Title: Gift for ~A 2007

Author: tarotgal

Fandom: Star Wars

Rating: R

Pairing: Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their world. Please don't sue me. I'm just having fun and not making any money.

Summary: Stuck at a Council meeting, our two dear Jedi must cope with Obi-Wan's sneezes.

Notes: Happy holidays and sorry this was so late!

                Obi-Wan wriggled about in his seat. He badly needed to sneeze and this was neither the time nor the place for it. General sessions of the Council were not unheard of, but they usually occurred only preceding knightings or bonding ceremonies. This session, however, was more of a general briefing, so that the padawans and masters knew what each pair were up to. It was nothing like a meeting of the Senate, but it was nonetheless formal and Obi-Wan was loathe to interfere with any goings on of the Jedi Council.

                Qui-Gon reached over and put his hand on Obi-Wan's knee. It was a light touch, just to get Obi-Wan's attention. Obi-Wan looked up and smiled reassuringly at his master as if everything were all right. Qui-Gon narrowed his eyes and rubbed at the bottom of his own nose with one finger. Then he cocked his head questioningly. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and nodded affirmatively. The hand on Obi-Wan's knee tightened.

                However, Obi-Wan did not feel reassured in the least. In fact, the situation was worse. Now he had to sneeze and his master had noticed. Which meant that others might soon notice. And there was still at least an hour left to the session, perhaps two. He would never last.

                His nose twitched. Quickly, he pinched it between thumb and forefinger. His breathing was erratic, but nothing he could not control with a little more effort. He squeezed his nose and held his breath until the feeling died back down. It wasn't gone completely, but the urgency had lessened. He lowered his hand with a silent sigh of relief. The hand on his knee patted, then moved away. Obi-Wan smiled. Then he suddenly pitched forward. “ihhTch!”

                It caught him completely by surprise. Though he clapped his hand over his mouth and nose immediately afterwards, by then the damage had been done. Everyone looked in his direction, including the Jedi Master who had been speaking. He dropped his hand so most everyone wouldn't be able to tell who exactly had sneezed, though there were a few nearby who obviously had it figured out.

                The meeting resumed, and Obi-Wan's nose resumed tickling. Not only that, but his throat felt all scratchy. He wanted to clear it but did not dare to. He felt a wave of reassurance from his master through their bond; Qui-Gon was just letting him know he was there. Obi-Wan wasn't going through this alone, but he wished he could cuddle up with Qui-Gon now. His master always knew just what to do to make him feel better, and never was that more true than when Obi-Wan was sick. When he was young, Qui-Gon would cuddle him and care for him. Now that he was older, of legal age, there was still cuddling and care but also plenty of sex.

                The fact that Obi-Wan's sneezing made Qui-Gon hotter than anything else in the galaxy was simply a pleasant bonus. Obi-Wan wondered what that last sneeze had done to his master, if anything, and began worrying that both of them would have to start hiding and fighting something pretty soon.

                Obi-Wan sniffled instinctively as his nose began running, and the sound made his master stiffen in his seat. //Quiet, Padawan Mine. Don't let that cold of yours get away from you now. We're not in our quarters. Remember your place.//

                // Yes master,// Obi-Wan answered obediently. But almost immediately afterwards, the tickle intensified. He pinched his nose and shifted in his seat. The urge to sneeze built slowly, filling his nose, taking over his breaths, making him pant and squirm and stiffen. This time, he kept his grip even when the tickles died down. He had learned his lesson the first time. Control. Mentally, physically, and with the Force. He closed his eyes and his body responded. It relaxed. He relaxed. His nose relaxed.

                He did not listen to those speaking as he was supposed to. He caught fragments and bits, sentences and words, but he did not follow the whole report. His ailment was too distracting and control required attention.

                The next time the tickle struck, he managed to keep his breathing regular. His heart raced for a minute or two. The urge to sneeze flared with desperation, as did his nostrils, but then it slowly faded. He used the Force to sooth his nose and smooth things over. It took the edge off, and he sat comfortably in his seat again, confidently.

