Clutching My Cure

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

Chapter Fifty


Ebony eyelashes fluttered as Xanatos surfaced from a blissful nights sleep. He lay there and just soaked in the warm body that clung to him, inhaling deeply the clean, musky scent that was Obi-Wan Kenobi. An arm was flung across his chest, silken locks of hair tickled his nose, muscular legs entwined with his beneath the silk sheets. A smile curved his lips as the younger man shifted in his sleep, the arm across his chest tightening as if his lover wanted to reassure himself he wasn’t alone.

Xanatos sank his fingers into the reddish-gold curls and opened his eyes to watch as the light peeking in through the window shade, danced along the strands as he played with them. They’d spent most of the evening making love, kissing and holding one another, and exploring the unfamiliar levels of their bond. Serious discussion of any kind had been avoided in favor of enjoying being together for the first time in what seemed like forever.

But he knew they couldn’t put it off any longer. There were still difficult decisions for them to make and he was far from convinced this newer version of his young lover would be content to spend the rest of his life with a man like Xanatos. Almost as if sensing his morose thoughts, Obi-Wan began to stir, the disgruntled grumblings assuring Xanatos that at least one thing hadn’t changed about Obi-Wan. He still hated mornings.

Pressing a kiss on top of his head, Xanatos urged the protesting young man to move enough so he could sit up. Leaning against the headboard, the fallen JedI watched his lover struggle to awaken completely. His mouth began to water just from viewing the decadent sight of a naked Obi-Wan sprawled across the bed.

“You’ve changed.”

The blunt assessment, coming from out of nowhere, effectively captured the drowsy man’s attention. Shifting his head, Obi-Wan’s brow furrowed as he studied the man he loved, searching for some sign of what had prompted the remark. The seriousness of Xanatos’s stare had his senses on high alert. Pulling himself into a cross legged position, he wrapped the sheet around his waist and faced the older man as he responded.

“Yes. I’ve finally found peace with my past.” Obi-Wan felt his pulse skip a beat when Xanatos merely looked away. “Does that bother you for some reason?”


“Should it?” Xanatos snapped back.

Clearly baffled by his tone, Obi-Wan shrugged. “It would be much easier if you just told me what was bothering you so we can deal with it.”

“That right there,” the fallen Jedi snapped, a finger poking the air for emphasis. “You talk like a Jedi. I feel like the Obi-Wan I fell in love with is gone and I have no idea how this new version will handle the person I am. I can not be a model citizen, not even for you.”

“I would never ask you to be. I’ve grown up but that doesn’t mean I’m not the same person you fell in love with.” Obi-Wan scooted closer when he saw the disbelief in the deep blue eyes. “I love you just the way you are, Xan. I know what you’re capable of and I know how you handle your business dealings. You do what is necessary for Offworld and your employees. I can’t fault you for that, and I would never demand you change the way you handle your affairs.”

Xanatos shot him a solemn glance. “I just fear the vibrant free spirit I fell in love with is gone.”

Grasping one of the long fingered hands, Obi-Wan lifted it to his face and rubbed his cheek against it. “I haven’t changed that much. If I hadn’t found my own path, things between us would have eventually fallen apart. I would have driven a wedge between us that neither of us could have lived with. Now I’m free to love you without old ghosts haunting us.”

He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against Xanatos’s mouth, his tongue gently sliding against his lover’s. Although he was enjoying the kisses, Xanatos pulled back far enough to level Obi-Wan with a piercing stare.

“Telos or Coruscant?”

“Telos,” was the immediate reply, no hesitation what-so-ever.

“What about your Jedi friends?”

Obi-Wan grinned as he scooted even closer and reigned kisses down a pale throat. “Our Jedi friends can come visit us and we can spend time here whenever possible. I can run my business from Offworld’s offices just as easily as I can here.”

Xanatos captured the wandering hands that had somehow found their way beneath the covers, determined not to let himself be distracted until he was certain the matter was settled.

“I don’t want you doing this just to please me only to regret it down the road. I know how close you are to Chun and Muln and I don’t want to force you to give that up.”

“Xan,” Obi-Wan groaned in exasperation. “I want to be with you. I don’t know what more I can say or do to prove that to you.”

An impish grin lit his features as he pulled a hand free and lightly touched the torque around his throat. “You’re my heart.”

The grin faded when Xanatos grasped his hands and brought each wrist up to his lips, placing a kiss against each of the golden bands. “My body. My soul.”

“Heart, body and soul,” Obi-Wan repeated in a near whisper. “I feel the same way.”

Xanatos felt the knot in his stomach unravel when he saw his own love reflected back in the jeweled orbs. Getting to his knees, he gently laid his lover on his back and covered his body, tawny arms wrapping themselves around his neck. The sex was different this time, slow, gentle and awash with the love they shared through the bond. As he slid into the tight warmth of his lover, Xanatos felt complete, his languid strokes his way of worshiping the man who chanted words of love in his ear.

Linking his fingers with Obi-Wan’s, he pressed the younger man’s arms above his head and thrust them both toward completion. Blissfully happy, they lay entwined and basked in residual aftershocks. Leisurely, open mouthed kisses were soon broken by a casual question.

“What about Chun and Muln?”

Obi-Wan smiled at the underlying note of jealousy in his lover’s voice. “What about them?”

“Is this thing between them serious, or just Chun’s way to get over you?”

“I think it could be serious if they allow it to. They’ll both be knighted in a few years so if they do decide to explore a deeper relationship they’ll have to keep it a secret until then. The Council may not approve, but they can’t afford to expel two talented Knights. I hope things work out for them.”

Xanatos’s muttered *Me too* had Obi-Wan chuckling as he pulled his lover down for another round of intense kissing.