Tertiary Concerns #2 - Accounting for Decision Making

by Ally ( ally_ranger@yahoo.com )

Rating: PG

Archive: M_A -- yes.

Series: Yes - Tertiary Concerns - a series of stand alone pieces, linked only by a common theme -- my university classes. See notes in Marketing [1/?].

Categories: Q/O, PWP, Educational, Humour/parody (well, *I* thought it was funny)

Feedback: Any feedback is appreciated, though not required

Summary: Qui-Gon finds himself in a difficult situation.

Disclaimers: They are not mine. I have no money. Don't sue.

Iimportant: I like playing around with time lines -- it amuses me. This piece is set before Marketing, but is second in the series because that's where I want it to be. Keeping with the 'playing with time lines thing' that I have going.

Notes: Distorting time lines is fun! Give it a go and see for yourself (Caution: Author is hyperactive.) Oh, and Marketing was actually [1/?], not [0/?] like I first wrote. Oops. And if anybody gets why its called Accounting for Decision-Making, I applaud you -- there ain't much accounting in here (there might not be any!), but the title was apt.

If a Jedi was a master of focus, then surely the focus of a Jedi Master should be close to impenetrable.

Well, that has been what Qui-Gon had thought; but this day was testing his patience, his control and his focus. He was distracted, and the distraction came in the form of one Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padawan learner, sitting innocently across from him, writing neat figures in a large leather bound book.

It would have been the picture of innocence if Obi-Wan had been fully dressed, but the air conditioning system had broken down in the small room the previous day and Obi-Wan insisted that he absolutely could not work with his tunic sticking to his body.

Fair enough, Qui-Gon had thought at the time, it was hot and Obi-Wan was struggling to regulate his body temperature in the oppressive heat. Qui-Gon himself was having difficulties in that department too; but that was for an entirely different reason.

The reason was now stretching well-muscled arms over a spiky head of hair, bare chest rippling and covered in sweat.

Obi-Wan smiled at Qui-Gon when he noticed his master looking at him, unaware of the sight he presented and its effect on his master. Something for which Qui-Gon was very grateful.

Qui-Gon wished that it were possible to place a ban on shirtless work for the remainder of Obi-Wan's apprenticeship, but he could not come up with a reasonable explanation for such a rule.

The truth was out of the question -- 'Obi-Wan, I'm in love with you and when you prance around wearing hardly anything, I have to meditate for hours afterwards to stop myself from taking you to bed.'

No, telling the truth would not be a good thing.

His padawan settled back to his work muttering Sith-knew-what to himself as he began to write.

Qui-Gon followed his padawan's example. Tried to anyway, because he could not stop himself from taking in the sight of a half-naked sweaty Obi-Wan. He pulled his eyes back to the book in front of him, but his vision was again drawn back to the other man.

He stifled a groan.

The object of his love and desire was now sucking on the end of a pen.

Qui-Gon's mind went into overdrive. Did Obi-Wan realise how erotic he could be? Qui-Gon could feel his loins warm at the sight, his mind substituting the pen with something else in a vivid full colour fantasy.

Control, damn it!

Obi-Wan was twenty-four and old enough by many years now to take lovers, but the young man could never have the same feelings as Qui- Gon did; had never shown any interest in him other than that of a student and a friend. Obi-Wan trusted Qui-Gon, felt safe and comfortable around him and here he was, getting horny at the drop of a tunic on a hot day.

How would Obi-Wan feel if he knew that his trusted teacher jerked off thinking about him every night?

Obi-Wan was now sliding the tip of the pen in and out of his mouth, his head resting in his free hand as he leant over the ledger in front of him.

One month.

Qui-Gon told himself that over and over again. One more month and then the 'official inventory' would be complete, the ancient books filled with the correct information and then they would be spending their days in larger, air conditioned rooms. Obi-Wan would once again be fully clothed. One month.

"Master?"

"Yes, Padawan?"

"Remind me again why we are here? There has to be a tense and bitter negotiation somewhere that needs to be, well, negotiated."

Qui-Gon smiled. His padawan was developing his own occasional disdain for the tedious missions they were sent on by a bureaucratic council that was controlled by a bureaucratic senate. Still, they had a duty and they had to complete it.

"An inventory needs to be performed Padawan and then recorded." Qui- Gon gestured towards the books they each had in front of them. "These figures will then be used in the tense and bitter negotiations that will start when we finish."

Obi-Wan did not look pleased. The sour expression mirrored the one on his face when they had first been given the assignment.

"But surely in dividing up the planet's public resources, they don't need an exact count of papaya scented lubricant and mint flavoured massage oil?"

At the mere mention of lubricant and oil, Qui-Gon felt the telltale stirring in his loins.

"Perhaps not, Obi-Wan, but in such stressful times as these, each side wants to be assured that everything is above board and fair. That's why we're here. To perform an inventory on the palatial stores, record the data and negotiate the dispersal of the goods."

Obi-Wan gave Qui-Gon a Look and wiped a rivulet of sweat off his forehead. "If it would please you Master, could you remind me of that every hour on the hour?"

Suffering in extreme temperatures on either end of the hot or cold scale was usually not well received by Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon took pity on his padawan.

"I'll do better than that. There are only a few hours until dinner, why don't you go back to the suite and have a shower and get some rest. I'll finish up." And while you are gone, I'll deal with this oncoming erection and meditate some more, he added in his head.

The look on Obi-Wan's face told Qui-Gon that the man was going to protest. There was no way in sith hell that he could stand the tempting sight of Obi-Wan for another two hours. To forestall the protest, he held up his hand and tried to look stern. "I'll make it an order."

The look worked and Obi-Wan gave him a small smile as he began to gather the shed clothing from the floor where he had left it, giving Qui-Gon quite an impressive view of his backside. Obi-Wan shrugged back into his clothing, looking very uncomfortable when he finished.

"Thank you Master." He gave a small bow.

"It's quite all right Padawan." Go! Shoo! Qui-Gon willed his apprentice to move before he exploded or pounced.

Obi-Wan didn't leave though; he lingered in the doorway.

A definite bulge was pushing at Qui-Gon's leggings. Talk of showers, beds and lubricant, added to the vision that was Obi-Wan's backside, was eroding his control faster then acid.

"Anything that expires before the negotiations start is to be written off Master." Obi-Wan leant on the doorway while he gave his instructions. "Those items that will not be included in the inventory have been given to us by the warehouser. They will destroy it otherwise," he added anticipating Qui-Gon's objection. "We have three bottles of lubricant, papaya scented and four bottles of flavoured massage oil that expire the day before the negotiations begin."

He smiled at Qui-Gon. It was a predatory smile.

There was no trace of innocent Obi-Wan in that expression.

"I suggest that we use them before they expire. It would be very un-Jedi like of us if we let them go to waste." With love and longing shining in his eyes, Obi-Wan bowed and left.

Qui-Gon was caught between the desire to fume or laugh.

That little ... The brat knew!

The topless display, the pen, who knew, maybe even the malfunctioning air conditioning unit -- all used to tease Qui-Gon into the state that he was in!

How long had that imp know about his feelings for his student?

How long had Obi-Wan returned them?

How long would it take to get his work and Obi-Wan's out of the way so that he could find his padawan and give him a thorough lesson on what happens when impudent padawans tease their masters?