Chapter Text
Anakin was standing near the western gate with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed, humming a quiet waltz as he waited for his admirer to appear. Obi-Wan knew his ex-squire well enough to assume that Anakin thought he’d be able to hear someone approaching; but this was Obi-Wan Kenobi, the man who could slip through enemy territory unnoticed and return before daybreak with his opponents’ battle plans. The senior knight could (and did) sneak up behind Anakin without making a sound.
Obi-Wan reached up to cover Anakin’s eyes with one hand and bit back a quiet huff of laughter when his soft touch nearly made the young knight jump out of his skin. Anakin automatically reached for his dagger but Obi-Wan grabbed him firmly by the wrist, stopping the protective instincts he had helped to instill. A beat of silence passed between them, the only sounds coming from a light breeze ruffling through the treetops and Anakin’s heavy breathing. It was the younger knight who spoke first: “I’m guessing you’d like me to keep my eyes closed, then.”
Instead of answering aloud, Obi-Wan replaced his hand with a borrowed strip of blue silk, wrapping the makeshift blindfold around Anakin’s head and tying it securely. He indulged himself for a moment, letting his fingers comb through the soft blonde strands of Anakin’s hair, untangling a few of the wind-tossed curls. The younger knight visibly shivered, arching into the sensation. Obi-Wan let the pad of his pointer finger drag briefly down the back of Anakin’s neck, from the knot of the blindfold to the first notch of his spine, raising a trail of goosebumps on the golden skin. Obi-Wan murmured into the juncture of Anakin’s neck and shoulder, letting his lips skim the knight’s delicate throat: “Every day I see you, I am drawn to you.”
He slowly spun Anakin around to face him and leaned forward until their faces were nearly touching, their warm breath mingling in the air between them. When Obi-Wan whispered, his lips grazed the skin at the hinge of Anakin’s jaw. “Every night, as I sleep, I yearn for you. Every day-” he angled his face down, until their lips were only a hair’s breadth away from meeting “-Every night.”
Anakin was waiting for his admirer’s next move with bated breath, his body frozen in place, a statue beneath Obi-Wan’s careful hands. A flush spread high across the younger man’s sharp cheekbones, burning pink and perfect - visible even in the darkness. Anakin had seen much in his few short years of life, had known immeasurable heartache, had saved the life of Coruscant’s chosen King… And here he stood before Obi-Wan, resplendent beneath the light of the half-full moon, the curls that had escaped from his pony-tail swaying in the gentle breeze. Obi-Wan pushed aside his feelings of anxiety and decided to put them both out of their misery. Sir Kenobi went up on tiptoe to close the small gap between them, finally pressing their lips together.
The kiss, their first kiss, was slow and sweet and heartachingly good.
It felt natural, instinctual, as if they’d been made to fit together like this. Obi-Wan’s hand moved to cup Anakin’s jaw, moving his thumb in gentle circles over the only small scar on his otherwise smooth cheek. Meanwhile, Anakin’s arms had wrapped themselves low around Obi-Wan’s waist, pulling the shorter man close and providing support for their continued embrace. Obi-Wan sighed happily and leaned more of his weight against Anakin’s toned chest; his beloved tasted like clove and cinnamon and citrus. The warmth and sweetness of Anakin’s kisses reminded Obi-Wan of the wassail they enjoyed together during the Winter Festival.
He didn’t want the moment to end, but he desperately needed to breathe...
They parted reluctantly, but as soon as he was clear of Anakin’s arms, Obi-Wan took off running in the direction of the castle. He darted through the woods as fast as his legs could carry him, barely breathing in an effort to keep from being discovered. He knew that Anakin would want to rip the blindfold away immediately and discover who his admirer was. He found, suddenly and unexpectedly, that he wasn’t ready to be discovered quite yet. The fear of rejection burned white-hot at Obi-Wan’s core, radiating terror through every vein and forcing him to sprint even faster.
What had he been thinking!? When the younger knight found out who had kissed him, the trust between them would be broken forever. Their sacred bond of squire and Master would be gone, obliterated by Obi-Wan’s stupid mistake. Obi-Wan would likely be banished from the Order. He’d be banished from the kingdom.
What was he going to do!?
He burst from the treeline behind the barracks and made for their room, his heart beating far too fast and his lungs aching.
Anakin heard his mystery kisser go streaking off into the woods but he couldn’t seem to bring his hands up to tear off the blindfold. They were trapped, magnetized to the air just above his tender lips, hovering there but too afraid to touch and drive away the phantom sensation of the stranger’s mouth against his. Anakin was in awe, his chest bursting with a brilliant mixture of desire, confusion, and excitement. Who… Who could that have possibly been?
As he slowly removed the blindfold and pressed the watery blue material against his cheek, Anakin considered the few details he’d been given about the mystery knight. He had facial hair and he was shorter than Anakin; unfortunately a good number of the knights were bearded and most of them were shorter than Anakin. He groaned and glanced off in the direction of the barracks.
He needed to return before his Master got worried, but his legs were still too wobbly for him to control.
Anakin sank to his knees in the cool dirt and closed his eyes, letting himself imagine that his first real kiss had been stolen by Sir Obi-Wan Kenobi.
