The Ondarian Virus
a Star Wars story
by tarotgal
"No, actually. Though I truly have enjoyed our visit to Ondari, I am looking forward toreturning home to Coruscant," Obi-Wan said as he carefully folded one of his tunics and placed it into his duffle bag. He looked up and smiled at his master, who was packing a bag on the other side of the bed. A slight sniffle caught in Obi-Wan's nose and he rubbed the side of his hand at it. With a finger pressed up against his nose and his palm over his mouth, he welcomed the sneeze on. "ahh-Kshuhhh!"
"I suppose the call of a warm, familiar bed has nothing do with it?" Qui-Gon teased.
Obi-Wan smiled and tucked a pair of socks into his bag beside his sleep pants. "I mustadmit I have not slept as well here as I do at home. The bed is far too hard and the crickets are not nearly as soothing as the sound of hovercars zooming past the window in the middle of the night."
Qui-Gon smiled to himself and shook his head. The quarters they'd been assigned had been plain and calming to him. Unlike their quarters at Coruscant which were small and dark with only one window, the rooms here were white and had windows that stretched nearly from floor to ceiling. There was a private 'fresher, a living room area with a couch and desk and one bedroom with one bed, as they'd mentioned they did not require two. The only real color in the rooms, apart from the tan carpet and tan drapes, had been various potted plants that swayed as breezes came in through the various windows. It was a beautiful place to wake up and meditate in, though they had both meditated more out in the gardens surrounding the building than in the rooms. Qui-Gon knew he was going to miss Ondari, but hetook with himmemories from their trip.
However, it seemed Obi-Wan was going to take with him more than just memories. "HahhShuhhh!ehhhKshuhhh!"
"Bless you, Padawan," Qui-Gon said casually. He bent and checked beneath the bed to be sure nothing of theirs had accidentally been kicked beneath. It seemed nothing had been.
Obi-Wan continued packing carefully, while Qui-Gon threw items into his own bag a bithaphazardly. They were scheduled to leave quite shortly. They had brought enough for their two week mission, but Jedi tended to travel light so they had intentionally left the packing to the last very moment.
"Ahhh-Chushhhh! Chshhhh!"
"Bless you," Qui-Gon called over again. He zipped up his bag and looked over at Obi-Wan. The young Jedi padawan looked tired, indeed, but Qui-Gon thought he saw a flash of something else in those soft eyes. These weren't just ordinary sneezes. He sighed. "Only you, Padawan Mine, could come down with a cold on the last day of our mission."
Obi-Wan sniffed against the back of his head a few times. "It is better than coming down with something during the first day, is it not?"
There was no way Qui-Gon could disagree with that. "It wouldn't have been the first time. I can still clearly remember that fiasco on De'nairi, for example..."
With a deep groan, Obi-Wan smacked his palm against his forehead. So long as they lived,his master was never going to let him forget that one. "Yes. So can I... hahh..." hecupped both hands to his face and hunched forward in anticipation. "AhhhChuhhhh! HuhChuhhh!"
Qui-Gon eyed him and walked over. He pulled a beautifully folded handkerchief out ofObi-Wan's duffle and handed it over. "You'd better keep a couple of these out for the journey home, don't you think?"
Obi-Wan took the handkerchief and rubbed his nose into it. He sniffed and nodded, thenshoved it into his pocket. "It's only a little cold, Qui," he said softly.
"Of course it is," Qui-Gon said reassuringly, though that spark in Obi-Wan's eyes was back, and Qui-Gon guessed it meant a fever. This was no little cold.
The room's communicator rang and flashed with an incoming call. "Would you get that,please, Padawan?"
Obi-Wan nodded and walked to the living room to flip on the communicator. "Yes?" Thetransmission was audio-only and Obi-Wan was somewhat glad of that since he was rubbing at his nose again.
The voice on the other end belonged to one of the hanger workers. "We've brought your ship around for you. You are cleared to leave at any time."
"Thank you very much," Obi-Wan said to the man. "We'll be there very shortly." He turnedback to find that Qui-Gon had finished packing for him, though he left two handkerchiefs out on top of the bag. "Are we ready to go, then?" Obi-Wan asked, slipping the hankies into his pocket and slinging the bag over his shoulder.
Qui-Gon took one last look around their room, then nodded. "Yes. Let's go home, Obi."
He put his arm around Obi-Wan's shoulders and squeezed. Obi-Wan leaned into his master, then looked up at him. "Master, may I pilot the ship during take-off?"
They left the room, leaving the door open behind them, and headed down the hallway. "Hmm," Qui-Gon considered the request carefully. "Well, you do need the practice. And the skies are pretty clear. But the atmosphere is thick and you're still a little timid with the accelerator." He looked down to see Obi-Wan rubbing at his nose again. "Are you certain you would be able to handle it given your...?" He raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
Obi-Wan nodded and sniffed hard. "It's just a little cold, Qui-Gon. I'll be fine." Qui-Gon said nothing more, though Obi-Wan waited. Finally he pushed, "So, may I?" Qui-Gon nodded and Obi-Wan's pace quickened with excitement as they headed down to the hanger.
Part 2
"ahhh-Chiffff!" The sound was muffled into the handkerchief, but still caught Qui-Gon's attention. Obi-Wan had been dozing on and off for most of the trip and last Qui-Gon had seen, it had been off. However, the strong blow of his nose that followed the sneeze signified that he was more than just sneezing in his sleep.
Though the autopilot was on, Qui-Gon kept hold of the controls out of habit. He took a hand off to reach over and squeeze Obi-Wan's shoulder. "Hey, good morning," he said with a soft smile.
Obi-Wan blinked sleepily and sat up in the co-pilot seat. The cockpit was small, but there wasn't room for much in the rest of the ship apart from a standard maintenance and navigation droid and space for their bags. So he had no choice but to stay in his seat. His eyes focused on the instrument panel in front of him, and he realized that it was indeed mid-morning by Coruscant time. Space was dark and cold, and the onboard overhead lights were the only things that made it otherwise. Obi-Wan yawned deeply and gave his usual morning grin. "Morning. How are we doing?"
"We are doing just fine. We are en route and an hour ahead of schedule due to the fact that I sped up to race along with an abnormally fast comet for a little while during the night."
Obi-Wan smiled and set his arm on the slight window ledge to his side. His hand formed a fist and he rested his head upon it. "You should have roused me. I would have liked to have seen that."
"I did wake you," Qui-Gon explained. "I shook you awake when calling your name did notwork. You opened your eyes and watched the comet for a while. Then you made mention of how much dust there was in the comet's tail and how one of your astronomics professorswould have liked to have been so close. Then you fell right back to sleep again."
Looking concerned, Obi-Wan tried hard to remember. But he had no recollection of the event in whole or in part. "Oh," said Obi-Wan simply. "Well, thank you for waking me." He coughed a few times and cleared his throat. Then his eyes fell again on the instrument panel and he smiled. They were nearly halfway home. "And I am pleased everything is going fine.
"We are doing fine," said Qui-Gon with a nod. "And I am a bit tired but otherwise fine, as well. You, on the other hand, seem to be doing less than fine."
"Master," he tried to protest. "I'm..." But he did not get far at all. His breath hitched,his eyes closed, and he buried his face in his handkerchief. "ehhh... ehh-HIHShhhh!hehChhhh! ihhKshhhh!" The sneezes helped proclaim that he was certainly not fine in no uncertain terms.
"Blessings," Qui-Gon snuck in just before Obi-Wan blew his nose. Qui-Gon turned away butwatched his padawan out of the corner of his eye. It was probably his imagination, but Obi-Wan looked worse than he had when they'd left Ondari. He watched as hispadawan shivered and crossed his arms over his chest. The ship was warm inside, especially with both awake andmoving around a little. There was only one reason for Obi-Wan to be shivering. "You're shivering."
Obi-Wan pulled his cloak around himself more tightly and nodded. "I'm just a little chilly. That's all."
Qui-Gon watched him lift a hand and rub at his slightly glistening forehead. "Yes, butyou're shivering and sweating. At the same time. That's not a good sign." Qui-Gonreached over to feel if Obi-Wan had a fever. Obi-Wan moved his head at the last momentto avoid the touch. "Obi-Wan!"
Feeling that he deserved the angry tone of voice from his master, Obi-Wan moved back over. "I am sorry," he said. "I was startled," he lied. "But I'm fine, really."
Qui-Gon was skeptical but said nothing. It was not wise to begin an argument in a tiny ship during a trip that would last another day. Though Qui-Gon certainly would have preferred a well shipmate, a sick one was far preferable to a sick and angry one. He pressed the back of his hand to Obi-Wan's forehead, but he pulled it away after a split-second. What he had on his hands here was a very sick shipmate. "Ithink you had best try to get more sleep," he suggested, trying not to show his anxiousness in his voice. Still, he suggested it very strongly, with every Jedi sense that he had.
Obi-Wan, however, thought he should sneeze first. "ehhh-HIHShhh! hihhKShh!"
Qui-Gon stiffened and stared down at the controls again. "Obi-Wan, I want you to go see the healers when we get back."
"No," Obi-Wan said adamantly. "I don't need to. It is just a little cold. I'll be fihh...fine-hih... hahh-IHShffff! hehhhChufff! hahKffff! Huh... hehh-Ehshffff!" he directed into the handkerchief. The effort of holding the handkerchief in place was exhausting and he dropped his hand to his lap immediately afterwards. Then he shivered andclosed his eyes. "More sleep," he said with a nod before Qui-Gon could bring the subject up again. "That sounds like a good idea."
Qui-Gon wondered if Obi-Wan would remember this conversation when he woke again later. He pushed a few buttons on the control panel to speed the ship along a bit faster. There would be nothing wrong with getting back home a little earlier.
Obi-Wan fell to sleep without much trouble, but once asleep he did not seem to find much rest. The padawan tossed and turned in his sleep, his breathing shallow and congested. Qui-Gon leaned over, listening. It sounded like Obi-Wan was struggling to breathe. Had the young man been in bed, he would have forced another pillow on him. But as it was, Obi-Wan wasalready sitting upright in the seat.
As time went on, Obi-Wan began to slip into a deeper sleep, a feverish sleep. He movedabout restlessly, dangerously, and mumbled about the images his fever-inspired dreams brought to his mind. Qui-Gon quickly locked the controls, for fear that Obi-Wan might accidentally hit something when he moved about in the seat.
The dreams seemed to take a more violent turn, as an expression of pain crossed Obi-Wan'sface. When he began crying out, it was all Qui-Gon could do not to direct the ship towards the closest friendly planet so they could wait this out in a real bed. A simple healing trance could not fix this. Obi-Wan needed medical attention, and he needed real rest.
Qui-Gon called out Obi-Wan's name repeatedly, trying to rouse him. Though Qui-Gon was already anxious, his concern grew as his padawan thrashed about, crying in pain. He reached over and shook Obi-Wan's shoulder, but that did not help, either. He unfastened his belt and got up, squeezing in between the two seats to get close to Obi-Wan and shake him some more. Nothing woke him, however and Qui-Gon was afraid the fever had taken a permanent hold. Finally he looked straight at Obi-Wan and let the force help reach out to the young man.
Obi-Wan's eyes flew open and he froze, his breaths racing, his heart pounding. Watery eyes gave way to tears and he leaned into Qui-Gon. "Shhh," Qui-Gon said, rubbing his back. "It was just a bad dream."
Obi-Wan nodded with understanding though he still felt disturbed from it. He pulled back and dragged a hand against his forehead. "I am sweating," he said, feeling as uneasy as Qui-Gon already felt. "And I'm shivering," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. Then he snapped forward with another sneeze. "ahhh-HIHShhhh!Sniff!" He looked up helplesslytowards his master. "Qui-Gon..."
Qui-Gon hushed him with a gentle kiss. "You're going to be fine," he said, his voice deep and calming. "Remember?" He pulled off his cloak and draped it over Obi-Wan.
"So cold," he whispered, turning onto his seat and trying to snuggle into the vinyl seatcushions.
"I know," Qui-Gon whispered. He tucked the cloak around the smaller man and rubbedObi-Wan's arm through it. "It's just a light fever." He did not have to feel Obi-Wan's forehead to know that it was much worse than that. He kissed Obi-Wan again. "Now I need you to make a decision, okay?" Obi-Wan nodded, eyes closing. "Hey there," Qui-Gon shook Obi-Wan, wincing a bit at the fact that he had to resort to that. "You must stay with me for just a few minutes more, Padawan."
Obi-Wan forced his eyes open and nodded again, trying to concentrate on his master's words.
"You need to tell me which you would rather do. We can stop on a nearby planet and ridethis out. Or we can continue back to Coruscant." Obi-Wan shivered and nodded at that last choice. "Padawan?"
"Keep going. Want to get home." He sniffed hard a few times without much energy to doanything else. He looked dazed, feverish, and his nose was running terribly.
Qui-Gon could sense that Obi-Wan was not entirely sure of what he was saying, but he did not want to cause his padawan extra stress. Qui-Gon took Obi-Wan's handkerchief from him and rubbed the younger man's nose. "All right. I understand you want to keep going then. Now please, please try to rest." Obi-Wan let his eyes close again. "And when we get home, you're going straight to the healers." He patted Obi-Wan's arm and climbed back into his seat.
Obi-Wan shook his head weakly. "No... don't want... don't need..." Then he proceeded to nod off and on for the remainder of the day.
Part 3
Obi-Wan rolled over, pressing his cheek into the pillow. He stretched and instinctivelyreached up and wrapped his arm around the pillow. He pulled it close, huggingpart to his chest while he pinned the other part to the bed beneath his head. Feeling quite tired, he wanted to try to fall back to sleep. But his nose was tickling a little. He rolled his head further into the pillow and sniffed wetly. It was only as he began to debate getting up to blow his nose did Obi-Wan begin to put things together and realize he was no longer in their spacecraft.
Immediately he sat up and looked around. He had assumed, apparently falsely, that if he wasn't in the ship he was back in their quarters. He could not remember much of the day before but he clearly recalled being given a choice and choosing to go back home. But this place was definitely not home.
Though it was not the unsettlingly bright white of their quarters on Ondari, it was still an unfamiliar and uncomfortable room. The walls were all dark green and the room seemed to try to combine three at once, with a couch and coffee table not a few feet from the bed and a kitchen area not a few feet beyond that. There was a single window behind the couch, framed in dark maroon shades, and showing nothing but darkness and stars. Assuming it must mean thatit was night, Obi-Wan got up.
At least, he tried to get up. His head swam with dizziness and he set his hand down on the bed to keep himself from toppling over. Once he'd managed to not hit the floor, he found the dizziness wearing off for the most part. His head still felt a bit fuzzy and his stomach uneasy.
He also found himself in his undershirt and leggings only. Another glance around the room showed that the rest of his clothing was on the couch, nearly folded. Qui-Gon never folded anything neatly. At least not that neatly. But Obi-Wan couldn't remember undressing, let alone arriving here. Where ever here was.
Shivering, Obi-Wan pulled one of the blankets off the bed and wrapped it around himself.Then he carefully headed over to look out the window. But as he looked down, herealized it wasn't necessarily night. They weren't on a planet at all, but in the middle of space. Obi-Wan couldn't sense any movement, and he didn't know of ships with well-equipped accommodations. But before he could work things out, he felt the need to sneeze again.
He ducked his head and sneezed into a corner of the blanket. "IhhhhKShhh! EhhhShehhh! Hehh...hehh-IHHHTChhhh!"
As he sniffled, the door to the room opened and closed. Obi-Wan felt warmth overcome him through his bond with his master. "Bless you," Qui-Gon called. Obi-Wan turned to see his master, who had a bag in his arms. His expression of great relief was impossible to miss. "It is good to see you're awake finally. And up, too. How are you feeling?"
He tried to answer, "I..." but Obi-Wan stopped and closed his eyes as another sneeze came. "ihhh...ehhhKIShhhh! hehhhTchhh!" He sniffed and rubbed at his nose. "Master, where are we? I have no memory of getting here." Shivering and feeling weak, he leaned back against the wall.
"You were out with fever. I carried you." Qui-Gon set the bag down and walked over to put a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "Come on, sit down. You're not well yet."
Obi-Wan nodded and sat down on the bed. He looked about for a box of tissues and didn't see one. He cupped his hand to his nose. "Qui... I could use a..." He sniffed wetly a few times.
"I have a few, in fact." Qui-Gon nodded and retrieved one from the bag. He settled on thebed, and crawled around Obi-Wan. He handed over the handkerchief then hugged the man from behind.
Thankful for it, Obi-Wan immediately shook it out and held it up at the ready. "hehh... IHKshffffff! ehhhKShffff!" The sneezes snapped him forward quickly, making him a little lightheaded. He blew his nose and leaned back against Qui-Gon. He gave himself a few moments until the dizziness wore off before speaking again. "So where are we? I thought I said Ididn't want to... to stop." He folded the handkerchief and blew his nose again.
Qui-Gon nuzzled his neck from behind, then rubbed his cheek and nose into Obi-Wan's short brown hair. He wanted Obi-Wan to relax and not worry. "You were unconscious. I couldn't wake you no matter what I tried and I..."
"You got scared." Obi-Wan smiled, knowing Qui-Gon couldn't see him.
Qui-Gon sent a warning to Obi-Wan through their bond not to tread there. "I overruled yourdecision," he said. "So I stopped at this space station and got us a room."
Obi-Wan stiffened. "A space station? Master, there's no telling-"
"It's all right. I know this place. I've been here before." He laughed softly. "In fact, I was here when I was a padawan learner, younger than you are now." Obi-Wan was still tense."We are safe here. I had to drop a name or two and spend a little money. But you needed the rest so it was worth it."
With a sigh, Obi-Wan nodded. Then he turned his attention back onto the handkerchief."ihhhKkk... EHHKShhhh! AhhhKshhhh! hahhhShhhh!" He shivered violently and rubbed at the ache in his head.
"Come on. Lie down." Qui-Gon eased him back down and under the covers of the bed and laydown beside him, on top of the covers, hugging him through the blankets.
Obi-Wan knew Qui-Gon only wanted him safe and well, but he would have preferred to wake up at home. And he could guess another reason his master had decided to stop. "And I suppose this space station just happens to have a medical center, too? I thought I made it clear that I did not want to see healers."
"Actually it used to have a med center, but not any more." Qui-Gon shook his head sadly. "A lot of things have changed since I was a young padawan learner."
Obi-Wan rolled over with a cough and smiled. "I can imagine." He reached up and ran hishair through his master's long brown hair. He fingered a few pieces that would have made a nice braid but the idea made him miss the Jedi temple too much so he closed his eyes and rubbed his nose with his hand instead.
Qui-Gon kissed him softly, then rose and walked over to the couch. "Your fever's beenbetter these last few hours. So I snuck out to get some food and something to drink. Luckily the location of the food court hadn't changed though they still don't take republic credits." He took a few small containers of food out of the bag, along with two lidded cups and the other handkerchiefs.
With his nose in the handkerchief again, Obi-Wan had to sneeze before he could say anything more. "ihhhh-EhhChfffff! HihChiffff! IHshhfffff!" He blew his nose then smiled at Qui-Gon as he sat up a little. "I am a little thirsty." He gulpeddown nearly half the cup when Qui-Gon handed it to him. "How long have we been here, then?"
"Not very long, actually," Qui-Gon replied, sitting down on the bed. "We docked here latelast night and it's not quite midday yet. I was up all night trying to lower your fever. I was hoping your condition would improve quickly and we could be off again without losing too much time in our schedule but I will try to find a free communications channel and contact the council if needed."
Obi-Wan shook his head. No matter how much Qui-Gon had tried to reassure Obi-Wan that the station was safe, communications sent from here could be easily intercepted by hundreds, if not thousands. Besides wanting to get home to get into his own bed, Obi-Wan hated the idea of arriving late after a mission that had otherwise gone excellently. "No need to contact them, Master. I am quicklyrecover-ing-ehhh-hehCHISHH!" He clamped the handkerchief to hisface, wishing his sneezes had better timing. He had been trying to make a point. "IkkShhffff! HehhShffff!" He blew his nose and tried to ignore the dark spots dancing before his eyes.
"I asked before, and you did not tell me. How exactly are you feeling?" a concerned Qui-Gon asked, opening up the food cartons and trying to entice Obi-Wan into eating a little. He pressed a fork into Obi-Wan's hand and gestured repeatedly to the food he placed on the bed between them. "Because this last night you really were not doing so well. Coughing and moaning. A dangerously highfever."
"I'm feeling a little better," Obi-Wan said, trying to sound as though he believed it himself.
"Liar," Qui-Gon laughed, sending a playful bit of warmth to his padawan through their bond. He pressed his hand to Obi-Wan's forehead. "You're still running a fever. And you're obviously still terribly congested."
"But I slept well and now I'm ready to head back," Obi-Wan insisted. "So where's the ship docked?"
Gently, Qui-Gon stroked his forehead, then his cheek. "I knew you would say that. Let us give it another hour or so, all right? Try to eat something before we go."
Obi-Wan sniffed wetly and shrugged. "I'm not really hungry. I think it's the fever." As he drank the rest of his drink, he curiously peered over at the container Qui-Gon was holding. "Wait... are those Pratican cream puffs?"
"Mmmm." Qui-Gon nodded and passed the box over. Obi-Wan quickly picked one up and bit into it, the cream oozing out onto his tongue. He sighed and closed his eyes at the delightful rush of taste. Qui-Gon smiled. "You're so easy, Padawan Mine."
Part 4
Qui-Gon gripped the steering column as they began descent. He stole a glimpse at Obi-Wan who was curled up in his seat with an arm wrapped around his legs. His other hand pinched his nose tightly as his cheeks inflated. With the pressurizing technology in the ship, there was normally little need to clear one's ears, but Obi-Wan's congestion seemed to increase that need. And though his ears seemed to be bothering him, Obi-Wan looked pleased to finally be atthe end of their journey.
He could not possibly be as relieved as Qui-Gon, however, who had not truly slept in days. Even after the overnight stop on the space station, his worry over his padawan had never been stronger.
The ship touched down softly on a landing pad. Both men sighed quiet sighs once the shipbecame still. Pausing in the rubbing of one ear, Obi-Wan handed his master's cloak over. On their trip home he had used it as a pillow as much as a blanket. Qui-Gon slipped it on without a word towards its wrinkles and gathered their bags as Obi-Wan seemed in no condition to do anything but curl up in bed.
But the now was not the time for that, as they climbed out of the small ship and spotted afigure walking up onto the pad to greet them. The green robes were immediately recognizable. Obi-Wan groaned and looked up at Qui-Gon. He was standing close to his master for warmth on the windy landing pad, and Qui-Gon's arm was around his shoulders. And he rubbed at his ear, which was still bothering him from the pressure change when landing. "I thought I said I did not need to visit the healers."
"You said that, yes," Qui-Gon nodded. "But I had a bit of time to think on the way homewhile you were unconscious with a fever and I decided not to currently trust you on matters of health."
Obi-Wan looked up at his master in mild annoyance but was unable to say anything as Tala approached them. "Qui-Gon!" he called out warmly, pulling down his hood despite the wind on the platform. He embraced the Jedi Master, then did the same to Obi-Wan. "I hear you're not feeling so well, Obi-Wan" he said, clapping the younger man. He studied Obi-Wan's face as he began to walk beside him.
"I cannot imagine who you heard that from," Obi-Wan mumbled sarcastically.
"Now, now," Tala said, clucking his tongue. "That's not a very Jedi-like attitude, even ifyou are sick."
Obi-Wan lifted his hand and rubbed at his nose. "Right now I'm not feeling very Jedi-lih-like." He forced himself to finish quickly and covered the lower half of his face by cupping both hands to it. "huh... hahh-IHShhhhh! hehhKUHshhhh! hihhKishhhhh!" His handkerchiefs used up and his hands wet, Obi-Wan froze in embarrassment trying to decide if he should wipe his nose on his sleeve or not.
Tala came to the rescue, however, having brought along a handkerchief just for Obi-Wan. He stuffed it into the Jedi padawan's hands and looked away politely as Obi-Wan cleaned himself off and blew his nose.
Not a second after he finished, however, did his nose begin to tickle again. "ehhh..." hegasped, instinctually leaning into Qui-Gon for comfort. "hihhhKShffff!" He snapped forward, nose buried in the handkerchief. "hehhShuhhh! Hihhh-KShuhhhh!Kihshhhh!" He rubbed his nose and lifted his head with a weak smile on his face. "My ear finally cleared," he said with a laugh.
Qui-Gon hugged him close with a laugh to match.
The effort of sneezing had made him feel lightheaded, and Obi-Wan was very glad for the two arms, one on each side, supporting him as they walked off the pad and into the temple. He wasn't the least bit surprised when the Jedi Master and the healer steered him towards the healing dome instead of towards his and Qui-Gon's quarters. And he did not have the energy left to protest.
He was taken around to the back entrance, however, bypassing the waiting area and being ushered straight into one of the examination rooms. "Take off your cloak and tunics and then hop up onto the table," Tala instructed, gesturing towards the metal examination table. Obi-Wan, feeling sniffly, instead made for the tissue box which sat on the counter. "Ah-ah!"Tala corrected him, taking Obi by the shoulders and directing him to the table. Tala picked up the box of tissues and set it down on Obi-Wan's lap. "There you are. Yours now. Happy early Name Day."
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes but nonetheless quickly pulled a few tissues out of the box andblew his nose fully into them. Then he set his mind to the task of undressing as he'd been asked. It wasn't as though the sniffles which currently plagued his nose made it difficult, simply that they were symbolic of how weak, tired, and sick he felt. And so Obi-Wan appreciated it greatly when Qui-Gon hopped up onto the table as well and helped him strip off his top layers of clothing. Then Qui-Gon wrapped his arms around the younger man to keep him warm before the examination.
"Do you need anything else before we start?" Tala asked, tearing open the wrapping around a thermometer.
Obi-Wan shrugged and rubbed a tissue at his nose. "I'm a little thirsty," he confessed.
Tala rolled a tall stool up in front of them and perched on it, legs spread. "I'm going totake your temperature first," he told Obi-Wan. "Then I'll get you something nice to drink. But you're going to need to keep from sneezing while the thermometer is in, all right?"
Obi-Wan nodded obediently, then held up a finger to signal he wanted Tala to wait a moment. He pulled a few more tissues out of the box and lifted a handful to his nose for a few hearty blows before he deemed himself ready for his temperature to be taken. Qui-Gon sat back a little, not wanting to interfere or, worse yet, be told off by the healer for doing so.
Tala slipped the thermometer in, then patted Obi-Wan's head. "How long have you beenfeeling sick?" the healer asked, looking at Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan looked at Qui-Gon to ask for help answering. "He woke up a bit sniffly the day we left,"Qui-Gon explained. "That was three days ago." Tala nodded, taking it in.
"So in the way of symptoms...?" Tala said, shining a light into each of Obi-Wan's ears, then into his nose, which made Obi-Wan sniffle more. "Sneezing and congestion, obviously. But sounds and looks relatively all right," he said, peeking at the tissues in Obi-Wan's hand. "Sore throat? Coughing?" Obi-Wan nodded a little. "How about a headache?" Obi-Wan nodded again. "Blurred vision?" Obi-Wan thought a moment, then shook his head."Dizziness, fatigue?"Obi-Wan nodded again. "Which? Both?" Another nod. He was getting tired of nodding, but at least the constant stream of questioning was keeping him awake. "How's your stomach? Any nausea?" Obi-Wan shrugged slightly and held up his hand. There was a sliver of spacebetween his thumb and forefinger. "Just a tiny bit, then?" Tala guessed. Obi-Wan nodded and rubbed again at his nose. Tala waited for him to finish before reaching up and feeling the sides of Obi-Wan's face and neck to check for swollen lymph nodes. Then he checked his watch and slid the thermometer out from Obi-Wan's mouth. "And we can add a rather high temperature to the list, too." He stroked Obi-Wan's forehead gently, finding it quite hot and damp. Then he smiled reassuringly. "Let me get you a nice warm drink, all right?" Obi-Wannodded and rubbed miserably at his runny nose which had not liked him for breathing through it for so long.
Tala stood and caught Qui-Gon's gaze. With a nod of his head, he motioned for Qui-Gon toresume his warm embrace in the meantime. And his questioning stare asked if Qui-Gon desired a beverage as well. Qui-Gon did not, but he did wrap his arms around his padawan and hugged him close again.
When Tala returned with a glass of hot cider, it was to find Obi-Wan burrowing into hismaster's robes. They were dwarfed by the rows and rows of cabinets on both sides. In fact, they were sitting so close together that an unknowing visitor walking in might think there was just one person in the large, white room. But a slightly longer look would easily reveal the movements of each man, and the fact that the sick one was sneezing again. "HihhShfff! hehShfff! hihKufffffff!" Obi-Wan snuffled into his tissues while Qui-Gon gave Tala an apologetic look.
Having seen far worse in his life, Tala waved it off casually. "Here you are, Obi-Wan,"Tala said. Obi-Wan rubbed his nose dry then pulled away from Qui-Gon to carefully accept the mug. He drank nearly all at one time, then handed the mug to Qui-Gon so Tala could finish the examination.
Tala inspected Obi-Wan's throat, then listened closely to his heart and to his breaths. "Just one last thing," Tala said, patting Obi's thigh reassuringly before hopping back up. "I need a small blood sample." Obi-Wan nodded and volunteered his left arm. Tala returned and smiled approvingly at him. After swabbing and drawing a bit of blood, he disappeared down the hall towards the laboratory.
Qui-Gon helped Obi-Wan on with his clothes, then handed the mug back over for Obi-Wan to finish it. Obi-Wan shivered and leaned against Qui-Gon with a yawn. "You didn't have to call him. It's just a cold."
"I know," Qui-Gon sighed, hugging Obi-Wan to him. Qui-Gon could sense that his padawan wastense and did not believe this was just a cold, no matter what he said. He tried to keep his tone light and relaxing. "But I've called him over less, haven't I? I just want to be sure that you're all right." Obi-Wan nodded in understanding and closed his eyes as Qui-Gon began stroking his head gently, comfortingly.
Obi-Wan shivered a little and his nose twitched with the need to sneeze again. He helped himself to another two tissues, having tucked the used ones into his pockets. "hihhh... ihhhh-HIHKShffff! hehhKShuffff! ehhhKShhhhhh!" he sneezed weakly. Qui-Gon continued to pet him not a moment later, as though nothing had transpired. "I just want to... sniff,sniff, to get into bed and go to sleep," he sighed.
"As soon as we get the results of the blood work, I'm sure you'll be able to go righthome." He kissed the top of Obi-Wan's head, then stopped petting and held his cool hand against the younger man's hot forehead. "And you'll be getting right into bed and staying there until you're better if I have anything to say about it."
A bit of the tension in Obi-Wan's shoulders melted away. "If I do have to stay here,though, will you stay with me?" he asked timidly.
"I certainly will," Qui-Gon reassured him. Obi-Wan was usually not this needy. But then again, Qui-Gon was usually not this worried. When it came to his padawan's health, evenQui-Gon Jinn could not find calming peace through the force. He hugged Obi-Wan closer as the younger man sniffled.
"Even if Tala says you-"
Qui-Gon cut him off. "I'll stay. Overnight. For days, whatever it takes. I'll stay withyou."
Tala came back into the room, looking somewhat crestfallen and pensive. "Qui-Gon, may I see you in the other room, please?"
Obi-Wan instinctively clung to his master. It was almost as though Tala had been listening at the door and knew just what they did not want to hear. "I'm staying here," Qui-Gon insisted. "Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of Obi. Whatever you need me for-"
And Tala cut Qui-Gon off. "What I need is for you to come with me to the other room." Hesighed in frustration as his deep green eyes bore into Qui-Gon's.
Understanding, Qui-Gon pried Obi-Wan off and hopped off the table. "I'll be right back," he said softly. "I'm not leaving the center, I'll just be next door for a moment. If you need anything, just give me a call. Okay?" Obi-Wan nodded. Qui-Gon pulled off his cloak and folded it over a few times for a pillow. Then he eased Obi-Wan down and kissed the top of his head again. "I'll be right back."
Obi-Wan hugged the tissue box to his chest and nodded. Then he closed his eyes again and tried to go to sleep, stretched out on the uncomfortably straight and cold examination table.
After walking Qui-Gon to examination room next door, Tala closed the door behind them. Before Qui-Gon could even ask what was wrong with Obi, Tala gestured towards the table in this room. "Hop up and roll up your sleeve, Qui-Gon." After a few seconds more of Tala's no-nonsense look, Qui-Gon obeyed. "It's nothing terrible. I just want to be sure you're notinfected or a transmitter. You remember that long list of symptoms we ran through a few minutes ago?" Qui-Gon nodded. "Don't have any of those, do you?"
Qui-Gon thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm feeling a bit tired, but I think that's from the trip. I didn't get much sleep since Obi-Wan couldn't switch off with me, and I was far too worried to really sleep. But other than that, I feel perfectly fine." Tala looked somewhat relieved at this, and Qui-Gon spoke quickly, "Tala, what is going on here?"
Tala retrieved another syringe. He sensed the vein in Qui-Gon's arm and drew a bit of blood. "I'm sure you're fine," Tala said, pressing a bit of gauze to Qui-Gon's arm. "I just want to be thorough. Please remain here until I return."
Qui-Gon nodded. Despite Tala's mild reassurances, he was still worried. If it was bad enough for Tala to have to take blood samples, it must be worse than he was letting on. Qui-Gon was quite familiar with the concept of being reassuring and calm on the outside to hide the anxiety.
Qui-Gon took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting the breath out slowly. He tried to reach out to the force for support, trusting that it would not have brought them this far if it was that serious. It was just a cold, like his padawan kept saying.
He could sense Obi-Wan in the next room, shivering, alone, and uncertain. Qui-Gon couldtell when Obi-Wan needed to sneeze again, as well. And he could faintly hear the sneezes through the wall. "hehhShhh! ihhhShhuhh! ihhKShuhhh! Shuhhh!" Obi-Wan wasn't sitting up and wasn't covering his nose. Before he realized he had even jumped down, Qui-Gon had crossed the room, opened the door, and walked towards Obi-Wan.
"Qui!" Tala called from down the hall, freezing Qui-Gon in place. "And you a Jedi Master," he said, clucking and shaking his head. He walked over and patted Qui-Gon's back. "It's all right. I'm ready and we can go back in now."
