How much does Oni and Obi know about Palpatine’s interactions with Wni?
When
they are Oni, secrets don’t hold up.
And
trying to keep something a secret makes them unstable.
They
had discovered that early on, when both Anakin and Obi-Wan were
trying to keep secrets and their fusion came apart only hours after
they fused.
Of
course, at first they hadn’t know that keeping secrets from each
other made it happen but after one particular one where Anakin had
fantasied about one of the rather voluptuous older masters and tried
as hard as he could to keep it from Obi-Wan only for their fusion to
come undone the moment he was created…
Well,
that was from there they managed to figure it out.
And
haltingly, they had slowly started opening up to each other.
No
more secrets between them.
For
Oni to be more than just a couple of hours, they needed to be open
with each other, to not keep secrets and more than anything, they
needed to be honest.
That
meant not only about things they thought but also what they did.
Neither
Oni nor Obi-Wan approved of the meetings Anakin had with Chancellor
Palpatine and after listening to Obi-Wan’s concern about why,
Anakin had started to see the meetings in a new light.
And
when Obi-Wan had gotten hurt about the closeness Anakin had gotten
with Senator Amidala during
Naboo, the awkward flirting and semi dates,
not to mention the kiss right before the arena on Geonosis that
Obi-Wan had gotten to see when they formed Oni to deal with Dooku,
both coming off worse for wear and injured but knowing,
Anakin had listened to that hurt and stayed with his master instead
of running with the Senator to Naboo.
He
had pretended unconsciousness when the woman came to visit and ask
for a Jedi escort back, meaning that someone else had to escort her
and
for all the disappointment in her Force aura, Anakin couldn’t help
some relief mingled with the frustration in his belly.
Obi-Wan
had known the truth, but hadn’t called Anakin out on it, just
quietly held his injured
arm
while staring at Anakin with undisguised hope and also a bit of fear
as
he sat on the bed beside Anakin’s on the way to Coruscant, the
emotions palpable to Anakin.
But
among that fear and that hope was also
self loathing.
Anakin
had to tackle that issue too with Obi-Wan, the amount of self
loathing that threatened to choke Obi-Wan some days, especially the
first time Anakin had pulled his still master close and kissed him
softly on
the lips, hidden away in an alcove in the temple, the shadows and
statue hiding them away.
And
Obi-Wan had allowed it, his hands shaking as he cupped Anakin’s
face in his.
Those
two first months, they didn’t do anything beyond a simple kiss here
and there or hands held when no one could see them, regardless how
frustrated either felt, they let their fusion do the intimacy part
they couldn’t do.
And
then Anakin got knighted.
Obi-Wan
had pulled Anakin into his bedroom that night, self loathing, love
and need in his eyes as his hands guided a speechless Anakin to the
sash and belt of his own clothes.
And
then Anakin had overcome his surprise, kissing Obi-Wan with all the
fiery passion he had kept on leash as he had been the others padawan,
pushing the older Jedi onto the bed and kneeling above him as he
worked the tunic open and discarded it, hands eagerly running over
wry copper hair and hard muscles with scars and freckles littered
about.
That
had been it really.
They
hadn’t let go of each other since, kept the bond between them that
should have been dissolved, slept in the same bed when they could and
held each other through fire and smoke and blood.
And
when they could, they formed Oni and shared all their secrets with
each other.
Obi-Wan
shared his self doubt, his struggles to please people, the events of
the past and even the darkness he had touched in the moment Qui-Gon
had died.
And
in return, Anakin shared his doubt about his place in the Jedi order,
his isolation at time of his own making, his anger at the council,
his actions on Tatooine, his bone aching rage and the dark he had
touched.
They
shared, were horrified, soothed each other and scolded each other.
And
belonged together.
Not
a perfect being but a perfect partnership, manifested
in Oni.