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The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and for the first time in longer than he could remember, Obi-Wan Kenobi felt a true sense of peace.
Anakin and Ahsoka were busy chasing each other around the meadow and wrestling, finally getting a chance to act their ages. Obi-Wan was too exhausted to join them in their play, but he let their shouts and laughter be a soothing background to his meditation.
He closed his eyes and sank further into the Force, searching again for any hint of danger, but just like every time he had before, he found nothing but serenity enveloping him with as much warmth as the sun up above.
It was only natural for Obi-Wan to be a bit skeptical of the lack of ripples in the ever-stormy lake of the Force, after all that the war had put them through. When he had been offered a few days of leave for himself and his padawans, he had jumped at the chance. Not because he thought he deserved it, but because Anakin and Ahsoka deserved time to just be Master and Padawan without all the additional baggage and stress of bonding in a warzone that had been the first few months of their partnership.
His plan had most certainly paid off, as he could sense Anakin and Ahsoka’s training bond thrumming with golden happiness nearby. Finally, he could take a moment to forget about the rest of the world and just breathe.
All of a sudden, Obi-Wan was startled out of his meditation by a weight settling on top of his head. He fluttered his eyes open to find Anakin and Ahsoka standing in front of him, grinning, both of their heads adorned with flower crowns. For a second, he considered lecturing them about the dangers of interrupting somebody when they were so deep in the force, but he didn’t have the heart to do so while staring at their radiant smiles. All he could do was smile back and adjust his own crown to be less crooked.
“So, I see Anakin’s been teaching you how to make flower crowns, Ahsoka?” Obi-Wan asked, and Ahsoka beamed.
“Yeah, he has! It takes so long to weave all the daisies together perfectly, oh my Force, so Skyguy made you one as well while helping me finish my own.” She looked over at Anakin instinctually for approval, who was clearly glowing with pride in the Force.
Anakin smiled sheepishly. “Well, I only learned from the best,” he said, and Obi-Wan was instantly thrown back in time to ten years ago. He was met with the image of a tiny Anakin climbing up into Obi-Wan’s arms so he could place a messy yet beautiful flower crown on his Master’s head.
Obi-Wan’s heart swelled with affection as he gazed into Anakin’s eyes in the present. “Thank you, dear one,” he said, and the Force crescendoed with love. This was how things should be. Maybe not every day had to be as perfect as this one, but at the very least, Obi-Wan just wanted his family to be happy.
Ahsoka coughed, and shook Obi-Wan and Anakin out of their trance. “Enough with the mushiness, you two, I’m hungry,” she said, sprinting over to where they had stashed the picnic basket earlier that morning.
“Come on, old man, it’s time for lunch,” Anakin said with an undeniably fond smirk, before following Ahsoka over to the shady spot next to an ancient tree. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and gathered up their three cloaks from where they had shed them before so he could lay them out as a makeshift picnic blanket.
Obi-Wan had been enjoying the intense heat of the sun all throughout the morning, but entering the shade was still as refreshing as a nice glass of water. He felt safe and protected underneath the giant branches.
Of course, Anakin and Ahsoka hadn’t bothered to unpack all of the food before digging into their own snacks of preference. Ahsoka had gone straight for one of the jelly-filled donuts they had fried in oil together last night. Meanwhile, Anakin was busy tearing open a bag of his favorite extremely spicy chips, and Obi-Wan sighed.
“Anakin, you know those chips aren’t good for you,” Obi-Wan chastised playfully, as was tradition to do so. Anakin’s mouth was still full of chips, but he laughed and started to choke.
Obi-Wan fished around inside the basket to find his thermos of tea, and took a sip, relishing the flavor even if it wasn’t as hot as he normally preferred it. Anakin died. Ahsoka shoved the rest of her donut into her mouth and reached for another with her fingers stained by powdered sugar and jelly.
Anakin looked so beautiful leaning against the tree, his arms wrapped around his neck, his golden hair shining in the dappled light, his flower crown slipping off of his head, his body slowly fading away. Obi-Wan paused his search for his sandwich to reach over and tangle his fingers through Anakin’s curls, ruffling his hair one last time. It felt so silky and smooth against Obi-Wan’s skin, a quite soothing texture to run his hand through. The Force hummed in satisfaction.
Finally, Obi-Wan found his customary turkey salad sandwich amongst the chaos of their picnic basket, and had nothing left to worry about as he took a bite and savored the taste. He looked over at Ahsoka licking off her fingers and smiled. She really did take after her Master.
Speaking of which, Anakin’s body had nearly faded away entirely, but it was quickly being replaced by a luminescent blue body shimmering as it came into existence. Obi-Wan stroked his beard impatiently as he waited for Anakin to fully become one with the Force. He did always take his sweet time with tasks whenever possible.
The moment Anakin fully solidified again, Obi-Wan pulled him into a tight hug. “Welcome back, dear one,” he murmured into Anakin’s glowing blue shoulder.
Anakin laughed, a bit bewildered but happy nonetheless. “It’s good to see you again, Master,” he said, squeezing his arms around Obi-Wan in return.
Ahsoka finished her second donut before wrapping her arms around both Obi-Wan and Anakin and curling into their embrace. The galaxy continued spinning around them, but all that mattered right then was their love for each other.