#( i'm sure he has them but currently most of them just seem to be droids ) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hardcasey · 3 years

Text

A Drop in the Ocean

Won’t Fade into the Background - Part 8

Pairing: Monnk x F!Reader

Summary: Your a marine biologist working at an animal sanctuary when one morning an injured clone trooper washes up on the shore.

Word Count: 11.2k (please don't look at me)

Ratings/Warnings: T, contains a few graphic descriptions of injuries

A/N: Can you tell this got away from me? 🙃 Originally this was just supposed to be a fun mermaid-rescued-by-human AU inspired thing, and it ended much more plot-heavy than I expected. Ah, well. I hope you still enjoy it 💕

This fic ended up taking the most amount of research of any SW fic I've written. I tried to keep the CPR as close to reality as possible by taking my info from the Red Cross, but I'm not trained in CPR so please don't use this as medical advice.

“Commander!” a voice called, barely audible over the winds whipping past his ears. The dark grey waves churned beneath the floating platform Commander Monnk currently stood on, and he had to grab a nearby railing to keep from slipping on the slick surface as he turned to see who had called him. And he thought he’d earned his sea legs after all that time on Kamino - ha!

He immediately knew something was wrong as soon as he saw his General wasn’t wearing his trademark smile. Kit Fisto was nothing if not cool under pressure, always one to crack a joke to alleviate the mood, even in some of the most dire situations, so the stern expression he wore couldn’t mean anything but bad news.

“Sir?” Monnk stood at attention as the Nautolan jogged towards him.

“Change of plans, Commander.” Fisto held a holopad out to him. Monnk scanned the screen as Fisto continued, “Scanners have picked up a squadron of CIS ships headed our way. I want you to lead the evacuation while I-”

Fisto’s words were cut off by the roaring of an engine and the two men looked up just as a group of vulture droids broke through the clouds. One of them fired on a LAAT that had just taken off after dropping off fresh troops and supplies. The unprepared pilots could do nothing as one of the wings broke off, sending the ship spiraling down towards the platform.

The last thing Monnk saw was his General’s hand reaching out to grab him as he tumbled into the ocean amongst flaming pieces of metal.

~~~

“Oi! It’s your turn to feed the aiwha.” Your coworker-slash-bunkmate told you with a nudge to the shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m getting up,” you mumbled, rubbing sleep from your eyes as you rolled out of your bunk. You normally didn’t mind getting up at the crack of dawn to feed the aiwha, but today you were not feeling it. It probably had to do with the grey clouds that hung low in the sky, casting everything in a dreary mood that made you want to sleep forever.

Still, you knew the animals needed to be fed no matter what, so you quickly tossed some clothes on and started preparing their breakfast. You prepared two buckets of fish, your nose scrunching up in disgust as you caught a whiff of their smell. It didn’t matter how long you’d worked here, you were sure you’d never really get used to it.

With a yawn, you grabbed a bucket in each hand and lugged them all the way out to the little cove where the aiwha gathered during feeding time. You were surprised when you found it empty. The aiwha knew when feeding time was and usually gathered by the water’s edge, making a whole lot of racket no matter what time of day.

You were starting to get worried when an aiwha, a young female you and your coworkers had nicknamed Ceti, popped up out of the water. She clicked at you frantically and jumped onto the ledge where you were standing, clicked at you some more, and jumped back in. She didn’t go very far, looping back around in the water to look back at you. She repeated this a few more times before you realized she was trying to get you to follow her.

You brought your comm up to your mouth. “Hey, Ceti seems agitated about something and wants me to follow her. I’ll keep you guys updated.”

“Roger. Just be careful, it rained last night and the rocks are slippery.” One of your coworkers responded, though you didn’t pause to figure out who, already jumping down onto the jetty and racing across the rocks. You’d climbed around on the jetty enough times to know exactly where to step, quickly following after Ceti, who looked back periodically to make sure if you were still following her.

You hopped down from the rocks onto the beach, ignoring the sand getting into your shoes as you turned a corner that led to the place the aiwha usually slept. Unsurprisingly, the rest of Ceti’s pod were there, all of them barking and squeaking nervously. As you got closer, you noticed that they were surrounding something that had washed up against the rocks. Some debris maybe? With the war raging so close to your little island sanctuary it wasn’t out of the ordinary. Pieces of scrap metal washed up along the beaches all the time now, though the aiwha normally didn’t get so agitated when that happened.

You jogged up to the pod, the members parting around you to reveal a body, face down and clad in white armor. That kicked you into overdrive, all the sleepiness now gone from your body raced over and knelt in the damp sand next to the body.

Please don’t be dead. Please, please don’t be dead. You repeated over and over in your mind and you scrambled to find a pulse. You sighed in relief when you finally found it, though it was terrifyingly weak.

With shaky hands, you clicked the button on your comm. “Uh, we’ve got a body here guys. Still alive but he’ll need medical attention. Can one of you bring the boat out to the aiwha sleeping grounds?”

There was a flurry of chatter on the comms, but you ignored everything after you had confirmation the boat was coming. Instead, you focused on the man in front of you, a GAR soldier by the look of his armor, though it looked slightly different than the standard armor you’d seen on the holonet.

The first thing to do was remove his helmet to check if he was still breathing. It looked like there had been a breathing apparatus attached to it at some point, but now the hoses that led to what was probably an oxygen tank were torn to shreds. You searched for an unlocking mechanism on the helmet and once you found it you gingerly pulled it off his head, using one hand to brace his neck in case he’d sustained any spinal injuries.

The first thing that struck you was how young he was. For some reason you’d been expecting a grizzled old war veteran, not a fresh-faced twenty-something. There were scars and worry lines etched into his brown skin, yes, but he still had that youthful look about him, even unconscious.

A piece of seaweed had gotten stuck under his helmet and you brushed it away from his cheek before leaning down to check his breathing. You felt puffs of air on your cheek, but each breath he took seemed like more of a gasp to you, so you laid him flat on his back and started chest compressions.

1… 2… 3…

The aiwha shuffled nervously around you, smart enough to give you space to work but still braying nervously. After counting to thirty, you lifted his chin up with and tilted his head back to open up his airway, before pinching his nose with one hand and delivering two rescue breaths.

After repeating this process for a third time, he finally sputtered to life, coughing up lungfuls of brackish water all over you. You rolled him onto his side, tucking his arms under his head to support it and pulling the leg closer to you out so his hip and knee made a ninety degree angle. You rubbed gentle circles on his back as he took huge, gasping breaths, greedily sucking in fresh oxygen.

“It’s gonna be okay. You’re okay,” you soothed, your voice barely above a whisper. “I can see the boat now, they’re almost here.”

You’d never felt so relieved as when the boat came into view. The captain - your boss - expertly pulled it up close to the rocks while two of your coworkers who were trained medics hopped out and rushed over. You moved aside to give them room, quickly filling them in on everything you knew.

The next hour or so was a blur, the boat ride back blending into the rush to the med bay, all around you voices shouting things, asking you questions you didn’t have the answer to. You weren’t a doctor, you’d just taken a CPR class in your spare time and happened to be at the right place at the right time. That still didn’t stop your coworkers from bombarding you with questions, and you weren’t sure how many times you repeated the story until your boss finally stepped in and told them to give you space. It wasn’t until you were sitting silently outside the medbay, slumped in an uncomfortable metal chair, that you realized you’d been clutching his helmet to your chest the whole time.

A storm must have rolled in at some point because a crack of thunder made you jump out of your seat, startling you out of whatever stupor you’d been in for Maker knew how many hours. You were exhausted and you wanted nothing more than to go to bed (even if you suspected it was still the middle of the day) but your mind couldn’t rest until you knew for sure that he was alright.

You watched with bleary eyes as sheets of rain fell against the windowpane, watching the churning grey sky as you tried to piece together your thoughts. You’d never actually had to rescue anyone before. The closest you’d been to an actual dire situation was when a lifeguard had to rescue a little girl who’d gotten caught in a rip tide at a beach back home. It was so different when you were the one who held someone else’s life in your hands. His lips had been so cold, his breathing so weak. He surely had hypothermia or something... that’s why it was taking so long for them to treat him, right?

Your eyes flickered to the double doors that led to the medbay and you stared hard, as if you could will them to open, bringing news of his full recovery. You wondered if you could just poke your head in to see what was going on, but you decided against it. Your boss had told you to stay outside to give the medics room to work and the last thing you wanted to do was to compromise the soldier’s recovery just because you were getting impatient.

You turned your gaze down towards the helmet in your lap, tracing the designs on it with your thumb. It was mainly white, with the sides painted an olive-brown color. Painted in the center of it was the face of what looked like a dragon or some kind of sea serpent. You idly wondered if he’d painted it by hand or used a stencil. Did the markings signify rank or was it just a design he thought looked cool?

Your musings were interrupted as your boss came through the double doors and you jumped to your feet, unable to sit any longer. He was an older twi’lek man, his blue lekku swinging behind him as he walked over to you.

“Is he okay?” you blurted out before he could so much as open his mouth.

Your boss placed a comforting hand on your shoulder before answering. “Yes, he just woke up. I thought you’d want to talk to him. He’s still weak and pretty confused, so be gentle and don’t go asking too many questions.” You’d worked for him long enough and he knew you quite well. You did have about a million questions ready to go, but you made a mental note to keep them to a minimum. There’d be time for questions later.

“Aye, aye, sir.” You responded, mustering up enough energy to even throw in a little salute.

Hand still on your shoulder, your boss started leading you through the medbay doors as he continued, “I’m gonna take some of the staff out to scout the area in case there are any more castaways. Before I go, I just wanted to tell you that you did good out there, kid. I know it was a stressful situation but you handled it exactly how you are supposed to. I’m proud of you. Feel free to take the rest of the day off.” He gave your shoulder a squeeze and patted you on the back before disappearing back through the double doors.

~~~

Monnk focus was broken from the medic filling him in on his injuries as someone stepped into the medbay, escorted by the twi’lek man who’d greeted him when he’d woken up. You stood quietly by the doors as you waited for the medic to finish, shuffling your feet as you tried to get a good look at him with bodies blocking your view. His eyes met yours and you froze for a second before ducking back out of view, your cheeks coloring ever so slightly.

“...Well let us know if you need anything. For now, you’ll need a lot of bed rest so your body can warm up and recover. If you're up for it, there’s someone who wants to talk to you. She’s the one who found you unconscious on the rocks and I think she wants to see if you’re doing okay.” The medic finished up his speech and stepped aside, gesturing for you to come closer before he and his companion cleared out of the room.

“Hi,” you greeted him with a small wave, the sleeve of your oversized sweatshirt covering your fingers. You quickly rolled it up and settled in a nearby chair, bringing your knees up and tucking them inside your sweatshirt. Monnk realized it was the same as the ones the medics had been wearing, and the twi’lek too. It was a simple red pullover emblazoned with letters that spelled out ‘M.A.R.F.’ above a stylized logo of some ocean waves.

“Hi,” Monnk responded, feeling bad that he couldn’t really sit up to talk to you. He was buried under a veritable mountain of blankets and his body was too weak to really move right now. “Thanks for the rescue, uh …” he trailed off, hoping you’d give him your name, which you did.

“They call me Monnk, nice to meet you,” he introduced himself with a smile he’d picked up from his general.

“How are you doing, Monnk?” you asked, and he was momentarily thrown by the genuine concern he saw in your eyes. He wondered what his brothers would think if they saw him now. They’d often spoken of how nice it would be to be fretted over by a pretty girl instead of dealing with the cold and uncaring medical droids they were usually stuck with.

“I’ve been better, to be honest. I’m exhausted and everything hurts, but I’d take that over being dead. How are you?” You had dark circles under your eyes and your hair was wild, strands sticking out every which way. He doubted he looked any better, but you looked like you’d been through the wringer.

“Me? I’m okay, just tired. I’ve, uh, never actually had to rescue someone before… it’s a lot more stressful than they make it out to be in the classes.”

Monnk offered a wry smile at that. He could relate. He’d trained his whole life for battle, but actually experiencing one for the first time was something completely different. He could still remember the confusion as he jumped out of the gunship at Geonosis, blaster bolts whizzing by him, people who he’d known his entire life, who he’d grown up with, gunned down next to him. The memory of it would stick with him forever.

“Do you mind filling me in on what happened? I’ve been able to piece some things together, but they didn’t tell me much.” Monnk asked. He still wasn’t sure exactly where he was other than it was some place near the ocean. How far away was he from General Fisto and the rest of his men?

You spent the next few minutes describing the events of this morning in detail. Monnk hadn’t realized just how close to death he’d really been. He was lucky he’d already put on his oxygen tank before the separatists attacked. Without it, likely would have drowned long before he washed up against the rocks.

“The aiwha found me?” He questioned once you’d finished. He was familiar with the animals, having encountered them many times in the waters below Tipoca City while he was still training to be a SCUBA trooper. Never up close - the Kaminoans kept them on too tight a leash to interact with any wildlife outside of what was strictly necessary for training - but he’d always admired the graceful way they would glide through the water. What was shocking to him though was the knowledge there were aiwha somewhere other than Kamino and he told you as much.

“Oh! Well the word ‘aiwha’ is used to describe a few different species of flying cetaceans across the galaxy. The word we use in Basic is actually a shortening of ‘air whale’, which is the direct translation of the Kaminoan word for them. The species we have here are a little different from the ones you’re probably familiar with from Kamino. They’re a little smaller and can’t really ‘fly’, it’s more like they skip across the surface of the water. There is actually some really cool research happening with a different species of aiwha on Manaan right now that-” You suddenly stopped yourself, pausing long enough to take the first breath since you started your explanation.

