"M-Master?" Anakin's voice broke with emotion and he gulped, blinking incredulously as a shiver of thrill passed through him with the realization of what Obi-Wan was asking of him. "I...I can't believe you...you want..." With a tremulous smile, he bit his lip, closing his eyes briefly to center himself. "I...I don't want to hurt you," he whispered, a worried frown tugging at the corners of his mouth as he cautiously dragged their hands over their mutual arousal.

"You won't," Obi-Wan insisted quietly with a slow shake of his head, stretching up to bring his lips to Anakin's. "I do want this, and I trust you, Anakin," he murmured against the other man's parted lips, groaning softly when Anakin's cock twitched and rubbed against his in tandem to their increasingly rapid strokes. "I trust you with my life and with my heart, how could I not trust you with my body? Please, let me share this with you."

Anakin moaned against the other man's mouth, licking, biting, then pulled away with a reluctant whine. "Master...no," he panted, shaking his head. "I...I want to, stang, I want to so much, but," he tried to catch his breath, continuing to shake his head. "I don't want to hurt you, and you wouldn't tell me if I did, I know you, Obi-Wan. You'd eat your own lightsaber first, and you know it." Frowning, he gently slid his hand out from between them, stroking his fingertips over Obi-Wan's chin. "Please...please understand...I can't...I won't hurt you, please don't ask that of me. I can...I can wait," he offered unconvincingly, trying to sound decisive but quickly losing the tone in the distressed whimper he couldn't quite swallow down. "We sh-should wait."

Obi-Wan kissed Anakin's fingertips, a whisper of a smirk gracing his lips. "Well, yes, that is good to know, and I am relieved to hear that you do not willingly wish to harm me. Except..." He smiled devilishly, deliberately tightening his grip on Anakin's length, giving it a long, slow pull. "That in this case, I do think your chivalrous offer is rather premature. And wholly unnecessary, to be honest."

"Obi-Wan," Anakin growled; Obi-Wan's placating words and very persuasive hand weren't helping his resolve in the least. Groaning, he hung his head in despair, hopelessly caught between two equally compelling desires. "Come on, I told you, I...can't...we have to—"

"Wait? Oh, I don't think so." Obi-Wan shot him a mocking look of dismay, casually twirling a stray ringlet around his forefinger. "Anakin, Anakin," he chided, clicking his tongue before sucking his lip between his teeth with a provocative hiss. "We are two Jedi. Surely we can figure out some way to make this happen?"

Nosing Anakin's chin up, he left a string of entreating, increasingly persuasive kisses up his jawline, nuzzling in the earthy scent behind one ear. "Unless, of course, you would prefer allowing the Separatists—and their annoying little devices—to dictate when...and how...we...?" Obi-Wan let the suggestion hang in the air as he took Anakin's hand and slid it deep into his Master's leggings, over the skin of his hip down to the small of his back.

Anakin's cock throbbed, hard and aching, and he thrust upward into Obi-Wan's tight fist, squeezing his eyes shut with a shuddering breath. "No...no..." he rambled incoherently, his tactical mind grasping futilely for some kind of solution, some way to appease his ingrained Padawan's instinct to protect and obey his Master. Brazenly palming his hand lower over the curve of Obi-Wan's ass, he let out a low, needy whine. "I...I don't know...Master...please...I don't know..."

"Innovate, Anakin," Obi-Wan growled low and sultry in his ear, pushing back against Anakin's wandering hand with an answering rumble of approval. Gesturing over his shoulder with a suggestive tilt of his head, he smiled invitingly. "Get behind me."

Anakin's eyes flew open and he nodded as a slow, salacious grin formed on his lips, eagerly capturing Obi-Wan's tempting mouth in a thankful, hungry kiss before withdrawing from their tangled embrace. Swinging a leg over and behind his Master, he pushed himself up on one elbow, waiting until Obi-Wan had rolled to the outside edge of the bunk before carefully settling down behind him. Anakin spooned himself snugly around the other man, snuffling into the nape of his neck with a low growl of untempered desire. "W-want you, Master," Anakin mumbled into his ear, drawing Obi-Wan closer to him, the deliberate and persistent grind of his hips managing to work the other man's leggings down perilously low. "Want you now, so much. But...you...you have to tell me if...promise me..."

