In Which Anakin Chickens Out

by 19BBY

Summary:

When Obi-Wan is trying to escape the medbay, Anakin blurts out the first thing he can think of- well, the second, because he manages to chicken out in half a second.

Notes:

When I make a oneshot series, it's either because I started with a oneshot and then realized the story had more potential and I could keep going with it, or because I want to fool myself into not counting it with my works in progress. This one's the second one.

But there's too much chaos potential here for me not to write it down immediately.

"General," Terror begged, "just let me look you over. Any injuries you sustained on the campaign need to be treated now, before they get worse. You know that. Just take care of it now, please."

Anakin had seen Obi-Wan get shot. Anakin had been the one to help Rex drag Obi-Wan down to the medbay and let Cody run the evacuation. And yet Obi-Wan was still attempting to leave the medbay. Anakin himself was down here for treatment- a blaster shot had hit him in the arm while he'd been defending some shinies- but he wasn't the one attempting to leave the medbay.

"It's really not necessary," Obi-Wan stated, and he headed for the door once again. "Someone needs to run the evacuation-"

"I'm sure Cody has it handled," Anakin insisted.

"-But I'm supposed to help him, Anakin, that's my job, I can't just abandon him-"

"-To take care of yourself," Terror grumbled.

"-and really, I'm fine."

You got shot, Anakin wants to say. I saw it happen, he would say, if he had more time, but Obi-Wan is almost out the door and Anakin doesn't need to argue with him. He needs to surprise him, to distract him so much he forgets he's in the medbay until Terror can step in.

And then he gets an absolutely terrible idea. Something that could get him kicked out of the order, but at the moment, anything to get Obi-Wan to just stay in the medbay.

"Obi-Wan," he says, suddenly. "There's something I've been wanting to tell you about for a long time." And he has. It's the truth. But he'd never thought he'd actually get to this moment, not while the war was still on, and certainly not in the medbay of Obi-Wan's Venator with two witnesses to Obi-Wan disappointment- oh Force he's going to be so disappointed-

"What is it, Anakin?" Obi-Wan says, turning around. And Anakin panics. And in that moment, so scared of his former master's disappointment, he blurts out a lie that in the situation isn't going to make much difference from the truth.

I'm married to Padmé, he does not say. Instead, he wraps his shields around his Captain's mind, to keep any confusion from reaching Obi-Wan's senses, throws an arm around the man's shoulder, and doesn't give Rex the chance to glance at him in surprise before making the announcement that will change everything.

"Rex and I are married."

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of In Which Everyone's A Disaster And It Causes Mass Confusion (ft. chaos)