Monnk had been riveted by you as you spoke, the way your eyes twinkled and how your words carried such fondness for the creatures. His favorite part of his SCUBA training was when they got to learn about the various sea creatures they might encounter out in the field. He remembered the first time he’d learned of the Opee Sea Killer’s native to Naboo’s oceans. He’d been hungry to learn more that he’d stayed up all night with his brother Gree pouring over everything they could find in the archives. He’d even wanted to take on the name ‘Opee’ in honor of them, but someone had already beaten him to the punch. Listening to you talk about the aiwha so passionately brought him back to that time, where he was able to indulge in frivolous topics. Before the war had become the only thing he knew.

You rubbed the back of your neck and didn’t look at him as you apologized. “Sorry for droning on like that. I’m sure the last thing you want right now is to be lectured. It’s just that I spend most of my time around other people who are also into that kinda stuff, so I forget not everyone cares as much as we do.”

Monnk wanted to tell you that he could have listened to you talk about aiwha for hours, that the cadence of your voice had distracted him from every ache in his body, that the zeal with which you talked was actually kind of a turn on. But he didn’t, unable to find the right words to express those feelings to you. So instead he just nodded his head like a dumbass and said “It’s okay.”

~~~

You felt your ears get hot as the two of you sat in uncomfortable silence. Why’d you think it was a good idea to ramble on and on about aiwha to this soldier who had just had a near death experience? Maker, you were a dumbass.

You coughed uncomfortably to break the silence before hurriedly saying, “Well you’re probably tired, I’ll let you get some rest. Do you need anything before I go?” You stood, ready to race out of the medbay. You just need to get out of here, away from his steely gaze, his brown eyes holding an unspoken intelligence that didn’t quite match with his boyish face.

“No, I’m all good. But…” He trailed off, his eyes flicking down towards your chest like he had done when you first sat down. Was...was he staring at your tits? Something about that made you irrationally angry, adding to your already twisted up emotions. You were about to say something you would regret when he continued, “Um, what does MARF mean?” raising his finger to point down at your sweatshirt.

It took your mind a second to process the abrupt change in mood, and you blinked dumbly down at your sweatshirt, all of your anger dissipating, leaving you feeling like a deflated balloon. Oh, he just wanted to know what your shirt meant.

He must have mistaken your pause for annoyance because he quickly stuttered, “It-it’s just that everyone I’ve met is wearing the same thing and I-” Now it was his turn to be embarrassed, his cheeks flushing red.

You took pity on him and said, “It’s the name of this place - the organization I mean.” You gestured around broadly with your arms as if that would clarify. “The Maritime Animal Rescue Foundation, aka MARF. Apparently the word sounds much better in Ryl, at least according to our boss.”

“Oh,” Monnk said before barking out a laugh, the corners of his eyes wrinkling adorably. “I was scared I’d been picked up by a cult or something.”

Now it was your turn to laugh. “A cult?!” you asked incredulously.

“Now don’t look at me like that!” He quipped back, “I’ve heard of stranger things happening. A commando I know lost his memory after a battle and ended up working as a dishwasher in a restaurant until someone found him.”

“Really?”

“Uh-huh.” Monnk flashed you a dazzling smile that almost knocked you off your feet, the kind that lit up his whole face.

“Is he...okay now?” You hoped you wouldn’t regret the question.

“Yeah he’s still kicking. Commandos are made of tough stuff.” There was a twinge of pride in the way he spoke that piqued your interest.

“Are you a commando?” You asked, leaning your hip against a nearby counter.

“No, but I’m a commander. Though I’ve worked with commandos in the past, since we’re both part of such highly specialized units.” He clarified.

“What do you mean? Sorry I don’t know anything about the military and how it works.” You confessed. The war had been a far off, nebulous thing to you until very recently and you hadn’t educated yourself on anything about it, other than the sort of things one could glean from the holonet.

“No worries. Specialized units are ones that have jobs that require specific training, like rocket troopers or jet troopers.”

“Like a bomb squad?” You asked, trying to follow along. If he had to listen to you ramble, you could at least do the same for him.

“Exactly. Clones set to serve in the bomb squad for example would get extra training to learn how to detect and disarm bombs, hence why they are considered a specialized unit.”

You took a moment to absorb everything he was telling you. “Wait, you said clones are set to serve in specific units. Does that mean you are trained for that job from birth or do you get to choose?”

“Kinda. I don’t know exactly how the Kaminoans select what trooper will do what. It’s not like they knew I’d be a SCUBA trooper as soon as they decanted me, but early on they must have recognized something in me that they thought would be a good fit for the job and I started special training along with my regular training.”

“...Decanted?” you asked hesitantly, unsure if you really wanted to know the answer.

Monnk barked out a laugh at your question. “Yeah, they grow us in little tubes. It’s called decanting when they take us out.”

“Do you celebrate a decant day instead of a birthday?” You questioned, half trying to make a joke and half genuinely curious.

“Not really. They don’t tell us exactly which day we were ‘born’ so it’s hard to celebrate, though I’m sure they keep records somewhere even if none of us could access them. Instead of birthdays, the closest thing we have is the day we graduate and deploy from Kamino, since it's the first time we really get access to the outside world and, y’know, calendars.”

“Hmmm, that’s interesting.” You didn’t really mean for it to sound so dismissive, but you didn’t know what else to say to that. Honestly, you had never given a second thought to the idea that the GAR was made up entirely of clones, never considered what that really meant. Millions of babies grown from tubes, trained to be soldiers and nothing more, never allowed to be their own person despite having their own personalities. It was… disturbing, to say the least, and you felt guilty for being so dismissive of it all in the past.

The conversation seemed to have fizzled out at that point, so you decided now would be the best time to leave and let him get some rest. “Well, I’m sure you’re tired. I’ll get out of your hair so you can get some sleep and let your body heal.”

“Yeah, uh, thanks. It was nice talking to you. And thanks again for saving me.”

“Anytime,” you added with a wry chuckle, but your joke fell flat, making you cringe inwardly. It was time for you to get some rest, too.

You left the med bay without another word and trudged towards your room, flopping down on the bunk with a deep sigh. Your roommate poked her head over the edge of her bunk, wanting to check in on you, but one look at your haggard face and she could tell you were in no mood to talk.

Laying down in your bunk, you wanted nothing more than to fall asleep, but your thoughts swirled around in your head like the storm raging outside. You didn’t know how to feel about this soldier you had rescued. He was making you reconsider things you didn’t even want to think about in the first place. You’d never considered the war outside of how it affected you, your immediate circle of friends, and the animals you worked with, but now there was this unexpectedly dark moral component to it that was weighing on you. Should you go out and start protesting the treatment of the clones in the same way you’d gone and protested against the war’s destruction of the ecosystem? Did the clones even see themselves like that, in need of saving from the war machine? You weren’t sure, not that it kept you from asking those questions over and over again.

Not only that, but you felt like things could have gone better with him personally. There were times where your conversation had been good, but also times where it was awkward and stilted. You’d assumed the worst of him when he was just trying to read your sweatshirt. What was wrong with you? Maybe the two of you could start over tomorrow once you had a good night’s sleep. Yeah, you were just exhausted and sleep deprived, that’s why you made such a bad impression, but you could start over tomorrow.

~~~

You woke up from a fitful sleep, feeling refreshed but not as much as you wanted to be. Still, you pushed yourself out of bed and went to go search for some breakfast, only to catch the sound of a heated conversation coming from the med bay.

Your mind was filled with thoughts of worst case scenarios as you rushed towards the double doors. He had gotten worse in his sleep and was on death’s door again or he had developed an infection or something. By the time you made it into the med bay proper your heart was pounding in your chest, and you were relieved to see Monnk alert and sitting up in bed. No, he was trying to get out of the bed, and your boss and some of the medics were trying to keep him from standing up.

“We can’t even send a message to the troops on planet, what with this storm outside. It’s screwing with our comms and we can’t get a signal in or out.” Your boss tried to explain to the trooper struggling in his grasp, though his words seemed to fall on deaf ears. “You’ll just have to stay put for now, which is good because you’re still healing anyway.”

“Just let me try to call them, please. I need to get back to my men!” Monnk remained obstinate, wriggling around to try and free himself, though he wasn’t making much progress.

“Even if we get a message out to them, what then? You said they were preparing for a battle, right? So how could they spare a ship to come pick you up, especially with this storm?” Your boss attempted to convince Monnk, who was still not swayed. He twisted his torso to try and wrench free of their grasp, only to wince and clutch at his side.

“I warned you that if you moved around too much you’d open up your wounds again,” one of the medics scolded him as they fussed with his bandages, peeling them away to reveal a fresh trail of red dripping down his side from a cut covered in an old bacta patch. The medic replaced that one with a new one and promptly covered it with fresh bandages and you didn’t miss the way their mouth curved into a scowl as soon as they turned away.

Without a beat, Monnk started right back where he left off. “You could bring me to them on your boat, then! It isn’t-” His words were cut off as your boss balked at him, his head flinching backwards with a scoff.

“I’m going to stop you right there. We’ve shown you tremendous hospitality already, saving your life, feeding you. Even treating you with our last few bacta patches despite how ungrateful and careless you seem to be about them. I will not put the lives of myself or my workers in danger for you or your kriffing military.” Your boss turned on his heel and stomped out of the med bay, the two medics following close on his heels, leaving you and him alone.

The shock written on Monnk’s face mirrored how you felt. You’d never seen your boss get so angry before. He was always a kind and soft spoken man and not quick to anger, so his outburst surprised you, though you couldn’t pretend you didn’t know where he was coming from.

Monnk stared at the med bay doors, eyes wide and lips parted slightly. You weren’t sure he knew you were even there, so you cleared your throat quietly and his eyes snapped over to you.

“Hey, uh, are you hungry? We can go get some breakfast together or something.” You didn’t really know what to say to him - a feeling that was becoming all too familiar - so you just decided to change the subject. That was always easier.

“Sure,” he mumbled, running a hand through his hair and making it stick up every which way.

You helped him hop down from the bed and found him a shirt to wear before leading him into the kitchen and poured two bowls of cereal. You handed one to him and the two of you ate in silence, leaning against the counter side by side, so close that his arm hairs tickled your skin whenever he brought the spoon up to his mouth. Instead of moving away, you peeked at him from the corner of your eye and found him staring pensively down into his bowl, his eyes faraway. Once you were both done he helped you clean the dishes, drying each with a hand towel as you handed them to him.

“Want to help me feed the aiwha?” You asked as you handed him the last spoon.

At his agreement, you guided him out of the building and towards the cove where the aiwha had gathered for feeding time, all of them barking playfully and splashing about as soon as they caught sight of you. You led him into the nearby shed where the fish was stored, giving him one bucket filled with fish before gathering one for yourself.

“Okay, so we're gonna give each of them about six or seven fish. Sound good?” you looked over to him to see his eyes sparkling with excitement, which made your lips turn up into a small smile.

“Yes! Is there a specific way to feed them?”

“Just grab the fish by its tail and drop them in their mouths. They have teeth, and even if they aren’t super sharp, just be careful and keep your fingers away from them. Sometimes they can get excitable during feeding time.”

The two of you lugged your bucket of fish towards the edge of the water where ten hungry aiwha waited impatiently, slapping the water with their fins and creating little waves. “Okay, grab one fish at a time and feed it to this girl here,” you pointed to the oldest female of the pod, who also happened to be the biggest out of all of them. “She’s the matriarch of the pod and gets grumpy if she isn’t fed first.”

Monnk fed her four fish, laughing each time she gobbled them up. Once she had eaten her fill she dived back down into the water, resurfacing a ways away to watch the proceedings from afar. The two of you spend the next half hour like that, taking turns feeding the aiwha as you shared details about each one’s personality. One liked to splash you when you got into the water with him. Another just had a baby a few weeks ago. After each member was fed, they moved back out to deeper waters to go play with one another until there was only one left.

“And this one is Ceti. She’s the one who led me to you yesterday. She’s a very good girl, yes she is” you cooed as you gave her a kiss on her snout.

Monnk chuckled as he watched you interact with your favorite aiwha. “She seems like it. Thank you for helping me, Ceti.” Monnk leaned towards her to give her a pat on the head, but Ceti had different ideas, using her fins to propel herself out of the water enough so she could bump her nose against his cheek.

“Awe, she gave you a little kiss,” you giggled as his hand flew up to the wet spot on his cheek. He blinked in surprise for a moment before his face broke out into that award winning smile you’d seen briefly yesterday.

