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Forty-seven minutes. Forty-seven minutes was all it had taken for all hell to break loose in the woodlands of this Force forsaken planet. Thankfully with reinforcements already en route, battalions were able to fight off the remaining separatist droids with air support.
Somewhere in that time however, Obi-Wan lost visual on his former padawan who was currently still missing.
He could still sense Anakin’s force signature which helped Obi-Wan keep his head on straight and not go on a rampage. For now. Obi-Wan remained at his post like a good general, and he stayed there until he received a comm advising that they found him.
Relief washed over him yet his attention was fully severed from the task at hand. He had to see Anakin with his own eyes.
He watched the distant figures step out of the thick line of trees, Rex and another clone were supporting Anakin on either side, his arms on their shoulders, slowly moving back to camp. Obi-Wan quickly made his way to intercept them.
“He’s okay, sir, we’ll call for medical if needed just say the word,” Rex assured.
Without thinking, Anakin stumbled out of Rex’s arms and instinctively into Obi-Wan’s. It wasn’t that Anakin didn’t trust Rex—he did, with his life. But he was the commanding officer, and Rex shouldn’t have to be responsible for him. It should be the other way around.
It was different with Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan caught Anakin with open arms, hands immediately landing at his shoulders, eyes scanning him for injuries. He noticed the limp in Anakin’s gait, the exhaustion in his eyes, and the cut on his forehead.
His fingers instinctively brushed hair out of Anakin’s face.
Anakin stifled a relieved sound at the touch.
“What happened to you?” Obi-Wan coaxed.
“—mm, think I took out a tank.”
“Oh, did you? That sounds like you,” Obi-Wan replied gently, affection creeping into his voice. “And what did you do to your head and your leg in the process?”
Anakin sighed and let one word do all the explaining, “Fell.”
“Ah yes, your favorite pastime. Let’s get you patched up then.”
——— ———
With the battle having been as brutal as it was, many of the medics were occupied. Of course they could get someone to come help General Skywalker, but he and Obi-Wan didn’t like to use resources that could go to their men if they could handle it themselves.
Obi-Wan guided Anakin into his tent and lowered him onto the cot to assess his injuries. He then wordlessly grabbed a med pack and kneeled in front of Anakin on the cot and began taking out supplies.
Anakin sat quietly, a bit dazed until Obi-Wan had moved in to look at the gash on his head.
“I’m fine, master. I’ll clean myself up,” Anakin said dismissively, his habitual response.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Anakin, you’re not doing this by yourself. I am staying here so let me help you.”
Anakin grabbed the hand that Obi-Wan had just placed on his forehead, effectively stopping his master from proceeding.
They stared at each other for a moment.
Obi-Wan broke the silence. “Anakin…” he started tensely. He sighed. “…If I were in your position you would insist on doing the same thing for me,” he said in his saddest voice.
Anakin sighed.
Obi-Wan had to fight off a smile, lest it give him away.
“Please, dear one. I would feel better. And I know you don’t want to call a medic yet.”
Anakin let go of his master’s hand with a pout. “Fine,” he replied with his best annoyed tone.
Obi-Wan gave him a sad smile, genuinely relieved.
Anakin truly believed he would be fine, he could tend to his own injuries of course. He didn’t want to take up anyone else’s time over a dumb mistake he’d made on the battlefield.
But his master always knew how to guilt him into submission. He felt his cheeks burn a bit, swallowing the realization that he liked to make his master happy more than anything. He mentally kicked himself for thinking that having his master’s attention wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to him either.
He sat still and focused on his own breathing as Obi-Wan began cleaning the wound on his head and wiping the blood away from his eye, very much ignoring the sting of his wounds and the heat radiating off Obi-Wan’s hands as they probed his skin.
Obi-Wan finished Anakin’s forehead with a bacta patch and paused to look at him.
“How’s your head? Are you nauseated?” Obi-Wan asked.
