Two Halfs of One Warrior • Obikin/Vaderwan One-Shots

A More Perfect Union

• Summary: Anakin, in a fit of bravery uncharacteristic even for the Hero With No Fear, decides that he should tell the Council about his secret marriage, so that no Sith could ever use it against him to hurt the Jedi Order or the Republic. It goes swimmingly--if you ignore the fact that Anakin definitely meant to say that he married Padmé in the wake of Geonosis, and yet the entire Jedi Council seems to think he married Obi-Wan. And also if you ignore the fact that now no one believes them when they tell them flat out that Anakin is married to and in love with Padmé, not his old master. And also if you also ignore the fact that Anakin doesn't know how to ignore the fact that being in love with Obi-Wan sort of makes a lot of sense. In fact, it feels like the only thing that's made sense in the last four years, come to think of it.

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Strangely, it feels both as if a great weight has been removed from his chest and as if he’s just run several parsecs at the same time: like he can breathe freely for the first time in years, but like he’s incredibly winded, each breath a short gasp.

The blue reflection of his master blinks back at him from the holo projector, mouth slightly open and eyebrows raised—so frozen in shock that Anakin is half-worried that the connection has been cut mid-confession and he’s going to be expected to do this whole thing again.

Like he would be able to. It took a solid day of practicing for him to say the words in the first place. And, so much pacing.

If he spends another day in Padmé’s quarters, pacing around and muttering to himself and sweating through all his clothing when the nerves become too much, he’s pretty sure that his secret won’t even be true anymore.

Padmé has always been an absolute angel, but even he’d leave him for what he’s put her through the last few days—ever since he came to the realization that he must tell the Jedi Council about his marriage. Their marriage. Their love.

Easier said than done, though for the first few hours after said realization had turned into a plan of action, he’d thought it would be easy. After all, his case was solid. He loved Padmé; he married her. He’s one of the best generals in the war; he saves lives and defies odds and rescues planets. He may be a Jedi of dubious worth, but he’s a damn good general.

And he would be being honest. He would be coming forward, confessing his secrets to the Council because he did not want there to be any secrets that the Sith could use against him or the Jedi. Padmé doesn't deserve to be a secret after all, and Anakin doesn't want to be backed into a position where he feels like he has to choose and no one else understands he's making a choice at all.

It's better for everyone if he comes clean about his marriage. Of his own volition.

He would never say he regretted it, he would never leave his wife because the Council demanded it of him.

But for the first few hours post-decision, he’d been rather confident that they wouldn’t. He had his reasons, good reasons. They were at war. They needed Anakin, and Anakin needed his wife. It was simple computation.

And then Padmé had said, sounding equal parts wary and optimistic, that at least Master Obi-Wan was on the Council. So that was one man they could count on their side out of the twelve, because Master Kenobi would surely support their love.

And Anakin had started pacing.

He hasn’t really stopped since.

It’s just that Obi-Wan is a perfect Jedi. Unflappable and infallible. Untouchable and indestructible. And Anakin knows that isn’t really, actually true. They’re at war. He’s seen Obi-Wan coughing up blood and breathing in black soot and cradling a broken arm and staring out into space with dead eyes. But a part of Anakin is always going to believe it anyway, that his master is the best Jedi in the Order, the same way he still looks at his wife and half-believes that she is an Angel from Iego.