1.
As usual with these missions, everything went downhill real fast.
The heat of the blaster bolts made your skin prickle as the projectiles bounced off your lightsaber blade, much too close to your face for comfort. Just a simple surveying mission, Master Windu had insisted, that was all.
„It’s an ambush,“ your master cried out as he turned back to back with you, deflecting the shots from that direction.
„I noticed,“ you replied over your shoulder, biting down a slight note of sarcasm.
Obi-Wan Kenobi was great at what he did – maybe the best – and you were proud to be his padawan learner for sure. But sometimes you had to fight the urge to chuckle at his antics, even in dire situations like this one, if he went on to do silly things like stating the obvious about what was happening, or dropping one of his signature punchlines.
The crashed republic cruiser you had been sent to investigate was to your left, and the massive ship still expelled smoke from various openings in the hull. It was fogging up the entire area, so much that at this point the separatist droids were just shooting aimlessly at the spot where they suspected you both were standing.
You spotted a crevice in the side of the ship. It must have been some kind of storage closet before the ship crashed. An idea bloomed inside your head as you barely dodged a bolt with the assistance of the force.
„In there,“ you said, unceremoniously grabbed your master by the arm and began marching towards the safety of cover. Obi-Wan caught on fast and followed, letting you climb into the crevice first and then squeezing in after you.
It was smaller than you had expected.
Your back was flush against the wall, and you suddenly wanted to all but melt into it.
There was no space to move an inch, the rest of the closet entirely filled by Obi-Wan's impressive stature. His hands rested on the wall, next to your head and shoulder each, and your face was mere centimeters from his shoulder.
It grew warm quickly in the tiny space. You felt sweaty, palms pressed against the wall in an attempt to make more space between the two of you, without much success. You could feel your master's breath on the top of your head, coming fast from the adrenaline. Certainly, yours was rivaling his — but for an entirely different reason.
„Do not worry, my padawan,“ he reassured you, „we’ve gotten out of worse situations.“
You grit your teeth. Not the issue, master… „Yeah,“ you replied, voice shaky. Blaster bolts ricocheted off the cruiser's hull. Obi-Wan's knee bumped against your thigh as the impact shook the space you were in a bit and your breath caught in your throat.
Jedi weren’t supposed to form attachments, but you were barely even an adult, and honestly it was their fault for assigning you to the most handsome of the Jedi masters. Anyone would develop a crush on someone so valiant and selfless!
„We should exploit the element of surprise,“ Obi-Wan mused and his head tilted down to face you. As if led by the force, your chin moved up and you were suddenly looking into your master's deep blue eyes.
Unable to form a sentence you just furrowed your brows and nodded, hand moving to your lightsaber at your belt. You did your best to ignore how it bumped against Obi-Wan's robes on the way there, all while he held eye contact with you.
„Hold fire! Where did the Jedi go?“ You heard the voice of a droid outside, and the blasters stopped firing.
Your master’s body tensed next to you, and your fingers closed around your saber hilt, ready to ignite. Obi-Wan whispered a countdown.
„Three, two, one…now!“
As soon as he was out of your personal space, you exhaled harshly, lit up the saber and jumped out of the crevice.
2.
Blaster bolts hurt like nothing you had experienced before.
Older padawan often walked around, proudly telling the younglings about the first time they were hit on the battlefield, and how they prevailed. You hadn’t understood that sentiment then, and certainly didn’t understand it now as you were in just that situation yourself.
Tears were running down your cheeks as you continued to fight, lightsaber in your off hand. You had been struck in the upper arm, cauterized wound burning like hellfire. Your master and Skywalker were somewhere on the other side of the battlefield, and you couldn’t see Ahsoka anymore either.
All you saw were separatist droids, hundreds of them, marching towards you.
You didn’t wanna die here. You heard a clone trooper scream in pain, and grit your teeth as you sliced through a droid, circuits spilling onto the ground.
Then, a searing but unfortunately familiar pain struck your leg.
With a scream you went down.
This was it.
You closed your eyes in defeat, begging the force to show you a way to prevail. The lightsaber had rolled out of your hand as you had fallen, you were unable to protect yourself. The droids were probably closing in, blasters aimed straight at your face—
Someone called your name. Were you dead?
