Every touch of his hand and brush of his lips on her skin reminds Padmé of what it feels like to be alive - she'd almost forgotten it in the pain of the last months. And for every inch of contact, she pleads for more, in catches of breath and sighs of pleasure, her own caresses to urge him to continue, and whispered utterances of his name. She begs him not to stop, and hopes that he will allow himself to drift away on the passion they share that night.
Later, lying in the warmth of his arms, she realizes this is the first time she's felt a moment of peace since that horrible day.
For the time they are together, Obi-Wan thinks of nothing but her, forgets the pain and guilt he's been living with, the uncertainty he's been fighting these last long months. Even as they lie together afterward, the heartache and pain is slow to return, gradual and, for the moment at least, easy to ignore.
On the edge of sleep, with the fire warm at his back and Padmé pressing warmth to his front, Obi-Wan remembers the premonitory dream he'd had that had sent him to check on her in the first place. Will this allay the vision, or when he leaves will she work herself harder, bereft of his dubious comfort and company?
He pulls Padmé closer to him, resting his cheek against her hair, praying he hasn't just made things worse, for either of them. Because he is not a solitary creature by nature, and these past months have been hard on him even without all the recriminating thoughts he's dealt with; just being so isolated has taken its toll more than he realized.
Their time together is like a balm to her soul, like wrapping a blanket around the raw pain she's carried in her heart. It's easier to breathe, her thoughts are lighter, and she forgets that she's lost more than one person should ever have to bear.
Padmé sleeps well that night, better than she has in months, warm and safe in Obi-Wan's arms. It's only when sunlight begins to filter into the tiny house that she stirs, shifting slightly with a soft murmur.
Surprisingly, Obi-Wan sleeps most of the night peacefully as well. It's Padmé moving beside him that wakes him, and he stretches with a quiet groan. "It's morning?" he questions into the silence, sitting up and scrubbing his hands over his face. His beard needs trimmed, he notices faintly, even as he glances down at Padmé beside him.
He reaches out to brush his hand over her hair, but stops and lets his hand fall beside her head instead. Taking comfort from physical intimacy is one thing - he's afraid to let the affection he has for her grow. Not because he's a Jedi who shouldn't form attachments - although look how well that worked out with his Padawan, he thinks with a grimace - but if he grows too attached to Padmé... It would be such an easy thing, and disastrous in the long run.
Brushing his hand over her shoulder, he murmurs, "I hate to disturb your well-earned rest, but morning has come."
Drifting between wakefulness and sleep, Padmé feels warm, safe, and content. The memories of the last months are kept at bay by the solid presence of another beside her, but that awareness slips into something else at the touch of a hand to her shoulder and those soft words.
Anakin. The second the name forms in her mind, she remembers everything. Her husband's fall, the loss of her children, the life she now wakes to each day. All of it presses against her chest and when she opens her eyes to look up at Obi-Wan--
"Thank you," she murmurs in return, sitting up slowly and visibly struggling to pull herself together. Hopefully he'll think it's just her trying to fully wake rather than her attempt at combating crushing grief.
It's easy to see some emotion pass over her face when she looks at him, and while he doesn't have a chance to figure out what it is before Padmé is pulling back into herself, he can hazard a few guesses.
Reaching out, he places his hand on her shoulder for just a moment, before standing and pulling on his trousers and under-tunic. Having helped dinner last evening, he's familiar now with the small kitchen space and where things are kept, so he easily starts putting together a simple breakfast, boiling water for tea, naturally.
Padmé continues to move slowly, gathering her clothing and rising from the bed to move into the fresher. Her shower is very brief, only long enough to get clean rather than enjoy the time under the relaxing hot water, and when she emerges from the fresher barely five minutes later, she's dressed for the day and combing through her wet hair.
"Thank you for doing this," she says softly, indicating the work in the kitchen. Though, really, she has a great deal to thank him for.
Obi-Wan gives her a quick smile as he settles at the table with his plate of food. "What are friends for," he asks, "if not invading your home and helping themselves to your food?" He keeps his tone just serious enough that she'll understand he appreciates the thanks, but tries to turn it lighthearted, hoping for even a flicker of a smile.
He's rewarded with a smile that's a bit more than just a flicker as she takes her own seat. Since they're on the subject, in a sense at least, she poses a question she's been wondering. "Will you be here when I return? You haven't said how long you're staying."
Though she knows, of course, that it can't be long. He has an important duty to return to.
