Anakin stared at the man in front of him. Red hair may have turned to silver and there were more wrinkles than when last they had met, but Obi-Wan's grip was as strong as ever. They sat down and Anakin noticed that Leia was studying Obi-Wan.
"Mister Kenobi," she said hesitantly. "May I ask how you know my father?"
"Anakin never told you about me?" Obi-Wan asked, his face may have seemed like he was teasing, but Anakin could see the hurt in his eyes. "Anakin, I'm disappointed."
Never told his children? Anakin almost laughed. Most of the bedtime stories he had told the twins when they were younger had been all about the man. They loved the action and adventure that permeated the stories of the war Anakin told them. He spared them the gory details, of course, but he had always told them about Obi-Wan, albeit using his more common nickname rather than the real one.
"Obi-Wan," Anakin said, then mentally shook his head as he corrected himself. "Commander Kenobi, of course I told them about you."
Obi-Wan's face fell a bit when Anakin called him commander. It wasn't obvious to most people, but for a time Anakin had known the other man better than he knew himself, so he knew what to look out for.
"Kenobi?" Leia's eyes widened. "As in Ben Kenobi? The one from all your stories?"
This time even Han perked up and stared at Obi-Wan. Anakin knew that his son-in-law had always been curious about the man who Leia named their son after.
"Ben Kenobi?" Obi-Wan's eyes crinkled with laughter. "Why I haven't been called that in ages."
"That's the name Dad called you by," Leia explained. "Ben's named after you, you know."
Obi-Wan laughed and gave Ben an approving look. Ben gave the older man a smile, but Anakin could see the tips of Ben's ears turning red.
"It's a good name for a good man," Obi-Wan said with a nod in Ben's direction.
"Thank you Sir," Ben said, a light blush now staining his cheeks. Beside him Rey was beaming.
The topic on the table changed and Leia and Rey were soon talking about wedding details with a few inputs from Ben and Obi-Wan. Anakin didn't really pay attention, how could he when Obi-Wan Kenobi, his compatriot and the closest thing he had to a brother was sitting right there across from him, barely noticing him.
Anakin quickly finished his meal. He didn't think he could spend another minute at that table. Not when Obi-Wan was treating him like a stranger.
"Excuse me," he said, rising from his seat.
"Dad?" Leia asked, concern marring her brow.
"I'm not feeling well," Anakin replied. "It must have been the flight getting here."
Anakin saw Obi-Wan raise an eyebrow. He didn't care that the older man knew he was lying. He just needed to get away.
"Oh," Leia said. "Do you want me or Ben to come with you?"
"No," Anakin shook his head. He didn't really want company at the moment, and even if he did, he couldn't stomach looking weak in front of Obi-Wan. He never did. "I can make it back to my room by myself."
"If you say so Dad," Leia said sceptically.
"See you all later," he said, plastering on a smile. "It was nice meeting you Rey. Commander."
He saw the troubled look in Obi-Wan's eyes, but chose to ignore it. In a sense they were strangers, Anakin shouldn't let it bother him.
He made his way back to his room in silence. He made sure to keep his mind blank. He didn't want to think about things, not until he got to his room. He would be fine as long as he didn't think about it.
Once he was in his room, Anakin locked the door behind him. He headed to his bathroom and splashed water on his face. Looking at himself in the mirror he scowled.
"Get it together Skywalker," he said to his reflection. "That was a long time ago. You were a different person back then."
He remembered pats on the back, shared blankets for warmth, a reassuring hand on his shoulder as he flew through the air with Obi-Wan behind him manning the guns.
"You had a wife," he continued. "What you thought you felt for Obi-Wan was just a product of months in close quarters and the last hormonal surge of adolescence."
He remembered dreams of a hard body against his. Of bristly kisses. Of waking up next to his wife hard and wanting, turning to her and being sated, but never fully satisfied.
"You are Anakin Skywalker," he reminded himself. "Successful businessman, loving husband and father. Seeing Obi-Wan Kenobi will not phase you."
He remembered trading smiles, sharing rations. He remembered being young and scared of the next battle, of a reassuring voice. He remembered flying, soaring through the clouds. Freedom.
