

A quiet, strangled sound escapes him, and he dives forwards again, clinging tightly to Obi-Wan. In that moment, they feel closer than they maybe they ever have been. Despite his better judgement – the whispered warnings of how if Obi-Wan hurt him now, it would be unbearable – Anakin intertwines their presences.

Anakin doesn't speak as they hold each other, letting himself melt into the moment, clinging to it for all eternity. It could change later, Obi-Wan could take back all that he said and did, but now... it feels like for once, maybe the burden he bears is a bit more manageable, like maybe he doesn't have to do it alone.

Somehow, through the darkness he's felt all around, there's finally a flicker of something else, something light.

Hope.

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