"I want...you...too," Obi-Wan gasped, feeling the twitch of Anakin's cock, hard, smooth, and insistent, over the increasingly exposed skin along his backside. He craned his neck around and gazed yearningly at Anakin. "It will be alright," he promised in a placating whisper, giving Anakin's arm a reassuring squeeze. "I trust you, Anakin. Please, trust me?"

"And they say I'm the reckless one," Anakin chuckled lightly. "I do trust you, I just..." Hugging him closer, he buried his face in the fragrant warmth of Obi-Wan's neck. He cautiously slid his hand up the length of Obi-Wan's thigh, concentrating on the dappled skin and bruised welts just beyond his fingertips. "I've wanted this...you...for so long. I...I want it to be good for you, I don't want you to regret it, and, and...you might...if it's not," he confessed with a shrug, pressing a kiss to the juncture of Obi-Wan's neck and shoulder.

Obi-Wan couldn't help the bark of laughter that burst out of him. "Anakin, honestly, the only thing I'm going to regret is the considerable amount of time it is taking to allay that very stubborn protective streak of yours." Angling his arm back, he tenderly grasped at the only cluster of curls his fingers could find. "And at the risk of stroking your already inflated ego yet again, you needn't worry, it will be good because it's with you, of that I am certain," Obi-Wan assured him softly, coaxing Anakin into another heated, possessive kiss.

Anakin reciprocated with a wicked swirl of his tongue around Obi-Wan's, grinning against his lips at the other man's appreciative groan. "I wasn't worried about me, Master," he smirked smugly, dragging a single finger up the backside of Obi-Wan's thigh and over his ass with a faint, teasing scratch of the nail.

Obi-Wan sucked in a sharp breath, skin prickling, and shivered against Anakin. "Really. Well." He cast a sly, playful glance over his shoulder at Anakin, lips twitching and twisting into an answering smirk of his own. "In that case, I would have you know that while my...performance...may be slightly, er, diminished this time around," he confided in a voice thickened with a lilting sensuality, "it does not lessen in any measure how much I want you, Anakin Skywalker. Right now." Obi-Wan flung his hand back between them to press Anakin's cock firmly against his ass, grunting as he circled his hips to increase the deliciously tormenting friction once more. Desperate and painfully aroused by the feel of Anakin so, so close and yet not nearly close enough, he began to fumble and pull at the sagging waistband of his leggings, swearing when the worn material ripped open along the seam. "Okay, I may regret that. Blast."

"O-Obi-Wan," Anakin moaned loudly against his Master's shoulder, surrendering to the rapturous sensation of the underside of his cock ruthlessly rubbing and dragging along the cleft of Obi-Wan's ass. Overwhelmed, he groaned and clamped his hand over the sensitized head, panting as he single-handedly pawed at the other man's clothing. "It's okay, just...off, off, these need to be off," Anakin hissed, impatiently tugging at the other leg until they tore all the way down to the knee. "Sorry, sorry, you needed new ones anyway," he reasoned hastily, planting greedy wet kisses along the back of Obi-Wan's neck as he shoved the irreparably damaged fabric down as far as he could reach.

"I certainly do now," Obi-Wan snorted, kicking them the rest of the way off. "That's coming out of your stipend, you realize. I will not be h-held accountable for y-your uncivilized behavior," he stuttered, moaning softly as Anakin's hand slipped down over his hip, folding around his aching, neglected erection.

"So worth it," Anakin moaned in return, arching against Obi-Wan's now blissfully naked backside as he glided his hand down his Master's shaft, drifting lower to expertly cup and massage his balls. "I'll give you my entire stipend if it means I can do it again." Raising his head, Anakin mouthed along Obi-Wan's shoulder while his eyes roved around the room, frantically searching the small quarters. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," he muttered impatiently, "there's gotta be something...kriff."

