"Go home, get some sleep." ~ P.K.
After finding out what had gone wrong with Skywalker's jet, Top Gun classes had finally resumed. And seeing as Skywalker was still in the hospital with a brain injury, Kenobi would need to find a new pilot.
Satine had to go home, seeing that she was the CEO of her own company and had things that she had to do. So Obi-Wan spent a majority of his time in the hospital with Padmè, trying to help Anakin remember his past.
He was able to make new memories, and he could easily remember everyone's names, but he couldn't remember who they were to him. This especially pained Padmè because this meant he didn't remember their wedding day, the birth of their children, any of it.
It was around noon and Padmè was sitting in the hospital cafeteria along with her children, both of them asleep in their stroller. She was resting her chin in her hand as she closed her eyes, on the verge of falling asleep. She hadn't been sleeping well, if at all, and it was starting to catch up to her.
"May I join you?" Padmè jolted her head up after it had fallen from her hand, startled by the sudden voice. When she looked up, she noticed Obi-Wan standing above her with two cups of coffee in his hands. He also looked like he'd barely been sleeping. His hair was a mess and he had bags under his eyes.
Padmè motioned for him to take a seat and he flashed her a smile, handing her the cup of coffee. The two sat in silence for a moment, each of them taking small sips from their cups before Padmè spoke up.
"Shouldn't you be in class? I heard that Top Gun was back in session." Obi-Wan shrugged at her question, swirling the remnants of his coffee around in the cup.
"It doesn't feel the same. And I don't know if I want to continue." He sighed, avoiding eye contact with Padmè who was staring at him with wide eyes before asking a simple, "Why?"
"I only joined for Anakin." Obi-Wan started, finally looking Padmè in the eye. "Now he can't fly, I don't really see a point anymore."
Padmè looked at him with stern eyes as she finished off her coffee. "Obi," She started, placing the empty cup on the table and placing a hand on top of his. "If it were the other way around, if you'd gotten injured, he would've flown anyway."
There was a beat of silence as the tears began to well in Padmè's eyes. "He would've hated it, but he would've done it." She pursed her lips together, sniffling intensely as the tears fell onto her cheeks.
Knowing that she was right, Obi-Wan nodded a few times, looking into his lap. "Thank you, Padmè." He spoke quietly as he squeezed her hand. She let out a watery laugh, wiping away the tears from her cheeks.
"Go." She shoed him away with her hands, with a smile. He smiled in return, standing up from his seat and made his way towards the exit of the building. It was time to find out who his new pilot would be whether he liked it or not.
-
Ahsoka and Rex were sitting in their usual seats within the classroom, although neither of them were really paying attention to the Admiral. Instead, they were looking over to the two empty seats beside them where Skywalker and Kenobi would usually sit.
"Do you think he'll come back?" Ahsoka asked in a low whisper, leaning towards her RIO.
"I don't know." He shrugged, leaning back in his seat as he tried to pay attention to Windu. But he couldn't, he just kept thinking about Skywalker and Kenobi.
Ahsoka didn't even bother to pretend she was paying attention. Her eyes went everywhere around the room except where they should be.
"Now moving forward-" Admiral Windu began but was cut short by the sound of the door to the room squeaking open. In walked Kenobi with his uniform on and his hair slicked back. He looked like he was ready to take on the day, despite actually feeling like absolute shit and not really wanting to be there
"Lieutenant, how nice of you to join us." Admiral Windu spoke with genuine concern instead of his usual annoyed tone as Kenobi nodded at him. Ahsoka and Rex both flashed him a smile which he returned before taking a seat next to them.
Admiral Windu continued explaining their next hop, and this time Rex and Ahsoka were actually paying attention now that they knew that Obi-Wan was okay. Once he finished, Admiral Koon stepped up to the front of the room.
"Kenobi." He spoke, earning the attention of the man in question. "I'll be your pilot for now." Kenobi gave him a curt nod before everyone was dismissed.
"Hey," Ahsoka made her way towards Kenobi, wrapping him into a hug. He hesitated for a moment but eventually returned the hug.
"You got this." Ahsoka said as she pulled away from him. He nodded in response before muttering a quiet thanks and walking away.
-
Plo was flying around with Kenobi sitting in the back. The man was relatively quiet for RIO, just looking out the canopy at the skies around him.
"Talk to me, Kenobi." Plo spoke, bringing the RIO out of his daze. He shook his head lightly, pulling his mask over his face before apologizing under his breath.
He was still silent and still refusing to speak, even though that was his main job as a RIO. Plo was trying everything he could to get Kenobi to say something but he wouldn't budge. His mind kept wandering back to Skywalker and how he was doing. He kept wishing that he was the one flying this jet.
After about five minutes of Plo trying to get Kenobi to speak, he gave up and began to make his way back to the base. Even then, Kenobi still stayed silent, almost as if he was unaware of his surroundings.
Plo knew that Kenobi would need time and he was going to give it to him. But he also needed to know that graduation wouldn't wait for him.
Once back on the ground, Kenobi still sat in the cockpit. He wasn't moving but Plo noticed his breath had quickened and he looked extremely pale. "Kenobi." He spoke softly, trying to gain the RIO's attention.
"Obi-Wan." Plo spoke louder this time, placing his hands on his shoulders and shaking them lightly. Kenobi had finally looked at him, tears pooling in his eyes.
Plo let out a sigh of defeat, releasing the man from his grip. "I know how hard this is for you. But if you want to graduate, you need to contribute."
Kenobi nodded at him, still not moving from his spot in the cockpit. "Go home, get some sleep." Plo encouraged and that's when he finally stood up and slowly made his way towards the building, not looking back once.
A/N
Poor Obi-Wan guys. Bro just wants to have his friend back. We're officially almost done this story. I can't believe it. Also happy early Halloween to everyone and I hope you all have a great halloween and get lots of candy. Personal life update: I have a week off of school which is really nice because I'm so fucking exhausted.
Let me know if you have any likes or dislikes and I'll try to add it into my next chapter. And if not, I'll update again in 2 weeks!
~ Jo
