Chapter Text
The shrill beep of his comm link sliced through the quiet meditation Obi-Wan had been trying to achieve. One glance at the caller ID—Coruscant Medical Center—was all it took for a familiar, sinking feeling to pool in his gut.
Ice-cold dread.
It could only mean one thing. One person.
Anakin.
A weary sigh escaped him before he even accepted the call. He’d grounded him. Grounded him, for Force’s sake. No sparring, no access to the archives for "research" (which usually meant finding loopholes in engine modification manuals), and the biggest blow of all: no flying. It was supposed to be a week, maybe two, if Anakin could manage to "behave"—a word that seemed entirely foreign to his Padawan's vocabulary. Obi-Wan knew it was hard for him; the Force raged in the boy like a contained star, bright and desperate for release. But taking away his access to the Jedi starfighter hangar... that was the real punishment. Flying was as necessary to Anakin as breathing, and Obi-Wan held the access codes. A privilege, not a right.
A privilege he had, apparently, decided to take for himself.
He held the phone. "Hello, Obi-Wan speaking." And the medical nurse said, "Ah, yes. Master Kenobi, we have your Padawan here. From the looks of it, he got into a near-crash. It's not serious. Just a concussion."
Obi-Wan sighed. It really could have been worse. "Is he alright?" he asked. "Yes, he's saying he can go back to the temple, but we need a guardian's permission."
He sighed again. "Who did he call first?" "He called Palpatine." Why does Anakin like Senator Palpatine so much..."Alright, I'm on my way. Don't let him leave until I arrive." And that was that.
Upon entering the room, he heard his Padawan whining at the nurse. "Who are you here for?" "The whiny thirteen-year-old." The nurse rolled her eyes and shifted her posture. "A name?" Obi-Wan looked around and sighed. "Are you serious? There is only one in the world..." She gave him an annoyed stare. "...Anakin Skywalker." "Finally. Thank you, in here now."
As the nurse led him to the room holding his Padawan. Upon arriving, Anakin got up immediately. "Master! Master Obi-Wan! I missed you—" "Shut it, young Skywalker." He forced his Padawan to sit back on the cushion using the 'Force.' He knelt in front of his Padawan. "You have the next two minutes to explain."
He looked down. "I was really bored."
"Fine, that doesn't matter. You have plenty of books or the other Padawans you can talk to."
"But I don't like them. All of them are bitter."
"That's not true. All the people here can make good companions." He didn't know what to answer.
"They are all annoying, especially to me."
"That's not my problem."
"I thought I was your problem, you know."
"Oh, you are. But that doesn't change the fact that you crashed an entire jet, and that's not even the worse of it—you couldn't just be patient and wait one or two more hours for my arrival. We would've done something if I sensed your immense boredom."
"You're not angry about the plane?"
"Oh, that too. But it's your intention, especially since you don't understand my strict rules." He was very angry.
"Okay, what now? Are we done?"
"No. You're so annoying."
"Then why are you doing nothing? I'm waiting."
"Anakin..." He sighed.
He got up and started to grab his Padawan. As he walked with Anakin toward their room. Swatting his back, not caring if others were to see.
"Ouch, stop. That hurts! Really, I'm sorry."
"It's a good thing you used the 'Force' so there was no damage to the plane, but you could've been hurt! Or worse, the plane could've been damaged—we would have to have it repaired before the next mission." Skywalker's head shot up.
"The plane is more valuable than my life?"
Obi-Wan stopped dead in the sterile hallway.
The grip on Anakin’s arm didn't loosen, but it changed—from the angry march of a frustrated teacher to the rigid shock of a man just accused of something monstrous. He turned, his voice dangerously low.
"Do not ever put words like that in my mouth, Padawan."
Anakin flinched at the tone but held his ground, his blue eyes flashing with adolescent defiance and a very real, very deep hurt. "You said—"
"I said the plane could have been damaged," Obi-Wan interrupted, his voice sharp and precise, cutting through Anakin's defense. "Which would be an inconvenience. I said you could have been hurt... which would have been a tragedy."
