Chapter Text
Obi-Wan liked his classes, even though he had to remind himself of that a few times before entering the classroom the second day. This poetry class only met twice a week so this was its first meeting and he had stayed up too late the night before rehearsing his introduction speech.
Which all went out the window the instant he saw Anakin Skywalker sitting in the back row, grinning.
Technically class hadn't started yet so he stormed up the steps and hit the table in front of Anakin. “What are you doing here?”
“I'm taking your introduction to poetry class.”
“You're in engineering,” Obi-Wan protested.
“I have another elective to fill,” Anakin said.
“This is why you still haven't graduated,” Obi-Wan muttered. “This is the first class I'm teaching on my own, you know that. Don't screw this up for me.”
“Have I ever screwed something up for you?” Anakin asked and if it wasn't only three minutes until Obi-Wan was going to be officially this classes' teacher, he would have started listing them out.
“This is a conflict of interest, you know,” Obi-Wan said.
“Please, like you don't blind grade your assignments.”
“You're my room mate,” Obi-Wan said.
Anakin just shrugged and with another look at the clock, Obi-Wan cursed, waving a finger in front of Anakin's nose. “Don't screw this up,” he repeated and stomped back down to the front of the classroom, trying to remember what he had been planning to say.
-0-
“This the the coolest,” Fives said, and Echo almost looked like he wanted to tell him to quiet down.
“We've been going to this school for four years already,” he said.
“Yeah, but,” Fives said, gesturing out. “We're grad students now. How cool is that?”
Cody finally looked at him from over the top of his book before his eyes slid over to Rex. “We were never like that, right?”
“No, we were mature, cynical and overworked coffee addicted grad students from day one,” Rex promised him.
“Good,” Cody said and went back to his book.
“It's the first day of classes,” Fives said. “Are you already reading for classes?”
“Second day,” Cody corrected. “And yes.”
“When you go to the bathroom with your book you'll know you're really in grad school,” Rex said and for the first time Five's expression dimmed slightly.
“You're kidding right?”
“No,” Rex said happily. “You cook one handed because the book is in the other, you take it everywhere with you...”
“Or your computer,” Cody added.
Echo was obviously trying not to laugh when he clapped Fives on the shoulder. “I need to head out or I'll be late. I'll see you tonight?”
“Yeah!” Fives said, already perking back up. “And I still can't believe you just went into math. What about loyalty and unity?”
“It's grad school, not our unit,” Echo said. “Besides, I like math. I know coding mostly is math too but I just like math, pure and simple and straightforward.”
“Math stopped being straightforward after trig,” Fives protested.
“Only if you don't understand it,” Echo said, backing away and waving before hitching his satchel more securely and taking off across campus at a trot.
“This is so great,” Fives said again.
“We hadn't noticed,” Rex said, watching Cody whose eyes had finally come back up over his book again, looking across the quad. Rex followed his gaze and sighed. “You know, I hear introducing yourself to people is a great way to meet them.”
“Fuck off,” Cody decided, going back to his book again.
-0-
“Why did you sign up for the class again?” Obi-Wan asked, deciding like he usually did there was not enough coffee in the world for him to deal with Anakin.
“Because I want to learn how to write poetry!”
“You could have just asked me!”
“I wouldn't get college credit for it just by asking you. And I need that elective.”
Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose. “I still think this is a conflict of interest. I need a TA for the class I'm TA-ing just to grade your papers.”
Anakin rolled his eyes. “Unlikely.”
Obi-Wan dodged some freshmen who were still starry-eyed and wandering around with their mouths hanging open. “Will this orientation fair ever end?”
“I think it's great,” Anakin declared.
“Because it gives you free stuff.”
“Hey, like you don't like free stuff too,” Anakin said. “Don't play coy with me, Kenobi. I know your nose for events with free food.”
“I'm a graduate student,” Obi-Wan sniffed. “It comes with the territory.”
“How's that thesis coming?” Anakin asked, because he knew for a fact Obi-Wan had almost torn his hair out several times over the summer and had barely progressed an inch.
“Don't make me cover your bed with something untasteful,” Obi-Wan said instead.
“Your threats are the worst and useless,” Anakin muttered and they were finally past the gauntlet of the orientation fair.
“No, they aren't,” Obi-Wan said as a girl ran past them, barely glancing over her shoulder as she knocked into Anakin.
“Sorry!” she said, not slowing.
“Hey!” Anakin said because his bag had been jostled and dumped out all over the ground. “Whoever you are, you owe me for that!”
Obi-Wan stared in resigned horror at the dozens of condoms that had gone spilling out on the ground. “Anakin,” he said. “What even.”
“They were free!” Anakin protested.
“This is embarrassing,” Obi-Wan said.
“Oh whatever, stuffy pants,” Anakin said. “Mr. poetry grad student who hasn't been laid in months, and I know, dude, I live with you.”
“You haven't either!” Obi-Wan said. “And I'm not the one desperate enough to pick up,” he did a few quick calculations. “Thirty free condoms from the sexual health table.”
“More like twenty-seven you heathen,” Anakin said, trying to shove them back into his bag.
“Do you need any help?” a voice from behind them asked, and they turned to find Padme standing there. “I saw your bag,” and she trailed off as she realized what Anakin was hastily shoving back in his bag. “Oh.”
“This isn't,” Anakin started.
Her eyes went up, stubbornly pretending not to see. “I haven't seen you yet this year. Did you have a good summer?”
