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Obi-Wan doesn't expect to get a call on a secret military frequency issued from Florum out of all places when he stands on the bridge of the Negotiator but there’s a first time for everything. He nods at Cody who presses the button at the holoprojector table to allow the blue holograph to flicker alive. Generally, Obi-Wan prides himself on being well-prepared for almost any situation, however, what he does not expect is Hondo Ohanaka out of all people to appear in front of him next.
“Hondo?” The pirate throws his arms into the air in a greeting of overdramatic fashion.
“Ah! Kenobi. Lovely to see you again, old friend.”
“Hondo, this is a secure military frequency,” Obi-Wan says. “How did you even get it? You can't just―this is highly illegal.”
“Always assuming the worst, aren’t you, Master Jedi?”
“Well. I'm dying to hear what you have to say, Hondo. Make it quick, I do not have time for this right now.”
“Always so stressed, Kenobi.”
He is not stressed. Obi-Wan crosses his arms in front of his chest to stop himself from drumming his fingers against the holoprojector table. It would make him look nervous―he is nervous but if he admits to being nervous then there is something to actually be nervous about. And there isn’t. Anakin is fine. He has to be. He always is.
Hondo shakes his head at him as if he disapproves of how Obi-Wan chooses to live his life. Obi-Wan merely draws his eyebrows together and sends Hondo another glare.
“Is that a grey hair I―”
“Hondo,” Obi-Wan snaps at him. “I do not have the time nor patience for this.”
Hondo rolls his eyes, accompanied by a very overly dramatic sigh.
“Ah, no sense for humor you Jedi. Just like your little pet friend.”
“My―what―Hondo what are you talking about?”
Hondo smiles at him brightly. It’s not a smile that Obi-Wan particularly enjoys―it’s the same he wore when he had them imprisoned alongside Dooku. Ah, what unpleasant memories.
“I don’t suppose you lost something...someone perhaps? Very recently, I believe.”
Obi-Wan opens his mouth, then closes it again. He couldn’t have―no―that amount of luck would be ridiculous even for Hondo Ohanaka. Then again...how else was he supposed to assess that military frequency? Hondo jabs his index finger at Obi-Wan.
“Ah yes, you understand I see. Begged me not to contact you actually...but he is quite the handful your boy, Kenobi.”
“Do you really want me to believe that Anakin is with you? He went missing nowhere near―” Obi-Wan clicks his mouth shut when Hondo puts a hand inside his coat and pulls out a lightsaber. Anakin's lightsaber Obi-Wan would recognize anywhere. He throws it up in the air one time and it flips around before he catches it again. Then he points it at Obi-Wan.
“Always doubting my honesty, ts-ts-ts, Kenobi.” Hondo shakes his head. “Regrettable, really. I assume if you don’t want Skywalker back then the―”
“No,” Obi-Wan cuts in.
“That’s what I thought.”
“Is he unharmed?” Obi-Wan asks.
“Not unharmed but ha―alive!”
“Hondo, if you did―”
“Ba-ba-ba-ba, friend,” Hondo interrupts him. “He is alive, is he not? Which is more than can be said for my ships!”
Obi-Wan is almost sure he doesn’t want to know what Anakin did to Hondo’s ships. He was angry when he left―angry with Obi-Wan―for the scouting mission he never came back from. And Anakin is hardly a pleasant presence to be around when he’s angry.
“As proof of my good will, Kenobi,” Hondo says, “I will allow you to come to pick up Skywalker.” Hondo holds up a finger. “And you will only need to pay for the ships he demolished. But not in credits, I hope, we have been over this, Kenobi.”
One...two...three seconds pass.
“Send me your coordinates,” he says. Hondo’s grin brightens.
“Lovely making business with you, Kenobi.”
The coordinates reach him half a heartbeat later and Obi-Wan rushes off the bridge before Cody can even blink. He punches the buttons on his commlink in a way he would normally chide Anakin for. For a moment there’s just static and some rustling before―”Master?”
“Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan says. “Where are you?”
For a moment he’s met with more silence before she speaks up again.
“Uhm, in the hangar, Master. I just thought―”
“It’s quite alright, Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan interrupts her gently. “Can you get me a ship ready? I'm headed there now.”
“Your starfighter?” Ahsoka asks.
“No, just any ship that can carry two people.”
“What are―oh―yeah, I will get it ready, Master.”
“Thank you, Padawan.”