Obi-Wan did not sit up when they entered. He opened his eyes briefly and smiled, but thenshook when more sneezes struck him. "HIHhhhShhhhh! EhhhKShffff!" He caught the secondone in a tissue but hadn't reached quickly enough for the first.
"Arnup'tchow," Tala blessed him, pulling the stool over again.
Qui-Gon sat back down on the table, slipping his thigh beneath Obi-Wan's head and drapinghis cloak over Obi-Wan again. Obi-Wan snuggled into his master, glad he was back.
"So there's a mess of good and bad news here," Tala said. "The most important good part isthat what you've got is an Ondarian virus that is their equivalent of a cold. Luckily, I'm immune and Qui-Gon's species seems to have a documented immunity as well. I checked to be sure he couldn't be a carrier and things look good. The bad news is that there's no actual cure or treatment. But it's not fatal and will go away on its own."
"That is good," Qui-Gon said, trying to play that part up rather than the part where there was no treatment. As he sat listening, he massaged Obi-Wan's neck and shoulder. Obi-Wan lay sniffling into a tissue and trying to stay awake.
"During the course of the illness, your symptoms will vary from day to day. Some days youmight feel better than others."
"HIHShhfffff! HEHKShfffff! Ihhhkshffffff!" Obi-Wan scrubbed at his nose. Qui-Gon pulled out a fresh tissue and rubbed it at Obi-Wan's nose for him.
"Today seems to be one of those others," Tala observed. Then he lapsed back into hisexplanation to get it over with quickly. "Now this virus is quite contagious, so I'm afraid you will need to stay in your quarters for the duration of the illness, whether you start feeling better or not. All right?"
Obi-Wan nodded a little, and Qui-Gon gave a firmer nod. "How long might it last?" inquired Qui-Gon.
"Well, the good news is that there is a fixed length, much like a forty-eight hour bug. The bad news is... this virus' lifespan within its host is a month."
"A month!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. Both sets of eyes of the Jedi master and padawan were wide. "You mean I'm going to be sick like this for seven whole weeks?"
Tala shook his head. "No, actually!" He laughed nervously. "This is an Ondarian Virus, so the time period is an Ondarian month. So instead of thirty-five daysit will actually only be thirty."
"Thirty?" repeated Obi-Wan incredulously. That was hardly any better than thirty-five. Six standardweeks instead of seven.
"Thirty," Tala confirmed with a nod. He stood up and took both men's duffle bags. "Some of the usual steps to take care of a normal cold and a fever will make you more comfortable. And Qui-Gon, you'll need to shower or at least wash your hands and change your clothes before leaving your quarters. This virus is quite contagious. But there's no reason to keep you here at the center. I'll walk you over to your quarters and give you the rest of the details along the way."
Almost preferring a night in the stiff beds here to the idea of such a long-lasting cold, Obi-Wan nonetheless rose and found himself supported by both tall men. He clutched his master's cloak around him and carried the box of tissues with him as well, just in case.
Part 5
As Qui-Gon would have predicted, had he been given the chance to do so, Obi-Wan climbedstraight into bed when he came home from the healing dome. What was slightly troubling was that he had not moved from the bed since that point in time the day before. He had refused most food and drink, and generally decided that the only thing he felt like doing was to be to lie in bed feeling sorry for himself. After a night of restless misery and a morning of complaining, Qui-Gon decided it was time to try something.
"I don't have any cream puffs this time, but how about sitting up and having some soup with me?" Qui-Gon said, settling on the edge of the bed with a tray in hand. "I brought two spoons."
His body half buried under blankets, his head half buried in a stack of pillows, his nose buried in a handkerchief, Obi-Wan turned his head to look up wearily. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was pale apart from flushed cheeks. He eyed the bowl of soup in quick consideration, and then he closed his eyes again. "Don't want it." He gave a very long, hard sniffle. Then he breathed out shakily. "Th-thanks, though."
Obi-Wan sank back into the pillows and tightened his grip on the handkerchief. Apart from sleeping, which he hadn't managed to do much of, the only thing he'd actually been able to do was sneeze. "ehhhh.... Ehhh-HIHHHKShhhhhh! HehhhKShhh!" Herubbed at his nose and then relaxed as though trying to go back to sleep.
"Bless you." Qui-Gon sighed and set the tray on his lap, holding it with one hand to keep it steady. He reached over and stroked Obi-Wan's cheek with the back of two fingers. "How about a cool cloth for your head? Maybe that will make you feel hungrier."
"No. I don't feel like it." He tugged the comforter up, trying to get it from his waist to his shoulders. But as Qui-Gon was sitting on part, it wasn't going anywhere. Obi-Wan pulled hard, squinting and breaking into a sweat, but it wouldn't budge. Finally he whimpered in frustration and shoved the blanket away. "I cannot manage to do anything anymore!"
Qui-Gon set the tray down on the nightstand, then stood. He gathered the blankets and then climbed beneath the covers with him. No matter how frustrated Obi-Wan felt, he still snuggled into Qui-Gon the moment Qui-Gon's arm wrapped around him. "I cannot survive this," he whispered into Qui-Gon's side. "I mean... thirty days? It would be kinder by far to kill me than to try to feed me."
Qui-Gon stroked Obi-Wan's head soothingly, trying to help. "It is only twenty-five moredays, actually... assuming you don't count today."
Obi-Wan groaned. The trip home had been such a blur to him that he had already lost count. He had been hoping more days had passed, however. He rubbed at his nose , feelinganother sneeze coming on. As he started to go get his handkerchief ready for another sneeze, he pulled back from Qui-Gon a little. Not far enough, however, as the sneeze came out a moment too soon and he only half caught it in the handkerchief. "HAHHKShhhhhff!" He looked uncomfortableand embarrassed about sneezing on Qui-Gon and pulled back more.
"Bless you. And it's okay, Love," Qui-Gon whispered, petting Obi-Wan's back. "I can't catch this from you, remember?"
"That doesn't mean you want me sneezing on... on you... ehhh..." Obi-Wan said, soundingdepressed and sneezy all at once. He completely covered his nose and mouth with his handkerchief this time. "iihhhKShhff!ihhhChuhhfff! hehhhKShahfff!" He blew his nose several times, folding the handkerchief after each to get a dry spot until there were none left. Then he tossed the now useless handkerchief over the side of the bed with what little energy he had left. "I cannot do this for another twenty-five days, Master," he repeated softly.
"Oh, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon sighed. Placing two fingers beneath Obi-Wan's chin, Qui-Gon made the young man lift his head so they could kiss. He sent a soft wave of reassurance through their bond along with it. "Of course you can endure this. You are much stronger than you think you are."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "I feel completely miserable, Master. I just... I... oh no..." Hequickly cupped a hand to his nose and mouth and sat up. He realized he had no handkerchief but he wouldn't have had time to get one even if he had realized it sooner. His eyes closed. His breath hitched. And, having nothing else to do and trying to steady himself, his free hand gripped the blanket that had again settled at his lap. "hahhhh-AHKShhhhh! Sniff! hahhhKIHShhhh! Chishhh!" He sniffed wetly and groaned again.
Automatically, as soon as he'd seen Obi-Wan needing to sneeze, Qui-Gon had gone for the tissues. "Bless you," he said, sounding sympathetic and wishing he could do more to help than just supplying tissues. Obi-Wan rubbed his nose into a handful of them. Then he fell back onto the bed.
Qui-Gon set the box down beside the stack of pillows and then sat down again besideObi-Wan. He watched as Obi-Wan closed his eyes and blew his nose, then relaxed back into the pillows. "Try to look at the good side of this," Qui-Gon suggested.
Obi-Wan stared up at him with disbelief. "There's a good side to having a thirty-day long cold? What, my wise old master, would that be?"
"Watch it with the old cracks, Obi," Qui-Gon said warningly, but he was grinning. Obi-Wanmay have been depressed and miserable, but he had the energy for joking, which was a start. "The good side of having to stay in our quarters for the next five weeks is that you have the time to relax."
Obi-Wan coughed and rolled over on his side to get a better look at Qui-Gon.
"I know you're not very experienced at relaxing. Most Jedi aren't, which is one of the many reasons we meditate. But this will give you the chance to do a lot of things you do not usually have the time for. Like reading."
"My head hurts too much to read," Obi-Wan explained. He inched a little closer to Qui-Gon, on the pretenses of taking a few more tissues out of the box.
"Well, we'll find some of those audio book disks. Or holovids, for that matter. There are hundreds of videos we always say we're going to watch but never do."
Obi-Wan shrugged and coughed, leaning forward a little at the force of each.
"You can sleep in as long as you like and spend all day in your pajamas not worrying about classes or meetings or work," Qui-Gon said.
Obi-Wan did not look thrilled at the prospect. "hahhhh... hahh-Chihh! hehTChihh!" He rubbed at hisnose and scooted just a little closer to Qui-Gon. "But I like all that," Obi-Wan complained. "I like the work, Master."
Qui-Gon understood that all too well. He knew that it had to take something like this to get his padawan to quit working. Jedi were made of strong stuff, and in order to get as far as Obi-Wan had, it took tremendous skill and drive. And to go from that to nothing all of a sudden had to be quite a shock. The fact that he'd been so quiet since yesterday instead of insisting on catching up on work missed during the mission definitely said something.
But if the young padawan was to survive at all, he'd need to be given something to do. Andthere was only one thing he could actually do in his condition. "All right then," Qui-Gon said, reaching down and petting Obi-Wan again. "I want you to work on relaxing."
"Master-"
"No, no," Qui-Gon smiled and slid his palm against the short fuzzy padawan haircut. "I'myour master and you're not to argue with my instructions. I'm telling you that I want you to work on not working. Give me reports on it if you have to. Okay?"
Obi-Wan nodded and scooted the rest of the way over to the Qui-Gon. He took one of thepillows and set it on Qui-Gon's thigh. His head sank into it. Qui-Gon pulled the blankets all the way up to Obi-Wan's chin, then rubbed the young man's back through the covers. Obi-Wan settled back down comfortably and closed his eyes.
Qui-Gon gave it a moment, maybe two, before giving it one last shot. "How about if I spoon-feed you? Then will you have a little soup?"
Obi-Wan gave another groan but smiled at the silliness and intimacy of the image. "Maybe later. Isthat all right?"
"Of course it is, Love." Qui-Gon said comfortingly. He bent over and kissed Obi-Wan'stemple softly. "You just do whatever your body tells you to and let me know if you need anything." He continued to pet gently until Obi-Wan fell to sleep.
Part 6
The bed was still empty when Qui-Gon returned to their bedroom. Obi-Wan had taken seriously the previous day's directive from Qui-Gon about relaxing. As he had little-to-no experience in the matter, he had begun with a simple healing trance which he worked at for much of the morning. It had not done much good, however, as he'd had to stop to sneeze every time he got to a deep enough state. After that, he had performed some katas to try to center himself and stay awake at the same time. By stage four of form two, however, Obi-Wan had felt quite winded and allowed himself to stop.
Qui-Gon had suggested simply sleeping but Obi-Wan's sneezes had prevented him from doingmuch of that, as well. He found himself rubbing at his sniffly, itchy nose more than not. Every time he tried to fall asleep, sneezes seized him. Even one sneeze took one a considerable amount of energy. He had to get a tissue and cover his face. His whole face screwed up in concentration and his body tensed up. After the sneeze, he usually felt the need to blow his nose as much as possible in hopes that it would hold off the next sneezes a little bit longer. And by then, he had concentrated so much on the sneeze that he wasn't able to fall to sleep at all. Unable to give up on the task of relaxing, he turned back to meditation, hoping to reach a place deep within the force where his symptoms were not so much of a bother.
Pausing at the doorway to their bedroom for a moment, Qui-Gon now found Obi-Wan sitting onthe floor, leaning back against the end of the bed. Qui-Gon considered backing off, not wanting to interrupt the meditation. But he knew Obi-Wan's nose was runny and throat was scratchy, and he did want to help. So Qui-Gon walked silently into the room, then sat gracefully on the floor at the foot of the bed with his legs folded under him. He closed his eyes and reached out to Obi-Wan over their bond, bringing the man back. It took a few minutes, but both Jedi finally opened their eyes at the same time. "I brought you another cup of tea," Qui-Gon said, handing the mug over.
"Thag you," Obi-Wan said, sounding terribly stuffy. It had been a while since he had blown his nose thoroughly, and it showed. Earlier in the day he declared that trying to clear his nose was a futile endeavor and Qui-Gon had told him not to worry about it. If they needed to, they could always communicate telepathically. Still, Obi-Wan made sure a box of tissues was never out of reach.
Obi-Wan took a small sip of the tea, letting it sit in his mouth a moment before swallowing. He considered it a moment, but before he could inquire, Qui-Gon answered, "I put a little lemon in it this time. Thought you might like something different."
Obi-Wan gave a grateful smile and drank a little more. The steam made his nose twitch alittle, and he tightened his grip on the mug so as not to spill it when the sneezes shook him. "hihhhh..." His body tensed, and his nostrils twitched. Then his eyes quickly snapped shut and he sneezed. "HEHHShhhh! HahhKShhh! HuhhTchhh!"
"Bless you." Qui-Gon gently eased the cup out of Obi-Wan's hands and held it for him.
After pulling one, two, then three tissues out of the box, Obi-Wan blew his nose a few times. It was still stuffy afterwards, but it was also starting to look a little pink at the tip and the nostrils. And from the way he winced when he blew, it was starting to hurt from too much attention. "You dod't hab to say bless you every tibe," he said, balling up the tissues and tossing them at the trash can. "If you do, you'll lose your voice by the edd of this."
Qui-Gon smiled and handed the tea back. "I don't say it every time. Just when the mood strikes. Or when you look like you could use it."
Obi-Wan looked back at him with soft, sad eyes. "Add you thought I could use it thed?"
Qui-Gon nodded. He moved over and wrapped an arm around Obi-Wan's shoulders. "Was I right?" Obi-Wan nodded back and put his head on Qui-Gon's shoulder as he drank more. "So how is relaxing going? Got the hang of it yet?"
Obi-Wan shrugged and sniffed from his runny nose. "I'b dot feelig very relaxed yet. I bead, I've beed beditatig add... sniff! Sniff! Sniiiiiff!" He sighed deeply and shook his head. "Ruddy dose... hold od." Then he pulled out a few more tissues and tried to blow his nose again. There was a soft gurgling sound but the blowing did not seem to do anything else for his nose. He held a tissue up to his nose. //Master, I've been meditating, but I keep sneezing. My nose just won't stop bothering me. It's not very relaxing.// He sighed deeply and leaned back against the end of the bed, tissues in one hand and the tea in the other.
As though proving his point, Obi-Wan felt the need to sneeze again. His shoulders raisedand he leaned forward. Tightening the grip of the tissue against his nose, Obi-Wan readied himself to keep steady when the sneezes struck. His breaths were shallow and shaky, and his nose and eyebrows twitched as the sneeze came upon him. With all the energy that he was taking to prepare for the sneeze and draw it out, he was completely unable to divert any towards staying relaxed or meditating. "hehhhhh..." He closed his eyes. "hahhh-Ihhhhhh... hah-" He pulled back a little as he took an involuntary breath. "hahhh-IKShhuffff!" His shoulders shook as he tried to hold himself back from snapping in half at the waist. "hehhh-KShhfff! KChffff!" He gave a half-hearted blow into the tissues and then sighed, leaning back against the bed again.
Qui-Gon kissed Obi-Wan's cheek. "Well then, if meditating isn't working and you can'tmanage to fall asleep, I'll just have to help you learn how to relax." His words were hot breaths against Obi-Wan's neck and face. //Close your eyes,// Qui-Goncommanded,not needing the power of suggestion to get Obi-Wan to obey. Qui-Gon pulled out a few fresh tissues and switched them with the used ones in Obi-Wan's hand. //And if youmust sneeze, just sneeze.// Qui-Gon moved closer and put a hand on Obi-Wan's side, his fingers caressing the satiny sleep shirt. //Just concentrate on my touch. Let nothing else bother you.//
With a nod that said he would try, Obi-Wan took a deep breath and let it out slowly.Qui-Gon's hand slid up to Obi-Wan's shoulders and rubbed. "Mmmph..." Obi-Wan leaned forward a bit as Qui-Gon nudged him to do so. This gave Qui-Gon room between Obi-Wan and the end of the bed to reach around and massage both of the young man's shoulders. Qui-Gon squeezed the shoulders slowly but steadily, applying pressure with his thumbs on one side, four fingers on the other side, and his palm pressing down on the top of Obi-Wan's shoulders.
Obi-Wan began swaying a little in time to the massages. But then his breath caught and his nostrils twitched. He stiffened and brought the tissues to his nose, trying to be ready. But Qui-Gon gave a soft grunt of disapproval. One hand continued massaging at the now tense shoulders while the other slid down Obi-Wan's arm and lowered his hand. //No need to bemindful of your sneezes. Let them come. Blow your nose afterwards if you must.//
Obi-Wan nodded. He tried to force his shoulders to sag and tried to ignore the ticklebuilding in his nose. And when the urge finally worked into a sneeze and seized him, he did not fight it when it tossed him forward. "HAHShhhhh! HehhhKChhhhh!ihhh-IhhhhKShhhhh!" Obi-Wan sneezed freely. He snuffled a little into the tissues afterwards, drying his nose.
//Well handled, my Padawan,// Qui-Gon said, kissing the back of Obi-Wan's neck. //You have always been a quicklearner.// He sent something warm and comforting through their training bond and resumed massaging with both hands on Obi-Wan's shoulders. Sometimes his hands moved inwards, thumbs rubbing at the back of the young man's neck and base of his head.
After a few moments of this, Obi-Wan's head began to bow down as the relaxing sensationswept through him. //Breathe deeply,// Qui-Gon instructed. //Think only of my touch.// Obi-Wan did as told, concentrating on themassages, not upon the tickles plaguing his nose. Still he sniffled, but they were small automatic sniffles. The rest of his body slipped into gentle relaxation.
Qui-Gon smiled, sensing this change slowly coming over his padawan. "Is this helping,then?" Qui-Gon asked, knowing the answer and knowing how Obi-Wan would answer.
Obi's head bobbed up and down slowly, and Qui-Gon moved his hands to work all his fingersagainst the back of the young man's neck. "It... ohhh... it helbs a little," Obi-Wan said, reveling in the pleasures of the massage.
"Just a little?" teased Qui-Gon, pressing his fingers harder into Obi-Wan's shoulders now. "I shall just have to work harder, then." His hands traveled down, kneading hard circles into the padawan's back. //Deep breaths, now. In... Out...// Qui-Gon stepped him through, it, his own breaths falling into sync with Obi-Wan's.
Obi-Wan sighed deeply. The tension in his back melted out and he went limp. Qui-Gon wascareful to keep him from simply falling right over, but especially kept close watch on the cup of tea in Obi-Wan's hand. The padawan's grip loosened and the cup tilted little by little. "Watch the tea," the Jedi master reminded his padawan. Obi-Wan's grip on the mug tightened.
But as Qui-Gon's massages continued, Obi-Wan relaxed more, leaning and swaying with the touches then breathing in time to them. The cup began to tilt again, and then slip. Qui-Gon's hand slid down Obi-Wan's arm and closed over Obi-Wan's just as the tea might have spilled. Obi-Wan corrected himself,tightening his grip, then looked back with a sheepish smile. "I'b sorry."
"No," Qui-Gon said, kissing Obi-Wan's jawbone, then his cheek. "No, that is all right. Relaxing is exactly what you were supposed to do." He took the mug and set it down. Then he scooped Obi-Wan up in his arms and carried him to the bed. Obi-Wan rolled onto his stomach and sighed as he snuggled into the cool pillow and blankets. "And how are you now?" asked Qui-Gon, climbing onto the bed and straddling the young man.
Obi-Wan nodded and sighed again as Qui-Gon began massaging again. His master's strong hands began at the base of his spine and worked up his back in small circles. The motions pushed the tension right out. "If you could just do this forever, I defiditely thig I could get used to relaxig," Obi-Wan said, sounding sleepy.
His breath caught not a moment later, indicating that another sneeze was on its way. Butthis time, Obi-Wan barely flinched at the idea of its arrival. Instead of screwing up, his face went slack and his body limp. He did not even lift his head but instead kept his cheek pressed into the pillow as he sneezed unrestrainedly. "ihhhTChhhhhh! hahh-HahhhKShhhh!"
"Bless you," Qui-Gon whispered not so much in sympathy but in approval. He followed it with a sensation through their bond that let Obi-Wan know he had acted properly. Qui-Gon pulled a few tissues out of the box and touched them gently to Obi-Wan's nose. "Do you need to blow, or are you all right?"
"All right," Obi-Wan muttered, his eyelids feeling heavy. //If you keep doing this, I may justfall asleep, Master.//
Qui-Gon smiled. He lay down on top of Obi-Wan's back, careful not to put much pressure on the man. He massaged one shoulder then gave Obi-Wan a soft kiss. //Is there some reasonyou shouldn't sleep?//
A smile and shake of his head was Obi-Wan's answer. He closed his eyes and took anotherslow, deep breath without needing to be told to do so. Qui-Gon sat back up andcontinued the massage until he was sure Obi-Wan was asleep. And then he stayed by Obi-Wan's side for a little longer to watch his padawan sleep restfully. Obi-Wan did not quite have the hang of relaxing yet, but by the end of the second week Qui-Gon was confident the young man would have this down to an art.
Part 7
Qui-Gon pulled some of his hair back into a ponytail and tied it off. He glanced at hispadawan's reflection in the mirror. Obi-Wan looked pale, but the flush in his cheeks had faded. His fever had left sometime during the night, and they had both woken a few hours ago to find the sheets soaked in sweat. Qui-Gon had wrapped Obi-Wan in a blanket, then put fresh sheets on the bed. If things continued like this, he would have to move laundry day earlier in the month than normal.
But though pale, Obi-Wan looked better. Apart from tinge of pink at his nose, Obi-Wan'seyes looked normal and he was sneezing far less than he had been during the previous days of his cold. He still sneezed and coughed, and he still sounded terribly stuffy, but he seemed better all around. Qui-Gon was glad for the slight improvement as he had a meeting with the council. He had delayed the presentation of his report about Ondari for as long as possible, not wanting to leave his sick padawan, but he could not delay all of his work indefinitely because of Obi-Wan's cold. Nor would Obi-Wan have him do so. Obi-Wan knew the importance of their work and did not want their last mission to go to waste just because of this virus he'd picked up.
"Now I made some food for you. It's in the fridge in a blue container. But feel free to eat anything else if it looks good to you. And be sure to drink a lot, all right? Just because your fever's down doesn't mean you shouldn't keep drinking."
"Yes, Baster," Obi-Wan replied almost automatically.
"And if you need me, just call."
Obi-Wan gave a soft but unmistakable sigh.
Qui-Gon chose to overlook it. "However, if there is an emergency and I am in the council meeting, use the communicator and get Tala to come right over. Understand?"
Busy pulling tissue after tissue out of the box, Obi-Wan nodded. Before he'd finished collecting the tissues, he sneezed. "ihhhk... ehhhKuh... heh-heh-EHHShhhh!hehhKIHShhhh!" He folded the tissues and tried to blow his nose. He was so stuffed up, however, that it did not do much good.
Qui-Gon listened to his padawan's heavy, congested breathing for a moment, watching Obi-Wan rub at his nose. If not for his duties, Qui-Gon would have stayed in bed with Obi-Wan all day. But he had a responsibility to his padawan as well. And the guilt over leaving was already starting to get to him. Qui-Gon turned, looking concerned. "Padawan, are you going to be okay while I am gone?"
Obi-Wan shrugged and nodded reluctantly, though he did not make eye contact with his master and he kept his shields up. He tried blowing his nose again to no avail, then pitched the tissues over the side of the bed, missing the trashcan.
"Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon said softly, trying to sound open and inviting. "How are you feeling?" He had not asked the question very frequently, as the answer had been easy enough to figure out. But his guilt made him pause and ask, even though he knew he had to leave.
"Awful," Obi-Wan said, following his answer with a moist cough. He took the glass of water from the nightstand and drank a little, then forced some coughs to clear his throat.
Concerned, Qui-Gon walked over. Remembering but ignoring the fact that Tala had wanted himto change before leaving their quarters because of germs, Qui-Gon sat down on the bed in his clean clothing. He pressed his palm to Obi-Wan's forehead to check for fever. Obi-Wan felt cooler than he had since the beginning of the illness. Qui-Gon's fingers curled, his fingertips dragging across the forehead. Then they slid down and gently caressed Obi-Wan's cheek. "Tell me what's wrong, Love."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "You dod't deed be to coblaid. You deed to go."
"I would not bother asking if I did not want to hear it. So come on. Complain."
Though Qui-Gon had continued to stroke Obi-Wan's cheek, Obi-Wan turned onto his side and pulled away from Qui-Gon. "I hurt all over... add I feel all shivery add hot at the sabe tibe."
"Hmm. That does not make much sense as your fever broke," Qui-Gon said, narrowing his eyes a little in confusion.
"Actually, it's by throat," Obi-Wan said. "It's sore add scratchy add it hurts terribly whed I swallow."He cleared his throat again to demonstrate.
"I see," said Qui-Gon, thoughtfully. "Well, if that is all, I will get you something cool to drink before I leave."
But Obi-went on, quickly, "Thed there's the coughig add the sdeezig. Sniff! By dose is allstuffy add I cad't breathe. I bead, listed to be! Sniff! Sniiiff!"
Having never known his padawan to complain quite this much, Qui-Gon was a bit on edge. He set his hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder and eased the young man back onto his back. He studied Obi-Wan for a moment, sympathetic but concerned. "And you really feel so awful?" Qui-Gon questioned.
Obi-Wan nodded, looking quite miserable indeed. He sniffed again, pathetically, and rubbed at his nose with his palm.
Qui-Gon gave it one more moment of consideration, then nodded decisively. "Well, in that case I should call Tala again. The healers ought to be told if it is so bad. They can make up a bed for you and I'll stop by the healing dome to see you on my way back from the council meeting."
"No, Master!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, his eyes wide.
But Qui-Gon would not be moved. "If you are truly so sick, you need to be looked after more closely. There is no use in arguing. Had I known your situation was so dire, I would have called the healers already. But I will wait until later to scold you for hiding the severity of your illness." Qui-Gon stood to head straight over to the com terminal on the desk in the main room.
"Qui, wait!" Obi-Wan called out to his master's back. Qui-Gon stopped in his tracks,waiting for more. Obi-Wan closed his eyes. "I'm all right, really. I just... I wadted you tostay add I thought... I'b sorry."
Qui-Gon turned with a small sigh. Obi-Wan risked a peek, opening one eye to look up atQui-Gon. He found his master grinning and relief flooded through him. "Oh, my Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon sighed and shook his head. "It was a very good attempt. You did have me worried for a moment or two."
"You're dot agry?" Obi-Wan asked timidly.
Shaking his head, "I knew what you were doing."
"I did dot wadt you to worry," Obi-Wan explained as Qui-Gon settled back onto the edge of the bed. Obi-Wan sniffed a few times, not needing to fake that particular symptom. Nor did he need to fake the sneezes that were upon him again. He turned his head away, not wanting to sneeze on his master, but otherwise he sneezed freely. "HahhChhhh! Hehhh-KUHShhhhh! Sniff! Ughh..." Qui-Gon plucked a few tissues out of the box and rubbed them gently at Obi-Wan's nose, a nose which was starting to look a bit chapped. Qui-Gon made a mental note to get something for it on the way home.
Obi-Wan nuzzled into the touch, snuffling into the tissues a bit. He could tell his master was deep in thought and through their training bond he felt a rush of sympathy and regret. Obi-Wan echoed it and let Qui-Gon know he truly was sorry. His nose stuffed up, Obi-Wan spoke telepathically, appealing to Qui-Gon. //I wanted you tostay in bed with me and help me relax like yesterday. I have gotten used to being able to spend so much time with you. Now I just feel awful for making you worry.//
//I would have been worrying about you a little anyway,// Qui-Gon replied. //I do not like seeing my padawan learner and lover sick. Especially when I can do so little to help.//
//Oh, but you do help!// Obi-Wan insisted. //Irealize I was being selfish, and that is not a quality a Jedi should possess, but that is why I wanted you to stay. I may be sick, but I feel so much better when you are with me.// He hung his head, still sniffling. //But I am sorry.//
//It is all right,// Qui-Gon said kindly, bending over and kissing Obi-Wan. He let his lips linger against his padawan's for a moment or two, then he kissed Obi-Wan's nose as though that might help heal it. //But I really must go now. Youmust share me with others who need my help. I will return as soon as I am able and then I'll get into bed and you cansnuggle with me all you like.//
Obi-Wan nodded, resigned to sharing his master who was a Jedi first and a lover second."I'll be all right while you're gode," Obi-Wan reassured him. "I'll keeb drikig add I'll stay id bed as buch as bossible."
Qui-Gon beamed and patted Obi-Wan's cheek. Then he reached over an inch or two and gave the padawan braid an affectionate tug. "That's the Obi-Wan I know and love." He pulled the covers up a little, though they did not need it, and patted Obi-Wan's shoulder through the blankets. Then he got up to leave by way of the 'fresher so he could wash up again first.
Part 8
Qui-Gon's pace was brisk as he headed down the hallways of the Jedi temple towards thequarters he shared with Obi-Wan. It had been difficult to leave his sick padawan's side theday before, which had been the first time he had gone out since his padawan's illness. Butleaving today had been even more difficult. Obi-Wan had not complained or begged or even tried to tease him into staying, but that was because he had been somewhat delirious all morning.
The young man's fever, which had been nearly gone the previous day, had returned overnight. A sponge bath had helped the fever decrease in severity by mid-morning, but Qui-Gon had not been at all pleased to see the flush in his Obi-Wan's cheeks, nor the glazed-over look in Obi-Wan's eyes.
Still, he had obligations within the temple he could not ignore, and had been forced toleave for much of the day. He had considered, briefly, stopping at the cafeteria to bring home food on his way back. But as he set out after his last meeting, his feet had automatically taken him in the direction of his quarters rather than towards the cafeteria and by the time he realized it, he was too anxious to get home to correct himself.
Obi-Wan had promised to drink ample amounts of water, and to that end Qui-Gon had left apitcher and glass on their bedside table. Obi-Wan had also promised to remain in bed where it was warm. Qui-Gon could sense nothing wrong as he approached their room, trusting in the force to tell him when it was appropriate to be concerned, and trusting that his padawan would call out to him if there were any emergency.
But as he reached their quarters, opened the door, and stepped inside, he was struck withan image he had not imagined. Obi-Wan was not in bed at all, but up and walking. Or, at least, he was trying to walk and stay upright. He clung to the doorway of their bedroom with one hand. His other hand was out in front, using his command of the force to help himself balance despite his apparent dizziness. Obi-Wan took a step forward and swayed on the spot. The surge in the force, due to his master's sudden presence in the room, had not helped to steady him. Nor did it help him repress a sneeze he felt coming on.
"ihhh-ihhh-KShuhhh! ehhhChuhhh!" The sneezes snapped him forward, but he managed to move with it, not fight the movements. His hand gripped the doorjamb tightly, while his other pressed a palm flat against the wall to keep himself from collapsing to the floor. Thenhe looked across the room at Qui-Gon. "Hello."
Qui-Gon crossed the room at once, grabbing hold of Obi-Wan with an arm around the youngman's waist and a hand gripping Obi-Wan's wrist. He steered Obi-Wan around and helped Obi-Wan back to the bed. "I thought I made it perfectly clear," he said, sounding somewhat gruff, "That I wanted you to stay in bed. And if I recall correctly, you gave me your word that you would do so."
Obi-Wan nodded. "But, Baster-" Obi-Wan looked back over his shoulder, as though trying to imagine turning around and leaving the bedroom again even though his body, guided by Qui-Gon, would not follow.
"No objections. Back to bed with you." Qui-Gon brought him back into the room, threw back the covers, and set him down on the bed. The lecture began once Obi-Wan was not in risk of collapsing. "I feel guilty enough having to leave you. I cannot imagine how badly I would feel if you were to hurt yourself."
"I... I'b sorry..." Obi-Wan said, clearly not wanting to cause his master undue grief. But, feeling the need to sneeze again, Obi-Wan tensed up. Qui-Gon gave him a disapproving look but, with his eyes closed and jaw slack when he was on the verge of sneezing, Obi-Wan did not notice it. "hihhhh..." heexhaled, the pitch high and desperate. He went stiff and fought against the strength, placing two fingers under his nose. "IHTChh! Hehtchh!" he half-stifled.
Qui-Gon handed him tissues then eased him down. He pulled up the covers and tucked themtightly around Obi-Wan. "Now then," he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and cupping his hand against Obi-Wan's warm cheek. "I'm home now, and it's a very good thing that I came home when I did."
Obi-Wan nodded.
Qui-Gon went on. "So if you need something, I'll be the one to get it for you. Do youunderstand?"
Obi-Wan nodded reluctantly. "Yes, Baster," he said automatically.
"Good," Qui-Gon smiled and stroked his thumb against Obi-Wan's cheek. "What is it you need, then?"
Obi-Wan sniffled. "I've beed dridkig a lot of water, as you said I should Add dow I deed to use the refresher."
After a brief pause at the unexpected answer, Qui-Gon smiled sheepishly and pulled thecovers down. "Of course you do. Come, then." He slid his arm around Obi-Wan again, letting the younger man lean on him fully for support as they walked back out and into the 'fresher. "You seem terribly unsteady. Are you feeling dizzy when you try to stand?" Qui-Gon asked.
Obi-Wan nodded tried to move his feet to keep up with Qui-Gon but the room was spinningaround him and he was too tired to properly keep up. As it was, Qui-Gon had to drag him along and he stumbled forward, clinging to Qui-Gon, until they reached the 'fresher. As Obi-Wan automatically tugged down the waistband of his sleep pants, Qui-Gon held him upright from behind.
As Obi-Wan finished, feeling unsteady, Qui-Gon nuzzled him affectionately and murmuredreassurances into Obi-Wan's ear. Obi-Wan could feel his master's response to his brief nudity, pressing into Obi-Wan's rear. And though feverish and very much unable to answer Qui-Gon's needs, Obi-Wan still smiled at the familiar sensation and the fact that Qui-Gon even now found him attractive.
"I'm sorry," Qui-Gon whispered, hugging Obi-Wan. "I just miss you."