Ceti barked and clicked at the both of you a few times before joining the rest of her family in their frolicking. The two of you settled down by the edge of the water, rolling your pants up and sticking your feet in the water.

~~~

“So this is your job? You feed aiwha?” Monnk asked after a moment of silence as the two of you watched the aiwha play.

“Uh-huh,” you nodded at him, “I’m mainly in charge of the aiwha, though sometimes I take care of other animals here too. There are some inside the building that we keep in tanks, but the aiwha are too big for that. My main job is feeding them twice a day - which usually takes twice as long without help - but I also train them to follow certain commands. I’ve actually gotten close enough with Ceti that she’s let me ride on her back,” you beamed, and Monnk could tell how much that meant to you.

“Why do you need to take care of them? Are they sick or something?” He asked.

You gave him a funny look for a second before answering. “They’re not sick, but we had to rescue them and relocate them here when their habitat was destroyed. All of the battles from the war really took their toll. Pollutants in the water as well as large scale wreckage basically killed the ecosystem in the part of the ocean they lived in. We were getting a lot of dead aiwha washed up on our beaches, most due to starvation since the fish they eat have largely been killed or have moved away. My boss made the decision to bring this pod to our sanctuary about a year ago. We’re not sure yet if we’ll be able to release them back in the wild since they’re so used to interacting with people now, but hopefully by the end of the war we’ll either be bringing them or their babies back into the wild so their numbers start increasing again.”

“Oh,” was all Monnk could say as she absorbed what you were telling him. Tears welled in his eyes and he felt a pit form in his stomach as the realization that that the Republic, that they, were at least partially to blame for the destruction of the environment and for killing much of the planet’s wildlife. “I-I didn’t know,” he said pathetically, his voice barely above a whisper.

He felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t know. I doubt that military command is really keeping their soldiers informed of the ecological damage the war has caused. Don’t blame yourself,” you finished, rubbing small circles into his skin with your thumb.

“Still… I can’t help but feel responsible,” he sighed, hanging his head to look at his hands as he fiddled them in his lap. “I guess it puts this morning into perspective. I feel awful about that. I didn’t mean to seem ungrateful for anything. I mean you all saved my life, of course I’m grateful for that.”

“Well, honestly, I think my boss went too far saying that to you. He was taking his anger at the Republic out on you, which isn’t fair. You’re not the one responsible for the bacta shortage either.” Monnk must have given you a confused look because you clarified, “The Republic has been commandeering a large portion of the bacta supply for the war effort and it’s been harder and harder to restock our supplies whenever we go back to the mainland. It’s been a big stressor for him - for all of us really- considering how isolated we are. If anyone were to get hurt here it would take at least an hour to get medical attention on the mainland, so having a large stock of medical supplies is something that helps us sleep better at night. But again, it’s not your fault supplies are scarce and it’s not your fault you were hurt. It wasn’t right of him to pin that blame on you.”

“I feel like such a fool right now. I’ve never thought about where the GAR’s medical supplies come from before. I’ve just been thankful it was there whenever one of my men got hurt. And I never thought about what happens to the wreckage after a battle or what the fighting does to the environment, even though it is so obvious now.” He clenched his fist so hard he felt his nails dig into his palm. He felt a hot tear slip down his cheek and he was thankful it was on the opposite side to you so he brush it away with his shoulder without you seeing.

You didn’t say anything for a moment. “Can I be honest with you, Monnk? Yesterday, when you were telling me about how you and your brothers were made, I felt the same way. I’d never considered what it really meant when they called you clones, where you came from, how you were raised, any of it. And I feel awful for being so ignorant, for thinking you were barely different from droids instead of considering you all as living, breathing humans each with your own personalities. I’m not exactly sure why I’m telling you this, but I guess I want you to know that we’re in the same boat, so to speak.”

Despite the emotions churning inside of him, your confession managed to make him crack a small smile. He leaned against you and you scooted closer to get into a better position, tucking his head under your cheek as his hand found yours, your fingers intertwining. He wasn’t sure why he did it, but the feeling of your breath against his temple was soothing and maybe that was enough for now. At least the tightness in his chest had loosened somewhat.

Neither of you said anything for a while, instead just sitting next to each other with your eyes closed, lost in your own thoughts as you listened to the sky rumbling and the aiwha splashing around in the water. Eventually you broke the silence to ask, “Why are you in such a rush to get back?”

“It’s my duty as a commander to be there for my men. Last I left them we were preparing for a large scale invasion of a Separatist factory that manufactures hydroid medusas - these awful cyborg creatures that are incredibly hard to kill. I couldn’t handle if they were out there dying while I’m here lazing about in bed. And they always taught us on Kamino that you should do everything in your power to get back to your unit if you're separated from them. That’s why I asked about the boat, though I see now that I was asking for way too much.”

You pulled your head away to look at him. “Monnk, you almost died yesterday. You need rest in order to heal, it’s not being lazy. Okay?” You waited for him to nod at you before continuing, “However… if it’s really that important for you to get back to your men, then I have an idea of how to get you there, but we have to wait until the night to do it. And you have to promise me you’ll stay in bed all day and get your rest. I can keep you company if you want.”

~~~

It was half past midnight and you laid awake in your bunk, staring into the darkness as you waited for the sound of your roommate’s snores. You’d given up trying to get some shut-eye long ago, too wired to even think about sleep. Besides, you had gotten in a good nap earlier in the day as you sat by Monnk’s bedside and kept him company. He’d tried grilling you for more information about your plan, but all you’d told him was you’d come get him and fill him in after everyone went to bed.

When you were sure your roommate was asleep, you stealthily slipped out of bed and out into the hallway, an empty glass in your hand so you could say you were getting some water in case you ran into anyone. Luckily for you, the halls were empty and you hurried into the medbay.

Monnk was already up and starting to pull on his gear when you snuck through the doors, making you sigh before rushing over to help him into his wetsuit. He tried to protest but you cut him off. “You’re going to hurt yourself if you try to do it by yourself. You’ll need to save all your strength for later tonight.” You smoothed away the curly hairs at the nape of his neck to make sure they didn’t get caught in the zipper. “I’ll try to get you as close to your people as possible, but that may be difficult if the fighting has started. You may need to swim or climb a little bit.”

Monnk turned around to face you and there was a pregnant pause as both of you realized just how close you were to each other, your chests millimeters away from touching. He swallowed hard and quickly turned to grab a piece of his armor and tugged it on. You helped him as needed, only offering your assistance with pieces you knew he would struggle with.

“How are we getting there? We stealing your boss’s boat?” Monnk asked as he fastened one of his pauldrons in place.

“No, he keeps the keys in his room when he sleeps ever since one of his employees tried going on a drunken joy ride. We’re gonna use the aiwha.”

He paused what he was doing to give you a skeptical look. “Seriously?”

“Yes! They’re faster than boats, and stealthier too, since they can go underwater.”

“How long ago did you say one of them let you ride her?” he asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

“It was five months ago, but Ceti is very smart and I trust her. And you’re gonna have to trust me because you don’t have any better options.”

“Fine,” he sighed before tugging on his helmet. “You’ll need a wetsuit too, right?”

“Yeah, the closet where we keep them is right around the corner. Can you keep watch while I change into it?” You asked him as the two of you crept towards the door, pressing your ear to the side to listen for any movement. When you heard none, you took the lead and ushered him down the hallway, making sure to avoid any squeaky floorboards as you tiptoed to the closet. Monnk was surprisingly agile and stealthy despite the clunky armor he wore.

You ducked into the closet while Monnk stood posted outside and quickly stripped off your clothes, balling them up and haphazardly shoving them into a cabinet. If you were lucky you’d be back to collect them before anyone was any the wiser. You hadn’t been able to sneak on your bathing suit so you were stuck with just your regular bra and panties underneath it, not ideal but it would have to do. You had pulled the wetsuit up to your waist when the door suddenly opened and Monnk stepped in, pressing a finger to your lips and indicating you should stand still.

You tried not to think of the fact you were only clad in your bra from the waist up, or the fact that you were basically pressed up against him due to the cramped space of the storage closet. It took a few seconds for you to calm down enough to hear the footsteps making their way down the hallway over the beating of your heart. The sound of door with a squeaky hinge told you whoever was outside had just stepped into the bathroom, and the two of you waited in perfect silence for the sounds of the toilet flushing and the faucet running. For his part, Monnk was trying to look anywhere else but straight down, his eyes flickering around wildly in the dim light. It was only when you were both sure the person outside was long gone that you both allowed yourselves to breathe, and you barely had time to blink before Monnk was running back outside. As you tugged the rest of the wetsuit on, you wondered if he’d ever seen a woman naked before, or if the soldiers weren’t allowed the free time that was usually required for those sorts of activities.

Once you were ready to go, you made your way to the cove where you had fed the aiwha earlier today. None of them were around, but you’d expected that and brought the whistle you used to train them up to your lips. The sound it made was too high for human ears, but aiwha could hear it just fine and it only took a couple minutes before Ceti was splashing up to you.

You waded into the water next to her and gave her a few pats before saying, “Hi there, girl. I’m gonna need you to give me and my friend here a ride. Can you do that? There’s fish in it for you when we get back.”

Ceti didn’t have to think twice and gave you a little chirp of affirmation before moving to shallower water so both you and Monnk could climb on her back. You sat in front while Monnk wrapped his arms around you, and as Ceti swam out into the open ocean, you tried not to think of how nice it felt to be held in his arms.

No! Now was not the time for romantic flights of fancy, it was time for a clandestine operation into the middle of a warzone. Still, as you were pelted by cold rain and ocean spray, the warmth against your back felt nice, even through the plastoid armor he wore.

Ceti raced across the waves, with you guiding her as Monnk gave you directions, his helmet pressed up against your ear so you could hear him over the sound of the storm and the churning ocean. He had surprisingly good navigational skills, somehow able to determine which way was north despite no obvious signs that you knew of. When you shouted over your shoulder to ask him about it, his only explanation was that he’d studied maps of the planet extensively when preparing for the invasion. It still didn’t explain how he could tell what direction you were going without any visible stars, but you didn’t question it, chalking it up to his super soldier training.

It felt like you travelled for hours, with waves crashing over you and wind whipping across your face, but you eventually caught a glimpse of a large platform in the water a ways away from you, the lights of ships and military vehicles twinkling in the distance. As you got closer you also were able to hear the telltale sounds of battle: the roar of starship engines and shots of blaster fire rang in your ears. You had no idea it would be so loud, and you were still nowhere near the center of the fighting.

You indicated for Ceti to slow down while you tried to come up with the best way to approach without getting yourself exploded. You tensed as two starships zipped past you overhead, engaged in a dogfight as one tried to keep the other away from the platform, the plasma bolts they fired that missed their targets careening into the dark waters a few meters away from you.

Monnk squeezed your shoulder. “Are you okay? I know it can be a lot experiencing your first battle in person.”

You tried not to think of the deeper meaning in his words, tried not to think of an even younger Monnk running headfirst into his first real battle, and instead reassured him you were fine. You could tell he didn’t really believe you but he thankfully dropped it. You wondered how many times he’d had this same conversation before, with other new clones getting their first taste of war.

“We should probably go underwater from here. There is probably some fighting going on down there, too, but most of it should be concentrated in the direction facing the factory.” He pointed to the left of the platform to indicate where he was talking about. “If we come in from the side we should be fine, but be prepared for anything.”

You gritted your teeth and steeled your nerves before saying, “Aye, aye, Commander.”

His hand found your shoulder again and turned you so that you were looking at him. “You know you don’t have to do this, right? I can swim to the platform or we can just turn back. It’s not worth risking your life. Or Ceti’s.”

“I can do this. We’ve already come this far. I at least want to get you closer to the platform. I’m not letting you swim that far when you're injured.”

“Okay. And thank you again, for everything.” He said, pressing his forehead to yours for a moment. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath before nodding at him that you were ready and pulling your oxygen mask and goggles on.

Without further ado, you told Ceti to dive and she was off, racing towards your destination beneath the waves. It was harder to see here, but flashes of light from both above and below lit your path. As you got closer, you could make out the shapes of people in the water as well as huge armored jellyfish looking creatures that floated up from the deep, firing massive cannons at the lines of what you assumed were clone troopers. Hydroid Medusas, Monnk had called them. It took you only a few seconds of watching them in action to understand why it was so important to destroy their production plant.

Monnk guided you through the water, using hand signals to indicate when you needed to turn or dive deeper. He did a good job avoiding blaster fire as it rained down from the sky and streaked past you under the waves. The last leg of the journey probably took a few minutes tops, but it felt like hours, everything around you serving to mess up your senses and fray your nerves. You weren’t sure when it happened but at some point Monnk’s hand had found yours and you were squeezing it as if it was your only lifeline, the only thing anchoring you amongst the chaos.

Ceti surfaced next to the pylon, which had a long ladder leading up to the top. Monnk maneuvered around you and grabbed onto the bottom rung, turning back to you to say, “When you head back, go in the direction opposite the fighting before looping back the way we came. Stay low in the water so you’ll have time to dodge any stray bolts from the gunships, though I didn’t see any in that direction.”

And with that, it seemed like your time with him was up as he grabbed hold of another rung and hoisted himself up. But it felt wrong to just leave it like that, and before you could think better of it you were saying, “Monnk, wait!”

He turned around to look at you and maybe it was because you probably wouldn’t see him again, but you did something reckless, something you wanted to do since the beginning. You grabbed a hold of his helmet and tugged it up enough to reveal his lips before crashing your against them.

The kiss was messy and wet, despite it being relatively chaste. He tasted like salt and water streamed down both of your faces and into your mouth, your nose mushing up awkwardly against the rim of his helmet. Not that you cared. His lips were soft and warm and felt right against yours - that’s all that mattered in the moment.

