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Satine placed the back of her hand over her mouth, trying her hardest to stiffle a yawn that was simply begging to be let out. She managed to bite it back, just barely. She didn't think too much of it, she should be expecting another burst of energy any minute now, that should get her through her meeting with the Jedi Council anyway.
What was that about again?
Was it... clone citizenship! That was it.
Glancing down at her wrist chrono, Satine mentally calculated how much longer she would be able to successfully function before she passed out due to exhaustion. She still had plenty of time.
Now to try and remember her argument... clones... what was it again?
Right, the clones shared Mandalorian blood, therefore they could be considered citizens of Mandalore, and citizens of Mandalore should not be living in the Republic without their basic rights.
At least not if Satine had something to say about it.
She just needed to convince the Jedi Council to endorse her plea. She didn't see how they couldn't agree with her on this matter. Plenty of her good friends had already agreed to stand with her and the bill she was trying to bring forwards, Padmé, Kin, Bail, Mon, Riyo, and Garm to name a few. Of course, then there were the Kaminoan's and the Senators that didn't support the idea of the clones having autonomy. She didn't care much for them and their clearly hypocritical stances. How could one serve in the Republic Senate, of which slavery is outlawed, if they were still treating the clones as property.
Satine's head started to spin with anger... or maybe sleep deprivation.
Then the door she was waiting outside of cracked open, shining an aggressively bright stream of sunlight through the gap. It had her squinting against the harsh light, her nose scrunching a little in a way she normally wouldn't allow during a professional meeting. She also wouldn't normally be so tired that she felt unable to function... and strangely numb, as if she were having an out of body experience.
Still, pushing aside the odd way she was feeling, Satine stepped inside the council chambers, trying her hardest to look every bit the regal Duchess that she was. Which was surprisingly difficult to do when her memory felt so fuzzy, because there was really no other way to describe it... blurry?
"Your Grace?" Satine was snapped back to attention when the Jedi before her called her name.
"Pardon?" She asked the Korun master, trying to focus intently on what he'd just said to her.
"I was just saying that it is good to see you," The man told her with a quizzically stern look.
Satine nodded a tad more erratic than she normally would have.
"Right, yes, my apologies," She smiled at him, trying to regain some semblance of control over her attention span. "It is good to see you too, Master Window- Windu!" Satine's eyes bulged as she tried to correct her mistake."Windu, Master Windu, I am so sorry about that," She hurried to fix it.
Master Windu's frown deepened, Satine didn't know whether he was irritated or concerned at this point, which was strange for her, observing how people were feeling was normally a great skill of hers. So was eloquency, but apparently that was nowhere to be seen this day.
"It's fine," Mace raised a placating hand. "Now, onto the reason you're here."
"Right," Satine nodded thankfully, glad that he was willing to move past her embarrassing blunder. "The clones..."
—
Obi-Wan was deeply confused, and more than a tad concerned about his old friend... yes, friend. He knew Satine Kryze well enough to know that this was odd behaviour for her. And yet, it was a behaviour that he recognised all too well. Back then it had been nightmares keeping her awake, fueling her fear to close her eyes. Now it appeared to be this new bill that she was attempting to pass. Either way, he knew it couldn't end well.
"And if the bill does pass, the clones can be officially recognised as citizens of the Republic and of Mandalore," Satine was now saying. "Of course, that way, the men would be able to request a discharge if they no longer wish to fight in the war. This would all have become a problem for the Republic after the war anyway, so it is my understanding that many would be open to the idea of the Neutral Systems coming in to sweep the mess of paperwork off their desk."
Obi-Wan met the eyes of Kit Fisto and Depa Billaba, both of whom he'd been friends with for years. The two knew very well of his past with Satine, even teasing him before the Duchess had arrived at the Temple that day. Now though, the two looked between his eyes and the Duchess, both visibly concerned about the woman's presence in the force.
Satine's force signature was something that Obi-Wan had become very intimately aware of, once being able to pick up on almost every change to her mood, his own force signature having become entwined with hers on multiple occasions too. She was possibly the person that knew him best now that Qui-Gon was gone. They'd shared things with each other that Obi-Wan had never spoken of to another sentient, she was someone who he felt completely comfortable and at peace with. Which was why he noticed the changes so drastically. And if others could pick up on it too, well... there must be a problem then.
It was shaky, fatigued, yet momentarily energetic in the same way as a sugar rush, it was something that couldn't last. Her normally strong presence of beskar was warped and weak, a word Obi-Wan had never thought to attribute to such a woman as she.
