#obiwanobi

“Was it something I did?” Anakin asks.

Obi-Wan’s gaze flicks up towards him for half a second. Excellent. Anakin is already making progress.

“Was it something I... didn’t do?”

“Not everything has to do with you,” Obi-Wan replies, just detached enough that Anakin knows he’s faking.

“That wasn’t a no.”

Obi-Wan doesn’t reply.

“Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan very deliberately looks down at his datapad, and it’s really a shame that he isn’t telling Anakin anything, because with the way the light is coming through the window, turning his hair into a glowing halo of red-gold, long lashes casting their shadows over his honey-colored eyes, Anakin would really like to— but no. He’s on a mission. He has an objective. He will get Obi-Wan to talk, and then he’ll show Obi-Wan how it pays to talk about his problems, because then Anakin doesn’t have to spend time dragging answers out of Obi-Wan that they could be spending in much better ways.

“Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan sets his datapad down with what Anakin thinks is rather more force than necessary. “Yes, Anakin?”

“What did I do wrong?”

“You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Anakin huffs. “So what did I not do that was wrong?” He can already see Obi-Wan opening his mouth to protest that statement too, so he continues. “I know I did something— yes, I do know, shut up. You’re not that good a liar.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Anakin raises his eyebrows.

“I didn’t say anything!”

“Sure.”

Obi-Wan raises his eyes skyward for a half second before inclining his head, indicating that Anakin should continue.

“Anyways,” Anakin says, staring Obi-Wan down, “just tell me what it is, and I’ll stop bothering you.” Or, he thinks, start bothering you in much nicer ways.

Obi-Wan pinches the bridge of his nose, something that absolutely should not be as hot as it is. “If I tell you, you’ll stop bothering me?”

Anakin nods.

“Do you promise?”

Anakin nods again.

Obi-Wan lets out a long sigh. “It’s just— Anakin, I’m a bit worried that you’re not actually trying to kill me.”

Oh. Oh. Oh shit.

“Why—” Anakin’s voice jumps up a pitch. “Why would you think that?”

“Well, there was that whole affair with the sabotaged speeder, and you had the perfect opportunity to just let me crash, but instead you risked your life to pull me out. And before that, there was the bounty that you could have at least tried to let that mandalorian collect. Not to mention the fact that you haven’t even touched the neurotoxin you’ve been keeping in our bathroom.”

“I, just, uh,” Anakin says, resisting the urge to do something stupid like jump out a window, or something stupider, like try to distract Obi-Wan by breaking a datapad, “I— I’m not finished learning from you yet! It wouldn’t be very prudent of me to kill you before you’ve taught me everything.”

A confused crease forms between Obi-Wan’s brows. “Anakin, I thought we’d gone over this. You’ve long surpassed anything I could teach you. You have all the power of a true lord of the Sith.”

Anakin blinks, grasping for a retort. This is bad. This is really, really, really bad.

Obi-Wan’s look fades into one of understanding, then despondence. “You really aren’t trying to kill me.”

“No! It’s not that! It’s—”

“I’m sorry, Anakin,” Obi-Wan says, resigned. “This is my fault. If I had taught you as a true Sith should have, this would never have happened.”

“What? No! Obi-Wan, this isn’t your fault!” Anakin huffs. “You were right to teach me the way you did— can you imagine how unstable I’d be if you’d put me through any of the traditional training? It’s my fault! I get attached too easily! Just look at Ahsoka! She’s a great apprentice, and it’s not like I’m training her in the traditional way!”

Obi-Wan blinks. “Ahsoka isn’t your apprentice. She’s our daughter.”

Anakin gapes, mouth wide open. “She’s our daughter? Since when?”

“Since we found her?” Obi-Wan looks at him with astonishment. “You’ve been training her? As an apprentice?”

“I’m too young to be a dad!” Anakin’s eyes are wide as he runs his fingers through his hair repeatedly. “I don’t know anything about parenting.” He freezes. “She hasn’t been eating vegetables! Shouldn’t I have been making her eat vegetables?!”

“She’s a carnivore, Anakin,” Obi-Wan says slowly, as though he can’t believe he’s having this conversation. “She doesn’t need to eat vegetables.” He shakes his head as if to clear it. “You’ve been training her? As an apprentice?”

“Oh, yeah,” Anakin replies, momentarily distracted. “She’s great at it, too. Except for the murdering me part. We’ve already decided that I’ll just fake my death if she needs the street cred.” He frowns. “Maybe it’s a good thing she’s our daughter and not my apprentice. Two apprentices in a row not killing their masters wouldn’t look very good, would it?”

“No,” Obi-Wan says faintly. “No it would not.” He sighs. “You really haven’t been trying to kill me?”

“I can’t kill you,” Anakin says, trying not to pout. “I love you.”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan replies, looking at Anakin with his strange mix of amusement and fondness. “Yes, I know.”

“You’re not... angry?”

Obi-Wan sighs, and gives Anakin a small, rueful, smile. “No, I’m not angry. A little disappointed, to be sure, but not angry. Never angry.”

Anakin can’t stop the wave of relief that rushes through him. He hadn’t thought Obi-Wan would kill him for the betrayal and take a new apprentice— not really. But still, he’d been dreading the inevitable cold gaze, the disappointment, the confirmation of what he’s always known: that he’s never going to be a good enough apprentice.

Obi-Wan gives him a half-fond, half-exasperated look, like he knows what Anakin is thinking. “Come over here.”

“I thought you were busy,” Anakin teases automatically, already standing up.

“I think,” Obi-Wan replies, leaving his chair and pulling Anakin close, “that given the circumstances, I can put the work off.”

“And what circumstances would those be?” Anakin asks, grinning, so close he can see the reflection of his own amber eyes, in Obi-Wan’s golden ones.

“It seems,” Obi-Wan says, “that I have an apprentice to promote, and a millennium worth of tradition to overthrow.”

“Oh,” Anakin breathes, “really?”

“Well, I’m certainly not keeping you as my apprentice forever.” Obi-Wan grins. “Terribly inefficient, if we’re going to start calling our daughter ‘Apprentice’ as well.”

Anakin smiles in wonderment. 

Obi-Wan brings up his hand to caress Anakin’s cheek. “I name you, Anakin Skywalker, a true Master of the Sith. May we reign as one.”