No, you still felt the dusty stone beneath your knees and heard the sounds of blasters being fired with reckless abandon, as well as… the hum of a lightsaber?
You flung your eyes open and your body to the ground to give your master the space he needed to protect you from the blaster’s fire. Obi-Wan's eyes were lit with fury as he carved a path through the advancing droids, a circle widening around you as he worked.
Your head was spinning from the pain but you forced yourself to stay awake, just so you could witness this force of nature rampage through the waves of enemies. This was your master, you thought with pride welling up inside you.
A wave of clone troopers arrived on the battlefield, it was Master Skywalkers battalion. They formed a protective wall between you and the enemy, allowing Obi-Wan to make his way over to your crumpled form on the ground.
„Are you alright?“ he asked.
„No?“ you replied truthfully. „I got hit in the arm and leg. I’m sorry.“
„This is not your fault, young one,“ Obi-Wan said gently. „I should not have left you to fight by yourself against an army of this size.“
Failing to think of anything witty, you replied with an „Ouch,“ as your leg began cramping right beneath the wound.
Obi-Wan furrowed his brows, clearly worried. „Let’s get you out of here,“ he decided and moved to help you up. As soon as you shifted your weight the tiniest bit onto the injured leg, a searing hot pain drove tears into your eyes again and you slumped against your master.
„I— I can’t walk,“ you wheezed, embarrassed to be such a failure of a padawan.
„Not to worry,“ Obi-Wan replied and hoisted you into his arms.
Despite everything , including the raging battle and your nearly lethal wounds, you felt your face flush.
Your master had one hand on your back and the other underneath your knees, your side pulled close against his chest for stability. Your good arm came up instinctively to loop around his neck, while the other dangled uselessly at your side.
You could feel his heartbeat. Steady and strong, just like he was as a person. Only then did you feel like the danger had passed. Obi-Wan began making his way towards one of the clone carrier ships with you, and you winced as the movement sent waves of pain into your wounded extremities.
„I’m sorry,“ he said ruefully and you fought the urge to laugh.
„Don’t apologize for rescuing me,“ you said, „I wouldn’t complain — even if I had something to complain about.“
He chuckled at that. „Fair.“
Step. Ouch . Step. Ouch . Step.
„Ow— Maybe I’ll complain just a little bit,“ you whimpered as another tear ran down your cheek and into Obi-Wan's robe.
„I’ll allow it,“ he said softly as he tried his best to even his steps. You reached the carrier after a few more seconds, and Obi-Wan admitted you into the care of the clones still stationed on it, a field medic hurrying to inject you with a painkiller.
„You might get a little droopy,“ he warned you as the numbing sensation spread into your toes and fingertips, taking the pain away at last. You craned your neck to catch a last glimpse of Obi-Wan, already running back into the fray.
„I didn’t even say thank you,“ you whispered as the warmth his closeness had given you faded and was replaced by a cold dullness.
„You’ll get a chance after this is over,“ the medic clone reassured you as he wrapped your wounds in gauze after disinfecting them thoroughly. Your eyes fluttered closed as your exhaustion finally caught up with you and you passed out.
Waking up in a sick bay bed some hours later, you found a glass of water on your nightstand along with your lightsaber. You reached for the familiar weapon and as you touched it, the force granted you a vision. Warmth spread out inside you. Obi-Wan had gone back and retrieved it for you, and likely even visited you here at your bedside.
You couldn’t wait until you could see him, and thank him properly.
3.
The inn was run down and shabby, as much as one could expect on a backwater planet like this.
"Why do bounty hunters always hang around places like this," you muttered under your breath as your master made his way to the bar, you following on his heels like a guard dog.
"Shh," he said to you, before raising his voice and turning to the bartender, "we need rooms, good Sir."
"Room, singular, is all I can offer," the alien snarled and looked the two of you up and down with a grin.
A shiver ran down your back. Surely Obi-Wan wouldn't say–
"We'll take it."
You had no time to protest as the bartender tossed a key over to him and you were rushed out of the room onto a narrow staircase leading up into the building. Your master was stubborn sometimes, even more than you. Well, if the room's beds were far apart you'd at least have a chance of getting some shut-eye.
