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They lay on the ground, the sunbeams keeping them warm in the breezy evening. Satine was resting her head on his chest, rubbing circles with her thumb across his arm. It was a habit of hers, to rub circles on whatever surface she touched, whether that was the fabric of her dress or a wooden bench where they would stop to rest or the palm of his hand when they thought Qui-Gon wasn’t looking.
He knew, of course. Master Qui-Gon was no fool, despite how often he might appear that way. The knowing looks he gave Obi-Wan when he assigned him to stay with Satine as the older Jedi went to restock supplies or ensure a new town was safe, were enough proof of that.
Recently, though, the young couple had been less than careful. In the small hotel of a remote town, he and Satine were told to stay inside while his master would restock on food and medical supplies -they were almost out of both. After weeks of traveling, the soft mattress of the hotel bed seemed too good to be true, so the Jedi and the duchess made the most of it. Neither thought to prepare an explanation for when Qui-Gon returned and found them making out in disarranged bedsheets.
He had been surprisingly understanding, with his only remarks being “it was about time” and “just don’t end up with a baby, we have enough troubles already”. Which was awkward, sure, but at least he was supportive.
Now his master was setting up camp near a river they’d come by. Usually he would insist on their help, but today he just let them be, for which Obi-Wan was grateful. The young Jedi watched as the wind caressed Satine’s face, shuffling her hair. He moved some strands away from her closed eyes, because he knew few things annoyed her more than her hair getting tangled on her face due to the wind. When she remained utterly still, he reached into the force to get a better reading of her.
Oh. She was asleep. Of course, he should have figured that out when her fingers had stopped tracing his arm.
She had been very tired lately, since she insisted on taking night shifts just like the rest of them. At first Qui-Gon had thought this a foolish idea, as having the duchess awake and both of her protectors asleep would only aid any possible attackers. But Satine had insisted that it was only fair to share the shifts, and now every other dusk she spent half the night awake. The Jedi sometimes took whole-night guard shifts, which they could handle with a bit of extra meditation.
But Satine wasn’t as experienced in hardships, and their living conditions and sleep deprivation had taken a toll on her. She was constantly drowsy, and too often she ended up falling asleep on Obi-Wan. Whether in the seat of a rented speeder, the couch of a hotel room, or against the hard ground, she would rest her head on his shoulder and fall asleep in moments. A light snoring would follow, although Satine refused to acknowledge it.
His left arm, the one buried under Satine’s weight, had gone numb. He didn’t mind, really. She looked lovely. It seemed in sleep she finally achieved the peace she so dearly craved. Obi-Wan could never be bored of looking at her, but he decided he should probably find something to do until she wakes up, other than admire her looks and relish her touch. So he meditated for the rest of the evening, reaching a state of remarkable calm.
He was pulled back to his surroundings when he sensed Satine shift on his chest. He opened his eyes to find her staring right at him with a grin. Force knows what she’d come up with this time. For once he was in agreement with her idea, which turned out to be a perfectly executed plan of kissing him breathless against the grass. He could stay like this for ever, if only they hadn’t been interrupted by an admittedly annoying voice telling them to quit eating each other’s faces and help boil some roots for dinner.
“How is it time for dinner already?”, Satine asked, her brows furrowing in confusion. “It was afternoon just now, surely not that much time passed while we rested.”
A laugh escaped Obi-Wan, earning him a sharp look from the duchess.
“You fell fast asleep on me, love”, he said as moved to sit up. He tested his left arm, which had gone numb under Satine’s weight, but to no avail. It would be useless for the rest of the evening. He thought of the past few weeks, and he kept a teasing tone as he added: “you keep doing that, choosing sleep over my company. Do I really bore you that much, duchess?”
Satine rolled her eyes and helped him up, but she didn’t let go once they were both standing. Instead she pulled him close, their foreheads almost touching.
“It’s because you make me feel safe, you di’kut ”, she countered with a smile.
His heart melted at the sound of that. She felt safe with him. Why did that feel like the best compliment in the world? He leaned in to steal a peck from her lips, keeping her distracted only long enough to tighten his arms around her waist and lift her off her feet. In the force she seemed almost weightless. Her laugh was a melody as she chided him to let her down, but he was in no rush. She was his love, a star so bright she could be blinding, yet he wished to remain in her light forever.