Anakin knew it would be pointless to lie. “A bit. Hurts too. Might even be seeing two of you, unfortunately for me.” /Okay maybe that last part was a lie./
Obi-Wan laughed lightly. “Sounds like a concussion affecting your vision. I’m glad it hasn’t affected your desire to tease your old master. We’ll have a medic look at you once things calm down out there.”
Obi-Wan continued to scan Anakin’s body, with the latter begrudgingly agreeing to remove his upper robes. Obi-Wan observed some more small abrasions and bruising on his arms and ribs, but nothing very serious.
“Okay, let’s get that leg of yours looked at and off the ground.”
Anakin hesitantly let Obi-Wan help him get his leg up and remove his boot while he scooted back on the cot.
“I’m no doctor, but that definitely looks sprained,” Obi-Wan winced sympathetically as he looked at the already swollen purple mess that was Anakin’s ankle.
“That’s great,” Anakin groaned, his fear being confirmed.
“Don’t be too upset, dear one. Despite being accident prone, you are the fastest healer I know.”
Anakin scoffed at the comment, rolling his eyes instead of smiling.
“Please take your healing seriously, Anakin,” already sensing that his former apprentice was going to brush off his injuries and try to resume duty as normal. “If you can’t promise that you’ll take care of yourself, I’ll have to intervene.”
Anakin scoffed again. “I’m not your padawan anymore how will you ‘intervene,’” he asked mockingly.
“I have my ways, padawan,” he said humorously.
Anakin stilled and got pensively quiet. Obi-Wan knew better than to interrupt his thoughts and waited patiently until Anakin spoke again.
“You still think of me as a child, don’t you? Your responsibility?” Anakin asked. The question hung in the air a moment before he continued. “I know I messed up today, but when will you see that I’ve become a man? A general. I should be helping you.”
Anakin’s tone was irritated for a brief moment, before his voice grew smaller and smaller. A tell-tale sign that he was upset about something.
“You do help me, Anakin. I couldn’t have kept a level head if it weren’t you out there watching my back. You’re the greatest warrior I could ask for in battle. I’m proud to have been your master and to fight beside you now, as equals.” Obi-Wan swallowed thickly. “But you’re greatly mistaken if you think that I won’t still worry and care for you, Anakin. When I noticed you were missing… I thought my heart would burst. I had to remind myself my place before I went beside myself searching for you.”
Now it was Anakin’s turn to be silent. He sat there stunned, heat creeping over cheeks. He hadn’t expected such a straight forward response from his former master. He swallowed.
“You’ve never told me that before,” Anakin said, completely mystified.
“Well, you know very well I am not always so forward with my praise, but you deserve to hear it more. I really am proud of you, Anakin.”
Anakin looked away with a pout before his expression lightened again. /Who’s not a child now, Obi-Wan thought./
“Thank you, master.”
“You’re welcome. Now let me finish.”
Anakin allowed Obi-Wan to dress his ankle with elastic bandages without protest, only a wince here and there.
Obi-Wan worked carefully and finished with an instant ice pack. He had to argue with Anakin about keeping it elevated, and staying off it but he relented.
Now Anakin was bandaged up and lying on the cot, blinking with heavy eyelids, the lingering adrenaline from his fall had clearly left his system by now. He grimaced and squinted, the light clearly beginning to bother his head.
Obi-Wan turned them down without being asked to do so. Then he placed a cool towel on Anakin’s head.
Anakin was going to argue, but settled down when he realized how good it felt. He let out an involuntary groan.
“Thank you, master. I’m sorry,” Anakin said weakly, exhaustion taking him over.
“You don’t need to thank me, I want to do it, remember?” Obi-Wan assured the young man.
Anakin gave his best effort at a nod, taking one last look at Obi-Wan before allowing himself to succumb to his exhaustion and sleep.
Obi-Wan smiled. Thankfully it seemed Anakin would need his request for rest, at least for now. He would alert the medic in a moment. But for now he pulled up a chair beside Anakin, not wanting to relive his anxiety of not having eyes on him.
Anakin would be off-duty and ordered to rest for a week due to his injuries. During that time he would stay in Obi-Wan’s quarters and they would continue their conversations of trust and care, becoming closer than ever before.