After flushing and pulling his pants back up into position, Obi-Wan turned his head andkissed Qui-Gon's cheek. "I'b sorry, too. hahhh-" His breath caught and he leaned back against Qui-Gon for support. "hahh-IHKShhhh! Hipshuhhh! ehhhKShuhh!" He sniffled and rubbed at his nose. "If you wadt, I cad try to..."
"No," Qui-Gon replied quickly. "Absolutely not. You have got a high fever. You can barely stand up without collapsing. The only thing I want you doing in bed is resting, all right?"
In answer, Obi-Wan turned and snuggled into Qui-Gon's chest.
Qui-Gon wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan again and hugged more tightly. "Good, Padawan Mine. I'll help you back to bed, now. And please do not let me cut you off again when you're trying to tell me something important."
"Yes, Baster," Obi-Was said again, though he was smiling brightly this time. And he moved steadily back to the room at the prospect of returning to bed with Qui-Gon.
Part 9
Settling down on the bed beside Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon placed a cool, damp washcloth on his padawan'sforehead. Obi-Wan sleepily opened his eyes and smiled. "Does that feel nice?" Qui-Gon asked. He frowned at Obi-Wan's hot red cheeks. "You're burning up, Lad." Obi-Wan nodded and closed his eyes.
Qui-Gon set a fresh box of tissues and a bowl of cool water down on the bedside table. Then he reached down and slowly unbuttoned Obi-Wan's shirt. The satiny material slipped beneath his fingers as buttons were eased out of their buttonholes. He opened Obi-Wan's shirt. Obi-Wan's smooth chest rose and fell with quick, shallow breaths. Qui-Gon took a cloth from the bowl and wrung it out. He pressed it gently against the hot chest. Obi-Wan flinched unexpectedly, then rose to the touch and smiled slightly.
He looked uncomfortable, however, and Qui-Gon decided to give Obi-Wan something else tothink about for a change. "I had lunch with Master Windu today," he said casually, dabbing the cloth against Obi-Wan's chest. "We were discussing the appointment of a new trainer for the initiates now that Master Laou has takenon a padawan of his own."
Qui-Gon dipped the cloth in the water, then wrung it out again. He wiped at Obi-Wan's neck and chest, following the gentle angles of Obi-Wan's collarbone. "There is one Jedi Knight they are considering who has excellent saber skills but they are unsure that he will be able to handle imparting information on a variety of different sorts of students. There is another, a Master, who has comparable skills and has worked with a number of padawans. But hejust lost a padawan and may not be through dealing with that yet. There are several other candidates with a variety of skills that might be able to handle the job brilliantly." Qui-Gon spoke slowly and calmly, but he could tell Obi-Wan was missing bits of what he was saying. Qui-Gon re-wet the cloth on Obi-Wan's forehead. "Do you have any suggestions, Obi-Wan?"
"They should let the iditiates have the last say about the choice," Obi-Wan said, trying to follow the discussion. "The iditiates always feel ratherhelbless and..." He seemed to be winded and coughed a few times. Then he closed his eyes and continued on telepathically to save his voice. //The initiates feel as though they donot always get the best trainers. If they are to be expected to perform so well as to have masters take them as padawan learners, they must be given fair and extensive training. They will feel better if they are able to work with each and give their opinions.//
Qui-Gon nodded. "I will tell Mace that. He thought you might have a fresh perspective. You are closer to the situation than we are, after all."
Obi-Wan opened his eyes, looking up at his master suspiciously. "Did he really suggest you ask be? Or are you just tryig to fide thigs to bake be feel useful?"
Qui-Gon dipped the cloth into the water, then moved it over to Obi-Wan's chest. When he squeezed, water rushed onto the padawan's chest and small streams of water when everywhere, across stomach and biceps, and down each side. "He really suggested that I ask you," Qui-Gon said. Then he locked eyes with Obi-Wan and smiled. "After I told him I wanted to findsomething to make you feel useful."
A weak smile spread on his face. //I think I knew that,// Obi-Wan said, closing his eyes again.
Qui-Gon dipped the cloth back into the water, his fingertips submerged beneath the coolsurface as he wet the cloth. It chilled him a little but he did not really mind.
//Master?//
Qui-Gon looked over to see Obi-Wan slowly reaching up and holding the other cloth to his forehead. The young man's nose wrinkled and his breath hitched. Worriedly, Obi-Wan tried to sit up a little. "No, here, I will help." Qui-Gon pulled a few tissues out and folded them in half. Then he helped Obi-Wan sit up a little so he could breath more easily. Qui-Gon took the cloth and put it in the bowl of water with the other. Then he pressed the tissues toObi-Wan's nose just in time. Obi-Wan pulled back, drawing a deep breath, then snapped forward. "ihhhKEHShhhh! ehhhKUHShhhh! KTShhhh!" Obi-Wan coughed from thecongestion, then blew his nose a few times. Qui-Gon was able to pinch Obi-Wan's nose through the tissueswith just the right pressure. Then he carefully wiped Obi-Wan's nose dry.
Obi-Wan coughed a little, and Qui-Gon lifted a glass of ice water to Obi-Wan's lips. //Thank you,Master,// Obi-Wan said, sounding weak though he had not even used his voice.
After easing his padawan back down, he took the cloth and placed it against Obi-Wan's hot forehead. Obi-Wan had looked uncomfortable for a moment, then sighed with a look of relief when the cool cloth touched his skin once again.
"The meeting I had tomorrow was rescheduled," Qui-Gon said, trying again to distract his padawan. "So I'll be able to stay in all day with you." Obi-Wan smiled, though the smile was short-lived. His condition kept him from smiling for very long. Qui-Gon quickly added, "And I would like you to help me look over a briefing we're sending to the Senate, when you're feeling better."
Obi-Wan nodded in a way that gave Qui-Gon the distinct impression that his padawan did not care so much about senate briefings at the moment. Dipping the cloth in the cool water, and rubbing it against Obi-Wan's chest, he gave a comforting smile. "Don't worry. I'm sure your fever will be down again soon. Tala did say that some days would be better than others."
With a sigh and a nod, Obi-Wan replied, //I know. I'm just getting a bit tired of this.//
Still smiling, Qui-Gon rubbed the cloth against Obi-Wan's chest in slow, steady circles. He teased one of Obi-Wan's nipples, making the younger man smile reluctantly. "Tired of the attention? Tired of me touching you? Tired of getting to relax here all day while your master is out trying to please the very demanding council without his very talented padawan's help?" Obi-Wan's smile broadened a little more.
But then his face twitched and nostrils flared briefly as he took a quick, deep breath.Qui-Gon was quick with the tissues, pulling three out of the box at one time and pressing them to Obi-Wan's nose. He certainly did not mind Obi-Wan sneezing openly, but he also knew Obi-Wan did not like the sensation of sneezing on himself. And with his shirt open and his inability to sit up or roll over on his own, Qui-Gon did not want Obi-Wan to feel any more uncomfortable.
Obi-Wan's eyes closed, his breath hitched, jaw dropped. Qui-Gon cupped the tissues toObi-Wan's nose and mouth and sent a gentle, comforting feeling through their bond to let Obi-Wan know it was all right to sneeze now. Whether he understood or whether he simply could not hold out any longer, Obi-Wan sneezed. "HEHShfff!IkkShhfff!" He blew his nose a little, then sighed and relaxed back against the pillows. Qui-Gon wiped his nose gently as Obi-Wan raised his hand and rubbed at the bridge of his nose and bottom of his forehead all at once.
Qui-Gon took the cloth from Obi-Wan's forehead, wet it in the cool water, and touched it to his forehead again. The energy Obi-Wan had expended while sneezing made the young man feel hotter than he had been, and the cool touches made him sigh with relief. Qui-Gon waited until Obi-Wan's breaths slowed and eyes closed before ending the routine. "We will give it a few minutes, then check your temperature again," Qui-Gon explained.
He helped Obi-Wan off with his shirt completely, as it was wet now in places from straydrops. Then he reached down to pull the covers up over his padawan. But Obi-Wan shook his head. "Doe," he said, pushing the covers away. "I'b too hot."
"I know," Qui-Gon said sympathetically. "I know you have a fever, but you really do need to stay warm. How about just one blanket?"
Obi-Wan shook his head again, frowning. He waved his hand and the sheet and blanket inQui-Gon's hands, which had been halfway up Obi-Wan's legs, slid out of the Jedi master's hand and down to the bottom of the bed. "Dod't wadt theb. They bake be feel all sticky add sweaty. Add thed it's hard to breathe."
Qui-Gon suppressed a sigh. Obi-Wan was never this fussy, even when sick. This illness was really starting to get to him, and no briefing to the Senate would make him feel better. Qui-Gon took a deep breath and centered himself, then smiled calmly as he looked down at Obi-Wan. "Then how about I get into bed with you to keep you warm?"
Obi-Wan gave the idea a moment's consideration before nodding. Qui-Gon pulled off his shirt and turned from facing Obi-Wan to sitting alongside him. Then he lay down on his back. He pulled Obi-Wan close, arm around the young man's shoulders with a tight squeeze. Obi-Wan snuggled into Qui-Gon's side and draped his arm over Qui-Gon's chest. "Comfortable now?" Qui-Gon asked, his cool, water-pruned fingers strokingObi-Wan's cheek and forehead.
Obi-Wan nodded wearily. "I thig I'b ready for ode," Obi-Wan said softly.
"One what?" Qui-Gon asked, kissing Obi-Wan's wet forehead and rubbing his hand up and down the soft, bare arm in an attempt to kiss Obi-Wan warm.
"Ode of those better days," he replied. "I'b sick of beig sick."
Understanding, Qui-Gon gave Obi-Wan another squeeze around the shoulders. "Trust in the force, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said, wishing he could offer more in support. "Just rest and keep warm and I am sure you will get one soon."
Part 10
Stirring the sugar and honey into the tea with a spoon, Qui-Gon walked back to the bedroom. Obi-Wan was sitting up in bed, his back against the wall and pillows, a datapad resting against his thighs with his knees bent and up in the air. He looked up with a smile as their bond grew warm from proximity. Qui-Gon rounded the bed and sat down on his side of it, beside Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan reached over to share the covers, pulling them up to Qui-Gon'swaist.
Qui-Gon slid the thermometer out of Obi-Wan's mouth, trading it for the cup of tea which Obi-Wan immediately drank from. Obi-Wan was trying to stay calm about the thermometer reading and kept his eyes fixed on the tea while Qui-Gon read it, except for a few seconds when they darted over to survey his master's immediate reaction. "Your temperature's back to normal." Obi-Wan had certainly been due for a better day, and Qui-Gon was relieved to find that this was one.
Obi-Wan sighed with an equal amount of relief. "I did tell you I felt better," Obi-Wansaid, still sounding a bit stuffy though he'd taken to blowing his nose more now.
"I am very glad you do." Qui-Gon kissed Obi-Wan's temple, then brushed his fingers over the spot. His fingers slid down, touching the neat padawan braid. A shower that morning had required Obi-Wan to re-braid it, and his padawan had chosen an orange bead to bind the end. The dull orange contrasted Obi-Wan's pale skin tones and light brown hair, making Qui-Gon's eyes roam around the younger man, taking him in fully. "But I am still going to remain here and make sure you finish that cup of tea."
"Yes, Baster," Obi-Wan obeyed, sipping at the tea which was still too hot to drink at a normal rate. Something in him told him that his master had planned on remaining in bed with Obi-Wan even if there were no tea. Qui-Gon had slept late that morning, cuddling with Obi-Wan until hunger compelled them both to seek breakfast. As he had nowhere to be that morning, there was no need to rush. Qui-Gon had not bothered to change out of his pajamas, making iteasier to slip back into bed with Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan sniffled reached for the tissues, resting the pad against his legs and tightening his grip on the mug. "ihhh..." He closed his eyes, waiting patiently for the tickle to build. Then he pulled back with a deep breath and fell forward with a small series ofsneezes. "HEHKShhh! HihhhShuhh! Ihhh... eh...ehhKShhhh!" He blew his nose a little and crumpled up the tissues. He cleared his throat and drank a bit of tea, then picked up the datapad again. "I was just fidishig a secod readig of the Sedate briefig," Obi-Wan said, handing over the datapad. "I added a few thigsbut dothig too ibortadt."
Qui-Gon looked the report over, nodding along with the additions. "Good additions. Thank you for taking a look at it for me."
"I'b glad I was feelig well edough today to do so." Obi-Wan looked down at his tea, lost in thought. In the past two weeks, Obi-Wan's cold had brought far too much unpleasantness. It had been two weeks since Obi-Wan had felt at all well. Two weeks since Obi-Wan had been able to sleep through the night without waking up coughing. Two weeks since Obi-Wan had been able to breathe properly through his nose. And though it looked like it would be another four weeks until he would be able to do all those things again, Obi-Wan was glad that at least he was feeling better for today.
"Two weeks," Qui-Gon muttered softly.
Obi-Wan looked up, wondering what his master had been thinking to make it so in tune to his own thoughts. He drank silently, finishing up the tea, while looking at his master with wide, curious eyes. Then he took the datapad back from Qui-Gon and set both it and the nearly empty mug on the nightstand. "Two weeks," Obi-Wan whispered in agreement, turning on his side and snuggling into Qui-Gon's side. "Two weeks sidce..."
His voice trailed away as he bent his knee over his master's thigh, forming a position inwhich they usually slept together, and his knee brushed something warm and hard. "Ah," Obi-Wan said softly, knowingly. Two weeks since the two of them had truly been with each other.
Obi-Wan smiled and snuggled closer to Qui-Gon. He slid his hand beneath the covers and covered his master's crotch with a strong, warm hand. Qui-Gon sucked in a small breath, then a larger one as Obi-Wan pressed his hand more firmly against his master's sizable erection. "Two weeks," he repeated alluringly, "Is two weeks too long."
Through the thin green sleep pants, Obi-Wan began rubbing. Qui-Gon sighed deeply at thetouch. His eyes locked with Obi-Wan's for a moment, conveying gratefulness, then they closedso he could savor the pleasure. Obi-Wan's strokes were warm and firm, and made Qui-Gon's pelvis rise and fall a little in time to them.
When Obi-Wan felt the need to sneeze again, he kept his hand in place and continued to rub up until the last possible second when he sneezed into his shoulder."hehh-YEHShhhhh! IhhShehhh!" He resumed rubbing in an instant, and blew his nose one-handedly.
So absorbed in his padawan's touch, Qui-Gon barely noticed the pause. And since his padawan had continued so quickly after the sneezes, he knew Obi-Wan was all right. Qui-Gon's breathing began to quicken and his head tilted back a bit, resting against the wall. Obi-Wan continued to rub, brushing his fingers against other parts of his master's crotch after every few strokes. The sensation through the smooth, soft fabric of the sleep pants made Qui-Gon groan in pleasure. After one particularly deep groan, he opened his eyes and reached beneath the covers to slow Obi-Wan's hand. "Careful," he said, albeit a bit breathlessly. "Or I may just..."
Obi-Wan beamed, a wide grin spanning the lower half of his face. "Why should't you?"
Qui-Gon sat up a little straighter, regaining his composure. Obi-Wan, however, placed ahand on Qui-Gon's chest, heavy and warm. And he kissed Qui-Gon's neck repeatedly in small, subtle pecks as he worked his way up from collarbone to just behind his master's ear. Qui-Gon let out another sigh at that. "You are sick," he said, trying to sound in control of himself, even though his hips were longing to rise and press himself hard into Obi-Wan's hand. "I wouldn't want to tire you out."
That had been roughly the same excuse Qui-Gon had used last time thoughts of this hadsprung into their minds. "The last tibe we sboke of this, I had a high fever," Obi-Wanremembered. "That is dot the case dow. I'b feelig better, add I'b feeling up to this."
"Still," Qui-Gon said, shaking his head and trying very hard to ignore the way Obi-Wan'sfingers were playing with him beneath the covers. "It's not good for you to expend so much energy when you should be resting. I don't want to risk a good day turning worse for you just for my own pleasure."
Obi-Wan kissed the spot right behind Qui-Gon's earlobe. He kissed hard, applying just the right amount of pressure to make his master moan involuntarily and squirm against his touch. "There is dothig I would rather risk a good day for," Obi-Wan whispered, his breath hot against Qui-Gon's already tingling skin. Then he spoke through their bond so he would not sound quite so sick. //The last time we spoke of this, you confessed that you missed me. Well, I miss you, too, Qui. So let me do this for you.//
Convinced and helpless under his alluring padawan's control, Qui-Gon gave a decisive nod and closed his eyes again. Obi-Wan quickened his strokes with one hand, while the other slipped under Qui-Gon's shirt and rubbed there. After another minute of it, Obi-Wan's hands slowed, then stopped. Qui-Gon opened his eyes, brow furrowing in confusion.
Pulling down the covers, Obi-Wan nuzzled his face into Qui-Gon's crotch. His nose stuffed, he had to imagine the all too familiar scent of his master and lover. Using his teeth, he tugged the loose sleep pants down a little. At the first touch of Obi-Wan's tongue to his cock, Qui-Gon stiffened and gasped with a smile. He watched and, more importantly, felt as Obi-Wan's hand gripped the base and Obi-Wan's mouth soothed the head. His tongue did most of the work, licking, lapping, lubricating.
But then Obi-Wan pulled back, coughing and snuffling. Obi-Wan grabbed another tissue andblew his nose. His grip on Qui-Gon's hard cock loosened, then left completely so the younger man could properly blow his nose a half dozen times. Then he looked up apologetically. "I'b sorry. I'b too stuffed up to..."
Qui-Gon shook his head. "There's no reason to be sorry, Love." He reached down and buried his hand in the soft, short brown hair. He massaged the top of Obi-Wan's head, offering the reassurance that he was all right and the signal that he did not want it to stop prematurely.
Obi-Wan grinned and gave Qui-Gon one last kiss before gripping and beginning to pull.Qui-Gon groaned as Obi-Wan's hand slipped up and down his cock. It was hardly the first time Obi-Wan's hand had done such miraculous things to him, but as it was so much different from his own in touch and technique it almost felt like the first time every time.
With a deep sigh, Qui-Gon closed his eyes and let Obi-Wan finish him off. His breath raced, teeth clenched. Obi-Wan's strokes quickened to an almost impossible pace. Not seconds later, Qui-Gon tensed and groaned with the release of his pleasure.
When it passed, Qui-Gon sighed deeply. Obi-Wan sniffled a little and grabbed a tissue for his neglected nose, then a few to clean Qui-Gon off. Qui-Gon's hand slid down the back of Obi-Wan's head, down his neck, and over to his shoulder. He gave the shoulder a squeeze, then a little pull to urge Obi-Wan to crawl up the bed. Obi-Wan got the message and crawled up, snuggling into Qui-Gon's side. Qui-Gon slid an arm around the younger man and squeezed tightly in appreciation. He kissed Obi-Wan, then snuggled into him with a deep sigh. "I have definitely missed that," Qui-Gon said a bit breathlessly.
"So have I," Obi-Wan said, sounding just as exhausted as his master. He grabbed anothertissue from the box and held it to his nose expectantly. "ihhhKShhhh! hehhShuhhh!" The sneezes shook him a bit more than usual and he blew his nose weaklyafterwards. Qui-Gon was not given a chance to ask whether Obi-Wan had been tired out too badly, as Obi-Wan volunteered the information. "Tired, but very glad to be so. This was a better day." Obi-Wan pulled the covers up over them both.
Qui-Gon smiled and closed his eyes in agreement.
Part 11
Obi-Wan's hand pushed through the steadily growing pile of crumpled tissues to pull a fresh one out of the box. He lifted it to his face with one hand almost absentmindedly as his other hand controlled the scrolling speed on the terminal. For the last hour he had been going through the massive amount of correspondence that had accumulated since before their mission to Ondari. And for the lasthour he had been sneezing and sniffling almost constantly. "huhhh-CHIHH! Yehh-Chushhh!" He wiped his nose, balled up the tissue, and dropped it into the pile with the others.
Qui-Gon had been a bit reluctant to allow Obi-Wan to check his messages, but Obi-Wan hadinsisted he felt well enough. He was feeling better, though not quite as good as the day before. And as he sat at the desk in the common room he tried to get through his task before the illness started getting worse and prevented him from doing anything productive. Qui-Gon had insisted he do nothing but relax, but Obi-Wan still did not quite have the hang of that. Besides, checking messages was certainly not as strenuous as, say, the saber class he would have been in now if not for his cold.
Most of the messages were announcements regarding speakers or meetings with visitingguests. Some were assignments all the padawans were given. Some were messages to Qui-Gon that were copied to him because of the missions he accompanied his master on. A few had been sent directly to him, regarding things he might be able to help out with around the temple. Those were the ones that pained him the most to reply to. 'I regret to inform you that I will be ill for the next four weeks and unable to help you research the origins of the various languages from Bider' and 'I would very much like to meet with you about the possibility of hosting a seminar for the initiates on the subject of negotiating, however I will not be able to do so until four weeks from now when I am over my current illness.'
His eyes started to glaze over as he worked his way through the messages. Reading,replying, deleting. He was growing tired of the chore, though he knew it had to be done. And he was growing tired of sneezing every few minutes, though he knew it would feel better doing so while sitting upright rather than lying in bed so he stayed where he was.
"ihhh..." He paused a moment in the middle of one reply and reached for another tissue. "hehhh-KIShhhh! eh-KEHshhh! Shehhh!" he sneezed. He gave himself a moment toblow his nose and rub at his eyes before focusing on the small terminal which displayed his half completed reply to Master Makum about saber drills he regrettably could not participate in, even though he was quite honored to have been asked to train with the very selective master's hand-picked group.
"hihh... hih-KIHShhhh!" Another sneeze caught him off guard, though he'd managed to cover his nose and mouth just in time to prevent spraying the console. He blew his nose and wiped it dry, then finished up his reply. He was starting to feel weary, and found himself only skimming through the sender and subjects of the messages. He sent replies only to those he thought most important, instead of working his way carefully through the messages as he knew he should. After a while, however, his head and eyes began to hurt and he gave up on sending replies.
While skimming through the list, Obi-Wan spotted a letter from Bant and knew before opening it what it was about. Bant wrote to him many times, but always on the same day every year. Her letter on that day was always about the same thing, though it was always a bit different. Yesterday had marked the anniversary of the day her first master, Master Tahl, had beenmurdered. And this message contained her thoughts and remembrances. They were thoughts she could have just as easily let go into the force, as she had finally made peace with the fact long ago. But she had always confided in Obi-Wan and he knew it was cathartic for her towrite the letter every year. She never expected or requested a reply from him, but he always gave one.
"HETChhhh! HiKShhh! ehhKUShhhh! Sniff!" Holding the back of his hand against his nose, he grabbed another tissue and rubbed his nose with it. His reply to Bant was already a week late, and it looked like it might have to wait a little longer. Perhaps it was the subject matter, or his light fever, or just the fact that he was due for a nap, but his eyeswere watering now. He wanted badly to reply, but his head felt heavy and stuffy. He knew if he replied now, it would not be as thoughtful as he wanted it to be.
So with reluctance Obi-Wan closed the message and looked over the rest of them. He liftedhis head when Qui-Gon entered the common room, sitting down on the sofa with a blanket and a datapad. A day off from work for the Jedi master meant a few days of heavier working in order to make up for it. Both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had agreed that it had been well worth it.
Obi-Wan sniffled, his nose running, and grabbed another tissue. He stared at the terminal, though his vision was growing fuzzy, as he sensed his master looking over at him. Too many sneezes and he would be told to go back to bed to relax. And while that would not be too terrible a thing, he did want to get through all his messages first. So he snuffled and rubbed at his nose, trying not to sneeze.
Though he tried to read the messages, the only thing he could focus on was a growing tingle in his nose. Obi-Wan rubbed his nose more to no avail. "ehhh..." He snatchedanother tissue and covered the lower half of his face with both of them to muffle the sound. His eyes closed. His breath caught. His body snapped forward. "Mmphh! Kmph-uhh!" He sighed and sat back in his seat, staring at the messages as he felt Qui-Gonstaring at him. He tried his best to ignore the stare.
Tried and, like the sneezes, failed. "Obi-Wan, why don't you close that down and come overhere for a minute?" It was not a request.
Obi-Wan closed the listing and headed over to the sofa, taking the tissue box with him.Qui-Gon set the datapad aside and held an arm out. Obi-Wan sat down on Qui-Gon's lap, with his legs out on the couch lengthwise and his back against the sofa's arm. Qui-Gon wrapped part of the blanket around Obi-Wan, then hugged the younger man tightly. Obi-Wanreplied with a kiss and a sniffle. He set the tissue box on his lap and pulled a few from the box to stay his runny nose.
Qui-Gon stroked Obi-Wan's head, then his hand settled on the padawan braid. His fingershesitated at the bead, and his eyes met Obi-Wan's to ask permission. Obi-Wan, sniffling into the tissue, nodded and turned his head a little to give his master better access. His forehead rested upon Qui-Gon's shoulder and his face rubbed against Qui-Gon's robes.
Qui-Gon smiled and gently slid the bead off the braid. He gently unwound the tight braid and straightened the crimped pieces between his thumb and forefinger. "I have been giving yesterday a considerable amount of thought," he told Obi-Wan. He knew well how nervous the unbound braid made his padawan, so he enjoyed it for but a moment before beginning to do the braid back up. Obi-Wan snuggled closer to him, both at the re-braiding and the mention of the day before. "This cold of yours is not anything like those we have weathered before. We are used to either pushing the symptoms aside and doing our jobs or giving in completely to the illness and putting aside the work in order to recover properly." Qui-Gon paused in his braiding as Obi-Wan nodded in agreement.
Much skill allowed Qui-Gon to keep the braid straight and to start braiding again rightaway. "This time it's a bit different, and I believe I have not been correct in dealing with it. We should have discussed this back when we learned this cold would last for six weeks." Qui-Gon took a deep breath and carried on. "It was not fair of me to expect you to do nothing but relax for nearly a month. I do not wish your illness to grow worse from not taking care of it, but you are clearly able to do some things and to know when you feel well enough to do those things." Qui-Gon's fingers paused as Obi-Wan nodded again. "And so I amproposing that you and I both concentrate on a balance and on truthful communication."
Obi-Wan lifted his head, sniffling. "I always try to be truthful with you."
"I know, my Obi," Qui-Gon reassured him, giving his forehead a kiss. "But you do try tohide the extent of your symptoms sometimes, do you not?" He gave the communications terminal over on the desk a nod. Obi-Wan lowered his gaze and did not deny it. "Likewise, I try to hide my worries about you for your own sake. But I suggest that now we attempt to be honest with each other and, more importantly, with ourselves." He kissed Obi-Wan's forehead again.
Obi-Wan's breath caught and he tensed up as the need to sneeze gripped him. He pitchedforward into Qui-Gon, who held him comfortingly. "hitchhh! hehhKShhh! ehhhTchhhh! Ihhh... ihhhChh!" Qui-Gon handed him a few more tissues so he could blow his nose, then cuddled him tenderly.
"What I am trying to say is that I do not believe I was right in asking either of us tobreak our normal routines all of a sudden, just because you are sick. If you feel well enough to help me with work, then you may. If you feel the need to stay in bed and take it easy, do that instead. And if you are feeling miserable and need me to leave my work a while to snuggle with you, just tell me."
Obi-Wan nodded again and sensed it was his turn to speak. He did so as Qui-Gon carefully finished the braid and fastened the bead onto the end. "I shall be truthful with you," he said, sounding it already. "Add I brobise to take it easy add relax if I start feelig toobadly. But I do sobetibes feel the deed to work. I biss by Jedi duties... add I biss you." Qui-Gon nodded in understanding and Obi-Wan smiled. "Add I biss being able to breathethrough by dose." He sniffed wetly in example.
Qui-Gon chuckled. He placed two fingers on Obi-Wan's cheek and guided it up and over so he could kiss Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan kissed back, formalizing his promise to his master and lover.
"Good." Qui-Gon sighed deeply once the kiss ended. "Now, how about I put on a pot of tea for us and I bring a tablet into the bedroom so you can dictate a letter to Bant?"
Obi-Wan nodded gratefully and rose. He headed to the bedroom with the tissues in hand."ehhh-HIHSchhh! ehhhKShhhh!" He needed them before he even reached the bed.
Part 12
I rolled over onto my side as the coughs shook me awake and I struggled for a full breath. Struggling seemed to be all I was doing today, apart from sleeping that is. According to the thermometer earlier I wasn't running much of a fever, but I was finding that difficult to believe now. I shivered and pulled the covers around myself more tightly, making it a point to ignore the tickle building in my nose. Just once I'd like to wake up and not feel like sneezing my head off immediately. Couldn't that be arranged somehow?
"ihhhh..." Please? "hehhh-KISHHHH!" Ugh. Apparently it couldn't."hehh-IHShhh! EhhKShhh! hehhKShhhhh!" I sniffed hard took a few deep breaths, not really wanting to move any more.
I could hear my master on the com in the common room, talking to Master Windu about a matter Icouldn't quite make out. There was something about trading routes and rationing supplies, but I could tell it was nothing terrible. There was always a harsher tone to Qui-Gon's voice when he was concerned, and in addition the mood in our quarters was calm andbusiness-like. I would hope that if there was a problem he would wake me immediately, sick or not. I usually sat in on his communications, just so I had an idea of what was going on. I can still remember my first time sitting in on one of his communications, that sense of importance and pride that I could be trusted with business meant for the masters. I would have liked to have been there now, listening in.
Though, honestly, I would have preferred being just about anywhere but in bed trying tohold back another fit of sneezes. "hehhh..." Unsuccessfully, I might add. I was sureMaster Windu was fully aware that I was sick, but that didn't mean he wanted to hear me sneezing in the background of the communication. I was certainly glad he could not see me, but that did little to stop the fact that I really did need to sneeze again. "ehhh..." I buried my face in the blanket to mufflethe sound. "huhhh-Ehffff! Shuffff! Hih-hih-Kiffff!"
Another couple of hard sniffs later and I felt ready to fall back to sleep again. Only now my nose was running and my mind was racing. Half of me wanted to be out there at Qui-Gon's side, and the other wanted to stay right here in bed with him at mine. I wouldn't call him, though. Even with the intention to always be honest with him, I couldn't call him over in the middle of a conversation just to attend to me. I would be all right. It was just a bit of a runny nose and some sneezes. And a headache. And a little case of the chills. And a scratchy throat. And the sneezes. Those were certainly worth mentioning again. They were strong and impossible to deny.
"hahh-SHIII! ehhhChishhh!" And wet. "ehhh-KITSchhhhh! Ugh!" I groaned.
Tissues. Where were the tissues? I lifted a heavy hand, patting the blankets in a desperate search. I remember leaving the box between me and the edge of the bed, but all I felt now were blankets. Sith but I needed thetissues!
Wearily I opened my eyes and looked around. I was feeling so disoriented in my inability to locate the tissues that I almost expected to wake up and find myself out on the sofa. Or in a strange bed on a space station for that matter. But I was still in our bed and Qui-Gon was indeed at the desk in the common room. He had clearly moved the tissue box to the bedside table, however. It was a perfectly logical thing to do, to keep me from rolling over onto them and crunching the box. I reached out for it but my arm flopped down onto the bed uselessly once I realized the box was too far away.
I didn't want to get up, and I was too tired to use my command of the force to nudge iteven a little closer. Besides, I would probably have knocked over the glass in front of the box if I'd tried. So instead I reached beneath my pillow for the handkerchief I always kept there. After feeling around between the cool sheets and pillowcase, I remembered I'd used it days ago and not thought to replace it.
So I rolled over onto my other side, sniffling and shivering as I shifted beneath thecovers. I checked under Qui-Gon's pillow and immediately located his handkerchief. Thankful for it, and almost unable to stop sniffling as my nose ran, I held it to my nose and blew hard. It hurt, but not as badly as it would if had I been using tissues. I was almost glad I hadn't been able to reach the box.
When I finished, I flipped back onto my other side so that I could look out of the open bedroom door. From where I lay, I could see part of Qui-Gon. The brown cloak, tan leggings, and black boots were the only things I could really make out. As I relaxed into the pillows and pulled the blankets up a little more, I felt something hard beneath my pillows.
I smiled and reached under, pulling out my lightsaber. It felt like forever since I had last wielded it, or even just worn it at my side. I longed to be able to do so again. Having felt good enough to go through my messages yesterday, I'd received a taste of my usual routine and duties that only made me miss it more today. I still felt like a Jedi, of course. I simply felt a little less like one.
The sneezing did not help my cause. "ehhhKShhfff! ehhh-Hushff!" I sneezed into the handkerchief, hoping that I wasn't being a disturbance. The sneezes were slightly easier to keep quiet than the coughing, though, and I could feel a tickle in the back of my throat. I swallowed curiously and felt pain stab at my throat and the top of my mouth. Wincing, I looked up at the glass of water just out of reach on the bedside table.
Not wanting to risk spilling it, I did not make an attempt to get it. Instead, I turned myhead into the pillow and shuddered as the coughs came. They were loud and strong, and once they started they wouldn't stop. After a dozen I gasped for breath and then immediately coughed some more. The coughs shook me and hurt my throat even more. When the fit finally passed, I lifted my head, breathing carefully so as not to trigger any more coughs. I couldn't breathe at all through my nose thanks to the stuffiness and could only breathe very cautiously through my mouth. Things would have been much easier if I could just do withoutbreathing for the next few weeks. Of course a few sips of water might have helped but I couldn't mange to put together the energy to sit up and crawl over to it.
I could, however, snuggle back into the blankets where it was warm and comfortable. So warm andcomfortable that I could almost conceive of falling back to sleep again. I was sure I must have a fever again, to feel so cold and tired. But when I touched my forehead it felt normal. Qui-Gon would be able to tell me. He was still talking to Master Windu on the communicator.
And I was still feeling terribly sneezy. "ihhhh-cough!" The deep breath had triggered the coughsagain and I dissolved into another fit of body-shaking, spasmy coughs from which I could not easily escape. I had escaped Rebel fighters on Yagrin Seven, bloody-thirstycats in the caves of Mindar, and slave traders in the Sourcrum quadrant but I couldn't manage to free myself from these coughs.
Somewhat luckily, they backed away for a few moments in order to let me get a breath inedgewise. It was long enough to blow my nose, which calmed the tickle in my throat. Hoping that maybe if I blew enough, I'd start feeling better, I set my mind on the task. However it left my nose with a tickle and my breath began to race again. "ehh-KSHHH!" I sneezedtoo quickly to stop myself. "IHKShhhh! ehhhSHuhh! ihhShuhhh!" Carefully I blew my nose a few times more, doing my best not to blow so much that I irritated it again.
