Chapter 12

Anakin was having a good day. Obi-wan had promised to be home early from work today so that the two of them could have a romantic, candlelit dinner, and Obi-wan always kept his promises. Ahsoka was staying over at a friend's house, and he and Obi-wan were planning to use the alone time to good advantage.

Tonight, Anakin was going to try topping Obi-wan. To say he was excited was an understatement. What he truly wanted was Obi-wan's cock inside him, but this was hopefully a step in that direction.

He hummed a little as he prepared their elaborate dinner. Anakin's phone buzzed and he checked it, wondering if it might be Obi-wan. Sometimes, Obi-wan messaged Anakin when he had a spare moment at work, just to check in. Anakin smiled at the thought. They lived together, but Obi-wan still thought of him enough to want to send him a message in the middle of his workday. God, he loved that man.

The message wasn't from Obi-wan. It was from an unfamiliar email address, giving a link to a video hosting site.

Anakin frowned as he scrolled to the text of the message.

Anakin

Unless you want this to be on the front page of every newspaper in the city by Friday, tell your boyfriend to transfer five million dollars to this account.

Maul

There were some account details listed under his name. With trembling fingers, Anakin opened the link.

The video started playing. Anakin pressed a hand to his mouth, holding back a cry.

He hadn't realized that Maul had cameras in the room. Maul's face was blanked out, but Anakin's wasn't. He watched as Maul brutally raped him and threw him out of the door like the trash he was.

The phone clattered to the floor as Anakin bolted for the bathroom, just managing to make it to the toilet in time. He violently emptied his stomach into the toilet bowl, holding himself up with shaking arms.

Anakin curled into a ball, his eyes closed as he fought to clear his mind of the images that seemed to be burned into his retinas.

What the hell was he supposed to do now? He couldn't let Obi-wan get dragged into his mess. Anakin was sure that Obi-wan would pay Maul's price without hesitation if he knew. That's why Anakin couldn't tell him.

But Anakin also couldn't let that video get out. The thought of anyone ever seeing it made him want to crawl into a hole and die. He couldn't bear it if Maul made this public.

There had to be something he could do.

Anakin had a lot more money than he needed now, thanks to Obi-wan. Of course, he didn't have five million dollars, but he could easily spare five thousand a month for Maul. Maybe if he offered that, Maul would take him up on it.

He could only try and hope.

Anakin closed his eyes, willing his breathing to return to normal. He imagined what Obi-wan would say if he was here. Obi-wan would tell Anakin just to relax and let him fix it. But Anakin couldn't let Obi-wan fix all of his problems forever. At some point, he was going to have to rescue himself.

Anakin wondered if he should respond to the email, but he figured that Maul would only accept a deal like this in person.

Though it was the last thing in the world he wanted to do, Anakin got into his car and drove himself to Maul's place. Once there, he sat in the parking lot for a good half hour before finally working up the nerve to get out of the car.

He took a deep breath and marched up to Maul's door, ringing the bell quickly before he had a chance to think twice.

Maul gave Anakin an evil grin as he opened the door. "Anakin. That was fast. I haven't received the notification of the transfer yet."

"You're not going to. I can't ask Obi-wan to pay for my mistakes, Maul. But I'm willing to pay you. I can put aside five thousand a month."

"Five thousand?" Maul sneered. "Why would I take five thousand when I could have five million?"

"Because you're not getting five million. I'm not asking Obi-wan to pay, and that's final. Five thousand a month is the best you're going to get."

"Hm… well, I suppose I could make that work… if I had enough incentive." Maul ran his eyes slowly up and down Anakin's body.

Anakin backed up a step. "I'm not giving you anything other than money, so you can get that out of your head right now."

"We'll see about that."

Maul lunged for him.

Anakin froze. He knew he should run out of the open door behind him, but his mind was inundated with flashes of Maul's previous attacks. The terror of the memories paralyzed him, and before he could overcome it, Maul's foul hands were on him once more.

Anakin screamed as Maul started tearing his pants off.

No. No, this couldn't be happening again.

Through his panic, training kicked in. Anakin hadn't been going to self-defense lessons for nothing. He spun around and brought a knee sharply up right into Maul's groin. Maul groaned in pain and doubled over, giving Anakin the perfect opportunity to smash his elbow into Maul's face.

Maul cried out and jerked back, letting go of Anakin.

Anakin took advantage of the opportunity at once. He turned and fled. He ran down to the car, not daring to look back, terrified that he'd see Maul following him. Anakin was shaking almost too badly to start the car, but he managed it.

He screeched out onto the street, not knowing where he was going, only sure that he needed to get as far away from Maul as possible.

Anakin only realized where he was going when he found himself outside Obi-wan's work building. He dashed inside, not bothering to try to hide his tears. He'd been to Obi-wan's office before when Obi-wan had forgotten his lunch at home, so he knew the way.

