Work Text:
“So, how long do you think he’ll keep up the charade before he realizes he's being totally obvious?”
Obi-Wan promptly choked on the swig of his jamba juice. “Ahsoka,” he admonished once he had regained his breath. He fixed his grandpadawan with what was most likely intended to be a stern gaze. All she saw was mirth and mischief reflected in his eyes, the same giddy delight that bounced in her chest.
She grinned and shrugged as she reached for her own drink, unfortunately one of the non-alcoholic variety. “I’m just saying. It’s really obvious. And awful! Have you heard his pick-up lines? His pet names?” She pulled a face and made a gagging sound.
Obi-Wan leaned back in his chair. “Hm, yes… I believe ‘sugarpoo’ was his worst.”
Ahsoka threw her head back and laughed. “Yeah, that was bad! I thought Rex was going to combust on the spot. He was so red!”
“He heard that one too?”
“Yup!”
Obi-Wan shook his head. “Honestly, it’s a wonder the whole senate isn’t abuzz about the two of them.”
“Or the entirety of Coruscant.” Ahsoka sipped her drink. “Or the entire galaxy.”
Obi-Wan chuckled. He watched a particular couple spin across the dance floor- the topic of their conversation, arms looped around each other’s waists, eyes aglow in the party lights.
They danced, oblivious to the pair on the side lines, oblivious in fact to the bustling room of attendees. Anakin in his crisp black robes, eyes alight and fixed upon the face of the woman in his embrace. Padmé, rich purple silk swishing at her ankles and diamonds glittering atop her head, her smile somehow brighter than the dazzling light on her temples.
Ahsoka smiled. Despite her jokes, the sight of her master and the senator filled her heart with warmth. She loved the way Padmé’s name alone lit up Anakin’s Force signature like fresh wood on a fire.
“Has he let anything slip yet?”
She shook her head. “Not blatantly.”
“Hm.”
“Why?” Ahsoka asked after a pause.
Obi-Wan took a long drink. He licked his lips. “I bet fifty credits he admits to us he loves her by the end of the night.”
“What? No way! He won’t do it!”
“You bet against me, then?”
“Yeah, I bet seventy-five credits he doesn’t admit it tonight!”
“Seventy-five? Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure!” Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. “You don’t honestly think he’s going to admit it, do you?”
Obi-Wan shrugged. “Just a hunch.”
“Uh-huh…” Ahsoka reclined further in her chair. “Well, I wouldn’t start planning your next big purchase yet. You know, just in case your hunch is wrong.”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
Grandmaster and grandpadawan shared companionable silence as the music swelled to a livelier beat. Dancers already on the floor picked up their pace. New ones flooded to the crowded space to join the rush of stomping feet. Ahsoka watched, mesmerized, as couples clasped hands and spun in tune with the melody. A multitude of colors swirled in her vision. She let her chin fall in her hand and smiled at the spectacle.
Too quickly, the dancing couples began to step away. Breathless people trailed off the dance floor in search of a chair and a drink. Even Anakin and Padmé at last left for a table, arm in arm.
Ahsoka sat up straighter as Anakin headed their way. He had his eye on the line of people forming to get drinks and snacks, but his master and padawan caught his attention and he adjusted course to meet them. He grinned at them. He breathed heavily, his face flushed.
“Hey, what are you two doing?”
“Enjoying the party,” Obi-Wan replied, “and I suspect you’re doing the same.”
“Oh! Yeah!” Anakin’s grin widened somehow. “I really love her! She’s just incredible!”
With that, he left for the refreshments line.
Ahsoka’s jaw dropped.
Obi-Wan tilted his head her way, a smug look on his face. “Looks like my intuition was correct.”
Ahsoka slapped her hands across her forehead and thumped her elbows on the table. “I can’t believe it! He really said it!”
Obi-Wan grinned. “You have much to learn, young one.”
“I’ll say!”
A beat of silence passed.
Ahsoka lifted her head. “Bet you fifty credits he kisses her in front of us by the end of the week.”
“A hundred that he does it by nightfall in three days.”
“That’s bold.”
“Just a hunch.”