Finally, Plo Koon voiced the question they all seemed to be thinking.
"Are you feeling well today, Your Grace," The Kel Dor wondered allowed, his kind voice carrying across the room. "If you don't mind me asking."
"Yes, perfectly well," Satine answered just a second too late for it to seem natural.
Obi-Wan wasn't buying it for even a second, neither was anyone else in the room. He wondered for a moment if this was something he could sit back on and just allow her to take care of herself. But that was the problem, she wasn't taking care of herself. So he wasn't going to tiptoe around her.
"When was the last time you got any sleep?" Obi-Wan popped out with, disregarding any formalities without even noticing it. She was just so familiar to him that he often forgot he was supposed to call her Your Grace.
"Hm?" Satine hummed her question while squinting at him leading Obi-Wan to believe that his question hadn't even registered in his mind.
"Sleep," Obi-Wan said in a condescending tone of voice. "It's something that most sentients do when they close their eyes at night. It gives their brain some time to recharge so that they can function like a regular member of society."
"I know what sleep is, shebs'palon," Satine glared at him, slipping into her native tongue without realising.
"Really?" Obi-Wan continued to patronise the woman, unable to help himself. "I somehow find that incredibly difficult to believe."
"You are so judgy, do you know that?" Satine asked him with a huff that Obi-Wan just found positively adorable.
"You have mentioned it once or twice," Obi-Wan shrugged as if it were difficult for him to recall, biting back a smile as he did so.
"Well it's true, honestly how has someone not punched you in that judgemental face of yours yet?" Satine asked him.
"Oh, they have, why do you think I grew the beard?" Obi-Wan joked. "It's my protective gear to combat all the physical violence my jaw goes through."
"It is good to know that it at least has a functional purpose, because apart from that it's really not doing you any favours," Satine sniped back with a glare before muttering under her breath a soft, "Jagyc'kovid."
Obi-Wan heard a few muffled laughs from around the council chambers and tried to make a note of where it was coming from. He didn't even have to look to know that it was mostly Kit, Plo and Depa, he just knew. He also had a feeling that Master Yoda and even Mace Windu were smiling to themselves. He could clearly see that both Shaak and Ki-Adi were smiling from where he sat in the room.
"You know, I've forgotten how mean you get when you're tired," Obi-Wan pointed out, only mildly annoyed in the knowledge that Depa and Kit were never letting him live this down. And they were definitely going to tell Luminara and Quinlan, he just knew it.
"I'm merely being honest, Obi-Wan, it's no fault of mine that you still have such a fragile ego even to this day," Satine shrugged. "And I'm not tired!" She added as an afterthought.
"Right," Obi-Wan drew the word out. "Then when was the last time you got any sleep?"
Satine opened her mouth to presumably retort when she stopped herself and looked off in thought. Then she pulled back blinking and looked to be counting on her fingers.
"It's not that long ago," Satine said in a far-off voice that Obi-Wan knew meant she was lying.
"How long?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Somewhere around the fourty-two hour mark," Satine shrugged all nonchalant.
"Good gods, woman!" Obi-Wan exclaimed in shock. "Do you honestly have a death wish of some kind, because having known you as long as I have it's starting to seem as though you're trying to get yourself killed," Obi-Wan pointed out in spite of himself, unable to restrain himself in the presence of the other Jedi.
Oh well, they all seemed rather amused by it. Even Mace.
"You are one to talk," Satine scoffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest defensively. "When was the last time you got any sleep, hm?"
"Four hours ago," Obi-Wan answered simply.
In Satine's defense, he hadn't slept for a full twenty-four hours before that. That was usually the longest he went without sleep anyway. Unlike Satine, Obi-Wan's workaholic tendencies still allowed him to get at least three to four hours of sleep a night. Satine on the other hand would just keep going until she eventually crashed. Neither was particularly healthy, but Obi-Wan had a feeling his was slightly better. He was glad that Ahsoka had forced him to get those seven blissful hours once they'd returned from their last mission, otherwise Satine would have been able to back-up her point.
As it stood...
"Oh," Satine muttered, frowning again, stirring something in Obi-Wan's chest and making him want to grin from ear to ear.
He didn't. Instead he decided to send her away before she passed out in front of the entire council.
"Exactly," He said just a little bit smug. "Now please, for the love of the force, go and get some rest before you collapse where you're standing."
He hoped to have veiled his true concern for her, but judging by the sly grins on Depa and Kit's faces he doubted it.