The Force rippled as Obi-Wan's hand shot out and Anakin heard a light slap against his palm. "Here, here, use this," Obi-Wan ordered hoarsely, urgently shoving a small tube of something into his hand. He tossed a smirk over his shoulder, goading Anakin with a mocking lift of his ever-arching brow. "I do trust you know what to do with it?"

Anakin glanced briefly at the tube, sighing with obvious relief. "I might," he agreed with an insolent grin, trailing his fingertips up the length of Obi-Wan's cleft suggestively in response. Pulling the cap off with his teeth, he spit it aside. "But I should warn you, Master, it's pretty...uncivilized."

Obi-Wan's breath caught in his chest and let out a constricted whimper as Anakin lingered teasingly near his entrance. "I would certainly hope so," he ground out, taking a deep, shuddering breath before turning back, fixing his impassioned gaze upon the younger man. "I want you, Anakin" Obi-Wan growled in a whisper laced with needy desperation, reaching back to seize Anakin's tenacious hand. "But...I can't...I won't last much longer..."

With a shake of his head, Anakin swooped down, ardently biting and sucking messily at Obi-Wan's lips. "Neither will I, neither will I..." he mumbled between kisses, "I want you so much." Not bothering to remove his leggings, Anakin yanked them open fully, hitching them down just far enough to fully release his cock, moaning as he ran a hand over its length. "Force, it's so much better when you do it, you know that?"

"You would be wise not to underestimate me, I am a man of many hidden talents," Obi-Wan chuckled, slipping his hand inside Anakin's leggings, petting over the smooth skin of his backside and kneading his fingers into the rounded flesh. "Hmm, and wouldn't you like to know what else," he intimated with a playful pinch to the younger man's ass.

"Nnnugggh." Anakin clenched his ass reflexively against the pinch and growled his passion-hungry approval, an arousing thrill of wonder shooting through him as he momentarily imagined the what, when, and where of what Obi-Wan was insinuating. "Yes, and I will. I promise you that."

Wetting his fingers, Anakin tentatively slid them down Obi-Wan's cleft, circling the tips of two fingers over his entrance with a light, constant pressure. "Is this okay?" he whispered anxiously into his ear, petting his other arm down the length of his Master's until he could thread their fingers together. "Remember, you promised you'd tell me."

Obi-Wan bit his lip and nodded, tightening his fingers with Anakin's as he writhed back into the sensuous, intimate touch. "I will. Just...just go slowly. I trust you, Anakin."

Sliding just the tip of one slick finger into Obi-Wan, Anakin left hot wet kisses along his neck from his shoulder to his ear, sucking at the lobe as he waited, rubbing and pressing gently as Obi-Wan relaxed, slipping in further as the other man opened to him. "Still okay?" he asked again, cautiously twisting his wrist to begin a leisurely glide in and out of him.

Surprised by Anakin's restraint and tenderness, by the way it should have felt intrusive yet felt anything but, Obi-Wan pushed back against his finger, gasping softly. "Yes, yes," he breathed, biting his lip and arching his head back against Anakin's shoulder.

Withdrawing gently, Anakin re-wet his fingers, kissing and burrowing his lips into the soft whiskers just below Obi-Wan's ear. "More?" he asked softly, teasing his entrance again with fleeting brushes and fluttering strokes.

Obi-Wan reached back, pressing Anakin's fingers firmly against him. "More," he agreed with a low growl, closing his eyes as Anakin gradually worked two fingers into him, quietly moaning and rocking against them as Anakin slipped them in and out, curling his fingertips just so.

Anakin continued to slide and rub his long fingers inside Obi-Wan, listening to every gasp, every hitch of his Master's breath, terrified of hurting him and yet determined to bring him as much pleasure and love as he could. Resting his forehead between Obi-Wan's shoulder blades, he grinned broadly when the other man let out a fierce whispered plea to some Outer Rim deity Anakin could barely recall and was pretty sure his Master didn't normally call upon for deliverance. "Good?"

