Clutching My Cure

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Note: Replacing this since it got eaten up by the glitch. :(

Chapter Forty-Five


The bar was crowded with a diverse and eclectic group of beings from all over the galaxy. Elbow-to-elbow, they packed the popular night spot, drinking, eating, dancing, gambling and dancing to the loud raucous music a live band played. It was a place everyone knew was safe to go and temporarily forget about the trials life held. Even the small group that consisted of several Jedi Padawans drew no more interest from the other revelers than anyone else.

Obi-Wan sat at a table surrounded by Bruck, Bant, Master Eitan and even Siri Tachi. The blonde haired Padawan had greeted him with her usual cool reserve, taking a seat beside him. Several drinks later and she had noticeably warmed up to him, a hand continually straying a bit lower in his lap than he was comfortable with. Bruck was aware of his dilemma and finally sat forward with a knowing smirk.

“Best watch those hands of your Tachi. He’s spoken for and I can assure you that you so do not want to upset his partner.”

Siri frowned in disappointment before excusing herself from the table. Breathing a sigh of relief, Obi-Wan leaned back in his chair and inhaled deeply. The air was thick with noxious aromas, some of them a variety that effected the senses. He had the ability to blunt their effect on his system by using the Force, as he knew his Jedi companions were, but chose not to. He was enjoying the slight buzz in his head as it allowed him the chance to relax after an exhausting day full of soul searching.

The lights dimmed to a soothing kaleidoscope of paler colors, the band bringing the music to a slower tempo. The beat was a strangely erotic melody with a low bass that seemed to vibrate throughout Obi-Wan’s body. Allowing his eyes to close, he swayed to the hypnotic strains, his fingers unconsciously stroking the stem of the glass he held.

“Oh no.”

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

Bruck and Eitan’s words barely penetrated the pleasant haze he was adrift in. A pair of strong hands suddenly came to rest on his shoulders, a head bending down to rest alongside of his. He knew who it was of course, had felt his lover’s vibrant presence the instant he’d entered the bar. A faint smile came to his face when a pair of lips gently brushed his ear, warm breath stirring the hair at his temple.

“Dance with me?”

The voice was deep and smooth, thick with dark promise as it tugged at something almost primal in him. Ignoring the concerned looks of his Jedi friends, Obi-Wan stood and turned to face his lover. Xanatos looked devastatingly gorgeous, attired in a deep blue silk shirt that hung open halfway to reveal a well muscled expanse of pale skin. It was tucked into a pair of form fitting black leather pants that covered the top of a pair of expensive black boots. The curtain of straight ebony hair was captured behind his neck with a leather tie, showcasing the near perfection of alabaster features.

Sapphire eyes held his, a well manicured hand extending an offer he was helpless to refuse. Placing his own hand within the warm grasp, Obi-Wan followed as Xanatos turned and lead him toward a secluded part of the dance floor. Spinning with feline like grace to once again face him, Xanatos rested both hands on his partner’s waist and slowly drew their bodies flush against one another. For a few minutes they remained stationary, simply absorbing the joy of being close once again.

Xanatos eventually lowered his head so that his chin rested on his shorter partner’s shoulder. His hips began to move in time to the music, brushing against Obi-Wan’s with teasing movements that could only be described as sensual. His own hands lifting to twine around Xanatos’s neck, Obi-Wan struggled to steady his breathing as his body came alive with nearly electric shocks of pleasure at the contact. It had been far too long since they’d had any form of intimate interaction and the dance was nothing if not erotic.

“Are you enjoying your visit with the Jedi?”

Shivering as a warm breath of air tickled his ear, Obi-Wan let his palms slowly slide down the silk clad back. “Master Yoda has been very helpful. Thank you by the way, for allowing me this time.”

Xanatos’s head pulled back far enough for him to meet the younger man’s gaze. There was a hard edge in the blue depths that instantly put Obi-Wan on the alert.

“I’m not happy about it, but I’m trying to understand. I’m also not happy about the kiss you and Eitan engaged in.”

“It meant nothing,” Obi-Wan was quick to assure him. “I think he was merely curious.”

“Hum.” Reaching up to grasp one of the hands around his neck, Xanatos threaded their fingers together, lifting Obi-Wan’s hand to his mouth. His lips lightly glossed over tanned skin before his tongue glided over a finger.

Desire hit Obi-Wan instantaneously, the pants he wore becoming uncomfortably tight. His senses were afire with an onslaught of sensations, the musky scent of the cologne Xanatos wore, the texture of his skin, the heat generated by his body. It had been far to long since they’d been together and Obi-Wan’s body was screaming for intimate contact. And Xanatos was well aware of his need.

There was a hint of a smug smile as the fallen Jedi once again drew his lover close. Using the music as an excuse to increase the grinding of their groins together, he buried his face in Obi-Wan’s neck. His tongue zeroed in on the vein there, lapping at the area as it pulsed with the beat of Obi-Wan’s heart. When he felt a shudder travel the length of the body pulled flush with his, his lips moved up to begin tormenting a perfect shell of an ear.

The hand on Xanatos’s shoulder tightened in desperation as a warm tongue began to gently trace the shape of his ear. His attention caught up in the pleasant torture, Obi-Wan jumped in surprise when the fingers of Xanatos’s free hand suddenly slipped beneath the back waistband of Obi-Wan’s pants. The long digits began to caress smooth flesh, dipping as low as the pants allowed with teasing strokes that only heightened the younger man’s arousal.

As the music built to a frenzied climax, their bodies continued to rock together in a parody of the lovemaking both hungered for. Xanatos turned his head until their lips were a mere hairs breadth apart, labored breaths mingling in the air.

“Come home with me.”

Obi-Wan’s mouth opened to respond in the affirmative but he bit it back before it was able to slip out. Trembling with desire, he stepped back in order to put some distance between them, Xanatos’s tight grip preventing him from escaping completely.

“I can’t.” Anger flared in the sapphire eyes, prompting him to offer an explanation. “I still have some unfinished business to deal with at the Temple before I can make any type of rational decision about us.”

Jealousy replaced anger as Xanatos turned to glare at the table where they could clearly see Bruck staring in their direction with concern etched on his features.

“Are you finding it that difficult to part from Chun?”

Several weeks ago the snide remark would have only enflamed Obi-Wan’s own anger. Now he saw it for what it was, his lover struggling with feelings of jealousy, and bent close enough to press a gentle kiss on Xanatos’s thinned lips.

“It has nothing to do with Bruck. He’s found someone else to experiment with.” Pulling his hand free of Xanatos’s, Obi-Wan brushed the tips of his fingers against a pale cheek, a crooked grin on his face as he turned to go. “Be seeing you around.”

“Obi-Wan!”

Forcing himself to ignore the underlying thread of desperation in the cry, Obi-Wan hurried from the cantina without a backwards glance, his Jedi companions close on his heels. He needed fresh air and a cold shower, and not necessarily in that order.