*/*/*/*
The weeks that followed were unlike any Anakin had ever experienced in the Jedi Temple. He was no longer the outcast, the anomaly. He was Master Windu's Padawan, and with that title came a newfound respect and attention he hadn't been prepared for. Jedi of various ranks sought to train with him, to share in the wisdom he was surely privy to under Mace's guidance. His days were filled with companionship, recognition, and admiration, all things that had been foreign to him before.
Anakin's behavior improved drastically and life settled down into a calm routine. After apologizing to Elek Synn for cutting off her padawan braid they had since become friends. At the suggestion of Master Shaak Ti Anakin volunteered to work with the younglings during his free time. He actually enjoyed sharing lessons with the children since he had missed this stage of being a youngling in the temple. The children adored him too, especially little Grogu who was deceptively advanced for a baby and had a mischievous personality to match Anakins. Grogu and the other younglings delighted in playing pranks on Anakin.
Combat training with Obi-Wan was even more tolerable than before. Anakin didn't become angry or frustrated when his Master bested him or lectured him for trying some risky move. But as much as Anakin reveled in his newfound status, it also unnerved him.
Slowly but surely the anxiety and impulses of his prior self crept back into his psyche. He was not used to the extra attention and the expectations that came with being Mace Windu's Padawan. His mind began to spiral into a whirlwind of doubt and paranoia. Who among his newfound "friends" sought his companionship for his own merit, and who were merely drawn to his proximity to Master Windu?
His anxiety manifested in unexpected ways. He found himself becoming defensive, aloof, his temper flaring at the slightest provocation. There were still those who weren't afraid to goad Anakin with a snide remark to test his newfound tranquility. Anakin lashed out at whoever dared to question him or suggest he was only receiving special treatment because of his new Master.
The final straw came when he confronted a fellow Padawan, accusing them of trying to use him to get closer to Master Windu. The argument escalated quickly, drawing the attention of the entire Jedi Temple. The peace and tranquility that usually filled the grand halls were shattered by Anakin's outburst, his words echoing loudly in the shocked silence that followed.
Anakin was summoned to Mace Windu's private quarters again, a cold dread seeping into his soul. He knew he'd crossed a line. He had allowed his fears and insecurities to dictate his actions. But it wasn't all his fault. He had been set up to fail.
The door to Master Windu's office slid open with a soft hiss. Anakin's anger crashed into Mace like a tidal wave, his young face a mask of raw emotion. His fists clenched and unclenched with the rhythm of his stormy thoughts, a silent symphony of fury and fear. The soft hum of the Jedi Temple seemed to fade into the background, and all that was left was the thundering silence between the Master and Padawan.
Mace looked up from his desk, his expression calm and unyielding. "Skywalker," he began, his deep voice steady, "do you understand why you are here?"
Anakin's chest heaved as he fought to control his breathing. His gaze was sharp, the usual warmth replaced with raw, burning anger. "Yes, Master," he spat, his voice cold with barely contained fury, "I understand perfectly well."
Mace merely tilted his head, his eyes narrowing slightly the only indication of his reaction to Anakin's outburst. "You've let your emotions overrule your judgment Anakin. Again. This is not the way of the Jedi."
"What is the Jedi way? I didn't ask for any of this!" Anakin exploded, his voice echoing in the high-ceilinged chamber. His heart felt like it was being squeezed, the pressure in his chest unbearable. "This is all your fault!"
Mace met Anakin's fiery gaze with a calm, steady one. "My fault?" He asked his tone remarkably composed.
"Yes, you!" Anakin shot back, each word punctuated with a wave of palpable frustration. "You put me in the spotlight! You made me your Padawan, and now everyone's watching, waiting for me to fall!"
Anakin's accusation hung heavy in the air as if the room itself was holding its breath. Mace's eyes were still locked onto Anakin's, the silence between them heavy and charged.
"Anakin," Mace began, his voice soft yet still holding a steel edge. "Neither of us chose this. The Council made this decision guided by the Force."
Anakin's anger flared, confusion seeping into the edges of his heated gaze. Mace continued, "We are where the Force has led us. The Council asked me to supervise your training not for any personal gain to myself or to place you under a spotlight. We sensed you teetering on the edge of darkness and wanted to pull you back. However, I agreed to take up the responsibility of your training because I saw potential in you, potential that you need to recognize within yourself."
Rising from his seat, Mace made his way slowly to the shelf at the corner of his office. From there, he retrieved the Staff of Redemption, its polished surface gleaming under the gentle lighting. "I sense your anxiety, Anakin. Your fear," Mace said. "You still haven't learned to let them go. Perhaps another lesson with the Staff of Redemption is in order, hmm?"