Afterwards I realized that I could not hear Qui-Gon any longer. The absence of his deep,familiar voice was a bit disconcerting. Surely he had not left without coming in to see me?
"I heard you sneezing and thought that must mean you were finally awake."
I looked up to see Qui-Gon walking in with a pleasant smile on his face. I couldn't helpbut smile back when looking at it. I knew he had sensed when I woke and did not need to hear me sneezing, but I liked his way of saying it. "I did't..." My voice was roughand scratchy. I stopped and cleared my throat a few times. "I..." It hadn't helped. //I did not want to disturb yourconversation,// I communicated to him.
"You did not," Qui-Gon said, sitting down on the bed in front of me so close that his side pressed against my front. Even though the blankets, his warmth was pleasant and comforting. Sensing my desire for water, he lifted the glass of water to my lips and tilted it slowly so I could drink at my own pace. When I nodded to him to say that I'd finished, he set the glass down and pressed his palm against my forehead. He held it there as I sighed, being careful with my breathing. His touch simply felt too good. "You are a little warmer, I think," he said softly, but his voice did not have that bit of worry in it that it usually carried when he spoke of my symptoms.
//I feel tired, Master. But I keep sneezing.// Sniffling, I rubbed the very usedhandkerchief at my nose.
He waited for me to finish, then Qui-Gon gently took the crumpled handkerchief from myhand. He moved the tissue box over to the bed and pulled out a tissue to rub my nose for me. Even though the tissue was harsher than the soft cloth handkerchief, his touch was so tender that the rubbing did not hurt in the least. I smiled and closed my eyes. Just having him beside me made me feel better.
As much as I wanted to be a tough, skilled Jedi, if I had to be sick at all, it was nice to know my master would look after me. I could have taken care of myself all right if I'd had to. But Qui-Gon was so much better at it and made me feel so good. With our recent promise of an honest exchange, I did not mind letting him know how much I wanted him there.
I yawned and coughed a little. "So tired," Qui-Gon whispered sympathetically. "Did yousleep well?"
Beneath the blankets, he could not see me shrug, so I did not bother with the motion. Nordid I bother telling him about the dreams I'd had. Jedi were not supposed to dream. I had outgrown mine when I was still in the crèche but sometimes they returned when I was ill. Their presence made me feel uneasy and restless even when asleep. //Not as well as I'd have liked. And not as long, either.// He nodded.
I felt another tickle in my nose, almost surprised that it had been so long since my last sneezes. Reluctantly I took a few more tissues and closed my eyes in preparation, wishing I could just go back to sleep.
I felt Qui-Gon's hand again on my forehead, heavy and comforting. He ran his thumb up and down the bridge of my nose. Slowly, the tickles backed down. "Mace and I were speaking about converting one of the established trade routes as an emergency relief route of mercy." He continued to stroke my nose, and I could feel gentle waves of healing from the Force flowing around me from him. Qui-Gon continued to talk, though I knew quite well that he did not expect me to listen. "The difficulty would be in finding enough Jedi to enforce the route and keep it safe from space pirates."
//Space pirates...// Space pirates was the last thing I heard and the only thing I could say before falling back to sleep beneath my master's touch.
Part 13
Despite our agreement, I knew Obi-Wan was holding out on me a little still. It was nothing terribly important, nothing that should bother me, nothing I would even bring up. The only thing that troubled me about it was that it was troubling Obi-Wan and he would not speak to me about it.
Obi-Wan was dreaming again. It wouldn't be the first time the dreams had come to him while he was sick with a fever. From the look of it, these were not feverish, nightmarish dreams. They were, as far as I could tell, normal. Except for thefact that the Jedi did not dream. None of us, not even the masters who did nothing but meditate upon these matters, knewprecisely why that was. We could only assume it had to do with the way we were so in-tune with the Force, releasing our conscious and subconscious to it, using it to think, feel, live.
Obi-Wan's current dream seemed harmless enough. The only traces of it were a few unusualtwitches, a mumbled word or two, and a strange feeling through our bond. It did not quite feel like when he usually slept. He seemed to be on a different level, a different place. It was a bit off-putting, as was the fact that he had not told me of the dreams.
Though as he did not tell me every time he needed to sneeze or cough, either, I couldoverlook this. This had gone much better since I had allowed him the freedom to do whatever he wanted within our quarters so long as he felt well enough to do so. Obi-Wan had stayed in bed willingly most of yesterday and I had enjoyed joining him for the most part.
The other part of it was that I was a little worried about him, and worried about the work I needed to do. I succeeded in releasing most of my anxiety to the Force. There was nothing I could do for Obi-Wan, I knew that. He was going to be sick for six weeks no matter what I did for him.
I reached over and touched Obi-Wan's lightsaber. When sleeping, we usually kept them beneath our pillows so as to be ready at a moment's notice. But he had taken his out yesterday to look at it. I knew he missed being able to train with it. A Jedi's life was an active one, and we were attached to our routines and duties. But Obi-Wan was especially goodwith his saber and took pride in practicing with it during every available moment. Not being able to do so now must make him feel quite miserable indeed.
I stroked my sleeping padawan's cheek gently with the backs of my fingers. Then I bent down and kissed Obi-Wan's warm forehead. He was running a bit of a fever, but nothing at all like the other ones he had been through already with this virus. I was certain it would pass easily with enough rest and fluids. And I could do nothing to help him with that.
What I could do, however, was help iron out the problems the main government of the moon of Phenli were having. They had petitioned to join the federation, and we would welcome their presence. The Force had helped us see that there was nothing but good to come from this.However, the people of the Phenli moon were culturally opposed to treaties of any kind. They never signed their names to anything and refused to write anything of importance or trust anything written. There had to be a way to get through the problem, I was sure of that. I simply had not found it yet.
I left the bedroom and, consequently, Obi-Wan's side. I picked up the datapad which held the treaty the Jedi had drawn up, as well as a set of notes I had taken while researching. Then I sat down on the sofa to, sinking back into the cushions.
I worked steadily until I sensed Obi-Wan waking up abruptly, most likely because of hisdream. Or perhaps from his need to cough. I could hear him in the other room, wracked with strong, moist coughs. Though his fever was not high, his congestion today and the day before had been terrible. Apart from when he was asleep, there was hardly a break in between coughs, sniffles, and sneezes. As though confirming my observation, just as soon as he'd finished coughing now I could hear him sneezing and blowing his nose. He sounded awful. And no matter how insignificant the sniffle, each and every one worried me.
Years ago I would have been able to set my mind on my work and keep it there. It was notthat I was being distracted by the sounds. Even if our quarters had been silent, I still would have had a hard time concentrating. The problem, if I could call it that, was the fact that years ago I had decided to take a small and somewhat desperate but deserving initiate Obi-Wan Kenobi as my padawan learner. Though I already possessed the title of Jedi master, when I took another padawan I also took on those duties and dedications of a master. And, as a master, I felt incomplete without my padawan beside me. And I felt uncomfortable when unable to be with him and help him.
I sent Obi-Wan a gentle feeling of greeting, welcoming him awake. But I did not move from my spot. I trusted that he would let me know if he wanted me by him. And I trusted that if he wanted me to work, as he could not at present, he would let me do so. I found it hard to keep my concentration on my work when I could be at his side helping. In fact, I was sure I would not feel able to concentrate properly, even with help from the Force, until he was well again. For however little my presence helped, I still felt a bit guilty for not going straight over to my padawan. But, too, I understood the need to try to help the Phenlians and thatObi-Wan would have wanted me to help them.
However, I found myself automatically going towards the kitchen area to put a pot of wateron for tea. Obi-Wan wanted some, I could sense that. And I could have used some as well. I caught a glimpse of Obi-Wan in the bedroom, tissues to his nose, as he stroked the cool metal base of the lightsaber he'd constructed. Then he slid it back under his pillow and reached for another tissue as the sneezes struck him. I watched him shake weakly at their force, knowing well that his congestion was much of the reason he had been so tired.
I returned to the sofa and my work, but had not gotten far before a soft shuffle behind mecaught my attention. I set the datapad down turned, an arm stretched out along the back of the sofa. Obi-Wan was heading out of our bedroom slowly, looking across our quarters to the kitchen. "You already have water od for tea?" I nodded and he smiled appreciatively. "I'btired of stayig id bed. I thought I'd get ub for a warb dridk." He sniffed a few times and crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you working, thed?"
I nodded and tapped the datapad. "I am trying to iron out the problems in the treaty with the Phenlians, though I must admit I am not making as much progress as I would have liked." I paused, unsure what to say next.
Above all I wanted to go to him, but it turned out that I did not need to as he offered tocome to me. "Would you bide if I stayed out here with you for a little while?"
Relieved to have him at my side and under my watch, I tried not to let my emotions showthrough fully. I was still hiding things from him as well, but somehow I think he knew how I felt, because he grinned brightly before I could answer. "I would not mind, as long as you go get some tissues and a blanket to keep warm."
By the time he returned, I had two cups of tea ready for us. He snuggled up against my side on the couch, the blanket around his shoulders and the tissue box on his lap. I held his cup as he settled in, and then kept it a few moments longer as he clearly needed to sneeze again. "ehhh-HIHShhh! KEHShhhh!" He blew his nose a little, then accepted the drink.
He looked glad to have it, and drank right away. He sniffled more as the steam tickled his nose, but he kept drinking. "Your congestion sounds a little better. How do you feel?"
"Better," Obi-Wan replied between sips. Then he looked up, smiling at me. "Add you? Are you feelig better? Able to work dow?"
I smiled back sheepishly and set my cup down on the table. I leaned forward and kissed his cheek as I raised my hand and stroked the back of his head. "Yes, much better now that you're here."
He snuggled closer and I put my arm around his shoulders. Obi-Wan closed his eyes, and Icould sense how much he enjoyed my presence and my touch. //Master, I feel so much betterwhen you're looking after me. Being near you makes me feel complete.//
Letting him know that I felt exactly the same, I hugged him and rested my head against his. Then, without worrying and without needing to ask his permission, I picked up the datapad and made more progress on the work in ten minutes than I had during the last hour.
Part 14
"Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon called, entering their quarters with a bag in hand. He spotted the pillows and blankets on the sofa and smiled. After two weeks in bed, Obi-Wan had moved out onto the sofa during the day for a change of pace. Qui-Gon rather liked the change as well, being able to better keep an eye on his padawan. It was odd to hear their quarters so quiet,however. Obi-Wan was usually sneezing and coughing when awake and snoring when asleep. Qui-Gon moved towards the blankets now, but detected movement out of the corner of his eye and almost jumped when Obi-Wan appeared from the 'fresher, not the blankets.
He had a tissue up to his nose and was blowing hard. But there was hardly any sound at all to it. Nothing liquid or honking. There was nothing. Apart from a soft groan from Obi-Wan as he blew so hard his ear popped. He moved his jaw around a little. "Ugh! I'b so stuffed ub that I cad't eved blow by dose," he complained. Then he looked up with a smile. "You thought I was od the couch add did't sedse be here?" Obi-Wan asked playfully, his congestion thicker than ever.
Qui-Gon shook his head, smiling. "I was a bit preoccupied. I picked something up while I was out..."
Though he seemed to be feeling a little cold, Obi-Wan's face lit up. "Ice creab? Is it ice creab?"
Qui-Gon chuckled and shook his head again. "Close." He gestured for Obi-Wan to return to the sofa. Obi-Wan flopped down on it, looking excited. He lay down, stretched out on the couch with his head on a pillow. Qui-Gon sat down on the floor beside the sofa and pulled a jar of cream out of the bag.
Squinting, Obi-Wan looked at it curiously. Qui-Gon started to unscrew the lid. Suddenly hepaused, thinking better of it. He pulled out his handkerchief and put it into Obi-Wan's hand. Then he unscrewed the lid of the jar and held it up to Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan gave it a close look. It was a cream with a yellowish tint to it but it lookedharmless enough. But as he took a breath, his eyes widened. His throat began tingling with warmth and his nose tickled. He did not even have the time to raise the handkerchief before the sneezes struck. "EHHKShhhhh! ihhhFShhhh! hehhTchhh!KShhh! EeShuhh! KShuhh!" He buried his nose in the handkerchief. "KShffff!" And he blew his nose hard before any more sneezescame. But when he blew, it was remarkably easier than the last time. His ear had no objections, either. He cleared his throat and looked up at Qui-Gon, his eyes still just as wide. "What is that?"
"It is a cream. And it was made it do exactly that. Help alleviate your congestion alittle. According to the jar it should also help warm you. Would you like to try it?"
Obi-Wan nodded eagerly. He pulled the tissue box over and got a few ready, knowing he would need them. "On your back, Love," Qui-Gon breathed warmly onto his cheek with a kiss. In a move he was all too familiar with, he unbuttoned the buttons of the shirt and pulled back the sides.
Obi-Wan's eye narrowed and his lip curled. "You have to rub it od by chest? I thought just od by dose or sobthig."
"It appears to be plenty strong. Rubbing it on your chest should be enough. That's what the jar says to do." Qui-Gon studied the directions carefully. There were some directions he was always sure to follow. He dipped two fingers in, drawing a liberal dollop of cream from the jar and touching it to Obi-Wan's chest.
Within seconds, Obi-Wan had sighed deeply at the relief it brought. The cream spread awarming sensation over everything it touched. And while he was a little cold but certainly not chilled or feverish, it felt delightful just the same. Qui-Gon rubbed the cream in, moving his fingers in a spiral pattern outwards. Obi-Wan tensed a little when Qui-Gon's fingers moved over his nipples, and their eyes met with knowing looks.
Obi-Wan took a deep breath, his chest rising slowly, then falling beneath his master's touch. Then his nostrils flared and his breath came in gasps. Qui-Gon pulled his hand back to give Obi-Wan room to breathe and to lift the tissues to his nose. "ehhh-Ehhhh-Tshuhhhh! YihhhChhhhh! IhhhShihh!" Withhis free hand, the one not warm from the cream on it, he pulled out a few free tissues. He handed them over, looking sympathetically at his sneezing padawan. "HIHShhhh! ihhhChahhh!hehh'KShahhh!"
When Obi-Wan blew his nose, the sneezes died down a little. Obi-Wan sniffed hard andsmiled. "That's the first tibe I've beed albost able to breathe through by dose id days."
"Do you wish to stop?" Qui-Gon asked.
Shaking his head in insistence, Obi-Wan grabbed Qui-Gon's hand and pulled it back to hischest. "This feels woderful."
Qui-Gon smiled. Though still stuffed up, Obi-Wan was sounding significantly better. And if he was sounding it, he must be feeling it, and Qui-Gon could not have been gladder about that. He continued to rub and Obi-Wan continued to breathe deeply.
"HIHHShhh!" And sneeze. "EhhhhPhshhh! Hupshihhh!" His whole body shook as he sneezed freely, almost enjoying how the cream made his nose tickle. Obi-Wan blew his nose again and smiled. "By dose is ruddy... add I'b sdeezy... but it feels so good." He raised himself off the blankets a little to be closer to Qui-Gon's touch.
Qui-Gon took a little more cream from the jar and rubbed it into Obi-Wan's chest. Obi-Wan took a few more tissues then closed his eyes with a sigh. He snuffled wetly into them. "I..." Obi-Wan peaked, opening one eye curiously. Qui-Gon smirked and shook his head. "No, it sounds silly." Obi-Wan opened both eyes and gave him a look to reassure him. "I was going to say that I can think of other things that feel good. But then I decided you were still too sick and stuffy to want to-"
Obi-Wan grabbed him by the neck of his tunic and caught him in a powerful kiss. He released Qui-Gon and grinned. "As I said, I cad albost breathe. Add I wadt to celebrate." He reached down and undid his master's belt. Then slid a hand under the tunic, feeling more warmth. "I wadt you."
In a flash, Qui-Gon pulled off his shirt and Obi-Wan slithered out of his. Boots and leggings and sleep pants all fell by the wayside as Qui-Gon mounted Obi-Wan, straddling him on the couch. "Feels good, Padawan?" he asked, chuckling. He rubbed Obi-Wan's chest again, hands heavy on his pecks, then moving upwards to his shoulders. He massaged gently, leaning down and kissing Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan kissed back and their kisses slipped from lips to cheeks and then necks. Their crotches rubbed, grinded. Their breaths heavy. The mood was thick with lust, desire, adoration.
It could not last long, however. Obi-Wan pulled away, turning his head to the side. "EHHHTChhhhhhh!IhhhKShhh!" He blew his nose quickly and sighed at the broken mood. "Sor-"
Slipping a hand around to the back of Obi-Wan's head, Qui-Gon lifted it and kissed Obi-Wanhard.
"-ry..." Obi-Wan finished, once Qui-Gon had released him. Qui-Gon went back to massaging shoulders and neck. Firm but seductive strokes. He swayed back and forth on top of Obi-Wan as he threw himself into the motions. The insides of his thighs pressed against the outsides of Obi-Wan's. "Ohhh..." Obi-Wan groaned at the pleasure of it. The touch was soothing, relaxing. He smiled as his head tilted to the side, nuzzling the blankets. "That isgood," Obi-Wan told him. "But ode side of be is warber thad the other dow."
Qui-Gon chuckled, realizing there was still cream on one of his hands. "Well then, I'llhave to do something about that," Qui-Gon said, taking a little more of the cream from the jar with his other hand. He rubbed it between both his hands and then resumed massaging. Shoulders, neck, chest, upper arms. Obi-Wan groaned more at the warm sensation, bliss slowly crawling through him from his chest outward. The fact that Qui-Gon's erection was pressing into his own did not hurt matters.
Or the fact that when he sneezed, his body shook such that his crotch rubbed delightfully against Qui-Gon's. "HIHShhhh! Keshhh! KShhhh! EhhhTshhh!"The sneezes even sounded wetter than usual, but somehow lighter and easier. Obi-Wan looked rather glad afterwards. "I love this creab."
Qui-Gon smiled, rubbing more.
"Add I love havig ad excuse to have you rubbig be all... all over. Say..." Obi-Wan said quickly, cocking his head thoughtfully. "Cad that creab go adywhere?"
Understanding Obi-Wan's meaning immediately, Qui-Gon picked the jar up and gave it a look."Avoid contact with eyes. Do not ingest." He smiled, his eyes twinkling. "I believe we can comply with those restrictions." He dipped two fingers into the jar again and moved his hand to his crotch. "But I would not want to risk hurting you, Padawan Mine."
Obi-Wan shook his head, smiling. "You're so thoughtful, Baster."
Carefully, Qui-Gon touched the cream to his cock. His back arched and he nearly came atonce at the tingling warmth against his sensitive skin. It was all he could do to control himself as he rubbed the cream in, spreading it all over his cock. Obi-Wan squirmed impatiently beneath his master, his erection rubbing against Qui-Gon's thigh. The cream seemed perfectly safe, so Qui-Gon took a little more cream out of the jar, then tossed the jar aside without a care. Obi-Wan gasped then moaned as Qui-Gon rubbed it into his cock.
"Hurry," Obi-Wan begged, panting, fighting to raise his legs. Qui-Gon's legs moved fromoutside Obi-Wan's to inside. Then he placed Obi-Wan's legs on his shoulders, and Qui-Gon slid himself into the other man with ease. The warmth he felt around him from the combination of the cream and Obi-Wan was incredible. Obi-Wan was almost unable to contain his excitement as Qui-Gon began sliding in and out while stroking Obi-Wan at the same time.
As much as Qui-Gon wanted it to last forever, Obi-Wan was thrusting rapidly into Qui-Gon'shand in no time. And when Qui-Gon felt a hot wetness cover his stomach, he knew it wasn't the cream. He held Obi-Wan's sides to keep Obi-Wan in place and the warmth around him as he came. When he finished, Obi-Wan pulled away, going straight for the tissues, though not to clean up.
"ihhhhh... ihhhh-HEKShuhhh! EhhTchuhhh! ihhhTchuhhhh!" As Qui-Gon cleaned them both off, Obi-Wan blew his nose more thoroughly than he'd been able to for days. Then he made room for Qui-Gon on the couch, and the two squeezed onto it together lengthwise. Obi-Wan snuggled into Qui-Gon, their bodies still warm and a little sticky from the cream. They would need to take a shower later to get properly clean, preferably together. Qui-Gon managed tofree a few blankets and covered them up. Obi-Wan pushed them off, however, chuckling lightly. "I'm warm enough after all that, Master."
With a nod, Qui-Gon moved the blankets away and hugged Obi-Wan to him. He noticed but chose not to mention how much better Obi-Wan sounded. He petted Obi-Wan's head gently, easing the man into what became a restful, snore-free sleep.
Part 15
Obi-Wan's healing trance was disturbed by a faint tickle in his nose. He ignored it for as long as possible, trying to reach out to the Force for assistance. The tranquil vibes danced around him, tingling his skin. If he concentrated, he could feel them seeping in, soothing his throat and calming his nerves. It was day fifteen into his illness, with fifteen tofollow. And while he was glad that it was half over, he was also a bit depressed to know there were three more weeks of the same to go through. Getting worse, getting better, and inevitably getting worse again.
Similarly, just as he'd hoped the need to sneeze had died down, it sprung up again in full. He pulled out of the trance with a nod to the Force, and went straight for his handkerchief. "eh-hehh..." He bent forward, nosemeeting the handkerchief before he'd raised it to his face. Obi-Wan's nose wrinkled behind the thick folds of the handkerchief, and he tried to hold the sneeze back this time. Partially because of the date and partially because he wanted to keep in control, Obi-Wan didn't feel much like letting this or any other sneezes out. The sneezes, however, had other ideas. "ihhhhh!" He breathed out instinctively as theurge seized him. He rubbed at his nose and closed his eyes, willing the sneezy feeling away. But all too soon the tickle had grown greatly and overpowered him. The build-up began, taking him with a shiver and short, building breaths. "heh-uhh-huhhhh-Ihhh-HIHHH-" Then he pitched forward more. "KUTChhhhh!"
It was only one sneeze this time, but his nose tickled slightly to indicate more would soon be on their way. Obi-Wan preferred longer fits of sneezing to just one or two at a time. It made him feel weak to put so much effort into sneezing and only produce one. And he felt as though if he got them all out at one time, it would delay more from coming for a while. These single, frequent sneezes were definitely not to his liking.
Nor was the tickle in his throat. The top of his mouth all the way to the back of histhroat felt hot and raw, and pain shot through it when he swallowed. The only thing that really helped was drinking ice water. After downing half a glass, it didn't hurt quite so much to swallow. Obi-Wan had even retrieved a few ice cubes from the freezer and sucked on them, holding them to the top of his mouth with his tongue until they melted. But that was only a temporary solution.
"hehhh..." He could feel another sneeze on its way now. He tightened his grip on the handkerchief and tried to control himself this time. "hehhh-ehhh..." That was easier thought than done, however, as the sneeze seemed too strong to want to back down. He pinched his nose through the handkerchief, but the urge was still there. "ehhh-hihh-IHHH!" His breath held, his eyes tightly shut, Obi-Wan held off the sneeze. Then he sighed in relief, letting his breath out as the tickle backed off. "Ha, got you that time," he told it.
But then a surge in the Force disturbed his concentration and he pitched forward as thesneeze took him off guard. "EHKShhhhhh!"
The surge had been caused by Qui-Gon's return, and the Jedi master appeared in the bedroom a minute later. He found Obi-Wan sitting cross-legged in the center of their bed, his shirt off and a handkerchief in hand. Obi-Wan blew his nose.
"Still sneezing a lot?" Qui-Gon asked, sitting down on the bed with a bag in his hands. After their exploits the day before, Obi-Wan eyed the bag suspiciously. His master's shields were up now, which could only mean Qui-Gon wanted to bag's contents to be a surprise. Qui-Gon reached over and felt Obi-Wan's forehead for fever. He was relieved to find it was normal. "As this day marks the halfway point for your cold, I thought I would pick up something special on my way home."
Obi-Wan grinned. "Ice cream! You brought me ice cream, didn't you?" The padawan was nearly bursting with excitement. This time it just had to be ice cream.
Qui-Gon, however, looked quite crestfallen. The smile which had been on his face just amoment before was replaced by a frown, and he looked down, not wanting to meet Obi-Wan's eyes. Instead, he reached into the bag and withdrew a package of handkerchiefs, tied up in paper not as a gift, but to make it easier to carry the package. He cleared his throat and tried to spoke with a voice filled with regret. "You were running low and handkerchiefs, and I know you've been feeling especially sneezy today. And I realize they feel better to your nose than those tissues do..." He fingered the package absentmindedly, squeezing it, smoothing out the tan-colored paper used to wrap it, tightening the bow made from the string that tied it. Then he reluctantly handed it over with a shrug.
Obi-Wan took it and feigned a look of pleasure. "Thank you, Master." He undid the bow and pulled back the paper to find a small stack of handkerchiefs. "I am sure they will come in useful." He tried to give Qui-Gon an encouraging smile, but failed to be very convincing.
As it was, however, they were a very thoughtful gift. His nose was tickling again alreadyand the handkerchief he had been using was nearly used up by now. He lifted it to a spot just in front of his face. He might have tried to hold it back, but knew Qui-Gon would disapprove of his doing so. So he closed his eyes and prepared himself for the sneeze which ended up being two. "kuh-Shuhhh! hahhShuhhh!" He blew his nose a few times and then discarded the handkerchief. That remark of Qui-Gon's days ago about needing to do the laundry sooner than usual rang in Obi-Wan's head and he felt badly for contributing to that need by using so many handkerchiefs.
But his nose was runny and needed a little more attention, so he still reached for one of the new handkerchiefs. It felt delightfully soft against his slightly red and chapped noseand he smiled warmly. Even if it had not been the present he'd have chosen, it had been a terribly thoughtful one, befitting his master.
He pulled back the paper and string to survey the three short stacks of foldedhandkerchiefs in order to count how many there were. But something shiny caught his eye as it stuck out in the spot where he'd removed the first handkerchief. He paused in thought, then moved another of the handkerchiefs to reveal a single metal spoon.
Obi-Wan's heart jumped and he looked up just as Qui-Gon pulled a carton of ice cream out of the bag, then tossed the empty bag away. "I knew it!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, grabbingthe spoon at once and then launching himself forward. He wrapped his arms aroundQui-Gon's neck and hugged tightly.
Qui-Gon grinned at the reaction and resisted the urge to comment on how Obi-Wan hadsuddenly been reduced to a two year old. After all, it wasn't uncommon for Qui-Gon to feel a bit needier and debatably act younger when ill. He kissed Obi-Wan's ear, as it was the closest part of his padawan that he could kiss. Then he eased Obi-Wan off and opened the ice cream carton between them. Then he lowered his shields to their normal level, letting Obi-Wan in with sympathetic, caring warmth.
"This is fantastic," Obi-Wan said, dipping his spoon into the strawberry-vanilla swirl."Apart from the sneezing, my throat has been in agony all day. He took a bite and then sighed deeply, closing his eyes and throwing his head back so that the ice cream fell against the back of his throat. Then he smiled and lowered his head, looking back at Qui-Gon. "Thank you."
Qui-Gon smiled back. "You are most welcome. Now are you planning to eat that whole carton yourself or may I have a bite or two once in a while?" Obi-Wan got another spoonful and lifted it to Qui-Gon's lips. Qui-Gon accepted the spoon, taking in the ice cream and smiling again. "It does taste good, doesn't it?"
Obi-Wan was on his third spoonful by the time Qui-Gon finished his comment. He nodded and swallowed. "More?" he offered, scooping up an especially large bit of the white and red swirled ice cream. Qui-Gon nodded. Obi-Wan grinned and dipped the spoon back in, doubling the size of the spoonful then quickly directing it to his master's mouth.
Laughing, Qui-Gon tried to take it all in one bite. He almost managed it, though thelaughing did not help. He pulled back, trying to swallow and holding a hand up to his mouth. "Thanks," said Qui-Gon, glad his padawan was feeling a playful today, even if it was due to the ice cream.
Obi-Wan joined in with the laughter, watching his master try to deal with the mouthful.When he lowered his hand, Obi-Wan grinned. "You have a little..." He pointed toQui-Gon's chin. "Ice cream..." He leaned closer. "On your... your beard..." His lips touched the short, rough hairs of Qui-Gon's beard. His tongue joined as he licked off the drips of ice cream. But his mouth being so close to Qui-Gon's was a temptation he could not resist. He pulled back a little, lifting another spoonful of ice cream to his mouth. Then he kissed Qui-Gon, open-mouthed and messy with the ice cream melting. Obi-Wan sniffed wetly, trying to breathe during the kiss.
Finally he broke it off, swallowing and sniffling and going straight for a handkerchief."Sorry," he whispered, his breath racing. "I have to... sneeze... hahh... heh-IHHShhhh! YIHTChhhh! Eh-Tchuhhhh!"
Obi-Wan had snapped forward weakly with each sneeze, and Qui-Gon eased him back up gently.He pushed the younger man's padawan braid back, tucking it behind his ear. "Noapologizing. If you say that every time you sneeze you'll be hoarse at the end of this. And your throat already hurts, right?" As Obi-Wan nodded, sniffling, Qui-Gon scooped out more ice cream and lifted the spoon to Obi-Wan's lips. Obi-Wan ate the spoonful, then licked the spoon clean on both sides.
"I can apologize if I want to," Obi-Wan said, wiping his nose. "When it feels right."
"Well then, a belated triple bless you," Qui-Gon said with a chuckle. He noticed Obi-Wangive a little shiver, and immediately checked his forehead again.
"It's just the ice cream," Obi-Wan told him.
Qui-Gon was not too sure. Perhaps it was the ice cream, but his temperature seemed a little higher than it had a few minutes ago. He made a mental note to take Obi-Wan'stemperature tonight after they'd had enough ice cream. "Well, then. I shall have to warm you up, Padawan." He pulled over one of the many blankets on the bed and wrapped it around his own shoulders. Then he sat back against the pillows and gestured Obi-Wan over.
Obi-Wan sat back against Qui-Gon, the ice cream and handkerchiefs in his lap. Qui-Gonwrapped his own arms, and the blanket along with, around the relaxed Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan had another few bites of ice cream, then aimed the spoon over his shoulder so Qui-Gon could have a bite. Laughing as the spoon jiggled when Obi-Wan shivered, Qui-Gon hugged his padawan closer and craned his neck, finally catching the spoon in his mouth.
Obi-Wan left the spoon in Qui-Gon's mouth as he felt another sneeze coming on. He did not apologize, but a few heavy breaths warned Qui-Gon sufficiently."ehhh-hahhh-hehhh-EH-CUFFFF!" He sneezed into the handkerchief, notwishing to sneeze on the ice cream of course. "Ehhhhhh-KShhffffff!" He blew his nose,then took a few moments to breathe deeply and relax again before taking the spoon back.
Obi-Wan had another bite and sighed again. The look on his face this time was genuine."Force but I love this, Master. It's almost worth getting sick just to be able to snuggle in bed with you and a carton of ice cream."
Qui-Gon chuckled and kissed the top of his head. "And it is half over now."
"Still a whole half to go," Obi-Wan said, realistically.
"Half over," Qui-Gon repeated. "And I know you shall weather it as well as you did the first."
Obi-Wan shrugged and ate more ice cream. "If the days are anything like today, I will."
Part 16
"Here you are," Qui-Gon said, sitting down with one steaming mug in hand for himself andhanding a second over carefully so as not to spill it. "I added two spoonfuls of sugar and a pinch of Caydem spice for you."
Chuckling, "I cannot believe you remember how I take my tea, Qui-Gon." Tala lifted the mugand inhaled deeply. Then he took a sip and smiled broadly. "This is excellent."
"Of course I remember," Qui-Gon said, taking a sip of his own which had only a bit of sugar and lemon added. "The tea preference of my oldest friend is not a matter to be taken lightly."
"Mmm, indeed," Tala replied with a smile. "It is much appreciated. I have been on my feet all day and I worked straight through my lunch time in order to see patients. There's something going around right now. Half the initiates have got it and after a day of rubbing the little ones' runny noses, it's nice to have a minute or two to relax." Qui-Gon lookedconcerned. "Oh, it's not the Ondarian virus Obi-Wan has. That was the first thing I checked for, naturally. No, all signs point to it being just a normal bug. Of course I shouldn't say that in front of the masters in charge of looking after all the sick young ones."
"It seems like there's always something going around the temple," Qui-Gon observed.
Tala nodded. "See that you don't come down with it. Or you'll be of no help when it comes to caring for Obi-Wan."
Qui-Gon quickly agreed, drinking more.
Tala did likewise, drinking down the rest of his tea and sighing. "This is nice. It seems like the only times we ever see each other is when you or Obi are sick. Why is that, do you think?"
"You are always so busy with your work," Qui-Gon said, shrugging.
Nodding, "And you and Obi-Wan are always off on one mission or another. And when you'reon-world you're always working or training your padawan." He tipped his cup, draining the last few drops from his cup, then set it cup down. "So how has Obi-Wan been lately?" The healer inquired.
Qui-Gon finished his own tea and cocked his head thoughtfully. "Well, apart from the sore throat, and of course this fever which returned yesterday, he is managing all right."
"Mmmphh!" Both Tala and Qui-Gon turned their attention to the figure lying between them on the bed. Obi-Wan stared back at them, a thermometer in his mouth and a look that told them he did not like being talked about as though he was not there.
"I am sorry, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon stroked the young man's forehead, then kissed it gently on the little lines that formed on his forehead when he looked annoyed. "You're not feeling sneezy again, are you?" This was their third attempt now at taking Obi-Wan's temperature as Obi-Wan had sneezed during the first two and ruined the readings.
While Obi-Wan was feeling a little sneezy, he shook his head, fully intending to hold off his sneezes as long as possible and feeling glad he had practiced that the day before. Obi-Wan cleared his throat and sniffed, then rubbed at his nose, trying to avoid the thermometer. "Mmph?" He asked Tala,eyebrows raised.
"Yes, you're done now," Tala told him, easing the thermometer out and giving it a look. "And you're also running a fever still." Without taking his eyes off the thermometer, he handed a new handkerchief to Obi-Wan, who was presently struggling with the urge to sneeze.