He eventually broke away from the kiss, but not before his hand cupped your cheek and his thumb traced along your nose tenderly. You pulled his bucket back over his chin and settled back down as you watched Monnk climb up the ladder. Rain pelted down against your face, but you didn’t look away until you were sure he made it to the top. As he disappeared over the edge of the platform, you hoped beyond all reason you would get to see him again.

~~~

Sunlight warmed your face and shoulders and you had your feet dipped in the water as you watched your coworkers train the aiwha. Your boss was more than a little angry at you for sneaking off and putting yourself or Ceti in danger and had benched you for at least two week, maybe more depending on how your therapy sessions went. Your impulsive actions were attributed to PTSD from Monnk’s rescue and a caveat for keeping your job was bi-weekly meetings with a therapist over holocall. Until then you weren’t allowed to interact with any of the animals as they hadn’t yet determined if you still posed a risk to them.

In all honesty, you felt the punishments were more than fair, all things considered. You’d prepared yourself on the ride back to be fired on the spot, and really the only reason you weren’t was because your boss was a kind man and you’d worked with him for a long time. Privately, he had told you that he understood why you’d done what you did and knew you were not a threat to the animals, but he didn’t want any of the younger staff getting any ideas. You were fine with being made an example of and you knew you’d make the same choice if given the chance.

You’d had quite a few discussions with your therapist about Monnk and about the clones in general. You still thought about him almost every day. Sometimes you would wonder what he was doing at that exact moment, if he was still on planet and looking up at the same clouds, breathing in the same balmy sea air. You just couldn’t seem to get over him, despite really only knowing him for a few days. Your therapist suggested you try and contact him and keep in touch, but you were hesitant to. He was a commander in the middle of a war, and you were some lovesick girl that couldn’t get over him. It was better for everyone if he just remained something that could have been, a fantasy you could indulge in on lonely nights, alone in your bunk and wishing for a companion to snuggle up to.

So it came as a surprise when you spotted a ship cresting over the waves towards your little island sanctuary, a Republic flag fluttering in the wind atop it’s mast. By the time it had docked, almost everyone had gathered around, your boss stepping to the front to greet the visitors.

A clone sporting armor similar to Monnk’s, though the serpent design was on his shoulder instead of his forehead, stepped out of the boat and introduced himself. “I’m Sargent Atoll of the 7th SCUBA Company.” His voice was so similar to Monnk’s that a pang of longing wedged itself in your chest, and you couldn’t help scanning through the other clones to see if he was there somewhere, though you came up empty. “I’m here to deliver some medical supplies to you, as a thank you from the Republic for helping return our commander to us.”

“Oh,” your boss looked around for a moment in disbelief, “that is very kind, thank you.”

The next ten minutes were spent looking on as the clones unloaded crates from the ship, refusing any offers for help and insisting they do it themselves. By the time they were finished, the med bay was full to the gills with everything a medic could want, bacta patches, bacta shots, bacta spray, and, most surprisingly, a medical droid. It was a smaller model, with long arms ending in articulated fingers and it had no legs, instead hovering in place with a pair of propulsors where it’s legs would be. It’s large, owl-ish eyes blinked to life and it introduced itself with a ridiculously long string of numbers. You’d have to come up with a nickname for it later.

Now, though, everyone thanked the clones, telling them to pass their regards onto their general and commander. Sergeant Atoll was just about to climb aboard, the boat’s engine already rumbling to life, when you suddenly shouted, “Wait!”

All eyes were on you as you gracelessly yanked your MARF sweatshirt over your head and handed it to Atoll. “Can you give this to Commander Monnk? As something to remember me by?”

Atoll looked down at the fabric you’d shoved in his hands, then back up to you before saying, “Yes, ma’am,” and giving you a salute.

You wanted nothing more to go with them, just so you could see Monnk one last time. But they were soldiers heading back to a war, there was no place for you among them. So you sat down at the edge of the dock and you watched them leave, a feeling of longing bubbling up inside you as their boat shrunk into the horizon.

~~~

Epilogue: 18 BBY

Monnk stood by the docks, a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He checked his comm again, making sure he had the time right. It told him it was 12pm sharp, meaning the MARF boat should be pulling up any minute now. Wednesdays were the days they made the long trip to the mainland to pick up supplies for the coming week. Even though he’d been told they’d meet him here, he was still nervous. Nervous he got the place or time wrong. Nervous something had happened on the trip over.

Nervous you wouldn’t want to see him again.

When General Fisto had first thrown out the idea of working for MARF after the war was over, he’d been skeptical. The war seemed like it was going to go on forever, until one day it ended with little fanfare or any particular reason. But he was still a soldier and just because hostilities ended didn’t mean his job war over, far from it. For the next year he worked aid missions to those who’d been affected by the fighting, fighting for clone citizenship, making sure his brothers were settling in to their new positions, whether they be in the military or in civilian jobs. But soon that work slowed down to a trickle, and he once again had to face the question of what he was going to do after the war. His skillset was so specialized and there weren’t many jobs looking for someone with extensive SCUBA experience, and the war had exhausted him so much and he just wanted to get away from military life for a while. He’d been throwing around the idea of going to school and getting an education in something more useful, a path many of his brothers had opted for, when General Fisto again brought up the idea of joining MARF.

The idea had been tempting to him. Not just because of you, but also because he had always dreamed of being a marine biologist and studying animals. But would they even consider him? He hadn’t exactly left on the best of terms, getting into a huge fight with the owner and running away in the middle of the night. Sure, the supplies they sent did some damage control, but how much? General Fisto had assured him that everything would be fine, made a few calls, and by that time next week was telling Monnk that a position was open if he wanted it. It had been an easy choice, but that still didn’t stop him from second guessing himself as he stood there on the docks, waiting.

A boat that he didn’t recognize pulled into the harbor and docked nearby. He was about to dismiss it and turn back to scanning the horizon when he caught a glimpse of blue lekku on the deck. The colors were more muted due to old age, but he recognized the owner of the sanctuary as he climbed out of the boat before turning around to help someone else out.

Monnk’s heart skipped a beat as he saw you haul yourself out of the boat. It had been years, but you still looked exactly the same. Same outfit, complete with a similar sweatshirt to the one tucked into the bottom of his bag. Same wild, windswept hair. Same smile as your boss cracked a joke and you elbowed him playfully. Part of Monnk had expected you to be radically different, expected the vision of you that he had clung to through this terrible war to be shattered in some way. He’d come out of the other end a radically different man, older, with more scars and age lines and a more cynical outlook on life. It was a small comfort to know the war hadn’t corrupted everything.

He caught snippets of your conversation as you made your way up the docks.

“Why exactly did I have to come here again?” you groused, folding your arms into the pocket in the front of your sweatshirt to protect them from the sharp wind blowing off the water.

“I need you to carry some of the things we’re picking up. I’m an old man now, doc says I can’t do any heavy lifting,” your boss said with a chuckle. “Besides, we’re also picking up a new crew member. Since you’ll be the one training him, I thought it would be nice if you helped me welcome him.” The twi’lek’s eyes scanned the crowd and landed directly on him. He flashed Monnk a smile before announcing, “Oh, there he is now. Let’s say hi.”

You turned in the direction your boss was pointing and froze in place, your eyes going wide and your mouth falling open in disbelief. Monnk stood up straighter as soon as your attention was on him, feeling as if he was in the middle of a random inspection and wanting to look his best.

“Hi,” he greeted you lamely, internally smacking himself for not saying something wittier. To make up for it he flashed you a dazzling smile, a skill he’d picked up after spending so much time with his general.

“Monnk?” you asked, disbelief painted all over your face. You looked at your boss for some sort of explanation. “Is this real? He’s coming to work for us?”

“Yup. He starts tomorrow. Comes with a pretty strong recommendation from an old friend, too.” Your boss turned to address Monnk, “Wish you told me you worked under Kit Fisto when we first met. He and I go way back.”

By now, you’d overcome your initial reaction of surprise and launched yourself at Monnk, nearly tackling him over as you wrapped your arms around him and pulled him into the biggest hug he’d ever had, squeezing him with all your might, as if he’d disappear if you didn’t hold on tight enough. Monnk squeezed you back before stepping away enough to look down at your face, your chin resting on his chest as you smiled up at him.

“I’m so happy to see you.”

“Me too,” he beamed down at you, tucking a strand of stray hair behind your ear.

“I have so much to tell you. So much has changed since I last saw you. The sanctuary has been remodeled. I got a promotion. And Ceti had babies!” you rattled off at him as he maneuvered you so that you were tucked under one arm and started walking, following behind your boss as he perused the market stalls. Monnk listened with rapt attention, filling you in on what he’d been up to these past years as well, the battles he’d been in, funny stories about him and his brothers.

“I can’t believe you're coming to work with us. It’ll be so fun. I’m sure you’ll do great and you’ll really like the work.” you told him as your trio headed back to the boat, now loaded with supplies.

“Yeah. I heard my new boss is a bit of a wildcard. Heard rumors that she stole an aiwha in the middle of the night and rode it into an active warzone,” he teased, bumping his hip against yours.

You rolled your eyes. “Oh yeah? What else did you hear?”

“I heard that she was a really good kisser, too.”

#monnk #commander monnk #monnk x reader #commander monnk x reader #star wars fanfic #clone wars fanfic #reader insert #this is so long it even has an epilogue...#also this is random info but i imagine sergeant atoll as having full tattoo sleeves on both arms of colorful coral and such #oh and i was too lazy to give the boss a name so he's just 'your boss' throughout... hope it's not too confusing #okay i just realized how literal the title can be taken as since monnk literally falls into the ocean in the beginning #no i will not change it

111 notes · View notes

pyrobane-fandom-space · 4 years

Text

Significant Strides in Relations

Author: Merlyn Bane

Word Count: 10.3K (shut up, don't @ me okay)

Summary: Obi-Wan Kenobi manages to catch the attention of his attache on a diplomatic mission.

Warnings: Adult Content™. Strong language, smut. Virgin!Obi I guess. Unprotected sex--wrap it up!

A/N: Did I come back from the dead just to post some completely self-indulgent bullshit? Yes I did. This is like 3.7K worth of smut with like 5K worth of justification and like 1K of Skywalker bullshit at the end and I'm not sorry about any of it. I would also just like to blame @no-droids and their Open Door series for giving me a Thing for Obi-Wan in the first place.

(gif found on google, not mine)

You want to fuck the Jedi.

And, yeah, sure, you feel a little bit bad about it. You know enough about the Order to know that that's something the Jedi don't do--if the poor man knew the direction your thoughts had taken, he'd probably be scandalized. You can clearly imagine his face turning, just, scarlet, especially because you do mean fuck.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is visiting your planet on a diplomatic mission that you haven't been briefed on the particulars of, and you've been assigned to him as an attaché during his stay--tending to his needs, making sure he's comfortable while he's here. It's a function you've performed many, many times as part of your duties to the royal family, but Kenobi has been...particularly pleasant, to work with. The Jedi is kind, treats you like an equal even though you're technically working for him for the time being, and he's funny. You hadn't realized the Jedi were allowed a sense of humor, but Maker, this one is sarcastic, constantly teasing with a playful glint in his blue eyes that is...not helping you with the whole 'wanting to irredeemably corrupt him' problem that you're currently having.

You show up at his quarters just before breakfast to collect him as you have for the last two days and he's already there waiting for you, opening the door just as you're coming to a stop in front of it. Kenobi gives you a gracious smile as he steps into the hallway with you, letting the door slide closed behind him, and you return it before turning to start making your way to the dining hall. He falls in step next to you and despite the fact that he really isn't walking that close to you, you swear you can feel him there. "Good morning, young one."

You snort softly, scrunching your nose up as you give him an unimpressed side-eye. "Young one? You realize I'm within five years of you? I think you spend too much time with your old padawan and not enough with your peers, Kenobi."

The Jedi chuckles next to you, looking suitably sheepish as he grins over at you. "My apologies, my lady," he says, and you can tell that he's teasing you lightly. You roll your eyes but don't correct him--no, instead you internalize it, and his innocent my lady gets cataloged away with the rest of the impure thoughts that have been plaguing you since you saw him in the great hall upon his arrival. "I meant no offense."

"None was taken."

The conversation sort of just...drifts off, and you take the time to study his features out of the corner of your eye while he's looking ahead. The Jedi is...handsome, and frankly you think it's very unfair of the Order to lock all of that up under a chastity vow. The lines of his face are classical, look like they could have been carved from marble--only accentuated by the scruff of the beard lining a jaw you kind of want to sink your teeth into.

And, Maker. His eyes. The clearest crystal blue, like twin glaciers, piercing directly into your soul every time you meet them but...gentle. Always gentle. You know he's as talented a warrior as he is a negotiator, you've heard the stories, but you would never know it from his pretty eyes.

"What are your plans for the day, Master Kenobi? Since there won't be any official matters taking place today." It's the third day of the week, and on your planet it is considered inappropriate to do such work then. Most of your people will be in services today, to include the royal family. You probably should be, but you had offered to stay behind and continue to assist the Jedi--you've never cared for such things, anyway, and you certainly think he makes for better company.

Kenobi turns his head just enough to give you a small smile before he looks forward again, humming softly as he considers his answer. "I will likely confer with the Council this afternoon, update them on how the negotiations are going. Perhaps I will take some time to meditate, as well. You may have most of the day to yourself." It's quiet for a moment, then: "And you may just call me Obi-Wan, if you wish."

Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan--

It does not escape your attention that this isn't an offer that was even extended to your employers, who he's supposed to be here on the sole purpose of brokering an agreement with. They've still been using titles with each other, you know they have. Fuck. "Obi-Wan," you repeat, hoping that it escapes his notice how much you find that you like the way it feels on your tongue. Obi-Wan. "If you find you have the time, later, maybe I could show you around a little more. There are some places on the palace grounds I think you might enjoy."

The Jedi hums again, and you can see that he's still smiling when you look over at him. "I will certainly keep that in mind."

You reach the dining hall only a few minutes later, and go your separate ways once you've gotten your food. You find a seat at one of the far tables tucked into a corner that's already populated by a couple of your fellow staff members, making sure to sit so that you're facing him so he can get your attention if he needs it. You're being elbowed almost the second your ass hits the seat, the girl to your left clearly desperate for whatever gossip she thinks you have as she leans in and whispers at you in hushed tones.

"Maker, you've got a dreamy one. You're so lucky, I was assigned to--"

You're not even listening, not really--tuning her out while you tuck into your breakfast. You suppose you don't have any real right to be so annoyed with her, truthfully, given that you've been having similar thoughts about him yourself all morning and for most of the last couple of days, but you find that you are anyway. The girl doesn't even seem to realize that you're ignoring her, continuing to chatter at you until one of the other people at your table manages to redirect her attention, if not the subject.

You tell yourself that the reason your attention stays focused on the Jedi is in case he needs you for anything but you're not very convincing, even to yourself. Your mind wanders while you eat, formulating scenarios that all seem to end with Obi-Wan between your thighs. Most of these thoughts are generally nonsensical, idle flashes and half-strung together images, but some of them come through with alarming clarity.