He burst into the office, which was filled with people.

Obi-wan took one look at him and leaped up.

"This meeting is adjourned. Please come back tomorrow. I need a moment alone."

A number of people shot concerned glances at Anakin, but fortunately, none of them questioned him. He was barely holding himself together.

The moment the office door was closed, Anakin broke. His knees collapsed, but Obi-wan was already there to catch him, lowering them both onto the floor.

"Anakin! Sweetheart, what happened?"

Anakin tried to talk, but he was sobbing too hard to form proper words. Obi-wan pulled Anakin to his chest, running a hand through his hair.

"It's ok, dearest. I'm right here with you. We'll sort this out, whatever it is. Just try to breathe slowly for me."

Anakin hadn't even realized he'd been hyperventilating. He struggled to control his breathing, listening to the steady sound of Obi-wan's heartbeat to ground himself.

Obi-wan rocked him gently for what seemed like forever until Anakin was finally able to calm down a little.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I messed everything up."

"What do you mean, Ani?"

"I… Maul contacted me. He has a video of us… when he… when he raped me. His face is blacked out, but you can still see me clearly. He's threatening to release it if you don't give him five million dollars. I can't – Obi-wan, I can't bear it if that gets out. I can't handle it."

"Of course not. Don't worry, dearest, it will never come out. Maul will have his five million dollars."

"I'm so sorry. I never meant for you to get dragged into my mess."

Obi-wan pressed a kiss to Anakin's forehead. "I love you. I want to be dragged into your messes."

"I went there," Anakin admitted. Obi-wan's arms tightened around him, but he didn't interrupt. "I thought I could offer to pay him monthly, instead of you having to pay him. He said no, and he attacked me. I managed to escape before he did anything, though. Those self-defense lessons you insisted on saved me."

Obi-wan tilted Anakin's chin up so that Anakin was staring into his eyes. "I don't ever want you to do anything like that again, Anakin. Please, never risk your safety for my sake, especially if it's only money on the line. I'd gladly give everything I own to keep you safe and happy. Never doubt that."

Anakin felt more tears leaking out of his eyes. He didn't deserve Obi-wan's kindness. "You shouldn't have to do that."

"Anakin, please just listen to me. I know you don't think you're worth love and care, but you are. I need you to believe me on this. You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course. With my life."

"Then trust me on this. You deserve everything. And I want to give it to you. Please, don't deny me that."

Not for the first time since he'd been with Obi-wan, Anakin felt a flicker of doubt about his self-image. He did trust Obi-wan, more than anyone else. He knew Obi-wan to be an excellent judge of character. Was it so impossible that he was right and Anakin was wrong? Could Anakin really be worth more than his body?

He knew that he hadn't always been plagued with feelings of worthlessness. Those thoughts had only started showing up after the first time with Maul. Was it possible that his experience had skewed his judgment, and Obi-wan was the one seeing clearly?

"Let's get you up. I'm taking the rest of the day off. How does pizza and a movie sound?"

"You don't have to," Anakin mumbled. "I'm sure you're busy."

"I'm never too busy for you, dearest. You know that."

Anakin knew that Obi-wan would gladly drop everything for him the moment he asked, but he didn't like to think of Obi-wan's work suffering because of him. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm sure. Now come on, let's go."

He pulled Anakin to his feet. Anakin threw his arms around Obi-wan in a tight hug, crushing their bodies together.

"Thank you," he murmured in Obi-wan's ear. "For everything."

"It's my greatest pleasure, Ani."

Obi-wan drove them home, promising to pick up Anakin's car later. Anakin was grateful he didn't have college today and that Ahsoka was at school. He and Obi-wan were free to spend the rest of the day on the couch, watching whatever was on TV.

When they got home, Obi-wan bundled him into a blanket and deposited him on the couch. Anakin smiled as he listened to Obi-wan order his favorite pizza before coming to lie with him on the couch. Anakin snuggled into Obi-wan, soaking up the comfort of his embrace.

Anakin must have drifted off in Obi-wan's arms sometime during the movie, because the next thing he knew, he was being pulled into wakefulness by Obi-wan gently extracting himself from Anakin's arms.

Anakin whined in protest. Obi-wan chuckled and pressed a light kiss to his lips. "Ahsoka is nearly done with school, dearest."

Anakin groaned and tried to sit up, but Obi-wan stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "I'll fetch her. You just rest. You've had a trying day."

Anakin couldn't argue that much. He already felt sleep pulling at the edges of his mind. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, dearest."

Anakin drifted off again. He was vaguely aware of Obi-wan joining him on the couch again and eagerly snuggled closer to him. He woke maybe a few hours later when it was getting dark. Anakin leaped up, startling Obi-wan, who was still intertwined with him on the couch.

