Anakin found himself reluctantly drawn into a hazy state of semi-consciousness by the by the grinding whine of the hyperdrive engine powering down and the subtle lurch of realspace reversion, but it took the distinctive chime of a comm going off for him to realize he'd fallen asleep. Pleasantly warm and willfully ignoring the disturbance, he shifted beneath the blankets, edged further into wakefulness by the heavy weight draped so comfortably and intimately across him, reminding him that he wasn't alone.

Without opening his eyes, a small, pleased expression flitted across his face as he remembered the events of the previous day and just who was wrapped around him on this tiny narrow bunk and exactly how they got here. Tightening his hold on the figure in his arms, Anakin pressed a quiet kiss to his hair and inhaled deeply, his smile broadening as he peeked open an eye.

Obi-Wan lay contentedly within the circle of Anakin's arms, soundly asleep with his head pillowed near Anakin's shoulder, a sprawl of auburn bangs obscuring one eye and part of his nose. Anakin nodded to himself; it was a testament to how fatigued Obi-Wan was, how much his body needed a respite in order to restore itself after the trauma it had sustained, that he had missed his comm call. If he had the power, Anakin would have stayed like this forever with Obi-Wan, frozen in this perfect moment of peace and quiet.

When Obi-Wan's comm went off again, Anakin sighed, mildly annoyed, but when his own comm chimed a few seconds later from somewhere beneath where they lay, he narrowed his eyes menacingly, pondering for a moment what it would take to silence the kriffing notification mechanism with the Force. Focusing on the wiring diagram he could so easily visualize in his mind, he thought if he just touched this wire to that nodule and rerouted the— The simultaneous buzz and chime of both their comms startled him out of his concentration, and he threw his head back, rolling his eyes to the ceiling and mouthing several choice words Obi-Wan would never approve of.

"It is not going to answer itself," came a sleepy grumble from within Anakin's arms. Obi-Wan half-rolled off him, angling his head up to face him and cracked open an eye. "Duty calls, Anakin," he yawned grouchily. "Do tell it to stop."

Anakin laughed softly at Obi-Wan's unusually uncharitable attitude. "Maybe if we ignore it, it'll go away?" he whispered hopefully, running his fingers through Obi-Wan's hair as he left a kiss on his shoulder.

"That sounds like a wonderful plan," Obi-Wan smiled sleepily, closing his eyes at the touch. "Anakin, we really should—" their comms buzzed again "—get that," he mumbled, rolling his face into Anakin's chest, forgetting about his hip and whimpering softly as he lay on it.

"Still bad?" Anakin intoned with a concerned frown, rubbing his hand down Obi-Wan's back in slow strokes. "It's going to take some time, Obi-Wan. Don't rush it. You need to take some R&R when we dock with Valiant, okay? I mean it. Promise me?"

"Stop worrying...answer it...Valiant..." Obi-Wan stirred, groaning against Anakin's skin as he drifted back into slumber.

With a soft snicker and a soothing pat to Obi-Wan's back, Anakin shook his head and carefully dug around behind him, fishing out his comm from where it was wedged between the bunk and the wall. "Skywalker. Hey, Cody, yeah...go ahead," he said with a jaw-cracking yawn, clicking it to the privacy setting so that it wouldn't disturb Obi-Wan. He slouched against the wall and leaned his head back, rolling his eyes as he listened disinterestedly. "Yeah...okay. Uh huh, I'll..." he smiled down at Obi-Wan, brushing at the hair on his neck, "I'll make sure to brief General Kenobi. Tell them we'll meet them on deck at...what time is it now? Tell them 1300 hours. What? I don't care who's coming, General Kenobi's not available until then. I.." He sighed, annoyed. "I know, I know. Tell him I said so, Commander. If he doesn't like it, he can... Cody, just tell him. And... thanks. Skywalker out." He clicked off the comm with his thumb, momentarily considering whether to crush the damn thing or chuck it across the room. He decided either was likely to wake Obi-Wan, so he levitated it silently over to the counter, glaring at it like it had personally offended him.

"Brief me on what?" Obi-Wan asked fuzzily, his voice still rough with sleep. "Come back here, it's cold," he complained, pulling Anakin around him tighter.

"Hey, you're supposed to be sleeping," Anakin said quietly, compliantly curling around his Master. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry," he apologized, planting soft kisses along the other man's neck. "Go back to sleep, I'll tell you later."

"Can feel you...irritated. Why?" Obi-Wan sighed dreamily as Anakin's lips traveled soothingly over his skin, trying to fend off the tempting lure of additional sleep. "Valiant here?"

