Chapter 4

Anakin woke up feeling warm and safe and like he never ever wanted to move again. He realized that he was wrapped up in Obi-wan's arms, his head resting on Obi-wan's chest, their legs thoroughly entangled.

He sighed and closed his eyes. This bliss and he never wanted it to end. He was too content even to be embarrassed about the fact that he'd woken Obi-wan at 2 am and Obi-wan had read to him until he'd fallen asleep.

Who did that? He swore Obi-wan must be some kind of angel. Not the scary kind that had a thousand eyes; the nice kind that read you to sleep and let you cry all over their shirt.

"Good morning."

Anakin's eyes came to meet Obi-wan's. "Good morning."

He waited, wondering if Obi-wan was going to take it back. Maybe he'd decided that after last night, Anakin was too high maintenance for him.

Instead of telling Anakin that he no longer wanted him, Obi-wan leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. "Do you want breakfast?"

"Yes, please."

Anakin was all too aware of Obi-wan's obvious boner as he got up. Obi-wan didn't mention it. He went to the bathroom and showered. When he got out, the conspicuous lack of steam told Anakin that it had been a cold shower. Sure enough, there was no bulge in Obi-wan's pants when he got dressed.

Anakin showered while Obi-wan made scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast. By the time Anakin was wandering through, the eggs were done.

"That smells delicious."

"Thanks. It's one of the few things I know how to make. I'm a terrible cook."

"I cook pretty well. Maybe I could make you dinner, sometime."

"It's a date. Shall we say tonight?"

Anakin's stomach swooped. "Yeah, tonight is great."

They chatted as they ate. Anakin was surprised that it didn't feel at all awkward, despite his embarrassing behavior last night. Obi-wan was treating him completely normally.

Anakin delayed the last few bites of his toast, not wanting to leave Obi-wan when he was having such a good time.

Obi-wan groaned as his phone pinged. "I really should get to work. I'm late as it is. Cody is going to kill me. Can I give you a lift home, Anakin?"

"That would be great." Any reason to be with Obi-wan for a bit longer. Anakin couldn't believe that Obi-wan was still even talking to him after the debacle of last night.

Anakin gave Obi-wan directions to his house. He felt himself blushing slightly as they entered his tatty neighborhood. Obi-wan lived in such a nice area. What must he think of Anakin's rundown apartment?

"This is it. Thank you, Obi-wan."

"It's my pleasure, Anakin. Shall I pick you up at seven tonight?"

"That's perfect. I'll see you then, Obi-wan."

"See you then, dearest."

Anakin walked into his apartment with a silly grin on his face, grateful that Ahsoka was already at school. He was practically buzzing with energy. He hadn't had such a good night's sleep in years.

Anakin got out his books, intent on doing some studying, but he found himself instead thinking of Obi-wan. Obi-wan wanted him, even knowing what Maul had done to him, even knowing that Anakin might not ever be able to give him sex. He'd let Anakin cry all over his clothes and read him back to sleep after a nightmare.

Anakin knew it was too soon, but he thought he might be falling for this guy.

He reminded himself that getting emotionally involved was a bad idea. Obi-wan was paying him to be there because he was lonely, not because he was looking for a relationship. If that was what he'd been looking for, he would no doubt have gone on an online dating site rather than looked for an escort.

He finally managed to settle into some studying before his afternoon class. When he got back, Ahsoka was just getting home.

"Hey, Skyguy. What's the good news?"

"What?"

"I haven't seen you smile that widely in months."

"Oh – right. I got a new job."

"You did?" Relief broke out over Ahsoka's face, and Anakin felt a pang of guilt for how worried she must have been.

"I did, and it pays really, really well. When I get my first paycheck, I'll be able to take you shopping in one of those designer stores that all your classmates get their clothes from."

Ahsoka's eyes widened. "Really? What is this new, lucrative profession you've found?"

Anakin hesitated. He didn't like lying to Ahsoka, but the truth just wouldn't do. "I'm a personal assistant to the CEO of a big company."

