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[neverjedi]

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[darkforcerising]

Turn about was fair play. “When I graduated high school.” And he figured he’d give just a little bit more information than that. “I was seventeen.”

[neverjedi]

"Did you enlist immediately after graduation?"

He figured turn about was fair play in a number of ways. Including trusting Anakin to tell him to piss off when he hit the wall.

[darkforcerising]

“Basically. Soon as the recruitment office was open the following Monday.” That was easy to explain. It didn’t hurt too much to explain that part.

“Shipped up to Colorado after my birthday.”

[neverjedi]

"Sounds like a long term goal."

Dammit, he didn't want to be being careful about this, but apparently even committed to being a brat he could not, at least a little.

[darkforcerising]

Anakin scoffed softly, and looked down at his bottle.

“It was.”

And that was a bit too close to the truth of things both glaringly obvious and yet not confirmed.

“So you skate, play chess - what else do you do?”

[neverjedi]

That was pretty close to confirmation, actually, and the looking down was also pretty close to confirmation of how new it was.

"Work, mostly." Those three things kept him pretty well occupied and entertained. "I didn't join the military because I couldn't pass the physical. Come skating with me, Anakin."

He would have left it, had Anakin given him a no.

But Anakin hadn't.

He'd just avoided.

[darkforcerising]

Anakin felt a version of that - he was discharged for lack of a whole physical body.

“Those bastards,” he said. His tone becoming more light again.

“Go skating? Right now?”

[neverjedi]

Anakin had felt a much more painful version of that.

"I was going to suggest Saturday morning, but if this is a strike while the iron is hot and before you can talk yourself out of it situation, yes. Right now."

[darkforcerising]

“Yes,” Anakin said. “We should go now. But not because I’ll talk myself out of it but because I have a short attention span and I can’t promise I won’t get distracted before then.”

[neverjedi]

That made him laugh, but he nodded and got up. "All right. Go flag down a cab while I pay our tab, then. You can pick between private space and public." Rockafeller Plaza or Aviator.

[darkforcerising]

“Cab? How old are you?” He was pulling out his phone and ordering an Uber.

He finished off his rootbeer and then went outside to wait for the ride.

[neverjedi]

He shoots Anakin an amused look, pays their tab, leaves a tip and then headed out. "I'm thirty-two."

Uber. Fun. New experiences all around.

[darkforcerising]

Anakin just stared at Obi-Wan. “You’re not even an old Millennial. I have so many questions”

[neverjedi]

"I seem to keep creating that situation for you. Where did you decide we were going?"

What's to stare at? There are cabs. And a subway. And buses. And -

[darkforcerising]

“Your Aviator place. How many apps do you have on your phone?” Anakin was acting like he’d found a unicorn and had to seize the moment. “Tell me you are familiar with Ninties cartoons. How many industries have you helped your generation murder?”

[neverjedi]

He'd been about to answer the first question, but they kept coming and he got very bewildered looking, very quickly. "...What?"

[darkforcerising]

“I’m just trying figure you out,” he said with an amused smile.

Their ride pulled up and Anakin opened the door.

“How do you feel about Eighties children’s movies?”

[neverjedi]

He got into the car, but was still pretty blank. "There has to be a better way and I don't know, which 80s children's movies in particular?"

[darkforcerising]

“The Goonies, the Never Ending Story, Labyrinth, the Dark Crystal, Legend- the Rescuers- please tell me you’ve at least seen these movies,” Anakin said. His expression wasn’t completely serious, It was a slight bit on the side of mocking.

[neverjedi]

"I don't think I've seen Legend. I've seen the others. I love Never Ending Story." Do you feel better yet?

Because he's starting to feel really weird.

[darkforcerising]

Anakin did feel better.

"Okay, I'll accept that answer... You probably had an intense childhood competing."

Anakin's childhood had been intense in its own way. But he still watched TV as a kid.

[neverjedi]

"I missed some things, but I was having fun." He settled in more completely in his seat. Brooklyn wasn't exactly a quick jaunt, especially in this city and it's traffic. "I was never intensely competitive though." Good, sure, enjoyed pushing himself, yes. Desire to beat other people? No.

[darkforcerising]

"Do you miss it?" Anakin asked.

He missed motocross, but he was consigned to be a spectator for that for the rest of his life.

[neverjedi]

He could see the analogy and reality clearly enough, but was afraid to address it directly at this moment, for fear Anakin would shut down entirely - or at least shut him out, completely. Simply being open himself seemed to be the... smartest option.

"I teach a few even classes of very small children how to skate and do some private coaching to be able to afford rink time regularly." This is why 'chess, skate, work' covered most of his life - FBI wouldn't allow it. "I'd miss skating badly if I didn't have that outlet. As it stands, I miss training with a purpose, and I miss my body cooperating enough to allow me to do what I want. But I've found way to keep the most valuable parts in my life."

[darkforcerising]

"I really want to watch one of those classes." He was learning so much about Obi-Wan in one afternoon than the other man had revealed these past how many weeks playing chess.

"So why the name Obi-Wan, if you're actually Benjamin, where did you get the other name?"