Anakin hesitated, considering hedging the truth to keep Obi-Wan from waking any further, but then nodded, figuring his Master could feel that they had dropped out of hyperspace just as well as he could. "Yeah, just about." He snuffled into Obi-Wan's hair, breathing in deeply. "We still have some time, though."

"Hmm," Obi-Wan mumbled suspiciously, beginning to stretch out within Anakin's arms. "What else aren't you telling me?" With a grunt, he rolled over carefully this time and blinked his eyes open, squinting at Anakin in the harsh lights of the room's day cycle. "And what time is it?"

"It's 0900. And...we're, uh, having visitors," Anakin sighed reluctantly, running a hand through his hair and frowning his displeasure. "The Admiral's ferrying Windu and Vos out to the Arkanis sector, and he wants us to debrief them on Shylera and our recon on possible GAR outposts in the surrounding systems," he revealed carefully, bracing for the inevitable reaction.

"Excuse me?" Obi-Wan's eyes opened fully in alarm, and with a sharp groan he tried to sit up. "Mace is on his way here? With Quinlan? Oh, that is just fantastic," he muttered sarcastically, rubbing ruthlessly at his eyes with the heels of his hands, trying grind away the last remnants of sleep. Pushing against Anakin, he got himself up on one elbow. "Anakin, come on, we need to ready our reports and inspect—" He frowned as the other man's hands circled closer around his waist. "Anakin," Obi-Wan sighed exasperatedly, halfheartedly straining against Anakin as he was tugged back down into the nearly irresistible warmth, "we don't have time—"

"Sure we do," Anakin assured him, easing them both back down comfortably on the bunk. "We have a couple of hours before we're due on deck, don't worry." With a self-satisfied grin, he leaned forward to kiss Obi-Wan. "I told them you wouldn't be available for a while."

"You did what?" Obi-Wan twisted his lips away, mouth hanging open as he stared aghast at Anakin. "You cannot simply brush off an Admiral and two Generals of the Republic!" he groaned, dropping his forehead to Anakin's chest in dismay. "Anakin..."

"Well, I kind of just did," Anakin shrugged matter-of-factly. He tucked his fingers under Obi-Wan's chin and tilted his head up, giving his Master a significant, stern look. "You need to rest, Master. You're overextended, you're recovering from a serious injury, and your knee's so banged up you can hardly walk. I know you—you won't do it on your own, and Windu's certainly not going to tell you to, so I am. You are going to rest."

Even though he irritatingly could not refute anything Anakin had said, Obi-Wan still frowned and shook his head. "Anakin, while I...appreciate," he ground the carefully chosen word out slowly, "your concern, I am still the servant of a Republic in the midst of a galactic crisis. I cannot just shirk my duty in favor of a lie in, as much as I might like to. I have responsibilities—"

"—that I will take care of," Anakin finished for him, putting a finger against his lips with an earnest smile. "Come on, stop your fretting and let me handle it," he cajoled, coaxing Obi-Wan's head back down on his chest. "It's only a couple of hours—the Republic's not going to fall just because you aren't on the bridge when Valiant comes into visual range."

Obi-Wan snorted, scowling his resignation as he reluctantly relaxed into Anakin's arms, shifting about until he was comfortable again. "No, but it very well might if I start making a habit of deferring to your convoluted reasoning and unorthodox methods." With his face still pressed against the younger man's skin, Obi-Wan tilted his chin up toward Anakin, mouth quirking into a warm smile as he snaked an arm around Anakin's waist. "After all, look where it has gotten me."

Nodding, Anakin stretched forward to kiss Obi-Wan, then shifted them down further into the blankets. "Yes, it is awfully alarming to see where a Jedi Master like yourself has ended up, Obi-Wan. I mean," he lifted the coverings and glanced underneath, peeking back over the edge with a decidedly suggestive curve of his lips, "just look." He let the blankets flutter down over them as his hands curved over the other man's backside, teasing them both with an arch of his hips. "It's really uncivilized."

Flushing, Obi-Wan felt the beginning stir of arousal pass between them and groaned softly, pressing his face into Anakin's neck. "I thought I was supposed to be resting, and that you were going to take care of things."

Anakin groaned as well, relaxing his hips and letting his hands roam up Obi-Wan's back. He really did want his Master to rest, but it was hard to ignore the alluring temptation when the man was pressed warm and naked against the entire length of his body. "You're right, you're right. I'll behave."

Obi-Wan chuckled, playfully circling his finger around one of Anakin's nipples. "I'm not so certain I want you to."