A knock sounded on the door and Anakin was pulled from his thoughts. He sighed and wiped his face on the nearby towel.
Another knock sounded.
"In a minute!" he called out.
It was probably Leia. She worried too much about him. Ever since Padme died, Leia had hovered. As much as Anakin appreciated it, he felt a bit stifled at times. He was a grown man, he didn't need minding. Still, she was his daughter, and he understood what it was like to worry over a parent. He did his fair share of worrying for his own mother after all.
Sighing, he undid the lock on the door and started to pull it open.
"What is it Le—oh."
Standing in front of him wasn't his daughter, but Obi-Wan.
Anakin had to give it to the man. It was the second time that day that he had managed to be surprised by Obi-Wan.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan greeted warmly. "May I come in?"
To say that it shocked Obi-Wan to see Anakin again was an understatement. But as much of a surprise as it was to find out that the other man was Ben's grandfather, Obi-Wan had decades of experience keeping his emotions from showing on his face.
So Obi-Wan hid behind his politeness, a veneer he used often when he was in the service. Out of the corner of his eye, he observed Anakin, noting the smattering of silver at his temples and the deep laugh lines that were present at the corners of his eyes and mouth.
The man obviously had a good life, a better one than Obi-Wan could have hoped for him. Judging from Leia's age, it wasn't long after he was discharged before Anakin had married.
While Obi-Wan knew that Anakin's proclamation of love for him was probably due to a mixture of teenage hormones and painkillers, it stung a bit that he had gotten over it so quickly. Bruised ego aside though, Obi-Wan had to admit that it was for the best.
At the very least he thought that they had parted as friends, but from the polite way that Anakin had addressed him, and the fact that he was called 'commander', Obi-Wan got the hint that Anakin did not wish to remember how close they used to be.
Still, it worried him when Anakin excused himself from the table. The fact that Anakin cited the plane ride as the cause made his question it all the more.
Anakin loved flying. If everything else had changed, that one thing would always remain constant. Anakin loved to fly. He loved it better when he was the pilot, but Anakin also enjoyed flying in itself.
Obi-wan lingered after Anakin had excused himself. He didn't want to worry Rey, after all. She was the bride, she had a whole wedding to worry about, and she didn't need to worry about him.
He stayed until they were proposing coffee.
"If you all would excuse me," Obi-Wan said as he rose from his seat. "I think the jetlag had finally caught up to me."
"Grandfather?" Rey inquired. He waved her off.
"I'm fine Rey," he smiled. "I just need to rest. You know how I am with planes."
"Grandfather hates flying," Rey explained to the rest of the table.
"That I do," Obi-Wan agreed. "Now then, I'll see you all later?"
They all nodded and let him leave. Han gave him a speculative look, but Obi-Wan chose to ignore it. He was an old man who was very much entitled to any and all excuses that he could think of.
Obi-Wan made his way to the front desk. He knew that customer confidentiality was a priority in hotels, but he had a way with words that always got him answers. The person manning the front desk was easy enough to get information out of.
He stopped in front of the door to Anakin's room and took a deep breath. He knew that he had no reason to be there, but Anakin was clearly upset. Despite how they had parted, despite the decades apart, Obi-Wan couldn't help but want to reach out to the younger man when he was so clearly in distress.
He raised his hand and rapped on the door.
No answer.
Obi-Wan counted up to ten and knocked again.
"In a minute!"
He sighed in relief and tried to relax the tension in his muscles. He had no idea what he was going to say to Anakin, only that he wanted to know what was bothering the other man, and if Obi-Wan could possibly do anything to help.
Obi-Wan heard the door being unlocked from the other side, Anakin was also saying something. A habit, Obi-Wan noted, that hadn't changed.
"What is it Le—oh."
The door opened to reveal Anakin with the front part of his hair wet as well as the front of his shirt. Obi-Wan fought back a smile, Anakin never did take care when he was washing his face. Then again, back in the war, there were instances that being clean was considered a luxury rather than a necessity.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan greeted, plastering on his usual smile. "May I come in?"
I am so sorry this took a while, I was binge-reading Obikin fics (and mapping out another obikin fic). So next chapter's going to be their conversation and then a bit of reylo (bc I love those dorks).
Ehliena