Obi-Wan finds her by some ship that vaguely resembles Anakin’s Twilight however is not the same model. It’s something Anakin would lecture on him now. She leans against the ship with one of her shoulders with a small smile on her face. Somewhat hesitant but at least it’s there. Obi-Wan feels almost foolish for grasping onto that smile so much but Anakin hasn’t smiled at him for almost a full two weeks. Whenever he catches himself doing so his smile will drop and he’ll stare at Obi-Wan as if he had been burned.
“So, do you know where…” Ahsoka trails off and stares at him. Obi-Wan gives her an affirmative nod. She fidgets on her spot. “Good―that’s uh...good.”
“Not to worry, Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan says. “I will bring him back, I promise.”
She tilts her head to the side and the corners of her lips curl up for a faint second.
“I know,” she says quietly.
Obi-Wan puts his hand on her shoulder once he’s close enough.
“If the council―”
“I will tell them you are sleeping for once,” Ahsoka interrupts him lightly. “I’m sure they wouldn’t want to interrupt such a rare occurrence.”
He squeezes her shoulder. Once. She understands.
“Thank you.”
“Just―just be careful, Master.”
He pats her shoulder again and then he hurries up into the ship. As soon as Ahsoka is far enough away from the ship he starts the engines. The workers in the hangar have already opened up the hatch. Obi-Wan punches the coordinates into the navi-computer of the ship. He knows he shouldn’t leave his post with the fleet. If something happens then―he sighs. Something already happened. To Anakin.
And in the end, Obi-Wan needs to leave, to possibly repair what hasn’t been irreparably broken between Anakin and him more than he needs to stay.
The coordinates that Hondo sent him lead him to a small moon near Florrum. There’s not much around except for some rocks and grass. And of course, the fleet of ships Hondo somehow commands. The fleet looks seriously damaged. There are no lightsaber cuts on the ships but the surfaces of some of them are seriously dented in―one of the ships is smoking in all the wrong places and its foot is missing, making the ship scrap on the ground like it isn’t supposed to.
Obi-Wan supposes the ship Anakin is on must be Hondo’s lead ship. That is, Hondo didn’t lie to him and Anakin is nowhere near Hondo’s fleet of ships but somewhere else and he won’t get there in time to―Obi-Wan takes a deep breath. He calms himself, just like he learned to do when he was a Padawan.
He stands in front of the biggest ship when the ramp is let down and two of Hondo’s pirates step out a moment later. They don’t talk much. One of them just jerks his head into the general direction of the ship’s inside.
“Boss ‘s waiting for you,” the other grunts.
Lovely, Obi-Wan thinks. Pirates always make for lovely company; that is for sure. They lead him up the ramp of the ship and into the hallway. More pirates are lounging around in there. Some of them are drunk and the other half is asleep. Obi-Wan’s fingers twitch closer to his lightsaber every time one of the pirates grunt in their sleep with their muscles moving with it.
To his surprise, one of the pirates guiding him to Hondo actually notices.
“Don’t get any wrong ideas, Jedi,” he grunts. “Don’t know why the boss let it keep you anyway.”
Obi-Wan remains silent. He just needs to get Anakin and get him out of here. The two pirates lead Obi-Wan through a few more corridors that are all dark and gloomy. This is almost worse than Hondo’s place on Florrum.
Hondo announces his presence before Obi-Wan spots him by throwing an arm around his shoulders from behind.
“Ah Kenobi,” he sings into his right ear. “Lovely to see you again.”
Obi-Wan picks Hondo’s hand and carefully twists away from his grasp to not alert the two of his men around him. Not any more than they’re alerted already anyway. He crosses his arms in front of his chest.
“Where is Anakin?”
“So impatient,” Hondo mutters in faux-hurt. “Tell me, Kenobi. What have you been up to?”
“Fighting a war, Hondo.”
“What about your death?” Hondo asks and Obi-Wan winces. “I must say when I heard you were shot I was quite shocked. Even more shocked when I found out you weren’t dead after all.”
“It was a necessary action to take at that time,” Obi-Wan says tonelessly.
“Of course, Master Jedi. Of course.”
Hondo leads him towards the prisoner's track. On their way there two of Hondo's men run into them.
“What are you doing here?" Hondo asks. “You're supposed to watch the prisoner.”
The two men glance at each other. Hondo and Obi-Wan are met with silence. However, Obi-Wan can already imagine what this is about.