I want to suck his cock.

The Jedi suddenly chokes on whatever it is he's just eaten.

You instinctively shift to stand up to try and help him but his companion is already there, smacking his back with more force than you think is probably necessary and laughing loudly enough that you can hear him from your table. Skywalker, you think his name is. He's still chuckling when they settle back down, despite the thoroughly unamused looks Obi-Wan is shooting him. You snort quietly to yourself and Skywalker turns his head to look at you like he can sense your eyes on them. Your eyes meet for a second, two, and then to your horror he winks at you.

Your stomach sinks. No. No, no. No. He's just winking at you because he caught you looking over at them, right? Jedi can't. Jedi can't read minds, right? Surely not. The younger Jedi raises an eyebrow at you, the edge of his lip curving into what can only be called a smirk, and you really. Just need the ground to open up and swallow you whole right here. Maker. You're going to have to work with Obi-Wan for the next couple of days--how the fuck are you supposed to look him in the eyes, now, knowing that he's heard you this entire time?

Breakfast passes both entirely too quickly and not near quickly enough, and before you know it, both Jedi are getting to their feet. You curse quietly under your breath and stand yourself, disposing of your tray before you manage to make yourself walk back over to join them. You still have a job to do, regardless of whether or not you want to dig yourself a nice deep hole to die in right now. You do your best to force a smile once you reach them, really trying your absolute hardest to pretend that none of...that, had just happened. Like you haven't been caught lusting over Obi-Wan fucking Kenobi by the man himself.

Skywalker is the first to speak, that Maker-forsaken grin still plastered firmly in place on his face when he does. "Hello,"

You think he's having entirely too much fucking fun with this, frankly.

Obi-Wan seems to agree with you, if the look he gives his companion then is anything to go by. You swallow, doing your best to reign in your composure as you raise a hand to wave at him in response before turning back to the man you're supposed to be assisting. "Are you--" you pause, clearing your throat before continuing. "Are you ready to return to your rooms?"

Maker. Maker. Why did you have to say--

"Quite," Obi-Wan answers before you can stutter out an apology, giving Skywalker what can only be described as a warning look before he turns back to follow you. Your gaze stays all but permanently affixed to the floor as you start making your way down the hall, the only thing indicating that he's still beside you the sound of his boots on the tile.

You can feel his eyes on you when you reach his door but you still can't bring yourself to meet them, clearing your throat awkwardly and folding your hands behind your back in a bid to stop yourself from picking at your thumbnail from the nervous energy that's suddenly coursing through your body. "I. I hope you have a pleasant rest of your day," you manage to stutter out, taking your leave before he can say anything to stop you.

You end up having a couple of hours to yourself to stew in the privacy of your own room before anyone comes for you.

You groan quietly when you hear the knock at your door but haul yourself to your feet and make your way over anyway, pushing your hair out of your face. You frown minutely when you find one of your coworkers standing there. Kaljova--she's assigned to Skywalker, if you recall correctly. She seems vaguely concerned with the state you're in but is kind enough not to comment on it, giving you a polite smile instead. "Master Kenobi has asked for you," Kaljova tells you, and has the grace to pretend to not notice the way your face falls with it.

"Do you know what he needs?" you ask her, blessedly managing to keep your voice even. You reach down to grab your cloak from the table by your door and tie it around your shoulders without waiting for her to actually answer, stepping out into the hallway and letting your door close behind you.

She shakes her head, shrugging a little bit. "Master Skywalker didn't say, I'm sorry."

You shake your head, sighing softly but giving her a small, reassuring smile. "It's okay. Thank you for letting me know."

She returns your smile and nods once before she turns around and leaves you to your own devices again. You groan quietly, pinching the bridge of your nose as you work up the nerve to actually make your way to the visiting diplomat wing where you know he's waiting for you. It takes you a couple of minutes but you do manage to make your feet move eventually and they carry you there far faster than you'd have liked them to.

You swallow harshly and close your eyes for a second before reaching up to knock on his door, bracing yourself. Maker, he probably wants to talk about it, clear the air or whatever, and you are just...absolutely not even a little bit equipped to deal with that right now, frankly. You're able to school your features as the door slides open but just barely, and you stop breathing altogether when you look up and meet those pretty blue eyes.

And he seems...surprised to see you.

That kriffing--

"You...didn't send for me, did you?"

Obi-Wan shakes his head, looking more confused if possible, and you just sigh quietly, giving him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I think there was a...miscommunication." And I'm going to kill your fucking padawan. "I'll just--I'll just go." You raise a hand in a very awkward not-wave and turn on your heel to go, but then.

The Jedi gently grabs you by the elbow, and everything stops for a moment.

Goddammit.

"Wait," Obi-Wan says, softly--like he's trying not to spook you. You take a deep, stuttering breath, and sigh it out, relaxing where you stand as you give up on getting out of this. "I believe...it would be a good idea, if we talked."

Yeah, that's. That's pretty much what you figured, unfortunately.

"I'm very sorry, if I made you uncomfortable, I...I didn't know you could--" Didn't know you could hear me.

"I know," he tells you, just as gently as before, and you reluctantly turn just enough to be able to face him. His eyes are soft when they regard you, and you find your breathing evening out despite yourself--wondering idly how much of it is actively his doing. "Just...come inside. Please."

You can't find it in yourself to deny him so you nod, letting him lead you into the room and trying to pretend that you can't feel your heart stop when the door slides shut behind you. Obi-Wan seems to notice you not knowing what to do with yourself because he gestures to one of the chairs in the sitting area, sitting down in the one opposite it once you're settled. It's quiet for a moment as both of you seem to search for the right words.

"I would like to begin by apologizing for Anakin," he says finally, and you snort as the words register. He gives you a wry smile in return, and continues. "He means well, but he can be...thoughtless, in his humor, at times. Particularly when it is at my expense."

"He sounds like he must have been a joy to train."

That earns you an almost startled sounding laugh out of the Jedi, which manages to get a real smile out of you. "I fear he may have also misled you, to an extent." He tells you, not quite meeting your eyes now as he scratches at his beard. You give him a questioning look and he sighs softly, leaning back in his chair. "We...can hear thoughts, but only if we go looking and it is considered very inappropriate to do so without reason."

You feel your eyebrows knit together in confusion, then, and you tilt your head at him. "But you…?"

Obi-Wan winces, and nods. "You may have...projected, this morning, inadvertently. It was...rather loud, and my guards were not as firmly in place as they probably should have been."

Oh. So you'd shouted it at him, then. Great. "Oh."

"I had...gotten a sense of the direction of your thoughts, before that, but you were acting very professionally so thought it best to pay it no mind."

That's...very kind of him, actually, to have simply ignored it even though it must have made him uncomfortable, especially when he so easily could have just told you to knock it off or requested a different attache. You clear your throat, finding yourself picking at your thumbnail again. "I appreciate that."

"You needn't be embarrassed, you know." the Jedi murmurs softly, and you look up to meet his gaze despite yourself. He smiles at you a little bit, then, and it brings something very warm into those blue eyes of his that almost makes you just a little lightheaded. "These things happen. You're only human, you can't be expected to have complete control of your thoughts all the time."

"You do," you point out, just because you feel the need to. "Jedi do. So I'm told."

"We spend our whole lives learning to try." he amends, and there's something so human in the way that he grins that suddenly, all you want to do is lean over and kiss him. "It is a constant exercise, not a skill that can be mastered."

"Still. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable this week."

"Uncomfortable might not be the right word for it, speaking truthfully," Obi-Wan admits, so quietly that you're almost not even sure he's really said it at all. And--Maker, is he implying what it sounds like he's implying? You know your eyes must be just about bugging out of your head with the shock but he mercifully either doesn't notice or pretends not to, scratching at his beard again as he seems to consider his next words, and you...really need him to stop doing that. It's becoming hard enough to maintain your focus as it is. "There were times where I was perhaps...tempted."

You stare at him, blankly, blinking slowly as the words process. Tempted tempted tempted-- "I thought Jedi couldn't…"

Obi-Wan clears his throat, and suddenly he's the one looking unsettled. "Technically, the Code prohibits intimacy, attachment. It...says nothing about the act itself."

Oh. Oh.

You're still staring at him, just completely dumbstruck, so the Jedi seems to decide to take it upon himself to continue talking and fill the space. "For most of us it ends with the same result, functionally, but. Technically."

Maker, get it together. You feel like you're on a several second delay, having great difficulty processing this new information, let alone giving him the verbal response to it that he's clearly waiting for, now. "Have you--"

"Almost. Once. When I was a padawan myself. My master and I were stationed on Mandalore at the time, assigned to protect the Duchess."

You're grinning, now, you can feel it tugging at the edges of your mouth. Maker, you suddenly need to know this story like you need to breathe. "What happened?"

Stars, you swear you can see the tips of his ears turn red. "Qui-Gon caught us. It has...certainly dissuaded me from making any attempts since."

You laugh. You can't help it. Suddenly you're laughing so hard it nearly hurts, grasping your middle with one hand while wiping tears from your eyes with the other. You would feel worse about it if Obi-Wan didn't look so amused himself. "Oh, you poor thing." you snort before your brain can catch up with your mouth, and you feel your own face heat when you realize the implication of what you've just said to him. Way to go, Ace.

Except...he's still grinning at you, amusement dancing in those blue eyes, and all the air seems to rush out of the room when they lock on your own. Kriff. "Are you suggesting that I'm missing out, then?"

He's teasing you, the bastard, and all of sudden it makes you feel bold. You lean forward in your chair, then, resting your elbows on your knees as you encroach on his space and pull your lower lip between your teeth.. "I'm not suggesting anything, Master Kenobi," you all but purr at him, "but should you be interested in finding out for yourself…"

The offer hangs in the air between you, then, like a lit fuse while you just stare at each other, both waiting to see if the other will make the next move.

"And what might this...demonstration...entail?"

"Nothing you aren't completely on board with," you tell him immediately, because if this happens--Maker, if--it is absolutely imperative to you that he enjoys himself just as much as you do. Which...gives you an idea, actually. "I make sure my partners have a good time. Haven't done my job if they don't."

Fuck, the Jedi's eyes are blown. His pupils have nearly overtaken those pretty blue irises and it makes your breath catch with how much you want to ruin him. You can feel the tension rising in the room between you, feeding on and feeding into your arousal in a vicious cycle. He swallows, and you watch his Adam's apple bob with it and narrowly resist the urge to bite him. "Oh?"

Kriff, you need to leave before you fuck him right here and ruin your plans. You give him a small, soft smile and stand, padding over to him. His eyes track each movement, his head tilting back to gaze up at you when you come to stand between his knees, and you can see how ragged his breathing's gone at the sudden proximity. You reach out and let your palm wrap around the line of his jaw, your fingernails scratching lightly through the coarse hairs of his beard, and the Jedi's eyes fall closed before you even lean in. He gasps when your mouth brushes against his own, the faintest whisper of a kiss, and your smile widens. "I think, that you deserve to be seduced properly, Obi-Wan," you breathe. "I'm not going to fuck you, Baby, not just yet. When you really want it--then I'll give it to you."

It takes several seconds before he's able to get words out again, and when he does you can barely hear what he's saying from the rasp in them. "I think, my lady," he pants, "that you are being exceedingly cruel."

You chuckle softly, letting your thumb brush across his lower lip before you straighten up and take a step back, ignoring the almost whine that escapes his throat when you do. "Perhaps."

For the rest of the evening, you act as normal--as if none of the events of the day had taken place. You meet with Obi-Wan and escort him to the dining hall for dinner as usual and go your separate ways once your trays are piled high. You do your best to resist the urge to glare daggers at the other Jedi, particularly when he grins and waves at you, but you are able to content yourself with the sharp look Obi-Wan gives him for it as he sits down. Dinner is uneventful despite Skywalker's best efforts, and passes quickly. You give Obi-Wan this time to...come down, essentially, to gather his wits back about him before you really set your plans into motion in the morning. You had left the Jedi absolutely wrecked this afternoon, and not only do you think it would be just a little unfair to begin your seduction in such a state, you're a little concerned that you might actually kill him if you overwhelm him so much all at once. So, you give him time to breathe.

Or at least, that is your intent.

The sudden drop almost seems to have the opposite effect. Obi-Wan's composure is, outwardly, as impeccable as always. No-one but you and Skywalker--you're sure--would be able to tell that anything's up. The only reason you do is because you still can't take your eyes off him so you notice the way his haven't left you, either. And, Maker, the way he looks at you. You almost want to give in, drag him back to his rooms now, but. You meant it earlier, when you said you thought he deserved better than that. The concept of virginity as a special thing is not one you've ever particularly put much stock in, yourself, but you know that this is, will be, a big deal for him whether he's willing to admit it or not. You want to give him at least this much. He might not be allowed true intimacy or emotional attachment, but that doesn't mean the sex has to be careless. You meant it, when you told him that you take care of your partners.

The next day, you start slow. Obi-Wan is actually fairly busy with the diplomatic mission he'd been sent here on in the first place, which makes that relatively simple. The only time you really get with him that morning is when you're escorting him to and from meetings, so you spend that time finding excuses to touch him. Subtle things, like adjusting already-straight the collar of his robes.

"Good morning, Obi-Wan,"

The Jedi steps out into the hall with you and lets the door close behind him, returning your greeting with an easy grin that makes your heart skip a beat. "Good morning. Where are we off too?"

"You have a meeting with the Chancellor, first. It'll be long and likely boring assuming Skywalker behaves himself, but productive." You give him a soft smile, stepping forward and looking up at him from under your lashes. He watches you intently, almost seeming to stop breathing for a second when you reach up and adjust the tan collar of his robes, your fingertips brushing lightly against the skin of his throat when you do. You let the moment linger a second longer than it needs to before you step back to a respectful distance and nod down the hallway. "Shall we?"

