Archive: master_apprentice, others please ask first
Category: first time, alternate
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: none
Spoilers: none
Summary: Obi-Wan must embrace or reject his destiny.
Notes: In this world, apprentices become Padawan Learners AFTER
the age of majority.
Feedback: Please, any & all comments welcome (please mail a
copy off list to the address above).
The Selec'aa plum tree looked dead. Devoid of leaves or flowers
the dull gray of the bark covering its curved limbs betrayed no
sign of the vibrant life that would shortly first forth in a
profusion of pink and gold flowers. Within a week, the flowers
would give way to the most delicate of fruit.
Obi-Wan recalled the first time Master Yoda had brought him to
the Arboretum at the heart of the Jedi tower on Coruscant. The
trip had been punctuated by a generous serving of preserved
Selec'aa plums. Still very young, he had devoured the treat,
blissfully unaware that plums were an exceedingly rare
delicacy. The tree grew in only two places: the Selec'aa
homeworld and the Jedi Arboretum on Coruscant. The art of
preserving the fruit (at least so that all the subtlety of the
flavor was not lost) belonged exclusively to the Jedi now.
Obi-Wan had been entranced by the Arboretum, so utterly
different from the wilds of Degobah. The gardens were carefully
planted to balance the various aspects of the Force. Training
ground, meditation chamber, retreat from the stark, mechanized
world of Coruscant's towers -- every Jedi treasured the
Arboretum for different reasons.
When Obi-Wan at last settled, Yoda had posed a question to the
young initiate, "So, where thinks you came the fruit enjoyed
you so?"
"The tree is here in the garden?"
The old Master nodded, "Said it is, finest fruit eaten no more
than five minutes from the tree is. Find it can you?"
Obi-Wan broke into a run. Out of habit, he followed the same
shape path that Yoda had him run on Degobah. Halfway through,
he was sure he found it. Dropping from the branches, he brought
a handful of the small, deep crimson spheres back to his Master
in triumph.
Yoda smiled (as did Obi-Wan at the memory); the diminutive
Master took one of the offered fruits and said, "Go on,
apprentice. Eat."
Obi-Wan should have realized his mistake when the fruit passed
his lips. The texture was all wrong. Still, he bit into the
skin. Juice more bitter than bile burst onto his tongue. He
fell back at the shock of the vile liquid. He spit out the pulp
and kept spitting, trying in vain to drive the taste from his
mouth.
Yoda chuckled softly in that annoying way he had and chewed
away, murmuring an approving "Mmmm" as he swallowed.
Obi-Wan was gasping for breath on his hands and knees as Yoda
calmly picked up the half-dozen or so remaining fruits from the
green grass. "Not waste, not want," he cooed.
The young apprentice focused his mind and used the poison
neutralizing technique he had learned just before they left
Degobah. When his composure returned, he started, "Master..."
"Looked only with your eyes, did you," Yoda chided softly.
"Found only the Neimoidian cherries -- not much to your liking,
I think."
Embarrassed, Obi-Wan dropped his head. Yoda continued, "For me,
perfect these are. For you..." he pulled a single Selec'aa plum
from within his robe. "Do again. See with the Force, not eyes."
Obi-Wan took the plum and placed it in his mouth. The taste was
all the more incredible for having had the bitterness there so
recently. He closed his eyes and reached through the fruit with
the Force; let it speak to him. Eyes still closed, he turned
where he stood and "saw" a fountain of light across from them.
"See, do you," Yoda stated.
"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan opened his eyes and was astonished by
the sight before him. A swirl of bare branches shot away from a
bumpy gray trunk. "But... that tree is dead."
Yoda raised his large nailed hand to his bumpy brow and shook
his head. "Learn you nothing I teach? Look again."
As Obi-Wan looked at the tree more carefully, the Force within
it was revealed in vibrant color, a rainbow lattice extending
far above the body of the tree. For years, Obi-Wan had learned
to feel the Force; rarely had he seen it so clearly. "Master,
it's beautiful."
