"That's good to know," she says with a nod before giving a little half-shrug. All of it, really. She preferred a good cup of caf herself, but it was absolutely no trouble to make sure he was well-supplied with tea.
"I'm the opposite in some ways. I usually try to have a big breakfast because I tend to get so caught up in work that I miss lunch entirely or only have time for a quick bite of something. And during especially busy times, there are days when I don't leave my office until the middle of the night."
"Oh dear," he murmurs, only slightly feigning concern. "Suddenly hostile negotiations sounds like the better of our two occupations."
Well. Former occupation, at any rate. "I'll have to start surreptitiously bringing food to you, nudging you until you eat, just so that I'll leave you alone again. And then dragging you off to bed. Tell me, Senator," he leans forward with an intense look, his voice deepening in seriousness, while a smile plays just along the edges of his mouth. "Are you susceptible to taking bribes?"
She doesn't mention that 'hostile negotiations' tend to be a rather regular occurrence in her line of work as well. He can have that revelation later, when they've returned to Coruscant.
Leaning forward to match his stance, she counters in an equally serious tone, "Not in the slightest. You'll have to come up with another means of negotiating, my dear Jedi." And gods if that doesn't put thoughts into her head that really shouldn't be there.
Obi-Wan cannot keep his mischievous smile contained. Holding eye-contact with her, he can't help but add a flirtatious edge to his teasing. He doesn't want to make Padmé uncomfortable, but he does want to test the waters, a bit. "I assure you, Senator, I'm quite good at negotiations. And, when all else fails, forcibly carrying you to bed is always an option. For your continued health, of course."
That smile might very well be the death of her. If she was uncomfortable, it wasn't for any reason she wanted stopped. "Oh of course," she agrees with a nod and assured smile, a hint of her own flirtation slipping into the words. "Though I'm not entirely certain that's a battle you would win, Obi-Wan. I'm quite strong-willed, you know. Some have even used the word 'feisty' to describe me. Are you quite sure you're equipped for such a challenge?"
His eyes light up at her response. "I assure you, my dear Padmé, when I set my mind to something, I surmount all obstacles until I've achieved my goal. While you may prove to be my most formidable opponent to date, I will persevere." He shifts his jaw slightly, his lips twitching before adding, "They do say that sometimes it's not reaching a goal, but the journey itself that's important."
"I believe that depends entirely on the goal itself," she reasons evenly, "and just how deeply you desire it." Something shifts ever so slightly within her and suddenly it isn't all teasing and playfulness. There's something else there, a questioning, a hint of a thing she thinks they might have been dancing around--
But what if she's wrong? This isn't a thing to be broached with levity, and she refuses to let anything happen that might ruin things between them. But still, she can't help but want to know...
Obi-Wan feels it too, or perhaps picks up on Padmé's shifting emotions; but while he's been teasing with deliberately vague wording, now he's not speaking of their hypothetical scenario at all, but something much more personal. This desire he's held for her is suddenly at the forefront, and it's not just physical attraction or the want to share her bed, but the want to share her life with her, in a way that a bodyguard, even as a husband, wouldn't be allowed.
The smile fades from his face, but he continues to hold her eyes. His voice drops almost to a confessional murmur. "What if... I find I desire it a great deal? More, much more than I expected, or was prepared for?"
Oh gods, what is she doing? What are they doing? Her handmaidens had joked that this might happen, she'd had a crush on Obi-Wan all those years ago, but now--
Straightening her back, everything about her feels stiff and pulled tight, even breathing feeling like an issue as she tries to process what he's saying. What he means by those carefully crafted words. This isn't a teasing joke, this is their life, their future together. This future they've only just started working toward and now they're talking about changing everything.
"I don't know," she admits quietly, a thread of fear and uncertainty winding through her and stripping away any shred of confidence she'd felt before. "If you... This--" Her gaze drops from his to the table, searching for something, anything, and then she stands suddenly. "We don't have any tea. You like tea with your breakfast."