“You see, boss,” one of them mutters. “He's kinda...you know―”
“He's a friend!" Hondo calls throwing his arms into the air. Obi-Wan raises an eyebrow at no one in particular. He wouldn’t call Anakin a friend of Hondo’s but he doesn’t want to come in the way of Hondo’s grand delusion.
“He's scary, boss.”
Obi-Wan sighs. Well, that was to be expected. Hondo rolls his eyes.
“Out of my sight,” he snaps and the pirates hurry past them immediately. “Scary. He's without his lightsaber. He's not scary.”
Obi-Wan would like to object but best not taint the image Hondo has created in his head. With his hand, he gestures Obi-Wan to continue following him.
“Useless pack,” he mutters to himself.
The prisoner track is small. Only five cells. But at least Hondo wasn't lying. Anakin is here. They stop in front of the third cell.
“Well well, enough with your temporary death. We all have recovered from that haven’t we?” Hondo asks and pushes the button that opens the presumed cell he’s holding Anakin in. Obi-Wan’s fingertips twitch. “Fake deaths, am I right? We all have been there. No hard feelings.”
Hondo laughs as he clasps Obi-Wan on the shoulder just as the door slides open. The cell is dark but faintly lit enough to make out where Anakin sits on the floor with his back leaning against the wall. His head snaps up at the sound of it.
Anakin glares at both of them―his blue eyes eerily glowy in the dark.
Obi-Wan focuses on him. His legs are pulled close to his chest with his shackled wrists hanging between them. He looks awfully pale. The movements of his shoulders rising and falling follow each other in short periods. His eyes flutter shut.
“Hondo, you said he was alright,” Obi-Wan snaps just as he darts forward and sinks on his knees next to Anakin.
“Technically I only said he was alive,” Hondo says and when Obi-Wan turns his head around to glare at him he raises his arms. “Hondo wanted to help, believe me, but he would not accept the help I offered.”
Obi-Wan catches Anakin’s chin with his thumb and forefinger to angle it in his direction. His eyes are still closed and his skin is cold. With his free hand, he pushes his legs down to get a look at his stomach. His robes are dark and hide the blood all too well but there’s a dark and sticky spot that’s hard to miss. Obi-Wan can spread his fingers out across it and it still doesn’t cover all of the blood-soaked robes.
At the touch of Obi-Wan’s fingers against his stomach, Anakin’s eyes shoot open again. He scrambles back against the wall even further―even though that’s not possible anymore―alert of all his surroundings now.
“Go 'way,” Anakin mutters and swats his hand rather aimlessly in Obi-Wan’s general direction―missing him by some inches. The sound of shackles echoes back at them from the walls.
“Anakin―”
“No,” Anakin interrupts him. “I...I’on wanna―don’ wanna see you.”
“Well, you will just have to accept that I’m here.”
“Leave,” Anakin repeats; his voice cracking.
“Not without you, I'm afraid.”
Anakin attempts to free himself of the faint grasp Obi-Wan has on his chin but his movement is too weak for that. Obi-Wan forces all of the approaching panic in his chest down. He needs medical attention now. Needed it probably an hour ago too. Padmé, once, after an all too similar occurrence, told him through a laugh turned sob, that he’s too stubborn to die.
“Now, now what seems to be the problem here?”
Obi-Wan regards Hondo with a pained look, hardly willing to let Hondo in on Anakin’s and his’ rather strained relationship. Especially not when Anakin is still bleeding out on the floor.
“It’s nothing, Hondo,” Obi-Wan sighs.
“Liar,” Anakin huffs, his voice impossibly small so that only Obi-Wan picks up on it. Obi-Wan pushes some of Anakin’s hair out of his face only to reveal a nasty cut on his forehead. Oh, Anakin. Anakin makes a small noise of protest.
“Did you not think that I wouldn’t exactly be pleased to come here and find him dead in this cell?” he snaps at Hondo.
Anakin forces out a toneless laugh. “Funny how that feels right?”
Obi-Wan winces at the comment. He bites down on his inner cheek and doesn’t respond. Obi-Wan doesn’t know if Anakin rolls his eyes at him or if he’s slipping away again when he catches the white of his eyes before his eyelids fall shut again.
He turns back to Hondo who’s still standing in the door frame and moves his index finger from one side to another as if Obi-Wan is his firstborn child he’s chiding for attempting to steal the biscuits from the highest cupboard right now.
“But Master Kenobi,” Hondo says, “I did take care of it! Who do you take me for? Heartless? Hondo is deeply, dare I say, hurt!”