"Yes. By all the Corellian hells, yes," Obi-Wan rasped, stiffening against him with a soft cry when Anakin crooked his fingers and pressed. "Anakin," he moaned helplessly, fighting the overwhelming desire to topple over into sated oblivion just from those skilled and relentless fingers. He didn't want that, not this time, and he knew Anakin didn't either. Twisting his arm, Obi-Wan wrapped his fingers around Anakin's cock, stroking awkwardly from the angle. "C-certainly you can think of something that would be even better...for us both...can't you?"

"Y-yes, but stang, you need to s-stop that," Anakin stuttered and clamped his hand around Obi-Wan's, nevertheless pushing up into his inverted fist. Licking and nuzzling behind his Master's ear, Anakin gently pried away the other man's fingers, rubbing circles over the roughened ridge of Obi-Wan's knuckles with his thumb. "Are you sure you're ready?" he whispered with genuine concern, brushing Obi-Wan's hair out of his eyes as he withdrew his fingers.

Nodding, Obi-Wan licked his lips and inhaled sharply, eyes fluttering as Anakin's fingers regrettably retreated. "Please, I don't want to wait any longer," he entreated softly, guiding Anakin toward his entrance. "I need you."

Hand trembling as he dug around in the blanket, Anakin heaved a nervous sigh when his fingers closed around the tube. Taking his cock in hand and slicking it generously with the lubricant, he rubbed the head against Obi-Wan's entrance, swallowing hard. "Oh, Force...Obi-Wan..." he choked, closing his eyes, nearly undone right then by the realization of what was about to happen.

"Now, Anakin," Obi-Wan encouraged him, clawing at Anakin's hip to urge him closer. He dug his nails into the other man's thigh, panting as the tip of Anakin's cock pushed inward, trying in vain to suppress the wanton moan that resonated from somewhere deep within him. "Yes."

Shaking and determined not to hurt his Master, Anakin cautiously slid the head of his cock in, biting his lip in concentration as he pushed slowly, Obi-Wan's body gradually accepting his length deeper with each gentle press of his hips. "Master," he groaned against the other man's shoulder, resting his hand lightly just above his damaged hip.

With slow shallow thrusts and soft encouraging moans, they continued to rock against each other until Anakin slid completely into Obi-Wan unhindered, their bodies pressed flush and solid against the other. "Kriffing hells, Obi-Wan," Anakin cursed vehemently, shuddering at the exquisite tightness and heat enveloping his cock. "Feels so good, Master, you feel so good," he murmured fervently into his ear, impatient to move but determined to wait until he was sure Obi-Wan was ready.

"L-language, Ana—" Obi-Wan started to correct, breaking off into a drawn-out moan as Anakin filled him completely. "Kriffing hells, indeed," he hissed in wholehearted agreement, blithely disregarding his own reprimand. Obi-Wan felt the rampant thrum of Anakin's desire resonating between them, reflecting his own fiery, consuming need for more. "You can move, Anakin," he whispered, fierce and urgent, over his shoulder, mouthing along Anakin's jaw as he circled his hips invitingly. "I'm not going to break, you don't have to be so careful."

"I know, it's...it's not that." Anakin's eyes closed and he bit his lip, whimpering softly as his hips made a gentle answering thrust against his Master's. Fully joined with Obi-Wan, Anakin was unprepared for the onslaught of intense emotion and encompassing desire one simple act could unleash within him. They were closer now than they had ever been, but this went beyond their newly-acknowledged attachment and intimacy. Being inside Obi-Wan was trust, it was solace, it was love, and it was blessedly quiet. They had precious little quiet in their lives; it was what Anakin craved the most right now and what he wanted to cherish now that he had it, here in this place with Obi-Wan.