The word hung in the air between them, heavy and final. Tragedy. It felt too big for the moment, but it was the truest one Obi-Wan had.
Anakin's righteous anger seemed to deflate, leaving behind only the sullen pout and the medical-grade bandage taped to his temple. "You were yelling about the ship."
"I was yelling about your choices!" Obi-Wan let go of his arm, pinching the bridge of his nose. The headache that had been threatening since the comm call was now in full bloom. "Anakin, you were told to wait. You were grounded. Not only did you disobey a direct order, you stole Republic property, endangered yourself, and caused a medical alert."
He sighed, the anger draining away, leaving only the familiar, bone-deep exhaustion that only his Padawan could inspire."Why is it so difficult for you to simply... wait?"
Anakin looked at his feet. The silence stretched, filled only by the distant hum of the medical bay's ventilation.
"You said you'd be gone for 'one or two hours'," Anakin mumbled, "but the mission tracker said your ETA was delayed by four."
Obi-Wan paused. He hadn't realized Anakin had been tracking him that closely. "And that justifies... this?"
"I just..." Anakin's hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I fixed the energy coupling on the Azure Angel. It was fluctuating, and I knew if you took it on your next run, it might fail. I was just... testing it. To make sure it was safe. For you."
Obi-Wan stared at him, the entire confrontation shifting on its axis. "You 'tested it' by getting a concussion?"
"I was bringing it back!" Anakin protested, his voice rising again. "A guidance droid cut me off in the landing bay. It wasn't even my fault!"
"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, and his voice was so tired it made Anakin finally look up. "If you are skilled enough to fix a complex energy coupling without authorization, you are more than skilled enough to know that 'unauthorized test flights' are forbidden. You are also skilled enough to know that you could have simply... sent me a message."
"I... didn't want to bother you," Anakin said, so quietly Obi-Wan almost missed it.
The admission was so small, so contrary to Anakin's usual bravado, that it stopped Obi-Wan cold. That was the core of it. Not just boredom. Not just defiance.
“Are you mad..?”
“No, just wait here. Don’t even try to make a move.”
Obi-Wan stood, stunned by the small, sincere admission. I didn't want to bother you. It was a vulnerability Anakin rarely displayed, buried deep beneath layers of bravado and frustration. He studied his Padawan—the slight tremor in his hand, the way he was trying to fold his tall frame inward, making himself small.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, his voice dropping to a near whisper, "look at me."
Anakin reluctantly raised his head, his blue eyes still watery and defensive, reflecting the harsh fluorescent light of the sterile hall.
"You bothered me infinitely more by stealing a fighter, flying it into a near-crash, and being taken to a medical bay than you ever could by sending a simple text communication about a diagnostic code," Obi-Wan stated, keeping his tone measured and calm, letting the weight of the truth settle. "Do you understand the difference?"
Anakin nodded, but his expression showed he was still wrestling with the concept. "But... you were on a mission. And I fixed it. I just needed to test the coupling's stability under thrust stress. It was a fast solution to a dangerous problem."
"It was a reckless shortcut around procedure, trust, and common sense," Obi-Wan countered gently. "We are Jedi. We are not just mechanics, Anakin. We are soldiers, diplomats, and guardians of peace. Our actions must always be governed by discipline, not by impulse or a need for speed. If you cannot master patience, you cannot master the Force."
He sighed again and ran a hand over his face. "And what if I had simply trusted your fix and flown the Angel without a test flight, Padawan? And the coupling failed at high velocity, resulting in a genuine tragedy? Your loyalty, however misplaced its execution, has been noted. But recklessness is not loyalty."
Obi-Wan stepped closer, placing his hands on Anakin’s shoulders again, applying a subtle, reassuring pressure. "You need to learn, Anakin, that I value your safety—and your future—above any starship. The Republic can replace the Azure Angel in a cycle. It cannot replace you."
