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In the warmth of their bedroom, Anakin felt wonderfully drowsy but was unwilling to sleep just yet. Instead he listened to the soft sounds of the night-creatures beyond the window, the light streaming through it limning his partner’s skin pale as he traced constellations into the patches of his freckles. Obi-Wan’s hand came up to thumb the curve of Anakin’s lower lip, “Did I put that smile on your face, dear one?”
It widened at the question. “Yes.” He dropped his chin to Obi-Wan’s shoulder, looking up at him through his lashes. “I just love feeling you this way,” he tightened the tangle of their legs, “so relaxed and open.”
“Are you fishing for compliments, too?” he teased.
“No,” huffing a laugh, “not this time. Just, lately…” He brushed damp hair back from Obi-Wan’s face; maybe it was satisfaction that finally loosened his tongue. “You’ve been feeling more tucked away again.” So much so that it almost reminded him of his early days as a padawan.
Obi-Wan’s brows knit together, “I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“I wouldn’t say ‘worried,’ per se,” Anakin corrected lightly, his smile going lopsided, “More curious, maybe.”
A thoughtful hum, “I’ve just had a lot on my mind recently.”
Anakin’s lingering touch shifted so he could swipe his thumb across Obi-Wan’s forehead. “What else is new?” Tilting his head, “Are we going to talk about it?”
“We probably should,” Obi-Wan released a heavy sigh, “I was hoping to have figured things out a bit better for myself before we did.” Reluctantly he withdrew from Anakin, sitting up against his pillow.
“Maybe I can help,” giving an awkward half-shrug as he mirrored the position, “We’re always better together.”
Smiling despite himself, “True enough.” For a moment he said nothing, merely let his head fall back against the pillow to look at the ceiling. Then, “The shop’s been doing well.”
It wasn’t something he needed to tell Anakin; someone always needed something repaired and Anakin prided himself on his skill at it. “For a while now, yeah,” raising a brow, “Are you trying to change the subject?”
“More like working up to it,” Obi-Wan corrected with some humor. “The day-to-day there, for a while now...” he borrowed Anakin’s words, “Well, it’s been making me feel something I haven’t felt since I was very young.”
“Is,” laying a hand on Obi-Wan’s forearm, “that a good thing?”
“I hope so,” he admitted, “It didn’t end up so well, before.” Anakin’s wide eyes, the incline of his head, practically begged for more details, even if he didn’t voice any questions. “There was a mission, when I hadn’t been a padawan for very long—”
Anakin let out a low whistle; Obi-Wan snorted a laugh at the tease, “Yes, so very long ago, as I said.” Anakin could feel the memory rolling through the other man’s mind like a mist but didn’t peek, waited for him to continue on his own. “The situation on the planet was a complicated one,” he began eventually, “I fell in with the leaders of one of the factions—they were just about my age. I was moved by their cause, and a closeness grew between us.” His eyes closed briefly, moved by an old pain he wasn’t yet willing to fully share. After a steadying breath he continued, “Helping them felt meaningful. What I was meant to be doing, where I was supposed to be. They felt like...”
“Home?”
Obi-Wan almost looked relieved at the word, “Yes.” With an effort he met Anakin’s gaze. “So much so that, for a time, I left the Order to be with them.”
The significance of the detail, especially in that context, wasn’t lost on him; he gave Obi-Wan’s arm a little squeeze. “And working in the shop reminds you of when you were?”
“Yes,” he murmured again. “My time with a stubborn boy,” he pressed his shoulder to Anakin’s, “and a headstrong girl, who both meant the world to me.”
Anakin couldn’t help the sharp, sudden hope that struck his heart. “So what you’re saying is,” he clarified, because it was important, “Your feelings for Ahsoka have been—“
“Shifting, yes. Deepening.” This time he almost looked uncomfortable with the idea. Muttering, “It must look so unseemly…”
An indelicate noise, “Only if I had a problem with those feelings, maybe.” Clarifying again, “Which I don’t.”
“Yes, darling,” Obi-Wan gave a faint chuckle, “I know.” He laid his hand over Anakin’s where it rested on his arm, giving him a gentle smile. “I’ve known since Mandalore.”
Feeling the flush rise in his cheeks, Anakin didn’t let it stop him; he moved to straddle Obi-Wan’s lap and pressed on. “Then what’s so ‘unseemly’?” His tone communicated exactly how little he cared for the descriptor.
“She used to be in my care, Anakin,” came the flat reply, as if it should have been obvious.
“You—” he managed not to laugh, “You realize how silly that sounds to me, right?”
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “Yes, well, this may surprise you,” he revealed, “but I had a very similar conversation with myself before we embarked on any new stages, too.” Crossing his arms loosely over his chest, “You just weren’t privy to that one.”
“Gives me hope to know now, though,” Anakin leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to the other man’s lips, “Seeing as how we ended up here.”
“Incorrigible...” Obi-Wan murmured fondly.
“Very,” Anakin smirked, sitting back on his heels. “So then, did you have these feelings back then?” he asked, straightforward.
Eyes widening, “No—of course not!” Obi-Wan shook his head at the seeming-ridiculous suggestion. “This is all,” quieting again, “very new.”
“There you go,” he patted Obi-Wan’s shoulder, let his hand stay. “We’ve been through a lot together,” tilting his head consideringly, “Nothing unseemly at all about three grown sentients developing feelings for each other.”
Obi-Wan scoffed, raising a brow. “You sound so certain those feelings are reciprocated.”
“Well, I know how we feel. And, not to brag, but,” he rested his hands on his hips, lips tilting into another smirk, “I’m something of an expert on what people look like when they’re smitten with Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
The declaration earned a surprised bark of laughter and Anakin leaned in again, pressing his hands against the headboard. “We’ve got another trip soon,” he reminded, “Maybe we can bring it up then?”
Taking another steadying breath, Obi-Wan nodded.