"Strong with the Force are these trees; to those who look. See
not the surface; look always within."
Like all of Yoda's students, Obi-Wan always at least passed by
the plum tree when he came to Coruscant. Twice, he had seen the
flowers and once he had tasted the fruit fresh from the branch.
That was all years ago now. He still treasured the memories of
the tree and the lessons it had taught him. Standing at the
brink of the next major step of his training, it reassured him
to see it still overflowing with the Force the way he
remembered. With a smile on his face, Obi-Wan turned and left
the Arboretum as the chime of Vespers sounded throughout the
building. He had an appointment.
He walked to a communications panel to check the new room
assignments. The permanent members of the Council had quarters
which physically shifted to a random location within the
building each night for security. All of the other Jedi in
residence on Coruscant changed rooms each day; it prevented the
Order from becoming complacent and too comfortable in their
home base. Locating his quarry, he practically ran to the
elevator.
The droid running the lift had been in service as long as
anyone could remember. Its servos ground noticeably as it
shuttled Obi-Wan to one of the upper floors without comment.
He rang the chamber chime for admission, but there was no
answer. He keyed in his ID. The door opened; he was expected.
The view was spectacular. The sky was just turning orange as
the sun sank behind the farthest buildings. Obi-Wan was at an
age when he was enamored of all of the diversions that the
capital of the Republic offered. A part of him want to roam
through the world and experience Coruscant as the rest of the
inhabitants did, but he knew that was not his path. He had come
too far in his training to turn aside now.
He also knew why Master Yoda had summoned him to the capital;
he was about to become a Padawan Learner. Gazing out into the
amber of the setting sun, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and tried to
see who his teacher would be. He hoped it might be Adi Gallia,
but it was largely his ego that wanted to become her first
Padawan.
Strangely, his immediate future was closed to him. That was
unusual; if Master Yoda drilled one skill into his students, it
was the ability see directly ahead. He was preparing to look
again when the door opened.
"Master Qui-Gon..." Obi-Wan turned and felt a shudder shoot
through him as he saw the figure towering in the doorway.
Obi-Wan first developed a crush on Qui-Gon Jinn years before.
Master Yoda didn't approve of hero worship, but he had been
unable to alter his young apprentice's affections in the
slightest. Upon reaching the age of maturity, Obi-Wan had made
his attraction to Master Qui-Gon known; until this morning, he
had not received any response. Obi-Wan crossed quickly to the
older man and kissed him deeply with all the passion youth can
muster.
One does not surprise a Jedi Master, but Qui-Gon was startled
by the young man's forwardness. Based upon what he knew of
Obi-Wan's apprenticeship, it was not out of character, but it
was unusual for an apprentice to be so direct.
The story of Obi-Wan's attraction to him flowed through the
Master's community with the Force. The fascination kindled the
first time Obi-Wan saw him training with his Padawan many years
before; the first stirrings of desire as puberty struck the
apprentice simultaneously with the eruption of the
Krtuar/Truuna War; admiration becoming infatuation at the
hearing before the Council when Qui-Gon stood accused of
defying their direct command (he argued successfully that he
had obeyed to the letter, from a certain point of view).
To his surprise, Qui-Gon saw love in the young Jedi; not lust,
not infatuation but real love. That made his course much less
plain. Against his custom, he abandoned the moment as he
embraced the apprentice and focused his attention to the
future.
The possible paths branched sharply around the attractive young
man, full of fire and a vast untapped potential. The Force was
strong with him. The shape of the Force within bore the
unmistakable mark of Yoda's training, but the raw potential was
remarkable. Qui-Gon knew the Jedi needed such members if the
order was to survive.
He also recognized the apprentice was at a crucial juncture of
his development. More than was commonly known, Jedi knights in
training reached this transition and flamed out, leaving the
order and usually coming to a swift and bad end; Qui-Gon had no
desire to see that pattern repeated again. Confident this was
not Obi-Wan's destiny, he could not see which way the boy's
future would travel. With both directions still open, he did
not linger in his vision; as he was well known to observe, the
future always takes care of itself.