The sincerity of the statement finally broke through. Anakin’s expression crumpled, and he looked away again. "I... I'm sorry, Master," he muttered, the words barely audible. "I wasn't thinking about the consequences."
"No," Obi-Wan agreed. "You rarely do. And that is why we have rules. That is why you have a Master." He gave his shoulders a final squeeze. "Now, I believe I told you to wait here while I signed the release forms. Are you capable of obeying a simple command for thirty seconds?"
Anakin managed a small, sheepish smile. "Yes, Master."
Obi-Wan turned and walked briskly back toward the nurse’s station. He secured the necessary paperwork, trying to tune out the internal sigh of relief he felt. This boy would be the death of him, but he wouldn't trade the responsibility for all the peace in the galaxy. He looked back down the hall just as Anakin began to idly trace patterns on the bandage taped to his temple.
He paused by the desk. "Nurse, one last thing. Was he given any pain suppressants for the concussion?"
"Yes, Master Kenobi," the nurse replied tiredly. "A mild dose, about ten minutes ago."
Obi-Wan raised a skeptical brow. That explained the sudden, dramatic mood swings and the quiet apology. Anakin always got strangely emotional and clingy when medicated.
He returned to his Padawan, folding the release forms. "Alright, Padawan, let's go. We have a long, quiet walk back to the Temple."
"Master," Anakin said immediately, jumping to his feet, unsteady on his feet. He swayed slightly. "Can you... can you hold my hand?"
Obi-Wan blinked. His thirteen-year-old Padawan, the pilot who had just crashed a starfighter out of boredom, was asking for him to hold his hand in a public hallway. The mild suppressant was working a little too well.
"No, Anakin," Obi-Wan said firmly, but he kept his voice gentle. "You are not a child. You will walk." he conceded, placing a supportive hand in the middle of Anakin's back.
Anakin began to tear up on the long walk back home. Sniffiling as he wiped his tears letting his Master guide him to their shared space.
Obi-Wan sighed internally, adjusting his pace to match Anakin's slightly unsteady gait. The touch of his hand on Anakin’s back was meant to be purely correctional—a guide, not a comfort—yet he felt the tremors of Anakin's subdued sobs travel through the thin fabric of the boy's tunic.
He focused on the rhythm of their footsteps, trying to ignore the sniffles coming from behind him. It was a long walk from the Coruscant Medical Center back to the Temple grounds—a walk he had often considered good for burning off Anakin's excess energy. Today, however, it was turning into an exercise in endurance for them both, though for vastly different reasons.
They finally reached the expansive courtyard of the Jedi Temple. The sheer scale of the building usually inspired a sense of awe and calm, but today, it felt like a silent, towering judge.
"We are here, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, stopping just inside the entrance to their residential section. He removed his hand from Anakin's back and turned to face him. The boy’s eyes were red-rimmed, and his cheeks were streaked with silent tears. It was a sight that usually melted Obi-Wan’s resolve, but he had to maintain a boundary.
"Now, Padawan, you will go straight to our quarters. You will not stop, you will not speak to any other Padawans, and you will certainly not attempt to access the hangar or the archives. Do you understand?"
Anakin nodded miserably, clutching the strap of the small bag that held his discarded clothes and the medical discharge papers. He looked less like the hero-pilot of the Republic and more like a lost child.
"I... I understand, Master," he whispered.
"Good. Now go."
Back in Anakin’s quarters he began to think—no. He began to cry.
Why do I always mess up?
Anakin began to wipe his tears as he wiped his snot on his arm. For sure his master likes him, right?
The thought of Master Obi-wan giving him away or telling the Jedi council of his annoyance with him. Or worse, he had to go back to being a slave on tatooine. The mere thought of being owned by Otto again gave him nightmares— but to feel his mothers warmth again made him start to wonder what life could’ve been if Master Qui-gon left him as a slave..
Anakin's limbs were all over the place, he had driven his tears to a deep sleep with one worry on his mind.
Does Master hate me?
