Study Buddies

Ferus Olin stretched as he made his way out of math class at the end of that day's session. He had always been a naturally attentive, eager student, but even the most astute Padawans at the Jedi Temple could be restless occasionally after two hours of lecture on what Ferus had commonly heard his fellow Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, refer to this particular course as, "the most boring subject in the cosmos."

He reached into his pocket and re-activated his comlink. It was a standard rule that, while in class, Padawans were not to have their comlinks on, the risk of distraction too easily fallen prey to. Any urgent messages from their Masters were instructed to be sent to the one activated comlink in the room belonging to whichever Jedi Master happened to be teaching. Apparently, many of the students his age had been caught sending messages to one another; Ferus had never done this himself - quite honestly, social engagements seemed rather trivial to him, and always had - but he understood the logic behind the rule, and obeyed it.

He was surprised to find that he had been sent a message when his comlink was turned back on. His brow furrowed momentarily; his Master, Siri Tachi, was away on a small, diplomatic solo mission at the moment, so it wouldn't have been from her. Puzzled, he went to play the message.

"Ferus." He groaned to himself. That voice could only belong to one person. "I know you've just gotten out of math class, since you wouldn't dare disobey the rules and have your comlink turned on otherwise." Ferus frowned; did Anakin contact him just to ridicule him?

"Anyways, when you get this, you're needed in the large fresher on the third floor. I'll be waiting. Don't be late." The small clicking sound of Anakin's comlink disconnecting ended the transmission.

Ferus rolled his eyes, but made his way to the fresher Anakin had instructed him to go to. He was not overly surprised to find Anakin there already, smirking at him.

He didn't think he'd ever seen Anakin really smile, or grin. It was always that damnable smirk. Not that Ferus could complain, really - Anakin's mouth was quite fascinating, no matter what it happened to be doing.

"I was beginning to think you hadn't gotten my message," Anakin drawled, sauntering up to Ferus and grabbing the front of his robes with both hands.

Ferus decided it was best not to resist as Anakin pulled him into a stall. He did, however, wince when the back of his head hit the cream-colored door as Anakin Force-pulled it shut. The stalls in this particular fresher were actually rather spacious, containing a place for one to relieve themselves and possibly even to change clothes or meditate. Ferus wasn't sure if it had been intentional in their initial construction, but had often thought, jokingly to himself, that it would be a prime studying location.

Apparently, Anakin had other things in mind for it, however. "We have a study session later this evening," Ferus said, crossing his arms and assuming his usual authoritative stance. He bit his lip in wry amusement as Anakin affected a similar posture; even though Ferus had nearly two years on him, the younger Padawan could - and often did - match him stride-for-stride.

Anakin licked his lips, drawing out how long he could keep Ferus in suspense, apparently. "We do have an appointment later," he said casually, then inched closer until he was practically speaking against Ferus' mouth. "But I have a hard-on now.

"Do you remember what we did last Thursday, Ferus?" Anakin continued, his lips teasing around the firm edge of the older boy's jaw, making his heart beat a little faster. Ferus swallowed hard. Of course he remembered; how could he ever forget Anakin shoving him against the back of his own bedroom door, driving into him wildly, whispering obscenely erotic things in his ear as he bit his knuckle to keep from making noise enough to arouse his neighbors' suspicions?

"Y-yes," he replied, clearing his throat when he realized how hoarse he sounded. "What of it?" he continued, trying to sound casual, and probably failing miserably.

The look on Anakin's face was absolutely devious. "I want a repeat," he replied slowly, allowing Ferus to let it sink in.

"Oh, do you?" Ferus countered, enjoying the slightly abashed look that flashed across Anakin's face.

But even as it appeared, it was gone, and Anakin had drawn him into an intense, violent kiss. Everything with Anakin was rough and intense, Ferus had found. Even when the younger boy was trying to be gentle, there was a sense of something lurking beneath the surface, almost imperceptible, but clearly there.

When he wasn't in the throes of passion, Ferus sometimes found himself disturbed by it. But ... Anakin's brilliant mouth was a distraction, and Ferus decided to allow himself to be distracted.

Anakin's warm hands clutched at his upper arms, holding him in place, and Ferus decided to indulge him, his own arms encircling Anakin's waist. He reached around, grabbing the other boy's backside and lifting him slightly, entertained by the muffled moan it elicited from between those beautiful, beautiful lips. He felt Anakin rotating his hips a little against him, and broke the kiss, not necessarily wanting this to be over before it started.

Anakin's eyes were lustful as he gazed up at him, mischievous. "I think you should suck me off," he murmured, grasping Ferus' hand and bringing it to his considerable erection. It constantly amazed him how much gall Anakin had - more than likely due to his Chosen One status around the Temple, coupled with an ego the size of Coruscant - and he allowed himself to be outwardly amused, barking out a laugh.

"I think you're going to need to ask me nicer than that," he retorted. It was a challenge as well as an invitation, and he knew Anakin had picked right up on this as his already piercing blue eyes narrowed. He felt nimble fingers pulling at his tunics and allowed himself to be undressed, restraining himself from protesting as his clothing was tossed carelessly on the ground. Not that it hadn't been exposed to worse, but ... it WAS the floor of the fresher, after all.

Then he felt Anakin nipping at his collarbone, and decided that he could always do laundry later.

*


Tru Veld left his class and looked around. He checked his comlink, but there were no messages. He felt a little stung, since he and Anakin Skywalker always met outside their mid-morning classes to go down to the cafeteria together. Lately, though, Anakin had been acting a little distant. Not that Tru minded, or was particularly surprised. Anakin was one of the most expressive humans he’d ever met, and Tru was used to his moods.

Hefting his bag onto his shoulder and scratching his back with one long, super-flexible arm, Tru walked into the fresher, determined to wash the dissected fetal gundark off his hands.

He heard some strange moaning noises coming from one of the stalls, and wrinkled his nose. People did the strangest things in here. Once he'd needed to take a quick shower and to change out of his training tunic, and had noticed a pair of feet. When he'd gotten through freshening up and turned to leave, the pair of boots - and assumably, whoever's feet were inside of them - were still there. 'Who studies in a fresher', he'd thought.

The strange noises sounded again, louder this time, accompanied by some scuffling. His curiosity piqued, Tru walked over tentatively, not wanting to startle whoever it was in case they were upset and crying or something.

There were two people in the same stall, that much he knew. One had his - he assumed they were both male simply because the girls had their own bathrooms - calves nestled against the door, one thick-soled boot occasionally lifting off the ground as if for added leverage. A strange consortment of limbs seemed to be placed in front of the person standing up; whoever their partner was, he was kneeling. Tru swallowed; he wasn't sure what he'd stumbled upon, but he could feel his cheeks reddening of their own accord as it started to sink in.

He was about to turn away when ... "aaahh, not so rough!" Tru clapped his hand over his mouth to muffle any surprised noises that threatened to escape. Anakin?

*


"Not so rough!" Anakin complained, tugging angrily on Ferus' tiny ponytail. "Haven't you ever heard of sheathing your teeth, Olin?

"You like it rough, Skywalker," Ferus replied snottily. He brought his hand up to grasp Anakin's, pulling it gingerly away from his hair. "But if you really want me to stop --"

Tru froze, his heart dropping into his stomach. That was Ferus Olin, on his knees before Anakin. How could that possibly be? Anakin hated Ferus with a fiery passion, and Tru knew – from being caught in the middle of many of their spats – that Ferus was incredibly wary of Anakin.

What had changed?

And was this the reason Anakin had not been spending time with Tru? To be with Ferus? To be sucked off in the fresher while Tru listened helplessly?

Tru swallowed a sob. How could Anakin do this to him? Granted, Tru knew that he and Anakin were nothing but good friends, but Tru still felt betrayed beyond words. Ferus Olin was not who Anakin belonged with – was not who could give Anakin what he needed. And besides which ... he was Ferus! If it were anybody else, he didn't think he would be quite so horrified, but ... Anakin hated Ferus. Hated him! And now he was letting him do that!

He heard Anakin gasp as Ferus pulled away, and watched the older boy's legs draw themselves into a standing position. They were facing each other now, and judging from the sufficiently quieter noises he could hear, they were kissing. The idea made his fists clench.

"I'm not letting you get off without some compensation," Ferus was saying. He saw Anakin's legs move until his best friend had been turned around, his front pressed against the stall door. Tru bit his lip, wanting to run out of here as quickly as he'd meant to come in, but unable to stop himself from listening at this point.

