Chapter Text
“This, then, is Obi-Wan and Anakin:
They are closer than friends. Closer than brothers. Though Obi-Wan is sixteen standard years Anakin’s elder, they have become men together. Neither can imagine life without the other. The war has forged their lives into one.”
–Matthew Stover (Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith)
It is well known among the galaxy that force sensitive humans are born with wings. It’s said among them that their ancestors were celestial beings created by the Force itself, in a time before any Jedi lived. Throughout time the winged men grew farther and fewer in between as other force sensitive creatures came to be. Some, even more gifted than the spawn of those so called celestial beings. It brought doubt that any such thing ever really existed, but doubted or not, it was a simple fact that winged human children would be pursued by the Jedi.
Obi-Wan didn’t feel worthy of having his wings. Of course, he was proud to have them, as it made him one of the few people who came from a line directly from the Force. Or so the Jedi taught them. That he was one of them, like his master before him. He remembered when he was a child and the Jedi came for him. The sound of his mother’s voice as she told him she loved him before letting him be taken away. Though with time, try as he might, he could no longer remember her face nor his father and brother’s. And he was fine with that now.
Back then, when he first was taken as a padawan his wings were as long as the length of his back and thighs. The feathers tickled at his calves when he walked. He also remembered being scared of the large wings his new master Qui-Gon Jinn donned. They were large and deep gray, not unlike his hair. The tips of his flight feathers were dipped in black with a spattering of small white flecks across them. Even though Obi-Wan was afraid of them, he wanted so badly for his own wings to be as large and beautiful as his master’s. But his were still fluffy and brown with tufts of down sticking out in some spots.
He wouldn’t find out till later on that no one had wanted to take him as a padawan because his wings were taking longer than average to mature. When they molted it would last weeks at a time whereas his fellow peers only took one to two weeks. It was perhaps because of this that he understood Anakin so well and why the young man was angry at the council for being treated like a child. And although he could sometimes act like one, even Obi-Wan didn’t agree with keeping his padawan in the dark as much as they did at times. But that started to change after the clone wars started. Anakin made General, and he was wonderful at it. He’d come quite a ways since being nothing but a fledgling.
Memories of the first time Obi-Wan saw the beginnings of wings on Anakin’s back flooded his mind and he couldn’t stop the soft smile that graced his lips. It was a complete shock that blindsided everyone, especially him, since Anakin appeared to be wingless at 9 years of age. It was absolutely unheard of for someone so strong with the Force, to be born wingless .
More often than not most humans were wingless, yes, but the ones who weren’t were born with them. But to everyone’s great surprise Anakin didn’t have any, until he turned 10 that is. What came as something even more shocking still, was that he had not one, but two sets of wings growing in. Soft black feathers iridescent to the eyes, like oil on water, sprouted from his shoulder blades and blanketed four fledgling appendages. He remembered how patchy the little arms had been as the feathers grew in, looking wiry and fluffy at the same time.
The process was painful for the young padawan and often he’d come to Obi-Wan in the middle of the night, crying from the growing pains. The mass of black feathers flicked back and forth with trembles while he tried to calm the boy. Anakin didn’t have proper control over them yet and they reacted involuntarily to his emotions, which he also didn’t have control over, unlike most padawans at his age. Many sleepless nights were had in which Obi-Wan would curl the young boy up in his own wings and comfort him as best he could.
By the time he hit 15, Anakin’s wings were fully feathered, but they kept growing well after he hit puberty. The upper set was larger and clearly meant for flying. The lower set was smaller but coarser, harder, meant to shield and protect his body while also balancing him in flight. It took Anakin quite some time to figure out how to fluidly move both sets of wings without tripping them over each other. Many times did Obi-Wan find his lips fighting a grin as Anakin found himself on the ground with his legs over his head. But as with all things, in time he learned until it was second nature to him.
