#288 “When I’m with you, I almost feel normal.”
Please 🥺🥺🥺
This one is set in the Sweetest Pie universe - if you haven't read it, the background is that Anakin is a pop star who came out as non-binary and pan. Obi-Wan is his bodyguard.
(508 words)
Obi-Wan watches in amusement as Anakin flops onto the living room floor dramatically. All four limbs sprawl out, endeavoring to take up as much space as possible.
“Date didn’t go well?” He keeps his voice level, trying to hide the hunger in his voice. He wants Anakin to find someone, Obi-Wan reminds himself. Someone who is suitable; someone Anakin’s age who isn’t still in the closet.
Anakin groans dramatically and closes their eyes. “I don’t understand why people assume non-binary automatically means femboy or furry or whatever their kink is.” They open brilliant blue eyes, gazing up imploringly at Obi-Wan. “I just want to find someone who doesn’t assume that I’ll fit their kinks… or that I’ll pass as cis.”
“You’ll find someone eventually,” he reassures Anakin. “Maybe you’re just looking in the wrong places.”
Since the debacle with Amidala, Anakin’s been on a series of terrible dates. Most of them have been people he’s met at a club not terribly far from the condo. Obi-Wan is considering revoking the recently granted club privileges – surely there’s been a recent threat he could use as an excuse.
“This one asked me to come back to his place,” Anakin confides. Obi-Wan has to carefully set down his tumbler, worried that he’ll break the glass with the way his grip involuntarily tightened on it. “Which wouldn’t be so bad, except he wanted me to roleplay as a schoolgirl. He just assumed I’d be into that.”
Obi-Wan is suddenly very glad he’s already set down his glass. “You do look fetching in a skirt,” he says, trying to tease a laugh from Anakin.
It works. “I do!” Anakin agrees cheerfully. “I really don’t want to play a naughty schoolgirl who’s going to blow her teacher for extra credit though, especially with some guy I’ve just met who managed to misgender me three times and never apologized or tried to fix it.”
Anakin definitely needs their bodyguard to supervise dates, Obi-Wan decides. Then he can just have a word with anyone who isn’t good enough and get Anakin out of there before they waste too much time.
At his feet, Anakin sighs heavily. “Sometimes I wish I could put on a different face. Go out as someone people have never heard of and don’t have any expectations for.”
“Anakin, you don’t need to be anyone other than yourself,” Obi-Wan says firmly. “If people can’t appreciate that then they aren’t good enough for you.”
Anakin brings themself to their knees, plush lips curving into a smile. The subtle gloss that Anakin had applied before going out still shines enticingly. Obi-Wan could swear his hearts skips a beat before it starts trying to beat out of his chest. He knows already that the sight of Anakin kneeling before him is going to haunt him for a while.
“You know, Obi-Wan, when I’m with you I almost feel normal.” Anakin places a hand on Obi-Wan’s knee and rises to their feet. They lean in, ever so briefly, and brush a kiss against Obi-Wan’s temple. “Thank you.”