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[neverjedi]

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[neverjedi]

Thirty-two. Do you need to see his ID? Maybe he's just an old soul....

He laughs, softly. "More AC/DC and Led Zeppelin. Right era, though and I didn't actually mind tonight. The beat's just so sharp that even sober I was nearly seeing it explode behind my yes."

[darkforcerising]

Anakin might need to see this alleged ID.

"Obi-Wan," Anakin looked at him and shook his head. "That's the point. Feeling and seeing the music is part of the experience." At least that was for Anakin, the more of his senses that were engaged the more he was able to stay focused.

These concerts were also a place he could go and almost no one blinked twice at his arm. Partly because most people were drunk or high, partly because these crowds held fewer prejudices for body modifications.

[neverjedi]

He's just a hipster, Anakin, geeze.

He flashed a slight smile, quick but really warm and sincere - earnest, even. "And I enjoyed the experience and would repeat it. Without hesitation."

It's just most of the experience he enjoyed was being with Anakin and seeing Anakin in a place where he was enjoying himself - or at least more relaxed. He was more prone to overload than being better able to focus with a lot of stimulation.

[darkforcerising]

Something about the music being awful stung and made it feel like this wasn't a 'hit' like he'd hoped it would be. Which Anakin was okay with, they'd just have to find something different to share that was his primary interest.

"I know it's late." He didn't have work the next day, but maybe Obi-Wan did. He figured agents sometimes had to work weekends. "Did you want to find some place to get something to eat, or-" He left that hanging 'or', he was starving, but could just as easily eat at home.

[neverjedi]

"I don't live far from here. There's rootbeer in my refrigerator and we can pick up take out," he offered. "No ulterior motive, just a desire not to end the night being a jackass."

[darkforcerising]

Anakin cocked his head and smiled. “Is the rootbeer coincidental, or did you buy it on purpose?”

[neverjedi]

"I bought it on purpose." He apparently had no issue admitting that, even if it made it possible that he had been plotting something. He really hadn't been. "I'll bring it to you next time we play chess if you're more comfortable with that."

[darkforcerising]

By way of answer, Anakin said, “Rootbeer sounds great. Where to you want to grab take out? I’m not picky.”

[neverjedi]

"There's a Chinese place on the corner before my place that caters to late shift workers. We can grab the food there." He pulled his phone out, swiped through to an app, called up the appropriate place and then handed the phone over. "Why don't you go ahead and order so we don't have to wait."

[darkforcerising]

“What do you want?” Anakin asked as he scrolled through the menu.

As he scrolled, he realized he probably should have been more picky. Chopsticks were right out for him, so he took his time finding something he could eat with a fork. He settled on beef and broccoli. Bonus: the broccoli made it healthy.

[neverjedi]

" Szechuan shrimp and lemon chicken, add extra vegetables."

...Was he going to eat more 2,000 calories worth of take-out after midnight? Yes, yes he was.

Well, maybe. He'd probably also have lunch tomorrow.

[darkforcerising]

“Extra vegetables makes it healthy.”

He placed the order and handed the phone back to Obi-Wan.

“Have we reached the point where I get to start asking more personal questions?”

[neverjedi]

He snorts, because there is nothing healthy about this and he... kind of relishes that, actually.

"We reached that point when you agreed to come skating with me." He was still being careful with Anakin, because there was just something... guarded and fragile about him, that made him . It meant Anakin set the pace, at least. "Ask me anything you want."

[darkforcerising]

“Oh?” Anakin raised his eyebrows. “Is that when it happened?”

And then he considered exactly what question to ask.

He decided to go simple first. “Where did you grow up?”

[neverjedi]

He thought Anakin had a specific question. This was clearly going to be twenty-questions and...

He didn't really mind.

"In a series of ice-skating rinks?" he wasn't being evasive though and shook his head. "I was born and in San Jose, California and that's technically still home for my parents, but once I started competing there was a lot of movement with coach changes, partner changes once I started in pairs, and competitions." A pause, slightly cautiously, but: "You?"

[darkforcerising]

“Ha.” He knew there was more to come in the answer than just ‘in an ice rink.’ The answer was satisfactory. He now also knew Obi-Wan’d parents were still alive.

“In a junk yard.” He could be just as facetious. But he added, “Middle of nowhere, Arizona. And I do mean middle of nowhere.”

[neverjedi]

It explained, at least partially, the desire to join the Air Force immediately, he thought. Or, rather, added context to it.

"How long have you been in New York?"

[darkforcerising]

That would be a good guess - there is nothing in Anakin’s home town. But his reasons ran deeper than that.

“About six months. I got a job with Lockheed Martin. How long have you been with the FBI?”

[neverjedi]

Added context was not full context, for sure.

"In total? Nearly five years." He didn't love it, actually, but that was neither here nor there.

[darkforcerising]

Anakin caught something in the way Obi-Wan said that, it made him curious.

“Do you like your job?”

[neverjedi]

He made a low, thoughtful noise in the back of his throat, and focused more on the sidewalk ahead than Anakin.

"I don't... dislike it, and I don't think there's much I would like more. I like that it pays the bills while giving me an opportunity to help people."

[darkforcerising]

“What would you like more?”

If Anakin couldn’t be a pilot anymore, designing engines was good enough. And he really did like the stress-testing phase of design. Not many jobs let you purposefully wreck your work.

[neverjedi]

"I don't know," he admitted. "Maybe increase my coaching hours."

It's not like he lives for performance himself, and competition is kind of unimportant to him, but if he could spend a lot more hours on ice? He would.

[darkforcerising]

“Why’d you get into skating?” He asked and then noticed the sign of the Chinese place.

“This it?”

[neverjedi]

"This is it, yeah. Let's grab food, then I'll get to your answer." Which was true enough, and at least pick up was fast. He could use technology when it suited him, even if he was old fashioned about it.

Once they were back out and all of a block or so from his apartment building: "I don't remember a time I didn't skate. I feel in love with it because it's demanding, it's hard, it pushes physical and mental limits - but it is the most... absolutely perfect combination of freedom and control I can imagine."