Obi-Wan could feel many things in that instant. Self-consciousness, at having laid himself bare to her, when he's only just come to terms with how he's feeling, himself. Mortification, that she's pulling away, potentially rejecting him, even if it is temporary, while she comes to grips with what he's implying.
In the end, however, he winds up ducking his head to hide a smile, trying very hard not to start laughing - sure that she would think he was laughing at her, which is definitely not the case. No, he's laughing at the situation he's found himself in, and how unprepared both of them are to deal with it.
Obi-Wan stands as well, much more slowly, turning toward her as she moves to, ostensibly, make him some tea. "Padmé..." He waits until she turns toward him, and for a brief moment, just looks at her. "I love you." He says it simply, and clearly with no expectations for her to return the sentiment. "I feel you should know, partly because I'm not sure how well I could hide it from you, if I had to try. And partly, because I never want you to question my actions, or the motives behind them, where they concern you. I want only for you to be happy. And if my feelings make you uncomfortable..." He looks a little uncomfortable himself, but forges on. "Well. We can figure something out. We can annul the marriage and you can find someone else to guard you."
Which is absolutely the last thing he wants, but Obi-Wan is used to sacrificing his own happiness for the sake of peace, and he would never want Padmé to be trapped in a situation that makes her uncomfortable.
She can't be hearing this right. Despite watching him speak, hearing those words, everything is disjointed and jumbled in her mind. He loves-- But how? It takes her by complete surprise, because he'd always been a bit of a flirt but she'd never thought, not really, she'd never expected...
"That is the last thing I want," she assures him rather forcefully, unknowingly echoing his own thoughts. "I want you to be happy too, and I would never ask you for anything you didn't--" Reaching up to press fingers to her lips for a moment, she shakes her head and continues, feeling a bit like a ship at sea being tossed around by the storm of her emotions. "You're sure? You're not just saying this because you think I expect it? Because I don't, this wasn't part of the arrangement and I wouldn't ask it of you. You've already done so much for me, you've changed your entire life--"
She's rambling now, the words coming out frantically as she worries that's what this is. It's a tiny seed of doubt that has spiraled out of control and she wants so desperately for his words to be true that's she's almost terrified of hearing his answer.
Watching her reaction, Obi-Wan relaxes slightly when her first impulse isn't to draw away or rebuff him. The idea she presents, that he might only be feeling this, or at least saying it, out of some obligation to her, brings back his amusement, and he has to press his lips together to keep his smile even partially subdued.
"I can assure you, Padmé, my feelings are my own, and the only influence you've had on them is by being yourself. I think..." his gaze shifts inadvertently as he contemplates, "I think eventually, if we had continued our friendship, I would have come to love you anyway - although I might not have faced my feelings, or felt the need to face them, as this situation we find ourselves in has required of me."
Taking a steadying breath, he takes a few steps towards her, though he maintains a distance between them that he hopes keeps her feeling comfortable-- as comfortable as this conversation allows, anyway. "My entire life is change. Always. This--" he waves a hand between them, "I wasn't expecting this situation, but it was always a possibility, for me. For any Jedi. My feelings are more unexpected, but I would not rid myself of them. Not..." He purses his lips. "Not even for you. And anything I do for you, I do of my own volition, not simply because you ask me and I feel obligated."
The more he explains, the harder it is for her to breathe, some part of her feeling like if she so much as blinks wrong this moment will shatter. This moment where so much promise has been laid before her and all she has to do is reach out and take it...
"I have feelings for you too," she informs him in a hushed voice, her gaze on his chest before slowly moving up to those beautiful eyes. The way he looked at her-- She can't return the confession he'd given her before, but she can be just as honest. "It isn't love, not yet, but... I think it will be. I want it to be."
He'd thought-- he'd hoped, in light of some of their previous interactions, that that was the case. But hearing her say the words fills him with a lightness of heart that he isn't expecting.
He wants her to love him, too. Oh, how he wants it. But he refuses to tell her so, to lay that expectation on her. Just as she was fearing, he doesn't want her to feel obligated into trying to return feelings she doesn't have.
