Chapter Text
Anakin Skywalker was from a desert planet, and it meant a lot of things. That he was comfortable with eating bugs, that he could survive in harsher environments than most people ever could, and that water was considered a delicacy to him.
Water. Even if it was farmed, the Hutts had control over all supplies of water, they decided who lived and who died, and since Watto wasn’t all too important they never saw more than a glass.
So showers were an experience.
It was his second day in the temple, his hair was about to be cut for his Padawan hairstyle, the one with the little braid and the ponytail that stuck out like a sore Nerf tail.
Anakin Skywalker wasn’t yet a Padawan, not officially anyway, but it was going to happen soon.
The little droid in charge of his hair hovered forward, a comb and shaver shoved out of its body, the shaver shivered and buzzed when activated. Anakin, still not used to a lot of modern things in the temple, reached out for support while his fear began to bubble.
Obi-wan Kenobi, the Jedi, held his hand, dispelling the fear that Anakin had swamped over the room, layering it with a soft sort of comfort.
The Jedi hadn’t talked much. Instead, he had stared at his tea in the morning and had moved through the day as if just waiting for it to be over. Anakin didn’t know what to think of the knight, not yet, but he liked feeling safe so he kept on holding onto the hand.
The droid stuck it’s comb into Anakin's hair, and immediately stopped.
“I’m afraid I cannot do as instructed,” The droid said in a smooth, straight, robotic voice. “His hair is too mangled, the equipment will be ruined or I could inadvertently graze his scalp,”
Anakin reached his hand onto his head, scratching at his hair. To him it had never felt cleaner. Obi-wan, on the other hand, touched his head lightly, and then wiped his hand on his pants like a rag.
“If you wish to continue wish procedures, have him take a shower,” The droids equipment folded back into the body, and it floated away. Leaving the two sentients to themselves.
Jedi Kenobi sighed. “I’m guessing you never had a shower before, young one?”
Anakin shook his head, to be honest he didn’t know what a shower even was. Kenobi stood up from his crouching position and began to walk, Anakin jumped off the stool and stumbled after.
He didn’t know what to think of the Jedi, at first he had been in awe, Obi-wan had killed a really scary Zabark, and he was so stoic and had taken Anakin as his Padawan, even if it was because of Qui-gons promise, the man still had the choice to say no.
But now he was expected to call the man ‘Master,’ and well… Anakin didn’t know. He didn’t know a lot of things, but maybe he was just in a nicer kept slave institute, maybe he was still a slave and this was his new Master.
Skywalker didn’t know, he’d been switching from the two options like day and night.
Obi-wan, The Jedi, Master, whoever , was waiting by the door to their shared room. Standing by as he watched Anakin poddle along into the dorm. The man closed the door behind Anakin with a small click.
“Come along now,” Obi-wan shuffled into the bathroom, going to the left and opening the glass door of the fresher. Anakin tilted his head in confusion as Obi-wan flicked a switch and then turned a nozzle.
The fresher head he’d been using for the past for days didn’t bring out the blast of steamy cleaning like expected, instead water started to pour out of it. The closest thing Anakin could describe it to was when he worked on his pod and one of the oil pipes broke, except it was too controlled to be a burst.
Anakin turned frantic. “Shut it off! You’re going to waste it! Quickly, off!”
Obi-wan, on instinct, shut it off, the water slowed in record time, until all that was coming out was a few droplets. But even then, how much was just wasted? They were going to delegate everything to miniums now, and the slaves were most likely going to get punished because of his Masters mistake.
Anakin glared at the floor, specifically the water that was suctioning around the drain with no escape, like the victims of a black hole.
“Anakin,” His Master said gently, while somehow still looking terribly tired. “Anakin, it’s not going to waste,”
“Yes it is!” Anakin exclaimed, his emotions shifted to mad, to the point it felt like he wanted to kick something. “It’s not doing anything! And now-,”
“Padawan,” His Master was just the slightest bit firmer in his speech. Anakin controlled his flinch to non-existent. “It’s not going to waste, it’ll be sent in a drainage pipe, cleaned and then reused. Even then, if it is wasted like you say, then we’ll still have more,”
There’ll be more water .
“Really?”
“Yes, Padawan, they’ll still be enough,” Obi-wan tried to smile but it seemed more like a grimace. “Now, all you need to do once your inside is grab the shampoo-,” He removed a small container of smoothing from a rack near the… showerhead? “-And put it on your hair, scrub it, as much as you can, before washing it out with water, then you take out the conditioner and do the same,”
Anakin listened as best as he could, watching in rapt interest and cautious fear.
Obi-wan, after finishing his explanation, left the room. Leaving a towel and some spare clothes off to the side for once Anakin had finished. It was… nice.