Obi-Wan sat up a little against the pillows, allowing himself to breathe more easily. He took a deep breath and cupped the handkerchief to his face. "hehhCHUHH! hihhKShhh!ahhhKShhh!" He blew his nose and sniffed, trying to look better than he felt. "How bad is my fever?" Obi-Wan asked, shivering a little.
"Bad enough for you to stay in bed all day," Tala said, pulling one of the blankets at thebottom of the bed up and draping it over Obi-Wan's front. "But not as bad as it has been. You should be fine if you take it easy and relax."
"I'm starting to get the hang of that," Obi-Wan said with another shiver and another blow of his nose.
Tala tucked the blanket around him more tightly. "You're halfway through your cold now, and everything appears to be fine. At least as fine as it can be with three more weeks of a cold. You should call me right away if you start feeling worse than you have so far. But otherwise, just take care of yourself..." He glanced over at Qui-Gon. "Or let Qui take care of you, and you'll get through this before you know it."
Qui-Gon looked more relieved than Obi-Wan. "So you're saying the worst is behind us now?"
"Just more of the same ups and downs," Tala said, nodding. He watched Obi-Wan shiver again, and he cleared his throat. "Qui-Gon, I'd suggest you get under the covers and keep him warm. I'll brew another pot of tea." He rose from the bed and headed towards the kitchen area. But he paused at the doorway, looking back at the scene. Qui-Gon's arms wrapped around his padawan as they cuddled beneath the covers. Obi-Wan nuzzled his face into Qui-Gon's neck with a sniffle and a kiss. The healer gave a deep sigh and smiled, then turned back towards the kitchen.
Part 17
Qui-Gon crept into the dark bedroom, sensing that Obi-Wan was fast asleep. The room had become quiet after a long time of being loud. He had procured a holovideo for Obi-Wan several days ago, and Obi-Wan had finally asked to see it today. Qui-Gon had tucked him into bed with a steaming mug of tea and a box of tissues before he turned the video on. He'd taken the opportunity to catch up on work, listening to the sniffling and sneezing from the other room. After calling out to Obi-Wan multiple times to see if he was all right and always hearing back that Obi was fine, Qui-Gon had resigned himself to working while Obi-Wan watched the video. He knew that if his padawan really did have a problem, Obi-Wan would let him know.
But now the room was silent. The video had finished and the projector had shut offautomatically afterwards. The tea had been finished and the mug lay on top of the blankets with Obi-Wan's fingers loosely holding the handle. Beside his head on the pillow, just inches from his other hand, was a datapad.
Qui-Gon shook his head and picked up the datapad and mug. He held the former carefully not to change the display, and he tucked the latter between the crook of his arm and his chest. Then he reached down and gently stroked Obi-Wan's forehead. The temperature was nearly back to normal, in what was the fastest recovery during this cold yet. Usually his bad cycles lasted a few days at least before he started to recover.
Qui-Gon slipped silently from the room and set the mug softly in the sink to be washedlater when he wasn't worried about waking Obi-Wan up. Then he sat down at the desk, intending to do more work. Instead, he felt compelled to inspect the datapad Obi-Wan had been looking at. "I thought he said he did not feel like working... today..." he trailed off, reading the datapad.
As explained several other times in this report, I am not especially fond of the concept of relaxing. Jedi, by nature, are always busy, if not physically then mentally. And even in meditation there is always an active element that defies the proper definitions of relaxing. I have tried not to let my bias influence this report, however.
Through my exploration of the topic during my current illness, I have learned there are a number of different methods for relaxing and I tend to favor some to others. These lessobjectionable ones are usually the more infrequent and uncommon, much to mydisappointment. And I believe that during the second half of my illness an in-depth exploration of these methods would prove most enlightening.
The communications terminal in front of him lit in announcement of an incoming message. Qui-Gon decided to leave it be and replay the recording later. He shut off the terminal altogether and turned his attention back to Obi-Wan's report.
Another matter I believe bears mentioning is how sleep factors into the concept of relaxing in general. This method of relaxing is certainly well known and highly recommended. It is well documented that sleep does more to benefit the mind and body than simply resting them. For someone with an illness it seems additionally helpful in the healing process. However, for someone with a cold it is not always easy to achieve sleep.
I have observed that sometimes other symptoms seem to have a priority over all else, including relaxing. For example, during my sneezier days, one of which is well documented in a case study, I am able to do little else but sneeze and deal with the associated nose problems (e.g. having a runny nose, rubbing my nose, blowing my nose). Most every attempt to sleep is thwarted by a sneeze or even two or more. That need to sneeze is relentless, haunting, and comes just before I drift off to sleep. It snaps me awake and commands me to rub or blow my nose afterwards. Even when the sneezes are not as often, the stuffiness in my nose makes it hard to get comfortable. Everything rushes to one side of my head or the other when I'm lying on my side. And when I lie on my back it's a little harder to breathe all around. So I end up tossing and turning as much as sneezing, and none of that makes it easy to relax or fall asleep. Even when I do manage a little bit of sleep, I wake up sneezing again in no time.
Therefore, I find it the easiest to relax and to sleep when I am running a fever. When I have a fever I don't feel like doing much of anything, even working. My mind, which races impossibly as though begging to be assigned work as I would normally have as a Jedi padawan, slows on its own when I have a fever. I am able to slip, exhausted and primarily unaware, into sleep and stay there for much longer periods of time.
During my current illness, however, I am not able to always rely on the uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous presence of a fever to allow me to sleep. And apart from certain forms of relaxation with my master on good days which tire me out sufficiently to send me right into sleep, I have found few methods that assist me in falling asleep.
My current experiment is a holovideo in a dark room, with a hot cup of tea to soothe the tickles in my nose and throat. If all goes well, it may become a trusted method of allowing me to fall asleep. It is not entirely practical for all situations, as a video playing late at night in front of the bed would no doubt keep my master awake as soon as put me to sleep. And I fear that if the movie choice is too exciting I might not want to sleep at all. In addition, the tea may very well wake me after not too long, urging me to use the refresher before I am able to attempt sleep again. However, I am hopeful in this currentexperiment, and looking forward to the possibility of a restful sleep for however long it lasts.
Qui-Gon reached the end of the page and found no more written on the matter. There weredozens of screens filled before this one, however, if not hundreds. And Qui-Gon wondered when Obi-Wan had found the time to write so much without him noticing.
A warm pair of arms and an accompanying blanket came at him from behind and wrapped aroundhis chest. Then there was a rough, stubbly chin scratching his cheek and a soft pair of lipsfollowing that nuzzle with a kiss. Qui-Gon turned his face quickly and caught the lips, kissing back in greeting and in love all at once. "So," he said, turning his head back with a smile, but still allowing his padawan to hug him from behind. "Was your sleep experimentsuccessful?"
Obi-Wan peered over Qui-Gon's shoulder and spotted his report on the datapad. He smiled sheepishly."That depends. For how long was I asleep?"
"A few hours," Qui-Gon replied. "The video finished some time ago and I stopped hearing sneezes from our bedroom at least two hours ago."
Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose it was a success to some extent, then," saidObi-Wan. "I had hoped for a longer nap, though, truth be told." He bent his head and rubbed his face into Qui-Gon's shoulder.
"Feeling itchy?" Qui-Gon asked, trying not to laugh as Obi-Wan tried to rub without the use of his hands. The situation itself was slightly humorous, but more importantly the way Obi-Wan moved tickled him.
The young man sniffled and finally pulled back one of his hands, cupping it to his face."hehh-YEHChhhh! IHHGshhhhhhh!" There were tissues on the desk now, and Obi-Wan pulled a few out of the box. Tired of seeing his padawan leaving the tissue box in another room and then having a fit of sneezing, Qui-Gon had placed boxes everywhere around their quarters to see if that helped matters. Obi-Wan seemed glad of this and nuzzled back into hismaster's neck and head with affection and appreciation. "I had intended to give you my report when my cold was over. I hope you did not read it all yet. It is still incomplete."
"Incomplete," Qui-Gon repeated, not at all surprised at the status, well aware of howthorough his padawan could be in reports. "I read only a few paragraphs, Padawan. And I am glad to have had the opportunity to do so." From Obi-Wan's description of trying to sleep during what he referred to as 'sneezier days' Qui-Gon knew heshould invest in vaporizer for their bedroom. "Though I was especially intrigued by... how do you refer to it?" He scrolled up and down in search before spotting the words. "Ah, here: certain forms of relaxation with my master on good days which tire me out sufficiently." Qui-Gon grinned and glanced over his shoulder at Obi-Wan.
"There is a whole chapter of the report dedicated to that, Master," a smiling Obi-Wan told him. "It... ahhh..." His face fell and he pulled back with tissues cupped over his nose and mouth. "hahh-KShhhh!ehhhTChuhhh! KShuhhh!" He coughed and blew his nosequickly, anxious to finish speaking. "What I mean to say is that I have a chapter for that but I could use more first-hand experience in the matter."
Qui-Gon nodded and set the pad aside. He reached up and covered Obi-Wan's arms with hisown, tightening the hug. "We should take advantage of how well you feel today. For the sake of research, of course." He turned and nibbled at Obi-Wan's jawbone. It was unusually rough beneath his lips as Obi-Wan had not shaved yet today.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes, tilted his head, and leaned closer to the touch. "Of course," he breathed, smiling.
Part 18
Despite the excessive amounts of tweaking, throwing in pinches and dashes of spices atwill, the stew was not yet ready. "Ten minutes until mealtime, Obi-Wan. Would you set the table for me?" Qui-Gon called over his shoulder, across their quarters.
He received no answer, but heard the faint sounds of sneezing from behind the 'fresherdoor. He waited for them to end before repeating his call. "Yes, Baster!" was the quick reply.
All day long, Qui-Gon had done his best not to worry as he heard Obi-Wan's congestionreturn. He had taken Obi-Wan's temperature several times only to find no trace of a fever. And, too, Obi-Wan had insisted he felt well, apart from the almost constant barrage of coughing and sneezing. Qui-Gon was forced to believe his padawan on the matter, hoping for the honesty and candor they had previously agreed upon.
Qui-Gon finished the stew and used a pot holder to take the rolls from the oven. Obi-Wan set the table, coughing and sniffling into his shoulder nearly the whole time. "Bring me the bowls and I'll fill them here," Qui-Gon said, gesturing to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan brought over the bowls, holding them tightly as Qui-Gon filled each with stew and topped it off with a warm roll. "I will get the drinks, you do not need to wait for me to begin eating," Qui-Gon told him. He turned the burner temperature down, letting the remaining stew simmer on the stove for when they wanted second helpings. Then he moved towards the fridge, only half aware of the fact that Obi-Wan was about to sneeze again.
Obi-Wan, however, was far more aware of the fact. He quickened his pace to the table as his breath caught and his face screwed up. His padawan braid rubbed back and forth on his cheek as the build-up began. He just managed to carefully set one bowl on the table before having to close his eyes and snap a hand up to his face to cover a sneeze. "HIHShuhhhhh! HahhhShahhh! KShuhhhh!" He felt the stew in the other bowl slosh over the side as he shook from the sneezes. Sensing where the table was, and ignoring the minor burn on his hand from a bit of the stew, he set the second bowl on the table as he gasped for breath before another sneeze. "EhhhKShhhhhh!" He had lifted both hands to his faceto cover this sneeze but as he did so, he heard a loud crash just beside him. His hands cupped to his face, and his breath still hitching, Obi-Wan pulled his eyes open and looked down to see the mess of stew and a broken ceramics. "IHPShhhhhh!" He sneezedagain, helplessly, unable to attend to the mess right away.
Qui-Gon, having been startled by the crash, acted at once. He set the drinks on the table, then guided a swaying Obi-Wan to one of the chairs. Then he retrieved a dishrag and a bag to put the pieces of the bowl into.
"hehh-YIHShhhhhh!" Obi-Wan finished sneezing and hastily rubbed his nose on his sleeve. Then he slid out of his chair and onto the floor at once to help clean up the spilled dinner and apologize profusely. "I ab so sorry, Baster! I should have beed bore careful add codcedtratig odd what I was doig." He sounded close to being on the verge of tears, and Qui-Gon could not remember ever hearing Obi-Wan sound quite like that before. "I'b so sorry!"
Qui-Gon took a hold of Obi-Wan's hands and kept them still. The last thing he wanted was for Obi-Wan to cut himself. "It is all right, Obi-Wan. I shall take care of it."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "Do, I broke it. I will clead up." He tried to pull his hands out of Qui-Gon's. "Baster, I'b dot a child. I wod't hurt byself."
"You already have," Qui-Gon said, running a finger gently over the burn on Obi-Wan's hand at the base of his thumb. Obi-Wan winced. Qui-Gon applied a few healing vibes to the spot and then kissed it softly. "Now go sit down and eat I will take care of this. It is only a bowl, and I made more than enough stew." He stood and guided Obi-Wan into a chair, then bent down and finished cleaning the spill.
Qui-Gon helped himself to another bowl and sat down across from Obi-Wan at their smalltable. Instead of eating, Obi-Wan was holding his hands around the bottom of the bowl. "Feeling chilly?" Qui-Gon asked at this. "Or did I over-spice the stew again?"
Obi-Wan shrugged. "It's dot too bad, actually," Obi-Wan said. "I'b just dot very hudgry." He took his hands off the bowl and ripped a piece off the roll, dipped it in the stew, and ate it.
Smiling approvingly, Qui-Gon began eating his own. He kept an eye on Obi-Wan, however, who was sneezing more than picking at his food. He talked steadily through dinner, however, discussing various topics with Qui-Gon from current missions going on to the weather. When Qui-Gon finished his helping, he excused himself to get a little more and offered some to Obi-Wan. His bowl still half full, Obi-Wan refused seconds and tried to eat another spoonful.
"I thought I'd make milkshakes for dessert," Qui-Gon said, sitting down and digging intohis stew. "Would you like that?"
Obi-Wan smiled and nodded, then set to work immediately trying to finish eating. He still had not finished his dinner by the time Qui-Gon finished his second helping, and Obi-Wan shoved his bowl away when Qui-Gon went to clear the table. "I'b sorry," he apologized again. "I'b just dot... hudgry..." He helped himself to several more tissues from the box on the table and pulled back from the table. "hipshhh! ehhhKShhhh! ihhhHshhh!"
Qui-Gon nodded in understanding and set the dishes in the sink. "Well, perhaps you willfeel hungry enough for a milkshake," Qui-Gon said, smiling.
Looking somewhat relieved to still get dessert having not finished his dinner, Obi-Wan got up. "I will help," he said, moving towards the fridge. But as his hand closed around the handle, his eyes closed and he swayed.
Qui-Gon caught him before he hit the floor. "Obi?" he called, kneeling on the floor with Obi-Wan's head in his lap. "Can you hear me?"
It took a moment, but then Obi-Wan stirred and reached up, grabbing hold of Qui-Gon'stunic. "Qui?" he whispered, sounding confused.
Qui-Gon put his hand to Obi-Wan's forehead. He was suddenly burning up. "I'm right here.You're all right," Qui-Gon soothed. "You are all right, aren't you?"
Obi-Wan rolled onto his side and tightened his grip on Qui-Gon's tunic. Qui-Gon cradled him as Obi-Wan sneezed into his chest. "hahhhTChuhhhh! Sniff! Sniff!"
Shaking his head, Qui-Gon cuddled Obi-Wan close. "Yes, you are all right." He scoopedObi-Wan up and carried him straight to the bedroom. A stack of pillows, several layers of covers, and a cold compress later, Qui-Gon settled on the bed beside Obi-Wan.
"I'b so sorry," Obi-Wan whispered. "I kew I wasd't feelig well, sniff, but I did't realize it was so bad... sniff, sniff! Thigs were goig so well... Sniiiiff!"
"Shhh." Qui-Gon bent and kissed him quiet. "And do stop apologizing, Padawan. None of this is your fault. You're sick." Qui-Gon knew he was more at fault for the matter, having notnoticed the signs even after nearly four weeks of being around a sick padawan. He reached up to the box of tissues on their headboard and pulled out a few. He cupped them to Obi-Wan's nose. "Please blow your nose."
Without the strength to protest, Obi-Wan obeyed and blew his nose. He winced as his earpopped but he kept blowing. Qui-Gon changed the tissues a few times until Obi-Wan had had enough. Obi-Wan shivered and closed his eyes slowly.
"Stay with me a moment more," Qui-Gon told him, flipping the cloth on Obi-Wan's head overso the cooler side touched the hot forehead. "Tell me what's wrong so I can help. Do you still feel faint?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "By head feels fuddy. Stuffy add full add heavy. I cad't thidk." He opened his eyes wide, staring up at Qui-Gon apologetically. "I broke a bowl."
"I know, Love," Qui-Gon said softly, caressing Obi-Wan's cheek. "I cleaned it up. And wehave many more bowls."
"But I liked that ode... oh..." His breath caught. "Qui? HEH-" Qui-Gon pressed another tissueto Obi-Wan's nose. "UHFShhhhh! EHHShuhhh! ehh-EHHChuhh!" His sneezeswere strong, and he groaned afterwards. Obi-Wan kept his eyes closed and rubbed hard at the bridge of his nose. "Head aches whed I sdeeze," he murmured, coming as close to an honest complaint as Qui-Gon had yet heard.
"I can get some medicine to help with that," Qui-Gon told him, wiping Obi-Wan's nosegently.
Obi-Wan shook his head and reached out, grabbing Qui-Gon's arm. "Dod't go yet. I feel awful."
"Worse than before?" Qui-Gon asked, already knowing it wasn't worse. Obi-Wan was at least conscious, and he wanted it to stay that way.
Obi-Wan shrugged. "Baybe you should call Healer Tala? Baybe there's sub herb or something he forgot to bedtiod that would helb? He said to call if I got really bad, rebeber?"
"I remember," Qui-Gon said, flipping the cloth over again. Then he reached over and switched the vaporizer on. "I went to pick this up at the Healing Dome this morning. Turns out that cold that is going around the temple? Tala's come down with it. He'sbeen relieved of duty until he recovers so he doesn't pass it on to other patients."
Obi-Wan frowned, looking distressed.
"It's all right. I'm here. I can take care of you," Qui-Gon soothed. If he needed to, hecould always contact another healer and ask for one immune to this particular Ondarian virus,but none of the healers knew them or their conditions even half as well as Tala.
Obi-Wan smiled. "I dow you cad. I was just worried about Tala. He doesd't have adybody to... to... take care of... h-hib-hah-" The Jedi master was quick with the tissues. "HAHShhhh! Kahshhhh! KChuhh!" He snuffled and blew his nose hard.
"He would be pleased to hear you are concerned about him," Qui-Gon said. "But he'll be all right. It is just a cold. He can take care of himself."
Shaking his head knowingly, Obi-Wan said, "Eved you deed a little cobfort whed you get sick, Baster."
Qui-Gon could not deny this. "I will call to check up on him later. But right now, I want to be sure you get the comfort you need." He stuck a few tissues into Obi-Wan's hand and took the cloth from his forehead. "I am going to make this cold again. And get you some water and pills for the headache. If you need to blow your nose while I'm gone, please do. But do try to stay awake for me, all right? You really should take this medicine."
Obi-Wan nodded obediently, though as soon as Qui-Gon was gone, his eyes fell shut and his breathing slowed. When he wanted to fall asleep it seemed he could not, and likewise when he was trying to stay awake all his body wanted to do was sleep.
Qui-Gon returned to find Obi-Wan nodding off, and woke him back up. "I'm so sorry, Love. I need you to take this." He eased a pill into Obi-Wan's mouth and followed it with a glass of water until Obi-Wan had swallowed properly. Then he set the cool cloth back on Obi-Wan's hot forehead.
"Do you deed to take by teberature, Baster?" Obi-Wan asked tiredly. "I... thig I cad... try to stob sdeezig log edough for that."
Qui-Gon smiled lightly. "No, My Padawan. I know it is higher than it should be. That is enough for now. We will keep your head cool and your body warm and take your temperature later. The medicine may help your fever as well." He took a tissue out of the box and wiped Obi-Wan's nose with it. "So if you need to sneeze, just go right ahead."
Obi-Wan managed to sniffle and nod. But after a few moments, Obi-Wan seemed to forget what the nodding was for and started looking uncomfortable. He shivered and looked around, as though searching. "I should work od that rebort."
"Not right now," Qui-Gon said, not wanting to distress Obi-Wan and not wanting to orderhim, either. He wanted Obi-Wan to feel that he was still capable of deciding what to do, and wanted Obi-Wan to know that Qui-Gon trusted those decisions. "Right now, I have something else for you."
Obi-Wan looked curious, but his eyes snapped shut quickly and he fell forward with several unrestrained, uncovered sneezes. "HehGGShhhhhh! ehhh-GUHShihhhh! EhhhBShhhhh! KShhhh! KEHShhhh!" He groaned and pressed tissues to his nose, rubbing, wiping. The sneezes haddriven out all feelings apart from misery, and he lay there looking dazed and exhausted from the small fit.
Qui-Gon shed most of his clothing and then slid beneath the covers alongside Obi-Wan. As Obi-Wan snuggled up to him, he passed over a hot water bottle for Obi-Wan to hold onto. Then he stroked Obi-Wan's flushed cheek. It felt like a sauna beneath the covers. Obi-Wan's body was radiating quite a lot of heat, even though the young man was shivering and clenching his teeth so they wouldn't chatter. "I've brought you that milkshake," Qui-Gon said softly, looking down at the face nuzzling into his chest to see the smile appearing upon it. Even half delirious with fever, Obi-Wan knew what a milkshake was.
He helped Obi-Wan sit up a little, though Obi-Wan seemed plastered to his side. Qui-Gon had no intention to push Obi-Wan away, however, as he wanted to keep the man as warm as possible while Obi-Wan drank the milkshake. "Wait," Obi-Wan said as Qui-Gon brought the milkshake over from the bedside table. "Have to... hafta sdee... ehhhhhh..." he started unsteadily, his face falling and his shoulders rising. "Ehhh-KIHShhhh! HahKShhh! Ehhh-KahShhhh! KUHShhhh!" Nearly all of the sneezes had been directed into Qui-Gon's chest and Obi-Wan cringed at that realization. With the tissues his master had given him still in hand, Obi-Wan rubbed wearily at his nose. He looked up apologetically. "I'b s..." but his words died away at a disapproving look from his master. He cleared his throat. "I'b ready for it dow," he said, correcting himself.
Qui-Gon's expression softened and he moved the milkshake over, holding it for Obi-Wan."That's my good lad." Qui-Gon set his hand on Obi-Wan's head, rubbing affectionately. Had he longer hair, it would have been ruffled, but the short buzz was not disturbed much by the rubbing. Qui-Gon tugged on the padawan braid to end the affectionate gesture, then slid his whole arm around Obi-Wan to support the man while he drank.
By the time Obi-Wan was nodding off again, the milkshake was only half gone. So Qui-Gon finished it off as Obi-Wan fell asleep then and there, half-sitting up against his master and using Qui-Gon's chest as a warm pillow.
Part 19
Qui-Gon entered the room with a glass of juice and sat down on the bed. It was now a motion as innate to him as any other after so many days of tending to his sick padawan. With a single smooth gesture, he handed over the glass and took the thermometer out of Obi-Wan's mouth in exchange. As Obi-Wan drank, Qui-Gon held the thermometer up and examined it.
"How is it?" Obi-Wan asked around gulps.
"Much improved," Qui-Gon replied, smiling. There was just a hint of fever now and by both accounts Obi-Wan was feeling much better as well. Obi-Wan said his chills had stopped and his headache was gone. He even said his congestion was better, though that was partly due to the vaporizer that filled the room with moist heat and let him breathe more easily. Qui-Gon sawthe change in his padawan as well. His eyes were no longer over bright and his cheeks were no longer flushed against an otherwise pale face. His speech showed he was much more aware of his situation and he no longer had to fight to stay awake, even if sleep came easily to him.
Obi-Wan smiled back and finished up his juice. He handed the glass back and shook his head when Qui-Gon asked if he wanted more.
"Can I do anything more for you?" Qui-Gon asked, rising.
Obi-Wan considered for a moment, apparently having prepared an answer for such a question but feeling unsure about whether to say it or not. "Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied softly. Hovering beside the bed, Qui-Gon patiently waited for elaboration. "I feel much better today. Well enough to do work in fact. But I do not feel that I should risk wearing myself down so that I get as sick as I was yesterday." Automatically he reached for the tissues, a sneeze on the way.
His nose wrinkled and his brow furrowed as he concentrated on the sensation. "ahh-hahhh...hah-AHShhhh! Hahshhhh!" He blew his nose then sniffed a few times.
"Bless you."
Obi-Wan smiled good-naturedly. "Thank you." He sniffed a little more, then continued. "Still, I missbeing a Jedi. I miss our missions, though. I miss the reports and the assignments. I miss the lectures and the assemblies. But most of all I miss the physical parts of it. The moving, thebreathing. So I was wondering if I could watch you going through the forms? Like I used to when I was young and could not yet wield a saber or perform most of them." He coughed and cleared his throat. "Of course I will understand if you would rather not..."
Smiling, Qui-Gon shook his head. "I should be glad for the exercise. I miss training with you and I have not been through the full forms in days."
Obi-Wan looked rather relieved that his request had been received so well. He reached out an arm and gathered the tissue box, a pillow, and a few blankets, holding them all with his other arm. Qui-Gon set down the glass in order to scoop Obi-Wan up in his arms. Obi-Wan leaned into him, head on his master's strong upper arm, his arm around Qui-Gon's neck.
Qui-Gon carried him into what had once been Obi-Wan's bedroom and set him gently on thepadawan-sized sleep couch there. With a wave of his hand, the lights running the perimeter of the small room lit with a soft, yellow glow. Apart from the small trunk in a corner that had once contained all of Obi-Wan's worldly goods as an initiate, the room bore no resemblance to the one which had once been Obi-Wan's. The sleep couch had been pushed against a wall and beside it was a shelf full of books that did not fit into the shelves in the common room. The facing wall contained a large mirror that stretched the length of the wall but raised off thefloor a few feet and came short of the ceiling by the same amount. Thick mats covered the floor, and Qui-Gon pulled off his boots before stepping onto them in his bare feet.
Qui-Gon pulled back his hair into a single ponytail, and then he looked over at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan was settling into his pillow and blankets, getting comfortable and ready to watch his master go through the forms. As he pulled out several tissues and cupped them to his face, he was glad he was low enough so he did not have to see his reflection in the mirror. He breathed heavily into them, as though about to sneeze at any moment but not quite feeling the urge to.
"Are you sure I cannot get you anything else before I start?" Qui-Gon asked.
Obi-Wan started to shake his head but stopped. He looked up at Qui-Gon imploringly but a bit timidly. It took Qui-Gon a second, but them he melted with a soft smile and sparkling eyes. He undid his belt, then pulled off his outer and under tunics, folding them all neatly beside his boots just off the mat. A bit shyly, Obi-Wan nonetheless grinned in approval.
Qui-Gon shook his head. "You really are far too easy to please, Padawan Mine." He bent over and kissed Obi-Wan in a reassuring sort of way. Then he took his place on the mat.
As he mentally readied himself to begin, he missed Obi-Wan sniffling into the tissues and mouthing 'yes, yours' back to Qui-Gon. Completely out of habit, Obi-Wan breathed deeply in synch with his master, and let his breath out just as slowly.
His throat itched in reaction and he muffled a few coughs into his handful of tissues. Ashe felt the urge to sneeze rise up, and he rubbed at his nose hard to keep it away, he briefly thought perhaps he should not have asked to watch his master perform the forms. Sneezing while Qui-Gon was deep in concentration would disturbing if notdangerous when it came to the more advanced forms. But once Qui-Gon started, Obi-Wan's hesitation vanished.
Qui-Gon stood up straight and rolled his head to loosen himself up. With another deepbreath in through his nose, he lifted his hands, palms out towards Obi-Wan. He exhaled through his mouth and pushed outward in one smooth, controlled motion.
Pinching his nose through a tissue, Obi-Wan watched on longingly. He remembered doing them every morning before and after meditation as an initiate. And he recalled the day when the masters had demonstrated how those movements that had become so natural could be combined to create the basic forms. And those basic forms were the very basis of fighting. They kept the body strong and toned. They kept the mind relaxed but attuned to every movement. They kept a Jedi skilled and ready and let him work with the Force like nothing else.
Obi-Wan could have used such control now, as his nostrils twitched and his breaths raced. He took his eyes off his master, who was still breathing deeply and stretching his arms and legs to loosen up. Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes shut, trying hard not to sneeze. He pressed a finger beneath his nose, applying pressure to his tickling nostrils, but the sneeze remained. His heart jumped with worry, feeling the sensation playing just at the tip of his nose. Herefused to disturb Qui-Gon as he'd been the one to suggest this in the first place. But his breath hitched and he fell forward, lips pursed, all his strength going into holding back his sneeze. Unfortunately, in his weakened state, his strength was not enough. "INkk-uhh!" He stifled it as well as he could.
The tickle did not stop at one sneeze, however. As he held his finger against his nose andtried to control his breathing, he pulled tissue after tissue from the box. If sneezes weren't going to do it, he would have to try to quietly blow his nose. "ihh..." he inhaled softly, tensing up in concentration. "EHNgguh! UHShkk!" His head ached as he held them back, and Obi-Wan quickly dropped his hand and buried his nose in the tissues. He blew as quietly as possible, but he looked up and realized Qui-Gon had stopped to watch him. He flushed a little at the reversal of roles and wiped his nose dry. "I tried to hold them back, I really did," Obi-Wan explained.
"I know," Qui-Gon said. "I do not mind you sneezing, Obi-Wan. In fact, it is moredisturbing to see you working so hard not to. You could hurt yourself."
Obi-Wan nodded and sniffled into the tissues.
"You are sick. Naturally you will need to sneeze. I knew that when you brought the idea up. It will not bother me to hear, but I want you to promise not to try and restrain them like that, all right?" Obi-Wan nodded again. "And please promise me that you interrupt and let me know if there is something really wrong."
From his spot on the mat, Qui-Gon held up his hand and used the Force to tuck the blanket more tightly around Obi-Wan.
"I... hahh..." Obi-Wan's nose twitched again and he sneezed fully. "huh-CHUHhhhh! Sniff! Sniff! I promise."
Qui-Gon smiled approvingly and closed his eyes with another slow, deep breath. He waited for a moment, reaching out to the Force for guidance. Then he launched into the first basic form. Obi-Wan's eyes followed his master's graceful moves. Arms pushing from one side to the other, guiding the air about him. Form one blended into form two, adding movement in his legs, stepping carefully in familiar patterns. Form three added hand movements, rolling and directing his arms. Kicks accompanied form four, and by the basic form five he his who body was twisting and turning, moving in the beautiful dance of the Jedi.
Vividly, Obi-Wan recalled the joy of seeing this dance for the first time, all spelled out for him in perfection. Even more joyful had been the moment he had first watched his new master perform them for him. He knew every Jedi knew the forms so well they could go through them in their sleep. He knew the basic forms were just that: basic. But the way Qui-Gon worked them filled Obi-Wan with such excitement that he had felt such a compulsion to jump right up and join his master in the dance with the Force.
Similarly, now he was finding it difficult to stay beneath the warm blankets with such afantastic display before him. Qui-Gon moved seamlessly from the basic forms to the intermediate ones. After that were the advanced and highly advanced forms. The complexity and number per level increased exponentially.
Another need to sneeze struck Obi-Wan just as Qui-Gon was working through one of the most difficult forms. The Jedi Master's chest glistened with perspiration, his eyes were closed peacefully, and his face was firm with concentration. Obi-Wan did not want to take his eyes off it for even a second, but even when he closed his eyes he could still feel the movements through the Force. Fulfilling his promise to his master, Obi-Wan did not make an attempt to hold back his sneezes. However he did muffle them into a mass of tissues to quiet them alittle. "ahhhShfff! hahShifff! Ihhh... ehKShhffffffff!"
Obi-Wan sensed absolutely no disturbance in the Force when he sneezed. He looked up to see that Qui-Gon had not even flinched at the disturbance, despite the intense concentration required for that particular routine. He had, however, acknowledged it with a warm glow between their bond. Obi-Wan felt both relieved and comforted, knowing that even when his master was at his deepest level of concentration, he was still connected to Obi-Wan. Theirbond was so strong that it could overcome any solo activities. The training katas. Theoff-world virus. They were still connected with a bond stronger than any of it.
Before Obi-Wan knew what he was thinking, what he was feeling, he realized Qui-Gon had gone beyond the highly advanced forms to one that was all too familiar and far too startling. //Master!// he called through their bond.
Qui-Gon's eyes stayed close, but a gently smile appeared on his face. //Calm, Padawan Mine. And movewith me.// The form he had begun was one that could only be performed with two Jedi. It was the most rudimentary of the paired forms, the first one they had ever attempted as Master and Padawan.
//I cannot, Master. I am too weak. I will not be able to support your weight.// Nonetheless, he began to sit up to join in.
Qui-Gon smiled more broadly. //No, Padawan. No need to get up. Just join me in the Force as you were a moment ago. Concentrate on our bond. You will not let me fall.// He came to a natural pause in the movement, balancing on one foot in order to open his eyes and look over at Obi-Wan. //Through what we are, you have all the strength you need for this.//
Trusting his master, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and followed his master's lead back into theForce. He forgot his itchy throat and tickling nose. He forgot that he was still lying on his old sleep couch. In his mind and in the Force he joined Qui-Gon on the mat and began the paired form from the beginning, intending to catch up to his master's spot. He was unsteady at first, but felt Qui-Gon helping to guide him, taking his hand and moving with him until it was time their movements countered each others' like a mirror instead of like a shadow.Obi-Wan faltered for a moment as he felt his feet leave the floor.
His stomach jumped with nerves he had not felt since his first year as a padawan. ButQui-Gon soothed him and urged him on. Refusing to let his master down, Obi-Wan concentrated on the form and on his master. The part of him that felt the need to be back to his usual Jedi ways burst out of him and allowed him to perform the paired kata.
He opened his eyes at the most critical moment, surprised to realize he was still on thesleep couch. His grip on the Force was firm, though, and he locked his gaze with Qui-Gon's as though they were moving together as always. As they completed the form, with Qui-Gon safely back on the ground with his body coming to a slow rest, they smiled at each other. "I did not realize that was possible," Obi-Wan said softly.