"Absolutely not," Satine stated adamantly. "I don't have time for that, I have a million other things that need to be done before I even consider that, starting with this bill that involves the liberation of your men, so I would assume that you would agree that is much more important, which it very clearly is. Besides I still have," Satine glanced at her wrist chrono. "Around seven hours until I start hallucinating, and I intend to get plenty of work done before that happens," Satine said, almost daring him to stop her from going through with her crazy plan. "So if you're quite done interrupting me with your questions-"
"Technically Plo interrupted you first," Obi-Wan interjected.
"Must you always have the last word?" Satine spoke through gritted teeth, willing herself to stay calm in a familiar way.
"Yes," Obi-Wan responded casually with a wide-eyed innocence that he knew drove her up the wall.
"You are the most infuriating person I have ever had the displeasure of meeting, do you know that?" Satine asked him while he stood up from his seat and began to cross the room towards her. "Honestly every word out of your mouth just makes me want to strangle you. You are quite possibly the most insufferable chakaar in the galaxy, you're..." Satine cut herself off when he arrived right in front of her. "What are you doing?"
"Me?" Obi-Wan pointed to himself. "Oh, nothing," He lifted his hand into the air. "Just do me one favour, look here for a moment."
"What?" Satine followed his hand up and watched as it crossed over her face.
"Sleep," He said quietly and a moment later her eyes had dropped shut and she fell limp. Force suggestion, his master had used it on him plenty of times, a common trick used in the crèche when the younglings refused to go to bed.
Obi-Wan was quick to wrap an arm around her waist, holding her up in an attempt to keep her from hitting the cold floor, brain damage certainly wasn't any better than sleep deprivation. Trying to ignore the quickening in his heartbeat due to her proximity -it just made him feel so childish- Obi-Wan quickly adjusted his grip on her until she was lifted into his arms, one hand supporting her back and the other hooked under her knees. He had a feeling that, were she awake, she would make a comment about her reservations in his ability to carry her this way without dropping her. Which he was very capable of doing, he just happened to drop her one time, one damned time.
Again, ignoring the way her head rested against his chest in the most gut-wrenchingly familiar way, Obi-Wan turned to the rest of the council, ready to handle this situation like the most mature and responsible man on Coruscant.
"You'll have to excuse me for just a moment," Obi-Wan addressed them in an oddly professional tone of voice for a man with an unconscious noble lady cradled against his chest. "I'll just take care of this," He nodded his head down at the beautifully slumbering Duchess in question. "And I will be back in a few minutes."
"Yeah, I bet you will," Depa muttered with a smirk, loud enough for most -if not all- of the other council members around her to pick up on it.
"Depa!" Obi-Wan glared at her.
Kit's immediate reaction was to choke on a laugh at the deep scowl on Obi-Wan's face. Yoda himself giggled a little bit while Mace decided to take the more admonishing route.
"Padawan!" He warned her lowly.
"Sorry, master," Depa said sounding anything but, still grinning at Obi-Wan like this was her favourite thing to ever have happened.
"Go ahead, Obi-Wan," Mace nodded towards the door.
"Thank you," Obi-Wan nodded at his former masters best friend, turning towards the door and carrying Satine down the corridor, trying his hardest not to notice how peaceful and perfect she looked while she was asleep.
He wasn't doing a very good job at it.
In his defence, it was surprisingly distracting. The creases of worry that would normally make themselves known between her brows had softened out leaved only pale smooth skin in it's wake. And her jaw was relaxed too, normally clenched with frustration or some other emotion. The tension that was usually present throughout her body had managed to disappear -almost- while she slept.
It was very distracting.
—
Returning to the council chambers, Obi-Wan should have been expecting the reception he would be receiving. He should have known, and yet, he was still surprised when Kit and Depa were grinning like gundarks.
"Terribly sorry about that," Obi-Wan said while approaching his seat. "Did-"
"Where's the Duchess?" Kit asked him, not even trying to hide his grin.
"She's asleep in mine and the padawans quarters," Obi-Wan gave Kit a look as he said it, daring him to say something about it.
As for his and the padawans, well they were his padawans, Anakin would forever be his little padawan, and Ahsoka was his padawan in everything but name. He loved them both so much, but by god's if they weren't incredibly annoying and invasive. He could already picture the teasing he would recieve now from the both of them since Anakin and Ahsoka had recently become closer to Satine due to her working with them on this new bill.
That was a trio he was assuredly not ready for.
"I've left a note for Anakin and Ahsoka, but the chances that they actually read it are about fifty-fifty," Obi-Wan took his seat. "Besides once the Duchess wakes up she'll probably rush back in here in an attempt to finish all her work like a deranged person," Which she was, and he loved her so much for it. "Now, did I miss much?"
