𝙎𝙃𝙀 𝘽𝙀𝙇𝙊𝙉𝙂𝙎 𝙏𝙊 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙏𝘼𝙍𝙎, o. kenobi ✓

five

She steps out of the ballroom, and onto a nearly empty balcony. The night air felt so nice over her exposed skin, and Zara closes her eyes, sighing as she sets her drink down on the railing and takes in the evening.

 She's not sure what exactly causes it, but suddenly, she's reminded of how she slept the past few nights; Poorly.

 It had been the wrong temperature every single night. Too hot to sleep with the blankets on, yet too cold to sleep with them off. Each time she had ended up stripping down to nothing and sleeping with the blanket pulled up to her chin.

 And every time, while she slept, she would toss and turn. Nightmare after nightmare, each filled with everything from Rathars to her teeth falling out during an important meeting with the Council.

 She'd wake up in a cold sweat, longing for Obi-Wan to be there with her. Wishing he was there to rub her back, telling her it was all just a dream.

 When she would lay back down, Zara practically felt him leaving soft kisses on her shoulder to ease her back to sleep. But each time, she would remind herself that he wasn't truly there, that he was just a dream too.

 "Zara?" a voice says from behind her, snapping her out of her flashbacks.

 When she turns around, she finds Obi-Wan standing there, and she can't quite place what the look on his face means.

 He had watched her leave the party, and a few moments after she realizes it's him, Zara takes a few steps forward and pulls him in for a tight hug.

 He pets her hair softly, careful not to undo all the work she put into it this evening. She grips his robes so tight her knuckles go white.

 Everything about tonight makes them feel like Padawans again.

 And when they pull away, they gaze into each other's eyes, giving them yet another serious case of déjà vu. Oh, Obi-Wan had nearly forgotten about that twinkle in her eyes.

 How had they gone this long without seeing each other? If they weren't in a room full of watching, judging eyes, he would kiss her right here.

 They break away from each other's embrace, hoping too many people didn't see.

 But Zara still craved Obi-Wan's hands on her, so now it's her turn to ask, "May I have this dance?"

 She holds out a hand, and he takes it. "I feel as if I've heard that question before..."

 They dance for another small while, chatting again of everything that's happened in the past how many years since they saw each other last.

 "Perhaps we'll only go six years this time," Obi-Wan jokes.

 "I think seven was okay. But, maybe we could do eight," Zara grins.

 They go back and forth, with Obi-Wan lowering the number of years, and Zara raising it. Until they settle on seeing each other again tomorrow.

 And then again, much like out on the balcony, Obi-Wan wants to kiss her badly.

 "Zara," he whispers.

 "Yes?" she whispers back.

 "Would you mind accompanying me to somewhere a little more...private?"

 She connects the dots immediately, but before they can leave, they hear, "My Padawan!" from behind them.

 Zara and Obi-Wan turn to find Master Elio Titan, a tall man with dark hair and kind eyes.

 "Master," Zara smiles. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm not exactly a Padawan anymore."

 Elio goes to ruffle her hair, but when he notices how much effort she must've put into it, he sets the hand on her shoulder instead. "You'll always be my Padawan...I see you two are still running around together, some things just never change."

 "Yes," Obi-Wan begins, "we were just about to一" Zara elbows his side, and he lets out a soft, "Ow..."

 They talk to Master Titan for a few minutes until someone pulls him across the room, leaving Zara and Obi-Wan by themselves.

 Finally, they slip out of the room, and he pulls her down a nearby hallway.

 His mouth meets hers in a hurried mess, and she pulls away with a scolding look.

 "Obi-Wan!" she hisses. "What if someone saw? This is not 'somewhere a little more private,'" she quotes him.

 "Oh, there's no one around here," he smiles. "You have zero faith in me, do you really think I would be that careless?"

 He kisses Zara again, one hand cupping her cheek softly and the other carefully hovering over her waist, not wanting to damage her dress.

 Slowly, Zara leads him backwards, their lips still making up for the past seven years.

 "Someone could've left the party near the same time as us," she explains, sitting him down on the intricate staircase. It looks as if no one's used it in months, maybe years...it's the perfect place. "We could've gotten caught."

 "But we didn't," Obi-Wan grins, helping Zara sit down as well. "And it's a bit exciting, don't you think? I've missed this thrill."

 Before she can even answer, his lips return to hers. This kiss softer than the other, trying to assure Zara that she has nothing to worry about.

 And when they part, she rests her forehead on his, softly mumbling, "I hate to admit it, but it is exhilarating."

 And she really did have nothing to worry about; Getting caught was not something she nor Obi-Wan knew how to do.