Now, as a grown adult, to say Anakin’s wings were large was an understatement. Four massive black wings rested on his shoulders. They carried his tall body through the air like he weighed nothing at all. Regardless of the upper set being bigger, both sets were long and wide, built for soaring and high, long-range diving but still able to make short sharp maneuvers as well. The primaries alone dragged listlessly over the ground when Anakin walked and the upper wing’s wrist bones rose over his head when folded. Somehow the lower set always found themselves comfortably wrapped around his front when he wasn’t fighting or flying. Obi-Wan would never let himself call it adorable, let alone cute but there were times he couldn’t help but smile softly over the sight.
Whether either of them noticed it or not, Obi-Wan still felt mildly meek in comparison as his wings were fairly small and meant for short, quick maneuvers. That and he did only have two unlike his former padawan. Of course in comparison to his smaller build they looked nice and proportionate. People openly admired them for their color though, more often than not resulting in a pink blush on his lightly freckled cheeks.
His wings were a coppery brown that faded into dapples along his flight feathers. The undersides were a powdery white with a dusting of cinnamon at the tops. They were beautiful and warm. Anakin’s wing coloring made him look very… handsome. Obi-Wan would not let himself linger over the word “attractive,” lest his mind wander down a dangerous route. He was not blind and he could see just how well the Anakin had filled out as he matured, the feelings that inspired alone made Obi-Wan feel ashamed of himself. It was wrong to have any feelings remotely like the ones he harbored for someone he practically raised. For someone who considered him a father figure. But he would not lie to himself and think Anakin anything but handsome and beautiful, and his wings heightened his appeal very much. The undersides of Anakin’s upper wings were pitch black with a long arch of stormy-blue bleeding down across the width of his arm bones. The undersides of the lower were the same, except the blue color streaked across his covert feathers instead of along his arm bones.
Obi-Wan shook his head. He had to stop his thoughts from shifting any further, and from staring at the other as he flared his wings with his laughter. Anakin was laughing at something senator Amidala said and his wings unconsciously brushed her shoulder where her wings would be.
If she had any. Obi-Wan thought, somewhat bitterly. They’d been awfully friendly since the fiasco on Geonosis, which was years ago but it still felt rather raw and new to Obi-Wan.
Much like his suddenly mild dislike towards the senator.
That day he’d watched his padawan look at the Senator the same way Obi-Wan had looked at Satine. Ever since then Anakin and Padmé had been closer than what was generally normal for a Jedi. What was generally allowed for a Jedi. He never asked Anakin about it because he knew the younger man disliked when he pried. At least he was over the eye rolling phase of his life. Now Anakin was a Knight and Obi-Wan a Jedi Master. Their dynamic had changed from teacher and student, to brothers in arms to… friends, and it was… nice.
Obi-Wan didn’t realize how great it was to not be arguing with Anakin every fifteen minutes about how things should or should not be done because they just knew those things now. Of course it still happened, but not nearly as frequently since Anakin’s promotion to Jedi Knight. Now they talked things over, respectively, like adults.
Mostly .
Sometimes Anakin was borderline flirtatious, although Obi-Wan was beginning to second guess his interpretation of reality now as the young Knight and the Senator talked. They’d just returned from the long mission of dealing with the elusive sith lord, Darth Sidious. They’d been tracking him after his failed attempt to destroy the Jedi Order and it was all thanks to Anakin that the Sith Lord’s master plan failed, seeing as Sidious' plans directly involved the black winged man and the clones. But for it to work Anakin had to go to some dark places to get the sith to trust him, including tampering with the dark side of the Force.
Anything to gain his trust, but you report to us. You will tell us if it begins to be too much and you feel yourself slipping . Master Windu had said, along with something about earning his trust.
Some of the things Anakin did, Obi-Wan and the Council knew about, but the brooding look in the younger man’s face was hiding more than he let on to. Obi-Wan knew there were dark deeds Anakin was still hiding but he wasn’t going to confront him about it unless it started to distract him from his duties.
And thus far it hadn’t.