He kept trying to convince himself that he was only trying to save her the trip when she eventually woke up and wanted to finish her meeting, he knew her well enough to know that it was exactly what she'd do. Which he was, that was the primary reason for his decision to let her commandeer his quarters. Still, some part of him just wanted to be able to look at her for one moment, curled up on his bed, under his blanket, with her lavender and lily scented hair sprawled across his pillow, mixing with the sandalwood smell of his own shampoo, and just pretend for a moment. He could pretend that this was their life, waking up every morning next to her, falling asleep next to her warm body every time, wrapping his arms around her and feeling so completely loved that it actually hurt.
But wishful thinking was all that was. That wasn't his reality, and it probably never would be.
So pushing that aside, Obi-Wan adjusted himself in his seat to sit more comfortably while Mace spoke to him.
"No we decided to wait fo-"
"So did you read her a bedtime story?" Depa interrupted her former master, something nobody else in the room would ever dare trying.
"Depa!" Mace gave a look while many in the room attempted to hide badly concealed giggles. Even Mace himself struggled with keeping a straight face.
"I'm just curious," She shrugged with a falsely innocent look on her face.
"Did you tuck her in, huh?" Kit teased, meeting Depa's hand in between their chairs and giving her a high five.
Obi-Wan watched them with an unamused look on his face, looking just as tired with their antics as he actually was.
"No, Kit, I did not tuck her in," Obi-Wan answered, willing his beard to also protect him from openly blushing in front of his friends and colleagues. "Now if we could just get back to the matter at hand here-"
"Did you give her a kiss goodnight?" Depa interrupted him with wiggling eyebrows.
Now the laughs were no longer concealed, they were all very openly amused. Particularly Master Yoda, Shaak and Plo. Good for them, great, it was just what Obi-Wan needed today.
He was so going to murder Depa and Kit after this, so let them laugh it up now and enjoy their last few hours.
Nevermind the fact that he actually did give Satine a kiss goodnight. Just a quick press of his lips to her forehead as he tried to pretend that this was their normal. A quick peck while he still -hopelessly- tried to convince him that they were just friends.
"No, Depa, I did not give her a kiss goodnight," Obi-Wan glared. "Now, can we please get back to-"
"You know, I like her," Depa said again. "It's normally impossible to argue with you and come even close to winning, but the Duchess really does seem to give you a run for your credits."
"Look at that, Obi-Wan," Kit grinned at his friend. "You've met your intellectual soulmate."
"Will the two of you ever shut up," Obi-Wan groaned, trying not to react because he knew that was what they wanted. But they made it so damn hard.
The two of the just laughed.
"Enough, that is," Yoda interrupted the laughing Jedi, which was well more than half the council at this point.
Everyone, of course, stopped laughing once Yoda began to speak, that did nothing for the sly grins though. Still, Obi-Wan was glad that Master Yoda had said something. At least, until he actually opened his mouth.
"Enough teasing, that is," He told them with a cheeky grin at Obi-Wan, his warning that he really shouldn't feel safe now. "Our business, Master Kenobi and his girlfriend, are not."
At once the laughter resumed. Obi-Wan was not amused. Not at all.
—
Anakin and Ahsoka rolled into their shared quarters later that day, tired from the hours of sparring they had done earlier.
"Hey, Skyguy, do you know where Obi-Wan is?" Ahsoka asked while she rooted through the cabinets in search of food.
"Yeah, I think he said he was gonna keep an eye on Padawan Dume for Master Billaba earlier, I don't know if that's still the pla-" Anakin had just sat down on the couch when he noticed a piece of flimsi sitting on the counter.
Picking up to page, Anakin recognised it as his master's aggressively neat and tidy handwriting. Honestly it looked as though it had been done by a droid.
"What's that?" Ahsoka asked, peeking over his shoulder to get a look, always the nosey one, not that Anakin could say much.
"It looks like a note from Obi-Wan," Anakin muttered, reading the note aloud. "Anakin, Ahsoka, please keep the volume down when you arrive home. I'll be in time to make dinner so you needn't worry about that, yeah 'cause we all know how well you did that last time, Snips."
"Shut up," Ahsoka punched him in the shoulder. "I did a fine job with dinner."
"You almost burnt down the kitchen," Anakin pointed out. It felt good -albeit ridiculously immature- to rub it in her face how superior he was when to came to cooking. Which he oddly was, it shocked Obi-Wan and Padmé when they first realised how comfortable he was in the kitchen. He'd even taught Obi-Wan a few things.
