The pirate strapped the collar to Anakin’s neck, grinning toothily at Anakin’s snarl. Then he turned to Obi-Wan, whose eyes went very, very wide. He backed up against the wall, shaking his head as the collar came closer. “Please don’t,” he said, his voice cracking.
The pirate didn’t listen. He clamped the collar down and left the cell.
Obi-Wan’s breath caught in his chest. His fingers came up to his throat, grappling at the cold metal of the collar.
Cold wind buffeting his face. A man, laughing as he puts something hard and cold ‘round Obi-Wan’s neck.
A bomb. A bomb. It’s a bomb, it’s a bomb.
His breath came faster now and he sunk to the ground, hugging his knees to his chest and trying to ground himself in the Force. But it slipped through his fingers, which only succeeded in making his panic worse. Vaguely, he could hear Anakin’s voice asking if he was okay, but Obi-Wan didn’t have the strength to respond.
Trying to dismantle the collar, the thought of being blown up looming over him every second, giving him not a moment’s rest.
“Obi-Wan?”
Jumping to what he thinks is his death, clinging to Qui-Gon when the collar is taken off, nightmares of Xanatos haunting his sleep.
“Obi-Wan!”
It’s a bomb, it’s a bomb it’s a bomb it’s a bombit’sabombit’sabombit’sabombit’sa---
“OBI-WAN!”
Anakin was shaking him by the shoulders, terror and worry written in the lines of his face. Obi-Wan gasped sharply, eyes darting between Anakin’s firm hands on his shoulders and his warm blue eyes. “Obi-Wan,” said Anakin, more calmly this time. “What’s wrong?”
“I---I can’t---can’t breathe.”
“I can see that.” Anakin’s voice was level, but through the Force, Obi-Wan could detect the faintest strains of annoyance and worry. “But why? What happened?”
Obi-Wan gestured to the collar. His breathing was beginning to steady, but he didn’t trust himself to say anything about bomb collars, not yet.
Anakin’s brow furrowed. “It’s just a collar,” he said. “It’s got a tracker in it, and the pirates will use it to string us up when they have to take us somewhere, but it’s not dangerous. I’ve seen them plenty of times before. It can’t hurt you.”
With a relieved sigh, Obi-Wan blinked up at Anakin. “It’s not---it’s not a bomb collar?”
“A bomb---” Anakin’s words cut off as he gave Obi-Wan a very concerned look. “How do you know what a bomb collar is? Have . . . have you worn one before?”
Obi-Wan nodded.
Anakin muttered what sounded like a Huttese curse. “When?” he asked shortly.
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