He came back fully to the present. The next few hours seemed
certain enough and he decided to enjoy them.
Obi-Wan had achieved his longtime goal, he had kissed Qui-Gon
Jinn. The rest was gravy. His heart jumped as he realized that
his idol was returning the kiss.
Obi-Wan had long been struck by the humanity of the man.
Masters always carried a certain amount of aloofness, a
separation, even from the ranks of the Jedi. Master Qui-Gon was
notorious for his approachability; he encouraged questions from
even the youngest initiates.
Qui-Gon released the young apprentice long enough to shed his
traveling cloak. Then he dropped his guard.
Obi-Wan's eyes widened as he watched the layers of Master
Qui-Gon's Force created barriers and shields fall away. He had
sensed the intimacy Obi-Wan desired; the acceptance of the
invitation couldn't have been clearer. Their mutual awareness
of the Force superseded anything they might have verbalized to
each other.
Qui-Gon suppressed a smile as he saw Obi-Wan attempt to copy
his dropping of the stealth barriers which Jedi perfected
throughout their period of initiation. Mastery of the revealing
aspect of the Jedi Arts comes only after many years of
practice; young Jedi are always shocked to discover that
dropping the barriers is actually the more difficult part of
the discipline. Still, it was a thoughtful gesture and
considering his experience, not a bad attempt.
"Obi-Wan..." Qui-Gon began, "Such an attractive name for an
attractive young man." He reached his hand out and caressed the
boy's face, long fingers tracing across his brow and cheek.
Obi-Wan turned his head and wrapped his lips around Qui-Gon's
thumb as it traced his lips. Wantonly, he coaxed the finger
into his mouth and licked the pad with his tongue, promising
much with the gesture. Blushing, he smiled at his indiscretion;
to his great relief, Master Qui-Gon smiled back.
Releasing his hold, Obi-Wan rubbed his face against the
master's broad palm wanting terribly to lead as he did when he
played sexually with his comrades. He couldn't. Years of
imagining intimacy with his idol and in the moment he found he
wanted to do nothing but surrender utterly to him, whatever
that entailed.
Qui-Gon smiled again. The boy wanted him so badly, he seemed
unaware how transparent his desires were or else he had lost
track of them in the heat of the moment. The Master couldn't
help but feel flattered by the adoration which was all the
sweeter for being so heartfelt. He pulled the young man's tunic
free from his belt.
Obi-Wan needed no additional prompting. He shed most of his
clothing in a thrice, nearly naked before he realized that
Qui-Gon was stripping as well. Slowly, meticulously, each layer
being folded upon the other as it was removed so that he knew
exactly where every piece was. The effect was hypnotic.
The Jedi lived in their clothing, carrying what they needed to
survive under most circumstances. The fundamental requirements
were a basic skill taught in the first years, but the specifics
of the uniform had become highly personalized by the end of
apprenticeship. The idea of seeing a Jedi Master's unclothed
torso was almost as arousing as actually doing so.
Qui-Gon's back was broad and muscular. His long hair cascaded
across his round, pale shoulders. He turned to face the young
apprentice saying, "I hope you're not disappointed."
Obi-Wan felt his stomach drop. He swallowed hard as he drank in
the sight before him. He felt suddenly self-conscious; no one
who spent almost two decades with Master Yoda could retain a
bias about stature correlating to strength, but, Obi-Wan felt
dwarfed by the large man's presence. His own compact body was
built for endurance and quick reaction; Qui-Gon was simply
built. And beautiful. The hair across his chest and stomach was
peppered with gray and... It can't be, Obi-Wan thought.
Qui-Gon moved closer, sensing the apprentice's reaction. "Yes,
they are scars. I keep each one as a reminder."