All things aside, the sith was finally gone. Destroyed. They’d prepared for Order 66 after it was revealed, but even prepared, Jedi lives were still lost in the fight against the clones. Obi-Wan shuddered at the memories, the one of deep yellow eyes glaring at him before delivering the killing blow to Darth Sidious stood out the most among them.
There was a moment back then that Obi-Wan thought the yellow contacts supplied to Anakin glowed while he dueled with the chancellor.
Sidious had been more animal than human at that point, even admitting that he’d sliced his wings from his body years ago to hide among the humans. He snarled with bloodshot yellow eyes as he threw Obi-Wan back harshly into the wall behind him, much to Anakin’s anger. His left wing had crunched loudly behind him and he gasped out in a breathless scream full of agony. It had broken on impact and laid limp in a messy sprawl at his side. Obi-Wan caught a glimpse of bright yellow burning eyes as Anakin turned on the sith, the dark energy in him bellowed into the force as he and Sidious sized each other up.
Anakin’s hands tightened on his lightsaber as he glanced a look over his shoulder, his yellow eyes full of concern, worry cracking through the anger in them.
Anakin moved flawlessly, his steps controlled even through his anger. His massive black wings fluttered and rose in an offensive manner above him and matched his use of Djem So.
His swings were strong with the intent to kill and finally he landed one across the Chancellor’s neck, severing his head from his shoulders with ease. The sith’s scream was short-lived as the blade sliced a burning path through his vocal cords. Obi-Wan remembered the way Anakin shook from the pleasure of killing the greatest evil in the galaxy and the way his wings spread open high above him in triumph. Their iridescence gleamed with his blood, sweat, and oil. When the young knight turned to look at his former master, those powerful yellow eyes looked at him— into him—and the connection Obi-Wan thought severed the moment he cut Anakin’s braid, flared back to life.
Master, you’re safe now.
“Oh, Ani!”
Obi-Wan startled as he was pulled back to the present by the senator’s (rather obnoxious) laugh. He coughed and rubbed his hand over his beard in hopes that Anakin missed his small jump.
“Anakin, we really should be heading back to the Temple now. I’m sure the council will want a full report on Sidious’ death.” His eyebrow pinched together in mild annoyance as the couple kept laughing, completely ignoring him. He looked away with a small frown etching itself on his mouth, missing the way one of Anakin’s wings twitched in his direction.
A quiet, sharp intake of breath left him as he accidentally moved his left wing. The broken one. Obi-Wan almost entirely forgot about it up until that point but he was given the painful reminder with a sharp throb that he felt travel all the way down his spine. His hand came up to grasp his left arm without his will and this time he missed the brief look of concern that Anakin flashed him.
Anakin , he sighed, unintentionally testing their bond. He glanced back up at his former padawan in time to see him fumble mid sentence and straighten up, wings flicking open and then closed in a small sharp gesture. Blue eyes met his own and he felt curiosity through their bond. Neither of them had used or spoken about it after it being blown open with Sidious’ death.
I’m sorry Master, I’ll finish up. We should get you to the med-bay, I can deal with the council. Anakin sent quietly through their bond before turning to give Padmé a hug that was maybe just a tad long.
I’m perfectly fine. I can go afterwards. Obi-Wan chided.
I’m sure that you’re saying you feel fine, but you’re still hurt. Don’t worry about the meeting, I’ll brief them on everything. I just want you to get that wing healed. I don’t like seeing you in pain. Anakin’s voice held little room for argument and the way his wings unconsciously rose as if daring him to disagree made him want to roll his eyes. He wasn’t used to being the one being fussed over.
Alright, fine. I’ll go.
There was a small victorious smile on his former padawan’s face as he directed his attention fully back to Padmé.
“I’ll come see you soon, Padmé. If the council ever lets me out of their ‘court room’ of course, I’ll be handling it alone this time around.” He chuckled, receiving a mock ashamed look from Padmé.