"We can have a repeat of last Thursday, Anakin," Ferus murmured - so this wasn't a first time occurrence or anything, either, Tru noted with dismay. Ferus licked the shell of Anakin's ear, nuzzling his neck. "Just with one crucial difference." He kissed the younger boy's throat, tugging back on Anakin's Padawan braid for better leverage. Anakin allowed it, closing his eyes and moaning softly, and Ferus took the initiative to push two fingers into his open mouth. Anakin started resisting, and he tugged a little harder on the braid. "Wet them," he said in a soft-yet-commanding tone, snaking the hand holding the braid down to squeeze at Anakin's crotch. "Or it won't be my fault if you aren't prepared well enough." Anakin seemed to understand the implication, sucking more fervently on Ferus' digits.

Tru stood rooted to the spot as he heard a gasp from Anakin, and suddenly the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Oh… Oh Force. For a not-so-brief moment, Tru was certain he was going to vomit. Not because of the action itself but because of who was engaged in it.

“You love this, don’t you, you slut.” Ferus’ voice was rough and commanding, and Tru felt as though he had been kicked in the gut. Why was Anakin letting Ferus call him such things? The whole thing seemed so wrong, so completely and utterly inconceivable. Tru half-hoped he would wake up. He wanted desperately for it to be a dream; for Anakin not to be moaning and panting like an animal in heat - or, he realized with a shocking bit of clarity, for it to be him rather than Ferus eliciting those noises from his best friend.

"Oh, you want this?" Ferus was crooning between thrusts. Tru couldn't exactly tell what 'this' was referring to, but he heard Anakin's frustrated balking as Ferus apparently refused it. His question was soon answered: "you want me to finish jerking you off, you little whore?"

"Fuck you," Anakin panted out, but he didn't sound half as angry as he usually did to Tru where it concerned Ferus.

Ferus chuckled. "I already am." He continued his teasing, moving his hand down the flat plane of Anakin's stomach, the downy hairs beneath his navel tickling his palm. Tru heard a loud, appreciative-sounding groan; Ferus must have obliged to jerking Anakin off.

He heard Ferus come to completion first, his breathing muffled by what Tru could only assume was him burying his face in Anakin's shoulder or something. He began edging towards the door, knowing he couldn't stay much longer without being discovered ... knowing he couldn't be discovered because, Force, what could he even say? He waited around just long enough to hear Anakin's breathy exclamations as he orgasmed, however, placing the memory aside in his mind to mull over later. Then, hastily brushing away tears, Tru sucked back a sob and quietly slipped out the door from whence he arrived.

*


While Ferus made sure his tunics were immaculate, Anakin took it upon himself to root through the other boy’s school bag. He was not overly surprised to see that it was organized and neat – a far cry from Anakin’s own bag, which always seemed to find itself full of spare parts at the end of the day.

His fingers curled around a small tube of some sort, and he drew it out to see what it was. Chap-stick. Of course Ferus would carry around chap-stick.

Ferus turned to see Anakin gazing curiously at his chap-stick. A sigh came to him as Anakin popped off the cap and ran the tube over his full lips – his beautiful, full lips. Ferus frowned. As hot as that may be, Anakin had very little right to go through his things like that. "Do you mind?" he asked, crossing his arms in an annoyed fashion.

Anakin finished applying a generous amount and smacked his lips together. "Not at all," he replied airily, tossing it at the older boy. Ferus rolled his eyes, watching Anakin lazily strip off the rest of his clothing; they'd agreed that it would be more discreet for them to take separate showers. It would have been even MORE discreet, Ferus had argued, if they hadn't done something like this in a public fresher at all, but Anakin had just snorted at him.

He readied his school bag, slinging it over his shoulder and stepping out of stall. "I'll see you this afternoon," he called to Anakin over the rush of the shower. The other boy nodded; Ferus took one last look at his lanky, well-muscled form, and left.

*


"Hey, Tru," Darra Thel-Tanis beamed at him, biting into a piece of fruit. Tru set his lunch tray down on the opposite side of her table, managing a small smile. "What's up?" his fellow Padawan asked.

He shook his head, keeping his eyes down so she wouldn't see quite as easily how miserable he was. "I'm okay," he said. He could feel Darra staring at him, concerned, and reluctantly looked up. "What?"

"Nothing, you just ... what's wrong?" Darra asked. "You haven't looked this sad since they ran out of you favorite type of breakfast muffin for a month."

He smiled again, more genuine this time. Darra was a good friend. “Well, that was a very tragic thing,” he replied, then his expression darkened again.

Darra nudged him. “Come on, Tru, what’s up?”

Tru considered his predicament. He knew he could trust Darra – she was a good friend, a loyal friend, who would not betray a confidence. But she was also friends with Anakin, and she knew Ferus, even if she was not friends with him. But he needed to get this out, needed to tell someone. Even if he didn’t tell her about why it upset him… he needed to say something.

But how could he say it? It wasn’t exactly a situation that presented itself often, and Tru was unsure of how Darra would react to such a thing occurring at all, let alone who was causing it to occur. Finally, he decided to deal with the heart of the issue. “It’s Anakin,” he said, trying not to sound too miserable.

Her eyes widened with concern. "Is something the matter with him?" she asked. For some reason, the immediate assumption made him feel worse.

He shook his head. "It's more like ... he did something. And he doesn't know that I know about it yet, but it really upset me, and I'm not sure how to tell him about it because it's ... weird. I don't know." He looked up at Darra's bewildered expression; were the circumstances nearly anything else, he would have laughed at how comically confused she looked. "Sorry," he said. "That probably didn't help."

"Well, not if you actually want more than just abstract advice," she snorted. Her small hand came across the table and patted his cheek. "Tru, you're one of my best friends," she said. "You can tell me anything. I swear," she promised, "I won't tell anyone else if you don't want me to."

Tru took a deep breath. "Okay," he said slowly. "It's about Anakin and Ferus."

Darra cocked her head. "They're study buddies at the moment, aren't they?"

Tru swallowed bitterly. "If you want to call it that." Noting Darra's continued confusion, he sighed. "I ... they ... studying isn't the only thing they've been getting up to," he finally blurted.

Darra's expression went from puzzlement to understanding ... to shock. "Anakin and Ferus?" she said in a high-pitched whisper. She shook her head in disbelief. "But ... Anakin hates Ferus!"

"That's what I thought," Tru shrugged. He could feel his eyes burn with unshed tears and sniffled. "I don't even know why it bothers me so much!" he exclaimed. "I never ... Anakin and I are just really good friends," he said. "That's all we've ever been, all that I ever thought we'd be. I still think that. But ... hearing him with Ferus, doing ... that ..." he trailed off.

"It makes you wonder if you want something more," Darra finished for him.

"Well, yeah." Tru blinked. "Is that crazy?"

Darra smiled warmly at him. “No,” she replied. “You and Anakin are best friends. I think it’s probably just a fact of life about being best friends with somebody sometimes. And,” she leaned forward conspiratorially, “he is pretty cute.”

Tru gaped at her, and then realized she was joking. He smacked her good naturedly on the arm, his long limbs able to reach her even as she pulled away. “But why… I mean, what is it about Ferus?” he asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard Anakin say one good thing about him… ever.”

Darra shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said honestly. “It is pretty weird.”

“Weird is probably an understatement,” Tru responded, and sighed. “I just wish it didn’t hurt so much. Maybe if it were anyone else… anyone but Ferus…”

With a shake of her head, Darra laid a hand on his arm. “You’d feel bad no matter what.”

Tru looked down at the table, realizing that Darra was right – it wouldn’t matter who had been doing that to Anakin, saying those things to him. It would still hurt, because Anakin wasn’t with him.

*


Tru filed out of his last class for the day with a relieved sigh. He had so far managed to avoid thinking about Anakin and Ferus for at least two-and-a-half minutes at a time, and he was sure that with a little more practice, he could double that. He reached into his pocket and turned on his comlink, swallowing when he realized he had a message.

"Hey, Tru." Anakin sounded a little out of breath; did he contact Tru right after he and Ferus had finished fucking again? "... haven't spent much time together lately, but I thought you could come over and we could watch a holovid or something later on. Lemme know." He erased the message, shoving the comlink back into his tunic a little angrily. He was so focused on what he was doing that he nearly bumped head-long into the very person he'd been painstakingly trying to avoid all afternoon.

"Geez, careful," Anakin laughed, his hands outward, bracing in case Tru happened to fall into him. He nodded at his best friend's pocket. "Did you get my message?"