Obi-Wan gives her a slight bow. "I ask for nothing in return, Padmé. If you come to love me..." he smiles at her softly, a little bittersweet. "I would cherish and return it, of course. But as you said: I don't want you to ever feel obligated to me. Your friendship, and your happiness, is all that I want. Now that I've realized my feelings toward you, I don't think I could stop, no matter what happens between us."
She wants to love him so desperately, to have that happiness she'd never really known in any previous relationship. Before, she'd never been friends with her lovers, so there had always been something missing, but with Obi-Wan she felt safe and cared for and comfortable with him from the start. If they were together, she would never have reason to doubt him, nor he her, and they were already supporting each other far better than most traditionally married couples. To add love to their relationship seemed so incredibly natural.
"Do you know what would make me happiest right now?" She offers him a smile of her own and steps closer. "If you would kiss me." It wasn't a demand, or even a request, simply an opportunity she's fairly certain they've both been wishing for.
Crafty, Obi-Wan thinks of her with a smile. He still takes just a moment to look at her, acknowledging the moment for the potential it has, in itself and to change their future.
He reaches up to gently cup her cheek, thinks of saying a half-dozen things and in the same instant discards them all. Instead he simply leans forward and presses his lips to hers. For all that the kiss might be called chaste, it's not short, and what it lacks in physicality, Obi-Wan shows Padmé just how deep his feelings for her are.
The kiss is both excruciating and exquisite, everything she could want even as it brushes the surface of what they could have. That simple press of lips to her own sends her pulse racing and she wants to wrap herself up in him.
So she does. Pulling back for just a few agonizing seconds to catch her breath, she reaches up to hook a hand around the back of his neck to keep him in place as she tugs him in for another kiss, this one insistent with a hint of desperation. She wants this, she wants him, and this kiss is the best way she can think of to show him that.
Obi-Wan barely has a chance to catch his own breath from the surprising feelings kissing her evoked, before he finds himself pulled back and kissing Padmé again.
This is something he's much more familiar with, and easily shifts against her, wrapping an arm low around her waist even as he takes a step forward until her back is pressed against the counter. The hand that was cupping her cheek he stretches out, tangling his fingers in her hair.
Her own hands clutch at his shoulder and neck as she stretches up on her toes to better reach him. The feeling of the counter at her back makes her gasp against his mouth and pull him even closer, not caring one bit that some might say this is a little fast for a new relationship. They're already married and the both of them are intelligent adults; they can set their own pace. If right now that pace happens to be faster than the jump to hyperspace, then so be it.
Obi-Wan shifts until his thigh slides between her legs, moving his mouth away from hers to press open-mouthed kisses along her jaw and neck, sucking and scraping his teeth against her delicate skin. When he reaches her ear he pauses briefly before nibbling on it to breathe, "Padmé..."
The sounds she makes at the attention he gives her fluctuate between breathy moans and tiny pleading whines, her hands roaming over his shoulders while she tries very hard not to climb her way up him. It's difficult, though, so incredibly difficult when mere kisses and the sound of her own name can make her feel like this.
"Tell me what you want, Obi-Wan," she insists, using only a fraction of her Senatorial tone because frankly it's all she can manage. One hand slips beneath his collar, nails scraping gently as she caresses the skin there.
Shuddering at the feel of her nails and hearing her voice, Obi-Wan shifts to press his forehead against her neck, huffing out a laugh. "I'm-- fairly certain if we just-- keep going, we'll get there," he says haltingly, letting his hand slide from her back along her side and up, boldly coming to rest on the swell of her breast, his thumb stroking over her nipple through the fabric.
In the next instant, he shifts to murmur in her ear, "Let me take you to bed."
That touch fuels the fire burning within her and she arches against him, pressing herself more fully against him and squirming against the delicious length of him. He could have gotten her to agree to just about anything at that moment, but this--
"Yes," she practically purrs at his request before reaching down to take a handful of his shirt in her hand and give it a firm tug. "Now, please." Impatience, thy name is Padmé.