“Really? Anakin, you really are growing up now.” She laughed at the small pout that received. “Alright, Ani. May the force be with you, and with you Obi-Wan.” She made a small curtsy before leaving with her group of bodyguards.
Now that it was just the two of them there was silence. It felt mildly uncomfortable but Anakin was sure to change that.
“Well, let’s get you down to see the medics. I’m hoping the briefing doesn’t take too long. I really would like to hit Dex’s before he closes. Don’t worry I’ll grab you something to go. I’m sure that it’ll take a few hours for them to get you back up to speed.” Anakin stated as a matter of fact.
Obi-Wan had to suppress a smile. It felt like it’d been eons since they went last. He was hurting for a cup of black tea right about then, which was saying something because he almost always drank herbal teas. But he did have a broken wing at present and he wanted to indulge a little bit. Together they walked in comfortable silence down the Jedi temple corridors until they reached the doors to the medical wing. Obi-Wan fought a sigh at the sudden tiredness that washed over him. His left wing and shoulder were throbbing painfully now with each pulse of his blood. Looked like his adrenaline had finally completely worn off now that he was back home.
He understood why Anakin was adamant about getting him seen right away. More often than he’d admit to Obi-Wan would just treat his wounds himself. The minor ones of course. Something like broken bones and deep gashes were a little harder to hide from the council, and Anakin. For being the chosen one he definitely had his dull moments, but one thing he never failed in knowing was the people he cared about being in pain. He could be cocky and arrogant but he cared deeply for those close to him and he held compassion for those that weren’t. It was one of his faults in the code, something that made the council wary of him from the start.
Obi-Wan himself had been wary of it as well in the beginning but he wasn’t going to lie and say that it didn’t make Anakin a good Jedi, because it did. His compassion for others was almost unmatched, if he saw children bullying others he’d step in and tell them to scram, not doubt remembering his own childhood. If he saw violence acted upon the old or innocent, he made the offenders regret it in an instant. His heart was big and vast, and it scared the light out of the council who believed in restraint of emotions.
“Well, here we are. Rest up Obi. I don’t like seeing you like this, so please be careful. And let me know if you still have pain afterwards. I know from experience that they sometimes only heal fractures 75% of the way.” Anakin joked with a soft laugh.
“Are you sure it isn’t because you always insist on rushing back into the fight with little rest?” Obi-Wan jeered, lips quirking at the eyeroll he received.
“Yeah, yeah, hush. Go on, get patched up. I’ll see you in a couple hours.”
“Alright, take care, Dear One. Don’t get into any trouble while I’m gone. Especially with the council.” Obi-Wan almost grabbed his face at his use of Anakin’s childhood nickname. He hadn’t called him that since he was 14.
“Yes, yes. I’m sure they’ll be angry to hear how I saved you from the evil sith lord and banished it from existence.” Anakin’s voice took on a sarcastic lilt as a smile bloomed across his mouth. A soft rosey pink dusted his cheeks as he took in the endearment of being called dear one.
There was a pause, the smile slipping softly from Anakin as he opened his mouth to speak once again.
“Seriously though, don’t rush them. I know you want to speak with the council too, but. I know that having a broken wing must hurt more than an arm or leg.” He said, sounding suddenly older than his years. Blue eyes looked deeply into hazel ones, showing utmost respect and seriousness.
“I will, Anakin. And it definitely doesn’t feel pleasant. I thank you for your concern. May the Force be with you.”
“And with you, my Master.” Anakin gave a slight bow before turning to leave. His black robes trailed behind him in the breeze from the windows, making him appear larger than he already was, wings and all. They both knew Obi-Wan wasn’t his master anymore but something about the way Anakin said the word master had his chest growing tight with fondness.
“Master Obi-Wan, good to see you. We heard about your wing, why don’t we get it patched up, yeah?”
“Yes, I suppose that would be the best option.” He said with a smile.