Tru nodded curtly, a little dry-mouthed. "It's not a good night for me," he replied shortly. "Projects." He turned away, but not without noticing a confused glint in Anakin's eyes. The other boy covered it up quickly, though.

"Sure," Anakin said. "Some other time." He was so willing to excuse whatever it was as somebody else's problem, Tru thought angrily. He'd always been that way.

"Or maybe not," he snapped, whipping back around. "Maybe I'm trying to tell you that you can find a new best friend to watch holovids with." 'Like Ferus', he almost said, but caught himself, taking some small pleasure in keeping Anakin somewhat in the dark.

Somewhat seemed to be an understatement, however; Anakin's brow furrowed, his face etched in hurt. "What's wrong, Tru?" he asked.

Tru grimaced at him, his eyes narrowed. "As if you don't know." Surely Anakin couldn’t be that clueless. Surely Anakin had some idea that his secret wasn’t as secret as he thought it was.

“I don’t, honestly!” Anakin exclaimed. “What did I do?” His eyes were filled with pain, and Tru felt like he was looking at a mirror image of his own face. He knew he shouldn’t feel good about making Anakin feel bad, but… Anakin always had to be the right one, the one in charge, the one who got away with hurting everyone else, then apologizing for it hastily and expecting those around him to just forgive and forget. Well, that wasn’t fair ... especially if he didn’t even realize he was hurting people, Tru decided.

“It’s more like who you did,” he hissed. He felt only slight satisfaction at watching Anakin's expression grow shocked.

"Oh, Force," he murmured. "Tru --"

"Save it, Anakin," Tru shook his head and tugged away from his friend's outstretched arm. "I don't want to hear your excuses this time." He could feel Anakin's nervous energy through the Force; even without it, he was pretty sure it would still roll off of the other boy in waves. He turned around when he was confident that he wouldn't be met with Anakin's searing gaze anymore. His former best friend was trudging off down the hall in the opposite direction, the set of his shoulders absolutely miserable. He'd successfully made Anakin feel as awful as he did, Tru thought; and, he realized, it didn't make him feel even remotely better.

*


Anakin had never been one to avoid confrontation; if something - or somebody - was bothering him, he'd just as soon get it over with and run out onto the battlefield with his lightsaber ready, rather than hiding out and waiting for trouble to come to him.

This whole situation with Ferus and the subsequent mess with Tru was different somehow, though, and since he couldn't think of a way to get it resolved immediately, he opted for ducking out of sight when he saw his best friend rounding a corner, resisting the near-habit of contacting Tru on his comlink as soon as he had a break between classes. He wanted to make things better between them again, to be sure, but he had a feeling that Tru needed his space, at least for a while. 'Patience', Obi-Wan would probably say. Anakin always hated when his Master turned out to be right.

It was with this mindset that he found himself hesitating outside the double doors of the Temple cafeteria. His stomach growled hungrily, reminding him that he hadn't eaten yet, even though it was nearly afternoon. He surveyed it warily, ashamed to be relieved when Tru was nowhere in sight. He stepped up to the table his friend Darra was sitting at, flashing her an anxious smile. Did she know? He wondered if Tru had kept her in the loop; moreover, he wondered if Tru would have told anybody else besides her - it wasn't as if they'd had time to establish boundaries about this or anything. "Hi, Darra," he greeted.

Darra's smile was friendly, which he took as a good sign. "Hello, Anakin. How are you doing?" She saw Anakin coming a mile away. Well maybe not a mile, as visibility in the Temple was limited a bit by walls and the like.

The fact was, though, that Anakin Skywalker wore his heart on his sleeve. No matter what he was feeling, one had only to look at him to know. He was ashamed, worried, and obviously terrified that he had lost Tru as a friend.

Darra wanted to reassure him, to tell him that Tru was only jealous, but that was the one thing she couldn’t say. She would do what she could to make him feel better, but without the truth, she didn’t know if she could help.

“Not… um, not so good, Darra.” She could tell that being so honest about his problems pained him, and reached across the table to pat his hand. If she was the one Anakin had decided to go to for help, she was determined not to steer him wrong.

And she knew exactly what to do: send him to Master Obi-Wan. He might not be able to tell his Master exactly what was wrong, but she knew that if anyone could help Anakin and Tru patch things up, it was Obi-Wan Kenobi. The idea must have made her visibly relieved or something, because Anakin furrowed his brow. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," she assured him. He still didn't look convinced, and she finally just plunged ahead. "Look, Anakin, Tru told me about you and Ferus, and ..."

"Oh, man." Anakin laid his forehead against the table. When he looked up again, Darra's kind expression hadn't changed. "Are you ... ?"

"Mad?" Darra snorted. "I'm not the one involved in this whole thing." It was a good thing, too, she thought with a small chuckle. As much as she cared about her friends, and as much as she enjoyed being treated like 'one of the guys' most of the time, there were definite perks to being the odd girl out. Like, for instance, not being caught up in any of their strange romantic entanglements.

"But that doesn't mean I'm not interested, or I don't care," she continued hastily. "I do. And if you or Tru or even Ferus needs a friendly ear, I'll totally give it." She chose her next words carefully: "have you considered speaking to your Master about this?"

Anakin outright balked. "Yeah, I'm sure Obi-Wan would love to know that I've been boning Ferus Olin when he and Siri both think we've been studying math together for months." That'd go over real well, he thought, nearly snickering aloud at the mental image of Obi-Wan, arms crossed and eyes blazing, after he was casually informed of Anakin's goings-ons.

"Well, you wouldn't have to tell him specifics, per se," Darra protested, giggling a little herself. "But just, you know, talk to him about your fighting with Tru. He might have some good, generic, Masterly advice," she said. "After all," she concluded, "that's sort of what he's there for."

Despite the his initial horror at the idea, Anakin had to admit that it was a good one. He had bizarre visions of Obi-Wan refusing to teach him anymore, and Ferus seeing him off on the shuttle to agricorps with a tearful kiss goodbye. It was like a bad romance holo, and about as unlikely as Anakin deciding that he found Gundarks sexually attractive.

Of course, he hadn’t thought he’d ever find Ferus sexually attractive, either…

Shaking his head, Anakin suppressed a shudder. It was times like that, when he wondered why he was actually doing what he was doing. But the problem was that when Anakin was acting, he didn’t think. He just did.

“I-I guess you’re right. I could just tell him that Tru and I are arguing, and ask him what he thinks.”

Darra smiled encouragingly, and Anakin felt better.

At least there was someone who didn’t hate him for screwing Ferus. Even if that someone didn’t include Tru, Ferus, or even Anakin himself.

He stood up again suddenly, deciding just to grab something to eat and take it back to his room so he could mull over all of this some more in solitude. "Thanks, Darra," he said gratefully. "For, you know ... everything."

"You're welcome, Anakin," she said. "And Anakin." Her small hand came up and landed lightly on his arm; he stopped and met her gaze briefly. "I hope everything works out. For all of you."

"Me too," he replied softly, and left. He slipped out the double doors from whence he came just as Tru was dropping by, coming from the opposite direction.

"What did he want?" he asked Darra, unable to keep the suspicion and bitterness out of his voice.

Darra sighed. "He just came by to talk." She noticed the argumentative expression on Tru's face all too well. "Look, I'm friends with both of you. But don't make me act as a go-between," she said, gently yet firmly. "If you do, I can't promise that our friendship will survive it."

Tru took a deep breath, centering himself. "You're right," he nodded. "I'm sorry. I -- it's just frustrating," he said. "I can't even look at Anakin without thinking about him and Ferus and ... what they were doing in that bathroom stall." He sighed. "I'm still too mad to be rational about it."

Darra nodded sympathetically. "Give it time. Eventually things will fall into place." Tru nodded his assent and stole one of her chips before heading out the same door Anakin had - assumably, to the dormitories - and Darra rubbed at her temples. "Things had better fall into place, for all of our sanity," she muttered.

*


The very idea of talking to Master Obi-Wan about anything related to his fucking Ferus gave Anakin a chill. He wanted his relationship with Tru fixed, but he didn’t want to have to pay for it with Obi-Wan.

The fact that Anakin had a study session with Ferus before he could talk to Obi-Wan seemed both a blessing and a curse of the highest order.

He didn’t know how he was going to deal with Ferus for two hours, before trying to work on his real concern. Ferus was a distraction at best, but he certainly wasn’t going to help fix the Tru problem.

Oddly enough, Anakin found that he didn’t even want a distraction.

