Title: Master-hood and... Other Things

Author: tarotgal

Fandom: Star Wars

Pairing: Qui/OMC

Rating: PG

Warning: slash, and Obi's young. You pick the age, but he's young

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Not my boys. Not my world. Not a cent in my pocket.

Summary: A Young Obi-Wan needs his master and Qui-Gon attempts to provide.

Notes: This still feels a little rough to me, even after three or four edits. Hope this is okay. The blue blanket here was created in another currently unfinished Obi sneezefic. It had to have its own fic to explain its origins, so it made me write this. Gun-to-my-head made me write this. I'm not complaining, I enjoyed working with the concepts in this fic. But it was all thanks to that soft blue blanket.

Master-hood and... Other Things

     It was impossible to resist against Qui-Gon's strength as he slammed the smaller man against the wall. Hands held the man's wrists up against the wall, however the small amount of wriggling beneath Qui-Gon's grasp was not for escape but pleasure. He forced a deep, hard kiss then he pulled away with a broad smile.

     The toe-headed man smiled back and spoke in a hushed, breathless voice, "Goodness, Qui-Gon. I can't remember ever being kissed like that." There was a bright flush in his cheeks, and he looked around to be sure there was no one coming up the hallway to see them.

     "Come into my quarters and I'll show you some other things," Qui-Gon promised, releasing the man but holding his hand out. The man hesitated for a moment, and Qui-Gon sensed why. "My padawan has evening lessons, and always takes dinner after that. We have more than enough time." Qui-Gon wiggled his fingers a little and gave a mischievous sort of look. The offer was accepted immediately, and Qui-Gon took him in his arms, kissing and groping as they stepped inside.

     The two froze as the door slid closed behind them, and stared down at the sofa. Obi-Wan sat there, sitting with his legs bent beneath him and his arms drawn up to his chest. A huge blue blanket was wrapped around him several times but held in place to keep him warm. He was small and almost lost on the large sofa, but he was certainly noticed by the two men who certainly had not expected to see him.

     But this time, it was Obi-Wan's face which went red. He bowed his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, Master. I... I did not realize..." He coughed and hopped down from the couch, hugging the blanket around himself. "I should have waited for you somewhere else but the healer said I should go straight to you and not to go back with the others or I might get them sick. I wasn't thinking." He shook his head, realizing that he was rambling. It wasn't typical for him to do so, but he wasn't feeling particularly in command. "Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your plans."

     He headed straight for Qui-Gon's room, walking slowly. "I'll slip into meditation where I can't hear anything, so you can be as loud as you need to." He paused at the door to the bedroom and sneezed. "HEHShhhhh! H'Skshhhh!" Having been thrown forward, he straightened and rubbed at his nose. Realizing he would not be able to be silent, he turned towards the door to leave his master's quarters altogether. "M'sorry, again. I'll just go so you two can be alone--"

     Obi-Wan stopped when he felt his master's hand on his forehead. Then his master's other hand patted his back through the blanket. "Go lie down on my bed. I'll be in to see you in just a moment."

     Obi-Wan sniffled and shook his head. He whispered softly, "No, you have a guest. You don't want me here. I'll be all right."

     Qui-Gon squeezed Obi-Wan's shoulder, and his padawan looked up at him. He spoke sternly. "Do not argue with your master. Now go lie down on my bed and I'll be there in a moment."

     Obi-Wan nodded and headed in slowly. Qui-Gon turned back with a shake of his head and a sigh. "Reg..." He placed a hand on the man's chest and gave him another strong kiss. "I am so sorry. We'll have to do this another time." He kissed again, his head tilted, sucking on the man's lower lip. "Mmm... that is, if you still wish to see me again."

     "Ohhh, I definitely wish." He kissed back. "Have fun playing daddy. Call me when you get your quarters back." Qui-Gon saw him out, locking the door behind.

     "Don't lock it." Qui-Gon turned, seeing his padawan leaning against the doorway to the bedroom.

     With a sigh, "I thought I told you to get into bed, Padawan."