Anakin bristled at being spoken to like a disobedient child, and yet his gaze was drawn to the staff in Mace's hand. Was that...longing gleaming in the young man's eyes?
Mace moved over to his ottoman, arranging the scene with a practiced hand. The Staff of Redemption and the soothing oil were prepared. Satisfied with his setup, he gave the order. "Come here Padawan."
Anakin's breath hitched, his eyes widening just a fraction. It wasn't longing that darkened his gaze this time, but something akin to anticipation. The Staff of Redemption... it was a symbol of discipline to Mace but to Anakin, it was the instrument that led to peace and serenity. It was a path he had walked before, under Mace's careful attention. A path that had brought him a sense of balance.
Mace waited patiently for Anakin next to the ottoman and when the young man complied, ordered him to assume the position. Anakin rushed to comply, a whirlwind of emotion wrapped in a veneer of obedience. His hands hastily swept aside the layers of his robes, baring himself to his master. Mace couldn't help but chuckle, a warm sound that seemed to echo in the otherwise silent room. Despite everything, Anakin's peculiarities remained unchanged. Still no underclothes. It was a simple thing, but to Mace, it was a sign that Anakin, for all his complexities, was still the same rebellious boy he had met so many years ago.
Mace retrieved the staff from its resting place on the cushion beside Anakin's head and then he prepared himself. He stood behind Anakin and forced himself to relax taking deep cleansing breaths. Mace knew he had to approach this ritual in the right frame of mind before he began. It wasn't just about disciplining the boy; it was also about providing him with the catharsis he so desperately needed.
He closed his eyes, taking a moment to gather his thoughts, his breaths slow and deliberate. He could feel the tension seeping out of him, replaced by calm determination. This was his solemn duty, his responsibility to his padawan, and he would fulfill it with all the care and control that it required.
Once he felt the balance of the Force settle over him like a well-worn cloak, Mace opened his eyes. He regarded Anakin, the boy burdened with immense expectations as the Chosen One, and steeled himself. "Are you ready Anakin?"
"Yes, Master," Anakin answered breathlessly. His body was a tight coil of tension and he jolted when Mace moved into position behind him.
"Relax, Padawan," Mace said gently, placing a steadying hand on the small of Anakin's back to settle him. "I have no intention to hurt you. I merely want to help you focus. To liberate your mind from the fears that ensnare you. Do you desire my assistance?"
Anakin inhaled deeply and slowly released it, nodding. "Yes. I'm ready Master."
The first strike of the staff was like a revelation. Anakin had anticipated it, but the sensation still took him by surprise, prompting a cry of shock. Mace offered no respite, allowing no time to think before the next blow followed swiftly. Again and again, the Staff struck Anakin's tender flesh. With each impact, the pressure that had been tightening around Anakin's heart began to dissipate.
In spite of the turbulent emotions he felt before confronting Mace, a strange sense of relief settle over his body as Mace spanked him. He wasn't responsible for anyone else, and wasn't expected to feel anything except the Staff. He might not understand his own emotions or his own fears, but he understood this. He understood the reassurance and relief that came from the ritual of redemption. The staff struck with the deliberate and purposeful guidance of Master Windu's firm hand and Anakin felt free. Free to cry out for his mother's love. Free to question the Force that created him. Free to be the scared little lonely boy who had been taken so very far away from his home. And he wept.
When the blows subsided, Anakin's heart still pounded in his chest, but now it beat with hope instead of dread or anger. The storm within him quietened, if only for a moment. His anger, his fear, his anxiety – they were all still there only subdued. But for the first time in a long while, Anakin felt like he could breathe. He was at one with the Force.
Anakin felt like a puddle of warm liquid goo as Mace tenderly rubbed the healing oil onto the skin of his sore buttocks and thighs. It felt good to have Master Windu touching him so carefully. Mace's touch, so precise and confident was almost loving and Anakin wished that Mace would keep rubbing that oil all over his body. A strange thought flitted across Anakin's mind - an image of those dark, calloused fingers tracing the curve of his reddened cheeks and parting them-
"Anakin!" Master Windu's voice jarred him from his musings. "The session is over. Go home and get some rest. I want you back here at first light."
Anakin nodded and stood up from the ottoman feeling a bit dazed. While Mace was engaged in restoring the Staff of Redemption and the jar of the rejuvenating oil to their designated places on the shelf, Anakin took stock of himself. He clumsily straightened his robes that had somehow twisted awkwardly around his trembling body.
