Work Text:
The first time Obi Wan had noticed it, he and Anakin had been in a ridiculously fancy suite on Naboo. The Chancellor had invited them to his palace as thank you and commemoration of almost five years of the war. The event had been a thoroughly extravagant feast, during which Anakin had positively glowed in the candlelight, newly pregnant and looking more beautiful by the day.
Obi Wan had almost been desperate to get him back up to their room so they could be alone and Obi Wan could show him just how much he meant to him and just how utterly irresistible he found him.
He had kissed him slowly, sumptuously, wantonly against the closed door feeling the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed against him, overcome anew at the mere presence and intensity that was Anakin Skywalker. While Anakin had always been its favourite child, the Force now swirled around him with new attentiveness, concentrating around his belly where Anakin’s own child was coming into existence.
Anakin let out a little gasp of pleasure as Obi Wan swept him off his feet and carried him to the bedroom.
‘An angel in your condition shouldn’t have to walk anywhere,’ Obi Wan declared as he set him down on the bed and hurried to the other side to slide in beside him.
Anakin laughed in a way that told Obi Wan he was pleased with the attention, even if he’d never admit it.
‘I’m hardly an invalid, Master,’ he said reproving and playful all at once. ‘And I don’t think you practically had to throw that glass of wine away from me. I’m no expert but I’m sure there’s no harm in merely sitting in the presence of alcohol.’
‘I don’t want you to have to put up with such things,’ Obi Wan said, although with the benefit of hindsight, even he could see that he may have overreacted. ‘I just want to take care of you. I always do.’
Anakin smiled softly. ‘And I appreciate that, Master. But I’m still me.’ He gave his belly a tender tap. ‘Just with a little bit extra now.’
Something warm and loving seemed to bloom and burst in Obi Wan’s chest, the same way it always did when Anakin did even the slightest thing to acknowledge the life growing inside of him.
‘And how do you think our little one’s going?’ Obi Wan asked, gently placing his hand low on Anakin’s belly. At only five weeks along, he wasn’t showing, not really, but Obi Wan couldn’t help but notice a new softness where previously there had been nothing but slim, taut muscle.
Anakin stretched luxuriously, nudging his belly more firmly into Obi Wan’s hand in a way that made his heart flutter.
‘Good, I think,’ he said, gazing down at himself with a fond smile on his face. ‘Although, based on what I ate tonight, he or she may currently be drowning in custard and chocolate syrup.’
Obi Wan, who had watched Anakin eagerly make his way through three helpings of the rich dessert, couldn’t say he disagreed.
‘Don’t take this the wrong way, dear one,’ he said, brushing his lips against Anakin’s cheek and being rewarded with a soft purr. ‘But I didn’t think you enjoyed that type of food.’
‘Mmm, I usually don’t,’ Anakin said. ‘But tonight, it was like I couldn’t get enough of it.’
Now it was Obi Wan’s turn to smile. Anakin hadn’t really had any pregnancy symptoms yet and while he was relieved that he wasn’t feeling sick or uncomfortable, it also made it hard to fully believe that this wasn’t all some wonderful dream. Now, to think that their baby had already caused such a shift in Anakin’s tastes was exciting and wonderful at the same time.
‘Well, maybe that means I can finally break out my dessert book and have you actually try a few of them,’ Obi Wan teased gently, giving Anakin’s waist a quick squeeze.
Anakin rolled his eyes. ‘I love how you act like I’ve been stopping you for all these years. Just because I don’t like them doesn’t mean you couldn’t have cooked them – hic – for yourself.’
It was such a little thing really. So soft and barely shifting the line of his shoulders that Obi Wan may have missed it if he didn’t always pay such close attention to Anakin.
He gave Anakin’s stomach a gentle pat. ‘I suppose you’re right. And perhaps I’m right in thinking that you may have overindulged a little at dinner?’
Anakin shrugged, apparently unaware of what Obi Wan was referring to as he settled further back against Obi Wan’s chest.
‘I don’t think so. I’m not feeling sick or anything like that.’ It was at that moment that Obi Wan realised Anakin didn’t seem to have noticed the hiccup. ‘And I’m definitely not too full for any enjoyment you might have planned for tonight.’
‘Are you sure?’ Obi Wan asked, even though every fibre of his being was begging him to put his lips onto Anakin’s and take him at his word. ‘I mean, you are pregnant and it’s important not to overdo –’
‘I think what’s important right now, Master,’ Anakin said, ‘is that you remind me how I – hic – got this way.’