     "The healers are sending over some meds for me. For the fever and sore throat. They told me to wait for them." Obi-Wan pulled the blanket more tightly around himself with a shiver. He looked back down at the floor. "I'm sorry I interrupted your..." Thankfully, he was not given the chance to finish. Obi-Wan turned and cupped a hand to his face. "hih-hih-EHChhh! ihChhoo! ehhhChoo!"

     Qui-Gon shook his head and pulled his handkerchief from the pocket inside his robes. He wiped his padawan's hand and nose with it, refolded it, and tucked it into the now dry, small hand. "I... I don't need a father," Obi-Wan said softly, blushing again. "I heard what he said but I didn't come here because I needed to be taken care of..."

     "I know that," said Qui-Gon softly but reassuringly. "You've proven yourself to be strong and sensible. Not just when I finally chose you as a padawan but since then on many occasions. I have no doubt of your ability to handle yourself or assess your needs. Nonetheless, I will take care of you." He shook his head with a sigh.

     There was a buzz at the door. The healer came and went quickly, checking Obi-Wan over again and giving instructions to Qui-Gon along with medicine. Obi-Wan stood behind, shivering and trying to look better than he felt. When the droid had gone, and the door had been closed and locked behind, Qui-Gon turned back to his padawan. "All right. Now go get--"

     "Into bed," Obi-Wan finished for him, nodding reluctantly but a bit thankfully. He turned and walked slowly.

     "That's right, lad. I'll get you some water to take these pills with." While he was at it, Qui-Gon decided tea might not be so bad an idea. He knew it was always nice when he felt ill, but he wasn't sure Obi-Wan liked it. It took but a moment to heat the water and drop the bag in. He added some honey and sugar and took it in one hand while he carried a glass of water and bottle of pills in his other.

     When he entered the bedroom, he found Obi-Wan sitting on the edge of the bed, slithering out of his shirt and shivering. "Haven't any pajamas here, have you?" Obi-Wan shook his head as it cleared the neck hole his shirt. "First thing's first. Take two of these pills and as much water as you like. I will find you something to wear in bed. I imagine if you're running a fever your clothes feel a bit sticky and stiff." Obi-Wan nodded and took the bottle and glass from him.

     Obi-Wan swallowed the pills and washed them down quickly, for when Qui-Gon turned back from his trunk at the foot of the bed Obi-Wan had finished his water as well. "It seems you liked all your water. I can get you more."

     Obi-Wan nodded, handing the glass back. Then he cupped Qui-Gon's handkerchief to his face and turned away. "HIHTchoo! ehhChoo! ihhShooo!"

     "And another handkerchief or two." He patted Obi-Wan on the head and placed clothes on his lap. "I think these will work. They're the closest I have. Give me a call when you have changed."

As Qui-Gon rooted through the cabinet beneath the 'fresher sink where he kept his spare towels and things, he heard Obi-Wan sneezing more. Concerned, he fought the urge to return to his room before Obi's call. So he stood for a while, with the handkerchiefs and full glass of water, wondering how he was going to pull this off. Despite his required service time working in the crèche, he did not know much about caring for sick children. Xanatos had hardly ever been sick, and when he was he refused any and all contact until the illness had passed.

"Master?" Qui-Gon returned to find Obi-Wan still sitting on the edge of the bed, his nose buried in the handkerchief. "ihh-HEHShhhh! hihChooo! hehChmphhh!" He blew his nose furiously and shook his head. "Sorry. Sniff!" He looked up apologetically. "I just finished changing." Instead of his leggings, he wore a pair of Qui-Gon's sleep pants, pulled tight and tied at the waist. On top he wore an over-sized shirt he was shivering in.

     Qui-Gon nodded approvingly at his padawan. He took the now rather used handkerchief from Obi and set it aside for washing. "I brought you some tea as well. Come, I'll tuck you into bed and you can drink it to warm up." Obi-Wan stood, holding up the pants at the waist to keep them up as Qui-Gon turned down the covers. "Wait a moment," Qui-Gon said, noticing. "Let me help." He rolled down the sleep pants at the waist and up at the cuffs. Then he ushered Obi-Wan under the covers and tucked them around him.