Anakin flicked his ticklish hand away with a frustrated growl. "Don't say that—I'm going to get ideas. Ideas that are not very restful, Master."

"Well, hmm, Anakin Skywalker thinking. We can't have that, can we?" Obi-Wan teased lightly, grinning and raising his eyebrow as he looked up at Anakin.

Anakin scowled and shook his head warningly, bringing his mouth down close to Obi-Wan's. "You know, if you weren't injured, I would flip you over right now and—"

"Oh, promises, promises," Obi-Wan sighed blithely against his mouth, sinking his fingers into Anakin's hair as they melted into an unhurried exchange of soft, licking kisses.

Anakin smiled as they broke apart, releasing a satisfied breath. Toying with a lock of his Master's hair, he gazed down at Obi-Wan curiously. "So, do you think Windu's brought new orders for us? I don't know why he'd have diverted us to rendezvous with Valiant otherwise."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, welcoming the calming sensation of Anakin's fingers in his hair. "It seems likely," he concurred with an unconcerned shrug. "Probably to someplace utterly rife with danger and lacking in any sort of civilized amenities."

Anakin laughed at his Master's resigned and all-too-astute assessment. "So...pretty much the usual?"

"Pretty much. Complete with you pulling hopelessly reckless stunts, carelessly taunting death with a cheeky wink and a smile, and giving me more gray hairs than anyone my age should ever have." Obi-Wan angled his head up, tracing idly along Anakin's jaw line and around his full lips with a slight frown. "I...I still wish you wouldn't go to such lengths to protect me, you know."

Anakin kissed his fingers, nodding. "I know. But you know that's not going to stop me."

"Yes," Obi-Wan said quietly, sighing his reluctant understanding, "I know. It is one of the things that makes you who you are, Anakin. It would be wrong of me to ask you to be anything less than that." He pushed himself up on his elbows, rubbing his hand over Anakin's stomach in slow circles. "But you need to promise me two things."

A puzzled, worried look crossed Anakin's face. "Okay...what?" he asked warily, petting along the firm muscle of Obi-Wan's bicep. He didn't know what his Master was going to ask him to promise, but he was pretty sure, by the cautious, serious tone Obi-Wan had adopted, one he knew only too well from an abundance of lectures, that he wasn't going to like it. "Tell me."

Obi-Wan hesitated before meeting Anakin's eyes. "First, I need to know you will be more careful." He lifted his eyebrow challengingly when he caught the roll of Anakin's eyes. "I meant what I said, Anakin—I could not bear it if anything happened to you, particularly if you were endangering yourself on my behalf." His expression softened, and he kissed the corner of Anakin's pouting mouth. "I just want you to be safe. I've become rather selfish in that regard, you'll have to forgive me that."

Anakin huffed and scrubbed a hand tiredly over his face, pinching his temples between the span of two fingers. "Fine. But you have to promise me, then, that you're going to be more careful, too." He frowned petulantly at Obi-Wan and poked at spot on the other man's chest, just above the slug bruise. "I'm not the only one here with a reckless streak a lightyear wide. No more going off on fool's errands without me. I mean it, Obi-Wan. We're a team, and that means we stick together, alright?" he demanded, waiting expectantly for Obi-Wan to agree, because there was no way he could keep his promise if his Master wasn't going to do the same.

Obi-Wan's shoulders sagged as he dropped his head forward with a heavy sigh. He didn't have any idea quite how this was going to work, but they were going to have to make it work, and at least he knew the other man was taking him seriously. The least he could do in return was to take Anakin's concerns to heart as well. "Alright, Anakin, alright," he acquiesced, lifting his head with a small, rueful smile at his partner. "But," he continued, raising a finger in exception, "I agree with the caveat that things do not always go according to plan—in fact, in our case, they rarely do. However, you are right, we are a team, and I will do my best to honor that whenever it is possible. Is that satisfactory?"

Anakin grunted, grasping Obi-Wan's finger and tugging their hands down to rest entwined just beneath Anakin's chin. "I guess," he mumbled grudgingly, his face darkening with a jealous, possessive glare. "But that especially means no more Organa. I don't like the way he looks at you, and he's worse than you are at finding trouble."

Obi-Wan just rolled his eyes. "I know it does defy your pessimistic appraisal of my abilities, but I can manage to take care of my self—and others—on occasion, I'll have you know." He reddened and cast his eyes downward. "And Bail does not look at me in any such way, Anakin. Honestly," he huffed with embarrassment.