"Personal assistant, huh? How did you manage that?"

"I… well, I'm kind of dating him."

"Anakin! I swear, you never had any sense. You can't date your boss. That's bound to end in disaster."

"I really like him, Snips," Anakin said quietly. "Like, a lot."

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't go getting too deep in this, Skyguy. You need that job. You can't afford to have a fight with him and lose your work."

"I know. Don't worry, I'll be careful."

"If you get your heart broken and I have to call Padme in here again to drag you out of bed, I'm going to put spiders in your closet."

Anakin chuckled. "Don't worry, you won't have to."

He helped Ahsoka with her homework for a while, and afterward, the two of them watched TV. Then, Anakin needed to get ready for his date.

He ransacked his wardrobe, searching for something dignified and impressive, but coming up empty. He settled for his normal jeans and a t-shirt. Hopefully, Obi-wan wouldn't mind.

At seven o'clock exactly, Obi-wan rang the bell. Anakin wrenched the door open. "Hi," he said rather breathlessly.

"Hello, Anakin. Shall we go?"

"Yeah, of course."

Obi-wan drove them to a nearby restaurant, which thankfully wasn't too fancy, so Anakin didn't feel out of place.

They sat down. Anakin couldn't help staring at Obi-wan. He was just so gorgeous. If it wasn't for the horrendous way their last kiss had ended, Anakin would be kissing him right now.

"Well, I thought we'd get the practicalities done first. I've got your contract here, as well as your signing bonus. You will receive your salary on the first day of every month."

Anakin glanced at the cheque Obi-wan handed him and did a double-take. "Twenty thousand dollars?" he hissed, glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention to them. "Seriously, Obi-wan? This is too much!"

Obi-wan shrugged. "What can I say? You made quite an impression. I'm eager to keep you."

"And what was it that so charmed you? Me crying all over your shirt, or waking you up at 2 am with my nightmare?"

Obi-wan's eyes twinkled. "I was charmed long before either of those things happened. I told you, I feel a connection to you."

Anakin was grateful they'd had time to talk, a time in which he'd apparently won Obi-wan over completely before he'd had his embarrassing breakdown.

"I – thank you, Obi-wan. This is more than I ever expected."

"Learn to expect good things, dearest. I'm looking forward to spoiling you."

Anakin blushed. Obi-wan handed over a couple of printed pages. "This is your contract. Please read through it carefully and let me know if there are any changes you'd like to make."

The waitress took their drink orders and Anakin read the contract while sipping on a soda. He didn't know much about contracts, but this one seemed more than fair. There was no mention of a requirement for sex, and it specifically stated that he was allowed to say no to something that made him uncomfortable without risking his job.

"This looks great, Obi-wan. Do you have a pen?"

Obi-wan beamed at him. "I do."

The two of them signed the contract and Obi-wan took photos of it with his phone. "I'll send these to you so that you have a record. Now, since our business has been completed, tell me, how are you?"

They chatted over dinner. Anakin found himself just as delighted by Obi-wan's company as he had been last night. Anakin slowly inched his chair over toward Obi-wan's until their legs were brushing pleasantly against each other.

He was sad to see the evening come to an end, but the restaurant needed to start closing, which meant he and Obi-wan needed to get going.

"Since it's Saturday tomorrow, I was thinking that perhaps I could take you shopping for some clothes? You'll need some smart things if you're going to attend work functions with me."

Anakin was torn. He'd promised that he'd take Ahsoka shopping tomorrow, the money from Sidious having come into his account earlier today. She was really looking forward to it, and he didn't want to disappoint her, but he also didn't want to disappoint Obi-wan.

"The thing is, I promised Ahsoka I'd take her clothes shopping tomorrow…"

"Bring her along, then. I'd love to meet her. Unless you'd rather spend some quality time with her, that is? We could always meet on Sunday instead."

