darkforcerising | OPEN POST

Bail wasn't going to touch the blame issue. It made no sense to him that Anakin would blame himself for something he had no part in. But he at least understood the reason behind Obi-Wan telling Anakin, rather than himself.

"Breha is doing well. She wishes she could do more for the Rebellion." But, Bail didn't need to explain, Alderaan couldn't take a stand against the Empire yet. It was one planet compared to whole swaths of the galaxy.

"I'm as well as I can be." Did he have to explain how exhausting appearing to be a loyal senator while forming a rebellion against an empire was? Not to mention, husband, father, and friend.

"After you've rested, you can help me figure out how to smooth over your small theft." There was just enough to his tone to say he was not mad, maybe a bit impressed, but he certainly needed the help. "And tell me what you want to do with it."

He did not have to explain, though Obi-Wan did feel guilty for baldly asking this man to make some kind of arrangement so that he and Anakin could have a reprieve from strategy and fighting somewhere that wasn't Tatooine.

"I'm sorry. If there was a way I could end this sooner I would. You're carrying far more weight than any of us; you're carrying us." As for the ship, he had to shrug, slightly. "For now, likely leave it with the former prison ship. We'll see to get it manned to some degree, but I don't think there's a current active plan for it, beyond having irritated the daylights out of Vader." Which was important, dammit.

"That is a dangerous game, my friend," Bail said, shaking his head, but smiling all the same.

"Please be careful."

He smiled faintly in return. "It's all a dangerous game." He will be careful though, for some value of the word. "We should discuss arrangements - if you're up for providing those requests?" He still wasn't sure. Asking for personal things would have been harder, without Anakin being a factor - but asking somewhat for Anakin made it easier.

"Yes," Bail said. He wasn't fully comfortable with all of Obi-Wan's requests, he simply did not know Anakin as well as Obi-Wan did, but that didn't mean he wouldn't take a chance. So long as Obi-Wan was there.

"We have private property on Alderaan. I can assure that you'll be safe there."

"I don't want to impose, but given my relative lack of options and the fact that my reason for asking isn't simply just for myself... I am going to."

He was also going to be uncomfortable with it, because of course he was.

"Thank you, Bail. I'll try to limit how much additional work I create for you while we are here, and please send your wife my gratitude as well." This was a big ask - a big personal one. His gratitude was as sincere and deep as his relief.

"Obi-Wan," Bail tried to reassure his friend, though he suspected that he could never really do that.

"You will not be an imposition. I always have the option to return home and visit my wife and daughter." And Obi-Wan had Tatooine. And Anakin. But they were still on Tatooine which Bail was not too modest to say was a sad comparison to Alderaan.

"Not helping you would be very selfish of me. Let's go back to the Tantive and make these plans."

In truth, without Anakin-

Well, he'd told Anakin recently that he had been prepared - even happy - to spend what was left of his life sitting on Tatooine watching over Luke.

He just wanted more than that for Anakin (and to tear the empire down, now that he had the resources to do so).

So he nodded slightly and held a hand out to indicate that Bail should go first and then fell in just slightly behind and followed him to make those arrangements.

Once they were made, it was back to find Anakin, with some very sincere happiness, even a little excitement. He held his hand out to him. "Come with me."

Not straight to Leia, no, but that would come. First was the less important, but not unimportant 'surprise'.

It was refreshing to step off a ship ramp and onto grass and breathe crisp, clear air. Anakin was not reminded of Naboo, thankfully, even though there was a lakehouse and a lake. This place was quite different, colder, bluer, it felt different, he could even hear it in the sounds the birds made in the trees.

"If Luke ever finds out his sister got this and he was dropped on a trash planet," he said to his own amusement.

They made it to a path that lead up to the lakehouse.

"You don't have to drag me," he said, still amused. But he didn't let go of Obi-Wan's hand and readily followed him inside the building.

He'd wanted this for Anakin so much that he was almost caught off guard, even knowing that he needed a rest somewhere better than Tatooine, by how good the place felt to him.

He didn't feel anything like the only places that had ever come close to being 'home' (the Temple and Tatooine) - but there was something about the mountains, the water, the greenery and wildlife that soothed him.

He grinned a little wryly and slowed down so he was just walking with Anakin along the path toward the house. Inside it was bright, and light, and clean but not sterile. That felt pretty good, too.

"He's loved and safe. Though I do wish he was somewhere more pleasant." He couldn't think of anywhere to move him, though, so it was what it was. "We're going to stay here for a few days, barring emergency. I know we seem to be taking more and longer breaks, but this was... an opportunity I didn't want to let go."