"You should have woken me! I should have gotten started with dinner an hour ago."

"I'm not letting you cook tonight, dearest. I've already ordered Chinese."

"I can cook," Anakin insisted. Cooking was one of the few things he actually contributed to this relationship. Anakin didn't want Obi-wan to have to sort out their meals too when he did so much already.

"Not tonight," Obi-wan repeated. "Just relax, Ani. Everything is taken care of."

Anakin supposed it was too late to argue. Obi-wan had already ordered, after all, and Anakin didn't want to waste Obi-wan's money. Obi-wan didn't seem to care about that, but Anakin did.

"Are you ok, Skyguy?" Ahsoka came out of her room, shooting him a worried look.

"I'm fine, Snips. I was just tired earlier."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. Anakin was sure that his eyes were still red from crying. She didn't buy his story for one minute, but she was gracious enough to pretend that she did.

He pulled her into a spontaneous hug. "You're the best sister ever. You know that, don't you?"

Ahsoka blushed and wrapped her arms around him in return. "Thanks, Skyguy. You're not so bad yourself."

Obi-wan joined them, wrapping his arms around both Anakin and Ahsoka. Anakin breathed deeply, inhaling Obi-wan's calming scent. He sometimes felt like the only time he could truly breathe was when he was in Obi-wan's arms.

When they broke apart, Ahsoka was smiling. "It's good you have him."

Anakin nodded. "I'm the luckiest man alive."

"Second luckiest," Obi-wan corrected him.

Anakin just shook his head, but he couldn't help grinning too.

The rest of the night passed easily and smoothly. They ate Chinese and chatted about Ahsoka's day. Obi-wan deflected any questions about his and Anakin's days, which Ahsoka allowed with a roll of her eyes. Anakin knew that she wished he would talk to her more, but the last thing he wanted was to stress her, and telling her about Maul would definitely do that.

It was all going well until later that night. Anakin was getting undressed and Obi-wan was brushing his teeth in the bathroom.

That's when Anakin saw it.

A flicker of movement through the window. He stumbled back and tripped over his pants, falling to the floor with a thud. Anakin scrambled further away from the window, his back hitting the bathroom door.

"Anakin? Sweetheart, what are you doing on the floor?" Obi-wan came out of the bathroom and crouched down in front of him. "Did you have another flashback?"

Anakin shook his head, pointing shakily toward the window. "I saw something."

Obi-wan's expression turned serious. He grabbed his phone from the table and quickly navigated to a contact. "Kit, it's Obi-wan. Anakin just saw something outside his window. Can you come and investigate, please?"

Anakin knew that Kit was one of the security guards Obi-wan had hired to patrol the premises.

Obi-wan knelt down in front of Anakin. "Kit is on it, dearest. If it is anyone intending you harm, Kit will remove them. No one will get to you, I promise."

Anakin nodded, taking a shaky breath. "I'm probably just being paranoid. I bet it was just a shadow from a passing car or something."

"If it was, then Kit will call when he has the all-clear."

"I'm sor-"

Obi-wan stopped Anakin with a finger to his lips. "Don't ever apologize for being afraid, dearest. You know that. This is exactly why I hired security – not just to keep you safe, but to help you feel safe. You deserve to live in your own home without worrying that you're going to be attacked."

Anakin wasn't sure about that, but Obi-wan certainly believed it. "I don't think I can sleep, knowing that he might be out there. He's probably out for revenge after what I did to him."

"If he is, Kit will find him. You don't need to worry, sweetheart. I won't let him near you. Come on, lie down."

"I can't sleep, not when I don't know –"

"I know. I'm just going to try to help you relax a little. Lie on your stomach for me."

Anakin did as Obi-wan asked. Obi-wan pulled off Anakin's shirt and started spreading some kind of oil over his back. Anakin moaned as Obi-wan started kneading the tense muscles. His heart was still pounding and his body wanted to stay tense, but Anakin couldn't resist the power of Obi-wan's fingers.

He slowly felt himself relaxing, blinking sleepily as he relished the feeling of Obi-wan's hands on him.

He didn't know how long Obi-wan continued the massage for. All he was aware of was being jolted back to reality by the sound of Obi-wan's phone ringing.

Obi-wan quickly wiped his hands off on his pants before answering. "Kit, talk to me. Uhuh. Yeah, ok. Thanks, Kit."

Obi-wan smiled as he hung up. "It was a lost cat. Kit has returned it to its owner, and he's back on his usual patrol."

Anakin let out a shaky sigh. "I'm so sorry. All this over a cat."

"Don't be sorry. You were right to be cautious. We need to keep you safe, and this is how we do that."

Anakin nodded as Obi-wan came over and continued massaging his back. "Just relax, dearest. I have everything under control."

Obi-wan kept talking, murmuring soothing things to Anakin and continuing to massage his back until he fell asleep.