Spoilers: AU for TPM, spoilers if you haven't seen it
Summary: Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon reaffirm their physical
relationship
Feedback: yes, please =) On list or private is fine.
Here's part three in my now-complete-but-as-yet-un-named
series. =) The first two are "Never Too Late" and "All the Time
in the World", available on the master_apprentice archive.
Many many thanks to em for giving me some beta help on this
one. hugs
[Obi-Wan]
You are starting to wake, I can sense it. I ease myself out of
meditation, blinking a bit to let my eyes adjust to the dim
light in the room. I have no idea how long you've been
sleeping, but my aching knees tell me it's been a while.
You'll wake feeling rested, I know. Our new bond gives me an
insight into your mind that I've never had before, a connection
through the Force that is stronger than anything I've ever
felt. Your mind is unshuttered to me now, and the intensity of
the link is almost frightening.
I sit at the edge of your sleeping pallet, and rest one hand
gently at the middle of your back, so you will not wake alone.
But then, neither of us will ever be alone again.
[Qui-Gon]
My first thought is an acknowledgment of your presence; in the
room, in my mind, in my heart. I can feel your thoughts
entwined with my own even before I feel your hand against my
back.
Before I open my eyes, I take a quick inventory. The aches
across my shoulders are gone, thanks to your talented hands.
The physical and mental exhaustion that weighed so heavily on
me yesterday - was it only yesterday? - are nearly gone, as
well.
Drawing a deep breath, I stretch and turn over, to see you
sitting beside me with a tender smile on your face. You need
not ask if I'm all right, or how I feel. You know as surely as
I know myself.
I have to marvel again at this connection between us. It is as
if part of what makes up Obi-Wan Kenobi is now part of me, and
part of what makes up Qui-Gon Jinn is now a part of you. This
will take some getting used to.
I would not change it for all the wealth in the galaxy.
[Obi-Wan]
"Good morning, Master. Did you sleep well?"
I keep my voice pitched low, but it still sounds loud in the
relative silence of the room.
"You know I did, Obi-Wan. Thank you."
I hold up both hands with a grin, and wiggle my fingers at you.
"I learned from the best, of course."
"Imp." You can't quite disguise your amusement. You push
yourself up onto your elbows, letting your head fall back for a
moment. "How long was I asleep?"
"I haven't checked. Time?"
An automated voice calls out the time, and neither of us can
quite hide a wince. It's quite early, perhaps an hour before
sunrise.
Earlier than even I usually get up.
I can't help laughing out loud at that, and you glare at me
through narrowed eyes. The effect is less than what you were
attempting; I can see right through your 'scolding'.
"You thought it, Master, not me."
"Imp." you mutter again, then pull yourself up to sit
cross-legged on the bed. "No respect for your elders, your
Master."
Again, I can tell that you're not upset, but I school my
countenance to neutral anyway, and shift the topic of
discussion.
"You slept soundly through the night. Ani came by to check on
you once. I..."
My words falter here, though in wonder, not in fear, and I find
it easier to explain myself without them.
I was able to tell him you were fine... and -know- it to be
true. As easily as if I were answering for myself.
You smile and nod at that, as if you know exactly what I mean,
and I realize that it must be the same for you. For a brief
moment, I have to wonder if this is real, or if I am simply
dreaming.
You catch the direction of my thoughts, and quickly lay my
anxieties to rest.
This is definitely real, beloved. Shall I prove it to
you?
Before I can answer, you shift to face me completely, and lean
closer. I have a brief second to drown in the incredible blue
of your eyes before your lips cover mine, gently, tentatively
at first, then with growing passion as you sense that I want
this, -need- this, as much as you do.
Your hands come up to my waist, mine to your shoulders, and I
pull you closer to deepen the kiss. For just a moment, you let
me take the lead. Then, your hands move to the buckle of my
belt and tug it free.
I pull back for a moment, breathing hard. "Master..."
"Hush, beloved. You know it is time."
"Yes, but..."
You free one hand to touch your lips, silencing my voice. "I am
fine, Obi-Wan. You -know- this. You won't hurt me, and we both
need this, now."
You pause a moment, locking your eyes with mine.
"Lie with me, beloved."
I -do- know that you need this, and in a sudden flurry I am off
the bed and shedding my clothing as quickly as I can. Under
other circumstances, you might scold me for my frantic pace,
caution me to exercise patience. Now, though... now I can sense
the same urgency in you as in myself.
In mere moments, I stand naked beside the bed, and your eyes
rake me from head to toe. I can feel your arousal grow as your
gaze caresses me, your thoughts as stimulating as your physical
touch would be... will be.
My breathing comes faster, and by the time you finally reach
out one hand to me I am almost painfully hard. This time, I
think, there will be no time for slow seduction. This time, we
both need to... to reconnect.