Her insistence matches how he feels, and something about the entire situation, despite being very serious, makes Obi-Wan start to laugh, even as he presses a kiss to Padmé's lips. "Your wish is my command, m'lady," he murmurs without pulling away, their lips brushing together with each word.
Regretfully, he has to reposition them both, shifting to sweep an arm behind her knees while he supports her back in a classic carry. She's no longer pressed against the length of him, but he uses the reprieve to gather some control, so this encounter isn't shorter than it should be.
The trip to the bedroom is swift, and he sets Padmé down in front of the bed, claiming another kiss as he does so.
Later, Padmé won't remember exactly how all their various pieces of clothing ended up where they did, or exactly how much of the morning they spent exploring this new part of their relationship, but those details just don't seem that important as she lays in Obi-Wan's arms, her fingertips tracing lazy patterns on his chest while they both catch their breath.
Stretching out her legs that still feel weak and unsteady, she settles further into the plush pillows. "I feel the need to inform you, my dear Jedi, that you are very good at that," she tells him quietly, her voice a little husky from how frequently she'd vocalized her appreciation of his skills.
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"I'm the opposite in some ways. I usually try to have a big breakfast because I tend to get so caught up in work that I miss lunch entirely or only have time for a quick bite of something. And during especially busy times, there are days when I don't leave my office until the middle of the night."
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Well. Former occupation, at any rate. "I'll have to start surreptitiously bringing food to you, nudging you until you eat, just so that I'll leave you alone again. And then dragging you off to bed. Tell me, Senator," he leans forward with an intense look, his voice deepening in seriousness, while a smile plays just along the edges of his mouth. "Are you susceptible to taking bribes?"
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Leaning forward to match his stance, she counters in an equally serious tone, "Not in the slightest. You'll have to come up with another means of negotiating, my dear Jedi." And gods if that doesn't put thoughts into her head that really shouldn't be there.
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But what if she's wrong? This isn't a thing to be broached with levity, and she refuses to let anything happen that might ruin things between them. But still, she can't help but want to know...
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The smile fades from his face, but he continues to hold her eyes. His voice drops almost to a confessional murmur. "What if... I find I desire it a great deal? More, much more than I expected, or was prepared for?"
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Straightening her back, everything about her feels stiff and pulled tight, even breathing feeling like an issue as she tries to process what he's saying. What he means by those carefully crafted words. This isn't a teasing joke, this is their life, their future together. This future they've only just started working toward and now they're talking about changing everything.
"I don't know," she admits quietly, a thread of fear and uncertainty winding through her and stripping away any shred of confidence she'd felt before. "If you... This--" Her gaze drops from his to the table, searching for something, anything, and then she stands suddenly. "We don't have any tea. You like tea with your breakfast."
Stars help her.
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In the end, however, he winds up ducking his head to hide a smile, trying very hard not to start laughing - sure that she would think he was laughing at her, which is definitely not the case. No, he's laughing at the situation he's found himself in, and how unprepared both of them are to deal with it.
Obi-Wan stands as well, much more slowly, turning toward her as she moves to, ostensibly, make him some tea. "Padmé..." He waits until she turns toward him, and for a brief moment, just looks at her. "I love you." He says it simply, and clearly with no expectations for her to return the sentiment. "I feel you should know, partly because I'm not sure how well I could hide it from you, if I had to try. And partly, because I never want you to question my actions, or the motives behind them, where they concern you. I want only for you to be happy. And if my feelings make you uncomfortable..." He looks a little uncomfortable himself, but forges on. "Well. We can figure something out. We can annul the marriage and you can find someone else to guard you."
Which is absolutely the last thing he wants, but Obi-Wan is used to sacrificing his own happiness for the sake of peace, and he would never want Padmé to be trapped in a situation that makes her uncomfortable.