Anakin carefully slipped his arms under and around Obi-Wan, holding him firm against his chest. Resting his chin on Obi-Wan's shoulder, he looked devotedly down at his Master. "Next time, when maybe we're both not so beaten up, I promise, we can be more...creative. You can even have me, if you want," he offered in a near-whisper, grinning as he waggled his eyebrows.

Turning on his chin, Anakin blew a soft puff of air to scatter away a few strands of hair on Obi-Wan's temple. "But this time, I...I want it like this, the way we are now, all soft and slow, calm...quiet. I need it like this, Master." He let his cock slip out just a little before pushing back in with a pleasured sigh. "Please, let me be with you this way."

"Yes, Anakin," Obi-Wan cried out softly, gazing deeply into his partner's eyes as he slid into him fully once more. Anakin's eyes were like a portal into the Force, churning with all of its power and yet tempered by a fierce devotion that still awed and humbled Obi-Wan. Soft and slow, calm...quiet... Obi-Wan nodded his understanding, taking Anakin's hand into his. Everything in their world, even a good share of the relationship he cherished with Anakin, was chaotic, disruptive, combative, loud. He brought Anakin's hand to his mouth, leaving soft, soothing kisses on each scabbed and bruised knuckle. "Soft and slow, hmm?" he smiled gratefully, pulling Anakin's arm around him tightly. "I think I like the sound of that."

Anakin released a shuddering breath and kissed along the nape of Obi-Wan's neck, moaning quietly as he slowly began retracting and pumping his hips, each thrust longer and deeper than the last. He pressed and circled his hand, warm and open, against the flat of his Master's stomach, maintaining a gentle, penetrating rhythm between them as his mouth hungrily roved over the other man's neck and along his jaw. "Master," he whimpered softly, lowering his hand to close around Obi-Wan's softened erection, stroking his hand in a slow tempo that matched his thrusts.

Obi-Wan was overwhelmed by the multitude of pleasurable sensations assaulting him all at once, and unaccustomed to allowing himself to feel any of them, he allowed himself to feel all of them. It was dizzying, breathtaking, absolutely electrifying, and when Anakin took his cock back into his hand, it threw him dangerously close to tumbling over that glorious precipice once again. Gasping, he felt his cock harden again almost instantly, lapsing into an indecisive pattern of forward lunges and backward thrusts. "A-Anakin," he choked helplessly, "I'm not...I can't...not long..." he broke off, head lolling and moaning shamelessly at a particularly spectacular twist and slide up his shaft.

Anakin rubbed through the considerable wetness coating the tip of Obi-Wan's cock, spreading it down its length with a wicked glide of his thumb. "I know, it's okay, it's okay," he whispered, brushing his lips hot and eager against his ear, "I want you to." Anakin knew he wasn't far behind; he felt the stirring pull deep in his groin, felt how his buried cock jumped and stiffened from just knowing, feeling, that Obi-Wan was already there. With a soft grunt, he thrust slow, hard, and deep into Obi-Wan as he slid his slickened hand over the head of the other man's cock and down the shaft once more. "Come for me, Obi-Wan," he urged softly, "Please."

Dropping his chin to his chest, Obi-Wan finally surrendered himself to Anakin's whispered pleas, to his hand so warm and relentless and right on his cock, to the sense of utter satisfaction and wholeness their joining brought deep to his soul. Letting all of the emotion and sensation surround and flow through him, he surrendered to it all, blissfully falling into the brilliant abyss of pleasure and completion as he came against Anakin's hand with a profound shudder, calling out his name in a breathy, rapturous sigh.

Anakin tried desperately to still himself, wanting to give Obi-Wan time catch his breath, to make sure he was alright. Leaving soft kisses along his cheek, he made a memory of this moment, of the way Obi-Wan had said his name as he came, of the pleased, sated expression on his face now. As his Master's still-dazed eyes blinked open, peeking out from beneath his hopelessly tousled hair and he mouthed the words 'thank you,' against Anakin's lips, Anakin wondered if there would ever be a more perfect moment, or if he could ever possibly want Obi-Wan Kenobi more than he did right now.