"No, tomorrow is great!" Anakin was eager to spend more time with Obi-wan, and he was sure Ahsoka wouldn't mind. "If you don't mind a fifteen-year-old tag along, that is."

"Oh, not at all. I'm sure it'll be great fun."

Obi-wan walked him to the door of his apartment, like the gentleman he was. Anakin hesitated on the doorstep. "Can I… can I kiss you?"

"Anakin, you don't have to."

"I know, but I want to. I've been thinking about it all night. Please?"

Obi-wan smiled warmly at him. "How could I say no to the prospect of those pretty lips on mine? Of course, you may kiss me, dearest."

Anakin closed the distance, brushing his lips over Obi-wan's. He kissed more firmly the second time, and then a third, before pulling back. He didn't want to push it too far and get another flashback.

Obi-wan was grinning broadly. "Goodnight, Anakin. I will see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Obi-wan."

That night, Anakin missed the warm feeling of Obi-wan's arms around him, especially when he woke up screaming a couple of hours later. At least he had shopping with Obi-wan to look forward to the next day.

"You look fine, Skyguy." Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Hurry up, already. It's nearly ten."

Anakin ran his hand through his hair once more, just as the bell rang.

Obi-wan looked as stunning as ever. "Good morning, Anakin. And you must be Ahsoka?"

Ahsoka blushed and nodded. "Hi."

"Shall we go, then?"

Obi-wan directed them to what had to be the most expensive store in the mall, which specialized in men's clothing.

"Ahsoka, I doubt there is much here to interest you. Why don't you take this and buy yourself something from one of those modern stores all the kids nowadays are going to?"

Ahsoka's eyes widened. "You're seriously giving me your credit card? You don't even know me!"

"You're Anakin's sister. If he's anything to judge by, I'm sure he's raised you to be a fine young woman. You have my permission to go crazy. The card has a limit of one hundred thousand dollars. Feel free to max it out."

Ahsoka looked like she might faint. "You're serious. You're actually serious, aren't you?"

"Of course."

Anakin watched as Ahsoka practically danced out of the shop. "Well, you're officially her new hero."

"She deserves it. You both do."

Anakin and Obi-wan wandered through the aisles, picking out clothes for him. There was even a small section of casual clothing, which Obi-wan encouraged Anakin to choose some things for daily wear from.

Obi-wan paid for the ridiculously huge and expensive pile of clothes without even blinking at the price. Anakin knew he was a billionaire and money didn't mean much to him, but it was still rather mind-boggling.

They went to find Ahsoka surrounded by a bigger pile of clothes than even Anakin had gathered.

Anakin closed his eyes in horror. "Ahsoka! Please tell me you didn't buy all of these."

She went bright red. "Of course not! These are just the things I tried on. I'm still deciding which of them to get. I was thinking maybe these… three? They're expensive, though. It would be over a thousand dollars."

Obi-wan scoffed. "Three? Excuse me, ma'am?" He flagged down one of the shop attendants. "We'll take all of these, please." He gestured to the huge pile of clothes Ahsoka had.

"You don't have to," Anakin told him.

"Please, I want to. A growing young lady needs new a good stock of clothes, does she not?"

Ahsoka's face looked even redder than Anakin's felt. "Th-Thank you, Obi-wan. I don't know what to say."

"You need not say anything, dear. It's my pleasure."

Obi-wan took the two of them to lunch. Anakin was surprised but pleased by how good he was with Ahsoka. The three of them had a great time and only left three hours later.

Ahsoka went to her room while Anakin said goodbye to Obi-wan at the door. "When will I see you again?"

"I have a work function on Wednesday evening. Will you be able to attend?"

"Of course! I… we could even do something sooner if you'd like."

"I'd like that very much. How about Monday evening?"

"Monday evening is perfect."

Anakin leaned forward and kissed Obi-wan. Obi-wan let him lead, not taking anything, simply allowing Anakin to explore his lips. It was exactly what Anakin needed. No flashbacks tainted the kiss, and when he said goodbye to Obi-wan, he was grinning so widely his face hurt.