“Great!” Anakin said with too much punch and if Obi-Wan didn't respect and like Padme so much, he would have been hiding his face behind one hand. “It was great!”
“Oh,” Padme said. “We should... catch up later. I have another class to go to already today...”
“Coffee!” Anakin said too loudly. “How about coffee sometime?”
“That would be nice,” she said with a smile and continued past them.
Anakin watched her go until she turned a corner. “I want to die.”
“This is entirely your own fault,” Obi-Wan said. “And frankly, you deserve it. Like karma or something.”
“I'm revoking your best friend status.”
“Technically, now I'm your teacher,” Obi-Wan said and drifted away.
“Fucker!” Anakin called after him. “At least we're still going out tonight, right?”
“Do I get a choice?” Obi-Wan called over his shoulder.
“Hell no!”
-0-
Obi-Wan plucked the glass out of Anakin's hands. “No more mixing alcohol for you.”
“I embarrassed myself so bad in front of Padme,” Anakin groaned, his head on the bar and Obi-Wan barely resisted the urge to bob his head in time to the pounding music. “My life is over.”
“I hate to remind you what you did last spring—”
“Actually, please don't,” Anakin said after a beat.
“She's still talking to you after that one,” Obi-Wan pointed out, eyes wandering over the club's floor. “So it could be worse.”
Anakin just groaned and Obi-Wan left him there, as the bartender had already promised Obi-Wan he would give Anakin no more drinks. “Quin, you are a life saver.”
“Damn straight I am.”
“What about you is straight?” Anakin asked, head on the bar.
“I'll have you know I have a girlfriend,” Quinlan Vos said primly.
“Last week it was a boyfriend,” Obi-Wan said as a parting shot before weaving through the crowd. He'd meant just to find the bathroom, but could feel eyes on him the whole way. When he came back out and joined Anakin again, he had another drink.
“I should cut you off too,” Quinlan said.
“I'm not mixing,” Obi-Wan said and honestly he had done much worse things than three drinks on a school night. “I'm sticking to whiskey.”
“How is that helping your case?”
“I've done worse?” Obi-Wan offered after some consideration.
“I cannot believe how you think you get away with lecturing me,” Anakin said, head still on the bar.
“Age and wisdom,” Obi-Wan said. “I'm the voice of reason and experience because I haven't died yet.”
“Right, it's that,” Anakin agreed. “For sure.”
Obi-Wan patted him on the shoulder and Anakin was drawn into a conversation with Quinlan, animatedly waving his hands around and raising his voice to be heard over the music. For a while it was amusing but Obi-Wan's mind started to drift.
Looking back across the club, he considered his options before pushing himself to his feet again, escaping Quinlan and Anakin's antics and wandering to a back corner, where a man was watching the dance floor.
“Do you ever regret the people that are your friends?” Obi-Wan asked, leaning on the wall next to him.
“All the time,” the man snorted and seemed to realize he was being asked by someone he'd never met. His eyes narrowed slightly.
“I've seen you around,” Obi-Wan said.
“Interesting way of introducing yourself,” the man replied and Obi-Wan almost resented the fact they were almost the same height but the other man was built solidly, with obvious muscles.
“It's been one of those sorts of nights,” Obi-Wan said. “And I hate to say your staring is obvious, except that it really is.”
“Oh,” the man said.
And Obi-Wan thought they said some other things, but it was a blur and entirely possible they hadn't. Because they were kissing and through the drinks and the pounding music and the fact they hadn't even introduced themselves, it seemed like a good idea.
They were kissing, Obi-Wan pressed back against the wall and his arms around the other man's neck, one leg pressed against his waist and it seemed like a brilliant idea. The man's desire had been obvious across the room and he tasted like fruity drinks that came with umbrellas in them.
It was nice to lose himself in the slide of tongues and the feel of rough hands on his hips.
“Cody!” a voice yelled behind them and Cody jerked his head back, Obi-Wan blinking. “Oh Jesus,” a man with bleached blond hair sighed. “I lose track of you for a few minutes.”
“It would have to have been more than a few,” Obi-Wan said and the man who must have been Cody grinned at him.
“Oh, great,” the bleached haired man sighed. “You're a snarky one.”
“Do you have a problem with snark?”
“No,” Cody said and the other just sighed.
“Not that I'm not proud of you,” he said, and Obi-Wan arched a brow at him. “But remember we had a curfew tonight? For the sake of the newbies and all that.”
“Right,” Cody said and his warm hands slid away from Obi-Wan's waist. He made a hurt sound of protest and heat flared in Cody's eyes.
“Obi-Wan!” and there was Anakin, a little unsteady on his feet. “Where the fuck—There you are,” and he blinked at Obi-Wan's companions. “You're not doing something ill-advised are you?”
“When have I ever?” Obi-Wan asked smoothly.
Anakin squinted at him. “You don't want me to answer that, right?”
Cody was grinning at him. “I think our friends both want us to go home.”
“Apparently,” Obi-Wan sighed and honestly would rather wrap his arms around that neck and draw him back in.
And just like that Cody was kissing him again, quick and devious because both the bleached blond and Anakin groaned. “See you later?”
“Sure,” Obi-Wan said.
“You are so not going to remember the sober,” Anakin said as Cody and the other left, Obi-Wan following them as they joined another cluster, one of who said something and threw his hands up.
Obi-wan thought of the swoop in his stomach and the feel of those hands and grinned. “If you say so.”