Anakin simply nodded, choking back the laughter bubbling up in his throat at Obi-Wan's endearingly flustered indignation. "If you say so..." he demurred, angling his head down to hide his smirk by kissing at their laced fingers supporting his chin. "Okay, so...I'll be more careful, and you will, too." He hesitated, taking a deep breath. "So, what's the second?"

Clearing his throat nervously, Obi-Wan looked at him gravely for a moment, wishing he didn't have to ask this, wishing for a moment that they were different people in a different life, where this was a choice and not a sacred and sworn obligation. "Anakin, I need your word you will put your duty first. Above your needs, above mine, above anything else. Duty must come first." He looked entreatingly at Anakin, liberating a thumb from their clasped hands to stroke tenderly over his chin and bottom lip. "Is that something you can promise me?"

"But...you...you said..." Swallowing repeatedly, a hurt and confused look crossed Anakin's face, and he slowly pulled his hand out from Obi-Wan's, dumbfounded by the request. He had believed this was settled; after everything they had shared, he thought, he felt, that Obi-Wan had understood, and yet here they were, back at the beginning, talking about his kriffing duty. "I...I thought..." His breath quickened into short, agitated bursts and he coughed, turning his face away from Obi-Wan's touch to stare dejectedly at the barren wall next to the bunk. "You said..." he repeated despondently, blinking rapidly as he picked at the frayed edge of the blanket. "I don't...I don't understand, Obi-Wan."

Despite having expected such a reaction, it nevertheless wounded Obi-Wan deeply to see how much his request had devastated Anakin. He hated that he had put that look on Anakin's face, after he'd been witness to so much beauty and joy on it so very recently, but he would be doing them both, and their budding new relationship, such irreparable harm if they did not come to some kind of understanding with each other on this fundamental issue. "Anakin, please, I want you to listen to me," Obi-Wan asked placatingly, placing his hand over Anakin's and squeezing his fingers gently, trying to bring some measure of calm to the storm of conflicting emotions swirling through their bond.

"I have meant every single thing I've said to you. You are so utterly important to me, you are my heart, and you...you know how difficult that was for me to admit, but I do, I embrace it, as much as I embrace you here, right now. I don't want to live this life—or any life—without you in it, by my side or in my arms." Obi-Wan took hold of Anakin's chin and coaxed his head around to face him, looking solemnly up at the younger man. "What I am asking of you is to be all of who you are, and that includes Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Can you be that man for me? With me?"

"Obi-Wan..." Anakin blinked at him, a single stray tear winding a path down his cheek, and he closed his eyes with a heavy, pained sigh. "Do you...do you know how hard this will be for me?" he rasped, licking his lips as he tried to steady his breath. "To have put other people, other things, ahead of you, where you could...you could..." He opened his eyes, dragging his tortured gaze back to his Master. "Obi-Wan, I don't want to lose you. I...I can't," he whispered brokenly. "I'm sorry."

"I know, I know," Obi-Wan soothed, brushing away the tear with the backs of his fingers. "And I'm sorry to have to ask that of you, and of me, but what happened on Shylera is only the beginning of the ways in which we will be tested. That is why I must ask this now, before anything else happens. Do you think this will be easy for me, especially now? Why do you think I've asked you to be careful? I don't want to lose you, either. I can't."

Obi-Wan rested his chin on Anakin's chest with a wry, lopsided smile. "And that, my dear Anakin, is exactly why we're encouraged to avoid attachment. But I suppose it is a moot point now, isn't it?" He rocked forward on his chin just enough to brush his lips in a soft kiss to Anakin's skin and sighed. "All I know for certain is that the Force has set us on this path, and I have to trust that it is our ally and will not abandon us now, not when what's grown between us feels so...so right." Obi-Wan caressed the younger man's shoulder, massaging his thumb along the straining tendon in his neck. "I know it will not always be easy, Force knows it won't be easy, but we will work through this together."

Anakin chewed his lip, closing his eyes as he distressingly considered the implications of what Obi-Wan was truly asking of him. Even though he knew he shouldn't be, Anakin was strangely comforted knowing that if the moment ever came, Obi-Wan would also feel the same conflicted reservation about leaving Anakin to the will of the Force in favor of pursuing his greater duty. That Obi-Wan would honor his duty was something Anakin knew without a doubt, but now, rather than resent the other man for it, he instead drew strength from his Master's unwavering faith in the Force to guide and protect them both. Opening himself to its calming, healing currents, Anakin let all of his fears and anxieties float away and sent a silent prayer into the Force, asking it to watch over Obi-Wan when he couldn't, and to help him find the courage to always be the man Obi-Wan needed him to be.