                For roughly three seconds. After that time, the tickle returned so fiercely there was nothing at all he could do. “hetChhhhhh!” Worse yet, the one sneeze wasn't the only one. He tried hard to at least stifle the second, but it was no good. “ihhhKTchhhhh!” He raised his hand to his nose and sniffled wetly, well aware that this time, practically everyone in the large auditorium was staring straight at him.

                Obi-Wan wanted nothing more than to sink down in his seat. If he could somehow become invisible and transport himself and his master back to his chambers in an instant, he would be even more relieved, but he would settle in the short term for everyone not staring at him and his runny nose.

                “Padawan Kenobi, are you having difficulties?”

                Obi-Wan's eyes focused on Kit Fisto's watery, beetle-black eyes. He had never directly addressed the Council before, and certainly did not want his first words to be these, in front of every master, knight, padawan, and youngling in the temple. “No, Master. I apologize for interrupting.”

                The reassuring touch from his master was gone now, and replaced with a sense of worry shared within their bond. The gentle order from his master was gone now as well, replaced with a much more insistent and firm, //Do not do that again, Padawan.//

//I will try not to sneeze again, Master. But I fear this cold—//

//Hush!// And Qui-Gon thought it so strongly that Obi-Wan felt as though his master had practically hit him.

                Obi-Wan wanted to leave. He knew he should not, but he wanted it all the same. If he left, with profuse apologies, he would save himself embarrassment in the end and save his master the same. He felt another tickle flare up and Obi-Wan pinched his nose once more. He might be able to delay this one but he knew now the next sneeze was just an inevitability. //I must leave.//

                Qui-Gon turned his head at this, to look at his Padawan. It was a great mistake. Obi-Wan could feel the desire through their bond. He could feel the instinctive rush of emotions in his master. Were they alone, Qui-Gon would have had him naked and tingling with a building orgasm by now. The sight of Obi-Wan sitting there, fighting off a sneeze, was akin to one of Qui-Gon's wildest fantasies. But like most fantasies, they were better in the imagination. As sexy as he found the idea of this situation to be, Qui-Gon could not possibly want Obi-Wan to sneeze frantically beside him in such a situation.

                Qui-Gon winced and turned his head away. //Please, Padawan. Do not…//

                Thinking his master wanted him to change his position to look a bit less alluring, Obi-Wan held his breath and dropped his hand so as not to call attention to his malady. This was Obi-Wan's mistake. “ihhh!” His hand snapped back up as the sneeze began. He was able to cut it off only just before it was too late. His chest heaved and nose tickled, but the sensations slowed and calmed.

                For an instant. His nose was still tightly pinched between thumb and forefinger but the sneeze raged again. He closed his eyes, willing it to go. He held his breath, trying to hold it back. He tried to reach out through their Force bond to borrow some help, but found nothing of the sort from his master.

                On the contrary, Obi-Wan was horrified to realize that Qui-Gon's willpower was failing. As the sneeze built in Obi-Wan's nose, their bond and proximity made it impossible for Qui-Gon to ignore. The Jedi Master's breath was racing quickly and his hands gripped his knees impossibly tightly. His eyes were shut. His expression was blank, which was quite unlike him.

                There was nothing at all Obi-Wan could do to help. Every bit of his energy had been channeled into preventing a sneeze that could not be prevented. “ihhhhhhh! Ehhh…” He cupped both hands to his face, hoping at least to dampen the sound. “hehTchhh!”

                Qui-Gon gasped quietly, and it was the only sound he made, but it was enough. His normal straight-backed posture gave way slightly. He leaned forward. His face was flushed. His body was tense. He was losing his own battle.

                Obi-Wan's cold was not through with either of them. Obi-Wan pitched forward in his seat, sneezing into his hands. “ihhChihh! hihShuhhhh! Ihh-hihShihhhh! Ihh… kihhh… Kihshhhhhh!”