Aware he was staring, Obi-Wan blushed again and started to
apologize. Qui-Gon cut him off, "If I was concerned about them
being seen, I would have had them repaired. Never forget,
apprentice, Jedi are mortal."
"Yes, Master."
Silently berating himself for nearly ruining the tone of the
encounter, Qui-Gon stretched out his arms and enfolded the
young man. "Enough of that," the Master said firmly, "This is
not a lesson." At least not in the formal sense, he added to
himself.
Obi-Wan acknowledged the instruction with a nod, not wishing to
speak, certain he'd revert to formality. Instead, he ran his
smooth cheek against the silky hair on the other man's chest.
He inhaled deeply through his nose and sighed. Qui-Gon smelled
of travel, soil, ozone (omnipresent Coruscant) and something
sweetly musky that Obi-Wan couldn't place. His cock was tenting
the front of his pants as he reached out his tongue and made a
slow circle around Qui-Gon's nipple.
The Master vocalized his approval and gently guided Obi-Wan
directly over the sensitive nib.
Licking and caressing, Obi-Wan let his hands play across
Qui-Gon's firm stomach. His hand hesitated at the waist; both
men still wore their trousers and boots.
Qui-Gon guided his hand lower, letting the younger man feel his
growing arousal through the brown fabric.
Emboldened, Obi-Wan unfastened the breaches as his tongue
trailed across the expense of Qui-Gon's chest to the other
nipple. The pants fell open and Obi-Wan reached within to hold
the Master's growing sex. Running his hand down the length of
the thickening shaft, he cupped the full, smooth sack.
Qui-Gon's hands rested on the boy's shoulders, not objecting.
Obi-Wan sank to his knees, drawn irresistibly to the Master's
manhood. His tongue slid around the foreskin and down the
shaft. For the first time since he had approached Qui-Gon, the
other Jedi stepped back. Obi-Wan feared he had made some error
in proceeding although his intention had been plain.
Qui-Gon simply said, "There's nothing so needlessly complex and
awkward as trying to have sex with your shoes on." He hitched
up his pants and walked to the bed. Sitting on the edge he
inquired, "Give me a hand with my boots, will you?"
Grinning widely, Obi-Wan responded, "Yes, Sir!"
Much speculation has been made in certain quarters of the
Republic (and beyond) about the Secret Sex Techniques of the
Jedi which are reported variously to be: magical; bizarre;
highly esoteric and spiritual; or deadly to the non-Jedi who
dare attempt them. All of these assertions are as ridiculous as
the anonymous offers which appear regularly in one's message
box offering to teach these super-secret arts in a forthcoming
text message for only ten Republic credits.
Jedi enjoyed enhanced sex with other Force sensitives as they
enjoyed all aspects of life through judicious application of
the Force; it was no more complex than that.
The next several hours were, however, filled with the most
mindbendingly wonderful sex Obi-Wan had ever experienced.
Granted his experience was not overly wide, but he had enough
to make a reasonable comparison.
He knew he was doomed when the act of taking off Master
Qui-Gon's boots became utterly eroticized. A gentle stroke
here, a brush of leather there; he was literally trembling at
the man's feet when he was done.
Qui-Gon reached down after his boots were off and had Obi-Wan
lie back on the floor as he removed his. That led to an
excruciatingly wonderful foot massage which in turn developed
into a sixty-nine as they slipped off each other's trousers and
rolled together onto the bed.
Obi-Wan was amazed when Qui-Gon joined him in a round of
"who-can-stay-down-longer." He had played the game with a
number of other apprentices as they had learned and practiced
the deep breathing technique to foil a gas attack. Qui-Gon won,
of course, but Obi-Wan was surprised that he would deign to
engage in what was really a childish game, let alone play it so
well.
His surprise continued when the Jedi Master guided Obi-Wan
behind him and allowed the apprentice to enter him. As he began
thrusting, the realization struck that he was not penetrating
Qui-Gon; the Master was enveloping him.