I take your hand, letting you pull me to the bed, lying beside
you although there is barely enough room for the both of us.
Propped up on one elbow, you look down at me, your intentions
clear in your thoughts.
You gave to me - the very gift of life. Now it's my
turn.
I close my eyes and my head falls back against your pillow.
I am yours...
And I am yours, beloved. The emotion that accompanies
your thoughts is as powerful as, perhaps more powerful than,
its physical counterpart.
Your fingertips brush across my shoulder, down my arm, back up
the inside, raising gooseflesh as you go. I can't suppress a
shiver, and I can feel your smile although my eyes are still
closed.
The shiver becomes a jerk, and a moan, as you continue on to my
chest, the pad of your thumb rubbing across one nipple, sending
a jolt of sensation straight to my groin. You repeat the
motion, and I can't help arching up towards your touch,
silently pleading for more, pressing myself against your thigh
and feeling the stab of your erection against my own leg.
Perhaps it is the link we share, or perhaps you're just as
tired of waiting as I am, but suddenly you are straddling my
hips, braced on your arms over me. My eyes snap open, then
close again as you lower your head to kiss me with the hunger
and passion of a man possessed. I certainly will not complain,
for I feel the same hunger.
My hands tangle in your hair, freed from its clasp, and my legs
twine with yours, pulling you down on top of me. The contact is
electric, slick hardness meeting slick hardness, and as we
begin to move, the distinction between us begins to blur. My
pleasure is no longer my own, nor does yours belong to you.
Every sensation builds on the last, twofold, until I feel I
must surely go mad with the intensity of it all.
It is too much, and not nearly enough. I want more, I want this
to never end, but already it is reaching the breaking point. I
can no longer feel your hair around my fingers, your lips on
mine. I can feel only pure, incredible sensation, boiling
higher, stronger, winding tighter...
Qui-Gon
Obi-Wan
~~~~YES~~~~
And the universe seems to shatter around us.
Afterwards, neither of us can separate the experience into
parts. We both felt it, the same thing, the same way, at the
same time... experienced as one.
The connection is cemented. Never again will we be apart. And
together, we will face the future, whatever it may bring.
[Qui-Gon]
Pivot, block, thrust, step back. Pivot, block, thrust, step
back. How many times have I repeated these simple moves over
the years?
At the center of the practice circle, the three of us stand in
a perfectly straight line, moving in tandem, fluid, effortless,
repeating the same kata with plasteel practice swords. Although
Anakin stands between us, I can feel you as if we were
physically touching, each shift of muscle and sinew, each brush
of clothing against skin, each press of foot against floor.
Without a word being spoken, you and I both stop and step to
the circle's edge, letting Anakin continue his exercises solo.
In the past three years, he has grown, in more ways than one.
Now, at nearly thirteen, he is well on his way to becoming the
great Jedi I - we - know he will someday be.
Watching him, I can't help but remember you at that age - gods,
we were both so much younger then. For a fleeting moment, I
wonder what path our futures might have taken had I not finally
set my own fear aside and accepted you as my Padawan. Now, I
think, I would most certainly be gone from this plane of
existence, and you... would be a farmer. What a terrible waste
that would have been.
You catch the direction of my thoughts, as you nearly always
do, and send a quick mental caress my way. A half-smile quirks
my lips, the only outward sign of our silent communication. I
return your sending in kind, then focus my attention back on
Anakin, who has moved on to the next kata with the same
practiced ease with which he completed the first.
He grows stronger every day, and once again I am convinced that
I was right to bring him here for training. Even his awkward,
half-grown body does not stop him from achieving that to which
he sets his mind.
Over the past three years, I have had dreams, visions, of what
might have happened, had the future taken a different path. I
have seen death - my own, yours, countless millions of others.
I have seen spirits broken. I have seen Anakin turn... and that
dream alone terrifies me more than all the others.
You are always there to ground me, when the dreams occur,
though they have become less and less frequent as time has
passed.
Always, though, when I am able to meditate upon the visions, I
feel certain that they will no longer come to pass. Even Master
Yoda has changed his opinion on the matter. He often comes to
observe our training sessions, always with a small smile on his
face.
"The clouds have lifted," he told me once, in a rare moment of
straightforward speech. "Balance has been found."
I glance over at you, and you smile. "He's doing well today."
"He does well every day."
"You were right, you know. To bring him here."
Now I am smiling. "-We- were right. To bring him here, to be
cautious... to train him together."
As Anakin steps into the next series of practice moves, you
step closer and slip one arm around my waist. Together, we
watch our young Padawan push himself further along the road to
becoming a full Jedi Knight.
Balance. Yes, balance has been found. The path to the future
has been cleared. And you and I, we will walk it together.
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