"Just keep reading," Ahsoka huffed, rolling her eyes at him.
"Whatever you say, Snips," Anakin laughed, but continued with the note all the same. "Please make sure that Ahsoka finishes her coursework for this term tonight, we have three days leave starting next week and I wish to do something during it."
"Aw," Ahsoka smiled over his shoulder. "Obi-Wan wants to plan a holiday with us."
"Are you gonna keep talking or can I finish reading the note that you so desperately claim you wish to see?" Anakin asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You are in such a mood today," Ahsoka laughed at him. "Let's hope this holiday manages to loosen you up a bit and pull that ten foot pole out of your ass."
"Anyway," Anakin glared at his padawan. "And do me a favour and stay out of my room, thank you, Obi-Wan."
Both of their heads instantly turned in the direction of his door and they looked at it in silence.
"Why do you think he wants us to stay out?" Ahsoka asked Anakin with a scrunched face of confusion.
"I don't know," Anakin glanced at her and then back to the door. "He's never really specified it before, I thought it was just a given that we weren't supposed to go in there."
"Yeah, but did that ever actually stop you?" Ahsoka asked him with a raised tattoo in the place where an eyebrow would be.
"Absolutely not," Anakin smirked to himself. "Sometimes I'd just walk in there, stand in the middle of the room, look around for a few seconds, and walk right back out."
"You are compulsively defiant," Ahsoka shook her head in disapproval, still staring a hole though the door.
"As if you're not the exact same way," Anakin said smugly.
"Yeah, you're right," Ahsoka looked at him with mischief in her eyes. "I am."
Anakin knew exactly what that look meant and a crooked grin slipped across his face when he realised what that meant.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" He asked her, nodding his head in the direction of the door.
"Of course I am, I thought of it before you did."
—
Satine stirred a little as she felt herself being pulled from the darkness of sleep. She distantly felt the softness of a blanket over her shoulders and the absence of her hairpiece. She must have finally gone back to her apartment to get some sleep when she finished her meeting with the Jedi Council. For the life of her, she couldn't recall how how that meeting had gone. She hoped it went well. Oh, well, she may as well get up now that her brain was awake and seemingly well rested, well... well enough. So, lifting a hand to rub the sleep from her eyes, Satine propped herself up on her elbow. She cracked her eyes open just a little, preparing herself to face the harsh sunlight that streamed through her bedroom windows each morning. She had a feeling that she'd forgotten to close the curtains that night -or was it morning?- since she couldn't recall even going to bed.
But she didn't find that, instead she found herself in a curtain drawn room that she wasn't familiar with at all (well aside from the oddly familiar smell of sandalwood). Not only that, but there was a pair of wide Togrutan eyes staring at her from barely two feet away.
Satine jolted a moment, still not fully comprehending where she was.
"Hi Duchess," The crouching girl smiled at her. "Sorry for scaring you."
"It's, um, it's fine," Satine stammered out, taking a breath as she recognised that it was Ahsoka before she took to glancing around the room.
The room was rather barren, there were virtually no personal effects whatsoever. And standing just by the door with what could only be described as a shit-eating grin was none other than Anakin Skywalker.
Where in the hells was she?
"So, if you don't mind me asking," Ahsoka began, pulling Satine's attention back to her. "What are doing in Master Kenobi's bed?"
Satine's brain stopped working for a second. What? She was where? Why? How did she get here? She had a million questions, and the padawan and master clearly seemed to have their own thoughts on the matter, although they at least kept their mouths shut about it.
Just when Satine had opened her mouth to ask how she got here, the front door hissed open and footsteps could be heard entering the trio's quarters.
"Anakin, Ahsoka, I'm home," Obi-Wan's Coruscanti voice called from outside the room. "Where are you two?"
Anakin's grin widened, he looked like a child who'd just won a treat.
"We're in your room," Anakin called back while Ahsoka struggled to contain her laughter.
Immediately, Obi-Wan's footsteps quickened as he approached the open door. In a matter of seconds he was now standing in the doorway with widened eyes and a reddened face.
"Hi, master," Anakin smiled at him, the picture of innocent. "Do you have something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?"
Satine met Obi-Wan's eyes from across the room and she could see the silent apology in his eyes. If the situation wasn't so incredibly awkward she probably would have smiled back to let him know that he wasn't alone in that assessment.
—
Obi-Wan could fix this, he knew he could fix this. He was smart, he could worm his way out of this, not that there was really anything to worm out of.