Near the edge of climax several times, Obi-Wan held on until
much later, splayed on his back, legs over his head, Qui-Gon
plowed into him, striking deep. Obi-Wan floated above the bed,
his eyes rolled back, suddenly aware as he had never been of
the life flowing across the surface of Coruscant. In that
instant, it was as if he knew all of the Force everywhere. The
next instant, he was back into himself, aware only of the
crashing orgasm building to crescendo. It rolled through him
like an ocean wave, then out into Qui-Gon. Back and forth the
wave grew between them until it came rushing out of Obi-Wan as
Qui-Gon climaxed within him.
Breathing raggedly, the two men lay next to each other. Obi-Wan
curled against Qui-Gon, content and safe, etching the moment
into his memory. The scent he couldn't place earlier hovered
around Qui-Gon; how he knew it still eluded him. He kissed the
Master lightly as he fought to stay awake, utterly spent.
Qui-Gon caressed the apprentice's shoulders. More than he
wanted to admit, he found himself hoping which choice Obi-Wan
would make. He kissed the lad's forehead and with a gentle
nudge from the Force, Obi-Wan drifted into sleep.
Qui-Gon rose and walked out onto the balcony slipping on a
standard issue robe from the amenities chest.
"Chosen, has he?" Yoda's voice asked.
"Not yet," Qui-Gon replied through the mind link. "As you well
know."
"Humph," the ancient Master grunted, "A great foolishness this
is."
"Perhaps," Qui-Gon replied, "but I keep my own council in the
selection of my Padawan learners. You of all people should
appreciate that."
Yoda severed the connection without further comment.
Qui-Gon refreshed himself and contemplated a moment before
climbing back into bed next to the sleeping apprentice. Obi-Wan
stirred, "Master Qui-Gon..."
"Sleep now, Obi-Wan."
The apprentice entwined himself around the Master again,
drifting swiftly back to sleep. Qui-Gon joined him in short
order.
Obi-Wan woke up feeling utterly alive, as if he were totally at
one with the Force. Qui-Gon was no longer beside him.
The clouds outside were just coloring with the first light of
dawn. He had slept through the ringing of Prime. Seeing
Qui-Gon, fully clothed, kneeling by the window, Obi-Wan slipped
out of bed, fetched a robe from the chest and joined the Master
in meditation.
It was a challenge to suppress his craving for another round of
lovemaking, but he successfully moderated his desire.
"Good morning, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said at last.
"Good morning, Master."
Qui-Gon rose and drew the younger man to his feet, embracing
him. He kissed the lad gently on the lips and released him.
The barriers were firmly back into place, but even through
them, Obi-Wan sensed a pensive sadness. He was at a loss to
discern why. "Thank you for seeing me, Master," Obi-Wan
ventured.
"Get dressed, apprentice, and join me in the Arboretum. There's
something I need to discuss with you." He picked up his
traveling cloak and moved to the door. Pausing, he turned to
face the young man and said, "Thank you for asking to see me,
Obi-Wan. It was a memorable evening."
Obi-Wan readied himself quickly. Unsure what was happening, he
was on the elevator in a matter of minutes. The Force flowed
through him, but his future sense was now completely blinded.
Yoda had trained him too well to become apprehensive, but he
was thoroughly preoccupied by the time he reached the ground
floor.
After a moment staring blankly at the open doors, the operator
spoke to him in a halting voice, "Your... floor... (whir)...
sir."
Snapped back to the present, Obi-Wan exited. As the doors
closed, he realized he had never heard the lift droid speak
before.
Qui-Gon was standing in the central ellipse of the Arboretum.
He was looking at the Selec'aa plum tree. Overnight, buds had
appeared on the branches. Obi-Wan approached, confused.
"Do you know why the Selec'aa no longer preserve the plums?"
Qui-Gon asked.
"No, Master."
"In their rush to join the Trade Federation, they forgot how.