Brushing his hair out of his face when it's fallen into his eyes.

Obi-Wan looks about as tired as you expect him to when he comes out of his meeting a couple of hours later but he has a small smile for you when he sees you waiting for him in the hallway anyway. Skywalker follows him through the door seconds later but barely pays either of you any mind, grumbling something about breakfast as he follows Kaljova down the hall. The two of you stand there for another moment, glancing at each other and chuckling at the younger Jedi's irritation, and you notice idly that some of his blond hair's managed to fall out of place. You reach up to brush it back out of his eyes and bite your lip when they zero in on your own, and you find yourself leaning in further before you can stop yourself only for you to jump apart when the door slides open again. The Chancellor gives you both a polite nod as he takes his leave, completely unaware of what he'd interrupted, and you have to shake your head to clear it once he's out of sight. You can still feel the Jedi's eyes on you when you turn to make your way to the dining hall.

It continues this way, more or less, until lunch, when you decide to kick it up a notch going into the afternoon. You remember what he told you about being able to pick up on your feelings, at least in a general sense, whether he went looking for them or not so you decide to lean into that and let your mind run wild with the things you want to do to him. You're careful not to project any particulars at him this time but you can tell that he definitely takes notice when you start letting your thoughts wander.

You're still sitting in the dining hall at your separate tables, and you smirk lightly when his eyes snap up, watching them narrow when he realizes what you're doing. You maintain that eye contact shamelessly, pulling your lower lip between your teeth as you try to imagine what's waiting for you underneath those robes. Skywalker's glancing back and forth between you and grinning but Obi-Wan ignores him completely, raising an eyebrow in your direction that you merely shrug at. You see him shift slightly in his seat after a little while of this and decide to lay off a bit--for now, at least.

Obi-Wan has to consult with the Jedi Council after lunch so you decide to have some mercy on him immediately leading up to that and take a break from your little game. You're sure he's still aware of the arousal boiling low in your belly while you walk him back to his rooms after lunch but you're not actively focusing on it now, letting yourself relax and the Jedi by extension.

It's during dinner that evening that you really kick it into high gear.

You're not even fully sure this is going to work, since you've only ever done it once and by accident, but watching Obi-Wan converse with Skywalker at their table, you know you want to try. So you focus your attention on the Jedi, and hone in on the thought of what you think it might be like to kiss him until you see him stiffen and you know he's got it. You keep going, feeding him different images that only grow more explicit as you grow bolder. Sucking and biting bruises into the skin of his throat and chest while you grind down against his cock. Looking right into his pretty blue eyes while you stroke that cock, watching him come apart when you finally take it into your mouth like you've wanted to do practically since you laid eyes on him. Riding him, burying your hands in his hair and swallowing his moans while you bounce in his lap.

Obi-Wan grits his teeth across the dining hall, gripping the edge of the table he's sitting at tightly and pointedly not looking at you while he tries to regain control of his breathing. Skywalker is staring at you, wide-eyed and slack-jawed in total shock, and you only smirk back at him in response as you let the projection drop. You didn't necessarily want the other Jedi to see those things, truthfully, but you don't know how to control the projection well enough to block him out and he's been enough of a dick about the whole thing this week that you really don't feel all that badly about the fact that he looks like he kind of wants to bleach his brain, now.

You simply go back to your meal once you've dropped the projection, though you can't help the small grin that stays plastered on your face. The next few minutes pass that way, but then.

But then.

Well, projection goes both ways.

It feels sort of like a tickle, at first, at the edge of your mind--easily ignored. Then it turns into a gentle prodding, and when you look up to confirm your suspicions, his blue eyes are locked firmly on yours and it takes your breath away. He's...being remarkably gentle with you, knowing that no-one's ever been in your head before like this, waiting for you to relax and let him in in a complete roll reversal that shocks you. You barely manage to contain the gasp when you do, because he's suddenly pushing images back at you. Obi-Wan thinks back to how your fingers had felt in his hair this morning, and then reimagines that feeling with you in his lap, tangled in his hair while you kiss him. Then, fuck. With his head between your thighs. He stops and focuses in on this one, imagining as many details as he can manage as he pushes it to you. Your hands pulling on the blond strands while his grip your thighs, holding you open as his tongue laves through the folds of your cunt.

The moment feels like a tipping point, and both of you know exactly what is going to happen once this meal is over.

You're so pent up and aroused when it's finally time to leave that you're lightheaded with it but somehow you manage to get to your feet anyway, and thankfully you don't end up having to deal with Skywalker at all because Obi-Wan is out of his seat first this time and meets you halfway. There's something in the air between you, something tense and charged, and you know you need to get him back to his rooms now. He seems to be on the same page because he wastes no time in following you out of the dining hall, and his strides are longer enough than usual that you actually struggle just a little bit to keep up.

And there's something so…juvenile about this, rushing off and sneaking around, but it's...fun. You feel almost like a teenager again, truthfully, so eager to get him alone somewhere private so you can get your hands on him that you're all but running down the hallway to get there.

You're on the Jedi the moment the door closes behind you but he's right there with you, pulling you in for a kiss that's all enthusiasm and little finesse but heats your blood anyway. Your fingers tangle in his hair as you tug him closer and he moans with it, his own hands finding your face and framing it gently. You run the tip of your tongue along his lower lip and press forward when his mouth opens into it on a gasp, licking into his mouth until he has to pull away to breathe.

Maker, he already looks a mess; beautifully flushed with his hair all askew and his pupils blown wide. It makes you want to do, just, unspeakable things, but you know you still have to take your time and ease him into it or this will all be over too fast and you can't have that.

"Go...go sit on the bed," you murmur, putting a hand on his chest as you step back and take a second to try and get your wits back about you. "Take your boots off. And your cloak."

And, Kriff, he does it immediately, nodding at you with that just fucking wrecked look in his eyes before he turns to do exactly what you told him, laying his cloak over the back of one of the chairs and padding over to the bed where he sits on the edge before leaning over to take his boots off. You watch him the whole time, almost high on the heady feeling that comes with this hyper-competent Jedi Master doing whatever you tell him to.

You take your time in joining him, partially to tease and partially just because you need those extra few moments. His eyes track every movement as you remove your own cloak, laying it next to his as you toe your shoes off, and you give him a small smile as you make your way over to the bed. Obi-Wan's breath hitches when you climb up onto it and seems to stop altogether when you carefully settle yourself on his lap, his hands fisting at his sides until you reach down to take them gently and guide them to your waist. "You can touch me," you purr, running your nose along the line of his jaw and grinning to yourself when his grip suddenly tightens with it. "It's encouraged, in fact."

He snorts quietly, so breathily that you almost miss it, and starts rubbing circles into your sides with his thumbs. "Noted," he rasps, and you grin wider before you press a kiss just under his jaw. The Jedi shivers with it and the reaction emboldens you so you continue downward, pressing kisses along his skin until you reach the collar of his robe and then you're working at the belt of his robes, eager to get at more of his skin. Obi-Wan seems to still have enough presence of mind to help you, shrugging out of the first two layers once you're able to get them open and discarding them to the side carelessly. You reluctantly have to pull back so you can yank his undershirt over his head but then his whole torso is exposed for your viewing pleasure, so you decide you're alright with the short interruption.

"See something you like?" Obi-Wan quips breathlessly after a few seconds of you shamelessly studying every line and pane of his chest and you only smirk at him an answer, leaning back in his lap to get a better view and darting your tongue out to wet your lower lip.

"What are the odds of anyone seeing you without the robes?"

His eyebrows knit together momentarily like he doesn't know what you're asking, but he seems to put the pieces together when you suddenly duck back down and lick a broad stripe along the line of his collarbone. His hips jerk up with a broken moan before he's able to manage an answer, his head tilting back and further exposing his throat. "Un-unlikely," he gasps out, and you're grinning again as you start pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses lower until you find a spot on his pec that pleases you and you stop and suck. The Jedi gasps raggedly, his fingers digging into your waist as he tries to ground himself, but you don't stop until you know a bruise will bloom there. "Something to remember you by?" he hisses, and you chuckle softly as you trace the round little blemish with the tip of your finger.

"Oh, Baby, I don't think you're going to have any difficulty with that with or without a few little...reminders."

Obi-Wan moans again, low in his throat, when you start pressing a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses down his chest, gasping out and trembling the first time you let him feel teeth. His hips buck again and then it's your turn to gasp when his cock rubs right up against your cunt--already so, so hard. And, Maker, it is not a small bulge. What's he hiding under all of those neutral fabrics? You leave a meandering line of bites and hickeys all the way down his chest, ignoring the way he whines when you shift back off of his lap so you can continue down to his stomach. He leans back on his palms, then, watching you intently with dark eyes that make your pussy clench between your thighs, and his breath catches in his throat when your hands find the ties of his trousers. "What are you--"

"Told you I wanted to suck your cock," you remind him, biting your lip as you start undoing them--slowly enough to give him ample opportunity to stop you if he wants. "That alright with you?"

The Jedi nods mutely, suddenly seeming at a loss for words, and you smirk as you sit back on your knees and start pulling them down his thighs until he springs free, and--

Kriff--how fucking dare the Order deprive the galaxy of this magnificent cock?

He's not the longest you've ever seen, per se, but he's thick enough that you almost wonder how you're going to take this thing and beautifully flushed, with defined veins that you just know are going to feel incredible inside you. You lean in to lick a stripe right up the underside of it before you can stop yourself and Obi-Wan cries out at the sudden stimulation and shakes, falling backwards onto his back. You moan softly at the response you pull out of him and lean up until you're able to take the head into your mouth, watching as he squeezes his eyes shut and grips the bedspread until his knuckles go white and unravels. "Watch me," you tell him, taking him in your palm and pumping slowly while you wait for him to respond, "Wanna see those pretty blue eyes."

He forces them open just like you told him to, keeping them trained on you as he bites down on his lower lip and takes a shaky breath and you take him into your mouth again, satisfied. He cries out again but a little quieter this time, and you hum around his cock as you start bobbing up and down on it slowly, almost teasingly so, holding his hips down as best you can so you control the pace. You definitely want to feel him come down the back of your throat at some point, but this isn't the time for that. You have every intent of him coming buried deep inside you tonight.

It becomes something of a game, figuring out exactly what he likes. Hollowing your cheeks to make your mouth tighter around him and moaning until he gasps. Teasing the slit at the top with the very tip of your tongue until you swear you hear him curse. And then you take him to the root.

And, Maker, he swears when he bottoms out and it shouldn't be so insanely hot hearing those words come from this ordinarily so well put-together Jedi but it is. You realize how close he's approaching his end so you reluctantly pull off of his cock, then, ignoring the whine that escapes from high in his throat when you do so. You wipe your mouth with the back of your hand while you try and catch your breath, which is not made any easier by the way he's looking at you. You know you must look just as wrecked as he does, now, all flushed skin and swollen lips, but if you didn't know better you would genuinely think the man was about to eat you alive. "I think, my lady," he rasps finally, after several seconds of staring at each other, "that you may be slightly overdressed."

Kriff. You glance down at the tunic and trousers that you are, in fact, still wearing, before looking up to meet his eyes again. You maintain that eye contact as you sit back up on your knees, pulling your lower lip between your teeth as you slowly start undoing the laces holding the top closed. Obi-Wan watches each movement like it's the most mesmerizing thing he's ever seen, pupils blown so wide they've almost completely obscured the blue. He groans quietly when the tunic slips from your shoulders, his tongue darting out to wet his lower lip when your breasts come into full view. "Is that better?"

He shakes his head mutely, swallowing harshly as he seems to try to gather the words. "I want--may I--kriff, lay back. Please." His gaze follows you closely as you slowly lower yourself down onto your elbows, intensely curious what he's about to do. The Jedi takes a deep breath like he's steeling himself and then he's shifting forward until his body stretches over top of yours, kicking his trousers the rest of the way off in the process, and it's your turn to gasp when you feel his lips brush against the underside of your jaw. He's holding himself up enough that you can't necessarily feel him press against you, but Maker, you can certainly feel the heat coming off of him and his warm breath against your throat. "I believe it's my turn," he murmurs by way of explanation, chuckling softly when your next breath comes out ragged.

"You don't--you don't have to do that," you moan, and Stars--you mean it, you do, especially this first time, but you will be just absolutely fucking inconsolable if he changes his mind right now especially after he went and put the fucking image in your head during dinner earlier.

He doesn't grace that with a verbal response but you're hardly complaining because he starts trailing kisses down the side of your neck instead, and Maker he must have been paying attention when you were doing this to him because you swear he's replicating the technique. "Tell me what you want," he murmurs lowly into the skin of your throat before nipping at it experimentally, listening to you gasp as he keeps talking. "Tell me how to please you, Darling."

His fingers find your nipple before you're able to even begin trying to formulate words and you cry out at the sudden stimulation, arching up into it. "F-Fuck, you're doing a pretty kriffing decent job already," you pant and he chuckles again, running his tongue along your collarbone like you'd done to him and moaning when he gets another ragged gasp for it. "Maker. U-Use your m-mouth,"

You think for a second that he's going to make some smartass comment about how he already is, but mercifully Obi-Wan seems to know what you're asking him for and decides to be kind about it. He continues exploring your breasts with his hand while he returns his mouth to your throat, licking and sucking his way down the column of it until he reaches your sternum where he stops to suck a bruise into the skin. He gets you so worked up by the time he reaches your breasts that you almost don't realize how close he's gotten until those blue eyes are flickering up to meet yours and he's taking your nipple into the blazing hot cavern of his mouth. You open your mouth on a wordless shout and start to writhe under him but he's right there, both hands coming down to your hips to hold you in place as he laves his tongue around the stiffening peak. Obi-Wan focuses his attention on your breast until you're whimpering and then switches to the other, moaning around your nipple when your fingers tangle in his hair.