"What are you two doing in here?" Obi-Wan straightened up and tried to will away his blush.
"I think the better question is what the Duchess is doing here," Anakin looked like he was having a field day with this.
"Not that we don't like having you here, Satine," Ahsoka assured her with a bright smile. "You know we love your company, it's just a surprise, but not a bad one."
Obi-Wan knew how right Ahsoka was in her statement, both with it being a surprise and about his padawans loving her company. It only made their constant teasing that much more exhausting. It seemed that all of Obi-Wan's friends loved Satine, which only made them annoy him about them being together all the more. It was infuriating.
But on another level it made him strangely happy to know that his family loved her as much as he did.
Still annoying though.
"Ahsoka have you finished your coursework?" Obi-Wan completely ignored Anakin's question.
"Um, almost," Ahsoka smiled at him, looking like a little tooka.
It made him want to positively melt, gods his kids were adorable. But he had to stay strong, he needed to get the padawans out of his way so that he could talk to Satine.
"Go," He nodded his head out of the room. "It had better be done before dinner."
"Can Satine come to dinner?" Ahsoka asked innocently, but Obi-Wan was almost certain that he'd seen her wink at Anakin. Those little motherfu- "I mean she's already here," Ahsoka turned to Satine. "Only if you want to of course, but we'd love to have you, right Obi-Wan?"
"Coursework," Obi-Wan simply pointed to the door.
"Fine," Ahsoka grumbled. "Bye Satine, I hope to see you at the dinner table in a bit."
Before she drifted out the door the Togrutan made sure to flash Satine her baby tooka look, and by the look of Satine's face it was working.
"So now that Ahsoka's gone, can I just ask-"
"No, out," Obi-Wan interrupted Anakin, pointing to the door. "Now."
Anakin looked as though he was about to protest when a realisation fell on his face, looking between the two adults in the room.
"Alright," Anakin began walking backwards out the door. "I'll just give you two your alone time."
"Anakin-"
"I'll see you both at dinner," Anakin grinned, hitting the control panel on his way out, closing the door behind himself.
Obi-Wan let out a sigh as he watched the door shut, slowly turning to face Satine. Now that the children were gone the silence felt heavy, weighing them both down. He figured he should be the one to break it.
"Um," He cleared his throat, moving closer to where Satine sat in his bed, a perfect picture if there ever was one. "How- how are you feeling?"
"Good," Satine answered softly, seemingly unwilling to break eye contact. "I feel good."
"Good," Obi-Wan arrived at the bed and took a tentative seat beside her on the mattress.
It was painfully awkward. Obi-Wan figured he may as well just rip the band aid off.
"I hope you don't mind that I brought you here," Obi-Wan said, maintaining eye contact with her despite the fact that his mind was screaming for him to look away out of embarrassment. "It made the most sense at the time since it was relatively close and I figured that you'd want to go right back to the council room once you were rested, and-"
"The meeting!" Satine grabbed Obi-Wan's arm with wide eyes. "I- I was supposed to get an endorsement from the council, and I had to meet with Senator Clovis and the Banking Clan, and I had to-"
"Satine, calm down," Obi-Wan moved his hands to hold her upper arms. "It's fine, I've dealt with it."
Satine's shoulders immediately fell, some of the earlier tension simply slipping away to make way for her confusion.
"What?" She asked him.
"I spoke with Padmé, she has some leniency when it comes to Senator Clovis, she was able to reschedule your meeting with him and the Banking Clan for tomorrow afternoon," Obi-Wan explained, absentmindedly brushing his thumb back and forth over her arm. "And I handled the meeting with the council. We were always going to endorse your idea anyway. The meeting was just for formalities so no one would assume you were getting special treatment due to your past ties with the Jedi Order," Which she wasn't, it was a good idea, and the clones deserved their freedom.
Satine face softened at that, a meaningful spark alighting in her bright blue eyes. "You did that?"
"Well Padmé is really the one to thank for convincing Clovis to-" Obi-Wan stopped talking when a slender finger pushed itself against his lips.
"Thank you," Satine smiled warmly at him. "And I feel that I also owe you an apology for earlier," Satine's finger fell from his lips, but still rested against his face. "I shouldn't have been so short with you, I- I was cranky," She smiled, running her fingers through his facial hair and cupping his jaw. "And I'm sorry about my comments on the beard, it does you plenty of favours."
Obi-Wan looked away now, blushing a little, but leaning into her touch all the same. He couldn't quite explain the hold she had on him, even after all these years. Every time he thought he'd managed to get over her she merely had to look in his direction and he fell in love all over again.