A bit dumbfoundedly Obi-Wan blinks at Hondo and then turns to Anakin again. Only then Obi-Wan notices the bandages across his upper body that are equally soaked in blood, almost taking on the colour of his robes. Obi-Wan blinks at them.
“Changing them would have been a good start, you know.”
He’s still steadying Anakin’s head with one hand and pressing down on the quite literal hole in Anakin’s stomach. The blood is warm against Obi-Wan’s fingers. His skin is cold.
“I would have, Master Jedi,” Hondo says. “Believe me. But once he was awake...you surely must know about Skywalker’s―” He shrugs. “Well, you must know.”
And Obi-Wan knows, doesn’t he? There’s still so much fight in Anakin even when he’s on the edge of unconsciousness. If Obi-Wan were anyone else he wouldn’t want to get near Anakin either...not when he’s angry. Obi-Wan sighs. Best to get out of here while Anakin is still conscious.
“We should leave now,” he tells no one, in particular, just announcing their departure to Hondo, but Anakin as well. “He needs medical attention now.”
“‘M not gon’ go,” Anakin slurs. “Not with you.”
“I know you are mad at me but are you really stubborn enough to―” Obi-Wan trails off. Of course, he is stubborn enough for that. No need to ask, really.
“Well, Skywalker,” Hondo chimes in. “As much as I am delighted by your presence on my ship...my men are scared of you so shush shush.”
At least Hondo is terribly amused by the situation and even the deathly glare Anakin regards him with can’t change anything about that. Obi-Wan wraps a careful arm around Anakin’s waist and slings Anakin’s arm over his shoulder to pull Anakin up with him, ignoring the curse Anakin sends his way. He’s not as easy to handle anymore. Back when he was still young and small―so small―Obi-Wan could carry him in his arms with ease and now he stands taller than Obi-Wan. Has been taller than him for quite some time, he reminds himself.
Anakin squeezes his eyes shut when they step out into the light with Hondo still trailing behind them. Obi-Wan twists his body around to Hondo.
“His lightsaber,” he says.
“But my friend,” Hondo says. “Won’t you let a friend keep a nice―”
“The lightsaber now, Hondo,” Obi-Wan repeats and momentarily loosen his grip around Anakin’s waist to hold his hand out to Hondo. Hondo rolls his eyes put reaches inside his coat nonetheless. The weight of Anakin’s lightsaber feels comforting.
“Thank you,” Obi-Wan says. For the lightsaber. For picking up Anakin from certain death, to begin with. Hondo tips his head at Obi-Wan, with his fingers at the edge of his cap. They step off the ramp. Obi-Wan has already turned his back on Hondo again when the pirate calls after them, “What about my damages?”
“I hardly believe Anakin could have managed to do all this considering the state he is in.”
Obi-Wan spares the ships around them another glance. He could, Obi-Wan is well aware of. All too easily probably, which is enough to deeply worry him―even more so than he already is. Hondo stares at him in what can only be described as affronted.
“Are you trying to scam me, Kenobi?”
“I wouldn’t dare,” Obi-Wan says. “We are friends, after all.”
Hondo clutches at his heart and wipes away an imaginary tear. “I am so proud yet so―”
“Goodbye, Hondo.”
“Fine, Kenobi! I will let you go.” He holds up his index finger. “But only this once!”
He spins around with his coat flowing in the wind. The ramp of the ship closes and he’s gone faster than Obi-Wan can blink. It’s the same moment that Anakin rips himself away from Obi-Wan’s grasp.
“Can walk on my own jus' fine,” he huffs. “Don’t need your help.”
He barely manages to take one step forward before his legs give out like they give out under a foal that just learned how to walk. Obi-Wan is at his side, slinging his arm around Anakin’s torso and steadying his chest with his other hand before his knees hit the ground.
“Of course,” Obi-Wan says quietly. He pushes them into an upright position again. "I'd rather not have you fall, though."
Anakin's head falls against his shoulder. “'S alright,” he says. “Was not that much. Not like when you fell―the building…'s lot higher.”
“I am sorry for that, Anakin,” Obi-Wan quietly says.
“I was so―scared.”
And to that...Obi-Wan doesn’t know what to say. It’s not often that Anakin admits to such things. Especially not to the person who caused his pain. When Obi-Wan feels the fabric on his shoulder turn wet he doesn’t say anything. Anakin’s breath hitches with it. He doesn’t think Anakin would want him to say anything about it.