He didn’t want to give Tru any more reason to be angry with him, and fucking Ferus had been the original problem.

Realizing that he intended to go to Ferus’ quarters and actually study math, Anakin shuddered in abject horror. He hadn’t believed he’d ever see the day that he wanted to study more than fuck.

It wasn't difficult to ascertain a distance between them, though, at least. Anakin nearly always instigated their sexual encounters, and Ferus seemed just as content to work equations as he was working his fingers into the younger boy's ass. So it surprised him when Ferus let out a dramatic sigh and slammed his data-pad down audibly. "Okay, I can't take it anymore," he said suddenly.

"What?" Anakin turned towards him grumpily.

Ferus was already up and pacing the small room. "You! You're in some weird funk and it's completely breaking my concentration." He glanced critically at Anakin, studying his face, searching for a sign of whatever ailment he suspected him to have. "What's the matter with you?"

Anakin shrugged unconvincingly.

Ferus tried again. "Why are you so moody today? Did I do something to piss you off?" He raised an eyebrow wryly. "Usually you can't wait to inform me of my many, many short fallings. Come on, humor me," he said exasperatedly.

Anakin sighed. "You want to be humored, Ferus? Okay, how about the fact that we weren't the only ones in the fresher the other day? Hilarious, isn't it? I mean, after you kept warning me about being discreet. Ha ha, huh?"

Ferus' expression grew serious. "I -- you -- who was -- ?"

"It was Tru." Anakin looked down at his hands, the rolling feeling in his stomach back again at the mere mention of his friend's name. "He heard pretty much everything he needed to, and now he won't even look at me. He - he hates me, I think." He looked up, eyes blazing. "Funny, isn't it?"

"No, not really." Ferus stepped cautiously over to where Anakin sat cross-legged, sitting down next to him. "It's an unfortunate end to the situation, and I --"

"Like you care," Anakin spat. "Like you even have --" he stopped and glanced away. "Sorry."

Ferus wet his lips. He was rarely at a loss for words, but then, he hadn't had much of an opportunity or reason to find the right ones to comfort Anakin, either. The two had never been on good enough terms to warrant that. "Tru and I are only acquaintances," he began. "But I know that his friendship means a lot to you, and I'm sorry that you're feeling so awful without it." Anakin looked surprised, but grateful, and he took the opportunity to press on. "Do you think this is a sign that we need to stop doing this?"

The younger boy's expression grew bemused. "Why? He knows about it anyway. The damage is already done."

Ferus seemed confused for a moment, then nodded. “But what about everyone else, Anakin? Only Tru knows for now. If we stop now, no one else needs to find out.”

And give up the best fuck he’d had at the Temple? Anakin thought not.

Not that he was going to put it to Ferus that way.

“Do you want to stop, Ferus?” Anakin tried to look neutral on the subject, but he doubted if he managed it. He’d never been very good at being neutral, or even pretending to be.

Ferus looked at him hard for a moment, as if trying to decide what answer would draw the least ridicule from Anakin. Ironically, Anakin wasn’t looking for something in Ferus’ words to scorn for a change.

“Not,” looking down at his lap, Ferus bit his lip. “Not really. Do you?”

Grinning, Anakin shook his head, and then remembered that Ferus wasn’t looking at him. “No.”

The look in Ferus’ eyes as turned to look Anakin in the eye was unreadable, but Anakin thought that it was strangely filled with emotion of some kind. Emotion that wasn’t irritation or contempt.

Impulsively, Anakin leaned forward and pressed his lips to the other boy’s.

Maybe the whole day wasn’t ruined, after all.

*


He made a vague attempt not to act "moody", as Ferus had put it, around Obi-Wan, but Anakin had never been very good at hiding his feelings. He was also preoccupied by the current drama in his life, which Obi-Wan seemed to notice even more than the fact that his Padawan was sulking.

"Anakin, could you pass me that wooden spoon, please? Anakin? Anakin," his Master snapped, darting across the small kitchen area to snatch up the utensil himself. Anakin blinked, realizing that he'd been staring at the same vegetable Obi-Wan had asked him to cut up for an indiscernible amount of time, now, and that it was still in one piece.

"Sorry," he mumbled. He began slicing it up, his aim sloppy and unfocused.

Obi-Wan tsked at him. "You know, Anakin, if you would bother going to bed at a decent hour instead of staying up all night tinkering with droids or watching those trashy horror holovids, you might be more alert by the time early evening ro- Anakin!" he gasped, tugging the knife away just before his apprentice could accidentally cut into his own finger. "Go sit down," he ordered, and Anakin absentmindedly obeyed, trudging over to the small table in the adjoining room.

"Anakin, really, is there something bothering you? You seem much more put-out than usual, even during your particularly insomniatic moments." He finished tossing the now chopped vegetables into the pot of homemade stew he was making, then pulled up a chair adjacent to Anakin's. "Well?"

It was then that Anakin realized the problems with his plan to talk to Obi-Wan. Beyond the fact that Obi-Wan could conceivably press the issue until Anakin had confessed everything, there were other things. How to start, for one.

“Tru’s mad at me.” That worked. It wasn’t the eloquent explanation that he’d intended, but it was a start.

Obi-Wan, as usual, looked concerned in that detached way of his. The way that made Anakin want to kiss him. Okay, that image was not going to help him keep from talking about the fresher incident.

“Is it something serious, Anakin?” Like Darra had earlier, Obi-Wan reached out and put his hand on Anakin’s.

“I… I don’t… know.” Oh Force, he was not going to cry. Not in front of Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan already thought him childish enough, without his having a mental breakdown over such a small thing as an argument with a friend.

Obi-Wan frowned and tightened his hold on Anakin’s hand, and Anakin’s heart stopped. He knew. He knew everything. He’d just plucked it out of the Force, and he knew everything.

"Was it a mutual disagreement?" Obi-Wan asked blandly. Anakin let out a ragged breath; okay, perhaps he didn't know. He had considered telling him on numerous occasions, had wondered at the possibility of just tossing it off in casual conversation. But every time, he irrevocably decided that there was no way Obi-Wan could possibly understand - no way would he ever forgive him, and that always made him clam up again.

Anakin shook his head a little. "It was something I did. It ... I was stupid," he offered. Obi-Wan waited a couple of beats for more, then, seeing that he apparently wasn't going to get it, moved his hand up to cup Anakin's cheek. His touch was comforting, and while Anakin was sure Obi-Wan meant it only as a mentor, he toyed for one delirious second with the notion of pressing a kiss to his Master's palm. He thought about sucking one of Obi-Wan's long digits into his mouth, and then his Master's grip on his jaw turning Anakin's face upward just enough so their lips could meet --

He vacillated harshly, pushing the disturbingly erotic images out of his head. It wouldn't do to entertain such notions; at least, not while he was in his Master's presence, where the probability of his true feelings slipping out was much higher. "-- Qui-Gon told me," Obi-Wan was saying, and he quickly tuned back in. "He reminded me that saying something unpleasant to a friend was never the right thing to do, but it's ultimately fixable. Just give Tru time," he smiled. "And be prepared to humble yourself a little if you were in the wrong. It will show him more than anything that you value his friendship dearly."

Anakin nodded, blinking and swallowing back errant tears threatening to sneak out. Obi-Wan reached up again, brushing underneath the boy's eyelid with his thumb, Anakin's wet lashes tickling the pad of his finger. The contact sent a small jolt up his spine; he pushed it aside for now, not wanting to think about what it meant.

It was ironic that he was talking to his apprentice about unresolved issues with his friend, really; he hardly felt he were the best person to discuss such things, if for no other reason because Obi-Wan was fairly certain that he had unresolved, overwhelming, and altogether befuddling feelings for his Padawan.

That thought in mind, Obi-Wan jumped up and busied himself working on dinner. He would help Anakin with his problem afterward. Yes, and then he wouldn’t be thinking about other things.

As always, Obi-Wan’s mere words had made Anakin feel better. Even if it hadn’t helped with the problem, or gotten him any closer to a solution, he actually felt as though perhaps there would be an end to the problem. Hopefully, it would be an end that didn’t involve Tru never talking to him again.

*

Trudging through the fresher and into the showers, Tru wearily wiped his eyes. It had been an excessively long week, and it didn’t seem that he was ever going to see the end of it. He just needed to catch a quick shower to wipe away the smell and feel of saber practice, though, and then he was off to his quarters for evening meditation.

It was going to be a much needed evening meditation, to say the least.