"Room 14, this should be it," Obi-Wan mumbled as he unlocked the wooden door.
The horror unfolded.
It was a quaint little room, barely big enough for the furniture in it. A closet, table and chair… and a singular bed. Not even a twin or queen sized one, no, a normal, one person bed. You hoped your heartbeat wasn't audible to your master, and that your face decently concealed your feelings.
"It'll do," Obi-Wan said happily and set his bag down. You closed the door behind you wordlessly, the tiredness from the long time traveling here creeping up on you. Okay, the wooden floorboards didn’t look as inviting but they’d have to do.
"We're in luck," your master rambled on, "that bed will just so fit both of us in it."
Thud.
Your bag dropped to the floor with a loud noise as you froze in your tracks. "Sorry Master, what?"
Ever pragmatic, Obi-Wan nodded. "We both need some rest if we want to catch the bounty hunters tomorrow at the handover, so it's good that we will both fit in the bed."
Heat rose into your cheeks. Your first instinct was to protest, to say you'll take the floor, but suddenly the seed of an insane thought was planted in your mind.
When would you ever get the chance to be this close to your master again?
Never, probably. This was a once in a lifetime chance. There was no denying that Obi-Wan's presence soothed you, and that being close to him was almost meditative for you.
You knew you should have buried your crush on him years ago, really. You were an older padawan now, almost ready to become a master yourself. And yet, the intensity of this attachment surprised you again and again.
Well, when life gives you jogan fruit… you bake a fruit cake.
"You're right, Master," you replied, "It's only logical."
Obi-Wan seemed content with this answer and kicked off his leather boots. It was past midnight, and your body was yearning for sleep, so you mirrored him and removed your boots and arm protectors. Unsaid, you both kept your robes on – a Jedi never knew how fast they had to get up in an emergency.
You crawled into the bed first, which put you right against the wall as the bed stood pushed into the corner of the room. While you were still debating if that had been a wise choice, your master laid down next to you with a content sigh that sent a wave of heat into your face.
"Rest well, my young padawan," Obi-Wan said, his voice a little sleepy already.
"Goodnight, master," you replied quickly and turned around to face the wall in an attempt to hide your flushed face. With a flick of his hand using the force, Obi-Wan turned off the lights and silence settled around you.
Exhaustion made you fall asleep within minutes.
You woke up at the first light, and the first thing you noticed was how warm it was. Then, as your other senses returned to you, you felt a heavy weight on your torso and glanced down.
The source of the pressure and warmth was none other than your master, who was draped across you almost comically. His face was smushed against your shoulder, and his arm was flung across your upper body with a good portion of his shoulder weighing down on you.
You barely managed to resist the urge to squeak in surprise. Obi-Wan's breathing was slow and steady against your shoulder, even through the robes you felt it. He seemed to be at peace, something you had learned was a rarity for him.
Force, lend me strength, you thought as you kept yourself as still as you could. Of course, the unnatural stiffness alerted your master despite his deep sleep. He awoke with a soft sigh.
His eyes blinked open, and you had no time to look away, or pretend to be asleep. Deep blue connected with your gaze, confusion and wonder filling his gaze. Obi-Wan pushed himself up on his arms, hovering over you for a painfully blissful long second before he jerkily sat up properly next to you.
"G' Morning," he said with his voice deep and raspy, as if nothing had happened.
"Hey, master," you replied shakily.
As neither of you made a move to address what just happened, you opted to crawl off the bed and gear up. Rubbing his eyes, Obi-Wan did the same.
As you glanced over, you could have sworn to see a hint of redness tinting his cheeks as he double checked his weapon belt, but you were certain it was the sunrise playing tricks on your eyes.
4.
"Congratulations," Master Windu had said with almost a smile on his face, "Master Jedi."
You had gratefully bowed your head, keeping the bubbling excitement inside until you were alone in your quarters. Now, you whooped with joy, jumping up and down on your mattress with your hands in the air. "I did it!"
You had passed the final examination and had been granted the rank of Master.
A knock on the door halted your celebration, but couldn't wipe the grin off your face.
"Come in!"
The door slid open to reveal your old master. Obi-Wan's smile mirrored yours. "Congratulations!"
You beamed at him. "Thank you!"