"I had heard it was," Qui-Gon said. They always kept a small pile of towels at the side of the room and Qui-Gon retrieved one, dabbing it to his brow and to his chest. "I had never before tried. I had never even dreamed of trying. Though somehow itsuddenly felt right. It was almost as though I could feel your hands steadying me as I moved. And when you were toflip over my back, I could nearly feel the breeze in the air around me as though you really were moving." Qui-Gon sat down on the floor beside the low couch, his legs crossed and his hand upon one of Obi-Wan's. "I knew you would not let me fall."
Obi-Wan beamed with pride. "Thank you for our bond, Master."
Qui-Gon started to reach up to caress Obi-Wan's cheek, but Obi-Wan pulled away as he sat up, feeling the need to sneeze again. He breathed deeply, and cupped tissues to his nose as his face fell. He did not need to stifle them this time. "EhKUSHH! IhhhKShhhh! HEHShhhh!EHSH!" He blew his nose hard and opened his eyes.
Sitting upright, he was tall enough to catch his reflection in the mirror across the room from him. He saw his slightly bloodshot eyes and his more than slightly red nose. Though he did not have a fever, he still looked a bit peaked as well as plainly exhausted. "Sith!" he exclaimed, running his hand over his stubbly chin and then over his hair which, though it was short, still looked messy. "Qui, why did you not tell me how dreadful I look?"
Qui-Gon reached up again and brushed his hand against Obi-Wan's cheek on its way topressing against Obi-Wan's neck. It was hot from the workout yet tender. His eyes were locked on Obi-Wan's again, and a reminder of the motions they had just helped each other through was communicated through their bond. "Because you still lookwonderful to me."
Obi-Wan looked away in embarrassment, though instinctively he turned his head towards his master's hand. Qui-Gon caught Obi-Wan with a soft kiss, guiding the young man's head back into place, then following it with a more involved kiss. "Qui..." he protested, his cheeks flushed. "I'm..."
"You're much improved," Qui-Gon whispered, giving him another kiss. "And quite kissable." He kissed again, crushing the younger man's lips beneath his own until Obi-Wan gave into it completely and relaxed. "And a stronger Jedi Padawan I have never known." He wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan, who immediately hugged back.
Part 20
The twentieth day of Obi-Wan's illness turned out to be a bad day.
All things considered, Obi-Wan's cold was far better than it had been in days. Histemperature was normal again and had been for quite some time. His face had more color to it, and his eyes had less red. His cough was infrequent, lighter, smoother. His congestion was bothersome at best.
And, yet, it was a bad day. Most likely it would have been a bad day even if he could have gone outside their quarters. It probably would have been a bad day had he been able to perform his normal Jedi duties. It would have been a bad day for Obi-Wan Kenobi even if the young padawan were not the least bit sick. As Obi-Wan always got up on the same side of the bed Qui-Gon could not use that as the reason, though he knew better than to actually try to find a reason for it. From time to time, bad days just happened.
Obi-Wan stood at the large glass window on the far side of the common area. Normally theykept the blinds drawn so that those in passing ships could not look in at them. They were open now, pulled back by Obi-Wan's own hands. He stared up past the speeding blurs, busy streets, and bright lights of Coruscant to gaze up at the stars. Their tiny balcony was but inches away, but he was not allowed to step outside.
He stood in bare feet, sleep pants, and a loose shirt on top. To stay warm he had his cloak on, the hood pulled up over his head and the sides pulled closed in the front. His arms were crossed over his chest and he stood straight and resolute. He clutched a balled-up handkerchief in one hand, using it only when absolutely necessary. He sneezed freely but rubbed his nose every so often. Otherwise he was motionless, staring up into the sky in thought.
His shields were up fully, which was usual on his bad days. But as this was most definitely one, neither he nor Qui-Gon did not discuss the matter. In fact, once Qui-Gon understood Obi-Wan was having a bad day, he put his up for the duration of the day as well. It was quite a change from the intimacy they had shared the day before, but not an unexpected one. As the will of the Force usually dictated, everything eventually came to a natural equilibrium.
Qui-Gon had not avoided interacting with his padawan, once he realized the sort of day itwould be; he simply kept the interactions to a bare minimum, not wanting to get on Obi-Wan's bad side. There were no lengthy conversations about anything interesting in work or in pleasure. Obi-Wan grunted more than he spoke, and if he bothered answering at all he was short with his answers and snapped when Qui-Gon asked him a question.
When his padawan turned his nose up at the breakfast offerings, Qui-Gon suggested alternate dishes and fixed Obi-Wan a bowl of oatmeal when that was the item to which Obi-Wan voiced the fewest objections. Qui-Gon had let him fend for himself for lunch and dinner, though the contents of the kitchen cupboards and the fridge still produced a list of complaints.
Similarly, Obi-Wan had not felt like doing much all day and had rebuffed everywell-intentioned suggestion of Qui-Gon's. He picked up his report and worked on for a few minutes before discarding it. He went through a few holovids, watching less thanhalf of each before he lost interest. He felt too restless to sleep yet too tired to do anything evenremotely productive. He stayed in the bedroom as much as possible, and Qui-Gon stuck to the common area.
Some time in the afternoon he settled into the bed with one of his last clean handkerchiefs and a hot cup of tea. He tried reading one of his master's books, despite a dull, annoying headache. Several hard sneezes into the task made him spill his tea. His cold fogged his senses and slowed his reflexes, and he had been unable to prevent the spill. He had, however, managed to miss the priceless book and instead drenched several layers of blankets down to the sheets. Qui-Gon had told him not to be frustrated about it, that nothing had been ruined, but the accident had certainly not improved Obi-Wan's mood any.
The first time he had been anything but annoyed or frustrated was after dinner when hestood silently in front of the window to watch the sunset. Even in a bad mood, he could find nothing wrong with that. Simple. Beautiful. Peaceful. So he stood for quite some time, as the sky turned from a cloud-filled blue to turquoise with orange and purple streaks and then to a dark blue, grey, and black. He watched as the stars came out, counting and naming each one. He refused to allow the sneezes and less frequent coughs to distract him from this task.
It was late in the evening when Qui-Gon started to feel drowsy. After taking a short sonicshower, brushing his teeth, and changing into sleep pants, he was ready for bed. On the way from the 'fresher to their bedroom, however, he paused then went to Obi-Wan.
Positioning himself behind, he wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan and pressed his lips to theback of Obi-Wan's head, just above his ponytail. Obi-Wan neither leaned into nor pushed his master away. He neither stiffened nor relaxed at the touch.
They stood together in silence for a while, and Qui-Gon slowly let his shields down, making sure Obi-Wan was well aware of the gesture. Then he yawned deeply. "It is late and I am heading to bed now. I've changed the sheets already. You may join me whenever you like."
Obi-Wan gave a single, short nod of understanding. Then he snapped forward with a series of strong sneezes. "hehhhShh! HahKShehhh! huh-Shihhh! Sniff! eh-HIHShhhh!hahh-Kshhh! Sniff!" He snuffled into his rumpled hanky. Rubbing his already chapped nose with the damp handkerchief did little good, but he did not want to leave his place at the window to retrieve one of his few remaining handkerchiefs.
Qui-Gon waited for him to finish. "If I am already asleep when you come to bed, have a good sleep and sweet dreams. And if I am already up when you wake in the morning, chances are I'm just down in the laundry room. Laundry day has come early this month." With both the mission and Obi-Wan's cold, he now had no hope of sticking to the normal schedule. There was extra formal wear, abnormal amounts of sleepwear, several changes of sheets, and of course a growing pile of handkerchiefs which would need a special washing.
Qui-Gon kissed the back of Obi-Wan's head and gave him a tight hug. The he pulled away and headed towards the bedroom, leaving Obi-Wan alone again in front of the window.
"Master?" Obi-Wan called, turning and looking back. "I'm sorry about my behavior today. Tomorrow will be better."
Qui-Gon closed his eyes and gave a nod. Bad days happened to everyone. Even he had themfrom time to time. He was simply better at hiding them. "I'm sure it will. Goodnight, Obi-Wan."
Obi-Wan nodded back. "Goodnight." He stood by the window for a few more seconds. Then he pulled the blinds closed and headed into the 'fresher to get ready for bed.
Part 21
With his eyes closed, Obi-Wan's mouth hung open as he breathed heavily. "uhhh..."His throat was hot, and his breaths were likewise. "hihhh..." Sometimes he found ithard to breathe enough to fill his lungs and even without the blankets on him his chest felt as though there were a warm weight on it. "huhhh..." He felt weak and swayed back andforth as he sat, panting. "huh-ehhh..." The corners of his mouth turned down, and he lifted his hand with the tissue clutched in it. He pulled back with deep breaths inward, "huhhhhh... huhh-hehhhh... ehh-EH-" Then he snapped forward."SHIIIIH!" He pressed the tissue to his wet nose. He winced but bore the discomfort and gave a hard wipe. "Ugh!" hegroaned deeply. He balled up the tissue, tossing it into the growing pile on the couch beside him, then picked up a handkerchief and blew his nose into the soft folds.
Feeling another sneeze brewing in his nose immediately, Obi-Wan pulled another tissue from the box in his lap. He frowned and his breaths hitched. He closed his eyes, waiting with his hand hovering with a tissue at chest level. But as his rapid gasps grew deeper and more desperate, he lifted his hand a little."hehhh...hehh-EHHHHShhhhh!" He snapped forward, his nose burying itself right into the tissue. Grimacing, he wiped his nose and blew rudimentarily into it. His nose was so full that he couldn't give a proper blow with a single tissue. And as he already felt another sneeze on its way, he did not bother retrieving a half dozen for the task or switching to his handkerchief.
"ihhh-Ehhhhhh!" his sneeze built and he closed his eyes, grabbing blindly for another tissue. His fingers brushed against the cardboard, searching for the opening out of which the tissues popped. But even when he found it, his finger tips did not find the familiar sensation of tissues. "hihhhh... HIH!" He lifted a finger to his nose, pressing hard, as he pulled his eyes open just enough to squint at the box. Sometimes the tissues simply did not pop up the way they were supposed to. But that was not the case this time. "ih... ih-hih-hih-Baster?" hesaid, his voice unusually high yet heavily weighed in congestion. "I'b out of tiss... of tiss... ehhh!" His eyelids fluttered closed and he pitched forward again, his finger still under his nose and unable to prevent the sneeze though it did make it sound funny."EhhhPLTHHH!"
A soft, clean handkerchief was pressed to his face, rubbing with a gentle tenderness.Obi-Wan did not need to open his eyes, and instead sent appreciative thoughts to his master through their bond. He rubbed his nose into it instead of letting Qui-Gon do all the work. He pulled back after a minute, breathing through his mouth as his nose was far too stuffed.
"I will get you a new box right away," Qui-Gon said easing the handkerchief into Obi-Wan'shands under the assumption that the man would no doubt need it while he ducked into the 'fresher for twenty seconds.
By the time the words registered in his stuffed up head, prompting him to start to nod,Qui-Gon had already left. By the time he realized Qui-Gon was gone and that he should stop nodding, his nose had begun tickling again. And by the time he lifted the handkerchief to his nose, Qui-Gon had returned with the tissues.
Even with his Jedi reflexes, Qui-Gon was not able to rip open the box, pull out a few tissues, and hand them over before the sneezes struck. "EhhhGshhfff! hehhhTChhffff! UhShhffff!Yugh..." he groaned, plucking tissues out of the newly opened box, one after the other, then blowing hard into thebunch.
Qui-Gon snuggled closed to Obi-Wan on the couch, putting his arm around the younger manleaning into him. Unsteady and weak, Obi-Wan was pushed over a little. "Qui..." he whispered. "I thig I'b dyig."
The truth was that his congestion really had not been this bad yet. After yesterday's lack of taking care of himself and the fact that Obi-Wan was feeling absolutely sick of drinking so much tea, it was to be expected. But that bit of logic was hardly enough to assure Obi-Wan that he was not really dying. He clearly looked, sounded, and felt badly enough to be dyingand Qui-Gon could nothing more than hug Obi-Wan reassuringly. He did not like to see his padawan like this.
Obi-Wan smiled briefly at the gesture, then went straight for the tissues again."ehhh-hahhhhhhh..." He shivered as the urge to sneeze seized him fully. His nose was practically dripping already, as he cupped tissues to it. "yehhhh..." His tender nostrils flared against the harsh tissues and he leaned back with a deep breath. "yahhh-IHGhshhhhhhhh!" The sneeze rocked him forward, and he blew his nose while he was still hunched over. He plucked out more tissues and blew again. No matter how many full, gurgling blows he gave, it did nothing to relieve the pressure in his nose. He stayed hunched over, though, as he blew repeatedly, not really wanting Qui-Gon to see in such vivid detail what a mess he was in.
Qui-Gon heard well enough to melt with sympathy. He waited patiently, making a worried face every time Obi-Wan finished blowing and discarded the tissues into a pile and then immediately went for the tissues to blow some more.
When Obi-Wan finally gave in and wiped his nose to make it as dry as it could be at the moment, Qui-Gon pulled him closer with an affectionate cuddle. Even just a few minutes of this was painful to watch, but Obi-Wan had been at this for hours no, finding no relief at all.
Qui-Gon made up his mind to find something that would help. If his suggestion turned out to do no good in the long run, at least Obi-Wan was no worse off and at least it made Qui-Gon feel a little more useful. "Time for a shower," he decided out loud.
His mouth hanging open again, Obi-Wan lifted his head a little. His eyes were glazed withfatigue and his nose was running albeit not visibly yet. His brow furrowed, a defined lineshowing in the middle of his forehead. "I cad't stob sdeezig for eved a seh... sehhhhcod..." he tried to explain, the congestion and the need to sneeze again taking him over. "ehhhh-hehhhhh...hehh-IHHHhhhhh..." His hand seemed to function as a separate entity, snaking over to the tissue box and pulling the right amount of tissues out to catch his sneezes."ehhh-ehh-ihhhh..." He froze a moment, waiting. Then he opened his eyes and sniffed.
The tickle played in the tip of his nose, building just enough to make his breath catch but not quite enough to make him sneeze. "IHH!" He exhaled strongly, trying to draw the sneeze out. The few moments just after a sneeze, when he most needed the tissues and most felt the pain of the tender parts of his nose, at least provided him with a sense of relief that that particular sneeze was out. And now even that had been denied to him. "HEHHH!" He tried again, and his body shook in reaction as though countering his intentions.
"Obi-Wan..." Qui-Gon began, but stopped when he realized Obi-Wan was going to sneeze this time.
His eyes snapped shut and he was thrown forward. "EHP'CHIHHH!" He blew and wiped his nose quickly. Then he looked up at Qui-Gon again. "I cad't breathe, letalone take a shower." He sniffed to demonstrate his stuffiness, and hardly any air managed to get through his nose.
Qui-Gon shook his head. "Nonetheless, it is time for one. I will start it and come back for you when it is ready. And while I'm gone I want you to try to start to take off your clothes."
Obi-Wan blinked wearily and coughed from the congestion. "I'd rather you took off by... byclothes... ohh Sith..." He covered his nose again. "EhhhGshhhhhh! EhhFTchhhhhh!ihhhhKShuhhhh! KUH-Shhuhhhh!"
Qui-Gon let him deal with the aftermath of these sneezes in private. "I'll be right back."And he headed back to the refresher to start the shower. He returned once the showerhead blasted hot water and the room was filled with steam. He found Obi-Wan still on the bed, still in his sleepwear, and still sneezing.
"ehhhhKITChh! hehhKShhhh!" He sniffed and rubbed his nose. "ehhhKUHShhhh! hehhhTchhhh!" He looked up briefly, acknowledging Qui-Gon's return and looking apologetic."hihhh-KUFChhhh! YehhKTchhh!" He pulled back, preparing for one more that appeared somewhat stuck. "hehh... hehEhhhh... Ihhhh!" Very stuck, in fact. He blew his nose and shook his head. Then he looked up wearily. "By dose... the sdeezes... If I could just..."
Qui-Gon nodded in understanding. He scooped Obi-Wan up and carried him to the bathroom. He could walk perfectly well, but rather liked being held in Qui-Gon's strong arms where he did not have to worry about feeling lightheaded from so much sneezing and collapsing during the short journey from sofa to the 'fresher. Not to mention that he just plain liked when Qui-Gon touched him. Obi-Wan snuggled into his master's chest, which he was sure smelled of laundry detergent as it did every laundry day, but he could not smell anything at the moment. He hadtaken a sonic shower that morning, after shaving and brushing his teeth so there was no need for him to wash. He knew why Qui-Gon had suggested he take a shower, though.
The room was warm and filled with thick steam. As Obi-Wan stood, with Qui-Gon expertlystripping off the younger man's clothes, he looked across the small room to themirror. It was so fogged up that Obi-Wan could not see a trace of his reflection. Knowing how he must look, with a handkerchief held to his runny nose and remembering catching that unexpected glimpse of himself in the spare room the other day, Obi-Wan was glad for the steam. As he breathed in, it felt warm and moist against the itchy roof of his mouth and felt quite comforting as it entered his lungs. He took a slow, deep breath in and let it out even more slowly.
Qui-Gon eased his shirt off, then bent and pulled down his sleep pants. He slid them off, one leg at a time, as Obi-Wan obliged by lifting his feet and steadying himself by putting a hand on Qui-Gon's shoulder. Dangerously close to Obi-Wan's manhood, Qui-Gon grinned at the temptation before him. Despite his horribly runny nose and a sneeze building, Obi-Wan twitched and grinned back. Then he doubled over at the force of the sneezes. "YihhhSCHhhhh! EhhhhTshhhhh!Ihh-hih-HIPShhhhh!" His sneezes seemed were strong and even wetter than they had been minutes before. He blew his nose repeatedly, folding and refolding the handkerchief to find dry spots. Then he balled up the well-used handkerchief and set it on the sink.
Thanks to the steam, his nose was still running and now he had no handkerchief. Hestraightened with a sigh and rubbing his finger beneath his nose, then alongside it, and then beneath it again. Qui-Gon put his arms around Obi-Wan who shivered a little now that he was naked. "Into the shower with you. I believe I have another handkerchief in my top drawer. You get in and warm up and I will get it for you."
A bit shaky and extremely sniffly, Obi-Wan opened the door and stepped in. He flinched at how hot the water was when it struck his skin. Quickly he pushed past the spray and turned down the heat a little. "huh-huh-HEEshhh!"He sneezed and then stepped beneath the stream of water. The water almost completely enveloped him. And he swayed back and forth beneath the water to get it to cover all of him almost at the same time.
"ehhh..." But even with the steam making it a little easier for him to breathe, he still felt the need to sneeze. He turned his head and cupped his hand over his nose and mouth. Then he wiped the steamed-up glass of the shower door to see if Qui-Gon was back yet with the handkerchief. He wasn't. Obi-Wan had almost been certain that he'd been through every hanky in their possession now and that Qui-Gon did not have one hiding in the back of his top drawer somewhere. But he hoped that was just the foggy part of his mind talking because he knew he was really going to need to blow his nose after the sneezes tickling in his nose now escaped. And he certainly couldn't use tissues when he was sopping wet.
"hahh-ehhhhhhh..." He panted, leaning against the wall to keep himself steady. The worst thing would be to lose his footing and crack his head open on the slippery wet tiles. He shivered a little as he left the hot water. "ehhh... ehhh..." The sneezes built up slowly but steadily until they seized him entirely. "HEHSHhhh! ehhKShhh! ahhhKShhuhhh!ahhhhKShooo!" He dragged his hand beneath his nose, then moved back into thespray of water, letting it wash his face clean. He snuffled and coughed but it did not feel too badly not to have a handkerchief at hand.
The water somehow felt a bit cooler than it had a while ago so he turned the knob to theleft towards the heat and sighed as it got warmer around him. "Ohhh yes," he whispered,closing his eyes and letting the water take care of his runny nose. Though the constant pounding of water against it tickled it, the heat and steam around him soothed it, also. But as he was finding it much easier to breathe without launching into coughs orsneezes, he definitely enjoyed being in the shower. His master always knew how to make him feel better.
"YihhhSchhh!" he sneezed quickly with hardly any build-up. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination or if his nose was feeling just a little less stuffy. Either way, he stood up on his toes, getting his face closer to the nozzle. The small holes in the nozzle sent separate streams down onto his shoulders, chest, and back at the same time. He pulled his arms close to his chest, under the warmth. Then he reached over and turned it up a little more.
Qui-Gon still had not returned, which concerned Obi-Wan slightly. But the shower felt so nice that he did not mind so much. Even though it had taken a bit of effort to get there, now that he was there he did not really feel like leaving. "huh-CHIHH!"he sneezed, strong and wet but he barely flinched at it. He gave the water a moment to cover his face, then he turned and hunched forward, directing it to his back. It did not feel quite as good as one of his master's massages... especially one of his special massages... but it still felt good.
His breath caught again but he hardly tensed at all. "Ehhhh..." He pulled back, swaying naturallywith the sneeze. "KUFShhhh! Uhhh..." He turned back around, letting itwash over his face. Blindly, he reached out to find the knob and turned the water up all the way to hot. This was the very definition of relaxing, and something left out of his report until now. He made a mental note to add it. "Ohhh..." After his shower. Long after.
Assuming, of course, that he ever got out. "HIhhShhh! EhhhkShhh! IhhKShuhhh!" Andeven though he had been sneezing all day, sneezing absolutely exhausting sneezes, he took little notice of them now.
However, he did noticed how the water was not as hot any more. As he stood there, savoringit, he felt it go from hot to warm and then lukewarm. "HuhhhShhh!" He sneezed andshivered. It wasn't just that he was getting used to the heat, it was that the hot water was starting to run out. Obi-Wan groaned. "HIHShhhh!" And sneezed. He did not fancy the idea of going back to where he'd been all morning. He wanted more of the hot shower now.
When he heard the door to the 'fresher open and close, and when he felt the presence of his master through the Force, he smiled despite the chill coming over him. "Obi-Wan?" Qui-Goncalled through the thick steam. "I have something for you."
Reluctantly, Obi-Wan shut off the water. Then, with a deep breath, he pushed the shower door open. Even though the whole room was filled with steam from the shower, the rest of the room was not remotely as hot as the shower stall had been. His teeth chattered without stop. His arms were crossed over his bare chest. And his whole body shook with violent shivers.
But through the steam he spotted Qui-Gon and before he could go to his master, his master came to him. Not only was a freshly laundered handkerchief pressed into his hand, but a large, thick white towel was wrapped around Obi-Wan's shoulders. It was quite hot to the touch and Obi-Wan sighed the moment it touched his skin. "I took it out of the dryer just now for you," Qui-Gon said, smiling.
Incredulously, Obi-Wan found his shivers died away almost immediately, smothered by the hot towel. "Oh thag you," Obi-Wan said with deep relief. Qui-Gon pulled Obi-Wan close and rubbed his hands up and down Obi-Wan's arms and back through the towel. Obi-Wan nuzzled his face into Qui-Gon's shoulder, sniffling but half breathing through his nose now. "So warm... so thoughtful..." He nuzzled further and kissed Qui-Gon's neck. "Love you."
Qui-Gon smiled. This was closer to how he liked to see his padawan. "And I, you," he nodded and kissed the top of Obi-Wan's head. "Now let's get you into a new, warm pair of pajamas. I'll snuggle with you under the blankets until the next load is done downstairs."
Obi-Wan pushed his arms out from beneath the warm towel and started to hug Qui-Gon. He felt another sneeze brewing and pulled back a hand to cover his nose and mouth in preparation. But the water had soothed him so much that he did not feel the least bit like spending so long preparing during the build-up. So he slid his arm back around Qui-Gon and hugged more tightly. "hehhhSchhhh!" He shook with thesneeze but he had so little range of movement with Qui-Gon holding him and the towel wrapped around him. Qui-Gon kissed the top of his head again. Obi-Wan smiled and closed his eyes with a deep sigh.
Part 22
Obi-Wan flopped down on the bed on his stomach. Though there was a handkerchief clutched in his hand, he wasn't doing much sneezing. "Baster," he said stuffily. "What're we havig for didder?"
Qui-Gon did not take his eyes off the data pad in his hands. "Anything you like, Padawan.So long as we have the ingredients. I will not have the time nor energy to go out for anything. I have not been able to get much done these last few days."
Obi-Wan pulled himself up and tramped over to the kitchen area. He returned a few minutes later, flopping onto the bed again.
Slightly curious, and trying to ignore Obi-Wan's deep sigh, Qui-Gon asked, "Did you findsomething you liked?"
With a shrug. "Dot really. Cad I cook todight?"
One of Qui-Gon's eyebrows rose. "If you like, you're more than welcome to."
Obi-Wan shrugged and rolled over from his stomach to his back. He tossed the handkerchief up into the air and caught it when it came back down to him. "It was just a thought." He paused in his efforts to sneeze. "huh-huh-CHIII! IhShhh!" hesneezed freely, not caring touse his handkerchief at all. He sniffed hard a few times, then continued tossing thehandkerchief. "If we had sub Gargada cheese, I could do that sbecial basta dish you like."
This was not enough to move Qui-Gon. "I'm sorry, Padawan. I have too much work today. Ihave a presentation with part of the council tomorrow I must prepare for, and I am afraid I did not get much work done yesterday."
Obi-Wan nodded, looking a little disappointed. He gave his master's words a respectfulpause, then risked a casual proposal, "I could go get the cheese."
Qui-Gon tensed and looked up from the datapad. "You most certainly cannot."
With a rub to his nose, Obi-Wan flipped back over onto his stomach. He hugged thehandkerchief to his stomach. "I'b feelig so buch better," Obi-Wan rushed an explaination. "I will be very quick. Just to the store add back. I wod't talk to adybody add I'b gettig good at holdig back by sdeezes."
Looking almost shocked that Obi-Wan would even suggest it, Qui-Gon shook his head. "Absolutely not. Ido not care if you try to hold your breath the whole time, you are not going out to the store."
Obi-Wan was not one to give up so easily. "How about just the hallway outside? If I go to the edd of the corridor add back?"
Turning his attention back to his work, Qui-Gon shook his head firmly and said, in anequally firm voice, "You are not to leave our quarters until you are well, and that is final."
Obi-Wan's head snapped down. "ihhhKShhhh!"
"And you are not yet well," Qui-Gon observed. "So I'm afraid to say you are stuck with the food in the kitchen and stuck with the entertainment in our quarters. If there is something you desire, I shall be more than happy to pick it up for you on my way home tomorrow."
Obi-Wan sighed deeply in frustration and defeat, but he was otherwise silent following his master's offer. Qui-Gon waited for a reply for a minute or two, then threw himself backinto his work.
Minutes after that, a second deep sigh caught Qui-Gon's attention. Obi-Wan was not yet strong enoughin sensing the living Force to be able to pick up on the subtle nuances of situations. Instead, he received overall pictures and feelings, and thus his reactions tended towards the good or bad extremes most of the time. It was therefore perfectly normal for Obi-Wan to be a tad overdramatic at times, and it seemed that now, with his cold havingconfined him to their quarters for weeks now, this was one of those times. Qui-Gon had discovered it was best not to humor him. "What is it now, Padawan?"
As though waiting for that specific question, Obi-Wan answered quickly with a seeminglyrehearsed answer. "I ab bored, Baster," he said with another deep sigh. "I have read every book, watched every holovid, blayed everygabe." He brightened for a moment. "Do you wadt to take a break add blay sub cards with be?"
Qui-Gon set down his datapad, turning it off with a beep. Obi-Wan sat up excitedly in anticipation. "What I would like is to finish my work," Qui-Gon explained. He leaned over and kissed Obi-Wan. The kiss took Obi-Wan slightly unawares, but after a few moments, his lips moved, joining in on the kiss. Qui-Gon's lips relaxed into a smile, then he pulled back. "I need to check my messages for some information. You're welcome to come with but stay warm, all right?" The environmental controls for their bedroom were turned up higher than normal, filling the room with heat to accompany the vaporizer. Those in the common room, however, were normal and Obi-Wan had confessed to feeling chillier when out there.
Obi-Wan nodded.
Taking the datapad along with him, Qui-Gon sat down at the desk in the common area. He read through his listing of messages until he found the few he had been looking for which pertained to his report.
Obi-Wan entered the room, a blanket around his shoulders. He made for the sofa andcollapsed upon it with a dramatic sigh. Qui-Gon did not look up and hid his amusement as well. Obi-Wan picked up a book he'd left on the coffee table amidst tissues and flipped through its pages. "hihhh..." A sneeze built up, and heturned his head so as not to sneeze on the book. "hih-EHHShhhhh! IhhSchhhh! Sniff!" As he sniffled and did not even move to the handkerchief resting in his lap, he gave the book a last look. Then he tossed it back onto the coffee table. "Baster?" he called out, sounding tired and pitiful.
Qui-Gon did not look up. "Yes, Obi?" he said almost automatically, guessing what was tocome.
"I'b tired of stayig id here. I'b really bored." He coughed and closed his eyes.
Making note of something written on the console in front of him, Qui-Gon repliedoffhandedly. "You could clean," Qui-Gon suggested. Though he did not look up, he could sense his padawan's displeasure at this and heard an accompanying grunt. So he pitched another suggestion. "You could come help me with my work. The sooner I finish here, the sooner I can do things with you like playing cards."
Obi-Wan coughed again. "I dod't feel like working."
Qui-Gon's eyes darted over to the sofa and he tensed up in concern. Pushing his work awayat once, he asked, "Are you running a fever again?"
"I cad't tell." With his palm pressed to his forehead, Obi-Wan shrugged. Hugging the blanket around his shoulders, Obi-Wan trudged over to his master.
Qui-Gon touched the back of his hands to Obi-Wan's cheek, then his forehead. "No, you feel fine," Qui-Gon said, sounding quite relieved. It was not at all like Obi-Wan to simply not feel like working. Not that he could blame the man. Nineteen days in the same several rooms would surely make him feel restless, too. He flipped his hand over and caressed the side of Obi-Wan's face. "My Obi-Wan," he said with a sigh. "I know how hard this has been for you. But you're so close to the end of it now. And I have confidence in your ability to hold out."
The corner of Obi-Wan's mouth twitched upwards and he shrugged again. "I'b dot cut out for relaxig. I'b so bored."
Qui-Gon pulled Obi-Wan onto his lap, adjusting the blanket to keep it around Obi-Wan just as his arm now was. In the beginning of this cold, all feverish days aside, Obi-Wan had been mentally alert and physically unable to do anything. Now he was feeling a bit better but so tired of taking it easy for his health that he did not feel like even thinking any more. Qui-Gon knew just a few minutes walking around outside would greatly improve his mental state, but he could not allow even that. Tala had called this highly contagious and there was no telling who Obi-Wan might run into. And neither he nor Obi-Wan would be able to forgive themselves easily if they allowed someone else to catch this from Obi-Wan.
"I know," Qui-Gon said with a sigh.
"HEHShhhh!" Obi-Wan sneezed freely, ignoring his handkerchief again. Qui-Gon gave his shoulders a squeeze and nudged him to turn a bit so as not to sneeze on the communications terminal."huh-huh-EESchhhhh! Sniff! Sniiiiiff!"
Qui-Gon pulled the handkerchief from Obi-Wan's hand and rubbed at Obi-Wan's nose with it. "The trick is to enjoy relaxing enough that it's not just a chore and does not seem like a requirement. Do you understand?"
Grudgingly, Obi-Wan nodded. "I'b sorry," he whispered, resting his head on Qui-Gon's shoulder. "I dod't uderstad why I always have to get sick add go through all this. I'b so tired of all this."
It was true that Obi-Wan did not always have the best luck when it came to off-worldviruses. Or on-world ones, for that matter. He thought telling Obi-Wan it was because he was unlucky but strong enough to handle it, but he did not predict Obi-Wan wanted to hear that. "How about you snuggle with me here and watch while I work. Then you can help me pick out something to eat for dinner. And over dinner we can discuss all the things you want to do in nine days when you're over this."
Smiling weakly, Obi-Wan nodded. "I thidk I'd like that."
Part 23
His hands full with bags, Qui-Gon headed down the hallway towards his quarters and hispadawan. After the day Obi-Wan had had yesterday, Qui-Gon had wanted to be sure to pick the young man up some things on his way home from the meetings. Along with a few specially flavored teas and some Gargana cheese, Qui-Gon had bought a few new books, audio disks, and videos. He was determined to find things to keep Obi-Wan occupied, and had set aside all hisother Jedi duties in order to concentrate on that task for the rest of the day. There were less than two weeks left, but he had a feeling they weren't going to be the easiest two weeks.
Yesterday, Obi-Wan had been bored. This morning before Qui-Gon left he had not been muchbetter. And while Qui-Gon could not blame him, he was also concerned about his padawan'shealth, both mental and physical. Obi-Wan had not called out to him during the day, however. And Qui-Gon was relatively certain Obi-Wan would not leave their quarters when he had been told not to. He only hoped Obi-Wan had been able to find something to occupy himself during his absence.
Qui-Gon entered and deposited the heavy bags on the sofa with a sigh. After the meetings he had had, he was quite glad to be home. He was looking forward to crawling into bed for an afternoon nap with his padawan warm in his arms. Obi-Wan was not to be seen in the common area, and the door to the 'fresher was open, so Qui-Gon headed to the bedroom.
The door was closed, which could only mean two things. Wondering if it was only becauseObi-Wan wanted to contain the moisture and warmth the vaporizer spurted out, Qui-Gon gently pressed his palm against the door's handle and pushed it open a crack. He heard a muffled groan and saw Obi-Wan turning over, showing his bare backside to Qui-Gon but burying his face in a small stack of pillows. Qui-Gon smiled, realizing which of the two things this indicated.
There were a few pillows carefully placed on the bed and Obi-Wan had positioned himself ontop of them. He was grinding his crotch against them as soft moans escaped him.
He paused a moment, his breath catching. "heh-HEEShphhh!" He shook at the force of the sneeze as he directed it into his pillow. It made him rub more against the pillows,however, and he groaned gutturally afterwards. Qui-Gon covered his mouth with his hand to keep from chuckling.
Obi-Wan lifted his hand to sniff and rub at his nose. Then he buried his head again andmoaned as his hips thrust forward into the strategically arranged nest of pillows beneath him. His thrusts became harder and faster, and he pushed the pillows more between his legs, hugging them between his strong thighs as he humped them. His hands moved upward, gripping at the sheets and pillows by his head. He pulled the sheet off the mattress at the corner, then reached up and grabbed the end of the mattress instead. "Mmmph! Nn-guhhhh!" he half-gasped and half-moaned. His tone rose in pitch and increased in desperation, and his pace quickened.