There it was again. Another tiny hiccup. Obi Wan paused but Anakin made no comment so he merely smiled, cupped his hand around Anakin’s jawline and leaned in for a kiss.
*
The second time it happened was about a week later. It was during Obi Wan’s first morning back on Coruscant; he’d been called to an inter-planet mission while Anakin had returned from Naboo alone and he couldn’t believe how much he’d missed him. Obi Wan had never enjoyed being apart from Anakin but now that Anakin was pregnant, the absence had felt like a physical pain.
Lying in bed, he slid his hand down Anakin’s chest, along the soft, warm dip of his waist, and was so close to being where he wanted to be when Anakin rolled over, limiting Obi Wan’s access to him. Obi Wan, who had thought Anakin was still asleep, wondered fi this was merely a coincidence and tried again, stopping when Anakin grabbed his hand and abruptly went still.
‘No, don’t,’ he said firmly, irritatingly avoiding eye contact so that Obi Wan had restricted insight into what he was feeling.
‘Are you all right?’ Obi Wan asked, tentatively pressing against their bond and finding it locked tight from Anakin’s side.
‘I’m fine.’
‘This isn’t to say that I don’t believe that,’ Obi Wan said carefully because utmost care had become increasingly important over the past few weeks. He had the strong impression that Anakin would deny it if asked, but his emotions, while never completely stable, had become rather unpredictable of late. ‘But you’ve never had any problems with me touching you before. Is something going on?’
Everything from nausea to cramping ran through Obi Wan’s mind, knowing that Anakin was definitely the type to keep any ailment private until he absolutely couldn’t conceal his symptoms any more.
‘No,’ Anakin said, sounding irritated now. ‘Is it okay if I just don’t feel like it?’
‘Of course it is,’ Obi Wan said patiently. ‘But I just get the feeling that that isn’t all it is.’
The following silence was so long that Obi Wan had almost resigned himself to Anakin just not responding when he was pleasantly surprised.
‘My belly’s feeling really swollen,’ Anakin said quietly. ‘It has been all week. I’d hoped it would go away before you got back from your mission, but if anything, I think it’s worse than ever.’
Obi Wan almost laughed at the insinuation that Anakin thought his belly was going to be getting smaller any time soon but he felt it was wise to resist the urge.
‘Have you been experiencing any pain?’ he asked, watching Anakin carefully.
Anakin shook his head. ‘No, Master, nothing like that.’ He shifted restlessly. ‘It’s just a little uncomfortable.’
Finally, he relaxed enough to allow Obi Wan to gently rest his hand against his lower belly. He felt a tingle through his body at the new roundness he felt there and the knowledge of what was causing it. It was almost too much to take in that somewhere beneath his palm and deep inside Anakin, was their baby.
‘Bloating is completely normal in early pregnancy,’ Obi Wan reassured him. ‘And it’s definitely nothing to be embarrassed about.’
Anakin tilted his head back against the pillow and sighed. ‘Is it, Master? Because I was talking to Padme and she said she didn’t even show at all until she was twenty weeks pregnant.’
If he was being honest, Obi Wan had always hoped Anakin would show early. He didn’t know what it was but it was like there was some kind of feral urge roaring within him to want to show off his and Anakin’s love and what they’d created together. Another layer to that, which he didn’t like to dwell too deeply on, was that he was also thoroughly enjoying the changes to Anakin’s body. Anakin had always been irresistibly sexy to Obi Wan but the idea of having new curves to explore and watching the way his body changed to accommodate their baby basically had him foaming at the mouth.
‘Everybody and every pregnancy is different,’ Obi Wan reminded him. ‘And if I recall correctly, Padme had such severe morning sickness that she needed to be hospitalised twice in her first trimester. Would you prefer that?’
Anakin, whom Obi Wan knew hated both hospitals and being sick with a burning passion, mumbled something that sounded like a no. Obi Wan pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
‘And while I’m sorry to hear that you’re feeling uncomfortable, I for one am thrilled that we’re already getting to see signs that our little one is growing.’
Anakin sighed, that turned into a gentle hiccup. He placed his hand on top of Obi Wan’s, pressing it a bit more firmly into the gentle swell of his belly.
‘I guess I hadn’t thought of it like that, Master,’ he said.
Obi Wan gently slid his palm in a circle around Anakin’s belly, pausing to give him a gentle pat below his belly button which thankfully caused him to smile.