He never had things that were his back on Tatooine, but now he had his own clothes, his own bed and room, he even had his own towel .
Except he was scared.
He didn’t know what of? Maybe it was the fear of drowning or dehydrating. He didn’t know exactly, still he forced himself to strip.
Tentatively, Anakin stepped one foot onto the tiled floor of the shower, padding into it with gentle sounds following in his wake. Some of the water that didn’t go down the drain splashed, making a sound he’d never even heard before.
He made it again and smiled, small and cautious.
Anakin fully stepped inside, except he didn’t close the door, nor did he turn on the shower. Not yet. He was alone but he didn’t want to be.
Still, he didn’t want anyone to see him.
Anakin gulped, maybe he should just ask Obi-wan?
(But if Anakin asked something unreasonable… he remembered Watto, he knew ...)
He had to at least test the breaking point of his new master, and if it was asking questions, then he could know before next time.
“Master,” Anakin called behind him. A small prod in affirmation hit the back of his head. Which was just weird . “Can you stay by the door and talk to me?”
He heard feet shuffling over till it stopped right outside the bathroom door. “Of course Anakin, if you need me to, but may I ask why?”
The lie coming out died by his teeth, and Anakin could only respond with what was left, the truth. It wasn’t like Obi-wan didn’t deserve it, he’d already agreed. “I don’t wanna be alone right now,”
A mixture of shame and embarrassment leaked out of him like the shower head. Dripping and flowing right towards Obi-wan. He tried to shove it back and away, but it wasn’t solid, it was like a liquid and you can’t shove a liquid. So, at best, he slowed down his Master from figuring out.
Anakin heard the Jedi slide his back against the door. “You have nothing to be ashamed of, Anakin. It’s… admirable to ask for help. And I will try to always be there to supply it,”
Oh.
That was-.
That was different.
Anakin proceeded to take a shower, at the best of his abilities. Anytime he had to close his eyes, when either of the soaps were being washed out, he would be filled with an irrational fear that someone was in the room in him or that he was going to die. And it felt so stupid to feel that way but he did and it wouldn’t stop until he opened his eyes but if he did they’d hurt and sting and-.
And then Obi-wan would speak in a calming, patient voice. Filled with a kind of affection his mother had only been there to give, but now someone else was showing. The air would change to something more like a warm hug, wrapping but not smothering him with… well the best way Anakin could describe it was love.
It was like everything was going to be okay, because even if Anakin couldn’t see anyone with him, they’d always be right outside, ready to step in if things got bad.
He turned off the shower, feeling cleaner than he ever had in his life, and reached for his towel.
Anakin dried himself, then put on his clothes and walked out of the room.
Obi-wan was waiting right outside. A small smile on his face.
Anakin didn’t beam with the usual brashness he presented himself with. Instead his smile was small but sincere. The kind of smile that spoke words without the movement of a tongue.
The smile that spoke thank you.
(Or maybe it was the long awaited bond that had finally formed between the two. One built from kindness and compassion, stronger than most even if only being created an hour in. A Padawan and Master bond)
0-0-0
Obi-wan Kenobi woke up at one in the morning, not by choice mind you, to feel horror, anger, fear, and the overwhelming betrayal of trust soaring down his recently made bond with his Padawan .
(Anakin was his Padawan now, it was official, he’d braided the boys hair, recited the offical words and had welcomed him into the order. Anakin had barely sat still on the stool provided, but Obi-wan just smiled softly and redid strands that were uneven until the braid was finished.
Anakin had been playing with it as he’d said goodnight)
The bond was new, fresh, almost untapped until this point. Even with the emotions that the Jedi had felt in the back of his mind, he’d never felt anything this… horrific before.
In an instant he was out of bed and rushing to the source.
Kenobi tried to send a mixture of serenity and calm down their bond, but it didn’t slow down the waves of panic that seemed impossible to stop, even with his shields keeping them at bay.
Obi-wan burst into the room. Expecting an intruder to be holding Anakin knife point, instead he found Anakin curled into a ball in bed, shaking like a winters leaf and clutching onto his boney arms so fiercely that Obi-wan began to see a small hint of blood.
He flicked on the lights.
“Padawan-,” Obi-wan strided over his hand out ready for comfort. Instead he was met with terror, as Anakin flinched back violently, before seemingly realising his mistake and situating himself into a bow.
“I’ll be good! I promise! Please! Just don’t sell me back there! I don’t- just don’t- please!” Anakin spoke in a panicked tone, he was still shaking, but lesser now, and more controlled. Like he was forcing himself to try to stop but he just couldn’t.
Obi-wan stamped down any negative emotions that threatened to surface, they wouldn’t help. They’d only make Anakin more terrified.