But just as he was giving his hardest thrusts, he suddenly stopped. He flipped over ontohis back, eyes closed, hand cupped over his nose and mouth. "huh-HUHShhhh! EhhhShuhhh!" He rose off the bed a little when he sneezed. And he reached over to the box of tissues on the bedside table, pulling out a few. "HEHHHShhh!" he sneezed into them, then quickly blew his nose and tossed the tissues away.
He kept his eyes closed, and Qui-Gon kept his shields up as he watched the intimate momentunfolding before him. Obi-Wan was so hard, so ready. Qui-Gon wanted to go in right then and there and take Obi-Wan. But he knew Obi-Wan would have waited until he got home had he wanted sex. No, this was time just for Obi-Wan to take care of himself. Qui-Gon couldn't help but enjoy watching from the doorway, however. He slid a hand down to cup himself through the thin leggings.
Obi-Wan took himself in hand and stuck another pillow between his legs as he bent them at the knees. When he began stroking, the rest of his body moved back and forth slightly, getting into the rhythm. His balls brushed against the pillow, making him gasp, which made him cough a little. He sniffed and kept going, his hand rubbing up and down his hard cock. After every dozen strokes, he stopped a moment to circle his palm against the head of his cock. Then he began stroking quickly again.
His free hand grabbed at the sheets, pulling at them desperately to steady himself. His breaths raced,his body rocked, his pelvis thrust. His face screwed up, mouth hanging open as he alternated grunts and moans. Finally, and with an expression that showed he wanted it to last longer, Obi-Wan tensed and came with a strong cry. He turned his head and muffled most of the cry into a pillow.
Obi-Wan relaxed and sighed deeply at the pleasure of it all. As he reached down to get the pillow, he felt his master's presence all of a sudden. Quickly, Qui-Gon's shields fell one by one until Obi-Wan suddenly realized his master was pleasuring himself, too. Qui-Gon wanted him to know, and wanted him to know that Qui-Gon had been watching him.
Obi-Wan grinned and sent back a welcoming, reassuring signal through their bond. //I love this kind of greeting,// Obi-Wan said through their bond. //Lying here all spent fromthinking of you, knowing that you've been touching yourself from watching me...// He raised a hand and summoned the tissue box to him so he could clean himself off. He used the tissues for his nose first, however. "Kishhhh! ehhhKShhh!"
He could hear heavy breaths, and feel the warmth through his bond with his master. Heclosed his eyes, imagining how Qui-Gon looked when pleasuring himself. He imagined Qui-Gon rubbing himself, and smiled broadly knowing that he was able to make his master feel like this without even trying.
Sensing that Qui-Gon was almost there, he grinned and pushed further. //Lying here, naked and hot.Running a hand over my cock.// He wiped himself off carefully. //Knowing you're so close to me... andso close to an orgasm...//
Obi-Wan heard a deep groan from the doorway. But his nose tickled again and he grabbed for more tissues. "huhh-HIHShooo! IhhhShuhh! EhhhChuhhh!" He cupped the tissues to his face. "ihhh-ihhhh-Kutchfff! Kitchafff!" As he snuffled into the tissues, he felt his master finish himself off. Obi-Wan gave it a moment, before calling out. "Gooddess, Baster! If I'd down by sdeezig turded you od so buch, I would have dode it sooder."
Leaning against the wall, panting heavily, Qui-Gon grinned. He nudged the door, which slid open all the way, revealing the Jedi Master with his hand down his leggings and a wet spot that the end of his outer tunic did not quite cover. "Blow your nose, Obi-Wan," he said a bit breathlessly.
Obi-Wan wasn't sure exactly what that meant in reply to his statement, but he obeyed. By the time he had finished, using up at least ten tissues in the process, Qui-Gon had settled on the bed beside him. Qui-Gon put an arm around Obi-Wan's shoulder and kissed his temple affectionately. "Seeing you like that was definitely the kind of 'welcome home' I love, as well." Then he shifted himself a little, uncomfortably. He needed a shower. Looking down athis uniform, then at the rumpled sheets pulled off the bed and wet spots on the pillowcases. "If this keeps up, we'll need to do laundry early again next month."
Obi-Wan blushed a little, pushing the pillows away but snuggling into Qui-Gon for warmth as he was still without clothes. "I dod't care," he whispered, kissing his master's cheek, nuzzling his face into Qui-Gon's neck and bearded chin, and draping an arm over Qui-Gon's waist. "Let's keeb it ub adyway."
Qui-Gon felt Obi-Wan slowly grow hard against his thigh and smiled. "You're going to kill your old master, Padawan Mine."
Obi-Wan chuckled and kissed his way down Qui-Gon's neck. "Wadt be to stob, thed?" His handslid over and undid Qui-Gon's belt. "Do you deed to work agaid idstead of keebig be occubied?"
Shaking his head, Qui-Gon reached down and cupped one of Obi-Wan's butt cheeks. He pulledObi-Wan's crotch closer, into his thigh. "I've cleared the whole afternoon and evening to be with you and keep you from being bored. Do with me what you will. I just hope I can keep up."
With a grin, Obi-Wan rolled up on top of Qui-Gon, straddling him. Qui-Gon ran his hands down and up Obi-Wan's front, then gave his padawan's braid another tug. Obi-Wan turnedhis head and caught part of his braid in his mouth. He clenched it between his teeth and gave a playful growl. Then he rubbed his tongue seductively against one of the beads. All at once, Qui-Gon groaned and chuckled, throwing his head back against one of the pillows.
Part 24
Even on the days when Obi-Wan was not sick, very mornings were conspicuously absent ofObi-Wan in their quarters. Qui-Gon used the time for a variety of purposes, though sometimes he stayed in bed and slept in with Obi-Wan. Sometimes he would use the time for work his padawan was not supposed to see, and other times he would cook a breakfast that was sure to put a smile on his sleepy padawan's face. And on other mornings, such as this one, hesat in their spare room and meditated.
Having time to meditate alone had always been important to Qui-Gon, and encouraged Obi-Wanto do the same. His own master had never left much time for Qui-Gon to be alone with the Force, though Qui-Gon supposed that was because he already had such a strong hold on the Living Force, even as a young padawan.
Meditating alone was a way of listening to the universe, and of communicating back on avery basic level. He loved doing nothing but feeling the Force around him, with no distractions and no needing to lead. He could enjoy the relaxed, calming feelings and feel energy filling him and energizing him for the day.
He liked meditating alone, but he still smiled when he felt the presence of his padawan in the room. Obi-Wan's warm body half settled in his lap, and the soft top of his head brushed his chin and neck. Qui-Gon smiled, knowing Obi-Wan was curled in a way to listen to Qui-Gon'sheartbeat and breathing. Still deep in meditation, Qui-Gon managed to lift a hand and pet his padawan's head.
"yihhhhShhhhh!"
The sneeze jostled them both, but it was the sound that made Qui-Gon consciously decide to pull out ofmeditation. He opened his eyes and smiled again, his hand still on Obi-Wan's head, petting in soft, short strokes. "Bless you. And good morning."
Though he had no fever, the room was cold, and he snuggled into his master a little more."Good bordig," he replied as cheerfully as someone who had just received a bad mark on an exam. He sniffed hard, then tried again. //Good morning.//
//It is early yet. I've not known you to wake at this hour unless there were something wrong.//
//I'm just too sneezy to sleep,// Obi-Wan explained, closing his eyes. He was tootired to keep them open. And too sneezy, as well. "yehhShhh! Ehhh-HITChhhhhh!" Helifted a handkerchief to his nose and blew. As he did so, he winced greatly and gave an short butunmistakable moan.
Qui-Gon shifted uncomfortably beneath Obi-Wan. "Are you in so much pain, Padawan? Even with a handkerchief instead of tissues?"
Obi-Wan nodded and sniffled. He gently dabbed the handkerchief at his nose, flinching at the touch but trying to make it softer than a normal rub would be. His nose was red and terribly chapped from so much sneezing.
"I think I may have something for you," Qui-Gon said, giving Obi-Wan one last pet thentrying to pull out from beneath his padawan. Obi-Wan obliged, scooting off. Qui-Gon rose, stretched, and headed out of the room. Sensing that Obi-Wan was free to comewith, Obi-Wan rose as well.
Qui-Gon found him following into the 'fresher and over to the cabinet. Qui-Gon had stocked it with all the essentials for cold care, from thermometers to tissues. He selected a small, bright yellow jar, and closed the cabinet.
Obi-Wan scrunched his nose. "Bore creab?"
Qui-Gon nodded and gestured for Obi-Wan to head back out again. He led Obi-Wan to the sofa and sat down on it, cross-legged. Obi-Wan sat down on his master's lap, leaning against both Qui-Gon and the couch. "This isd't the sabe kide as last tibe, is it?" Obi-Wan asked. Despite his lack of fever, it was too early and he was too sick and tired for having that sort of fun. Especially after all if it they had had the day before. "I'b very sdeezy but I'b dot quite as stuffed ub as last tibe. Huhh!" He pressed a finger to his nose and winced, then pulled it away again. "hehh... hehh-IHHKShhhh!Huffshuhhh! HupTchhhh!"
"I don't know. You sound pretty stuffed up to me," Qui-Gon said kindly.
Obi-Wan shrugged and blew his nose hard into the handkerchief. He groaned at the pain, then whimpered and buried his face into Qui-Gon's tunic.
"Shhhh," Qui-Gon calmed him, rubbing a hand up and down Obi-Wan's back. "No, this isn't like the last time. It's a special cream that should make it feel better for you tosneeze." He popped the lid off the dipped several fingers in, taking out a large dollop of cream. Then he dipped a finger into that and paused, considering the next step. "Better blow your nose as much as you can now." Obi-Wan looked skeptical, but obeyed. When he was finished, Qui-Gon touched his lotion-covered finger to the tip of Obi-Wan's nose.
With a gasp, Obi-Wan's eyes widened. Qui-Gon kissed his forehead as a distraction. "Stings a little, does it?" Qui-Gon asked concernedly. Obi-Wan nodded and whimpered. "That will go away in a moment. Let me just rub it in. You will see."
Trusting his master, Obi-Wan lifted his head and clenched his teeth, preparing for more.Qui-Gon rubbed the cream into Obi-Wan's nose, concentrating on the nostrils and underside of Obi-Wan's nose. It hurt for a moment, but then it began to feel good. Very good.
Qui-Gon took a bit more of the cream and rubbed it into the area just beneath Obi-Wan'snose. The lotion soothed the chapped areas as Qui-Gon applied it liberally. Obi-Wan sighed and leaned into the touch. The more he put on, the less it stung and the more it soothed. The more he put on, the better Obi-Wan felt. But once in a while, Qui-Gon's finger made his nose tickle a little. He resisted the urge to sneeze for as long as possible, pursing his lips and holding his breath.
Before long, however, he could not resist the urge. "Ah, Qui? Hahh!" He raised thehandkerchief a little, letting it hover at his chest, at the ready. "huh... I, ah, have to... to... sdee... sdeeeehhh!"
At the last moment, Qui-Gon pulled his hand back and Obi-Wan raised the handkerchief. Hedid not want to touch it to his nose and risk wiping off the lotion. But at the same time, he sensed the sneeze would be strong. Holding in his sneezes usually made them a little worse when they finally struck. And Obi-Wan did not want Qui-Gon to watch him sneeze that way. "HERSHhhhhhh! HEHKShhhhh!" He sneezed viciously."HEPPSchhhhhhhh! Ughh!" He groaned and reluctantly pressed the handkerchief to his nose to hide the resulting mess. Heblew his nose and wiped thoroughly, finding that it did not hurt as much as usual for a while. After the tenth blow, however, most of the lotion had been rubbed off and it hurt again. He looked up weakly at Qui-Gon.
"It is all right," Qui-Gon said softly. "I can put more on. If we put it on enough times,it should help heal almost completely. And by the time your cold is over, you will feel just fine."
Obi-Wan smiled and wiped his nose dry. "Baybe just a little bore right dow, thed? I'b sure I'll have to sdeeze agaid... I feel so sdeezy. But just edough to keeb it frob hurtig so I could go back to sleeb?"
Qui-Gon closed the jar and rubbed the remainder of the cream he had extracted ontoObi-Wan's nostrils. So many sneezes and blows had chapped his nose terribly, and the skin beneath his nose which was usually so soft was, in fact, rough beneath Qui-Gon's fingertip. "I cannot promise that much, but if you keep sneezing, we'll keep trying."
Smiling pleasantly, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and trusted his master. Qui-Gon gently rubbed more in, taking care not to irritate the sensitive nose again. When finished, Obi-Wan blew his runny nose very carefully. Then he curled up and set his head on Qui-Gon's thigh. "Feeling sleepy?" Qui-Gon asked. It was definitely too early for Obi-Wan to be awake.
With a harsh yawn, Obi-Wan nodded. //Can I sleep here, Master? Would you mind looking after me this morning until you have to go to your meetings?//
Qui-Gon ran his hand over Obi-Wan's head, his fingers sinking into the short, extra-softhair. "It is early yet. I can stay with you for a while longer." He pulled one of the blankets off the back of the sofa and draped it over his padawan.
Obi-Wan's breath caught almost immediately after this and he shook with another viscoussneeze. "EHHShhhhh! HEHChhhh! HIHTchhhh!"
He lifted the handkerchief to rub at his runny nose, but Qui-Gon took it from him. "I'mlooking after you, remember?" Qui-Gon said, smiling. "I'll take care of that." Gently he dabbed the handkerchief at Obi-Wan's nose to dry it. "Just sleep," he said soothingly, his voice sounding soft, deep, smooth. Obi-Wan put all his trust in Qui-Gon and fell to sleep.
Part 25
Obi-Wan's afternoon nap was disturbed by the urge to sneeze. Even if the lotion made hisnose feel better in the long run, it did nothing to decrease his need to sneeze. If anything, he felt like sneezing more just because psychologically he knew it was on. Obi-Wan woke, breathing heavily with congestion and reached immediately for a handkerchief. "hehh-heh-CHIII! huhCHEE! EhhhShiii!" He rubbed his nose into the handkerchief and coughed from his increased congestion. "Thig I feel worse thad I did before I wedt to sleeb!" Obi-Wan complained to himself after blowing his nose.
It was clear his cold did not want him to sleep any more. The congestion made his head hurt and something inside his ears pound. He felt like coughing, sniffling, and sneezing all at the same time. Though it was the sneezes that won out. "huh-IHKShhhh! huhhTchhh!" He blew his nose again and turned his now awake attention towards Qui-Gon.
When he had fallen asleep, Qui-Gon had been out, but now he sensed his master was back home. Not only back home, but from the sound of it, in the shower. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and reached out to sense his master. Qui-Gon's shields were up nearly all the way.
Feeling just as interested in the warm, steam-filled 'fresher as seeing his master, Obi-Wan grabbed a handkerchief and headed into the 'fresher. The shower door was fogged up, as was the mirror, indicating that Qui-Gon had been in for some time already. The steam felt warm against his skin, and he was delighted that it felt so very good. Obi-Wan leaned against the wall with a sigh as the steam filled his lungs. He took a few deep breaths, then quietly blew his runnynose again.
If Qui-Gon had heard, he said nothing about Obi-Wan's condition or presence. So Obi-Wanremained, breathing in the steam slowly. The moist heat made him relax and want to curl up on the floor and go back to sleep.
A soft moan caught Obi-Wan's attention at once. The moan was quickly followed by a breathy, "Oh, Obi!" Obi-Wan froze, realizing suddenly what it was his master was doing in the shower and that he wasn't calling out to Obi-Wan so much as calling out Obi-Wan's name.
Obi-Wan froze, wondering why he hadn't guessed this before. Usually Qui-Gon only took sonic showers, especially when Obi-Wan was asleep. Qui-Gon was always so considerate as to not want to wake his padawan. There was only one real reason Qui-Gon took a real shower.
Smiling, Obi-Wan felt himself go hard at the realization and the images that sprang to his mind. He could imagine his master swaying along with his grunts just feet away behind the fogged-up shower door. Though he wanted to join in, he knew Qui-Gon enjoyed his times alone as well. And he remembered how his master had hung back days ago to watch and listen just as Obi-Wan was doing now.
Unfortunately, the tickle in his nose made it difficult for him to stay completely silentwhile observing. He pinched his nose through his handkerchief, using it to muffle the sound of his heavy breaths as the sneeze built. "ehhh... ihhh..." He was quiet, and heard no break in his master's moans. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly and clenched his teeth tightly. He took in a sharp breath and tried to hold it. But he snapped forward with two silent, stifled sneezes.
He exhaled deeply after the second and released his hold on his nose to blow. Suddenly athird sprang up and he only half held it in. "Ershh!"
The moaning stopped immediately and the shower door slid open. Along with a cloud of smoke, Qui-Gon's head poked out of the shower stall. "Obi-Wan?" He blinked, his pupils shrinking now that his eyes were open again. "I did not hear you," he said quickly. "I mean, I obviously just heard you but I did not hear you come in. Are you all right? Did you need to speak with me?"
With his nose buried in his handkerchief, Obi-Wan shook his head. He did need to blow hisnose still, but it wasn't going to sound good. And he owed his master an explanation, considering Qui-Gon had gone soft already with worry. "I just cabe id for thestuh... steab." His nose was running thickly and he couldn't sniff it away or talk around it. He turned to the side and blew his nose hard several times before he tried again. "I woke ub add could't breathe. But thed I heard you add rebebered the other day add..."
Qui-Gon slowly smiled. "And you couldn't stay quiet to watch," he said. Obi-Wan nodded. "Do you only just want to watch?" Qui-Gon asked timidly. "Because the steam is far better in here." He coughed. "But if you're feeling too tired and stuffy to-"
Obi-Wan tore off his shirt. He pulled down his pants, taking his socks with it, and slipped into the shower with Qui-Gon. The hot water struck his skin and made him sigh. He stood beneath it for a moment, letting it rush against his chest. Then he turned and let it pound against his back. "Can you breathe more easily now?" Qui-Gon asked tenderly, moving against Obi-Wan's front and running his hands down Obi-Wan's sides.
Obi-Wan shrugged. "Thig I should stay a little loger." He sniffled and rubbed a hand under his nose.Then he turned his face back towards the spray. "huhh-CHUHH! hehhChehhh!" He coughed and sniffled again, looking back at Qui-Gon. "That is, if that's okay with you."
"Of course it's okay." Qui-Gon said, turning his head down against the stream of water tokiss Obi-Wan. He crushed the man's lips against his own, then pushed him back, pinning him against the damp tile wall. Obi-Wan's body would have slipped against it if not for Qui-Gon's hands on the small of his back, holding him steady. As they kissed, the hands slid down and gripped Obi-Wan's arse.
Obi-Wan's hand reached up and cupped it against Qui-Gon's cheek and jaw, signaling Qui-Gon to keep kissing until he ran out of breath and could not breathe through his nose to continue the kiss. He pushed Qui-Gon back a little, but then his hand slid down Qui-Gon's chest. His master's chest hairs could barely be felt beneath his fingertips because of the water. Quite clearly he could feel the pert nipples, however, and teased one of them.
Qui-Gon gasped and grinned, pulling back from Obi-Wan in surprise. "Padawan..." he warned,already hard again. He shook his head, clearly a bit embarrassed at how little effort it took to turn him on. A few small touches and a naked, wet Obi-Wan before him and he wasn't sure how long he could hold out.
Grinning, Obi-Wan's hand made its way back down to Qui-Gon's crotch and reassured thehard-on with a few pets that he was glad to see it. "You've taked care of be these last five weeks," Obi-Wan whispered, thinking about his master comforting him on the couch the previous morning. All the other instances sprang to Obi-Wan's mind, and he was filled with warmth. "Dow, let be take care of you." He gave Qui-Gon's cock a firmer stroke then kissed the nape of his neck.
Qui-Gon purred and leaned into Obi-Wan. "So glad you woke up stuffy," he murmured, his eyes closing. His large hands tightened on Obi-Wan's arse cheeks. "I so wanted this."
Understanding, Obi-Wan nodded, his tongue moving up and down along with the nod as it wet his master's already wet collarbone. He knew his master would never ask it of him when Obi-Wan was sick like this. But given willingly... "Ohhhh, Obi!" Obi-Wan knew his master would enjoy this. Though it wasn't as though he wasn't going to enjoy it either.
He stroked Qui-Gon's cock smoothly but rapidly. Then Obi-Wan bent a leg, running his kneeand thigh up alongside the outside of his master's thigh. He leaned in close, pressing himself closer into Qui-Gon's front. Qui-Gon took the hint and lifted Obi-Wan up. His other foot left the floor, and his legs wrapped around Qui-Gon's middle. Qui-Gon supported Obi-Wan's weight, using the wall to keep him upright.
He tilted his head and kissed Obi-Wan again, harder and shorter than before. Obi-Wanattempted to inhale through his nose, though he did not get far. The younger man's shoulders rose as he pressed into the kiss, moving his lips against his master's. His hands slid up Qui-Gon's chest. They rubbed at the older man's shoulders then closed against Qui-Gon's back, just below his neck. He was secure now.
At this, Qui-Gon knew it was time to ready his padawan who was hard but not quite ready.With his hands still holding Obi-Wan up, he craned his neck and brought his head down. His tongue licked playfully at the tip of Obi-Wan's cock. It stroked the dimple, making Obi-Wan shudder with delight. He could not take Obi-Wan in his mouth completely, due to the fact that he was inches taller than his padawan. But he made up for it with the skill of his tongue. As his lips moved up and down Obi-Wan's cock, his tongue swirled around, teasing the head.
Obi-Wan moaned happily and pushed himself back against the wall to give Qui-Gon a better angle of entry. Sensing how ready both were, Qui-Gon took the opportunity and eased himself in. The water made him slick, though it was still rougher than usual. Until he began thrusting, however, as Obi-Wan loosened and his own cock provided a bit more lubrication. He quickened his pace, both with his mouth and his cock, breathing hard through his nose.
Obi-Wan breathed hard, too, pushing the back of his head against the wall and looking up at the shower nozzle a foot or two above him. His sight went fuzzy and his eyes half closed. He couldn't tell if it was the sneeze trying to work its way out of him or the incredible sensations rushing through him, but he couldn't catch his breath or keep control of himself. He gasped and closed his eyes, feeling his master sliding into him and knowing from that he would be all right.
He sneezed wetly, turning his head to the side as he did so. "HEHKShhhhh! Ehhh... uhhhh...HUHTChhhhh!" He shook when he sneezed and Qui-Gon groaned. Obi-Wan was quick to apologize, albeit breathlessly as the groan in the back of his master's throat had made his cock there tingle. "Sorry." He sniffed. "I'll try to hold theb back."
Qui-Gon pulled his head up a little, his tongue darting around the head of Obi-Wan's cock as though drawing pictures upon in. It kept Obi-Wan on his toes, and made him reach out, trying hard to anticipate the next move. Qui-Gon was sure Obi-Wan was having difficulty doing so and slowed his movements there, though kept pounding into Obi-Wan hard and steadily. "Don't apologize," he said. "I love when you shake like that." He kissed Obi-Wan's cock. "Love when you move against me." And kissed again. "Love when you apologize for making me feel so absolutely delightful."
Obi-Wan chuckled, which made him cough a little. The steam was helping, though. He was sure he wouldn't be able to pant with excitement even half so much without the steam treatment. He gave a thrust upward, slipping away from Qui-Gon's cock in order to signal Qui-Gon to resume.
Resume Qui-Gon did, shoving himself back into Obi-Wan with a grunt. He took Obi-Wan back in his mouth, doing all the work so as not to exhaust his sick padawan. It was quite pleasurable work, though, and Obi-Wan did not mind giving control to his master who was definitely a master in this as well. Not to mention that he felt another sneeze coming on.
"Qui..." he panted, closing his eyes. "I... I'b goig to..."
"Me too!" Qui-Gon moaned with desperation and quickened to an almost impossible pace.
His eyes closed, he shook his head. The strong sensations filled him from somewhere deepinside, somewhere where Qui-Gon was pushing at him at the moment. "Doe." He tried to get itout before it was too late. "Doe, I bead I'b goig... goig to sdeh... ehh-hehhhhhh..." Qui-Gon groaned in anticipation,making Obi-Wan thrust harder into his mouth. "hehh-SHIHHH! ehhhKShhhh! huhh-huhh-HEHTshhhhh! EhhhKshhhh!"
The first sneeze was all it took to shake Qui-Gon so perfectly that he came. He groaned in ecstasy, stiffening and pushing hard into Obi-Wan. When he finished sneezing, Obi-Wan came as well, the warmth of his master filling him from the inside out. Qui-Gon slid out in time and held Obi-Wan in place still while taking the younger man's cock in his mouth completely. He swallowed as well as he could, breathing heavily still.
When Obi-Wan slumped forward with a sigh and a cough, he lowered, Obi-Wan to his feet. He kept an arm around Obi-Wan to steady him, and pulled his padawan to his side beneath the stream of the shower. The water streamed down onto them, cleaning them, relaxing them. Obi-Wan snuggled into Qui-Gon's side and sighed. "Did the steam help after all?" Qui-Gon asked.
Obi-Wan nodded. "The steab, yes. Helbed. So glad I woke ub stuffy." Qui-Gon hugged himtighter.
Part 26
He knew he should leave to work, but simply could not make himself rise from the bed and leave the room. Obi-Wan looked angelic when asleep. His eyes were closed and his eyes still behind his eyelids. His chest rose and fell with steady, deep breaths. His nostrils flaredslightly with each breath even though he breathed through his open mouth. Even his snores were soft and precious.
Qui-Gon felt drawn to Obi-Wan when asleep, just as he was when awake only for muchdifferent reasons altogether. He sat by Obi-Wan's side and softly stroked his padawan's cheekas though that would make the bad dreams go away. He knew Obi-Wan had them when sick but wouldn't tell him about them. But so long as Obi-Wan was able to reconcile them when awake, Qui-Gon wasn't worried.
He was, however, worried about the state Obi-Wan was in just now. Obi-Wan had come downwith what they both hoped would be the last fever he would have to endure during this virus of his. It was the mildest yet, though evidentially gaining slowly in severity. Qui-Gon had hopes that it would stay mild this time and pass without incident. He did not need his padawan fainting when trying to cross a room or thrashing about when unconscious.
It was enjoyable to watch Obi-Wan sleep, so long as the sleep was a restful one. As the young man was not running around, concerned with his duties, Qui-Gon was able to fully appreciate his padawan's looks. The round cheeks on the not-so-round face. The dimple in his smooth, shaven chin. And the perfectly shaped lips. And nose. And eyes. He was handsome now. He had always been adorable as a child, but as Qui-Gon had watched him grow from a boy to aman, the handsomeness was impossible to miss, even if some of the adorable still showed through in his mouth and eyes every time he even came close to smiling.
It was, too, impossible to miss the flush in his cheeks and the sweat beading on hisforehead. Qui-Gon wiped that away with a cool washcloth. The corners of Obi-Wan's mouth twitched up, registering the cooling touch on some level. Qui-Gon turned it over and pressed the colder side to Obi-Wan's forehead, holding it there for a moment.
Obi-Wan stirred a little, his nostrils flaring as he took in a strong breath. "Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon saidsoftly, expecting to see Obi-Wan's eyes open. Qui-Gon could sense the tickle in Obi-Wan's nose, and pulled a few tissues from the nearby box for him.
But Obi-Wan did not open his eyes. He did not even wake up. Instead, he sneezed in hissleep, shaking helplessly as though with spasms. "KFShhhh! UPSHhhhh!"
Slightly taken aback by them, Qui-Gon rubbed the tissues at Obi-Wan's nose curiously. Hehad never known Obi-Wan to sneeze in his sleep before and hoped it wasn't because Obi-Wan was too feverish to regain consciousness. Though he felt glad to have been there to help him this time, and was determined to stay if he could help Obi-Wan in the slightest. "Obi?" He hated waking him when he looked so peaceful, but he wanted to know how high Obi-Wan's fever was. Furthermore, he wanted to be sure Obi-Wan could actually wake up.
Obi-Wan's snores stayed steady and his eyes stayed closed. Qui-Gon scooted a little closer to Obi-Wan on the bed. He took the washcloth off Obi-Wan's forehead. "Obi?" He strokedObi-Wan's cheek. "Padawan?" He shook Obi-Wan's shoulder. "Love? Wake up..."
Obi-Wan stayed asleep. His nose twitched, however, and he drew a sharp breath. Qui-Gonpulled more tissues from the box and held them to Obi-Wan's nose. "UhFshh!" With acough and a snort, Obi-Wan's eyes flew open and he found himself staring into a handful of tissues. Disconcerted, he froze. But his head pounded with congestion and his nose ran.
Sending a reassuring feeling over to Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon said sofrly, "Just blow your nose."The Jedi master sounded rather relieved just to see Obi-Wan awake. He reached down and petted Obi-Wan's head, easing it up towards the tissues.
Obi-Wan blew his nose several times, then fell back against the pillow with a sigh. "I sdeezed id by sleep?" he timidly asked.
Qui-Gon nodded. "A few times. Are you all right?"
Obi-Wan thought for a moment, fighting to keep his eyes open. "Thig so. Ugh, but stuffy. Cad you..."Qui-Gon nodded again and pulled several more tissues out of the box. He handed them over to Obi-Wan who blew his own nose. "Thags. Sniff! Sorry you had to leave yourwork because of be. Sniff!"
Sensing a sneeze and anticipating, Qui-Gon pulled more tissues out of the box and handedthem over. Obi-Wan's nose would need more lotion soon at this rate. "hehhh-heh-IhKshhhh!ehKShuhhh! KUFShhhh!" He snuffled and blew his nose again.
"I didn't leave my work," Qui-Gon said, petting his head more, his fingers sinking justbelow the top of the short hair, nearly hiding from view. "I was already here when you started sneezing."
With a cough, Obi-Wan sat up a little more. "You were... but I was sleebig." Instinctively, he tilted his head towards his master's touch, letting the comforting feeling his master was still sending settle in more. The gentle stroking. Thewarmth. The fact that he hadnt wok'en up alone. Obi-Wan was grateful for them all. From the look of it, Qui-Gon wasglad as well. "Oh," Obi-Wan said softly with understanding. "You were watchig be sleeb,wered't you?"
"You got me," Qui-Gon said, smiling and nodding.
Obi-Wan sat up more and scooted closer to Qui-Gon. "You haved't dode that sidce I was youg," Obi-Wan saidalmost teasingly. He recalled the years just after he had been taken as Qui-Gon's padawan learner, waking up in the very early morning hours to find Qui-Gon at his bedside, watching over him. Not in a disturbing sort of way... but in a reassuring sort. It was Qui-Gon's way of letting him know that even though they were in a training relationship, he would always be there to take care of and protect Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan had always fallen back to sleep on those mornings, feeling more rested when he woke for his day. He'd always wondered what Qui-Gon thought about while watching him sleep. And he looked up into his master's eyes to see if he could figure it out. What he saw there was something else. "Ah," he said, nodding. "You have."
Qui-Gon nodded and tensed up. "We sleep in the same bed. I cannot help it if I wake up in the middle of the night." He pulled back a little and, not knowing what else to say, tried, "I am sorry." Qui-Gon stiffened. He cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject. "I was going to check your temperature, but maybe you'd like a milkshake first?" he offered, readying himself to get up, assuming Obi-Wan's answer would have to be yes.
Obi-Wan sat up and scooted over to Qui-Gon, pushing down the blankets and crawling on topof them to get right up next to Qui-Gon. //Temperature first, then milkshake. Makes moresense.// The milkshake would throw his temperature off completely. He kissed Qui-Gon's cheek. //Add you cad watch mesleep any time you like. I know why you do it, and I rather like it.//
Qui-Gon nodded again, not wanting to look up at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan took his padawan braid and tickled the end against his master's chin and the skin between chin and lower lip. Qui-Gon chuckled and grabbed the braid, stopping the tickles. Then he kissed Obi-Wan and rose from the bed. He pulled the blankets up, swirling them around Obi-Wan as he remained on the bed. "Temperature first, then milkshake," he agreed.
He headed out, but paused in the doorway to look back at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan lifted hishandful of tissues. "HEHShhhh!" He coughed, then snuffled into the tissues. Obi-Wanhad gone from peaceful and helpless to sick in no time. But he hadn't lost thehandsomeness, or the adorability.
Before, Qui-Gon had sat and wondered how Obi-Wan would be when he grew older. But now that Obi-Wan was older and could protect himself, Qui-Gon sat with thoughts of how young he still looked. Obi-Wan was growing close to the day of his knighthood, when their trainingbond would be severed officially for all time and when Obi-Wan could learn no morefrom him. He could only hope that after that time Obi-Wan still would not mind his former master silently watching over him from time to time.
Part 27
Qui-Gon wrung the washcloth out over the bowl of cool water. The drops fell upon the surface, causing the quickly melting ice cubes to rock back and forth within. He pressed the cloth to Obi-Wan's chest and Obi-Wan sighed.
He shivered a little at the temperature. "Feels great," he muttered, his eyes closed.Obi-Wan had a handkerchief pressed to his nose. While his fever had gone down, his sneezing had, in fact, increased. "huhhhhhhhh..." He pressed the folded squareharderagainst his nose. "HUHHH!" He inhaled, waiting, expecting. He let the breath out slowly and took a few more breaths. Glad to have kept the handkerchief against his nose, he sneezed."HUHKShhhhhhh! ehh-ehhh-KUShhoo!"
Qui-Gon had pulled the cloth away to give Obi-Wan room to breathe and to sneeze. He re-wetit and wrung it out again while he waited for Obi-Wan to finish blowing his nose. Then he wiped the cloth across Obi-Wan's smooth, built chest.
This was his fifth sponge bath since the rise of his temperature, and both knew it was one he did not really need. But when Obi-Wan suggested a fifth, Qui-Gon had immediately obliged, finding comfort in the routine that clearly made Obi-Wan feel better.
In this case he was feeling a lot better, and it showed. As Qui-Gon ran the cloth overObi-Wan's warm skin, he purposefully rubbed the side of his arm against Obi-Wan's growing erection. Obi-Wan winced happily and smiled. "Mmm," Qui-Gon murmured,stroking Obi-Wan's chest with the cool cloth. "Maybe we should have taken your temperature," Qui-Gon saidplayfully. He touched his hand to Obi-Wan's cheeks, then his forehead. "I don't think you are quite as hot now."