"You like that, don't you?" you purr down at him, watching the Jedi through half-lidded eyes as he moans again in an affirmative. You pull, then, gently--experimentally, seeing if it's something he'll even like, and then he. Fucking bites you. "Fuck, Obi-Wan!"

"About as much as you liked that," the asshole grins at you impishly as he pulls away from your breast, leaning in to kiss you before you can call him on it. His hands find the top of your trousers once you relax into it, and he leans back to look at you as his fingers dip into the waistband. "May I?"

He starts pulling them down as soon as you nod your consent, sitting back and watching as every inch of skin is revealed until he's removed them completely and he tosses them to the side with the rest of your clothes, leaving you totally bare in front of him. Obi-Wan just...sits there for a moment, taking you in, and you let him, relaxing back against the mattress and smiling up at him.

"Beautiful," he breathes finally, returning your smile with a small one of his own before he's shifting down, keeping his eyes on yours as his lips brush against your hip. He reaches forward and runs one finger through the lips of your cunt lightly, almost teasingly, watching you gasp and try to grind down into it. "Would you like it if I tasted you here, Darling?" Obi-Wan hums, continuing to press kisses along your hip and the insides of your thighs while he waits for an answer and, Maker, the coarseness of his beard against the sensitive skin there robs you of all conscious thought. All you're able to manage is a nod because you're so strung out and you need him there right now but that seems to be enough for him because he starts leaning in, one hand on each of your thighs as he licks a broad stripe right through your cunt.

Stars, you can't even form the words right now to talk him through this like he'd asked, but he...doesn't actually really seem to need your help, here. The Jedi focuses in on your clit right away, swirling his tongue around the little bud before he sucks it into the wet heat of his mouth and you nearly sob at how good it feels. "D-Doing so good, Baby," you manage to get out, and the words almost come out as more of a mewl as he hums around your clit, sending jolts right through you.

You whine in protest when his mouth leaves your clit but his thumb replaces it soon after, rubbing slow circles around it like he's trying to drive you insane on purpose. And then, Maker, his tongue dips into your entrance, licking up inside you while all you can do is sob your pleasure into the air. He keeps going this way for several minutes, steadily working you higher and higher with his tongue buried in your cunt and his thumb strumming your clit until your thighs start to tremble and you feel that coil inside you start to wind tighter. Obi-Wan moans between your legs as when he realizes you're approaching your end and steps up his ministrations, his thumb picking up speed until your back arches underneath him. The orgasm burns its way through you, slow but intense, until you're nearly cross-eyed and delirious with it and he keeps working you through it until you're shaking with overstimulation and pushing his head away.

The Jedi goes willingly when you push him back into a seated position once you've managed to regain your bearings, and Maker, he's a sight like this; his hair just hopelessly disheveled from your fingers in it and your slick coating his chin and kiss-swollen lips. You take a moment to just look at him, committing this image to memory for all of those nights after he leaves when you know you'll look back and picture this with your hand between your thighs. His hands find your hips as you crawl into his lap and settle there, squeezing gently and letting out a soft moan when you lean in to kiss him. Obi-Wan is the one that licks into your mouth this time, mimicking the way your tongue had tangled with his at the start of this until you're moaning into it.

He gasps into the kiss when you reach down between you to take his cock in your hand, stroking it slowly while you shift in his lap and Stars, you swear the Jedi underneath you stops breathing entirely when you line him up and the head of his cock presses right up against your entrance. "Maker, please," he begs then on a broken moan, pulling out of the kiss to catch his breath but leaving his forehead pressed up against yours. He opens his eyes to hold your gaze intently as you start to sink down onto him, crying out at the fucking stretch of it. You take your time taking his cock, both for his benefit and your own, and the slow intrusion into your cunt has you shaking before he even bottoms out.

"Fuck, you feel so f-fucking good,"

And it does. You have to take a minute to adjust once you've taken him to the root before you can move, gripping his shoulders tightly in an attempt to ground yourself, and his hands tighten on your hips in response. The Jedi looks like he might implode if you don't move so you take pity on him, sweeping him into another heated kiss as you roll your hips forward and swallowing his ragged gasp that escapes his throat. You keep the pace slow at first, steady, working yourself open and easing him into the motion and the way your pussy feels wrapped around his cock, and you manage to keep that pace for a few minutes until it becomes too much for both of you.

Obi-Wan's hips buck up at the same time your hips rock forward and you choke on a loud cry, throwing your head back when the head of his cock suddenly hits you right in the sweet spot. He seems to realize that you liked it because he does it again and again, his hands suddenly becoming vices around your hips as he starts thrusting up into you. You keep bouncing in his lap as best you can with his hold on you, meeting him thrust for thrust and Maker, nothing you'd imagined has anything on this. You bury your face in the side of his neck in a pitiful attempt to muffle the sounds that are leaving your throat, sucking and biting at the skin you find there and enjoying the moans you get out of him in return.

You suddenly find yourself on your back with the Jedi above you, swallowing down the gasp that tears out of you as he claims your mouth in a searing kiss. Obi-Wan starts thrusting again immediately as he lets instinct take over, leaning forward on his elbow next to your head to give him better leverage. You nibble on his lower lip as you bring your legs up around his waist, gasping into his mouth when he fucking growls at the feel of your teeth and knotting your fingers in the strands of his hair again. His free hand comes up to cup the side of your face, holding you in place while he kisses the breath from your lungs.

You're not going to last much longer, if the way your cunt is already starting to tighten around him is anything to go by. He shifts his hips just slightly, down and to the side, and you almost scream when he manages to find an angle that has the head of his cock hitting your sweet spot straight on at the same time as the warm skin of his torso brushes against your clit on each thrust in. Fuck, fuck, fuck, how did he get the hang of this so fast? He's going to kriffing kill you, if he keeps this up. "Stars, Obi," you sob out, "I'm gonna--"

The Jedi presses one last firm kiss to your mouth before he's pulling back to watch you fall apart, his hand leaving your face and moving down your body until he's stroking your aching clit with his thumb again, rubbing it in fast, small circles like he's learned you like it as he continues fucking into you like it's the last thing he'll ever do. "Right behind you, Darling," he grits out, his voice coming strained and wrecked and you know he means it. It only takes one, two, three more thrusts before you just fucking shatter, crying out into the air and trembling as the orgasm obliterates you. He follows not half a dozen thrusts later, burying his face in your neck and gasping as he fills you with everything he has, his hips still pumping lazily as he comes down.

Eventually, the Jedi collapses down on the bed next to you, reaching over to brush some of the hair out of your face and giving you a dopey grin that's such a wild juxtaposition from his usual composure and his reputation that it makes you giggle, unable to help yourself. He raises an eyebrow at you playfully but it only makes you laugh harder, shaking your head. "Maker," you breathe, finally, because you can't seem to string together anything else. Obi-Wan chuckles next to you and reaches over to pull you back into his chest, burying his face in your hair while he tries to catch his own breath. "You are...a very quick study. Maker."

You can't see him grin, but you can hear it in his voice when he speaks again. "I'm glad you're pleased," he teases, and you only roll your eyes before letting yourself fully relax against him. Your eyes start to droop but you don't have the energy to fight to keep them open, and you end up falling asleep right there in his arms.

He lets you.

You wake up the next morning almost unbearably warm, and when you go to try and sit up, you find that you can't. You freeze as a half-baked realization suddenly comes over you, hesitantly cracking your eyes open.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Oh, kriff.

You fell asleep here last night. In the Jedi's bed. With the Jedi. He, it turns out, is the reason that you can't move. Obi-Wan's got both arms wrapped tightly around your middle, holding you against his chest with his legs tangled up with yours, and Maker you would never have pegged this man for a cuddler but you couldn't be more wrong, apparently. It does, however, create quite an interesting problem for you.

This is his last morning here before he leaves to return to Coruscant. He and Skywalker are supposed to leave early, before even breakfast. Skywalker will, doubtlessly, be coming around to see what's what's holding his old master up, and soon--and you are still here.

Where you are. Definitely. Not supposed to be.

You don't know how much time you have but you know that it isn't much. You have got to get out of here before Obi-Wan's pain in the ass prior padawan shows up, and the Jedi looks so peaceful like this that you kind of wish you could just let him sleep but you really don't want to just sneak out on him after last night. So you sigh, reaching up to shake his shoulder gently. "Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan, we have to get up."

It doesn't take much to wake him, thankfully, and he lets go of you to prop himself up on his elbow as he rubs the sleep out of his eyes. "What's wrong?" he asks, his voice still hoarse from sleep as he peers down at you, not quite as surprised to see you there as you'd have maybe expected him to be.

You don't even get a chance to answer him because there's suddenly a knock on the door, and both of your eyes widen at it. Skywalker. "Obi-Wan?"

Fuck, fuck, fuck, where the fuck are your clothes? You're out of the bed before Obi-Wan even has a chance to stop you, frantically trying to find your clothes and put them on. You toss his trousers at his chest when you come across them and that seems to be what finally spurs him into motion, standing up so he can get them on as he calls back to the other Jedi. "What is it, Anakin?"

There's a moment of confused silence, then: "Cody's landing the transport now."

Obi-Wan opens his mouth like he's about to tell his old padawan that he'll be out momentarily, but doesn't get a chance to get the actual words out before you both hear the hiss of the door starting to slide open. Thank the Maker, you just manage to get your tunic back on before Skywalker comes into sight, and you do your best to try to look fucking normal as his eyes flicker between you but your heart fucking stops when you glance to the left of you and realize that Obi-Wan still isn't wearing a fucking shirt. His entire chest is exposed, which means that all of the marks you left scattered across it are also exposed. Fuck, fuck, fuck--

"I'll just. I'll just see you on the transport."

Skywalker is gone before either of you can react, the door sliding shut behind him. Your next breath leaves your lungs with enough force that it's almost a wheeze, and you have to bend over and put your hands on your knees for a second while you try to process what the fuck just happened. Obi-Wan blinks next to you, looking directly ahead for a second or two more before he suddenly starts chuckling, and you stare at him incredulously. "I'm sorry," he says finally, "That was just…"

You're laughing too, then, shaking your head as you step back over to him, ducking down to grab his shirt from where you can see it on the floor. You place the fabric in his hands and lean up on your toes to press a light kiss to his cheek, giving him a small smile. "Until next time, Master Kenobi?"

He gives you a small smile in return, and surprises you a little bit when he leans in himself and presses a soft kiss to your lips. "Until next time."

Mercifully, no-one questions him when Obi-Wan finally makes it to the transport. He intentionally doesn't look at Anakin even though he can feel the other man's eyes on him as he finds his seat and sits down, straightening his robes. He finds it difficult to keep the smile completely off his face so he just ducks his head instead in the guise of settling in for the flight and studiously ignores the way Anakin is still staring at him.

"How was your trip, General?" Cody asks, leaning around in the pilot's seat to look back at him once they've left the planet's atmosphere. Obi-Wan opens his mouth to answer but Anakin's there first, suddenly grinning ear-to-ear in a way that makes him distinctly uncomfortable.

"Oh, the General had a wonderful time." the younger man drawls, looking him right in the eyes as he does, and Obi-Wan wonders not for the first time if Qui-Gon died and left Anakin in his care as some inhumane form of punishment. "Made significant strides with relations and learned a lot, I'm sure."

"Oh, well, that's good, Sir." Cody responds, and Obi-Wan really dearly hopes he's as unaware of the insinuation as he sounds. Cody really does not need to know these things. Anakin does not need to know these things. "I'm glad your mission was productive."

Anakin opens his mouth like he's going to say something else but closes it abruptly and grins instead when Obi-Wan glares at him and shakes his head slowly in warning. "Thank you, Cody." Obi-Wan says instead, leaning back in his seat and letting his eyes close as he tries to relax. Maker, he can still feel the effects of the night before, his muscles are more sore than he would have expected and he finds that he's very aware of the bruises you'd left behind and it's...strangely pleasant.

He's not allowed to have emotional attachments, but. He kind of does hope that he'll see you again one day anyway. Until next time, Master Kenobi.

#obi-wan x reader #obi-wan kenobi x reader #Obi-Wan Kenobi #Obi-Wan #reader fic #reader insert #star wars #star wars fanfiction #star wars fic #star wars prequels #fic #fanfiction #merlyn posts

65 notes · View notes

magic-owl · 5 years

Note

prompt: unanswered questions, Star Wars (it's vague but I'm sure you've got something

Everyone who likes Star Wars can follow me for Star Wars stuff on my Star Wars blog, @twilightofthe

I did the thing! Sorry if it wasn’t what you were looking for, but I really needed to practice writing a Padmé voice, and this cute little thing was what came to mind!

• • •

The first time Anakin asks Padmé to marry him, he is more than a little drunk.

Well, not drunk, per say, but certainly drugged.

It is the morning after the Battle of Geonosis, and the massive Republic cruisers sent to retrieve its new army from the battlefield are due to arrive back on Coruscant in a couple of hours.

Aboard one of them is Padmé, who has just finished having her own injuries from the battle redressed by a med-droid, and is absolutely not using her being in the medbay anyway as an excuse to go searching for the handsome face that had whirled back into her life with all the heat and intensity of a summer sandstorm.

It takes a couple of tries, peering into rooms to see other wounded Jedi, offering Senatorial thank you’s and well-wishes. She is the only civilian on board.

Eventually, she peeks in and there he is. Her heart does that new, terrifying, exhilarating little twist it’s made a habit of whenever she sees him, and if she hurries into the room to take a seat in the stool pulled up next to his sleeping form, well, no one else is there to see her.