"Of course, I still think it's a shame that you cover up that handsome face of yours," Satine teased him lightly. "But the beard isn't so bad, it's sort off... endearing."
"Endearing?" Obi-Wan asked her with a smirk and a quirked brow, letting his eyes shut against her touch.
"Yes, endearing," Satine smiled at him, brushing her thumb against his cheek.
Just as he had begun to relax at her touch, Obi-Wan felt her pull her hand away from him. Obi-Wan cracked his eyes open to look at her, finding her watching him with a regretful smile.
"What's wrong?" Obi-Wan asked her.
"Thank you for everything that you've done for me today," Satine told him. "You know how stubborn I can be sometimes, and I didn't even realise how much I needed that rest, sometimes it seems like you know me better than I even know myself," Satine huffed a little laugh. "But I should probably go."
"Right," Obi-Wan agreed. "You're right."
Neither of them moved though, both still remaining seated on the bed. Obi-Wan, feeling uncharacteristically bold, looked her in the eyes with a question. He couldn't place the change, maybe it was seeing her here in his room looking like she belonged, maybe it had something to do with the realisation that his family adored her, maybe it was the fact that she adored them right back, maybe it was the council teasing him about her. Obi-Wan truly didn't know what changed, but he knew he wanted these moments, and who was to say that he couldn't have them.
"Or," Hesitantly, Obi-Wan leaned closer to rest his head against Satine's in another achingly familiar show of affection. His nose brushed against her's so lightly that it could have been blamed on the wind. "You could stay."
Obi-Wan took note of the quiet gasp and the way her eyelids fluttered, not knowing whether to close and give in or remain open and walk away. Hoping to make her decision a little easier, Obi-Wan brushed the back of his fingers across her rose dusted cheek and allowed his hand to gently cradle her jaw.
"At least," He nudged her nose with his own a few times, noting the way she brushed back with a smile of her own. "Until after dinner?" He backed up a little to give a raised eyebrow look of question, one that made her giggle, something he hadn't seen her do in the company of anyone else. It might seem silly, but it made him feel special, it was one of the many things that they could only share with each other. "The kids seem to be looking forward to having you there after all."
"Really, Obi?" Satine laughed and shook her head. "You're using your padawans to try and guilt me into staying for dinner?"
"That depends," Obi-Wan shrugged with a laugh, brushing her hair behind her ear, the same hair that he'd let down earlier that day when he was trying to ensure that she could rest comfortably. "Is it working?"
"Yes," Satine admitted with a smile. "But it was working before that, too."
Slowly, she leaned closer to him, pressing a kiss to his bearded cheek, just about touching the corner of his mouth, pulling back with a smile and a silent invitation.
"I would love to stay for dinner," Satine lowered her head and looked up at him through her eyelashes, playing with the blanket in her hands.
She looked perfect sitting there, and a tad embarrassed which was simply lovely for Obi-Wan to watch. He knew in that moment that he had to kiss her, and so he did.
Well... he tried.
He moved closer to her until they sat almost chest to chest. He curled his hand around the back of her head, carding his fingers through her hair. He smiled at her and slowly moved closer to her, barely a breath away from her lips. It was perfect, everything that had lead up to that moment was so unnecessarily complicated and messy, but it felt fitting for them. With the setting sun streaming in through the cracks in the blinds, painting her in such a beautiful hue, likely silhouetting them against the backdrop of it's light, it just felt right. He was just about to lean in that last inch to press his lips to hers...
And then she yawned.
It was an admittedly adorable yawn, like a little tooka waking up from a nap, but now really wasn't the time for that. Or maybe it was exactly the time, timing had never really been their thing anyways.
"Okay, wow," The two started laughing while Obi-Wan pulled his head back. "If I'm boring you, you could have just said so."
"No!" Satine tried to argue, but she couldn't stop herself from laughing. "That's not it."
"No," Obi-Wan lifted his hands away from her and leaned back with a petulant look on his face. "Clearly my affection just isn't enough to keep you interested any more."
Ever the actions over words Mandalorian, Satine pushed off the mattress from where she sat and launched herself into his arms, pressing his back into the mattress and kissing him with fervent passion, twining her fingers in his hair, messing it up, not that Obi-Wan cared.
He followed her lead, curling his arms around her back and holding her flush against him while he enjoyed every second of her lips on his.
Finally pulling away to take a heavy breath in, Satine rested her forehead against Obi-Wan's. "I happen to find you plenty interesting," She backed up her point with another kiss to his lips, smiling against him with that infectious grin of hers.