“Master Windu, I can assure you that Anakin had made a great mistake out of boredom. He isn’t planning to rebel at all. He was simply just trying to get my attention. He mustn’t have his rights as a padawan taken!”
”Odd, I've felt always with that kid.” Master Yoda intervened.
“Jedi Kenobi, do you truly believe Anakin did this for attention and not intent to sabotage any future missions?”
Obi-wan was in disbelief.
“I am so very sure of it. He was worried about whereabouts.” Kenobi was speechless, he knew nothing he could say could really tell the Jedi council to show mercy towards Anakin’s belongings and consequences that could be given by the council.
“Attachment he has. Good for him, not.” Yoda spoke once more.
”Jedi Kenobi, it seems your padawan has gained an attachment towards you, that can lead to the dark side. Is there a way you can fix this before he continues his training without probation?”
“Master Windu, I admit my failure towards his attachment towards me but I fathom reasoning—he was a slave. Most padawan’s do not grow up knowing life outside of their quarter and the way of the Force. Anakin does. It is simply not his fault, he struggles with missing his mother. He wakes up startled.”
“That’s not a healthy way of the Jedi. Padawan Anakin should not hang on to these thoughts if he wants to achieve more. Anakin is considered to be the prophet, the protagonist in the Jedi Order. Master Qui-gon trusted you with much hope for what Anakin may become, a balance to the Force.”
“My padawan is just as capable of the others, I will have him disciplined and better trained to deal with his emotions. I ask of the Jedi council to not be so harsh with his probation, he can train with so much. He’s already much behind after being trained so late into his childhood.”
Master Windu looked around the Jedi council for approval, they didn’t like to touch any topic that mentioned Anakin. Anakin was indifferent to the rest, he wasn’t like the others, he had a life before—a life other padawan’s couldn’t nearly fathom.
“I grant you permission to discipline the boy but he will be off from his training for two weeks until he speaks with the council. The council will decide where his training will be continued.”
Obi-wan sighed in relief. “Thank you, Master Windu—“
“—Council closed.” He heard as the pixelated appearance of all the high-ranked Jedi’s disappeared.
Now what? I’m not going to hit a past-enslaved child. Or so what he thought.
Back at his padawan’s corridors, he knew what had to be done, he just couldn’t bring the mere thought of waking up the poor boy to pain. This wasn’t the first time, definitely not the last but Anakin hadn’t been spanked for a while now. Surely, he knew deep down he couldn’t keep the streak up to save his life but he didn’t like how the boy always freaked out.
Was this the worse Anakin has done? Surely, he had to do worse but for the Jedi council to agree to the end of his training until Anakin spoke up about his reasonings in two weeks seemed wild—and harsh. Did he fail his young boy that hard?
”Anakin” Obi-wan called out quietly opening the door to the sleeping boy.
Yeah, no. He couldn’t bear to wake the boy up and deliver him this. Yeah, what he did was wrong but really, the Jedi wants him to swat the boy?
Obi-wan stared as he built the courage to step foot into the room. He could feel the tears that were merely just cried in this room.
Obi-wan sat down on the edge of Anakin’s bed hearing his soft breathes as he patted his padawan’s shoulder.
“Ani..”
To his suprise, Anakin opened an eye revealing the fear on his face. “Master!” Anakin lunged his body towards Kenobi waiting for his master to embrace him back.
“Oh Ani, what is troubling you much, what’s with this fear you hold deeply in the moment?”
Anakin stayed putting half of his body weight on top of Obi-wan, he didn’t feel fearful now that he was here. He had forgotten all of his thoughts that overflowed of the feeling Master Kenobi hates him.
“Tatooine, master.”
”What troubles you there, young one?”
Anakin bit his lip, “What if I were to be there today. I wouldn’t be as near educated as I am currently.”
“Indeed but don’t hold onto these thoughts of your past. You will miss the future, Anakin.”
”Yes, master.”
Silence filled the room, Obi-wan knew what had to be done sooner or later, he rather get it finished now.