They spent years devoting all their resources to become part of
the Federation and by the end, they had lost the one unique
thing they brought to it."
"But Selec'aa is still prosperous."
"No doubt, but it's a completely different world than it was.
They've chosen their path and they've moved irrevocably along
it. You face a similar choice, Obi-Wan."
"Master?"
Qui-Gon looked him in the eye and asked, "Given the choice,
which would you become; my lover or my Padawan Learner?"
Obi-Wan's heart stopped. The paths were exclusive of each
other. The Code forbade sexual relations between the Master and
Padawan until years after their parting.
"Consider carefully before you answer, but consider quickly. I
leave Coruscant tomorrow; I need your answer by then. You know
how to find me when you decide."
Obi-Wan hit the wall. The Force was suddenly silent. He had
arrived at the branch point of his future and was totally
alone.
Qui-Gon was walking away. Obi-Wan called to him, "Master
Qui-Gon!"
He stopped.
"How would you have me?"
Looking over his shoulder he replied affectionately, "As you
choose, Obi-Wan. No other way." With that, he turned and walked
on.
On autopilot, Obi-Wan left the garden and started his daily
training regimen. Three thousand saber strikes, meditation, an
obstacle run; by the time he stopped to eat just after Sext
sounded he realized he had no memory of how he had gotten to
the Mess Hall.
More hours in meditation trying to see through the wall before
him yielded nothing. Not since he was a child had his focus
been so stymied.
He was trapped in a self-defeating cycle he recognized too
well; the more tightly he focused, the more disconnected he
became from the Force. "Always emotions, future," Yoda said,
and uncontrolled emotion was anathema to control of the Force.
Dangerously close to anger, he quit the meditation chamber and
began walking.
He tried to balance the pros and cons rationally. How
frequently would he even see Qui-Gon if they only met on
Coruscant? It was a big galaxy; their chances of bumping into
each other were slight, especially if he was Padawan to another
Master. Yet he loved the man. On the other hand, in so many
ways the Padawan was more intimate with the Master than a
lover. They were nearly always together, even if the physical
could never be consummated.
He reentered the garden as the None bell rang. His legs were
tired from walking when something crashed through the wall
around him; sweet, yet musky. The first flower on the plum tree
had opened. It smelled like Qui-Gon. A second bud burst open
and he experienced the Force as he had the night before.
The tree above him still looked almost dead, but he looked
within and saw the Force coursing through it. He dropped where
he stood and fell deep within his mind. He climbed the lattice
of the tree up over the wall and saw his error.
All his energy had been focused on seeing through the wall.
There was nothing to see beyond it. From atop the tree, Obi-Wan
saw clearly the paths diverging before him. He had to turn one
way or the other.
Lover or Padawan.
The farther down each possible future he went, the more
indistinct it became, that was the nature of the Force, but his
choice became obvious at once. Obi-Wan's destiny was to be
Qui-Gon's Padawan. His future as a Jedi hinged on that step.
The vision of his destiny through the broader aspect of the
Force was clear; he could now only embrace or reject it and
live accordingly.
The Vespers bell pulled him back to the present. The branches
above him glowed. The first blossom popped free from the branch
and landed on his cheek. A single tear fell as he got up from
under the flowering canopy. The path was before him.
Obi-Wan keyed open the door without using the chime. Master
Qui-Gon sat looking at the night falling on Coruscant. He
turned and said, "We leave tomorrow at first office."
"Very good, Master," Obi-Wan replied.
"Pad 38-XT. Be sure your Aquater Rebreather is fully
functional, you may need it," he said, dismissing him. "Rest
well tonight, my Padawan."
"Thank you," Obi-Wan replied. Turning back before he opened the
door, "It would have been good, wouldn't it?"
"And it may yet be so. The future always takes care of itself,
Obi-Wan."
"And the past remains unchanging," Obi-Wan added. "Good night,
my Master." He was gladdened to sense a smile on Qui-Gon's face
as he left and returned to his room for the night.
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