‘Are you feeling any other symptoms?’ he asked, interested to know what this experience was like for him.
‘Nothing major,’ Anakin said thoughtfully. ‘But I –’ Then he shook his head. ‘It doesn’t matter, I’m probably imagining it.’
Obi Wan basically exploded with curiosity. ‘Tell me anyway,’ he said a little too quickly and Anakin seemed to smirk at his eagerness.
‘Like I said, I might be making it up, I don’t even know if it’s a thing but lately I’ve…’ His eyes went wide as if he could barely believe it himself. ‘I’ve had this, like, tingling feeling in my belly. It’s always kind of there but sometimes it’s really intense, like I can – hic – feel the baby’s presence inside of me.’
‘That’s amazing,’ Obi Wan said, suppressing a smile at the feeling of Anakin’s belly briefly pulsing beneath his hand. ‘Can you feel it now?’
Anakin nodded. ‘Yeah. It kind of tickles but on the inside all the way from here to here,’ he said, motioning to low on his belly to up near his ribs.
In response, Obi Wan lightly tickled the dip of his waist, causing him to laugh in a way that sounded like a bubble of happiness.
‘Well, I suppose that’s where a lot of changes are happening. I love you,’ he added, murmuring against his neck, right above his mating bite. And he did. He’d always loved everything about Anakin and right now he was in love anew with how in tune he was with his own body and the baby growing within it.
Anakin snuggled further into him and sighed contentedly. ‘I – hic – love you too, Master.’
Obi Wan watched him for a moment but Anakin seemed so at peace in a way that he so rarely did that he decided not to say anything.
*
Over the next few weeks, Obi Wan had the pleasure and privilege of watching Anakin continue to blossom with pregnancy. His cheeks were becoming fuller, his curls were growing looser and the curve to his belly was becoming more pronounced to the point that while it was still easy enough to hide under his robes, without them, the growing life inside of him was obvious.
Anakin had been complaining of feeling his skin stretching and heaviness in his lower belly so after the Council meeting, Obi Wan had purchased some lotion from the local apothecary as a surprise. Now in their quarters, he rubbed some onto his hands and then slowly came up behind where Anakin was standing as he chopped vegetables for dinner.
‘Oh,’ Anakin said, going still as soon as the lotion touched his skin. ‘That feels really nice.’
‘I’m glad, dear one,’ Obi Wan said, pressing a kiss against his scent gland and making him squirm with pleasure. ‘You’re doing so well growing our little one that I thought you and the baby deserved some pampering.’
Anakin turned his head slightly, opened his mouth and then –
‘Hic.’ He immediately covered his mouth with his hand and looked away again. ‘Sorry, Master,’ he muttered. ‘Way to ruin the moment.’
He picked up the knife and started chopping again with an erratic rhythm.
‘You’re not ruining anything,’ Obi Wan assured him. ‘I’m sorry if I startled you.’
‘No, no you didn’t,’ Anakin said quickly. ‘It’s not you. I-I’ve noticed it happening a bit lately.’
‘What do you mean?’ Obi Wan asked, decidedly to act coy so as not to risk embarrassing Anakin. Not that there was anything to be embarrassed about but Anakin could sometimes be strange about normal bodily functions.
‘I don’t know.’ Anakin shrugged. He put down the knife and sighed. ‘I’ve been getting hiccups, I guess. But just little ones and not very often. Just one or two here and there. I’ve tried to pick up a pattern – like whether they happen when I’m eating, exercising, sitting, lying down – but I can’t find one. They just seem to come whenever and then disappear just as suddenly. I wouldn’t care but I just worry that I’m’ – he lowered his voice as if confessing to some kind of shameful crime – ‘shaking the baby or something.’
Obi Wan resisted the urge to let out a gentle laugh, knowing from experience that Anakin would misunderstand and think he was laughing at him.
‘Dear one, they’re barely shaking you. I promise you, our little one is going to be just fine,’ he said patiently. ‘And judging by the size of your belly, he or she is growing very well inside there.’
‘Hic.’ Anakin pulled a slight face as he turned towards Obi Wan. He placed his hand gently over his belly as if taking in the new curve to his abdomen. ‘Yeah,’ he said softly. ‘That’s the other thing. I, um, didn’t really expect to be so big at this stage. And I don’t think it’s just bloating anymore. I feel…full, like there’s something in there, in a way I didn’t in the first few weeks.’