Anakin figured that that was the case when the idyllic setting and building came into view.

He smiled at Obi-Wan and then took the lead searching for the bedroom because he just knew a place like this would have a bed worth giving up the rebellion for. It was in the second room he checked and now he was dragging Obi-Wan over to the bed and into as he turned and fell back against the extreme fluffy softness.

He moaned and that turned into a hum and a laugh as his body first protested like he was torturing it, but as it started recognizing this was 'good' it relaxed into the unbelievable comfort.

"I'm stealing the bed when we leave."

He wasn't sure what Anakin was looking for, just that he was searching for something.

Then Anakin found it and he very nearly laughed, himself. Of course. Anakin had mentioned getting Bail to procure 'decent' beds for them more than once. Watching him fall into it, groan and then relax was so... satisfying.

Hearing Anakin laugh, though, was even better.

He didn't fling himself into the bed or even fall into it, but moved to sit on the edge beside Anakin.

"I think he might let you take it, if you ask. Making stealing fairly unnecessary. Though I don't know where we'd put it...." It was a pretty big bed.

Anakin couldn't let Obi-Wan just sit there. He tugged at his arm to pull him down, too.

"We'll get rid of everything in the living room. Come down here."

He liked sitting there! It was a great angle for Anakin watching.

He let Anakin pull him down, anyway. Then sort of yelped when his back protested the lack of support and rolled immediately onto his side and... sighed with contentment and settled his hand on Anakin's chest.

"Fine, but no mechanical parts in the bed." Ever. Use the kitchen table.

Anakin rolled to his side as well and found Obi-Wan's mouth with his own. "Fair," he managed to say at one point, but the deal made, he didn't have anything further to say. He just wanted to enjoy this moment with Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan returned the kiss, warm and deep but incredibly lazily. It was probably not a surprise that in a stable, safe, location with a lot of life thrumming in the force around him and physically uncomfortable lack of sleep started to catch up with him.

He stopped himself from falling asleep, but not with a violent start, just -

"There's something you need to know before we sleep."

Anakin pulled back. "Alright." He had enough sense not to make a joke. He brushed Obi-Wan's hair back, following the curve of his ear. "What is it?"

He tilted his head slightly with the touch, because he was pretty comfortable and tired and moving with it was just... nice? easy? Both?

"That wasn't the first time I'd used the dark side; it wasn't your fault, in any respect."

Anakin was shocked to stillness by Obi-Wan's confession and the weird mix of emotions that came with it. He tried to hold as much of his emotions back because they weren't exactly relevant, they were an initial reaction. And Obi-Wan was trying to be open with him - which was a painfully rare occurrence.

"When?" he asked, moving his hand down to Obi-Wan's.

He nudged gently at Anakin in the Force, along that bond they'd developed. He didn't try to get to the emotions Anakin was withholding, but he did want Anakin to know it was okay to feel things.

He threaded his fingers through Anakin's, but kept his grip light and breakable.

"The trip Bail and I took at the start of the war."

Anakin was confused for a second, because it took him a moment to remember when that was. And it took him a while because he wasn't fully informed about it until after it happened. And even then he didn't get much detail. Those were old aches and he tried all the more to keep his feelings back - he knew he was allowed to feel things, but this wasn't about him.

"You never told me about it, what happened?"

He was rapidly remembering why he hadn't wanted to have this conversation and realizing maybe convincing himself that it would be useful was a mistake.

He was also not entirely sure of that.

Maybe he was learning something about how hurtful having things kept from you could be. Even if it was for protection - or more practical reasons.

Maybe.

"The security system for the Sith temple we were investigating was a... telepathically projecting artifact, specifically targeted toward Jedi. The planet itself was, of course, entirely steeped in Darkness. I spent a good deal of time not... coherent, I suppose. At one point I hallucinated and was very much using the Dark Side." No, not as bad as choosing that he'd done on the Star Destroyer, but it wasn't like he was some avatar of Light before then.

Whatever weird, confusing mix of emotions Anakin was feeling solidified into something non-threatening and dissolved into concern.

He shifted closer to Obi-Wan and resumed stroking his fingers through his hair.

"I don't think being affected by a Dark Side artifact is your fault."

He was pretty confused by the concern - that was years ago, even for him. The fingers in his hair were nice, though, even nicer than the pure luxury of the mattress under him.

"I could argue with you about that, but I don't think it would be a productive use of time. The point is that I have used it before, though I did not decide to. I did this time, making it worse," as in a worse failing, "but the familiarity was already there."

Anakin didn't take his hand away.

"Do you want to tell me what happened this time, all of it, yet?"

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