“Young one, you know it’s awfully bad to have attachment towards me, correct?”
”Yes, master..”
”..And you know you haven’t gotten any form of punishment after your act, correct.”
“Yes, master.”
Obi-wan sighed, it wasn’t the exact reaction he expected from the boy. He thought he would catch his drift, not dodge it. After a little train of thought and more silence Obi-wan made a move.
Obi-wan used his strength to put the tired boys legs in between his and rest the boys stomach on his leg as the other held the boys body together.
“What? Master, no—you cannot do this! I’m far too old and wise”
“It’s too late, Anakin. I cannot let you get away with each wrongdoing you commit. I let much slide for you that I really shouldn’t, like I did.. just now, but the galaxy will not give you anything you want, just as you don’t want this right now.”
Anakin squirmed as he tried to get out of his Master’s grip. He felt betrayed, after sitting and laying his legs across his closest figure to a father, he was about to spank him.
“Anakin, the longer you take to, the more I will do. End your foolishness.”
Anakin felt his face starting to heat up. No, this couldn’t be, no.
“Master, please. I will behave. I don’t want—“
“—Shut it, Anakin. I’m trying to think. Now stop with the moving and be still, you have two weeks to think of a good enough reason for the council to trust you once more.”
Anakin began to tear up again. He was embarrassed. What would the other padawan's think of him, or anyone in fact.
Anakin stopped moving and the first blow towards his backside began. Landing a huge mark and a yelp for mercy.
Anakin never felt so violated. He was fucking thirteen-years-old and let himself just be disciplined like that. Even worse considering the fact he’s crying, knees up to his chest as he curses in Huttese under his breath.
“Anakin, seriously. Are we shocked at your position right now? You could’ve caused yourself an injury.”
”Yeah, well—you just injured the injured. I already had a mild injury in my head.” The words were so wobbly and took even Anakin himself to understand what he said so clearly over his sobs.
”Anakin, stop it. You’re simply overreacting—“
“I’m overreacting, master? Taking off my garments to hit me harder is cruel. This is abuse!”
Obi-wan couldn’t believe how much the kid was crying. From just being led off his lap seconds ago to going into a full tantrum.
Anakin muttered under his breath, this time in basic. “I should’ve stayed with Senator Palpatine instead of you”
That broke the sound of Anakin’s loud angered-fueled sobs that filled the room.
“What did you just say?” Obi-wan asked, sounding more stern and not as unserious as he did minutes before to the boys sobs.
Anakin continued to throw a tantrum. Just loud sobs and curses in Huttese being thrown around the room as his hands digger under the sheets he was on top of.
“My goodness, Anakin. Calm down this instant. You sure do mention the senator so much how about I give him a call giving him your claim of abuse coming from me?”
“No,” Anakin yelled louder.
Obi-wan was so exhausted of this, he wanted to at-least have fun with the kid for these two weeks, not reach his bad side. If the Jedi were here, they’d both be so fucked with Anakin’s behavior. Thank Qui-gon Anakin only did this with him, otherwise they’d both be abandoned from the council.
They began to argue until Anakin’s chatter quieted down. Anakin had began to become drowsy after much of the yelling. His eyes sagged, hair messy, bottom red, and eyes piercing with anger towards Kenobi.
Master Obi-wan found arguing pointless. He noticed Anakin’s demeanor had changed and he became softer. “Oh, Anakin.” Kenobi began to mutter under his breath as he slowly began to sit next to the young boy he once saw on Tatooine.
As much as Anakin hated him in the moment, Anakin would never push away or inflict any harm to Obi-wan. He was most thankful for him than anything. As much as his tears didn’t show it, he knew well his actions caused this.
And to no surprise, Anakin leaned on Obi-wan as he began to drift off dreaming of Tatooine.
Obi-wan follows the Jedi code better than anyone until it comes to Ani. Anakin meant more than the harshness the Jedi code came with. As long as nobody knew except them two, he was alright to making sure his padawan always knew where to find a safe space.