‘You look worried,’ Obi Wan said, tucking a stray curl behind Anakin’s ear.
Anakin shook his head in a way that was neither convinced or convincing.
‘I’m just so scared that something’s going to go wrong.’
That didn’t surprise Obi Wan. Anakin had experienced a lot of heartache in his life, far more than any twenty-three-year-old should have. While he’d never spoken about it directly, Obi Wan also suspected that he had witnessed more than his fair share of miscarriages on Tatooine when he was younger and that was undoubtedly on his mind now. It was in the way when the pregnancy test came back positive, Anakin had basically begged Obi Wan to keep it a secret for as long as they could, and why he regularly rushed to the bathroom to check his underwear when he felt himself growing slick from Obi Wan’s touches.
‘I understand that, dear one,’ Obi Wan said patiently. ‘But I don’t see how our baby being a little bigger than expected at this stage could possibly be a sign that something is wrong. If anything…’ Obi Wan hesitated. He’d been resisting saying this out loud, unsure of how Anakin may feel about it. ‘If anything, it may indicate that you’re a little further along than we thought. But that would be fine. All that would mean is that we’re even closer to meeting our little one that we’ve been expecting.’
Anakin’s hand stilled on his belly. ‘Oh,’ he said. ‘I had a Heat though.’
‘I know but there are such things as false heats during pregnancy.’ From memory, Obi Wan had felt that Anakin’s last Heat had been a little shorter than usual. He had initially thought it was because Anakin’s body realised that he’d conceived but now he wondered if maybe this was just the echo of a Heat that some Omegas experienced in early pregnancy. ‘I’m sure that Healer Che will be able to explain everything in our twelve-week appointment.’ That was still almost three weeks away. ‘I can ask if we can see her earlier, if you’d prefer?’
‘No,’ Anakin said immediately, as Obi Wan suspected he would. Anakin’s loathing of healers seemed to be sticking around despite his pregnancy. ‘I want to keep this just between us as long as I can.’
‘As you wish, dear one. Now, how about I keep giving you and our baby the kind of attention you deserve?’
Anakin hiccupped again – such a soft, sweet sound – as Obi Wan touched his skin and nodded. ‘I think we’d both like that, Master.’
*
‘Try to relax, dear one,’ Obi Wan said, as Anakin relentlessly paced up and down the examination room.
‘I am,’ Anakin said. ‘And I can’t. How are you so calm?’
‘Because I know that everything is going to be fine,’ Obi Wan said simply.
Anakin shook his head, his eyes worried. ‘I don’t know, Master. I just keep thinking about how I’m supposed to be eleven weeks along and I still haven’t felt a single symptom. Except, well…’
‘The baby bump?’ Obi Wan suggested.
Because that’s what it was. Looking at Anakin now with the firm curve that started right below his belly button and extended to his hips, there was no denying the growth inside of him. It was now looking like Anakin’s secret was mere weeks, if not days, from coming out. His belly was already difficult to conceal and Obi Wan suspected it wouldn’t be long before people would just need to look at him to know.
‘Yeah,’ Anakin admitted reluctantly. ‘Except for that.’
And with that the door swung open, revealing Healer Che.
‘So, Anakin,’ she said, closing the door behind her and turning around to face him, a smile washing over her face as she did so. ‘Ah, I see that congratulations are in order.’
Anakin’s arms tightened a little around his belly and he ducked his head a little but he managed a small smile back. ‘Thank you,’ he said.
‘I take it that this is your first appointment? Well, there’s really nothing to worry about. I’ll talk you through everything that we’re doing and you can let me know at any time if you have any concerns or are feeling uncomfortable.’
Obi Wan watched with relief as Anakin nodded.
‘We’re going to start by taking a quick measurement,’ she said, motioning for Anakin to sit down on the bed. Anakin seemed to take a deep breath before slowly opening up his tunic and allowing her to wrap a measuring tape around the fullest part of his belly. Obi Wan tried not to openly stare but found the task impossible. It still never ceased to amaze him that there, inside Anakin, was their precious baby.
‘Hm,’ Healer Che said, taking a note of the measurement in Anakin’s chart, a slight crease appearing between her eyebrows. ‘Can you tell me when you experienced your last Heat?’
‘Twelve weeks ago,’ Anakin said. He was watching Healer Che very closely. ‘Why? Do you think something’s wrong?’
