#sith cats

Maul

This might be my favorite section in the whole of the Broadway AU. It's long and I don't care, it brings me so much joy I simply can't keep it to myself. This section comes from a chapter of vignettes exploring the growth of their relationship. I had an absolute blast writing this. Enjoy.

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“You’re nervous,” Obi-Wan observed as they lingered outside his home.

“Of course, I’m nervous!” Anakin responded, taking an involuntary step back, “I really want them to like me.”

“Well, they won’t all like you,” Obi-Wan chuckled, which did not make Anakin feel better at all but there was something about that laugh that relaxed the muscles in his shoulders, “it’s just the way they are, but I’m sure you’ll win them over in time.”

Anakin had really thought that knowing what Obi-Wan looked like on his knees would stop him from feeling so breathless around the man but that simply was not true. He worried about being too anxious, being too eager, being too much, but every time Obi-Wan took his hand and placed a gentle kiss to his knuckles or to his cheek or to his forehead or to his lips as he was right now outside his door he felt all trepidation unwind from his spine.

They didn’t all need to like him immediately, he decided as Obi-Wan deepened the kiss. 

Fuck it, none of them needed to like him.

“And remember, the best way to get a cat to like you is to just fucking ignore them.”

Yup! It was totally okay if none of Obi-Wan’s cats liked him.

“Are you ready?”

No.

“Yeah.”

As soon as Obi-Wan opened the door he heard bells. 

He had been told to expect this.

No part of Anakin was focused on the apartment that lay beyond the threshold — the brick walls, the textured furniture layered in pillows and blankets, the shelves lined with photos and trinkets that certainly all carried a deeper meaning he someday hoped to know — right now, all his focus was on the little white cat who immediately appeared in the doorway. 

Ventress.

‘She comes on very friendly,’ Obi-Wan had told him with a big smile, ‘don’t be surprised if she meets us at the door.’

And there she was, stretching with her paws splayed out in front of her, showing off her claws with her butt waggling in the air. She was almost entirely white, with a little M on her forehead and marks around her eyes that Obi-Wan affectionately referred to as ‘eyeliner.’ 

“Hello, darling,” Obi-Wan purred as they walked through the door, Ventress’s collar jingling as she followed tightly on Obi-Wan’s heels, “just remember—” 

“—yes I know,” Anakin said, taking off his jacket and finally taking a look around him, “ignore her.”

The apartment was warm and inviting in a way that felt lived in. Colorful rugs covered the creaking hardwood floors and artwork adorned every wall filling the space with heart and vivid light. There were stacks of coffee table books and more plants than Anakin could imagine attempting to keep alive. One entire wall of the living room was comprised of bookcases, not a single vacant spot among the shelves.

It was as he looked over the rows and rows of books that he saw the second one, sitting straight and tall on the highest shelf watching him with obvious curiosity. 

Dooku.

He was quite striking, a rusty tan color with a dark face and ears, long dark tail wrapped around his paws. He would have looked terribly intimidating up there, if it weren’t for the fact that his bright blue eyes were slightly crossed.

“I see you’ve found the old man,” Obi-Wan chuckled, likely noticing the way Anakin’s entire body had gone stiff, “just don’t stare at him too long, he’ll get offended.”

Anakin looked away immediately.

Obi-Wan laughed.

As he moved through the space, walking to the bright open kitchen to grab them both a drink, it almost seemed like Obi-Wan was the one jingling, that little white cat still following closely at his heels everywhere he went. A few times, when they were standing close enough, she would wander away from Obi-Wan, brushing her cheek against Anakin’s jeans, weaving between his legs.

“Not yet,” Obi-Wan chuckled, shaking his head when Anakin started to crouch down, completely determined to know how soft she was, “if you’re not patient, she’ll just run away. You’ll know when it’s time.”

They had moved to the couch, drinking cans of beer with colorful labels and Anakin finally started to relax, despite the near-constant cross-eyed stare from Dooku that he could practically feel prickling the back of his neck. Obi-Wan did most of the talking, gesturing about his space at various books and canvases and sculptures and vases and trinkets explaining how each item had come into his care. 

There was a personal connection to almost everything in his life. If it wasn’t a gift, he knew the artist or the author, or it had been recommended to him by someone he cared for, someone he respected. Obi-Wan lived his life with an intention that made him glow like the morning sun and Anakin found himself unable to look away as the man simply talked about his life.

So enthralled with Obi-Wan’s story — okay, maybe the listening part could use a little work but it was something involving a shaman and a night club in Paris — Anakin didn’t even notice Ventress hop up onto the couch. But when she began to tentatively climb into his lap, he froze.

Chuckling, Obi-Wan placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder, some of the tension immediately slipping away, “just let it happen,” he whispered, “you’re doing so well.”

In no time she had snuggled up in his lap, warm and vibrating and so soft. She snoozed away contentedly as Anakin pet her with wrapped fascination. He’d always considered himself a dog person — not that he’d ever had a dog — but he never had an issue with cats, always finding himself smiling whenever one would hop up on a bodega counter. But now, listening to that sweet purr, watching as she splayed her perfect pink toes like she was making bread out of nothing but air, Anakin began to wonder if maybe he’d been wrong.

Just then, a terrible force tore through the room. It appeared out of nowhere, a blur of fur and stripes like a demon risen from the fiery pits of hell. The room erupted in chaos and cats scattered everywhere, Ventress tearing out of his lap, Dooku descending from his perch like a gargoyle come to life before each of them disappeared into their own dimensions.

When the calamity came to an abrupt halt, the room fell into an almost eerie quiet.

Obi-Wan was doubled over in silent laughter, his hands covering his face as he shook his head. The tips of his ears were bright red and his laugh was infectious as Anakin began to giggle too.