Getting Anakin on their ship is a hassle on its own. But eventually, Obi-Wan manages to get him inside and set Anakin down on the narrow bunk the ship has enough space for. Anakin slumps in himself as soon as Obi-Wan isn’t there to hold him anymore. He only leaves shortly to get the ship into the air―letting the navi-computer do the rest―and get a new set of bandages he can carefully replace the old ones with that are soaked in too much blood. Some of the bleeding has stopped by now, the flow of it slowing done with time.
After Obi-Wan tightens the last bandage around Anakin’s stomach and tugs it in so that it will stay in place he spreads his fingers across the wound. His force healing abilities are spare but they are enough to get some colour back into Anakin's face.
“Don’t need to―”
“Just let me, Anakin,” Obi-Wan says quietly. “I’m not going to have you bleed out on me.”
Anakin laughs but it sounds hollow. “Wouldn’t want that in your dreams, right?”
They fall into silence. Obi-Wan concentrates on letting the Force flow through him and to Anakin. When he feels the first wave of heat rush through his body―sweat forming at his temple―he stops.
“‘S in my dreams,” Anakin suddenly says, with Obi-Wan still tugging around at the bandages so that he has something to do. Obi-Wan closes his eyes as if that would make it go away. “I’m always at the edge and you―” Anakin blinks, eyes still unfocused with tears shining in them. “You keep falling. I can never stop it,” he whispers.
“I'm sorry, I...Anakin, why didn’t you say―”
“Are we done?” Anakin croaks. Obi-Wan averts his gaze and pretends he doesn’t catch it in the corner of his eye when Anakin wipes the sleeve of his robe through his face.
“Not quite,” Obi-Wan gently says. He can sense the question rolling off of him in the Force. “Your head.”
Anakin nods, then closes his eyes again and lets his head fall back against the wall. When he winces at the contact Obi-Wan bites down a comment on the tip of his tongue. They’re not even in a position of friendly bickering at the moment so lecturing Anakin that he needs to take better care of himself is clearly out of reach. He leaves to get a cloth to take care of Anakin’s face.
“I didn’t think you’d come,” Anakin says when Obi-Wan sits down at the edge of the bunk again.
“Why―of course, I came to get you,” Obi-Wan says. “Why would you ever…”
Anakin shrugs. “You have to take care of the fleet,” he mutters. “Where’s the fleet anyway?”
I have to take care of you, Obi-Wan thinks.
“Right where it's supposed to be,” Obi-Wan says, pushing Anakin’s hair out of his face to dab the wet cloth over the cut on his forehead. “And I'm right where i am supposed to be.”
Anakin says nothing but for once doesn't object either when Obi-Wan presses the palm of his hand to his forehead. Tipping into Anakin's force signature always feels like stepping into the blinding light of a star.
“Don't have to do that,” Anakin says, just as some more of the colour returns to his face.
“I think I do,” Obi-Wan says.
“If you're just doing this to make yourself feel better―you can stop.”
The implication that Obi-Wan doesn't care about him beyond his conscience stings but that was to be expected.
“That’s not nice,” Obi-Wan says quietly. Then, “You should lay down.”
Anakin eyes him warily. “I'm not trying to be. If you haven't noticed.” Obi-Wan presses against Anakin's forehead with a little more pressure until, “Alright―fine. I got it, alright...laying down.”
A beat of silence passes. “Are you done now?”
“Anakin, you must―”
“I'm tired. Can we talk about this later, please?”
Obi-Wan puts his hand against Anakin's cheek...just barely catching the lonely tear that curls up in the corner of Anakin's eye and slips down his cheek.
“Okay,” Obi-Wan says. “Just...let me know if you need anything.”
“Okay,” Anakin repeats quietly, not quite meeting his gaze.
His eyes dart to where Obi-Wan's hand rests against his cheek. They flicker back up to him. Anakin rolls around and Obi-Wan’s hand slips down to his shoulder.
He contemplates getting up and leaving Anakin to get some rest when Anakin tentatively reaches for Obi-Wan's fingers. At first, he only grazes his fingertips before wrapping his hand around Obi-Wan's entirely.
Anakin pulls Obi-Wan’s hand down to his chest. Obi-Wan sighs. He can feel Anakin's heartbeat drum against his ribcage under his fingertips.
“Don't leave,” Anakin whispers. Obi-Wan stays.