‘Not at all,’ Healer Che said soothingly. ‘I’m just asking some standard, routine questions. Every pregnant patient gets asked the same ones. Now can you lie back for me? I just want to have a quick feel of your belly before we do an ultrasound.’
Anakin nodded and settled back on the bed, shifting a little as if trying to get comfortable. Healer Che leaned forward slightly, stopped, and then gave him a very gentle smile.
‘I’m sorry but I’m going to need you to move your hands.’
‘Oh.’ Anakin’s cheeks went a little pink as he glanced down at the way he’d rested one hand over the top of his tiny bump and the other on the curve below his belly button. ‘Sorry. I-I didn’t notice I’d…’
He trailed off, seeming quite unsure what to do with his hands until Obi Wan moved his chair closer to the bed and took one of Anakin’s hand in his and carefully moving the other to the centre of Anakin’s chest.
‘Here, dear one,’ he said. ‘You’re all right.’
‘There’s nothing to apologise for,’ Healer Che said. ‘All it suggests to me is that you are bonding well with your baby.’
She gently shifted Anakin’s tunic and then lightly pressed her hands to the region just above his belly button.
‘Have you been experiencing any symptoms?’ she asked, as she slowly slid her hands across his skin in a clockwise direction.
‘Not really,’ Anakin said. ‘Just, um, you know, showing, I guess.’
Healer Che glanced at Obi Wan as though to confirm this. Obi Wan couldn’t blame her: Anakin had never been honest about anything he was going through in the past.
‘He’s been very fortunate,’ Obi Wan confirmed. ‘We’re hoping things continue like this. Although he has spoken about some tingling feelings in his belly.’
‘Master,’ Anakin whined, with a bit of a roll of his eyes.
‘There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,’ Healer Che said, seeming to spend slightly longer touching Anakin’s lower belly than she had other areas. ‘It’s good to hear that you haven’t been too uncomfortable so far. Some Omegas are lucky throughout their entire pregnancy but please don’t panic if you find that you do start to experience some symptoms over the next few weeks. Your hormone levels are going to rise and your baby is going to continue to grow and that can have some impact on your body, mood and energy levels. And the tingling is perfectly normal. There isn’t really a medical explanation so I like to think of it as your body showing its excitement about your little one.’
She finished examining Anakin’s belly before turning to make a few more notes on his chart. Then she picked up the ultrasound wand.
‘Are you ready to see your baby?’ she asked.
Anakin nodded, unable to conceal his enthusiasm as he propped himself up on his elbows to get a better view of the screen.
‘Just try to relax,’ Healer Che said soothingly. She squirted some jelly onto his skin and then placed the wand upon it. There was an agonising wait before the sound of a heartbeat echoed through the room and a tiny baby appeared on the screen.
‘Oh, wow,’ Anakin said, gripping Obi Wan’s hand tightly. ‘There really is a baby in – hic – there.’
Obi Wan glanced at Healer Che as Anakin let out one of his breathy hiccups, relieved to see that she seemed unconcerned.
‘Well, what did you think, dear one?’ he asked, gently teasing.
‘I don’t know,’ Anakin said, a little defensively. His hand jerked in Obi Wan’s as if subconsciously reaching for his belly again before realising it was covered in gel and an ultrasound wand. ‘I knew I was pregnant obviously but I guess I hadn’t quite made the connection between that and actually having a baby.’
‘That’s a very normal experience,’ Healer Che assured him. ‘Especially in Omegas with minimal pregnancy symptoms such as yourself. Often they report things not feeling real until they see their baby for the first time. And the good news for you is that everything is looking absolutely perfect in there. The measurements show me your baby is exactly where it should be for twelve weeks gestation.’
‘Are we having a boy or a girl?’ Anakin asked eagerly.
Healer Che gave him a sympathetic smile. ‘I’m afraid it’s a little too early to know,’ she said. ‘But I’ll definitely be able to tell you at your next appointment.’
Anakin nodded, looking a little dejected.
‘It’s okay.’ Obi Wan lifted his hand and pressed his lips to it. ‘It’s something to look forward to. And for now we can just focus on the fact that we’re having a healthy baby.’
‘Yeah,’ Anakin agreed. ‘Yeah, that’s great news.’
‘It certainly is. Now,’ Healer Che said. ‘Just bear with me while I take a look at the rest of your belly, just to make sure everything is how it should be and there’s no indications of any concerns.’
Anakin lay back against the bed, his shoulders visibly lower and his jaw significantly less tense than it had been a few minutes ago.
