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It was even better than Obi-Wan could have ever expected it to be. He had been filled with joy and happiness all day already but the peace he experienced on Christmas Eve was unrivaled. The night was wrapping the world outside in velvet darkness like a precious fabric gently laid onto it. Snow was dancing only gently from the sky, each flake catching the golden glow flowing outside through their windows. Nature seemed hushed as if she was holding her breath to allow Obi-Wan to listen to Qui-Gon’s low, relaxed breathing. The air was cool and still, filled with the scent of winter and the pines outside.
Inside their little home there was a mixture of the most delicious smells, though. The scent of the tasty cookies that Qui-Gon had lovingly prepared for both of them mingled with the smell of lit candles, vanilla, and the old books that Obi-Wan had bought for his husband at the local antiquarian bookshop.
The Christmas tree they had so enthusiastically decorated stood proudly in the corner, its branches heavy with ornaments in gold, red and white. The glass baubles caught the firelight spilling from the fireplace and threw it back in gentle sparks of colour. The ember flames themselves crackled quietly and swayed in their nameless dance, while the lit candles on the table and sideboards only shone in their calm manner, their light bright but tender.
Qui-Gon sat curled up in his favorite armchair, absorbed in one of the books that Obi-Wan had gifted him with, completely unaware of the way Obi-Wan watched him—tenderly, awed and with so much love Obi-Wan’s soul seemed to brim with it. There was so much he wanted to tell his husband, but the peace of this moment was enough for now, so he allowed Qui-Gon to read some more in the same way that he allowed himself to get drunk with the sight of his beloved being so relaxed and happy.
After Obi-Wan was sure that he had chiseled this picture of quiet perfection into his memory, he slowly walked up to his husband and climbed on the armrest of Qui-Gon’s chair. The other man looked up from the book and cast him a soft smile, showing both love and acceptance. Obi-Wan smiled back with affection and leaned against his beloved, putting his ear on Qui-Gon’s chest. Then he closed his eyes and concentrated on the soft beating of the powerful heart, silently listening the most beautiful sound he could ever imagine.
Qui-Gon could have gifted him the whole world as a belated wedding present and it still would not have rivalled the one he had already given him years prior: himself.
“Promise me that we will always be like this,” Obi-Wan begged after a long moment of sweet silence.
“A million times if you need to hear it,” Qui-Gon answered and pressed a gentle kiss onto Obi-Wan’s hairline, “for I will love you like this forever.”