Taking a deep breath, he blinked open his eyes, slowly releasing it with a shiver. "Okay, Obi-Wan." Anakin cupped the other man's face in his hands and nodded his reluctant but definite resolve. "You have my word. I will honor you and our oath as Jedi, as long as you understand and accept that you are part of my duty, too. That is not negotiable."

Obi-Wan nodded his assent and turned his face into Anakin's hand, pressing an appreciative kiss to his palm. "You are part of my duty as well, you always have been. It is a duty I will forever prize and cherish, and that will never change, I promise you." He took hold of one of Anakin's hands, giving it a gentle, affirming squeeze. "I know how difficult that was for you, and I'm so very proud of you, Anakin. Thank you for giving that to me...and to yourself."

Humbled by his Master's praise, Anakin sent him a shy, grateful smile, squeezing his hand in return. "I should be thanking you, for...for always...well...for everything," he sighed with a shrug, imploringly pulling at Obi-Wan's arms, needing the solid security of his Master's weight pressed fully against him again. "I would do anything for you, Master."

"Oh, if only that were true." Obi-Wan draped his arm across Anakin's chest and propped his chin up on his fist, a rakish grin tugging at one corner of his mouth. "Need I remind you of the incident on Hapes?"

"That...doesn't count," Anakin protested defensively, shaking his head even as he laughed. "You told me we needed to defer to their customs and respect their traditions, and I did. Just because that junior princeling challenged me to an honor duel because his betrothed grabbed my ass in the middle of their Solstice gala, and lost...that's not my fault! She was a troll, and besides, I had my eyes on your ass that whole night." His eyebrows went high and he licked his lips, curling them into licentious grin as his splayed hands suggestively pet at Obi-Wan's ass to emphasize his point. "Kriff, your dress robes hide nothing, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan smacked lightly at Anakin's hands and glanced away, scowling uncomfortably. "You...you need to stop doing that," he groaned, feeling the blush heating his cheeks. "And I am never wearing them again, if that is so. It's completely—"

"Uncivilized, yes, I know. Which is why you need to wear them more often," Anakin whispered, beckoning him closer. He took his hands to Obi-Wan's reddened face, dragging his thumb over his Master's parted, protesting lips. "And then after a whole night of watching you, and crazy from not being able to touch, I'm going to take them off of you, and I promise you, it will be anything but civilized."

"Anakin..." Obi-Wan complained in a low growl, his mind spinning endless scenarios set in a multitude of locales, all culminating with Anakin sauntering up to him in the midst of some important delegation and uncouthly dragging him away, all dark eyes and claiming hands and devouring mouth... He moaned softly, embarrassed by his shameless fantasies but just as thoroughly aroused, and stretched up to take Anakin's mouth with his in a hungry, passion-driven kiss, biting and sucking at his lips until they were red, wet and swollen. Panting, Obi-Wan licked consolingly at the ravaged flesh, nuzzling his nose alongside Anakin's. "Force, Anakin, the things you say...the way you say them..."

"Well, I'm really not going to stop saying them if it keeps making you do that," Anakin mumbled with a satisfied smirk against his mouth, parting his lips once more to meet with Obi-Wan's, the kiss this time slow, languorous, perfectly indulgent and content. Breaking away reluctantly, he rested his forehead against his Master's, feeling the other man's breathy sigh soft and warm on his face. "But...I am going to go, let you get some rest now." He gave Obi-Wan another quick kiss and started to disentangle himself from the bedding and get up.

Smiling warmly, Obi-Wan trailed his hand down Anakin's arm as the younger man slipped out of the blankets, squeezing his fingers tightly before letting him go completely. Turning onto his side, he bent his elbow and rested his head on his hand, watching in amusement as Anakin's tongue stuck in the corner of his mouth while he rigged some kind of closure on his leggings with part of a broken lace.

"I think you may need to requisition some new ones," Obi-Wan said with a heartfelt laugh. "Not that I'm unimpressed by your...innovation and creativity, Anakin. I'm just not certain they'll hold up under any sort of duress, and that would be most unfortunate for you to to be caught by the Separatists with your...er...pants down," he quipped with a roguish gleam in his eyes, tugging at Anakin's leggings through the Force with a discreet wiggle of his little finger.

"Hey!" Anakin laughed as he clutched at the flimsy closure, shuffling over to pick something off the floor. "I need to requisition new ones?" he asked, grinning smugly as he shook out the remnants of Obi-Wan's demolished leggings between his hands. "I think it would be most unfortunate if you were caught without any pants, Master." He casually tossed them in the receptacle and strode over to the bunk, kneeling next to Obi-Wan. "Unless you're caught by me. Then that would be most fortunate for both of us," he promised gruffly, bringing his mouth to Obi-Wan's in another lengthy kiss, slipping his tongue inside to lap wet and languid alongside his Master's.

