It Once Rained on Coruscant

Wisps of chamomile floated up from the stained wood of the tea kettle, tickling Shaak Ti's nose with the scent of morning, and she closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

Overseeing the training of new cadets was a rewarding task, but a taxing one. And the long hours of tedium added up quickly.

Time off in the Temple was a welcome respite.

She poured herself a steaming cup of the amber liquid, and placed the kettle back on the stove, taking the cup with her into the living area and glancing at the chrono displaying the date on the wall as she took a sip.

The timing of her assigned vacation did not escape her, and she did not have to think long to deduce who was responsible for arranging it. Understated consideration was a trademark of his.

She smiled against the rim of her cup.

The door chimed.

She placed her tea on the table by the sofa, and crossed the room to the threshold, laying her palm on the panel in the frame.

The door slid open, and Obi-Wan stood in the hall, his golden locks glowing like fire in the morning sun filtering through the arched windows behind him.

Their eyes met, and his chest rose underneath the earthy robes draped over his shoulders, his whiskered cheeks pulling back in a grin. "Good morning, Master Ti. How are you?"

The gentle twinge his smile brought with it tickled her belly, and her lip tugged of its own volition. "I am well, Master Kenobi. How are you?"

"I'm quite well. Though, a little hungry."

She lifted a brow in a subtle imitation of the man before her. "Oh?"

His smile widened. "Indeed. Quite famished, in fact. And considering the occasion, I wondered if you might be interested in joining me for breakfast in the park."

He never gave up, did he? She breathed out a good-natured sigh. "The Order does not celebrate birthdays, Master Kenobi."

He looked surprised. "Is it your birthday? I wasn't aware."

Insufferable man... "Then forgive me, Obi-Wan, but to what occasion are you referring?"

If possible, his smile widened further. "Why, this glorious morning, of course."

The twinge rose in her chest, and she bit her cheek to keep from smiling. It would only encourage him.

He stretched an arm toward her. "Will you join me?"

Chamomile wafted from inside the living room, calling to her with thoughts of a relaxing day in.

Eyes a shade of blue that rivaled the sky behind him awaited her in the hallway.

I'm going to regret this. She stepped through the door, accepting his arm. "Lead the way, Master Kenobi."

He beamed at her, and she could only shake her head as they left her apartment behind.

The tea could always be reheated later.

OOO

After an hour of flying over countless spires, and Obi-Wan assuring her the park he was taking her to was indeed on Coruscant, they came to a nature reserve many miles from the hustle of the city.

The coo of the engine mellowed as he lowered the speeder toward a clearing, waves running across the tall, red-and-white grass like the ripples of an ocean as they touched down in the field.

"Should we not park in the designated area?" Shaak said as he powered down the speeder.

He checked the small chrono on his wrist for the tenth time since leaving her apartment, and his eyes twinkled. "It's been taken care of."

He grabbed the picnic basket from the back seat, and hopped out, wading through the waist-high grass with his shoulders back, and head high.

Her belly twinged. That man is planning something... She shook her head even as she fought a smile, dismounting the speeder and landing with a light thump, her feet sinking into the rich soil.

A dense, earthy aroma wafted up, filling her lungs with memories of home, and she paused, looking down at her feet.

Shilian soil.

Her lips parted, and she looked up at Obi-Wan's retreating form, taking in her surroundings with new realization. The soil, the trees, the grass... Every bit of life sprouting up from the ground was from Shili.

What are you up to, Obi-Wan? She narrowed her eyes at his back, ignoring the twinge in her belly, and she followed behind him, her palms grazing across the velvety tops of the Turu grass swaying at her waist.

He led her to the shade of a Raku tree, its winding branches stretching out like a living canopy, and he placed the basket down before taking his boots and socks off, setting them aside and sitting against the smooth surface of the tree, looking up at her with a strangely unreadable expression.

"Will you join me?" he said.

She peered at him and bit the inside of her cheek, but slid her sandals off, her toes sinking into the earth as she lowered herself down next to him.

He lit up in a smile, and glanced at his chrono before turning his gaze upward. "It should be starting about now."

She was about to ask what exactly should be starting now, when a rumble echoed down from the sky, wisps of light-grey that weren't there a few moments ago weaving together like a tapestry above them, glowing in purple and gold pastels with the morning sun.

Her heart fluttered, and her eyes widened. He didn't...

Drops of rain began splashing down, pattering against Raku leaves and Turu grass, and soaking into the Shilian soil.

The scents of Shili wrapped around her, filling her with whispers of a home she missed so dearly, and her eyes drifted closed as cool drops filtered through the shimmering Raku leaves, running down her face with tickling kisses as she tilted her head back, no longer fighting the smile that spread across her face.

Home had not been this close in a long time.

"Happy birthday, Shaak." Obi-Wan's soft voice washed over her.

Warmth blossomed from the gentle twinge in her belly, spreading through her like a wave from the ends of her montrals, to the tips of her toes, and she opened her eyes, turning to him.

He looked back at her with the softest smile she had seen on him.

The warmth gathered in her heart, and she leaned forward, gently pressing her lips to his whiskered cheek. "Thank you, Obi-Wan," she whispered.

His chest swelled under his robes, and he beamed. "The thanks belongs to the Coruscant WeatherNet, but if I get a kiss out of it, I'll happily steal the credit."

She exhaled a breath of laughter, showing freely in her eyes the affection she felt for him. She came to accept long ago that he would never give up this game he played with her, teasing the bounds of the Code with stolen glances and secret smiles.

And maybe, deep down, she didn't want him to.

But maybe here, in this moment, under the cover of a Raku tree, listening to the patter of the rain and feeling the damp soil between her toes, they didn't have to be Jedi masters teasing each other with hints of something they could never have.

Maybe here, in this place, they could just be Shaak and Obi-Wan.

She reached for his hand, her fingers interlacing with his, and she closed her eyes as his thumb brushed gentle circles across her skin, a light smile resting on her face as she simply enjoyed a quiet moment with the man she had come to care so much for.

"Perhaps, this could be a new tradition," he murmured. "Something we do every year."

Her head came to rest on his shoulder, his scent mixing with that of home as she breathed deeply. "A new tradition for the Order, Obi-Wan? Or for us?"

His lips brushed her temple. "For us, Shaak. Just for us."

She smiled. "I'd like that, Obi-Wan."

"I'd like that very much."

THE END

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