     "I'm not so fond of tea," Obi-Wan admitted, as Qui-Gon lifted it to Obi's lips.

     "It will help your throat and make you sleepy. I added some sugar so it will taste sweeter." Obi-Wan drank a little without complaint, though he did not mention that he liked it either. Qui-Gon sensed his reluctance a minute later and pulled the drink away. "Obi-Wan?" he said concernedly.

     "Just have to... to..." Obi-Wan tried, closing his eyes and rubbing his hand against his nose. "I-I think the steam... ihhh..." Understanding at once, Qui-Gon set aside the tea and took up a fresh handkerchief. He held it to Obi-Wan's nose for him not a moment too soon. "ehhh-Chooo! hehShooo!" The sneezes were strong, but muffled into the handkerchief. Qui-Gon sensed he was done, and rubbed at his nose with the handkerchief. "Thag you. Sniff!" Obi-Wan rubbed his nose into the handkerchief as well. "I think I'd just like to try to sleep. If that's all right?" He glanced over at the tea.

     "Of course," Qui-Gon gave a nod. As Obi-Wan lay down, he tucked the covers around again and patted the boy's back. "Would you like me to stay until you fall asleep?" he asked, sensing that Obi-Wan was a bit on edge. Obi-Wan nodded. Qui-Gon reached over and picked up the tea. "I'll sit here and finish the tea so it doesn't go to waste, how's that?" Obi-Wan nodded and snuggled into the pillow that was not his own. "Goodnight, lad." He sat and drank the tea, waiting patiently for his padawan to fall asleep.

     But Obi-Wan could not seem to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. Maybe it was the strange bed, or the over-sized clothes, or maybe it was just his cold, but he could not manage to get comfortable. He sniffled a lot, and he turned over from one side to the other and then onto his back.

     Finally he sat up, rubbing at his nose. He started to get out of bed, but Qui-Gon stopped him. "Unless you need the facilities, you're staying in bed. Whatever you need, I'll get for you. More water?"

     Obi-Wan shook his head. He hesitated, debating whether to ask or not. But his desire to sleep won out. "Could you get me that blue blanket, maybe?" Qui-Gon looked over at the blanket his padawan had wrapped himself in earlier. It had been discarded to the floor when Obi-Wan changed. "I found it with your extra sheets and things beneath the sink in the 'fresher. It's really warm and soft. Do you mind if I sleep with it?"

     "I don't mind in the least, my Young One." He retrieved it for Obi-Wan and helped the boy push down the covers. Obi-Wan shivered, but the discomfort was momentary. Qui-Gon wrapped the blanket around Obi-Wan and pulled the covers back up again. He smoothed them out, rubbing Obi through them soothingly.

     Obi-Wan snuggled up into the pillow and blankets again, this time rubbing his cheek against the soft blue blanket and closing his eyes. "Better?" Obi-Wan nodded. "You just let me know if you need anything more. You have a hanky?" Obi-Wan nodded again. As the boy was small and took up little of the bed, Qui-Gon was able to sit on the side of the bed and still let Obi-Wan have enough room. He picked up the cup of tea again and took a sip. "All right. Then goodnight again."

     Qui-Gon sat by his bedside for a long while until he was sure Obi-Wan was asleep but remained long after that. He had not heard his padawan snore before but guessed it was only because of the cold. The truth was, he had never really been around a sleeping Obi-Wan. The boy looked peaceful and gentle while asleep. But he definitely looked sick as well. And Qui-Gon did not like to think of Obi-Wan waking in the middle of the night alone and sick in an unfamiliar place. And so he remained.

     With the near quiet and the darkness, troubled thoughts slipped in and out of his mind. Qui-Gon found himself meditating just to get them into some semblance of order. He had hoped understanding might come from the force, but things only grew more confusing the more he tried to think things through. And no matter how far he got, he was always interrupted by one of Obi-Wan's snores.

     After a while, Qui-Gon simply sat with his head in his hands, resolved to stay lost in thought. He listened to Obi-Wan's breathing, shallow and steady. He could feel the warmth beneath the covers beside him. Obi-Wan was what was important now. His wellbeing and training. There was nothing else that mattered at the moment. Nothing else that was supposed to matter.

