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The day was stretching long. From an early morning departing Modul'ka-a and - regrettably - letting it fall into seperatist clutch indefinitly, to the hyperspace trip back to Coruscant, to the ship inspection, the official debrief, the informal debrief with his men, to an untimely meal in the mostly barren cafeteria because as much as he wanted to just fall into bed and sleep forever, he also couldn't ignore the painful growling of his stomach any longer. The time difference between Modul'ka-a and Coruscant was jarring. When Anakin rose from the table he only had one last thing to do before he could set his feet on the well-known and worn path to the flat he still shared with his old Master.
The time between his knighting and the present day was a blur. One day Obi-Wan had been by his side, always a step ahead and a solid, square back, strong shoulders to take the brunt of whatever faced off against them. And then he hadn't been anymore. Anakin still caught himself reaching out, leaning into the Force and its everlasting presence, for the signature that had become so intricately interwoven with his own during long years of training that he'd stopped thinking of them as seperate at one point. But he was only one now. Confined to just one body, one signature. Even in the Temple he was on his own. Many Force signatures milled in the ancient halls and myriad levels surrounding him. But most of them were muted, dull, barely flickering to life. None could offer the warmth, the relief, the soothing his own war-worn and eternally unsettled self needed. And so he didn't try. Shielded himself as he moved through the halls to the corespondance room, only distantly aware of the other Jedi passing him by. The mood had acclimated to the times. The hallways weren't filled with bustle and the laughter of younglings anymore, faces were neutral or acceptably worried, and especially at this hour the foot traffic down away from the more communal areas trickled out.
The droid manning the counter reactivated into servicing mode as Anakin entered the room. It whistled at him and he smiled, for the first time that day. He inquired about the comings and goings and felt a spark of delight at hearing padawan Scops had received a suspiciously shaped package that had to be opened under supervision and revealed to be an edible sex toy from the mid-outer rim. How the padawan had managed to order it was left to his wonderings, as well as what the present Masters must have looked like.
He inspected the little box the droid procured for him and, finding its contents to be in impeccable shape, thanked the droid before turning and finally, finally, heading to the shared quarters. His home.
Obi-Wan had let him know earlier that week that he'd be back at about the same time as Anakin which had been enough to carry Anakin through the bitter realization that Modul'ka-a was a lost cause. The signs had been there for days but Anakin, and his men, hadn't wanted to admit it. Mostly Anakin. As long as there'd been even the sliver of a chance…
It had earned him an uncomfortably close brush with death, a quarter of his battalion dead or injured and nothing else to show for. Except a realization he'd kept tucked away somewhere close to his heart. He hadn't poked it much yet. Hadn't had the time, or a peaceful moment to do so - excuses, Anakin knew. The turbolift ascended with him inside and he stepped through the opening door on autopilot. Up here was even quieter. Not even the mousedroids were scurrying past as he set foot in front of foot, creeping ever closer to his haven. The measly pack of luggage with mostly dirty clothes and very little keepsakes was waiting for him by the door.
Seeing it brought a wave of exhaustion on that he was nearly incapable of withstanding. The wall's material was cool to the touch as he braced his flesh hand against it to prevent a crash into the single thing keeping him from rest. Cool, but not cold. Thrumming with an energy deeply imbedded within the structure. As he looked down light began to glow from the deep, thickly corded powerlines stretching far, far below, twining into a coil of energy the temple was build upon. His temples began to pound in tune with his heartbeat and he closed his eyes, leaned his forehead against the metal of the door and fought to get the secondary layer of reality out of his head. He peeled away from the Force, aware of how it amplified his hypersensitivity. His clothes rasped against his skin, loud. His breath and heartbeat roared through the otherwise quiet air, but the whirr of the lights and the hissing of the air circulation and the pulling of his prosthetic against his skin and the buzz of feedback from it to his nerves and-
The door closed behind him and shut the world out. The scent of tea and moist earth suffused the air and carved out space in his lungs, more with each breath. The big windows overlooking the city had their blinds drawn near completely. A used cup sat on its saucer in front of the sonic cleaner, visible from his position. The sight of Obi-Wan's boots by the door, the worn cloak over the back of the couch nearly brought tears to Anakin's eyes. He shoved the bag with his clothes away from the door. His Master's Force signature filled the flat like the known and beloved scents did the air. It was a steady thrum and had not changed even with the noise of the door, nor did it react as Anakin carefully let out a breath and dared to extend himself outwards. Just enough to feel, just enough to reach and connect. His knees buckled as his eyes closed. Weeks and weeks of an existance only half. Half of a whole, half of a bond, half of himself. He was careful not to let too much rush out of him at once. His Master was asleep and the last thing Anakin wanted was to disturb him. His head tilted forwards. Fabric bunched under his hands and when he opened his eyes he saw he'd made the trip across the room to the back of the couch, fingers clinging into the brown of the discarded cloak and the standard cream of the couch. He looked back towards the door. The box with Spalmond chocolates sat neat and tidy under the rack meant to hold their weapons. Safe and uncrumpled. Good.
