Only Us
a Star Wars story
by Hermione Eveningfall
"Pay attention, Obi-Wan, you are becoming distracted again." Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn stood in the academy arena, watching his padawan test his lightsaber moves on a flying, moving ball. The young man grunted in irritation as the sixth blast in an hour shot out from a small lense, stinging him in the upper thigh.
"It's no use, Master," he sighed. "My brain is somewhere else today."
"It should not be. Today is just like every other day," Qui- Gon replied, raising his eyes as Obi-Wan allowed the ball to float into his hand. The red glow of his lightsaber disappeared into it's small metal holder, which he placed into the pocket of his breeches.
"You've forgotten what day it is, haven't you, Master?" he sighed, strolling across the room to gaze out the enormous window, watching the usual heavy traffic as it roared throughout Coruscant. He leaned against the cool pane for a moment, before deciding to turn around to face his elder. Qui-Gon stood in the center of the arena, his arms folded, and a slight scowl on his face. "Couple's day, of course! Come Master, can't we take a break from lessons for one afternoon?"
Qui-Gon sighed. He had known it was Couple's Day, but he'd woken up feeling slightly under the weather, and wasn't sure if he could handle Obi-Wan's pleasure towards it. He cleared his throat, cringing slightly in pain, but straightened into as stoic a stance as possible. "You are a Jedi, Obi-Wan, and one of our greatest failures is to get too involved with our emotions."
Obi-Wan frowned. "I know, but..."
"I believe it is lunch time, however, so we may take a bit of a breather." He motioned for Obi-Wan to follow him towards the cafeteria, which was not very crowded at all. Once they helped themselves to the buffet-style meal, they sat down in one of the booths.
"Are you all right, Master?" Obi-Wan asked, noticing how pale Qui-Gon had become. He also noticed that his Master walked a bit slower than usual, though he did not verbally complain of any discomfort. Qui-Gon was about to answer, when he quickly turned away.
"Huh-KehESHHH!"
Obi-Wan pursed his lips, and was starting to make sense of his Master's rather bad mood. However, it was truly a disappointment that Qui-Gon had to feel this way on Couple's Day. "Bless you, Master." He continued to eat his meal, thinking back to other Couple's Days they had spent together. Usually, Qui-Gon allowed Obi- Wan to decorate their bed chamber with the famous pink and white mixture, as long as he promised not to allow his emotions to distract him from his daily Jedi-training duties. This morning, however, Qui-Gon had given Obi-Wan a rather nasty glare when he'd suggested doing so again, and had grumbled a response he could barely understand, though he knew at least part of it had to be some sort of curse. "You know, Master, you should really be in bed resting."
"That's...that's not necessary...HehKESHHHH!"
"I think you do need someone to care for you right now, Master, you've cared enough for me these past couple of years."
"Obi-Wan..." Qui-Gon started to protest, but gave way to coughing. "Blast. There is so much to do..."
"That can wait until tomorrow, or the next day, until you feel better, Master." Obi-Wan smiled as Qui-Gon struggled to stand up from his seat, and immediately went to give him a hand.
"If it weren't Couple's Day," Qui-Gon practically whispered as they made their way towards the bed chamber, "I would not allow this. You understand that Jedi are supposed to use natural healing vibes to get through these colds. And in all honesty, mine is not that...that bad...HuhKETSHHHH! EhKSHHHHH!"
"Bless you, Master. And yes, I do," Obi-Wan replied, "but you've always taught me to accept illness gracefully, and not to fight it. It shouldn't make any difference because you're of a higher ranking than I am, should it?"
Qui-Gon, for the first time since before bed the night before, smiled softly. "Well, for once, my padawan, you have hit the nail on the head. I was hoping you finally would be able to finally apply that theory." He winked.
"I only learn from the best after all." Obi-Wan gazed up at the ceiling as they continued their treck down the long, twisting corridors, and sighed thoughtfully. "Please do not scold me for thinking about this, Master, but...in light of the occasion, if you could have someone to spend Couple's Day with and were not a Jedi- Master, who would it be? Who would be your ideal...lover, should I say?"
At this point, they had entered the chamber, and Qui-Gon's mouth dropped. The entire bedroom was covered in roses, and his bed had been made as comfortable as possible, with several large, fluffy pillows. A stand stood beside the bed, and on it sat a tray with two mugs of fresh, steaming tea, a bowl of chicken soup, and a fresh box of tissues.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi, sometimes I don't understand you at all, my padawan." Qui-Gon chuckled, shaking his head as his apprentice.
"Sometimes that's a good thing," Obi-Wan teased, helping his Master remove his boots, and helped him into the bed. "So, have you come up with an answer to my question, or shall I repeat it?" Obi- Wan offered one of the mugs of tea, which Qui-Gon gratefully accepted.
"About my ideal significant other?" he asked, blowing on the scalding liquid until it cooled enough to take a sip from. "Well, Obi-Wan, since you've been trying to send me signals every Couple's Day, I think only you know that answer."
Obi-Wan grinned, leaning forward, and kissing Qui-Gon lightly on the lips. "I thought you'd never come around," he allowed Qui-Gon to stroke his single braid, and felt a shudder of pleasure go through his body.
"Whomever you convinced to decorate this room for me better not be suspicious," Qui-Gon whispered, and Obi-Wan shook his head.
"No worries, Master," he insisted. "No worries at all."
"Good. Because, if we are going to officially start a relationship, it should be between us, and only us. I'm already going aginst Jedi laws by agreeing."
Obi-Wan smiled. "And I love you all the more for it, Master." He gave Qui-Gon another kiss, and took the second mug of tea for himself.
"Well, since we have an understanding, to Couple's Day." Qui- Gon raised his mug in a toast, and Obi-Wan eagerly clanked his against it.
"To Couple's Day." The two of them smiled at each other, sinking into a silence, a silence that would soon to be one of their most comfortable forms of communication. For a couple who insists they are in love, needs to be able to read each other's feelings, not only words. And that is certainly a true case.
Written for Weekly Hatch #49: After years of being the carer, it's Qui-Gon's turn to be looked after by Obi-Wan. He struggles between maintaining his composure as a Jedi Master and using it as an opportunity to teach Obi-Wan to accept illness gracefully, rather than to fight it or hide it unnecessarily.
I would really appreciate feedback.
Oh God, oh God, I can't believe I'm doing this! LOL. My first Qui-Gon-based ficlet, so im not quite sure how it's going to come off. It's kind of in relation to the Valentine's Day theme, because I was having little bunnies nibbling at my ankles. We'll see how this goes! And-I must add-this is my first slight slash piece O_o