It took longer than he thought it would have to fix his wing, but to be fair he should have guessed it wouldn’t be an easy fix–which it wasn’t. Things like bones took longer to heal anyways.
By the time he got his wing healed up, it was well past midnight and Anakin had arrived and was growling at the healers to be let in to see him. It had a soft smile blooming on Obi-Wan’s face and warmth in his chest to see those black wings flaring up in challenge.
“Obi-Wan! Get off of me would you? Get-!” Anakin struggled to finish his sentence as he was firmly pushed out of Obi-Wan’s room by a rather angry looking woman with small, cherry-pink colored wings and short hair that spiked in all directions.
“I’m sorry, Jedi Knight Skywalker, but no one-!” A breath, “without!” A shove, “proper permission!” She gasped as Anakin pressed against her small frame in yet another attempt to get past her, causing her face to turn bright red as she was now flush against his chest and straining to hold her footing against his strength.
“No one without proper permission is permitted to enter beyond this point!” She screeched, face red as a tomato and becoming darker from the way her cheek squished against the young Knight’s muscled chest. Obi-Wan had to stifle a laugh at the sight because surely, given the situation was with him instead of her, he’d probably be just as red if not more so.
He didn’t even feel jealous like he had with Padme and her ( overly obnoxious, if you asked him ) laughing.
Anakin’s face was twisted in a frown, breaching into snarl territory from where he looked down at her. Reflexively, his lower wings came down to wrap around himself–almost as a form of protection–and garnered some space between them. It was just enough space for him to slide the wrists of his upper wings between them and shove her away from him.
Obi-Wan shot upright from where he laid on his stomach–wincing as he did so–as the small woman fell backwards, but luckily there was a bedside table behind her that she was able to catch herself on. Her face was so angry when she looked back at Anakin, but the man had already latched himself to his Master’s side. The woman’s little pink wings were ruffled and her feathers needed a good grooming after the scuffle.
“Thank the Force you’re alright! I didn’t think it would take nearly this long, I started to worry that you had irreparable damage. And of course they wouldn’t tell me anything without your consent, but I didn’t see them coming back here to ask you about it either.” Anakin rolled his eyes, so like the child Obi-Wan had raised, and yet so different.
He watched as the young man’s wings deflated from their tense posture, suddenly exhausted. Obi-Wan had half the thought to wave the angry healer out of the room, much to her visible disagreement, but she left them to talk alone all the same.
Look, I was really worried about you, Master. I was worried that thing had permanently damaged your wing. The way it threw you. The sound you made… I was so worried… I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to fly anymore. Anakin’s concerned voice whispered in his mind like a soft caress. It was warm and soft and soothing. It made Obi-Wan’s eyes sting at the corners and he knew why, but he couldn’t let himself really think about it. If he thought about those three words and Anakin in the same sentence he’d probably combust into shame and heartbreak.
You know, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to us having this bond again. It’s been years since your Padawan days. We shouldn’t really have it anyways. I’m certain the council would disagree if they knew we had one outside of the Master-Padawan bond.
It hasn’t been that many years, Master. That and it shouldn’t matter what the council thinks. Anakin paused, stormy eyes falling from where they had been staring into Obi-Wan’s to look at his hands.
His black wings that had deflated earlier slowly tensed up until they were rigid against his back, the lower set coming down to wrap defensively around his front, a childish habit he never quite kicked. They hid his shaking hands from Obi-Wan’s sight.
What is it, Dear One?
There he went with the silly nickname again.
It’s just the bond… This bond feels different. Doesn’t it? It feels, I don’t know. Deeper? Like there's a greater meaning behind it this time. For some reason I feel closer to you than I have in a long while. I was so worried that Sideous had hurt you more than you said. I know how you don’t like people to worry over you. But they do. I do. And this bond came to be because I- Anakin suddenly went ramrod straight, eyes looking anywhere but Obi-Wan.
The older Jedi just patiently waited for his former student to relax. He knew Anakin would talk when he felt ready to. He didn’t miss the tremor that shook through the two large wings on Anakin’s back.