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"That is the last thing I want," she assures him rather forcefully, unknowingly echoing his own thoughts. "I want you to be happy too, and I would never ask you for anything you didn't--" Reaching up to press fingers to her lips for a moment, she shakes her head and continues, feeling a bit like a ship at sea being tossed around by the storm of her emotions. "You're sure? You're not just saying this because you think I expect it? Because I don't, this wasn't part of the arrangement and I wouldn't ask it of you. You've already done so much for me, you've changed your entire life--"
She's rambling now, the words coming out frantically as she worries that's what this is. It's a tiny seed of doubt that has spiraled out of control and she wants so desperately for his words to be true that's she's almost terrified of hearing his answer.
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"I can assure you, Padmé, my feelings are my own, and the only influence you've had on them is by being yourself. I think..." his gaze shifts inadvertently as he contemplates, "I think eventually, if we had continued our friendship, I would have come to love you anyway - although I might not have faced my feelings, or felt the need to face them, as this situation we find ourselves in has required of me."
Taking a steadying breath, he takes a few steps towards her, though he maintains a distance between them that he hopes keeps her feeling comfortable-- as comfortable as this conversation allows, anyway. "My entire life is change. Always. This--" he waves a hand between them, "I wasn't expecting this situation, but it was always a possibility, for me. For any Jedi. My feelings are more unexpected, but I would not rid myself of them. Not..." He purses his lips. "Not even for you. And anything I do for you, I do of my own volition, not simply because you ask me and I feel obligated."
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"I have feelings for you too," she informs him in a hushed voice, her gaze on his chest before slowly moving up to those beautiful eyes. The way he looked at her-- She can't return the confession he'd given her before, but she can be just as honest. "It isn't love, not yet, but... I think it will be. I want it to be."
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He wants her to love him, too. Oh, how he wants it. But he refuses to tell her so, to lay that expectation on her. Just as she was fearing, he doesn't want her to feel obligated into trying to return feelings she doesn't have.
Obi-Wan gives her a slight bow. "I ask for nothing in return, Padmé. If you come to love me..." he smiles at her softly, a little bittersweet. "I would cherish and return it, of course. But as you said: I don't want you to ever feel obligated to me. Your friendship, and your happiness, is all that I want. Now that I've realized my feelings toward you, I don't think I could stop, no matter what happens between us."
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"Do you know what would make me happiest right now?" She offers him a smile of her own and steps closer. "If you would kiss me." It wasn't a demand, or even a request, simply an opportunity she's fairly certain they've both been wishing for.
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He reaches up to gently cup her cheek, thinks of saying a half-dozen things and in the same instant discards them all. Instead he simply leans forward and presses his lips to hers. For all that the kiss might be called chaste, it's not short, and what it lacks in physicality, Obi-Wan shows Padmé just how deep his feelings for her are.
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So she does. Pulling back for just a few agonizing seconds to catch her breath, she reaches up to hook a hand around the back of his neck to keep him in place as she tugs him in for another kiss, this one insistent with a hint of desperation. She wants this, she wants him, and this kiss is the best way she can think of to show him that.
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This is something he's much more familiar with, and easily shifts against her, wrapping an arm low around her waist even as he takes a step forward until her back is pressed against the counter. The hand that was cupping her cheek he stretches out, tangling his fingers in her hair.
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"Tell me what you want, Obi-Wan," she insists, using only a fraction of her Senatorial tone because frankly it's all she can manage. One hand slips beneath his collar, nails scraping gently as she caresses the skin there.
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In the next instant, he shifts to murmur in her ear, "Let me take you to bed."
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"Yes," she practically purrs at his request before reaching down to take a handful of his shirt in her hand and give it a firm tug. "Now, please." Impatience, thy name is Padmé.
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Regretfully, he has to reposition them both, shifting to sweep an arm behind her knees while he supports her back in a classic carry. She's no longer pressed against the length of him, but he uses the reprieve to gather some control, so this encounter isn't shorter than it should be.
The trip to the bedroom is swift, and he sets Padmé down in front of the bed, claiming another kiss as he does so.
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Stretching out her legs that still feel weak and unsteady, she settles further into the plush pillows. "I feel the need to inform you, my dear Jedi, that you are very good at that," she tells him quietly, her voice a little husky from how frequently she'd vocalized her appreciation of his skills.
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