And if she makes the mistake of looking too long at him, face soft and young and beautiful in slumber, gods, if she looks at his hand— or lack of, anyway —well, there’s no one there to apologize to as she ducks down and trails her lips across his brow, his nose, his cheek, the barest of breaths against his half-open mouth.

She hasn’t seen him since they were separated in the battle, since she held her own side by side with those new clone soldiers, since she had been swept away in the aftermath to medical for the claw slashes on her back, to emergency holocalls with various senators including the Chancellor to discuss the oncoming war, to a hasty gathering with the assembled members of the Jedi Council to recount what exactly had happened when her and Anakin had decided to leave Naboo.

(She doesn’t mention Tatooine at all.)

She hadn’t even known Anakin had landed himself in intensive care until she had asked faux-casually as she could manage how her assigned protectors had fared, and a councilor, she couldn’t remember who, had taken pity and told her.

She hasn’t realized until now just how frightened she had been, just how much she’s missed him, and she’s scared that the thought no longer scares her. Yes he had lost his hand, but he could have died and she wouldn’t have even been there to say goodbye...

As she steals that hint of a kiss, he shifts, mumbling incoherently against her mouth, and she freezes, jerking her face backwards until she’s hovered a respectable distance over him, watching in anticipation as his long lashes flutter. His nose twitches as one of her loose curls brushes against it and she quickly sits up to wrap the offending strands into a messy bun. When she turns back around, he’s watching her, goofy smile on his face and blue eyes sparkling under half-lids.

“Hiya, Angel.”

Padmé feels herself flush like the giddy teenager she never got to be. “Hello, Ani. How are you feeling?”

“Y’ so pretty,” Anakin informs her, completely ignoring her question and tilting his head to the side, gazing at her adoringly. It’s incredibly endearing.

It also isn’t quite right, Padmé decides, as she notes the hazy glint in his eyes, the dropping of his mouth, the slurring of his words as he babbles something else about angels and how he’s in love with one— her heart takes flight at that part, and she has to forcibly pull it back down again. She spots the number of tubes and wires trailing beneath the sheet he’s tucked tightly under that lead to the stump on his wrist, and she realizes she doesn’t even know how he was injured.

“Anakin,” she laughs, tilting away from his left hand as it emerges from the sheet to paw at her face, catching it in her own. “You’re still on pain meds.”

“What? Nah.” Anakin’s nose wrinkles adorably. “‘Kay, maybe a little. Jus’ a bit. It’s a happy buzz, s’all.” His eyes meet hers again and she can feel the hand she’s captured tighten around her fingers. “You make me happy.”

Something catches in her throat, and Padmé is forced to swallow before speaking. “You make me happy too,” she says honestly, and it’s the truth.

“Heh.” He offers her another dopey smile and it takes all of her trained, Queenly restraint not to kiss it right off his face. She settles for stroking a hand down his cheek as he leans into it.

He still hasn’t answered her question though. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” she asks gently, nodding towards where his stump arm is draped across his chest in a protective mechano-casing.

Something darker stirs in his eyes, and she just squeezes his hand in comfort, treading as lightly as she can. “You don’t need to say anything if you don’t want to.”

Anakin scowls, shaking his head and running a thumb over her knuckles. “Dooku,” he eventually spits out.

Padmé bites back her own snarl at the mention of the Count. “I hear he escaped,” she says evenly. “I’m sorry.”

“My fault,” Anakin mutters. “Mastern’I were fighting ‘im. He hurt Obi Wan, n’ I tried t’ take him alone. Failed. Yoda had to save our asses.”

Padmé can tell that from his averted gaze and the way he’s leaning his missing limb away from her, right now it’s his pride that has taken the most serious injury. Unable to help herself, she raises his grasped flesh hand and kisses it. “I’m just happy you’re alive and safe.”

Rolled eyes and a snort. “Not all of me.” He waves his stump in the air for emphasis. “Gonna be part cyborg, gonna set off all th’ metal detectors.”

A giggle escapes Padmé at that, and she stifles it quickly in fear of upsetting him, but when she looks at him she just sees proud content on his face. He’s happy he made her laugh.

She smiles reassuringly, now gathering both his stump and his flesh hand together in hers. “Well I can promise you I won’t have any metal detectors. You’ll be safe with me.” She kicks herself inwardly. What am I saying?

He turns a charming shade of red and ducks his head slightly, staring at their connected hands. He mutters something under his breath, and she nudges him. “Come again?”

He looks up at her now, blue eyes shining with a new sense of eager urgency. “I was just thinking,” he says slowly, “that maybe you could give me your hand...”

Okay, now he’s definitely been on the medication for too long. “I don’t think that would work,” she tells him, struggling to hide her laughter. “I kind of need my hand, and it’s a bit small for you, wouldn’t you say so?

He pouts again. “That’s not what I—“

“And here I was worried about leaving you by yourself.”

Padmé almost has a heart attack, whipping around to see Anakin’s master leaning in the doorway.

“Hey, Master,” Anakin greets him casually, as if he’s not still gripping Padmé’s hand with his remaining one. “See, Padmé, just look at what Dooku did to his leg!”

Obi Wan is currently wearing pants so Padmé can’t actually see what happened, but from the way he grips a cane to support himself and the bags under his eyes, she can tell he’s had a rough time. She wonders if he’s slept yet.

“Hello, Anakin. Senator Amidala.” He dips his head at her, and she realizes with a start that he must have been the one to pull the chair next to Anakin’s bed that she’s currently sitting in.

“Knight Kenobi,” she greets in return, starting to rise to give him his seat back, only for him to shake his head and motion for her to keep it. She resettles uncomfortably, trying her best to shake off any sort of prickly defensiveness. She’s only visiting the man who helped protect her, she’s done nothing wrong, nothing to feel guilty about.

Obi Wan’s grey eyes seem to hold no accusation in them, however, so she forces herself to calm as he enters the room. “How are you, Senator? You’re healing from your injuries, I hope?”

The claw marks on Padmé’s back twinge at the reminder, and she rolls her shoulders, surprised he‘s remembered. “I’m doing well, thank you; I can barely feel them anymore. And you?”

Anakin cuts in rather rudely. “Hey, Master, could you talk to Padmé later? She still needs to answer my question.”

Padmé blinks. “What question?”

“What I was just asking you about,” Anakin insists.

Hands?! She shoots a helpless glance at Obi Wan, who gives the slightest of shrugs and an amused smile before turning to Anakin.

“It seems you’ve caught the lady unawares, young one. Care to repeat the question for her?”

Anakin huffs. “I was trying to ask her to marry me.”

Silence.

“Oh,” Padmé says faintly. He wants my hand...

“Oh,” Obi Wan echoes, looking rather like someone has pulled the ground out from under him. Padmé thinks she knows the feeling.

“Well?” Anakin demands.

“Um,” is Padmé’s eloquent response, and Obi Wan’s hand goes to pinch the bridge of his nose.

There’s more awkward, dragging silence, and Padmé doesn’t know if she can breathe, and then at the same time—

“I am so sorry!” her and Obi Wan blurt out in unison.

“I’m not,” Anakin offers.

Obi Wan makes a frustrated noise, but otherwise ignores him in favor of Padmé. “You’re sorry?”

“I shouldn’t have woken him up!” Padmé gasps, hands flailing. “He needs rest, he’s still on medication—“

“I’m not that drugged,” Anakin says indignantly.

“It’s not your fault, I promise you this isn’t normal behavior for him,” Obi Wan’s own eyes are rather wide. “I know he meant no—“

“I meant it,” Anakin insists.

“He meant no offense,” Obi Wan finishes in exasperation.

“Please, none taken, it’s really fine,” Padmé promises, having stood from the chair at this point, noticing how her and Obi Wan have been circling each other like anxious buzzards.

“You guys look kinda pale, maybe you should sit down,” Anakin observes from the bed, patting both sides with hand and stump. “And Padmé—“

“You both should get some rest,” Padmé breathes, half-wondering why she hasn’t physically turned into a quivering lump of jelly to match her insides. “I should be going.”

“Wait, you’re leaving?” There’s a frown in Anakin’s voice and she cant bear to look at his face.

“I’m sure you two will see each other again.” The assurance from Obi Wan makes her turn to him in shock. He’s staring right at her, and for the first time, she can see that the normally unreadable man looks as frightened as she is.

Will she reveal what Anakin asked her? Will she stay or will she go? Will she hurt him? that gaze says.

Padmé feels as though she must be visibly trembling, but she nods back, words addressed to Anakin but eyes straight on Obi Wan. “Of course we will, Anakin. I’ll still need someone to see me home safely after, won’t I?”

I’ll not tell a soul, how can I leave him, I love him, I love him so much it terrifies me.

“Okay, good,” Anakin says, and Obi Wan offers her the most tentative of smiles in return.

“I will see you both around, then,” Padmé tells them stiffly. “I’ll see you around”? Smooth, Senator... She gives them both a nod, turning on her heel and heading for the door. “Good day, Master Jedi.”

She hears Anakin call out “Bye, Padmé!” as she ducks through the doorway and scurries off down the hall, clutching her dress closely to her sides.

She knows she is considered attractive by a number of species, and this is far from the first impromptu proposal she has received over a lifetime as Queen and senator. Anakin, however, is the only one out of all of them who has ever made her want to answer “yes”.

Once they arrive back on Coruscant, it’s a whirlwind of rushing back to her home to throw on an appropriate outfit for the emergency Senate session the Chancellor calls immediately, struggling to make herself heard over the raucous from the pods around her as she makes a last ditch plea for consideration of any other possible routes they could take that wouldn’t mean civil war, despair when the vote falls in favor of it, even when she knew it was coming.

The rest of that week is spent making future plans with political allies, contacting the Council and confirming that yes, she is still to have an escort when she returns home, and solidifying the details of the trip back to Naboo itself, and what she will discuss with the Queen once she arrives.

The entire time, Anakin’s question is a burning flame in the back of her mind.

When the day comes that she is to travel home, she clenches her fingers tightly in the pockets of her traveling dress, worrying. Maybe he won’t even come, maybe they have sent someone else altogether to escort her back.

But no, there he is, golden hair gleaming in the setting sunlight, head bowed in respect but dark blue eyes peering up at her hopefully, both hands conspicuously hidden from view inside his robe pockets.

His master is walking with him, hand on his shoulder, but when they meet, Padmé is informed that only Anakin will be escorting her back; Obi Wan has business to attend to here.

Padmé doesn’t even have time to process what that means, that once again they will be alone together, when Obi Wan is stepping away, telling them to take care. His eyes meet hers for a brief moment and Padmé catches the double meaning.

I will always take care of him, she vows.

Then they’re boarding the ship and they’re taking off and they’re jumping to lightspeed, and they’re very much alone and Padmé feels like the ship is going much too slow, like her heart is racing parsecs ahead of them.

They both sit there awkwardly for a time, watching hyperspace swirl around them, before Anakin takes a deep breath and holds up his right hand, which he had taken out of his pockets earlier but has been sheathed in a black glove.

She can’t take her eyes away as he slowly, with unsteady fingers, unlatches the buckles and snaps holding it on, then slips the glove off. He offers the glove to her, but she takes the hand instead.

It’s a basic design, skeletal lines of metal shimmering from the light of space around them. He’s talking to her about it in a gruff, embarrassed tone, saying how it doesn’t look like much but it was what they had at the time, and he’s already drawing up blueprints for modifications, and then he’s cutting himself off with a shiver when she rolls the shining knuckles in her grip.

She looks up at him and he’s looking at her and now he’s much closer than he was before and then he’s kissing her. She kisses him back.

Surprisingly, it’s him who breaks it first, resting his forehead against hers. His voice when he speaks is rougher, lower, and that definitely does something for her.

“You never answered my question.”

“What question?”

She knows exactly what question he’s talking about.

He humors her anyway. “In medical, on the ship back from Geonosis. I remember asking you something very important, and you never gave me an answer. I know I’m not making it up.”

She lets out a shaky breath. “Oh. You mean the one you asked in front of your master when you were high on painkillers? I think I can remember that.”

He pulls away, making a face at her. “First of all, I was not that high. I was basically sober. Second, Obi Wan’s seen me way worse saying way dumber things, there’s no way he took it seriously.”

She arches a brow at him and he realizes his mistake, backpedaling. “Not that anything about this is dumb, stars no, ignore me. See, I say dumb things!”

She tries to look disapproving at him, but his panicked expression makes her crack into laughter, and now he’s just sulking. “I promise you, Padmé, I meant everything I said, and I won’t take it back.”

Her response surprises both of them. “Then ask me again.”

What am I doing?

To his credit, he doesn’t hesitate for a moment, taking up both of her hands in both his metal and flesh ones, looking deep into her eyes. She feels like she’s drowning in them. “Padmé, I love you more than the stars themselves. Will you marry me?”

She’s going too fast, is what she’s doing, but for Padmé at this moment, it feels like she’ll never need brakes again.

“Yes,” she breathes, filled with exhilaration from the speed high, and leans in for another kiss.

#part of me wanted to make them discuss the consequences of them actually marrying each other and what could happen #but i decided against that because the tragedy of these two is that they DIDN’T think things through like at all #they loved each other— or they thought they did —and they thought that would be enough #also this thing was getting long and i have other things i gotta write lol xD #so i’m just gonna tag this as #anidala #even tho it’s got like lowkey ot3 vibes #because for real most of my work involving the prequel trio will #BECAUSE I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT IF THEY ALL GOT TOGETHER THINGS MIGHT HAVE ENDED HAPPILY DANGIT #gah #padme amidala #anakin skywalker #owl writes #my writing #owl gets an ask #star wars

11 notes · View notes