“I care about you, Obi-Wan.”
Anakin’s storm blue eyes looked back up to him and they felt like they were burning holes into his soul with their intensity. He swallowed nervously. This conversation felt like it was taking a very perilous turn. One that could lead to light, or dark places if they weren’t careful.
His newly healed wing smarted suddenly, and Obi-Wan realized he’d tensed up from the shock of Anakin’s words. He felt like he was struggling to breathe just a little bit now and the way Anakin was looking at him like he was something to be worried over was making his chest tight. Obi-Wan felt the telltale of tears burning at his eyes again and he found himself becoming angry. How was it that everyone else in the universe was allowed—expected even—to love and find mates, but the Jedi could not? Why was it that it was forbidden? It was tragic and in so many ways, unfair.
Normal people loved, and not all of them became controlling, force wielding, mass murderers.
His heart lurched painfully in his chest as he looked over the soft scrunch of the Jedi Knight’s brows. He thought he loved Anakin in this moment. The way his blue eyes seemed to get darker when he was concerned, the way his blond curls fell across the sides of his face, and curled up into little waves over his ears. The sight had him hurting from the amount of warmth he had for the young man in front of him. He’d never really allowed himself to fully think about how he felt for Anakin but now he didn’t have a choice, because it hit him like a saber to the gut.
It yanked and it tugged and pulled him forward with eyes glancing down to Anakin’s lips. They were close now, close enough to feel each other's breath.
Anakin’s eyes widened just the smallest fraction and he felt a small blush heat up his cheeks at the sight of Obi-Wan’s lips parting. The freckles on Obi-Wan’s face were dusted with pink and the anger in his wings and arms hadn’t gone away but there was a want for touch in him too. He was so close to Anakin he could smell the salt of his sweat and could see the flecks of gray in his blue eyes.
Anakin…
A small intake of breath snapped him out of whatever daze he’d been in and he jerked back like he’d been nicked with a saber. Anakin was staring at him, face pink and breath shallow. It took a second for Obi-Wan to realize he was looking at his lips. His hands came into his lap and began to fiddle amongst themselves out of embarrassment. Maybe if he tried hard enough they could act like they weren’t about five inches from kissing each other.
“Well, I think they’re wanting to keep me overnight, just to make sure I actually sleep and finish healing up.” The older man said quietly to break the silence between them.
Anakin’s cheeks were still dusted pink and his eyes looked a little unfocused, but they were lidded with tiredness. He came back to the present with a blink and when he registered what Obi-Wan said, he looked like he wanted to argue. He must have thought better about it because he instead nodded and went to stand up. His arms raised over his head as he stretched, muscles straining in his robes. The blond mumbled something quiet and unintelligible as he turned to leave.
And maybe it was because he was also tired, but before he could stop himself, Obi-Wan’s hand reached out to grab Anakin’s wrist. He froze when rain cloud eyes met his. They softened with a lazy smile and Obi-Wan knew he was done for. Anakin was so beautiful, with his blue eyes, long lashes, and gentle golden curls. He was nothing like the sith he pretended to be when they destroyed Sidious. He was all soft around his edges. Obi-Wan could feel how his heart squeezed in his chest and he swallowed the emotions down so he didn’t say something he’d regret.
“Get some sleep, Anakin. Don’t worry so much about me. I’ll be fine.” Obi-Wan offered a tired smile in return, feeling giddy when Anakin’s seemed to grow.
They must have looked like idiots with the way they were ogling each other. Obi-Wan would hate himself later. Right now he was wrapped up in the fact that he was the one making Anakin smile like that.
“I’ll try, Obi. For you, I’d do anything.” Anakin’s wrist turned gently in his hold until his thumb was rubbing soft circles over each of Obi-Wan’s knuckles.
Goodnight, Master. Please be more careful, I don’t like seeing you get hurt.
With that, Anakin gave one last rub before letting go.