When he heard familiar sounds issuing forth from the showers, he knew that he should turn around and walk out. He shouldn’t have gone in. He shouldn’t have looked to see what was going on. At worst, he could have taken a shower in his own quarters.

His curiosity got the best of him, though, and even knowing what he was likely to find, and just how he would feel about it, he peeked around the corner.

Sure enough, there it was.

Ferus Olin on his knees, in front of Anakin. Did the two of them have no decency? No sense of shame? Hadn’t it occurred to them that after getting caught once, it could happen again?

And yet, Tru couldn’t seem to rip his eyes away.

It had been disturbing enough, hearing Ferus sucking Anakin off. Watching it was positively… making him want to be the one sucking Anakin off, even more than before.

He must have made noise enough to clue the party in on his presence, because he was suddenly staring into Anakin's eyes, bright and blue and sparkling with lust. His hand lightly tugged Ferus' face up, the older boy turning around and gazing at Tru as well.

He swallowed, twisting an arm around his back, as he was prone to doing when particularly anxious. "I-I'm sorry," he mumbled, and turned to leave, heart hammering in his chest.

"No, wait." Anakin's voice held a note of pleading, and he reluctantly turned back around, expecting a tossed-off apology, coated with guilt and some of that infamous Skywalker charm. "We ... you ... come here, Tru," Anakin finally settled on, fingers beckoning as he smiled slyly. "Join the party."

"I -- I couldn't," Tru stammered, but Ferus had stood up at this point and nodded his assent to the idea. Tru realized he had never seen Ferus naked before; he supposed he could see what Anakin found so interesting. He was leanly muscled, athletic and lithe from years of Jedi training. He wasn't as beautiful as Anakin, but then, few people were.

"Tru." Anakin had stepped away from Ferus a little at this point and was gliding towards him. He wet his lips, his face mere inches away now, and Tru found his shock and resolve slipping. "You're my best friend, Tru," Anakin whispered throatily, seductively. "I want us to share this."

What had ever made him think that he could walk away?

Anakin was his best friend, and he would do anything for him. Beyond that, he wanted this. He wanted to be a part of this.

Swallowing hard, he didn’t flinch away when Anakin leaned in and kissed him. He had imagined that kissing Anakin was a world-shaking experience, but even he was surprised at the tremors running through his body. Anakin wasn’t a person; he was a force of nature. And he took Tru’s breath away.

He did flinch when he felt hands on his shoulders, lightly trying to massage his tension away. The touch was innocent; not the slightest bit sexual, but it reminded him that there was another person present. And that was a reminder that he didn’t necessarily want.

The reality of the situation suddenly hit him, and he blinked in shock. Oh no. No way was he going to be the one in the middle. Putting his arms around Anakin, he turned so that Anakin was between Ferus and himself. He gave the older boy a look over Anakin’s shoulder, and a silent agreement was reached.

Anakin wanted it; Anakin was going to get it. All of it.

He tugged Anakin closer again, feeling a bit heady, and kissed him again, more persistently this time. He felt Anakin's tongue slipping into his mouth and shivered, sucking on it gently; it went on for several seconds, and he found himself getting quite lost in the sensation, blinking in slight confusion when his best friend pulled away again. He watched Anakin curl back against Ferus, wondering if he had clutched at him quite that possessively. He suddenly felt an intense urge to rip Ferus' fingers off, and chastised himself immediately for entertaining such un-Jedi-like thoughts.

Anakin must have sensed his jealousy, and stepped momentarily out of the concave of their bodies. Tru felt a hand on his back, pressing him gently forward, and he blinked, suddenly feeling self-conscious this close to Ferus. "Go on," he heard Anakin murmur. "Kiss him." He tilted his face upwards, allowing Ferus to plant one on him. It didn't send electric shocks up his spine the way kissing Anakin had, but when he glanced at his friend out of the corner of his eye, he felt blood surge through his veins anew.

Anakin was ... touching himself, rubbing his hand over his already erect cock as he drank in the sight of Tru and Ferus making out. The notion thrilled him and he began kissing the older boy back with more ferocity. Ferus made a soft noise of surprise, but allowed it, even drawing Tru a little closer as their teeth clicked together, tongues battling for dominance. They drew away from each other, panting, looking to Anakin for approval.

The look in Anakin’s eyes nearly drove Tru crazy with lust. He finally understood, though; Anakin’s affair with Ferus had never been a personal rejection of Tru. It was just the way that Anakin had found he could… communicate with Ferus.

The two of them had seemed to be getting along better in recent weeks, if still not particularly well. Tru found himself relieved by that, shamefully enough.

Conscious thought was chased from his head, though, when Anakin turned him around to face the wall. His heart hammered in his chest as he felt his leggings being unlaced and slipped down over his hips. Anakin whispered reassuring nonsense in his ear as he ran his hands over Tru’s ass, and all Tru could seem to make himself do was stand there and tremble.

Anakin quickly stripped him, as though afraid that he would change his mind. Tru could have told him that he was beyond thinking, but… he couldn’t seem to make his vocal cords function. At least, not until he felt Anakin’s hand on his cock, and then the words flowed freely.

“Oh! Please, Anakin… Force, please…”

Anakin’s breath on his ear gave him an electric jolt, and the words whispered to him made him want to melt into the shower wall, never moving again. “Do you want me, Tru? You want me inside you?”

It took all of his concentration to nod weakly in response, and the whine that issued forth from his mouth would have been embarrassing, had he not been so focused on what Anakin’s hands were doing. His whimpering soon turned to a sharp gasp when he felt one of Anakin's fingers probing him. "Shh, it's okay," Anakin assured him, his free hand spread palm-down against Tru's stomach. "I love you so much, Tru. I would never do anything intentionally to hurt you. I promise."

Tru felt warmth spread through his chest at the affirmation. He glanced over at Ferus, who watched them hazily, one naked foot propped against the opposite shower wall. He felt smug suddenly, confident that Anakin had never told Ferus anything like that. He grasped Anakin's free hand, pressing it against his heart, clutching it lovingly with both hands. "I'm ready," he said softly.

Anakin pushed part-way into him and he let out a keening cry, nearly doubling over from the sensation. He could feel his best friend's pulse beating, his captured hand squeezing Tru's fingers, and tried to center himself. "Okay," he whispered once he felt he could handle it. Anakin pressed a kiss to the back of his neck and pushed in again, harder this time, his breath coming in excited gusts. Tru let his head fall back, smiling when Anakin's mouth brushed over the side of his jaw. When he looked at Ferus again, he admired the other boy's cool composure, and the fact that his hand hadn't strayed to his own cock. He didn't know if he would have been able to just stand there and watch.

"Oh," Anakin breathed, upping the pace of his thrusts. His hands snaked down to Tru's waist, one hand closing around his cock while the other braced against his hip. "Tru," Anakin said huskily in his ear. "You're so beautiful, Tru." His hand was slickened from the saliva he'd used to wet his fingers, as well as his friend's pre-come, and it slid along Tru's penis in a brisk rhythm.

The softly spoken words were nearly enough to push him over the edge all by themselves. When combined with Anakin’s hand on him, it was almost too much to bear. With Ferus watching, though, Tru was not willing to let go quite so easily.

He felt the vague sense of jealousy emanating from the older boy, and some petty little part of him wanted to feel Ferus’ jealousy. A part of Anakin belonged to Tru; one that could never belong to Ferus, no matter how much sex they had.

“Anakin…” Tru whispered softly against Anakin’s neck, wanting to speak, but not knowing what to say.

Behind Anakin’s head, he saw Ferus still watching them, and a wicked thought crept into his head. Looking hard at Ferus, Tru bit down on Anakin’s neck, fully intending to leave a mark.

Tru hadn’t realized just how territorial he was, until Ferus had come into the picture.

Rather unexpectedly for Tru, he felt Anakin tense behind him. It took only a second to realize why, as the movement of Anakin’s hand on his cock grew erratic, and he moaned loudly, leaning into Tru. Anakin appreciated being bitten, it seemed, the noises he made almost more interesting than the now purpling mark on his neck. He shivered with delight as Anakin's hand began pumping at him even more ferociously, groaning when he felt himself being thrust into harder and harder. Anakin buried his face in the crook of Tru's neck as he came, his hand fisting the other boy's cock purposefully until he was satisfied that he'd brought him off as well.