Obi-Wan muffled a brief protest that turned into an encouraging, approving moan as he relaxed into the kiss, slipping his hand under the curls against the nape of Anakin's neck. He grazed his bearded cheek along the younger man's, brushing soft near-kisses over his cheekbone. "Always so uncivilized," he teased softly with a shake of his head.

"That's me. And you like it," Anakin drawled, stealing another series of brief, decadently pleasurable kisses. Catching the chrono on the wall, he rocked back on his heels with a severe pout and a frustrated groan. He really did not relish the thought of leaving this behind in order to meet up with Windu's damning scowl, but he knew Obi-Wan wouldn't rest until he did. "I...I guess I should go. Can I take a blanket with me? My stuff's...somewhere." Standing, he laughed at the look of consternation on Obi-Wan's face. "I'll find it, don't worry," he assured his Master with another burst of laughter. "I will!"

"You had better," Obi-Wan warned with a frown. "It is bad enough you'll be parading about this ship in an obvious state of undress, but do I even dare ask where your lightsaber is?" He arched a knowing, condescending eyebrow. "I didn't think so. And Anakin," he added with a mischievous smirk, the whiskers of his beard twitching with a sly hint of mirth around his mouth, "do try this time to make clean clothing and a trip to a fresher a priority as well, would you please? I would rather that Quinlan's lascivious tongue find something else to wag at than you, and Master Windu will most likely not appreciate your...fragrance."

Anakin smiled shyly, warmed by the edge of possessiveness that had slipped into Obi-Wan's lecture, and lifted his brows with mock surprise. "Do you want me to smell nice for Windu? I don't, in fact, maybe it will keep him away." He sniffed under his arm and crinkled up his nose. "Well...it's been worse, but okay, you have a point. But you know," he pointed at Obi-Wan's head, circling his finger, "you'd better get to work on that hair, because if I were you, I'd be more worried about Vos. I'm not the one he's going to be looking at."

Obi-Wan ran his hand over the back of his head, frowning at the matted clumps and spiky strands sticking out in every direction. "I always worry about Quinlan, he rather evokes that sentiment. Almost as much as you do," he added drily. Combing his fingers self-consciously through the mess, he glanced warily at Anakin. "What do you mean?"

Anakin let the dig pass with a roll of his eyes and snorted a laugh. "Because unlike Windu, he's not dead inside. Even if you somehow manage to avoid him touching you—which would definitely be my preference, but good luck on that one—he's not even going to need his psychometry. All Vos has to do is take one look at you, Master, and he's so going to know that...there's...something to know." He raised his brows, gesturing with his chin toward the receptacle with a smirk. "Especially if you're not, you know, wearing any pants."

Obi-Wan groaned loudly as he sat up, realizing Anakin was right. Quinlan's Jedi gift allowed him the often-useful and, in Obi-Wan's personal experience, mostly-abused ability to read images and memories through touch. "Kriff," he swore profusely, pressing the tips of a thumb and forefinger against his eyes. "As if I need that degenerate trolling around my mind, gathering fodder for his sordid and debauched activities," he growled to himself, draping the blankets around his waist modestly as he swung his legs over the edge of the bunk, gingerly rubbing at his abused knee.

"I thought he was your friend," Anakin coughed, trying to smother a laugh behind his hand. "Did something happen I don't know about?" His eyes narrowed suddenly, stomach lurching as a troubling, jealous thought occurred to him. "Is there something I should know? Did he do something? Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and held up his hand, shaking his head dismissively. "No, no, nothing like that." He sighed heavily, resting his head in his hands and pressing at his temples. "He's a very good friend, actually, you know that. He's just...he's Quinlan," he said simply as explanation. Obi-Wan raised his head, setting his chin against his hand, rubbing at his beard thoughtfully. "I don't suppose I could ask you to possibly locate me some proper attire for this blessed reunion, seeing as I'm rather hopelessly confined to quarters?" he appealed to Anakin with a deceptively meek, charming smile.

"You could," Anakin replied, tilting his head suggestively as a slow smirk spread across his face. "But I have to admit, I'm kind of fond of this sexy, dirty, messy, and very naked look you have going," he said in a silky voice, crossing his arms against his chest, giving Obi-Wan a long once-over. "Especially since I'm mostly responsible for it."