The next day, Anakin went back to the mall to do some grocery shopping. He hadn't dared to try to do it yesterday, as he had been sure that Obi-wan would insist on paying for this too. He was walking to the bus station when a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

No, surely, this had to be a nightmare. How could Maul be here?

Anakin slowly turned to face him. Maul was everything he remembered and worse.

"Leave me alone," Anakin spat. He looked around, but there was no one near them. It was starting to get dark and there weren't many people about.

"Now, why would I do that when we have such a delicious opportunity?"

Maul stepped toward him, grabbing Anakin's shoulder. Anakin was suddenly thrown back into that awful room, that terrible bed where Maul had violated him.

"NO!"

Anakin wrenched free and ran. He might not be as strong as Maul, but he seemed to be faster, because when he sent a panicked glance over his shoulder, Maul was nowhere in sight.

Anakin's shaking legs weren't going to hold him up much longer, but he didn't want to stop out in the open where Maul could find him.

He staggered into a nearby park and collapsed near a bush. He pulled himself forward until he was completely under the scratchy bush and pulled out his phone. He dialed Obi-wan's number without thinking.

"Anakin, what a nice surprise. How are you –"

"Obi-wan, can you pick me up, please?"

"What's wrong, Anakin? What happened?"

"I – just – please could you come and get me?" Tears leaked out of Anakin's eyes. "I'm scared."

"I'm on my way, Anakin. Send a location pin to my phone. I'll be right there."

"Thank you," he whispered. He sent Obi-wan the pin and waited, trembling, too afraid to move.

Barely ten minutes later, he heard Obi-wan's voice.

"Anakin? Anakin, where are you?"

"I'm here."

Obi-wan got down to his knees, peering under the bush. "Anakin, sweetheart, can you come here?"

He held out a hand. Anakin took it, letting Obi-wan gently draw him out from under the bush.

"Are you hurt? Do you need a hospital?"

Anakin shook his head. "Just take me home with you," he mumbled. "Please."

"Of course, Anakin. Whatever you need."

The drive back to Obi-wan's place seemed to take no time whatsoever. Before he knew it, Obi-wan was bundling him into bed, wrapping Anakin up in his strong embrace from behind.

"What happened, dearest? You can talk to me."

"I – I ran into Maul. He… I think he was going to hurt me again. I got away, though."

Obi-wan's grip on him tightened. "Anakin, we need to go to the police."

"No! Please, Obi-wan, I don't want to. They'll ask me questions, and make me relive everything. Please, I can't do that again."

"Shh, dearest, it's ok. I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to. I just want you to be safe. Where did this happen?"

"A couple of streets away from the mall. I was walking to the bus station."

"Right, well, you're not going to be doing that anymore, not if he knows what bus route you take."

"I have to get around, Obi-wan."

"We'll think of something, dearest. Just try to relax. You're safe now."

Anakin nodded, sniffling. He was already feeling a lot better, here in Obi-wan's arms. "I'm sorry to bother you on a Sunday evening."

Obi-wan sighed. "Anakin, we've been through this, remember? Never apologize for being scared."

"Sorry."

"You're impossible." Obi-wan pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Would you like to stay here tonight, dearest? I could read to you again."

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not. I'm happy to have you."

"I'll message Ahsoka."

Anakin woke up not once but three times that night, screaming his lungs out as he tried to banish the feeling of Maul's hands on his skin. Obi-wan was beyond patient with him, wiping his tears, cuddling with him until he calmed down, and then reading to him until he fell asleep again.

The next morning, Anakin made them breakfast, determined to do some small thing to pay Obi-wan back for everything he had done.

"This is delicious, Anakin. I didn't know you were such a good cook."

"Ahsoka is a terrible cook, so at home, I do the cooking and she does the dishes. I'm pretty used to it. If you'd like, I can package up some of the leftovers for your lunch?"

"You're too good to me, Anakin."

"I could say the same thing about you."