Tru leaned against the shower wall, catching his breath, groaning as Anakin carefully pulled out of him. He allowed himself to be turned around, smiling into Anakin's mouth as the other boy pressed against him, licking at his mouth for entrance. Their tongues tangled languidly together for several seconds, Tru pulling away suddenly to mouth at the small teeth-shaped bruise that he'd made. Anakin's eyes slid shut as he moaned wantonly; they flew open again as the shower head pulsated on. Tru jumped as well, not realizing that Ferus had joined them until now.

He watched Ferus fingering his mark on Anakin's neck, the nonchalant manner with which his hand slid down to cup the other boy's crotch, fingers curling around Anakin's cock, coaxing Anakin's legs further open. His free hand came up and tugged Anakin's head back with his braid, as Tru knew he was so fond of doing. "Want me to mark you on the other side?" he grinned against Anakin's ear, loud enough for them all to have heard.

"Skywalker here only plays at always being the one in charge," Ferus commented slyly, nipping at Anakin's throat. Warm water pooled around them, beading their skin and filling the room lightly with steam. One of Ferus' hands slid down to grab at the younger boy's ass; Tru watched Anakin buck forward a little, and figured Ferus was preparing him to be fucked. He marveled at how much his best friend seemed to enjoy the forced submission. "He'd never tell anyone this," Ferus was still saying, "but he loves to be taken. He's a great little whore," he purred. "Aren't you?" Anakin rocked back against him and moaned.

Tru felt his own arousal stirring again. He began to wonder if he'd be playing spectator for this round, when -- "why don't you come help us, Tru?" Ferus half-asked, half-ordered. He reached around and briefly grabbed Anakin's own erect cock. "Help me give him what he really wants. You know you want it, too."

Wordlessly, Tru found himself following Ferus’ order.

Pulling Anakin under the shower spray, he ran his hands over his best friend’s beautiful body. For once in his life, Tru did as he pleased, starting by feeling his way over every inch of Anakin’s chest. He slowly worked his way downward, ignoring Anakin’s groin entirely.

Ferus seemed to be having quite enough luck there without even touching, from the look of it. It seemed that Ferus had been quite right, in the idea that Anakin actually liked being treated like… that. Every few seconds, Anakin would jerk forward, clearly because of the pressure from Ferus’ fingers, but his recently spent cock rose steadily despite it.

When Tru moved down to Anakin’s thighs, the boy let out a pleading moan, and Tru looked up to find Anakin staring at him. The pleading that had come from his mouth was also in his eyes, and it undid Tru’s intentions of letting Anakin wait.

Leaning back, Tru let the water fall on Anakin for a moment. Using the soap to clean the remaining traces of their previous encounter from Anakin’s body, Tru found himself captivated by the low growl that suddenly came from his friend.

Ferus was pushing against him from behind, Tru realized. Ferus was… oh. And the look on Anakin’s face was incredible. Pain, and lust, and want, all at once. Anakin had always been expressive, but unintentionally so; rather, it had just been his natural outpouring, something that slipped out even as he made to keep the extraordinary amounts of passion within himself at bay. Now, with his shields completely down, and Ferus' fingers sliding in and out of him, he was completely open and vulnerable. Tru marveled at how much trust Anakin had in them - in him - to allow himself to be placed in such a position.

He gently reached up and held fast to Anakin's hips, bringing them forward just a bit. He had, truthfully, never done something quite like this before, but had certainly considered the schematics of it. He raised himself up on his knees and mouthed at Anakin's cock, savoring Anakin's appreciative, pleading groan as he drew away.

Ferus collected Anakin's wrists in one hand, pinning the other boy's arms behind his back, making Anakin's body arc outward just a little more. Tru ran his tongue over his friend's penis again, curious fingertips fondling his balls. "Please," he begged, and Tru, never one to be able to deny Anakin for long, obliged. He slid his mouth over the cock-head, laving it with his tongue, suctioning his lips around it tentatively before practicing bobbing his head.

He closed his eyes, his lids flying open again as his head was shoved down unexpectedly on Anakin's shaft. "Mmm," he gurgled, sliding it out from between his lips momentarily to frown up at Ferus, who had obviously been positioning his own cock inside Anakin's ass. Anakin's own eyes were shut, long lashes fluttering as he moaned incoherently. Ferus thrust into him a couple of times and he nearly pitched forward, Tru's own hands holding him steady. He took Anakin into his mouth again, working with Ferus' erratic rhythm, licking pre-come and drops of water from the head.

Anakin was completely incoherent within seconds, pushing back and forth with Ferus’ urgent thrusts, the only sound he seemed able to make a tiny whine. Somehow, this turned Tru on far more than the attention to himself had.

Seeing Anakin so vulnerable and open, it made Tru positively giddy.

He had to work not to gag when Ferus’ thrusts became stronger, shoving Anakin further down his throat than he had intended. Jedi breath control served him well in the attempt, though he doubted that Master Windu had intended it for that when he’d taught the class on it.

As fascinating a position as it seemed to be, Tru was quite glad not to be Anakin, right then.

Besides, he had what he wanted. Anakin wanted him. Anakin loved him, not Ferus.

It became apparent that Ferus had released Anakin’s hands, when they came around to twine in Tru’s hair. There was light pressure, urging but not forcing Tru further, deeper, faster. Try as he might, it quickly became hard to keep up. He struggled to keep his tongue flattened, to allow more of Anakin's cock to slide into his mouth. The sounds of Anakin's gasps were intoxicating, the feel of his best friend's fingers twined lovingly in his hair strangely right. "Oh, Force," Anakin nearly sobbed. "I- I'm going to ... oh, Tru --!"

And that was when Tru woke up, curled on his side on his own bed, his cheeks damp from the tears that had streaked down them, his cock achingly hard. He bit his lip and bore down on his erection, bringing himself to release quickly. 'It was just a dream', he realized as his heavy breathing subsided. 'Just a dream'. He wished he could convince himself that it was a good thing.

*


Tru, unlike Anakin, did not spend inordinate amounts of time at his Master Ry-Gaul's residence. He had been surprised when Master Gaul had chosen him as a Padawan to begin with, and though they had eventually formed a rather formidable Master-Padawan bond, he sensed that his mentor was not somebody who enjoyed casual socialization. Even during their training sessions together, their conversations were brief and uncomplicated.

So he had been rather surprised when Master Gaul had contacted him on his comlink, asking after him that afternoon. He was even more curious when he palmed open his Master's apartment door and saw Obi-Wan sitting at Master Gaul's dining room table.

He had never had anything particularly against Obi-Wan - as a matter of fact, the man had always seemed courteous and kind to him. It was just that he was Anakin's Master, and though Tru doubted his best friend - former best friend? He honestly wasn't sure these days - had informed him just what his "study sessions" with Ferus entailed, it still felt awkward being in Obi-Wan's presence since, simply by definition, he would be apt to side with his own Padawan, should the need arise.

Master Gaul motioned silently to a place at the table, and Tru equally silently took it. He looked expectantly at the two Masters, knowing that there had to be a reason he had been called in. Oh no… Master Kenobi wasn’t going to ask about Ferus and Anakin, was he? That was the last subject that Tru wanted to be discussing, under the circumstances.

Especially after…

Shivering, Tru tried to stop thinking about the dream. It wouldn’t do to be thinking of such things in the presence of two Masters. They would at least get a hint of what he was thinking, and that was the last thing he needed to deal with.

Tru wasn’t one to blame others for his problems, but this wasn’t his fault!

Master Gaul looked over at Master Kenobi, and there seemed to be some sort of communication between the two. After a moment, Obi-Wan nodded, and looked over at Tru.

Tru hoped that he wasn’t supposed to read Master Kenobi’s mind, to retain the silence.

His original fears made a comeback a moment later, when Obi-Wan cleared his throat. “I understand that you and Anakin have been having some trouble, Tru."

Tru blinked rapidly. Had Anakin told Obi-Wan the truth? Had he told him… everything? No, that wasn’t possible at all. Anakin wouldn’t tell Obi-Wan about the affair with Ferus if his life depended on it. Thinking hard about his response before making it, he decided that simple was a good place to start. Tru nodded and said quietly, “Yes, Sir.”

Obi-Wan smiled disarmingly and he relaxed a little; if he really did know specifics, he doubted Anakin's Master would be able to smile at all. "It's unfortunate," Obi-Wan continued. "Anakin values his friendships very soundly, and takes it very deeply when one of them goes awry. It is always very easy to glean that from him when something to that effect does happen, in fact." He paused and took a sip of his tea; to his right, Master Gaul motioned towards Tru towards the teapot on the stove, should he want any as well. He nodded, but remained in his seat, not particularly thirsty.