"Stop that! You're as bad as Quinlan, I swear." Completely flustered, Obi-Wan turned scarlet and tossed a blanket at Anakin's head. "And yes, this is all your fault," he groused, trying to look stern as he fought off the shy, rather pleased grin tickling at the corners of his mouth. "As usual."

Anakin pulled the covering off his head, scowling at the sparking static that had raised a frizzy halo of ringlets he futilely tried to smooth down. "Always is," he winked cheekily, chuckling as he shrugged the blanket around his shoulders. "Okay, okay, don't worry, I'll have Cody send a full req order over to Valiant ASAP. With any luck, since Vos is onboard, I might be able to score something in black. You however...may be stuck with Windu's tweed."

"Thank you...I think. And it's Master Windu, Anakin. Master," Obi-Wan corrected with a bored, exasperated sigh, shaking his head. "You are a Knight, and you need to recognize and respect his authority, as difficult as that may seem to you. As a Jedi Master and a member of the Council, he has earned it."

"Nope." Anakin shook his head slowly and knelt down on one knee between Obi-Wan's thighs, taking his Master's hands into his. "The only authority I recognize is right here in front of me. He's the only one who has earned my respect," he declared quietly, and meant it wholeheartedly. Windu, the other Council members, even other Jedi...they had no claim on him, and he owed them no allegiance. His allegiance, his fealty, his life belonged only to Obi-Wan Kenobi, and anything that he bestowed on anyone else was insignificant and fleeting in comparison. Canting his head to the side, Anakin gazed up almost submissively at Obi-Wan, gently weaving their fingers together until their palms pressed flat and warm against the other. "And he's the only one I will ever acknowledge as Master."

Obi-Wan's heart clenched and he sighed nervously, overwhelmed and at a loss for words. "Oh, Anakin..." he faltered, looking down and squeezing Anakin's hands securely in his. He didn't know how to respond, how to express how much he valued, honored and treasured the place he had somehow merited in Anakin's life, when he was still trying to absorb the mere fact that he did have that place. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say to that," he whispered honestly, smiling as he reached up to caress Anakin's cheek.

With a small shrug, Anakin grasped Obi-Wan's hand and pressed it against his cheek comfortingly. "You don't have to say anything. I...I just hope that maybe you can understand a little more why I act the way I do. You're my Master, my partner, my l-lover," he stammered, grinning broadly as he pushed himself to standing, "and I honor and respect the man you are, Obi-Wan." Anakin bent forward, cupping his hand under his Master's chin, his steadfast gaze burning with ardent, unfathomable devotion for the man in front of him. "I love you, I always will," he vowed, sealing his promise with a soft kiss to Obi-Wan's lips before straightening back up, letting his hand drop heavily to his side as he turned toward the door.

Heart pounding, breath quickening, Obi-Wan swallowed hard, once, twice, looking imploringly at Anakin's back as he moved away. Raking restless, shaking fingers roughly through his hair, he took a deep breath, furiously trying to motivate his deplorably reticent tongue. "Anakin...I l-lo—" he croaked out, his voice lost in swish of the door as Anakin pressed the opening mechanism. Cursing to himself, Obi-Wan cleared his throat and called out to him in an only slightly less-strangled voice. "A-Anakin?"

"Yeah?" Anakin turned around, shivering as the cooler air of the corridor wafted into the room. Hitching the blanket around himself tighter, he looked over and laughed as he caught the look of mild panic shadowing Obi-Wan's face. "I promise, I'll check in on the bridge on my way to my quarters, make sure everything's in line. And get you some pants." Still loath to leave Obi-Wan despite his resolve, Anakin procrastinated, fidgeting hesitantly in the hatchway. "Um...okay, I guess...I'll...I'll see you later..." He smiled fleetingly at the other man, his expression full of longing and tinged with an almost despondent reluctance as he finally forced himself to take a step outside.

Obi-Wan caught the look on Anakin's face as he loitered in the hatchway and groaned helplessly under his breath, gnawing harshly at his lip, fingers curling into a white-knuckled grip on the edge of the bunk. "Anakin, wait. Wait," he cried out when the younger man disappeared out the door, scrubbing a hand over his mouth anxiously, not wanting to leave it this way between them.