"Oh," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head. "I'm hot now. Maybe even hotter."
Qui-Gon gave him a look of mock concern. "I am sorry to hear that," he said softly,dropping the washcloth back into the bowl. Meanwhile he leaned over Obi-Wan on the bed and kissed him gently. His lips played against Obi-Wan's, teasing out the younger man's tongue. He pulled back every few seconds, his breaths hot against Obi-Wan's face, as he gave Obi-Wan room to breathe during this as well. When the kiss was finished, Qui-Gon grinned. "Hotter, are you?" he asked.
Obi-Wan nodded.
Qui-Gon sat back up, momentarily glancing towards Obi-Wan's crotch. Obi-Wan was clearly enjoying himself."I suppose I will have to help, hmm?" He dipped his hand into the bowl to retrieve the washcloth. "Now relax and close your eyes."
As usual, Obi-Wan obeyed. His skin began to tingle expectantly, waiting for the cold cloth to touch it. When the touch did not come, he became a bit concerned and a bit suspicious. He did not open his eyes, and he tried to remain patient. But after twenty-seven days with a cold his patience was running thin indeed. Not to mention that he craved his master's attention and affection just now.
He was momentarily distracted by another tickle in his nose. Blindly, Obi-Wan refolded his handkerchief and held it over his nose. "uhhh... ihhh-HEHShhhh!" He coughed then gasped for breath and sneezed again. "IHHH-Kuffff!" At least his sneezes came roughly when he expected them to. There had been a bit of build-up but nothing too frustrating.
Not at all in the mood for waiting, Obi-Wan was glad for that. He tried to be patient with Qui-Gon, guessing it might be some sort of test to be sure he was well enough for the fun he so desperately wanted. But the more he waited, the more his skin crawled and tingled. He was hot. Sweating. Almost panting. If nothing happened, he would be forced to take matters into his own hands just to get relief.
Obi-Wan gasped. Suddenly, just when he began doubting, he had felt something cold strike his chest. Not chilled like the washcloth and not cool like Qui-Gon's hands, but cold... and wet... like ice. Obi-Wan's eyes flew open as he realized the slick thing Qui-Gon was rubbing against him was one of the half-melted ice cubes. All thoughts of sex were immediately lost to him.
He tried to wriggle away and pull back, but Qui-Gon held him down. Qui-Gon slid the icecube around Obi-Wan's body, up to his neck, making Obi-Wan shake with chills, then down one arm at Obi-Wan's side and over onto his hip. Obi-Wan could not restrain a worried whimper as the ice cube came close to his now flaccid member. But his master was not cruel and hardly paused at Obi-Wan's crotch. Instead, it made its way across Obi-Wan's waist and down the opposite thigh and leg.
After a while, Qui-Gon took his hand off it and used the Force to guide it along. The ice cube stood no chance against Obi-Wan's body heat and melted far too quickly. When it was gone, Qui-Gon set his hand which had held the ice cube on one of Obi-Wan's pecs. He touched the center of his palm to one of Obi-Wan's nipples.
Another gasp escaped Obi-Wan at the extreme cold against such a sensitive part of his body. The hand slid downwards until fingertips were against the nipple, moving in a small circle. It made Obi-Wan moan with pleasure. Qui-Gon kissed him again, then moved his hand over to the other nipple, while he raised his other hand. He moved it closer to Obi-Wan's crotch and Obi-Wan's eyes widened.
"Baster... doe... I cad't..." He shook his head and tried to move away again, but Qui-Gon held him down again.
"I thought you wanted this," Qui-Gon said playfully. "You were hot remember?"
"I dow but... but..." Obi-Wan squirmed helplessly. The cold which had come with the ice cube lingered still. However, he could have handled more. And with Qui-Gon fingering his nipples in turn he was certainly hot again. But when Qui-Gon's hand came close to his crotch, he shook his head. "Dod't, Qui!" Obi-Wan begged. He tensed up, realizing his master was going to touch him no matter what he said.
Qui-Gon chuckled and closed his hand around Obi-Wan's soft cock. His hand was not cold at all but surprisingly warm. Obi-Wan sighed. "I had you going, didn't I?" Qui-Gon chuckled. "I wouldn't have done that to you, you know. Especially not sick like this." Obi-Wan grinned and nodded.
As Qui-Gon rubbed his cock, he slowly hardened. He closed his eyes with another deep sigh."Ohhhh Qui..." He squirmed happily this time, enjoying the sensations rushing through him. Just as the ice cube had made him tingle, the way Qui-Gon was touching him made him tingle, only this was more powerful.
And when he sat up to go for Qui-Gon's waist band, Qui-Gon shook his head. "This is justfor you, this time." He paused, noticing Obi-Wan needed to sneeze again.
The tingle in Obi-Wan's nose was equally powerful now. He turned onto his side, trying tocatch his breath as he panted into his handkerchief. His hand off Obi-Wan's chest now, rubbed Obi-Wan's upper arm instead. "uhhh... Just a-hahhh... asecod... huh-uhhhKShooo! EhhhKShhhooo! hehhhTChhhhhh!" He curled a bit as he sniffled afterwards. "Sorry," he whispered, and shivered.
"Not a problem," Qui-Gon soothed, rubbing Obi-Wan's bare arm. He kissed Obi-Wan's upper arm and then slid up behind Obi-Wan. He pulled the blankets up over them both, then wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan from behind. "If you need to stop, we can just cuddle," he told his padawan.
Obi-Wan shook his head and leaned back into his master. "I did't ask you to give be adother spodge bath just for cuddling." Qui-Gon's hand slipped down, finding Obi-Wan's crotchagain. "Besides... it's hot here udder the covers with you."
"You're hot again?" Qui-Gon asked playfully, scooping up Obi-Wan's balls and giving them atickling sort of squeeze. Obi-Wan tensed up at once, then let a deep breath out slowly with a nod. "Poor thing." Qui-Gon nibbled at Obi-Wan's earlobe and nuzzled into his neck, hair, and braid. In an effort to relieve Obi-Wan's present discomfort, Qui0Gon began stroking Obi-Wan again.
They were rapid, determined strokes. His legs bent, sliding up against Obi-Wan's entirely, matching his curves, matching his form. He stroked Obi-Wan as though he were stroking himself. He matched his breathing to his padawan's, his chest pressing against Obi-Wan's back when Obi-Wan's chest rose. When Obi-Wan's hips began bucking and he began thrusting hard into Qui-Gon's fist, Qui-Gon found his own hips jerking forward in unison, as though guidingObi-Wan.
Qui-Gon closed his eyes, sensing his padawan's needs and anticipating. He carefully moved his hand against Obi-Wan to accommodate. So in tune with Obi-Wan was he that Qui-Gon's nose even tickled a little when Obi-Wan felt the need to sneeze. He slowed his strokes but did not stop completely when Obi-Wan sneezed.
"IhhhhHITChhhhh! EhFshhhhh!" Obi-Wan snapped forward but leaned back into Qui-Gon with a deep sigh afterwards.
"Feels okay still?" Qui-Gon whispered warmly into Obi-Wan's ear. He did not want to stop,but would if Obi-Wan wanted him to. He simply wanted a reply before he sped up his strokes again.
"Feels so great," Obi-Wan replied, closing his eyes. "Blease fidish be off."
As usual, Qui-Gon obeyed. He stroked with one hand and hugged Obi-Wan close with the other as the younger man tensed and cried out from his pleasure. And he kissed Obi-Wan gently on the cheek once the feeling had passed.
"Thadk you," Obi-Wan said with a sigh. He shifted a little and smiled. "Think I bight deed sobe cleadig ub after this."
Qui-Gon hugged him, then glanced back at the washcloth and bowl. "Fortunately, I have equipment for a sponge bath right here at hand."
"How fortudate ideed," Obi-Wan said, nodding. Though that would normally do much to help cool him down after all of this, he suspected this wouldn't be his last sponge bath that turned out to be more sensual than practical.
Part 28
Exactly twenty-eight days into his cold, and Qui-Gon could tell his padawan was doing much better. It wasn't just the way his temperature stayed normal. Or the way his voice wasn't quite as deep or congested when he spoke. A change had come over Obi-Wan that could not escape Qui-Gon's attention even as he was trying to do a bit of reading.
"Master, could you also get me another box of tissues when you go make that milkshake for me?" It was a simple request, and Qui-Gon nodded at it. He put down his datapad and rose.He knew, however, that Obi-Wan was perfectly capable of retrieving a box of tissues for himself. He also knew this latest request was an attempt at hurrying Qui-Gon along with the milkshake.
Nonetheless, he headed over from the couch to the kitchen area to make a milkshake. Theirquarters were quiet, apart from the sounds of Qui-Gon chopping fruit and filling the blender. Obi-Wan's sniffling was all but gone, though his sneezes had yet to back off very much. Hence his need for more tissues.
"YihhhShhhh! IHH-Hushhhh!" Obi-Wan blew his nose into a few tissues, balled them up, then tossed them onto the coffee table in front of the sofa where he was stretched out.
Qui-Gon ran the blender, mixing up the ingredients as the room filled with sound. When itwas over, Qui-Gon heard Obi-Wan blowing his nose again. The 'fresher, where the tissue boxes were stockpiled, was not at all on the way back from the kitchen area, so Qui-Gon poured the milkshake and walked it over to Obi-Wan first.
Obi-Wan coughed and sat up, accepting the drink and taking a gulp. "Nice," he said,smiling. "Tissues?"
Qui-Gon tensed. The requests were starting to sound a bit more like demands. "Yes, I'm on my way right now." He turned and headed over to the 'fresher.
Obi-Wan drank more of the milkshake and shivered as the cold drink slipped down his throat and filled him. He tugged the blankets up his chest. As Qui-Gon came back out of the 'fresher with a box of tissues, Obi-Wan called out. "Could I get another blanket, too?"
His lips pursed and keeping his comments to himself, Qui-Gon nodded. He headed into thebedroom for one. He pulled down the heavy comforter, deciding it was too thick, and slid one of the other blankets out instead. He gathered it up and returned to the common area and his padawan.
Obi-Wan sat up when he heard Qui-Gon, and looked over the back of the sofa. He took a lookat the blanket Qui-Gon was carrying and frowned with disappointment. "I was kind of hoping for the red one, actually. That blanket's kind of scratchy," he said, nodding towards the brown blanket Qui-Gon was carrying.
"Obi..." Qui-Gon began, but Obi-Wan reached for the tissues again, cupping several to his face.
"ehhh... ehhh-Ihhh..." The build-up was long, and Qui-Gon thought perhaps Obi-Wan might be exaggerating just a little. "huhhh... huhh-IHhhhhhh... YIHHH..." The young man, swaying and breathing into the handful of tissues, definitely had a flair for the dramatic sometimes. "Ehhhh-Ehhhh-IHHH!" Obi-Wan paused, gasping, then pitchedforward. "Ehhh-Shffffff! HehhhKfffff! ehhhKUHfffff!"
The sneezes sounded terrible but looked worse. Qui-Gon's heart sank. "Bless you, Padawan."He looked down at the blanket in his arms as Obi-Wan wiped his nose dry. "I will go get you the red blanket." He turned back to the bedroom for it.
He pulled the red blanket out from between a green one and the top sheet. He left the brown one on the bed and went back to the common room.
Only feet away from the sofa, Obi-Wan coughed and looked over. "And a pillow, please?" Qui-Gon stooped in his tracks. "It would help me sit up while drinking this wonderfully delicious milkshake."
With a sigh, and a smile because he was glad Obi-Wan was enjoying the treat, Qui-Gonnodded. Pillows had been placed strategically in pile, but the top few pillows were some of the thinner and softer ones. So he set down the blanket and tissue box in order to push those pillows aside and get one of the thicker, sturdier pillows used for support.
When he returned, he eased the pillow behind Obi-Wan's back and then draped the red blanket over Obi-Wan's front. He tucked it around Obi-Wan as his padawan coughed and shivered. He picked up his datapad and then squeezed onto the side of the couch beside Obi-Wan. He patted his padawan's back untilthe coughs passed.
The fit passed and Obi-Wan finished the rest of his drink, then looked up at his master. "Did you bridg the tissues?" he asked stuffily, rubbing a finger beneath his nose.
Qui-Gon closed his eyes, wincing as he realized he'd left the tissues on the bed in thebedroom. He patted Obi-Wan's thigh. "Give me one second." He sprang up and retrieved the box, leaving his reading behind again. He really did want to get it done tonight.
But on the way back from the bedroom, Obi-Wan called out, "I'm kind of hungry. Could youmake me something?" He sniffed hard and then threw in a "Please?"
Qui-Gon returned to the kitchen area, setting the tissues down on the table for a moment as he went for the cupboard for a can of soup. "Soup all right?"
"Eggs?" Obi-Wan called over his shoulder. "I'd love some eggs if you could..."
Qui-Gon sighed silently, shaking his head. "Certainly I could." He took two eggs from the fridge and cracked them open into a frying pan.
"Hehhhh!" The sound in the otherwise silent room caught Qui-Gon's ears and his eyes immediately darted towards the tissue box. He groaned, realizing he'd forgotten it again. Qui-Gon lifted his hand and used the force to send it over to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan plucked it out of the air and pulled a few tissues from it for his nose right away. "hehhh-EHHHH..."Qui-Gon watched sympathetically. No matter how demanding Obi-Wan was acting, he was still sick. Qui-Gon had not forgotten that. "HEHKShhhhh! EhhhShuhhh! hihhKShuhh!"
The eggs were burning. Taking his eyes off Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon spun around and pulled the pan off the burner. He salvaged most of the eggs and threw away the rest. Then he took them over to Obi-Wan, trading them for the empty milkshake glass.
"Thanks," Obi-Wan said, sounding far less stuffy again. Perhaps it was a good sign that the congestion was backing off so much just a few days before the end of this all. He dug in as Qui-Gon sat down next to him, picking up the datapad again.
Only a few lines into his reading, Qui-Gon realized Obi-Wan was shivering again. He set his datapad aside completely and put his arm around Obi-Wan's shoulders. "Chilly, Padawan?"
Obi-Wan nodded and snuggled into his master's side. Just two seconds away from slidingbeneath the blankets with Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon was stopped with yet another request. "Could you go get me the hot water bottle?"
Qui-Gon kissed Obi-Wan's cheek and nodded. On his way over to the refresher, Obi-Wan called out. "And some tea? Oh, and cookies?" Facing the 'fresher, his back to Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon rolled his eyes. Nearly six weeks. He couldn't lose his temper now. Deep down he knew Obi-Wan wasn't having a good time with his cold now either, but with the constant requests and... cookies? Qui-Gon's patience was running thin as well.
But he was not a Jedi Master for nothing. He smiled pleasantly and looked over hisshoulder. "Honestly, I should have bought you a bell to ring every time you wanted to demand that I bring you something. Force forbid I be given a few minutes to do some work."
Obi-Wan flushed slightly and looked down. Then he reached for the tissues. "KShhhh! Kuhshhhh!" The sneezes were quick and, surprisingly, without build-up. Obi-Wan rubbed athis nose and lifted his head. "Maybe I don't really need cookies."
Qui-Gon smiled genuinely now, and he gave Obi-Wan an approving nod. "I'll get you cookies this time."
"The chocolate ones?" Obi-Wan asked quickly, hopefully.
Calling back to him from the 'fresher where Obi-Wan couldn't see him laughing, "Don't push your luck, Padawan."
Part 29
Qui-Gon emerged from the 'fresher to find Obi-Wan in the common area and dressed in hisuniform. So used to seeing Obi-Wan walking around their quarters either in sleepwear or in nothing at all, Qui-Gon was a bit taken aback. "Obi-Wan?"
Flashing a smile at his master, "I missed putting this on," he admitted. Absentmindedly, he reached up and fingered his braid, twirling it around his finger. "I miss looking like a Jedi."
"One's importance is far less important than how one feels," Qui-Gon said wisely.
"I know," Obi-Wan said, having heard it enough. Though he also knew his master liked whenObi-Wan looked his best. A Jedi's appearance was a reflection of his master as well as the order as a whole. "But how one feels is almost always not as important as how one speaks and conducts one's self."
Qui-Gon gave this a moment of thought then his eyes narrowed slightly. "Except in the case of thosewho are most clearly ill and should neither be keeping up appearances nor conducting themselves in any way other than nursing their colds."
His nose tickling, Obi-Wan lifted a finger to rub at it, then held it up to signal Qui-Gon wait for him for a moment. "ehhh... YihKShooo!ehhhTShooo!" No matter how good he looked, Qui-Gon was right. He was still sick. He sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve as discretely as it was possible to do. Then Obi-Wan rocked on the balls of his feet for a moment before motioning over to the kitchen area. "I was just going to make some breakfast."
Smiling, Qui-Gon nodded. "Excellent decision." He pitched in a bit and set the table. While he was partial to breakfast in bed, it was nice to feel a bit of their routine returning early like this. Not to mention that he'd missed Obi-Wan's cooking.
"Do you know what the first thing is that I want to do when I'm well again?" Obi-Wan asked between bites of the syrup-drenched flat cakes and accompanying pieces of sliced fruit.
Qui-Gon could bet it wasn't making breakfast. And though he had a few ideas, none of them seemed more likely. So he shook his head and used a look to invite Obi-Wan to tell him.
Though he had just stabbed a piece of fruit with his fork, he ignored the desire to eat in order to explain. "First I want to go on a very long walk," Obi-Wan said quickly and Qui-Gon could tell his padawan had given this particular matter considerable thought. "I want to visit everywhere. The arboretum, the library, the cafeteria, the ship hanger, the concert hall, the training rooms, the lecture halls, the planetarium. I want to walk through the whole temple and the city's main streets for starters." He set down his fork, abandoning the food entirely. His breath caught and he closed his eyes. "hehh-IHChh! EhhhhKChoo! hehhShuhhh!" He dug a neatly-folded handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his nose. "Excuse me," he said automatically. Obi-Wan knew he did not really need to apologize for hissneezes, but sneezing during a meal compelled him to do so.
"Sounds like a good plan," Qui-Gon told him, finishing off one of his cakes. "Certainly well thoughtout." He did not bring up the fact that Obi-Wan had practically mentioned every place in the temple apart from the healing dome.
Obi-Wan grinned. "And when I'm well again I'd like to go visit Bant, too," Obi-Wan said, going on about the subject while Qui-Gon sat and lent an ear.
When they were finished, he cleared and then excused himself in order to get ready toleave. Obi-Wan settled on the couch, watching Qui-Gon gather the things he needed. Then Qui-Gon bent over and kissed Obi-Wan's forehead in parting. "You will be all right today while I'm gone?" He could sense some sort of reluctance from his padawan... which could just as easily have been restlessness.
Obi-Wan had been fidgety since he'd woken that morning. Qui-Gon had let him participateduring morning meditation and then morning katas. Obi-Wan had tried to appear fine throughout, even if he had been a bit winded by the time Qui-Gon stopped after the intermediate level forms. He had made breakfast for them while Qui-Gon showered and changed into his uniform and his leg had bounced up and down while they sat and ate. Qui-Gon's reassurances that there were only a few more days of this fell on deaf ears as Obi-Wan seemeddistracted on some level throughout the morning.
Apprehensive about leaving, Qui-Gon had done everything he could think of to get out of his appointments today. He had even called Mace to beg the senior Jedi Master to attend one of the meetings in his stead. But when all was said and done, there were things he simply could not be excused from and things he could not, with good conscience, let pass without voicing an opinion or giving his expertise.
"I'll be fine," Obi-Wan said with a sigh. He flicked his hand towards the door. "Go on. And have a good day."
Qui-Gon hesitated for a moment, then left. But something in the Force made himuncomfortable about going. He sensed something was wrong about the situation. So he leaned against the hallway wall, facing the door, hoping whatever was wrong would reveal itself to him. If anything, a few moments to collect his thoughts and reevaluate his options might be enough.
It hardly took a minute before the problem revealed itself. As he watched, the door to their quarters opened, revealing Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon, who had expected something of the sort though he wouldn't have admitted it, started forward, his eyes wide and his expression serious. Obi-Wan, who realized at once he was in trouble, and who had apparently not even bothered to sense his master's location.
Immediately Qui-Gon set aside his things and shut the door behind him. He did not need toask Obi-Wan what he thought he was doing. He did not have to explain how very wrong it was. He simply squeezed Obi-Wan's shoulder and marched him straight to the bedroom. "Tell me you have not done this before, Obi-Wan," he demanded crossly. Through the force, Qui-Gon closed the bedroom door behind them while keeping a tight hold on Obi-Wan.
"I haven't! It's only... I think my cold's pretty much gone now. I feel one hundred percent better and did not think it would hurt to just take a quick walk around-" He stopped, seeing his master's expression and knowing there was absolutely nothing he could say to justify his actions.
"Thirty days, Padawan. You were told thirty days before you could go out. Did you really want others to catch this from you? This virus is highly contagious and you're still sick."
"I feel so much better!" he insisted.
"You've sneezed twelve times this morning!" Qui-Gon snapped back. "And those are just the ones I have heard. I have no idea how many you have been holding back- and do not tell me you have not been doing that because I know you were practicing." He sighed with frustration. "Two days. Are you that impatient, Obi-Wan Kenobi? Did I expect too much out of my Padawan Learner?"
Obi-Wan hung his head as though the shame was burning on his face. Years had passed since his last formal punishment, and his arse still hurt from it. The Jedi code began going through his mind, and he winced at the spots during the recitation where his master's belt typically struck. He would have put others at risk, which would have made him feel even worse than he felt now. But Qui-Gon had stopped him in time, just as a master was supposed to dowhen his padawan was out of line.
"I'm not going to hit you," Qui-Gon said with a sigh. "You're too old. You should haveknown better and you know that. A sore arse will not change things, it would only give you a quick way to relieve the guilt."
Obi-Wan did not look up. But he nodded. What Qui-Gon had said was painfully accurate. The way his nose was tickling was a sign that his cold was trying to tell him that his cold wasn't quite over yet. He cupped his hand over his nose and mouth, feeling that it would be a bad idea to hold back these sneezes in front of his master. "Ehhhshhh!Hehhhshhh! yehhShhh! Sniff!" He felt slightly light-headed after the sneezes and realized that one hundred percent was drastically inaccurate. "I won't try to leave again," he promised softly.
"You're absolutely right about that," Qui-Gon said quickly. He forced Obi-Wan onto the bed. Then he reached beneath their pillows. Obi-Wan expected him to pull out Obi-Wan's lightsaber as a reminder of who Obi-Wan was and his commitment to the Jedi. Or even pull out a handkerchief to tend to Obi-Wan's runny nose.
However, Obi-Wan got a glimpse of something shiny and heard the clicks before he fullyrealized what it was Qui-Gon had retrieved beneath the pillows. When he did realize it, he groaned inwardly. Handcuffs. It was the handcuffs. Obi-Wan rubbed one hand and wrist beneath his nose as the other one was locked in a pair of handcuffs, the other side of which was locked around part of the bedpost. It was not a new situation to find himself in... he simply was used to feeling more pleasure at the time. "Master..."
Qui-Gon set the box of tissues down on the bed beside Obi-Wan and checked to be sure therewas a full glass of water on the bedside table. "I will be back in an hour or two, in case you need to use the 'fresher. But if I can't trust you I'll not have you in a situation where you could do harm to others. Now, do you need anything else before I go?"
Obi-Wan shook his head and looked up at Qui-Gon's smile as they both remembered the daybefore. "No, Master," Obi-Wan said flatly but firmly. He could not blame Qui-Gon for restraining him. He had no intention to even think about leaving now... but if he had to endure this to prove it, he would. He pulled the covers up and rubbed the back of his hand at his nose. He thought telling Qui-Gon to have a good day after ruining his morning was in bad taste.
Qui-Gon nodded and turned to leave. He got as far as picking up his things before he went back again. He hung off the doorjamb smiling down at Obi-Wan and shaking his head. "Did you really believe I would have left you here like this?"
Obi-Wan shrugged. He sniffled and pulled a tissue from the box to blow his noseone-handedly.
With a sigh, Qui-Gon waved his hand and the handcuff around Obi-Wan's wrist snapped open. He narrowed his eyes at Obi-Wan. "You're to stay in our quarters no matter what. And we will discuss this incident further when I get home."
Obi-Wan nodded. He took another tissue from the box and cupped the two over his nose."hehh-UHKkshhhh! uhhhhTChhhh!" He blew his nose and nodded again. He had known both directives without needing Qui-Gon to actually say them. But Qui-Gon also knew Obi-Wan was feeling bad already. He bent over and kissed Obi-Wan's forehead again. Obi-Wan did not smile, but came close as the tender lips pressed against his skin. "H-have a good day?" he offered.
Qui-Gon smiled. "So long as you stay in here, I will. I don't care how well you think you are." Obi-Wan nodded. "Good. Now get back into your sleepwear and work on that report. You've got just two days to finish it up." He paused, his smile broadening. "We'll speak more when I get home. And perhaps find a better use for those handcuffs after that."
Grinning, Obi-Wan gave his nose another blow. Qui-Gon was gone by the time he finishedblowing his nose, and he got right up afterwards. But he changed out of his clothes and then snuggled under the layers of covers with the tissues and his datapad with the report.
Part 30
"Obi-Wan's in the bedroom finishing his report," Qui-Gon said, taking Tala's cloak and hanging it on the hooks beside the door. Even though Obi-Wan's fever was gone, they had kept the temperature settings up higher than normal for comfort and were starting to get a bit used to them like that.
"I do hope I get a copy of that when he's finished," Tala replied.
"Absolutely," Qui-Gon promised. "From the little I've read, I think you will find it rather amusing in addition to enlightening." He reached over and patted Tala on the back. "Can I get you anything? I was just about to put on a pot of tea."
Tala shook his head. "No, but thank you." Both knew it was just an excuse to give Tala a few minutes alone with his patient. While Qui-Gon went to boil the water, Tala headed into the bedroom.
The healer found Obi-Wan lying on his stomach in bed, concentrating on his datapad. Obi-Wan looked up,smiling. "Hello, Tala!" he said brightly. "How are you feeling?"
"How am I feeling?" Tala asked, smiling back. "I'm quite well, actually. My cold passed in no time at all. A few days only. Though I do greatly appreciate your concern for my well-being. And I believe the question I should be asking is how are you feeling?"
Obi-Wan shrugged. "Kind of sniffly." He set the datapad aside and sat up in order to bepolite. "Will you be needing to take my temperature? Because if you will, you may wish to wait a few minutes. My nose is tickling."
Tala sat down on the bed and touched the back of his fingers to Obi-Wan's forehead. "Ithink not. There's no need to take your temperature as it seems normal. You say you are sneezing? How is the rest of you?" He looked over Obi-Wan's throat, ears, eyes, nose.
"Throat doesn't hurt as much, my coughing is lessened, my headache gone along with chills and most of the congestion." He turned his head and opened his mouth as needed for Tala to look at him. Obi-Wan pulled away halfway through, grabbing hastily for the tissues. He cupped a bunch to his nose. "uhhh-KUFFShhh! HuhKPhhhhh! hehhh-KShuffff!"
"Arnup'tchow," Tala blessed him, before resuming his inspection. He pressed an ear to Obi-Wan's chest, then to his back, listening to how he breathed. He sensed the next sneezes before he heard Obi-Wan's breath catch but after both he sat back and allowed Obi-Wan to sneeze.
"HuhhhKShhhhh! ehh... ehhh-HIHShhhh!" He plucked out several more tissues andsnuffled into them a little bit, not needing to blow his nose for it to be clear.
Qui-Gon appeared in the doorway with two mugs of steaming tea. "Is everything all right, then?"
Tala nodded. "The virus seems to be right on schedule. By tomorrow you'll feel as good as new if not better, Obi-Wan."
"And be able to go out again?" Obi-Wan asked, hopefully. He took the mug of tea fromQui-Gon, who settled on the bed beside Obi-Wan.
Tala laughed. "Indeed. You'll be able to do anything you would normally... do..." He looked from Obi-Wan to Qui-Gon, but his eye caught sight of the bedpost behind and between the two of them. The pair of handcuffs hung from its middle quite plainly. Tala coughed and tried not to blush and let them know he had seen. It seemed 'anything' really might mean 'anything'.
"That is a relief to hear," Qui-Gon said, smiling at them both. "We will both be glad whenthis is all over. Thank you for taking the time to come over and give him a final examination."
"Yes. Sniff! Thank you," Obi-Wan echoed around sips of the tea and sniffles.
"My pleasure," Tala said, giving each of them a smile and a nod. Then he rose. "No need to see me out. I can find my way," Tala told them and motioned for them to stay put.
Understanding the signal, Qui-Gon did move but only to wrap an arm around Obi-Wan and pullhim closer. They listened to the sink in the 'fresher running while Tala washed his hands. Then they heard the healer's footsteps cross the common area and leave through the door.
By that time, Obi-Wan had snuggled into his master's side a little. "Still feeling sniffly?" Qui-Gonmurmured softly.
Obi-Wan nodded. "But I can bear it for... for..." Obi-Wan tensed up and sneezed withoutspilling a drop of tea. "hupSchh!" He half stifled, trying to restrain the sneeze for the tea's sake. "For the rest of the day." He snuggled closer. "So long as I get to spend the time with you."
Qui-Gon smiled and kissed him. "I think that can be arranged." Gently, he kissed the tip of Obi-Wan's nose, which twitched with tickles at the touch.
Obi-Wan turned his head down, sneezing into Qui-Gon's chest as Qui-Gon hugged him close. "hehhKShhh! ehhpShhhh! hehhtChhhh!"
The cold had started with sniffling and sneezing, and it only seemed fitting to end thatway as well. Qui-Gon pulled the tissue box closer. He was going to miss having an excuse to cuddle with Obi-Wan once the virus had run its course and their lives had returned to normal. "Bless you, Padawan Mine."
Having not heard the term of affection since before his rule-breaking the day before, Obi-Wan practically melted at the sound of it now. He snuggled closer, sniffling but not caring about his nose enough to break away enough to get a tissue. "Thanks," he murmured into Qui-Gon's chest with a pleasant sigh.
Part 31
Never in Qui-Gon's memory had there been such a quick breakfast taken in their quarters. Not only had they chosen a meal which required minimal preparation time, but Obi-Wan had eaten so quickly Qui-Gon was impressed he did not have a stomach ache. When asked, Obi-Wan said he was excited, but that was all. No aches, no chills, no sniffles. Not even a single,solitary sneeze. The Ondarian virus was completely gone.
As soon as breakfast had finished, Obi-Wan had thrown on his cloak, anxious to headoutside. Qui-Gon sat back, glad to see his padawan so excited for a change. Practically right out of bed there had been a bright smile on Obi-Wan's face Qui-Gon had not seen it fade for even a moment that morning. "So your plans for today are still unchanged?" Qui-Gon asked, folding his hands against the back of his head.
Obi-Wan nodded. "You're welcome to come with."
Qui-Gon shook his head. "Thank you, but I will stay in this time. We can meet up for lunch in the cafeteria if you would like." Obi-Wan needed time to himself and he was lookingforward to a few minutes alone in their quarters as well.
Obi-Wan nodded again. Then he took a deep breath, opened the door, and headed out.
Qui-Gon sighed and cleared the dishes from the table. He checked his messages, then sat down on thesofa to read through the final version of Obi-Wan's report on relaxing. At over four hundred screens full, it was going to take some time to get through.
It seemed, however, that a few minutes was all the time alone that Qui-Gon was going to get that morning as the door opened again. Obi-Wan stepped in, closing the door behind him. Qui-Gon looked up, slightly concerned. "Is there something wrong? You cannot possibly be feeling sneezy?" Qui-Gon asked, setting the datapad aside.
Obi-Wan shook his head and walked over to the sofa. "Nothing's wrong," he said repliedquickly, not wanting Qui-Gon to worry. He knelt on the couch and settled there, his cloak falling around him on all sides as he slipped it off his shoulders. "I was halfway to the training rooms when I did not really feel like going any more," he admitted. "Everything out there's the same... I've seen it all before."
"Yes, but you have not been able to see it in so long," Qui-Gon reminded him, resisting the urge to reach out and draw his padawan closer.
"I know," Obi-Wan said, nodding. "But nothing has changed this whole time... except forme." He leaned forward and kissed Qui-Gon's cheek as softly as possible. His lips barely touched skin. "And most likely it sounds silly, but I would rather be here with you right now. Everything out there will still be there later. And, assuming we're not indisposed at the time, I would still like to have lunch with you in the cafeteria."
Unable to decide if that sounded silly or terribly reasonable, Qui-Gon could no longerresist his urge to pull his padawan over. Laughing softly, he cradled Obi-Wan in his arms and kissed him much more strongly. Obi-Wan eagerly kissed back. Then the Jedi Master pushed his Padawan back against the sofa, intending to take full advantage of the fact that Obi-Wan was feeling well again.
George Lucas probably wouldn't approve because he owns the rights to thesecharacters and their world. But I'm not getting money, I'm just playing.
Notes: This fic was posted on the sneezefic list during October 2004. One part was postedeach day. Some addition notes are available for select parts:
Part 1 Notes: This part makes another reference to my 'sick while on a mission' fiasco fic which is currently unfinished. You needn't read it to enjoy this, however. Which is goodbecause, again, that one is currently unfinished.
Part 3 Notes: This makes a minor reference to events in my fic 'To Old Friends' but youdon't need to have read it to read this
Part 4 Notes: Thank you to Lady Korana for her advice regarding some of the technicalaspects of the medical parts here!
Part 11 Additional Notes: Like Obi and Qui, Bant and Tahl are also not mine.
Part 15 Notes: This part is a nod towards circe and part of her recent mention to me about common Obi themes in the fandom. It was one of my incomplete ideas that was wonderfullyfilled in when I read her comments :-)
Part 21 Notes: The credit for one of the elements in this part totally goes to the QueerEye boys. I've been inspired by the idea ever since I heard it mentioned in an episodeand am excited to finally be able to work it into a fic :-)
Part 27 Notes: This part has a slight reference to my unfinished 'fiasco on an offworld mission' fic. Nothing that would make you want to skip over it... I just thought Ishould mention this here.
Part 29 Notes: Thank you to Lady Korana for inspiring me to include one of the elements at the end of this part!
Part 31 Notes: This part is much more like a short epilogue, as the virus only lasts 30days, not 31