"Master Gaul said that you had been rather quiet lately" - at this, Tru nearly snorted, the idea of Gaul complaining about anybody's quietude ridiculously amusing to him - "and that perhaps, you were having some difficulty finding an outlet to release your frustrations regarding this fight with Anakin. So we would like to assure you that you certainly have that, should you need or want it," Obi-Wan finished with a polite smile.

Tru was touched. "Thank you, Master Obi-Wan, Master Gaul," he nodded. "I ... I'll certainly consider that." He suddenly had the urge to do something with his hands, so he walked into the kitchen and busied himself with pouring his own cup of tea. He felt as if he had to say something more so as not to seem completely impolite: "I hope this situation with Anakin gets resolved soon. I ..." he paused. "I think that we're almost to a point where we can sit down and discuss it rationally." He hoped that was what his intensely erotic mental reconfiguring of the situation was hinting at, at least.

Obi-Wan looked relieved; Master Gaul's expression didn't change much - it rarely did - but Tru took that as a sign that he was pleased, as well. "Anakin does care for you a lot, Tru," Obi-Wan noted. "I believe he's looking for reconciliation as much as you are." Tru was relieved that he wasn't pushing to find out just what the proposed reconciliation was about. He nodded again gratefully, blowing across the top of the now steaming cup.

"Well, I'd better go." Obi-Wan stood up, giving a slight bow in Master Gaul's direction. "Thank you again for lending me that recipe," he said. Master Gaul nodded, and then turned kind, understanding eyes towards his Padawan. Tru blinked back at him over the top of his cup. His Master's quiet nature bothered him at times, but today, it seemed a blessing.

*


Soon after his discussion with Masters Ry-Gaul and Kenobi, Tru found himself going to see Anakin. He hadn't meant to, really, he just needed to finish it, one way or another. Fighting with Anakin was the most uncomfortable situation he'd been in in recent memory, and he wanted his friend back. He was supposed to be confiding in Anakin about problems like this, not going it alone.

Still, though, he hesitated when he finally found Anakin in a saber practice room. What would he do, if Anakin had decided that he didn't even want to be friends anymore?

Sighing at himself and his ridiculous timidity, he wondered why Anakin had ever become friends with him to begin with. If he were Anakin, he'd have just faced the situation to begin with, and it would have been over.

Instead, he was standing outside a practice room, wondering whether his own best friend even wanted to talk to him.

Anakin spun around in a graceful arc, nearly stumbling when he noticed him. "Tru," he blinked in obvious surprise. "Hi." They looked at each other awkwardly for a long moment, both wanting to say something - anything - but not knowing where to start. "Look, Tru --" Anakin started, just as Tru began speaking.

"Let me," Anakin pleaded. Tru swallowed and nodded, and he took a deep breath. "I didn't ... don't ... what happened with Ferus wasn't planned or anything," he explained. "It kind of took us both by surprise. And ... it wasn't meant to hurt anyone, least of all you." He stared at the ground, willing the lump in his throat to subside - this was harder than he thought. "I'd rather die than hurt you, Tru," Anakin said in a half-whisper. "You're my best friend, and I never want to lose that." He met Tru's gaze slowly. "I ... I don't know if I already have, though."

Tru bit his lip and shook his head. "I love you, Anakin, I really do. And I know ... I know it's not my place to say anything about your behavior or who you're doing stuff like ... that with. But ..." At this, he paused, feeling a slight wave of anger crest in him as the situation replayed itself in his mind. "But Ferus, Anakin? You just ... you spend so much time telling me how much you loathe him and being smug when he gets in trouble, and then you're fucking him, and ... and ..." He threw up his hands. "And I don't know why it bothers me so much, but it does!"

Anakin took a step closer, reaching out to comfort him, but he backed away. "No, let me finish," he said. "I ... I think seeing you guys together made me realize that I'm ... attracted to you, or something." At this, he blushed deeply, unable to look Anakin in the eye anymore. "And I've tried to pretend that it didn't affect me so deeply, but ... seeing Ferus on his knees, and hearing you guys ... I haven't been able to get it out of my head!" Tru blurted. "I've even had ... dreams." He bowed his head, ashamed. Surely, Anakin would never speak to him again now.

And for a long, heart-wrenching moment it seemed like he was right. Anakin did not speak, and Tru dared not break the silence. But then he felt Anakin's hand on his cheek, and he raised his head to meet Anakin's gaze.

"Tru, I'm sorry," Anakin said, sounding achingly sincere. "I really never meant to hurt you. I just…" He trailed off, and his hand dropped onto Tru's shoulder. "How can I make it up to you?"

Tru blinked rapidly, his stomach tying in knots. He knew what he wanted - he knew what he wanted to say, could hear his own voice in his head saying it. It was just a matter of forcing the words past his lips. He took a deep breath, and focused his gaze on a spot on the wall over Anakin's shoulder. "Let me kiss you," he said softly.

It was obvious from Anakin's open-mouthed stare that he had not been expecting a response quite like that. Tru tried not to cringe; tried not to wish that the words would come back into his mouth. The power to turn back time would have been quite convenient, just then.

But then, after what felt like eternity, Anakin smiled.

And nodded.

Tru was transfixed by the sight of Anakin, his tongue snaking out to wet his lower lip. He peered at Tru through half-lidded eyes, and all Tru could do was wonder how he'd never seen Anakin that way before. His best friend looked like sex personified, and he'd been totally oblivious until finding him having sex with Ferus Olin.

He took a deep breath, and an unsteady step toward Anakin. As much as he wanted to kiss him, it was going to be hard. He didn't know where to start, or what to do. It wasn't as though he had a lot of experience with kissing.

All his questions were answered for him, though, when Anakin darted forward and pressed their lips together. How very Anakin, Tru thought amusedly. Out of patience already. He closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly, wanting this to last for a while ... in case it was all he was getting. He kept waiting for Anakin to break it off, to pull away, but again, his best friend surprised him by tracing Tru's parted lips with the tip of his tongue. It slipped inside his mouth, and he brought his hands up to clutch at Anakin's shoulders, suddenly not caring about the repercussions.

When they did finally part, both of them were panting - and, Tru was relieved to see, Anakin's mouth was turned up in a soft smile. "We shouldn't do this here," he murmured throatily. Tru's eyes widened. This? Here? Did that mean ... he bit his lip.

"What about Ferus?" he asked, hating himself for needing to know.

Anakin shrugged. "He doesn't have a monopoly on what I do with my afternoons." The non-study session ones, that is, he thought to himself. He glanced towards the doorway, as if wary that somebody had seen or overheard them. Satisfied that they hadn't, he gave his friend another smile, much cheekier this time. "Come on," he said to Tru. "Let's go back to your room."

*


Tru's quarters were always very cheerful. He had been assigned the same standard room granted to all Padawans, with a desk and a sleep couch, but something about his personality had always shone through, even in his sparse attempts at decoration. Anakin had always found himself at ease there; Tru's room wasn't covered in droid parts like his, but it wasn't obsessively neat like Ferus', either. It was just ... Tru. Comfortable, dependable Tru.

He admitted to himself, however, that he had never viewed Ferus' room quite the same since they had deflowered it. He wondered if stepping off the same precipice with Tru would irrevocably alter things between them, as well. Moreover, he wondered if that was a good thing. With Ferus, he was pretty sure it was, for the most part.

And then Tru was drawing the shades against any unwelcome spectators, and Anakin decided to stop thinking and just feel. Anakin had a lot of experience with dismissing concerns and following the Living Force. It shouldn't be too hard, he figured.

When Tru turned back from the window, anxiety was written in every line on his body. Well that certainly wouldn't do. He wouldn't enjoy himself if he didn't relax a little, and Anakin fully intended that Tru enjoy himself.

He still had to make up for the Ferus incident, and this was the perfect opportunity.

Slinking across the room to stand in front of his friend, he smiled, and started to peel Tru's clothes off. It was time to see just how hot that oh-so-flexible body was under those ridiculously heavy Jedi tunics. The very thought of how they might use Tru's abilities made Anakin shudder in excitement.

Finally, after a moment, Tru seemed to lose some of the shyness, and started reciprocating with Anakin's clothes. When those nimble fingers brushed against the front of his leggings, Anakin grabbed Tru's hand and trapped it there, moaning softly.

Tru's eyes widened at the unfamiliar feeling, but his hand started moving of its own accord, along the length of Anakin's cock. His dream, it seemed, hadn't been as generous to Anakin as nature had.

Oh, dear.