Obi-Wan regretfully pulled away to look at her for just a minute, his concern leaving him unable to just enjoy her kisses.
"What are you doing?" Satine asked him, narrowing her weary eyes at him.
"You're still tired," He observed, running his hand back across her cheek.
"No more than normal," Satine shrugged, twirling the short hairs of his beard around her fingers.
"Still," Obi-Wan stood up, lifting Satine along with him, who made a small noise of surprise at being moved so unexpectedly. He walked around the bed to pull the covers back up, sliding under them with Satine still leaning against his chest. "I would feel better knowing that you were properly rested, and we have some time before dinner anyway."
"So you want to take a nap with me before dinner?" Satine asked him with a grin, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth with a laugh. "How perfectly domestic of you."
"What can I say, my dear," He shrugged, kissing her again on the forehead, watching the way her nose scrunched in time with it. "You make me do crazy things."
"You are so dramatic," Satine rolled her eyes at him, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Goodnight, Obi."
Obi-Wan let out a content sigh at the way she nuzzled her head against the crook of his neck, relishing in the way she slotting against him like a perfect puzzle piece for just a moment before he placed another kiss amongst her soft blonde waves.
"Sweet dreams, darling," Obi-Wan mumbled against her head.
He really hoped they would be sweet, he knew what it was like for her to get nightmares. He wished for a peaceful rest for the two of them, willing the force to give them just these few moments.
And who was the force to say no to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
—
"And done," Ahsoka pushed her datapad away and reclined back casually on the couch in their living room. "Finally finished, thank the gods, I never thought I'd be finished with that."
Anakin walked across the room and deposited himself down on the couch beside her. Ahsoka immediately leaned against him, snuggling her head against his shoulder.
"So where do think Obi-Wan is taking us?" Ahsoka asked him.
"Mandalore," Anakin laughed, leaning his head atop Ahsoka's.
"You know, I wouldn't actually mind that," Ahsoka smiled to herself. "I like Satine. And I haven't seen Korkie in a while either."
"Hey, who know, maybe he'll bring her on the trip with us," Anakin shrugged with a smirk.
"Wait, really?" Ahsoka jolted up with an excited smile on her face.
"Snips I was kidding," Anakin laughed.
"Oh," Ahsoka melted back into the couch. "Well he still might."
"Maybe," Anakin smirked, standing up and walking back over to stir the food, which smelled amazing, not that Ahsoka would ever tell Anakin that.
Turning around, kneeling on the couch so that she could lean over the back of it, Ahsoka watched Anakin stir the pot.
"What do you think they're doing in there?" She asked him.
"Trying not to think about it," Anakin grimaced.
"Don't be gross," Ahsoka chucked an aptly named throw pillow across the room at him. "Not that, I mean do you think I should set the table for four or for three?"
Anakin paused his stirring to look at the hope on Ahsoka's face. She could tell he wanted to say four, but knowing Obi-Wan as the practical stickler he was, it was really a toss up.
"I don't know, Snips," Anakin answered honestly. "But listen, even if she doesn't stay for dinner it doesn't mean that they're on bad terms."
"I know that, master," Ahsoka rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not a youngling who's trying to force their divorced parents to fall back in love."
"Aren't we both?" Anakin asked her with a cheeky grin.
"Okay, maybe a little," Ahsoka gave in, glancing back at the door with curiosity aching in her gut. "You know what, I'm just gonna check."
"Your funeral," Anakin wiped his hands in his dish towel and threw it over his shoulder, focusing his attention back on his bubbling stew.
Tentatively, Ahsoka approached the door, hoping that Anakin's first guess as to what they were doing had been wrong. Ghosting her hand over the control panel, she watched the door to Obi-Wan's room slide open, and a door shaped rectangle of light lit up like a path leading from the door to the bed. Following said path with her eyes, Ahsoka found Obi-Wan lying on his back with his arms wrapped around the Duchess, who was resting on his chest. They both had their eyes shut, asleep Ahsoka realised upon further inspection into their force signatures.
She couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face when she closed the door and headed back to kitchen. She felt giddy for some strange reason, maybe Anakin was right about the longing for a big happy family, the Jedi Order certainly did leave a cavity in that arena.
"You look happy," Anakin observed over the stove with a grin himself. "Have mother and father fallen back in love?" He teased her, earning himself an eye roll. "Four plates?"
"Four plates," Ahsoka smiled back.
The joke was on him, Ahsoka knew they'd never fallen out of love to begin with.