He was acutely aware of a new sensation, throbbing in his lower region, a result of the strange mixture of pleasure and pain that Mace's spanking and the soothing oil had elicited. Had Master Windu noticed his reaction? That Anakin's dick was as hard as the staff Master Windu had just wielded against him.
Quickly, he arranged himself in his trousers, trying to maintain a semblance of dignity as he grappled with the torrent of conflicting emotions within him. His movements were as clumsy as a newborn Nerf. "I...I should leave, Master. Thank you," he stammered out hastily before turning to depart, his usual grace and poise absent.
Once outside Master Windu's office, Anakin found himself enveloped in the familiar bustle of the Jedi Temple. It was still broad daylight, and the marbled corridors teemed with Jedi Masters and their Padawans, each engrossed in their own routine chores and appointments. The hum of the force, the animated conversations, and the shuffle of countless feet filled the space.
As he weaved through the throng of people, Anakin felt strangely detached. His face was still flushed but if anyone noticed his rosy cheeks or his peculiar gait, he remained blissfully oblivious.
All he could think about was Mace Windu and the Staff of Redemption and the way they made him feel. He was not alone in his struggles anymore. He had Master Windu, he had the Jedi Order, and he had the Force. And for now, that was enough.
*/*/*/*
With his every step echoing down the grand hallways of the Jedi Temple, Anakin stumbled to his quarters wanting nothing more than to crawl into the sanctuary of his bed and sleep until the morning light. But just as he reached the safety of his personal quarters, the familiar voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi interrupted him.
"Anakin, you seem unusually quiet today. I almost didn't hear you enter," Obi-Wan noted, concern lacing his voice though his signature gentle smile was still in place.
Anakin couldn't bare to face Obi-Wan with a throbbing erection. He sighed, gathering the strength to articulate his desire to be left alone without sounding like a brat. Without turning away from the entrance to his room he pleaded his case. "Master," Anakin's voice croaked out. "I need some alone time. Do you mind if we talk later, please?" He desperately needed to figure out what had just transpired in Master Windu's office without Obi-Wan being a mother hen.
Master Kenobi, sensing his apprentice's distress, replied, "Anakin, you know that you can confide in me if something's troubling you?"
Anakin bowed his head in shame. "I know but Master. I just need to be alone right now."
After a pregnant pause, Obi-wan relented. "Very well, Anakin. I wish you a peaceful rest."
Once within the confines of his bedroom, Anakin exhaled a sigh of relief, grateful that Obi-Wan hadn't probed further. He then took stock of his condition. His body was heated and damp with perspiration and his pulse pounded in his veins like a galloping tooka cat. The first order of business was to cool himself down. After a quick shower wherein he relieved himself of the pesky erection, Anakin climbed into his bed and tried to sleep. But he could not get Mace Windu and the Staff of Redemption out of his head. He meditated and listened to music and surfed the holonet but nothing worked. His bottom was numb after the session but he swore he could still feel the sting of those blows falling on him when he lay down to sleep that night.
Master Windu was not as bad as Anakin had first believed. He was actually fair with his punishments and always asked Anakin for an explanation of his actions before doling them out. At first, it seemed like a punishment just to be assigned to Master Windu but Anakin now realized that it was really about helping him to be a better Jedi.
After a few sessions with Mace and the Staff of Redemption, Anakin was able to think more clearly and concentrate longer than he ever had before. He could meditate peacefully and he slept soundly at night, no nightmares to mar his rest. But nightmares about his mother were not the only thing interrupting his sleep.
Sometimes vivid dreams awakened him at ungodly hours, pulling him out from his rest. The memory of those sessions with Master Windu aroused his body with a heated flush that washed over him like a fever and he had to take a cold shower and meditate for hours just to calm himself down again.
Instead of the frightening dreams of his mother in danger, Anakin now dreamed about discipline, submission, and pleasure. In his dreams, Mace would bend him over his lap instead of the ottoman to discipline him. Anakin lay across Mace's thick muscular thighs while the softness of Mace's Jedi robes billowed around them. He waited in anticipation for Mace's heavy hand to masterfully strike him over and over and over again until his ass was red hot and throbbing. And then just when he didn't think he could take another blow, finally the tension would release and he spilled his seed all over himself and Mace.
Then he would wake up to discover that he really had soiled himself and his bed clothing. Anakin prayed to the Force that Obi-Wan would never catch him doing laundry in the middle of the night and question him about it.
By day, his life was remarkably normal. Anakin was exercising alone one morning after one of his sessions with Mace. His thighs were still tender from the Staff, so he wore a baggy set of training shorts as he worked up a sweat performing high-flying kicks and acrobatic flips.