It's a question he's been wondering himself, but still hasn't come up with an answer. So he poses a question of his own. "Would you like me to be? I won't leave without telling you first. I can stay a bit longer, though." 'If you need me to,' goes unspoken, but implied.
Only for a short while, though, and not because the journey is extremely long; no, if he stays much longer, he won't want to leave, and that's unthinkable.
It's comforting that he won't disappear when she isn't looking - she wouldn't be able to bear such a thing, truly. But of course he wouldn't do that to her, that's not in Obi-Wan's nature. She relaxes a little as she contemplates her answer, weighing the options before finally deciding.
"Another few days would be nice, if you can spare them. I'll be back by midday today, and tomorrow is the village's rest day. I could show you some of the area before you go." Before he returns to the place that's warmer than this. Before he returns to looking after her children.
Another couple days, at least, won't do any harm, and Obi-Wan nods. "Through the rest day, then. I'd like to see some of the area."
He actually had scouted the location before helping sequester Padmé here, but he'd had so many things on his mind, worries about being discovered or questioned, worries about the children and the future, he's sure she could show him things he hadn't paid attention to back then.
It seems like it was so much longer than six months ago, and Obi-Wan wonders which is aging faster, his body or his spirit. Some days he feels a hundred, and every now and then, his body seems to agree with him. A lifetime of fighting - and being injured in various ways - are finally starting to catch up with him.
He never would have wished for the events that have happened to take place, but now that they have, a part of him is thankful for the respite.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Later, lying in the warmth of his arms, she realizes this is the first time she's felt a moment of peace since that horrible day.
no subject
On the edge of sleep, with the fire warm at his back and Padmé pressing warmth to his front, Obi-Wan remembers the premonitory dream he'd had that had sent him to check on her in the first place. Will this allay the vision, or when he leaves will she work herself harder, bereft of his dubious comfort and company?
He pulls Padmé closer to him, resting his cheek against her hair, praying he hasn't just made things worse, for either of them. Because he is not a solitary creature by nature, and these past months have been hard on him even without all the recriminating thoughts he's dealt with; just being so isolated has taken its toll more than he realized.
no subject
Padmé sleeps well that night, better than she has in months, warm and safe in Obi-Wan's arms. It's only when sunlight begins to filter into the tiny house that she stirs, shifting slightly with a soft murmur.
no subject
He reaches out to brush his hand over her hair, but stops and lets his hand fall beside her head instead. Taking comfort from physical intimacy is one thing - he's afraid to let the affection he has for her grow. Not because he's a Jedi who shouldn't form attachments - although look how well that worked out with his Padawan, he thinks with a grimace - but if he grows too attached to Padmé... It would be such an easy thing, and disastrous in the long run.
Brushing his hand over her shoulder, he murmurs, "I hate to disturb your well-earned rest, but morning has come."
no subject
Anakin. The second the name forms in her mind, she remembers everything. Her husband's fall, the loss of her children, the life she now wakes to each day. All of it presses against her chest and when she opens her eyes to look up at Obi-Wan--
"Thank you," she murmurs in return, sitting up slowly and visibly struggling to pull herself together. Hopefully he'll think it's just her trying to fully wake rather than her attempt at combating crushing grief.
no subject
Reaching out, he places his hand on her shoulder for just a moment, before standing and pulling on his trousers and under-tunic. Having helped dinner last evening, he's familiar now with the small kitchen space and where things are kept, so he easily starts putting together a simple breakfast, boiling water for tea, naturally.
no subject
"Thank you for doing this," she says softly, indicating the work in the kitchen. Though, really, she has a great deal to thank him for.
no subject
no subject
Though she knows, of course, that it can't be long. He has an important duty to return to.
no subject
Only for a short while, though, and not because the journey is extremely long; no, if he stays much longer, he won't want to leave, and that's unthinkable.
no subject
"Another few days would be nice, if you can spare them. I'll be back by midday today, and tomorrow is the village's rest day. I could show you some of the area before you go." Before he returns to the place that's warmer than this. Before he returns to looking after her children.
no subject
He actually had scouted the location before helping sequester Padmé here, but he'd had so many things on his mind, worries about being discovered or questioned, worries about the children and the future, he's sure she could show him things he hadn't paid attention to back then.
It seems like it was so much longer than six months ago, and Obi-Wan wonders which is aging faster, his body or his spirit. Some days he feels a hundred, and every now and then, his body seems to agree with him. A lifetime of fighting - and being injured in various ways - are finally starting to catch up with him.
He never would have wished for the events that have happened to take place, but now that they have, a part of him is thankful for the respite.