‘See, dear one?’ Obi Wan murmured. ‘You’re doing well. You’re both doing well.’
Anakin nodded, his eyes a little dreamy, as he gazed down at his belly. Then his eyes widened as the sound of a heartbeat returned, a little faster than it had been before. He looked up as another flickering life appeared on the screen.
‘Ah,’ Healer Che said with a smile. ‘I thought that this might be the case. I think this is why you’re showing so soon, Anakin. You’re carrying twins.’
‘Hic.’ Anakin’s jaw dropped. ‘I-I never even considered that,’ he said, his voice almost lost in breathless wonder. ‘We’re going to have two? We’re really – hic – going to have two?’
‘You really are,’ she said. ‘And I can tell you that they are both looking strong and healthy. As, may I add, are you. You’re doing a fantastic job, Anakin. Please just make sure that you’re keeping up your fluids and eating as well as you can.’
‘Can I ask you something?’ Obi Wan asked, curiosity getting the better of him as Healer Che handed Anakin some tissues so he could clean off the gel. ‘Can hiccups be a symptom of pregnancy?’
A soft smile washed over Healer Che’s face as she glanced at Anakin. ‘I’m guessing this isn’t the first time you’ve experienced them since becoming pregnant?’
Anakin's cheeks went a little pink and he dropped his gaze before shaking his head. ‘I think I might have been having them before I even realised. Maybe since around four weeks?’
‘Mmm,’ Healer Che said. ‘It’s certainly not unheard of and no one knows the exact cause. Some say it’s just a side effect of the Omega’s body adjusting to carrying life and all of the hormonal and physical changes and pressures that come with that. But there’s another theory too that I think may apply in your case. I can sense a great deal of excitement in you, Anakin and I think you can too with the way you reported the tingliness in your belly. Am I right in thinking that you may have been trying for a baby for some time now?’
Anakin glanced at Obi Wan as if for reassurance and nodded shyly. ‘It’s something that I – that we both – really wanted.’
‘And now it’s happening and your body is rejoicing, Anakin. I can sense it in every fibre of your being. I think that sometimes that excitement peaks and your hiccups might be a little physical manifestation of that.’
That really was very cute, Obi Wan thought.
‘They’re most likely going to disappear once your body adjusts to being pregnant and your emotions even out so my advice at this stage is to try and relax and just enjoy the experience.’
Obi Wan waited an agonising five minutes as they walked back to their quarters before the door finally closed behind them and he was able to pull Anakin into his arms and hold him as close as he always longed to. It an uncharacteristic display of patience and affection, Anakin didn’t start to squirm away before Obi Wan was ready to let go. He simply let himself be held, his breathing coming in sync with Obi Wan’s, his desert-after-it-rained scent engulfing them both and the swell of his belly pressing firmly and comfortably against Obi Wan’s torso.
‘What a gift you are to me, dear one,’ Obi Wan said, his chest feeling so full of emotion he felt it might burst with it. He leaned back just enough so that he could cup his hand around Anakin’s cheek. ‘In addition to all the joy you’ve already brought into my life, now you’re giving us two perfect children.’
‘I feel the same way about you, Master,’ Anakin said, his eyes damp with tears.
Obi Wan couldn’t help but marvel at him. His beautiful, perfect, slightly-feral-but-in-a-good-way mate. His incredible partner who was half-force, half-mortal, who was bringing twins into the world. Nothing could have felt more fitting for someone like Anakin and Obi Wan had the sudden feeling deep inside of him that everything was happening exactly as it was meant to be.
‘You’re a miracle,’ Obi Wan said. ‘I don’t know how I got so lucky.’
Anakin let out a shaky laugh and a few more tears slipped down his cheeks. ‘You’re going to make me blush.’
That’s when Obi Wan realised that Anakin was shaking all over. ‘You’re trembling,’ he said, brushing Anakin’s cheek with his thumb. ‘Are you all right?’
Anakin nodded. ‘Yes, it’s nothing. I think it’s a lot and a little overwhelming but I’m really, really – hic – happy.’
He laughed again, like a bubble of the happiness he spoke about, as he reflexively covered his mouth with his hand.
Obi Wan brushed a lock of Anakin’s hair behind his ear as he smiled. ‘Yes, dear one. I can hear that. And I’m thrilled.'
Anakin leaned further into his touch and closed his eyes contentedly. 'Me too, Master.'