Obi-Wan had stopped in to offer a sparring session with Anakin when he noticed the bruises marring the backs of his Padawan's legs. A frown of concern immediately crossed his face. As Anakin paused to take a breath, Obi-Wan quickly approached him to address his worries.
"Anakin, those bruises on your legs... What's happened?"
Anakin's expression turned guarded. "It's nothing, Master... It's just from my sessions with Master Windu."
Obi-Wan's eyes hardened instantly. He knew Mace had his issues with Anakin but... "Is he hurting you Anakin?"
"No!" Anakin denied quickly. "No, he's not hurting me, at least not the way you think. Master Windu is helping me release my emotions. I needed discipline..." Anakin mumbled as a blush crept up his cheeks.
Understanding dawning for Obi-Wan. The Staff of Redemption was a rare form of discipline reserved only for the most egregious of offensives or the most rebellious of padawans. Master Qui Gon had only used it on Obi-Wan once and once was enough to set him straight on the path again. He prayed to the force it would be enough for Anakin as well. He placed a comforting hand on his padawan's shoulder rubbing lazy circles to relax him. "So you've met with the Staff of Redemption, have you?"
Anakin looked surprised, then nodded. "Yes, Master. I've never felt anything like it before," he confessed. "It is quite... overwhelming and disturbing."
"It is meant to be that way Anakin. It's meant to break you from your old habits and open you up to new perspectives." Obi-Wan said repeating the explanation from his own master. "It also hurts," he added with a rueful grin.
"But...it's not just the discipline that is disturbing Master. I also...I feel pleasure when Master Windu uses the staff. Is that...wrong?" Anakin asked shyly.
The hand rubbing Anakin's back paused then continued. Obi-Wan took a deep breath, "Anakin, emotions are complex. It's not about right or wrong, it's about understanding them. The Jedi Code teaches us to control our feelings, not deny them."
Seeing Anakin's uncertainty, Obi-Wan decided to share a piece of his own past. "You know, there was a time when Master Qui-Gon used the Staff of Redemption on me too."
Anakin looked at Obi-Wan, surprise registering on his face.
Obi-Wan smiled fondly. "Believe it or not, I went through a rebellious phase in my youth. I think every Jedi does. And every master has a different method of guiding their padawan through it. Qui-Gon was often passive in his lessons and mostly tolerant of my disobedient behavior. You see Master Qui-Gon was a rebel himself, always bending the rules and interpreting the force for his own purposes. I questioned his decisions constantly and we often disagreed," Obi-Wan remembered with a bittersweet ache in his heart.
"Master Qui-Gon was stubborn too, but also tough when the need arose. And the need arose once when even Master Qui-Gon couldn't ignore my insubordination. And yes, Anakin, the Staff of Redemption helped me see the light. It made me recognize my own weaknesses and release my own fears. It was a crude form of discipline to be sure, but also the only one a young know-it-all like myself would respond to at the time. It led to self-discovery."
Anakin listened with rapt attention, his expression relaxing as Obi-Wan told his tale. Never before had his Master shared so much about himself and his past.
Obi-Wan continued, "And yes, Anakin, I too felt an unexpected wave of pleasure during the ritual. It's not something to be ashamed of. It's part of who you are as a force sensitive. The important thing is to understand these feelings and not let them control you."
Anakin nodded, a weight lifting from his shoulders. He smiled at Obi-Wan, grateful for his understanding instead of his judgment. He felt seen and understood. For the first time in a while, he felt at peace with himself and with Obi-Wan, who rarely shared stories about his past master.
"Master, can you tell me more stories about Master Qui-Gon?" he asked cautiously.
Obi-Wan stilled, his gaze drifting into the distance, a thousand memories flashing in his eyes. Sensing his discomfort Anakin immediately felt guilty. "I'm sorry Master I didn't mean to-"
"No! No, Anakin I am sorry," Obi-Wan interrupted, pulling himself back to the present. "Memories of Master Qui-Gon are... It is a painful subject. But as Master Windu says, we cannot ignore the past and hope it will fade away." Obi-Wan shook his head, "Perhaps I need a session with Master Windu as well," he added, a small smile playing on his lips.
"No!" Anakin said feeling a wave of possessiveness. Mace was his. "No, Master You don't need that. You're perfect as you are."
Obi-Wan gave him a sober look, "Oh no! Perfection, Anakin, is a far cry from who I am. I've made countless mistakes, especially with training you. But it's my hope that I can rectify them, bit by bit."
Anakin was quick to assure him, "No need. I know you've done your best and I am grateful to you for taking me in. Thank you, Master."
Obi-Wan fought back his emotions as he nodded his head. "Thank you, Anakin. Now, what did you want to know about your Grand Master Jinn?"