                Qui-Gon remained tense for a moment more. Then he exhaled deeply, opened his eyes, and leaned back into his seat. He moved his hand aside, from his own knee onto Obi-Wan's again. He patted it while Obi-Wan sniffed miserably.

                The Master who had been addressing the Council finish with one more sentence and sat down. The masters on the Council looked uneasy, and nearly all of them looked towards Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. “Next to speak is Master Shinto Lee. However, the Council would like Master Qui-Gon Jinn to address us next, so that he and his Padawan are free to go afterwards. Master Jinn, is this acceptable to you?”

                Qui-Gon nodded and rose to his feet as though nothing were wrong. Obi-Wan looked over, noticing that his master held a datapad casually over his crotch. The erection there was gone, but Obi-Wan could sense the discomfort that remained in the form of dampness and what surely must have been a visible wet spot.

                Obi-Wan sunk into his seat. Now that the small sneezing fit had passed, he did not feel like sneezing again. He tried to follow all his master was saying. Qui-Gon sounded professional and proper, but with his usual personality. Obi-Wan did not need to listen, since he had helped Qui-Gon determine what should be said of their latest missions and accomplishments. So he sat and waited and felt relieved when Qui-Gon finished and they two had been dismissed from the proceedings.

                Qui-Gon led the way back to their quarters without a single word to Obi-Wan, who followed behind and tried to keep up. Obi-Wan was winded and slightly wheezing by the time the door to their rooms slid open to admit them. He instantly plopped himself down on the sofa and set to work blowing his nose. Obi-Wan expected a lecture. He expected an angry master at the very least.

                However, Qui-Gon went straight to the 'fresher. He did not even waste one word on Obi-Wan, just went to get cleaned up and Obi-Wan got the feeling that his master would not look favorably upon having company.

                Practically everyone in the temple was at the general session, so he was sure he had not received any messages. Without any work to do, Obi-Wan settled in on the couch with his trusty blue blanket and a box of tissues. The holovid that was queued up was one he had already watched, but that was convenient considering he could nod off and not worry about missing anything.  Nervously, he waited for Qui-Gon, glancing over at the door to the bathroom repeatedly then forcing himself to look back toward the film. Qui-Gon took a long time to emerge and when he did, his hair was dripping wet. Obi-Wan, who had been resting his head against the back of the sofa, sat up straight and expectantly.

                The Jedi Master stopped halfway through their common room and turned his head towards Obi-Wan. “Do you not have work you should be doing?”

                Obi-Wan shook his head. “No, Master. Sniff! Sniff! I finished our last report and I have no new assign… assign… ahhh… assignments-ahhhHihchhh! Sniff! Excuse me.”

                Qui-Gon's eyes were fixed on his Padawan. His breathing was quick and shallow. And it took him a few moments to break the gaze. He pulled away with a sharp breath. “Fine. Well I do have work, so please try to keep the noise of your film to a minimum.”

                Obi-Wan did not know what to say to this. He watched his master walk to the desk and sit behind the station, busying himself with correspondence. Obi-Wan sat alone on the sofa, feeling awful in ways that had nothing at all to do with his cold. He rubbed at his nose with a tissue, glad it was already so close at hand when his nose started tickling again. “ihhh-Hehshhh!” He felt a little jolt of something from Qui-Gon through their bond, but could not figure out what it was. Obi-Wan looked over, but Qui-Gon was concentrating on the screen. And try as he might, Obi-Wan could not sense anything from his master apart from utter annoyance.

                Resignedly, Obi-Wan got up and went to his master. “May I have a word, Master?”

                Qui-Gon hesitated then looked up. “Go ahead.”

                Obi-Wan squeezed the tissues in his hand, trying to gain courage. “I just wanted to say that I am sorry. So very sorry. And if you think it's necessary, I will make a formal apology to the Council.” Obi-Wan thought about offering to leave in order to spare his master further embarrassment, but could not bring himself to utter those words just yet.

                Eyes narrowing in slight confusion, Qui-Gon asked, “Whatever would you have to be sorry about?”