"I wish I had been there," he said woefully, "but the ambush kept us."
You waved him off. "As long as you always come back in one piece," you chuckled.
"Oh, you're not getting rid of me just because you're not my padawan anymore," Obi-Wan said. "In fact, I was thinking we could grab a drink? I have the evening off."
In your wildest dreams you couldn't have predicted that. "Sure," you said, totally normal about it, "whenever you want."
Obi-Wan promised to pick you up later, after his debriefing, and left you alone again. Loudly you spoke into the empty room.
"What the heck?"
You swirled your drink around with the straw in it, laughing at the story Obi-Wan was telling about Anakin falling on his ass on their last mission together.
Something was on your mind, and Obi-Wan could tell.
"What's bothering you?"
You shook your head with a small smile. "Not bothering, but I was wondering something. Why have you invited me here tonight?"
"Truthfully," Obi-Wan looked into his own glass as if the answer was written in his ice cubes, "I feared that since you have no obligation to be around me anymore, you might not want to."
You felt the urge to protest, but let him continue.
"Since we are not master and padawan anymore but equals, I wanted our connection to be mutual as well. We are here as friends, to celebrate, not on a mission or because one of us has no way to opt out."
That was very thoughtful of him, you thought.
"I'm glad you agree," Obi-Wan said.
Oops – the alcohol was apparently loosening your tongue. You had to be careful what you said out loud.
After another round, you noticed you were not the only one whose inhibitions were dropping. Obi-Wan was getting touchier than normal, his hand finding your shoulder or arm between gestures as he spun his tales of the last missions. You hoped he thought that the redness on your cheeks was due to the alcohol as well.
Some time later you found yourself with his whole arm around your shoulders, weight braced against you as he attempted to draw a map of the battlefield on Ryloth on the bar, dipping his finger into the co*cktail he was currently drinking and struggling to complete the drawing before the first lines of liquid dried up again.
"Let's get you back to the temple," you decided and stood up, knees almost buckling under Obi-Wan's weight. Wisely, you had stopped drinking a while ago already. You paid the bill and dragged your old master outside and into the speeder you had come in.
He fell asleep briefly on the way home, and you notified Anakin of the arrival and that you might need help. The other Jedi waited on the landing platform already and with a shake of his head and a raised eyebrow he thanked you for bringing Obi-Wan back and took it from there, not without a slightly strained congratulation on your new rank.
You found yourself missing Obi-Wan's company before they had even rounded the corner.
5.
After the trooper had turned to fire on you out of the blue, you had dispatched him and ran.
It had been hours. Maybe even days?
Wedged into a maintenance tube near the main control center at the Jedi temple, you didn't dare move a muscle. Clone troopers sweeped the premises in non-linear intervals, and they hadn't spotted you yet so you didn't dare give up your presence.
Snippets of conversations between the Clones had told you all you needed to know. The republic had fallen, Jedi were being hunted by the new emperor, Darth Sidious.
You hadn't eaten, hadn't slept. Occasionally, you heard screaming and fighting somewhere in the building, and every time you prayed you didn't recognize the voice that would cut off abruptly.
You were beginning to hear voices again, now.
"Killed not by clones, this Padawan. By a lightsaber, he was."
Funny, that almost sounded like Master Yoda.
"Who? Who could have done this?"
You bit your lip to keep down a shout. That was unmistakably the voice of none other than Obi-Wan Kenobi. What was he doing here? Was he stupid?
Due to your surprise, your iron grip on the tube walls faltered and you slipped, tumbling out of the maintenance shaft right at the feet of your two colleagues, and next to a dead youngling. You looked up in disbelief.
"Obi-Wan?" you whimpered, tears welling up at the sight of your old friend. Disheveled, dirt caked on his cloak, but breathing and alive – alive .
His equally disbelieving whisper of your name gave you the strength to scramble to your feet and throw your arms around him. "I'm so glad," you sobbed into his chest, "so glad you made it out."
Obi-Wan's hands found your back and his thumbs were rubbing soothing circles between your shoulder blades. "Likewise," he whispered back.
"An unexpected reunion this is," Yoda said solemnly, "but a much welcome one."
"Master Yoda," you greeted him, rubbing your cheeks dry, "of course, it's a relief to see you as well."