"Obi-Wan, I...I can't..." he whined softly, biting his lip as he pressed his forehead between the other man's shoulders. Shaking, restraining himself from thrusting like he so achingly wanted to, he let out a guttural, agonized moan as he watched his cock slip incrementally in and out of Obi-Wan. "C-can I, please? W-want you, so much, p-please, can I?"

Through the haze of his receding climax, Obi-Wan felt the way Anakin trembled and strained against him, breath hot and frantic as he begged for a permission he need not ask for, and Obi-Wan wanted nothing more than to bring Anakin the same pleasure, the same completeness that Anakin had just brought to him. "Yes, yes, Anakin," he consented, bringing the younger man's trembling hand to the back of his hip and curling his fingers into his skin possessively. "Please, now."

Whimpering with relief, Anakin gripped almost bruisingly at Obi-Wan's backside, pushing deep into the other man and circling his hips slowly before pulling nearly all the way out. He buried his face in Obi-Wan's neck once more as he began a languid cadence of long, deep, arching thrusts, filling Obi-Wan over and over, each one infused with all of his need and love and desire for the only man he would ever, ever share himself with. "Want you...Master...need you, so much..." he mumbled as rocked against Obi-Wan, lips rough and wet and devouring as they roamed over slick, salty skin and sweat-dampened hair.

"You have me, Anakin, you'll always have me," Obi-Wan promised fervently, mouthing hasty, assuring kisses along the curve of bicep wrapped around him. "You don't have to hold back, please, I want this, too," he urged in a rough whisper of a moan, overtaken by the ferocious, almost primal need radiating outward from Anakin with every word, every touch, every possessive, claiming, owning thrust.

Anakin cried out, undone by his Master's pledge of fidelity to him, knowing that he wasn't alone, that he wouldn't ever be alone, that he would always have Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan would have him. Anakin clutched the other man to his chest, chanting his name in a mindless reverent incantation, and thrust once, twice, three times, until he came with a soft cry deep within Obi-Wan, shaking and murmuring nonsense words of gratitude and love into his hair with nuzzled kisses and gentle touches.

Exhilarated and exhausted, Obi-Wan smiled tiredly, stroking a hand up and down Anakin's forearm as he reveled in the soul-warming strength of Anakin's loving embrace. He closed his eyes, trying to keep himself in the moment, of being here, now, like this with Anakin, shutting out the noise of the war and the call of duty so that all he could hear was the din of the transport's hyperdrive, the murmur of Anakin's voice at his back, and the hum of the Force radiating peacefully through them. Sighing, he turned his head, mouthing lazy kisses along whatever expanse of skin he encountered.

"Mmm." Hugging Obi-Wan close one more time, Anakin drew him into another long, languorous kiss, eventually pulling out of him with a contented sigh. "Miss you already," he whispered hoarsely, skimming his hand over the curve of Obi-Wan's ass.

"Insatiable," Obi-Wan chuckled softly, trying to stifle a yawn. "Some of us, however, do require some sort of restful interlude after such an exertion." He twisted around and brushed his thumb along Anakin's cheek affectionately. "Will you stay?" he asked with a hopeful, self-conscious smile. "I...I would like it if you did."

Smiling, Anakin nodded and closed his eyes briefly, leaning into the caress. "I wasn't planning on going anywhere," he replied, rolling more on to his back. "Come here?" he beckoned with outstretched arms, "I...I want to keep holding you, is that okay?"

Curling into his invitingly warm embrace, Obi-Wan settled himself comfortably against Anakin's chest, fighting off another yawn. With a languid, pleased smile, he watched his fingertips tap lightly along a bit of collarbone and let his eyes fall shut, shivering as the room's environmental controls cycled on with a resonating rumble. Opening one eye, Obi-Wan gazed around the room and idly flicked a finger, tripping the controls. "Blasted thing," he grumbled, shifting closer to Anakin. "Remind me to speak to Cody about running a diagnostic on the frequency intervals of the ship's systems."