                “What?” Obi-Wan laughed at the absurdity of such a question. “Master, I disrupted the session, I embarrassed us in front of everyone in the temple including the Council. I ruined our appearance. And I ruined your leggings.”

                Qui-Gon paused thoughtfully, and then he closed the screen to the reader so there was nothing to distract him. He slid his chair back a few inches and patted his thigh. His legs were spread and his arms were open. “Come here, Padawan Mine.”

                This time, Obi-Wan hesitated. “Master, the last time I sat on your lap my braid was hardly as long as my pinky finger.”

                Qui-Gon chuckled and shook his head. “My leg is not fragile. Katas with you three times a week see to its strength. Come here. I must hold you.” Obi-Wan did as he had been commanded, and immediately found himself hugged against Qui-Gon's chest. “Obi-Wan, I want you to listen very carefully to me.”

                “Always!” Obi-Wan exclaimed.

                “Good.” Qui-Gon pressed his lips to the top of Obi-Wan's head. “You did nothing wrong, my Obi-Wan. The blame falls entirely on me.”

                Obi-Wan did not believe him. He shook his head. “No, Master. I am the one sneezing from the head cold. How could any of this have been your fault?”

                Qui-Gon sighed. “For one, I am incredibly ashamed not to have shown more restraint. That was highly improper. And though I have never held much stock in what is proper, there is no excuse for… what I allowed to happen to myself back there.”  Qui-Gon reached up and ran his hand through his hair, loose after his shower. “For another, I never should have asked you to accompany me to the session. I knew perfectly well that you were coming down with a cold. I never should have put you in such a situation for my own benefit.”

                “Benefit?” Obi-Wan asked, looking confused.

                “I want you at my side always. I rely on my padawan's assistance. But, more selfishly, I feel more complete with you near. And I must also admit that separating myself from you when you were feeling sniffly and potentially sn…”

                “Sneezey?”

                Qui-Gon nodded, looking embarrassed. “Yes. That. Well, I wanted you with me. But I should have known better. I am ashamed about my reaction. I should have controlled myself much better. I should have had more self-restraint.” He tilted his head, resting it against Obi-Wan. He shook his head a little, forehead moving against shoulder. “I cannot believe I came right there in the middle of the session like that. I have never in my life been moved to such a result. It was horrendous.”

                “It was,” Obi-Wan agreed. “And I didn't want it to happen. But looking back on it now, I have to admit it was also pretty amazing.”

                Looking horrified, Qui-Gon repeated. “Amazing?”

                Obi-Wan shrugged. “Well, I… wait… I…” //I'm going to sneeze!// Obi-Wan had tissues, of course, but made a conscious decision not to use them. He let his master watch as Obi-Wan's mouth turned down and eyes slowly closed. He let Qui-Gon see all the little gasps of build-ups as air filled his chest. He let Qui-Gon see it all from the flaring, tickling nostrils to the gentle sway backwards and sharp pitch forwards. And he let Qui-Gon hold him as he sneezed freely, repeatedly. “heh-G'tchuhhhh! ihKChihhhhhhh! Heh-eh-ihhhh-hihhh-HihChooo!” Only when the sneezes had passed did Obi-Wan use the tissue, wiping at his wet nose. He sniffled and then he dropped the used tissue to his side, right on Qui-Gon's crotch. “I was going to say, it's rather amazing to find out I can make you so hot without even touching you.”

                “It's a curse,” Qui-Gon muttered.

                “Maybe,” Obi-Wan agreed. “But sometimes it's wonderful.” Obi-Wan smiled and then turned. He still sat on his master's lap, but this time he straddled the man. Qui-Gon's arms were still around him, but now Obi-Wan had his own arms around Qui-Gon. “How about I kiss you until… until I…” his breath caught again and he fought against the impending sneeze. “Uhhhh… until I ruin another p-pair of your leggings?” And, with his nose, tickling and his own hard-on raging, Obi-Wan moved all the way forward. He rubbed himself against his master and kissed him deeply, relieved to find that Qui-Gon was kissing him back, all embarrassment and annoyance gone.