Ceremonial Kiss

by Merry Amelie (MerryAmelie@aol.com)

Archive: MA only
Category: Qui/Obi, Romance
Rating: PG
Summary: Pesky planetary protocol
A chronological list of Quinn and Ian stories with the URLs can be found under the header 'Academic Arcadia' at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/master-apprentice/files/

My MA story page: http://www.masterapprentice.org/cgi-bin/qs.cgi?keyword=Merry+Amelie

Feedback: Is treasured at MerryAmelie@aol.com
Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.
To Alex, my friend and beta
Many thanks to Ula for her beta work.

The treaty signing on Besan would have been unexceptional, if not for one unorthodox requirement of its mediators: a ceremonial kiss to symbolize the newfound unity of Besan's two political factions.

The kiss was meant to be a brotherly display of affection, healing the scars from a divisive election. The Jedi would become the representatives of the parties in a tangible act of unification. The Prime Minister mentioned it in an aside to Master Jinn and Knight Kenobi as they were about to leave for their quarters that night.

The signing would take place the following morning, complete with the kiss Minister Baiser had spoken of as an afterthought. Afterthought it might be to him, but not to the Jedi ambassadors.

When they returned to their rooms, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan separated with a bare 'Good night' instead of their usual discussion of the day's events over cups of mangu juice.

Qui-Gon lay on his bed, thanking the Force that Besan didn't require public sex in its ritual. He'd heard rumors of a few Jedi teams that had been forced to submit to this, though the mission reports had been classified by the Council.

Most of all, he was trying not to think of Obi-Wan's lips. Never an easy thing to do, but when said lips had been made part of tomorrow's diplomatic activities, it became impossible.

Upturned in a private smile, open to pull in needed air while sparring, frowning in concentration during a newly mastered kata, set in solemnity before the Council, glazed with a touch of mintal icing at noonmeal, laughing over a silly joke with Bant: Qui-Gon had seen that mouth in all of its glory. Well, almost all; he had never beheld it in passion.

Nor would he be likely to on the morrow. The kiss would probably be the barest brush of lips, with not even a hint of the tempting playground inside Obi-Wan's mouth. Even had he felt more, Obi-Wan would never display it for strangers to see.

But they'd be closer than ever before, even in hand-to-hand combat drills. His breath soft over young cheeks, his eyes the barest inch away, his mouth warm on Obi-Wan's. How would his unflappable former Padawan handle that?

Sleep eluded him as he chased the tantalizing promise that was Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan fruitlessly courted sleep in the room next door, trying not to think of Qui-Gon's lips. Never an easy thing to do, but now that he was expected to kiss them tomorrow, it became impossible.

Smiling in anticipation on the eve of a new mission, relaxed in meditation, chuckling at one of Mace's groaners, quirking in pleasure after a winning feint in their 'saber drill, taunting him over the jiku gameboard: Qui-Gon's lips, cradled within their nest of hair, had long beguiled Obi-Wan.

He imagined the look in Qui-Gon's eyes as he leaned down to kiss him: apology, resignation, duty, anticipation? Would he close them instead, or literally see his former Padawan from a different angle?

Actually touching his lips to Qui-Gon's. Would the Master's response be tentative, assertive, or any of the thousands of permutations in between? Might he taste the desire he so hoped to meet there, tangible in every daydream he'd ever had? How would the curves he'd studied so often express themselves above his own? He wanted to feel them reshape in passion, but would there be hunger on Qui-Gon's part at all?

The taste of Qui-Gon. Berrajam and spice, Obi-Wan guessed, at least at home. On Besan, with the local cuisine based on mangu fruit, he might be redolent of sweet juice.

Would Qui-Gon's kiss stop at the lips or affect all of him? His face expressive, as it was in their downtime, or cloaked in diplomatic blandness? They'd be in public, and he could not imagine Qui-Gon Jinn showing his private emotions to the assemblage under any circumstances. But how could he hope to keep the feelings Qui-Gon evoked within him from his former Master when they were to be in such close quarters?

'You're getting ahead of yourself,' Obi-Wan chided his unrestrained imagination. Better to think of the likeliest scenario -- a simple kiss of brotherhood.

And on that scintillating note, Obi-Wan fell asleep.

The treaty signing took place in the formal gardens of Prime Minister Baiser's manor house, the site of the negotiations. Topiary and fountains surrounded the Jedi-led delegation with a hard-won peace.

Two signatures, clearly Jedi cursive, on the documents prepared in Standard, the touch of palms with the assembled dignitaries, then time to seal the treaty by the press of lips.

The Jedi, in their austere brown robes, somehow outshone the planetary diplomats in their provincial finery. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stood within a circle of blue-green passi trees, hands in sleeves, the very embodiment of Jedi serenity.

Both had come to the sward with cowls raised, their natural reaction to a private act made public. Dropping their hoods as one, they faced each other for a timeless moment, backs straight, strong in the Force.

Their cloaks blended in the breeze, a simple embrace even more intimate than flowing side by side on pegs at home. The same welcome currents blew strands of their hair together, russet and chestnut mingling as they had for over a decade in Obi-Wan's braid, now nestled in a pouch of Qui-Gon's belt, with his other essentials.

Beneath the robes, two hearts beat just a little faster, despite years of training in autonomic regulation. The men were suffused with the knowledge that the kiss would change them, no matter where it led.

Closer now, Qui-Gon could see those amazing eyes in all their glory, greenish blue sparkling with early morning sunlight, while Obi-Wan was dazzled by the intensity in the blue. He looked up into Qui-Gon's eyes as if he were basking in the newly risen sun. Qui-Gon's blue fire met Obi-Wan's own, and both knew that their first kiss would be much more than a diplomatic formality.

Obi-Wan's smile was only for Qui-Gon, focused like a 'saber crystal on him amidst the dozens of onlookers. A matching smile, the like of which Obi-Wan had never before seen from his sedate former Master, graced Qui-Gon's lips.

His eyes kissed Obi-Wan first, the blue inside him now. Taller than the passi trees around them, Qui-Gon bowed into their kiss. His tender smile drew closer until Obi-Wan felt it upon his lips, twin to his own, newly united after years of craving. This had to be the most marvelous sensation they'd ever felt.

The twice-broken nose presented a slight obstacle, but both men were adept at tactical maneuvers. Even with lips decorously closed, Obi-Wan inhaled the scent of mangu and scintamint paste from Qui-Gon's mouth, while the latter savored the natural sweetness of Obi-Wan.

Passion lived in this simplicity.

Later, there would be time for tongues to come out to play, and detailed mapping of interior warmth. That dance awaited them at home. For now, the delight of velvet-soft lips was more than enough. The men allowed themselves another second of sweet pressure, culminating in a shared smile, just as the kiss had begun. The cowls replaced over their faces hid a multitude of emotions. All the questions of the previous night, and more, had been answered in the Moment.

The kiss had lasted an instant, yet reconfigured the universe and their place within it forever. They were now set on the lovers' way, no longer simply a working team of friends, but growing together into a deeper love. By the time they pulled back from the kiss, the first strands of a new weave had braided, their unique pattern in the Force starting to be spun.

Those surrounding them viewed only a simple press of lips, yet stood transfixed well after the Jedi had donned their hoods in modesty. Only the two who kissed saw the world in each other's eyes.

Their mission a success on both a planetary and personal scale, the newly minted pair had the same thought as lovers throughout the galaxy: the imminence of their next kiss.