     Obi-Wan woke hours later with a fierce bout of coughs that made him sit up to catch his breath. He looked over to see Qui-Gon still sitting on the side of the bed. "Master?" He coughed again and cleared his throat. "Are you... I mean I know I'm in your bed but you must be tired..."

     Shaking his head, Qui-Gon yawned "Oh that is not the problem, Obi-Wan." Obi-Wan looked a bit guilty, and Qui-Gon attempted to put his worries to rest. "No, I am happy to sleep on the sofa. And you are correct. I am feeling tired. But I am feeling a number of things and thought I would sit here and sort them out. I suppose I lost track of time."

     With another cough, Obi-Wan sat up all the way, pushing off his covers but keeping the blue blanket around his shoulders as he scooted over to Qui-Gon. "Would you like to talk about what is troubling you?" Qui-Gon looked surprised at this. "Is that not what you tell me to do when I am troubled about something?"

     Qui-Gon nodded. "You're right. I do tell you to talk with me." He sighed silently. "And I suppose I should take you up on your offer since you were so nice to make it. Come here, Obi-Wan. Come get warm." He held out his arm and Obi-Wan scooted over to sit at Qui-Gon's side, still clutching the blanket around himself tightly. Qui-Gon wrapped his arm around Obi's shoulders and squeezed. "I have been feeling a bit guilty this evening."

     "Master," Obi-Wan said, looking up and rubbing at his nose. "It isn't your fault I caught a cold."

     Laughing lightly, "Of course not. Though I am terribly sorry you are sick." He paused, this time with an audible sigh. "I feel guilty for not sensing you were feeling poorly earlier. And I especially feel guilty for not sensing you were in my quarters. I should have been paying proper attention to my duty and to the force instead of paying attention to... other things."

     "You are allowed to have fun," Obi-Wan insisted. "The code does not say you must do nothing but meditate and teach all day. The code even says you are allowed to have... other things." Obi-Wan grinned slyly.

     "This is true," Qui-Gon chuckled. "Though many of the Jedi masters do choose to be celibate so they are not distracted by those other things. Regardless, I should certainly have been more attuned to you, as my padawan. I have been meditating on this for a long while tonight. I should not be thinking of starting relationships and other things until the bond I have with you is as strong as it should be." He ran his hand over Obi-Wan's head, stroking the soft, short hair gently. "And I owe you a heartfelt apology for earlier."

     Qui-Gon took a deep breath and continued on, before Obi-Wan had a chance to say anything. "Which is where the rest of my guilt has resided this night. To make up for not sensing your need, I tried my best to take care of you. But I'm afraid I haven't much of an idea of how to do that. I'm not very experienced at these sorts of things--"

     "I don't need a father," Obi-Wan repeated from earlier. "And you're doing a better job than you think. I am more than comfortable and you've thought of... of everything I could n-need."

     It was clear that Obi-Wan's sneezes had returned. Case in point, Obi-Wan selected a handkerchief and buried his nose into its folds. "heh... hihIHSHH! EhShhfff! hehShffff!"

     Awkwardly, Qui-Gon waited for his padawan to finish blowing his nose, then patted Obi-Wan on the back gently. Obi-Wan leaned into him a little, welcoming the comfort. "You see?" Qui-Gon said softly. "I don't know what to do to help you, my young Obi."

     "You are doing far more than you need to," Obi-Wan explained, shaking his head. "I would be happy to sleep on your sofa." He had slept over a few times after long strategy meetings or exhausting training sessions. But Qui-Gon would not let Obi-Wan sleep on the sofa instead of the bed when he was sick. "I can get my own water and pills and--"

"Pills!" Qui-Gon exclaimed, going for the bottle. "It's an hour past when you're supposed to have more. I had not the heart to wake you. It looked as though the sleep was doing you much good." Qui-Gon handed Obi-Wan another two pills and a glass of water. Qui-Gon looked on, not knowing what next to get his padawan.