Anakin couldn't help but laugh. "There's nothing wrong with the frequency, Master. I calibrated it myself before we deployed." He leaned forward with a smirk, roaming his hands down Obi-Wan's back and over his ass. "You're just really naked," he said in a stage whisper, grinning as the other man mumbled a despairing groan against his skin. "And don't think I missed what you did there—that's twice now." Anakin clicked his tongue with a teasing disapproval. "Do I need to report you for flagrant and repeated misuse of the Force, Master Kenobi?"

"Oh, absolutely," Obi-Wan snorted, burrowing further into Anakin's warmth, "right after you report yourself for the extra blankets you're about to get for us." He deliberately ignored Anakin's lamentably forthright observation regarding his lack of apparel. Anakin at least still had his leggings mostly on; his own, Obi-Wan frowned to himself, were laying in tatters somewhere, completely useless, and space was kriffing cold. Taking Anakin's loitering hand off his backside, he gestured out toward the cabinets, giving Anakin's hand a patronizing pat. "Now, do be a good Padawan and do as I say."

Anakin laughed again, squeezing Obi-Wan's hand as he pressed a quick kiss to his forehead. "Yes, Master." Stilling himself in concentration, he let his eyes fall into tiny slits as he mentally searched the room, finally deciding on the bottom drawer near the sink. With a nudge of the Force he opened the drawer, grinning in victory as he called two blankets over with a lift of his hand.

As he arranged the blankets over them, Anakin gazed downward, watching Obi-Wan's head rise and fall on his chest with each intake of breath, and felt his heart constrict painfully in his chest. He loved this man so much, so much that it hurt sometimes, and yet Anakin could not imagine how he could possibly love him any less. "Obi-Wan?" he croaked out softly, drawing lazy patterns across his Master's shoulder and between the blades.

Lulled by Anakin's warmth and the calming beat of his heart beneath him, Obi-Wan smiled contentedly at the touch. "Hmm?" he mumbled sleepily, glancing up at Anakin through a mess of bangs.

Anakin pushed back the hair with an adoring smile, skating a fingertip around and around an old comet-shaped scar on Obi-Wan's shoulder he'd always been oddly fond of. He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and shook his head. "Nothing," he whispered with a fleeting smile, "it's nothing. You should sleep. You need it."

"Anakin." Alert now, Obi-Wan opened his eyes fully and rested his chin on Anakin's chest, looking at him with a curious expression. Nothing always meant something where Anakin was concerned, and the vulnerability he so easily read on the younger man's face told him this was important. "I will sleep after you tell me. What is it?"

Anakin swallowed again, turning away for a moment. When he looked back, his eyes shone with unshed tears, and he stroked his fingers lovingly along his Master's jaw, cupping his chin in his hand. "I just..." he shuddered, then hiccuped a laugh, smiling down at Obi-Wan. "I just really love you. That's all."

Heart pounding in his chest from the humbling sincerity of Anakin's declaration, Obi-Wan's gaze softened and he smiled back tremulously. "I..." I love you, too, he wanted to say, Force knewhe wanted to, but the words would not come, stuck rough and dry in his throat like he's swallowed the entirety of Tatooine's Dune Sea, and he just...couldn't. Obi-Wan ran his fingertips over Anakin's lips, nodding, trying to convey with the solemnity of his touch what he was unable to acknowledge with his words. "I...know, Anakin," he said finally, tucking himself under Anakin's chin and brushing a gentle, lingering kiss to the hollow of his throat. "I know."

Anakin blinked away the tears, smiling as he wrapped himself around Obi-Wan's body, sighing his relief and contentment. He hadn't expected Obi-Wan to return the sentiment; he wasn't sure his Master ever would, but Anakin understood now, without hesitation, that Obi-Wan did love him, even if he couldn't allow himself to express it that way. It was who Obi-Wan was, and Anakin loved him for it, regardless.