He consciously let go of the couch and picked his saber from its place by his side. Didn't put it on the rack it was meant to be on but on the low couchtable instead. Tugged his belt off and shucked out of his tabards. His armor had remained in the hangar and he was grateful for it. One less thing that his Master would chide him for not storing properly once he'd wake up again. The undershirt and compression leggings were reeking horribly. He didn't spare a thought to when he'd showered last, and it wasn't any of his immediate concerns now either. On bare feet and feeling strangely exposed wearing only his undergarments after weeks spend layered into his robes and armor for days and days, he padded over towards his Master's bedroom. Inside was lit similarly as out. The blinds were drawn nearly to the bottom of the windows and only left a small space of light flooding the floorboards. The bare shoulders of his Master peeked out the top of the covers. His hair looked darker in the low light. Maybe it was because he hadn't had a decent shower in too long as well. Anakin felt oddly reminded of his early days as padawan, stealing into his Master's room after strange dreams had disturbed him or sickness has crept in.
His Master's hair was longer now though. And Anakin himself grown. He lowered his rear to the standard mattress. His Master's face was turned towards the edge, cheek mushed into the pillow he was hugging with both arms. No visible injuries. Of course not. His Master was well-adjusted and put together. His Master kept himself and his men safe. His Master was good at that.
The little something Anakin had kept tucked away wormed its way out of the place he'd stuffed it in. He let it. Watching his Master's face it was almost easy to let it rise, travel up through his chest until it burst in his mouth and gave free the words hidden inside.
"I missed you, Master." His voice was hardly more than a whisper. He reached out with his flesh hand and brushed the strands that had fallen into his Master's face away. They were cool to the touch - not greasy. Of course his Master must've found time to use the 'fresher before falling into bed. Of course. Always fastidiously neat and clean. A fond smile worked its way on Anakin's face. The burst pearl's words began to crowd on his tongue. For one breath it was difficult to get enough air in, to breathe around the sudden pain crawling up his windpipe. "There was a blaster shot that barely-" He swallowed halfway through the sentence. "-Don't worry though, Rex- nevermind. Don't worry about it." This was so kriffing hard, and his Master wasn't even awake. A sigh escaped him. He leaned both elbows on his knees, eyes on the floor. "I'm sorry. I missed you," he began again, hoping this time the words would come out right. "And the only thing I could think of when that shot grazed me was that that could have been it. I wouldn't have made it back. To the camp, the ship, here. You. I love you, Obi-Wan." It slipped out and then it was free and it was easier than he'd thought. When he looked back, his Master's expression remained relaxed and at peace. "I love you so much." Anakin whispered, eyes unmovingly trained on the face he'd missed most while far away. He reached out, slowly. Wrapped his flesh hand around one strong wrist and felt the steady pulse beating under his fingertips. Dared to slide his Force signature closer to the pulse eminating from his Master. "I missed you. I'm so glad to see you." With every word he leaned down further, until he could feel the warmth of his Master's skin on his lips. Pressed them feather-light to the cheekbone revealed to him, and stayed for an endless moment long. He closed his eyes and held his breath.
For one moment everything was silent.
Then Anakin pulled back, thumb rubbing over the prominent vein at the edge of Obi-Wan's wrist, and sat up. The little box of chocolates would have to wait until tomorrow. Coruscant's Day of Love celebrations would be long over by then, but their lives didn't necessarily allow for such frivolities anyways.
He was about to stand up and retreat when his Master drew a deep breath. Anakin stayed frozen to the spot, half hoping Obi-Wan would simply shift and not wake.
"'nakin?"
Sleep-rough, lilting coruscantii accent. Anakin had to blink back tears he hadn't felt coming.
"Yes, it's me Master. Hello." He hoped the wobble in his voice wasn't audible through his whisper.
"When d'you get back?" Obi-Wan's eyes were slits in the dark. He'd rolled on his side, blanket revealing his pecs down to his nipples. Combed a hand through his hair so it'd be out of his face.
"Just a few hours ago. Don't worry, just- go back to sleep. I'll go."
His Master's eyes had closed again, and Anakin thought it safe to retreat. But when he made to push off the bed two hands reached out and grabbed him, tugging him down into bed. He held his breath again as Obi-Wan shuffled back and made just enough room that Anakin wouldn't take a tumble off the mattress. The blanket that was draped over him was clean, dry and warm. Already his limbs felt too heavy to move. Thankfully his Master was wearing soft sleeping pants and hadn't blacked out entirely nude. That was Anakin's thought as his Master grumbled and looped an arm and a leg around him, pulling him flush with the man's chest. There was no space to put his own arm if not over the thick waist pressed against his own.
"You smell," his Master grumbled against the top of his head. It lacked the usual annoyance. Probably because he was more than half-asleep.
"Didn't shower yet," Anakin admitted, feeling embarassement heat his cheeks and ears.
"You eat?" Obi-Wan sighed, already sounding close to gone again.
"Yeah," Anakin nodded, and finally adjusted slightly to fit himself better against his very warm, very comforting Master.
"Good." Obi-Wan mumbled, one hand rubbing over Anakin's upper back. "Good…"
The warmth extended from Anakin's front and their points of contact to envelop him fully. The sensation swept from his head down his body, one long wave of comfort cushioning him against the world. Anakin's eyes closed without his input. Obi-Wan's Force signature cocooned him and dulled the miniscule sounds from beyond the bed. Drowsiness swept around him, so heavy and yet caressing him so lovingly that the tension melted from Anakin's muscles.
He was home. And safe.
Tomorrow was a distant possibility and too far away to pay any mind.
He was home. And he loved his Master so very much.