“Come now, Anakin, it couldn’t have been that wonderful. Surely you’ve had better kisses.”
Anakin’s cheeks darkened and he glowered like a disgruntled teenager. “No, actually. It was my first.”
Obi-Wan nearly choked on his tea. “Really?”
“Shut up, Obi-Wan.” Anakin spun on his heel, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. “I just… I was waiting, okay?”
“It’s completely understandable, Anakin, and I promise that I’m not laughing at your expense. I just thought- I mean, you often returned from your evenings out looking rather ruffled . I had assumed things I shouldn’t have. Please forgive me, dear friend.”
The younger knight’s shoulders relaxed by a fraction and he turned until Obi-Wan could trace his profile in the dancing firelight. “You’re forgiven. It’s alright.”
“What are you going to do about your admirer now?”
“Find him,” Anakin scoffed. “What else can I do?”
“You could always move on and forget about this mystery person.”
“Never.”
“Never ? Do you intend to search him out?”
“Of course I do! The kiss was… He was…” Anakin breathed deeply and shook his head, facing the fire once again. Obi-Wan watched the way his ex-squire’s frame seemed to shrink, his body making itself smaller as his emotions rocketed to the surface. “I’ll never be that happy again. Not until I find him. It was so real, Master. It truly felt as if he loved me.”
“Oh,” Obi-Wan whispered, before he could stop himself. He cleared his throat before Anakin could question him and continued, “Well, I wish you the best of luck in your mission, Anakin. Whoever he is, he’s a lucky man to have captured your attention.”
The smile Anakin gave him was sad, almost resigned, as if there were words waiting on the tip of his tongue that the young man couldn’t yet offer up. Instead, he walked across the room and flopped into his bunk, still mostly dressed. “Goodnight, Master.”
“Goodnight, Anakin.”
Obi-Wan laid awake for innumerable hours, staring at the broad expanse of Anakin’s back where it was turned to him. Soon, he promised. It will all be revealed soon.
Ahsoka elbowed Obi-Wan in the ribs and shot him a dirty look. “Sir Skywalker has been working me twice as hard in the stables this week and I can only assume his sour mood stems from his lack of progress in finding his admirer.”
“That’s very likely,” the knight sighed. He rested his arm across the squire’s shoulders and led her across the courtyard toward the kitchens. “And I apologize. How about a few honey cakes to make things up to you?”
“I could be tempted to accept an apology if there are honey cakes involved,” Ahsoka smirked. “And if you promise to tell him about the kiss in the next two days.”
“I’ll tell him about it tonight,” Obi-Wan offered. “How about that?”
“Whatever gets him off my back,” Ahsoka stuck her tongue out. Obi-Wan flicked the tip of it and scurried off before his grand-squire could start yelling at him.
But even waiting until nightfall felt like far too long to continue carrying the secret. Obi-Wan went searching across the castle grounds and found Anakin in the gardens. The handsome young knight was tucked into the corner of two intersecting hedgerows with a book open on his lap, his eyes eagerly scanning back and forth across the pages. “What are you reading?”
Anakin nearly leapt into the air. He shot his former Master a disgruntled look before answering: “It’s an adventure tale, Obi-Wan. I’m sure it’s not nearly boring enough to pique your interest.”
“Tam Lin?” Obi-Wan peered at the green leather cover. “That’s one of my favorites.”
“It’s… good.”
“I’m glad you think so.” Obi-Wan took a seat next to Anakin on the grass, arranging his tunic to keep it from staining. Anakin’s already had, the hems accidentally dyed light green from where he’d sat on them. Obi-Wan pulled a daisy from a small patch nearby and began to pluck at the petals.
“Why aren’t you off bothering the King or Sir Cody?”
“Do you not want me here?” Obi-Wan asked.
“No! That’s not- I didn't- That’s not what I meant,” Anakin hurried to explain. “I’m glad you’re here! I’m just a bit confused because usually you’re busy in the afternoons and I don-”
Obi-Wan cut Anakin off by turning his head to the left and pressing their lips together. He reached up to cup the younger man’s jaw the same way he had in the forest and delighted in the soft sigh Anakin released. Obi-Wan practically swallowed it, along with all the other quiet noises of pleasure Anakin made against his mouth as they clung to one another. Eventually Obi-Wan paused, pulling back and fiddling nervously with the stem of the daisy. He waited quietly for Anakin to pass his judgement.
After a few painful beats of utter silence, Anakin’s blue eyes fluttered open and a wide grin spread across his face.
“You,” he whispered reverently, touching his forehead against Obi-Wan’s with the utmost gentleness. “It was you.”
“It was me. I am the knight whose heart you've stolen, who loves you beyond measure,” Obi-Wan smiled back, still slightly shy. “Are you disappointed, dear one?”
Anakin wrapped his hands around Obi-Wan’s trim waist and pulled his beloved closer, until the older man was practically sitting on Anakin’s lap. Anakin’s gaze was soft and warm with fond affection. He murmured his next words directly into his darling Obi-Wan’s blush-hot ear: “Never.”