The newly knighted Jedi crouched in front of the bed, matching Anakin's height. “Anakin I’m not going to sell you,”
Anakin looked up, tears in his eyes and some were running down his cheeks. “Really?”
A sudden and horrifying thought occurred to Obi-wan.
Did he know?
Did he fully and truly know he was free?
He was sure… Qui-gon would have told him but even then, the boy had spent most of his time in the temple having to call people master, and he doubted any of them had the time before to explain the difference between a slavers master and a Jedi master.
“Anakin I won’t sell you because I don’t want to sell you and because I can’t sell you. Anakin you’re free, you don’t belong to anyone. You aren’t going back anywhere unless you choose to,” Obi-wan wasn’t one for physical comfort, but his Padawan had already shown himself to be physically affectionate. So, hesitantly, giving a chance to back out in every second, Obi-wan rested his hand on Anakin's cheek.
Anakin snuggled into it, drooping his eyes with relief. Obi-wan’s heart broke at the sight of it.
“Did nobody explain this to you, young one?”
“Qui-gon did but… it’s just,” Anakin felt mortified, but Obi-wan only sent acceptance and as much care as he could muster down the bond. Letting him know that he was safe . “Sometimes I just have to call you master and it feels like I’m still on that stupid karking desert planet,”
He would usually chastise the language if not for the fact it was a delicate and tender moment. “Anakin, you don’t have to call me Master if you wish not to,”
“Are… are you sure?”
“Yes, Padawan, you do not have to call anybody Master if you don’t wish to,” Obi-wan, rubbed his thumb, wiping away one of Anakin's tears. “And if anyone tries to make you, then send them over to me, and I’ll set them straight,”
Anakin nodded, his lip wobbling as he did so. Before it seemed like something snapped into place as Anakin rushed forward into a hug, throwing himself onto the knight's chest, making them both topple over onto the floor.
His Padawan clung to him like a baby, whispering thank you, over and over again into the middle of his chest. Obi-wan sighed slightly, before rubbing the boys back in small circles.
The emotion radiating off of them was no longer sadness or fear, but relief and affection and warmth. Shining light a lantern and singing a soft lullaby to rock it’s children of the force to sleep.
Obi-wan let them both stay in that position for a few more minutes, before he was reminded of the time and forced himself to sit up, no matter how reluctantly he wished to stay on the floor. “Padawan, are you okay enough to go back to bed?”
Anakin’s fists clenched and he buried himself deeper into Obi-wan's chest.
“Anakin,” Obi-wan sighed. “We’re going to need to get off the floor,”
“Don’t leave,” Anakin mumbled.
“I won’t, as long as you don’t want to to leave,” Obi-wan reminded gently. Slowly, he lifted himself and Anakin up, before letting both of them fall back onto the bed with a flop. Anakin still wouldn’t let go, but now he was beginning to rather enjoy it.
(Obi-wan himself still wasn’t okay, he really wasn’t. He’d been dreaming of Qui-gon before Anakin had so rudely awoken him, and yesterday had felt like he was just waiting to fade away, but having Anakin… obviously care and want Obi-wan's comfort helped.
It helped.)
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Obi-wan asked as he used the force to plunge the room into darkness.
Anakin shook his head.
“It usually helps,”
(Obi-wan was such a hypocrite, he was keeping all his problems tight lipped, and yet here he was giving someone the advice he himself so desperately needed to listen to)
Anakin didn’t speak, and Obi-wan was afraid his Padawan had fallen asleep before being able to respond, but soft words swatted that thought away. “You… you said I wasn’t worth it, and you decided to sell me, back to Tatooine… And… you ripped off my braid…”
Oh small Gods.
Obi-wan had, admittedly, had nightmares similar to that. Even up to some of the later years of his apprenticeship.
(But for him, his worst nightmare had actually happened. For him, it had always been a threat in the back of Obi-wan’s mind since he’d been a Padawan. For him, the thought of his braid being ripped was something that on the worst days of his apprenticeship he steeled himself for.
For him it was a nightmare, but a possibility since the start. For Anakin it shouldn't have even been a thought.
Yet here they were)
“Padawan,” Obi-wan said as gently as he could speak, looking down at the boy just in case he glanced at the knights face for reassurance. “I’ll never, no matter what happens, throw you away, okay? I won’t sell you or disavow you, or leave if I can help it. That is a promise I will keep till the end of time,”
(The force whispered his words back, both as an oath and as an omen)
“You promise?”
“I promise,”
Anakin was the first to fall asleep. Safe and secure tucked up against Obi-wan. Obi-wan fell asleep a few minutes later, comforted by the feeling of love and security.
Neither were plagued with even the slightest hint of a nightmare that night.