He would not. Anakin had been right; all they had out here, mired in the banality and futility of this war, was each other. Even with all the benevolences the Force might bestow on Anakin and Obi-Wan, once they walked out that door and resumed their roles as Generals Kenobi and Skywalker, duty-bound servants to a Republic cloaked in darkness and uncertainty, nothing was guaranteed to them, except their deep and abiding commitment to each other. Anakin had been so open and forthright, almost zealous in his pledge of love and fidelity to Obi-Wan, that even though he'd not asked for it in return, Obi-Wan knew Anakin desperately needed the same from him. No, he wasn't like Anakin; he would probably always struggle with acknowledging his emotions and allowing them an outlet beyond meditation, but that did not mean he felt them any less, and he so desperately wished for Anakin to have heard it from him, if only just this once. "Anakin, I need to tell you—"

Eagerly seizing any opportunity to delay his leaving, Anakin quickly ducked back inside, nodding and insolently rolling his eyes. "I know, I know. I'll be respectful, I'll not interrupt, I'll—"

Obi-Wan snorted a nervous laugh and rolled his eyes in return. "N-no you won't." Tucking his blanket around his waist, he braced his hands against the edge of the bunk to push himself to standing, wobbling unsteadily between his weakened hip and aching knee. "Anakin, please, listen—"

Anakin sighed dramatically, grinning as he dropped his head in defeat. "You're probably right. But...I'll try." Noticing his Master's tenuous upright stance, he gave Obi-Wan a curious, disapproving frown. "For Sith's sake, sit down before you fall down, would you? You need to get some rest, Obi-Wan," he ordered sternly, pointing at the bed. "Now. I'll take care of the reports, Master, you don't have to worry—"

"I love you, too."

The words reverberated in the air, and for a moment Obi-Wan couldn't breathe, the overwhelming urgency of his confession stealing the air from his lungs like the rush of a tidal wave after a dam breaking. With a shuddering breath, he stumbled and stared incredulously at Anakin, a tentative, hopeful smile beginning to touch his lips as joy and profound relief washed over him. Something deep within him had finally given way, something that had summoned the courage to override a lifetime of fear and denial of a single word and allowed him to express what had so completely consumed his heart: Obi-Wan loved Anakin, he loved him.

Stunned, Anakin blinked his wide-eyed surprise as a small, elated smile broke out across his face. He bit his lip, shivering from the unmitigated euphoria that tingled up his spine as four simple words continued to echo in his ears. I love you, too.

The door hissed shut once more as Anakin wordlessly hastened back to Obi-Wan and wrapped them both up in a warm, solid embrace beneath his blanket, sighing deeply as he hid his face in the comforting warmth of the other man's heart felt ready to burst from the abundant satisfaction of not just hearing Obi-Wan say that he loved him, but also knowing that he trusted Anakin, and even more importantly himself, enough to actually voice the words. "You...you didn't have to—"

"Y-yes, I did. I wanted to," Obi-Wan insisted softly into the spill of curls that brushed against his lips. Closing his eyes, he sagged against Anakin's supportive frame and wound shaking arms around the younger man's waist, palming over the broad expanse of his back. He was so tired, so beyond exhausted, yet his mind, his soul, teemed with a renewed vitality, as if his love for Anakin, and Anakin's for him, were his sole sustenance. "I l-love you, Anakin Skywalker, and I needed you—you needed—to know that I do," he whispered solemnly, pressing an adoring, loving kiss into Anakin's hair.

"I already knew," Anakin assured him, choking back a sob as he crushed Obi-Wan closer to him. "But F-Force, I'm glad you told me. Thank you, Obi-Wan, thank you," his lips murmured effusively against his Master's temple, his body trembling from the uninhibited cascade of ecstatic love and blissful peace flowing from Obi-Wan to him—for him—now. "I love you, too...I love you, too."

"An'kin..." Obi-Wan mumbled, his face pressed to Anakin's chest in a suffocating embrace. "Air...air would be good here," he coughed, chuckling lightly as the younger man's arms eased around him. "You know..." he stretched up, lovingly capturing Anakin's mouth in a final, affirming kiss, "you should probably really..."

"Go. Yeah..." Anakin nodded as he released Obi-Wan, taking a step back and flashing a beaming smile at his Master. He still didn't necessarily want to go, but he took comfort in knowing that he could always, would always, be welcomed back into Obi-Wan's arms. "I'll...I'll see you on deck at 1300 hours. Don't be late."

"When have I ever been late?" Obi-Wan protested mildly, holding up a hand as Anakin smirked and opened his mouth to argue. "Oh no, no, no. If you're going to bring up that unfortunate business on Cato Neimoidia again, I will have no choice but to invoke your tardiness on Christophsis," he scolded with a warm, playful grin, sinking back down to the mattress with a relieved sigh. Pulling the blanket over him, he waved Anakin off with a heartfelt smile, basking in the comforting glow of Anakin's Force-signature radiating around him, knowing even when they were apart, they would always be close.

"I will see you on deck."

END.