That was going to hurt, if Anakin tried what the Anakin in his dreams had done...

But Anakin was not the aggressive Anakin from his dream. This was the real Anakin, Tru's Anakin. And he would be careful, kinder, Tru decided.

Even as Tru stroked his cock, Anakin stroked Tru's cheek, ghosting his lips along Tru's neck. "Let me...." Anakin breathed, and lowered to his knees. Suddenly Tru realized what was going to happen - which, of course, only served to make him harder.

The sensation of Anakin Skywalker's mouth around his cock made Tru shiver with longing. This was something... Something he hadn't even realized he'd wanted until very recently.

And now he had it. He snaked his long fingers through Anakin's hair and stifled a moan. Anakin's tongue ran up and down his shaft in soft swirling circles, and Tru gave a long shuddery sigh.

Then Anakin began humming.

"Ohhh, A-Anakin," he gasped. He gaped at his best friend, legs growing weak as he watched Anakin head slide up and down his cock. The visual increased the amazing sensations, if such a thing were even possible. His hands fluttered awkwardly near his sides, not exactly sure where to put them. Finally he settled on cradling Anakin's head, fingers silkily stroking his friend's jaw. Anakin's eyes flitted up to meet his, and Tru was thrilled at the love he saw in them. Even in such a hopelessly debauched situation such as this, Anakin's expressiveness made it seem even more erotic.

"Mmm," Anakin 'said' around his mouthful. His hand came up to stroke at Tru's thigh, his fingers digging lightly into the firm, warm flesh. Tru hissed and tightened his grip in Anakin's hair, almost subconsciously. He wondered vaguely if it was too much, but Anakin apparently took it as a challenge, his head bobbing more animatedly. Tru came with a small cry, pleased beyond words that Anakin chose to swallow it.

He reached out a hand and helped Anakin to his feet, eagerly helping to divest him of his belt and obi as their mouths drew together again. Tru tasted himself on Anakin's tongue and it fueled him on; Anakin noticed the ferocity with which he ripped the other boy's tunic off and chuckled into his mouth.

Pulling away long enough to smirk, Anakin asked, "Feeling better, then? I know I do..."

With that, he shoved Tru onto his own bed, and lunged after. Tearing at Tru's remaining clothes in earnest, Anakin seemed quite determined to be rid of them, as soon as possible. For Tru, it was almost overwhelming. Anakin was his friend, and they spent quite a lot of time together, but Tru could never get used to his intensity.

And that intensity had stripped him naked in fifteen seconds flat.

Of course, Anakin naked was something else entirely. Anakin was naked. It was actually happening this time, he told himself. He wasn't dreaming that look in Anakin's eyes, it was actually there. Anakin was actually going to...

Swallowing hard, Tru let out a hoarse whisper. "Go easy on me, will you? I, um... you know."

Anakin grinned, and nodded, understanding. When he rolled Tru onto his stomach, he was vividly reminded of the dream, and found himself growing hard again. He wasn't ... they weren't ... this was - "oh, Force," he moaned, feeling Anakin's fingers probing him gently. Quickly the other boy's hand was slicked with something, and Tru was pushing back on it, his breath caught in his throat.

"Easy," Anakin whispered, pressing a kiss to his neck. Tru tried to heed his advice, even as he felt Anakin's own erect cock replacing the fingers he'd been arching against. He sucked in a breath as it pushed in, past the tight ring of muscle, letting it out raggedly as Anakin shifted slightly, readying them both to the sensation. "Ah," Anakin gasped out. He rested his hands on Tru's hips, snapping his own up a little to set a slow pace.

"Anakin," Tru choked out. His dream had been vivid, but nothing compared to the feeling of actually doing something like this, of the tiny hairs on Anakin's legs tickling the backs of his thighs, and the puffs of breath on the back of his neck. Most of all, it could never substitute for the way Anakin grunted and pushed and groaned, just for him. The idea of Ferus watching had been erotic in its own way, but here, Anakin was his, all his.

"Oh!" he yelped when Anakin hit his prostate dead-on. He rested his head on his shoulders as the movement of Anakin's hips set a rhythm, quickly matched by Anakin's hand reaching around to fist his cock. There was no teasing this time around, no need for it, just the sounds of their love-making mingling in the air, of skin against skin, of Tru Veld sharing the most intimate experience he possibly could with his best friend in the world.

"Come on, Tru," Anakin breathed hotly into his ear. "Come on. Come." And Tru did, his head resting against his shoulders as the rest of his body shook with orgasm. Anakin soon followed, collapsing with a delighted, spent grin on his face, pressed against Tru's back. He panted, planting kisses along the back of Tru's neck and shoulder blades. He pulled out carefully and shifted again, until he was spooned up against the other boy's back. "Tru," he murmured. "Love you. You know that, right?"

Tru smiled, knowing Anakin would feel it even though he was facing away from him. He grasped one of his friend's hands, weaving warm fingers together and pressing them to his chest, against his heart. "Love you, too," he said. "I love you so much." Anakin's fingers squeezed his more tightly, and he closed his eyes in satisfaction.

*


When Tru met up with Darra at lunch the next afternoon, she immediately seemed to sense the change in his demeanor. "You look happier," she said, looking relieved. "Did you and Anakin work things out?"

Tru plunked down and smiled. "We did," he said. Feeling suddenly ravenous - likely the product of having such a minimal appetite over the span of the past week - he bit eagerly into his sandwich.

"I'm glad," Darra enthused. She nibbled at her own meal and smirked. "I was getting tired of having to carefully avoid mentioning either of you to each other." She frowned a little with mock severity. "Don’t do that to me again."

"We'll try not to," Tru laughed. "We - oh." He looked up at Anakin's own approaching form.

"Hey," Anakin greeted them both. Darra waved; Tru met his gaze, relieved to see his friend's cheeks were a little red. He could feel himself blushing as well, the memory of the previous evening replaying in his mind. They hadn't really talked much afterwards. They'd lain together for a while, and then Anakin had gotten dressed, kissed him shyly, and left.

Darra seemed to notice the silent exchange and stood up. "I've got something I need to find at the library," she said. "Have fun, you two. Glad to see you're on speaking terms again." She winked and was off, and Anakin took her seat across from Tru.

"So," he said eventually. "How's it going?"

Tru shook his head, his mouth full of food. "Same old, same old," he finally answered, swallowing. There was another lapse, and he finally mustered up the courage. "Can I talk to you about something?" he asked, taking a deep breath.

Anakin nodded. "What about?"

Tru's flush deepened. "It ... you know." Anakin's face grew redder, too. "It ... it was really wonderful," Tru promised. "I loved it, and I loved you, Anakin. I want you to know that more than anything. That hasn't changed, okay?"

"Is something wrong, Tru?" Anakin's face was now etched in concern; he bit at his lip suddenly, not sure he was ready to hear this, after all.

Tru looked down at the table and then back up. "I just think ... we have a really amazing friendship. I don't want that to change, either. And I think that ... that ... would complicate things; maybe not right away, but eventually." He reached across the table, taking Anakin's hand and pressing it between his palms. "So would you totally hate me if I said I didn't think we should do it again, no matter how great it is?"

Anakin's expression softened. "Oh, Tru," he murmured. "No, of course not. I ... I loved it, too, obviously," he assured him. "But it was only ever for you. And if you're more comfortable without it, then that's how it'll be." He brought his hand up to stroke Tru's cheek. "But I love you," he asserted. "I never stopped, and I'll always care about you. I promise."

Tru smiled, feeling completely content for the first time in quite a while. He offered Anakin some of his lunch, and listened as his best friend regaled him with stories of the past couple of days. He missed this, he realized with a sudden aching clarity.
Ferus swung around the corner at some point, and Tru felt himself tensing a little automatically. "Hello, Anakin, Tru," the older boy nodded, polite and a little stiff. He rarely wasted time with preliminaries, and today was apparently no exception. "I just wanted to know if we had a study session this afternoon," he said to Anakin.

Anakin glanced at Tru. That nervous, hesitant look was back, and Tru realized how unnatural it looked on him. Anakin Skywalker was beautiful and confident and assured, and Tru didn't ever want that to change. Anakin without his passion, his vigor, his fire just ... wasn't Anakin.

He gave the other two boys a small nod, hoping to convey without words what he wanted to say. 'I'm okay with this. Really.' The look on Anakin's face melted into one of relief. "See you this afternoon, study buddy," he told Ferus cheekily.

Tru felt himself grin genuinely for the first time in days. It was nice to have his life back, he thought.