Obi-Wan's arm was still around your shoulders as you steadied yourself, grimacing at the sight of the dead child on the floor. "There was a Jedi here, doing this," you muttered. "I heard the lightsaber… but I can't say who it was."
"More pressing matters, we must attend now," Yoda said and began walking towards the Main Control Center.
"We have to recalibrate a message," Obi-Wan explained. "I'll brief you on the way."
His hand found yours, and didn't let go.
+1
The twin suns were relentless.
You pulled your hood down into your face in a hopeless attempt to shield it from the scorching rays.
Driven forward by sheer willpower, you saw a little hut in the distance. It was the best clue you'd gotten in years. And honestly, Ben did sound like a name he would give himself.
The Jedi hunt had calmed down after almost a decade now, so you'd decided to go looking for him, finally. The hut came closer with every step, and your heart was pounding. You reached it after another few minutes.
With a shaking hand you knocked on the door, and waited. You heard a few shuffling steps inside and it opened.
He was much older than when you had parted, back at the Jedi temple during Order 66. Rivers of gray streaked his chestnut colored hair, and his beard as well. He was wearing simple robes, not too far off from Jedi ones. In his hand he had been holding a bowl of fruit, which now clattered to the sandstone floor.
He whispered your name like a prayer.
You gave him a wide grin. „Did you really think you could hide from me forever, Kenobi?“
Obi-Wan surged forward and enveloped you in a bone-crushing hug. His shoulders shook with every sob but you couldn’t blame him, your own tears of joy leaving wet spots on his robe.
„How did you find me?“ The words came out choked.
„Listening to rumors, really,“ you explained, „and planet-hopping, a lot of it. A gas station attendant in Mos Eisley gave me a good hint of someone named Ben Kenobi, a hermit living in the desert, helping locals… I put two and two together.“
„I was always doubting my decision to keep the last name,“ Obi-Wan mused, pulling away to look at you, „but now I’m glad I did.“
The force connection between the two of you, never truly severed, roared up joyously as you reconnected, and for a moment you felt like balance was restored in the galaxy. This was how it was supposed to be. This was right.
Obi-Wan's hands dropped from your back to your sides and grasped your hands in his hopefully. "Are you planning on staying a while?"
Laughter bubbled up inside you. "Oh, you're not getting rid of me again, master ," you chuckled and saw relief wash over his face.
„Come in,“ he said as he pulled you into the hut and closed the door behind you. His hand kept holding onto yours, steady and strong. He hadn’t changed a bit.
„Don’t get much company out here?“ you asked, looking out of the small round window into the desert of Tatooine.
„Not much,“ Obi-Wan confirmed, „but the one I have now is worth more than any other.“
You near damn swooned, like you were a padawan with a crush again.
„Oh, how sweet,“ you joked but felt a knot in your throat as Obi-Wan suddenly pulled you to face him.
„I mean it, dear,“ he insisted, and you were certain there was a hint of color on his face. The isolation had made him bolder, you feared, and more direct.
„Uh,“ you said, eloquent as ever.
Obi-Wan was suddenly very close to you, one of his hands coming up to cup your cheek. Your heart was pounding harshly again, and you felt his gaze burning into you.
„Obi-Wan?“ you asked quietly.
„Tell me to stop,“ he whispered, maybe more to himself than to you, „and I will.“
„Do you want me to stop you?“ you replied, your eyes locked on his, the deep blue overwhelming like a stormy ocean.
„No,“ he admitted, his eyes flicking down to your lips helplessly.
„Then don’t,“ you mumbled as you closed your eyes.
Obi-Wan pulled you close and kissed you.
The shared grief, passion and love of half a lifetime spent together resonated between you, the force singing as your invisible bond strengthened. The young padawan with a massive crush inside you was squealing, the lonely exiled Jedi knight was crying with relief.
You sighed happily as Obi-Wan pulled away to survey the situation, smiling at the sight of your joyful face.
"I missed you, my dear," he said with a sparkle in his eyes, "I have so many new stories to share."
You laughed. "I missed you too, and I can't wait to hear them. You got anything to drink?"
Never would you have expected to settle down on Tatooine of all planets, but right now, it sounded like the happiest ending to your story that you could imagine.