     Obi-Wan swallowed the pills and downed the rest of the water as well. "Master, I fully appreciate your care. It is quite sufficient. There's no need to feel guilty in the least." Qui-Gon opened his mouth to reply, but Obi-Wan knew what he would say. "You had no idea I would be in your quarters. I have never let myself in before. And I was supposed to be in class at the time."

     Qui-Gon shook his head. "Nonetheless, as your master I still should have sensed you. And you should feel comfortable and welcome in my quarters and around me." Obi-Wan shivered and hugged the blanket more closely around himself. He sniffled and rubbed his handkerchief at his nose. Qui-Gon rubbed his hand up and down Obi-Wan's back to warm him and try to keep him comfortable.

     He sat in thought for a while, listening to Obi-Wan sniffle and wishing he could do more to help. He thought about how comfortable he was, having Obi-Wan there. And he thought about why he could not sense his padawan as well as he should have. Finally, he took a deep breath and looked back down at his padawan. "Obi-Wan, how would you feel about my getting some new quarters?"

     At the moment, Obi-Wan was not in a position to answer. His nose was tickling again and no matter how he tried to push them away so he could properly answer, he was unsuccessful. "heh...heh-EHShuhhh! hihShuhhh!" He rubbed his nose, sniffling, then looked up at his master. "Is there something wrong your quarters?" He looked around the bedroom. Qui-Gon was very settled in. Everything right down to the choice of sheets spoke to his tastes. Obi-Wan turned his attention back the handkerchief and tickle in his nose.

     "There is nothing wrong with it," Qui-Gon said, smiling. "I only thought it might be a good idea to move into one of the larger accommodations."

"Lah... larger?" Obi-Wan buried his nose in the handkerchief and blew hard to get rid of a tickle.

     "Yes, larger. That way there is space enough for both of us. You can have your own bedroom to be comfortable and sleep in." Obi-Wan looked up, a bit shocked at the offer. It was not unheard of for a padawan and master to share quarters. But it usually happened only in the closest of relationships, and it certainly never happened when a padawan was as young as Obi-Wan was currently. "I realize it is somewhat unconventional, and I want to know precisely what you think about it before we make any decisions. But it would be a way to strengthen our bond and get to know each other better. It would be much more convenient for you, not having to go back and forth between your bunk and my place. And this way we can have somewhere where we'll both feel comfortable." He stroked the back of Obi-Wan's head. "Would you give me your honest opinion about this? What are you feeling?"

     "Apart from feeling far too stuffy," Obi-Wan said, smiling, "I think it is an excellent idea." He leaned into his master's side and closed his eyes. "If anyone can pull off the unconventional, I believe we can." He yawned powerfully and rubbed again at his nose. "Is that all you were thinking about tonight? You look exhausted, Master. Will you go to sleep now?"

     Qui-Gon chuckled. "I will if you will." He put his hand against Obi-Wan's forehead. It was significantly cooler. "You're doing an excellent job fighting this cold. Another day or so and you'll be fine. But I don't want you waking up early in the morning. Sleep is the best thing you can do for yourself right now." He tucked Obi-Wan back into bed, though his padawan offered again to sleep out on the sofa instead.

     "I think it's the medicine that's fighting this more than I am," Obi-Wan said, cuddling up with his blanket and the pillow. "But I will sleep as much as I can. In the morning may I meditate with you? If I promise not to sneeze?"

"Of course, Obi-Wan. Even if you do sneeze." He kissed his padawan on the forehead and stood. He hesitated, standing but not moving.

"It is all right," Obi-Wan said, his eyes still closed. Somehow, he knew what Qui-Gon was thinking just now. "You don't have to wait for me to fall asleep this time. Only..."

     "I'll be on the sofa in the next room. Call if you need anything. Anything." He reached down and stroked Obi-Wan's forehead. The boy looked tired, but smiled at the touch and sniffled a little. Qui-Gon let out a slow, silent breath. "Maybe I'll stick around a few minutes more. Just to be sure you get to sleep." Obi-Wan's smile grew just a little wider and Qui-Gon could sense his padawan this time. Comfort and reassurance filled their bond from both sides.