Snowed In

by Merry Amelie

Title: Snowed In
Author: Merry Amelie
Archive: MA only
Category: Alternate Reality, Qui/Obi, Romance, Series
Rating: PG
Summary: Snowed under in Padua.

I'm posting Arcadia and Q/O drabbles to TPM 100.

Series: Academic Arcadia -- # 155
A chronological list of the series with the URLs can be found under the header 'Academic Arcadia' at the Master Apprentice ML.

My MA story page is here.

Feedback: Is treasured at MerryAmelie@aol.com.
Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.

For
My beta team: Nerowill, Emila-Wan, and Carol
Mali Wane for posting
My former betas: Alex, Ula, and Padawan Sue

Information on The Heritage of Hastur by Marion Zimmer Bradley from Wikipedia.

Quinn shows off his lumberjack skills: Arcadia # 110 -- Hearth and Home

Jo sees them snuggling in Padua: Arcadia # 8 -- A Paduan New Year's Eve

Ian's fantasy comes true: Arcadia # 148 -- Teenage Daydream

To obi-ki

Ian snorted loudly, only to find a big hand covering his mouth.

"Shh, they'll hear you." Blue eyes twinkled when Quinn felt his laddie kissing his fingers, warm breath teasing over his chapped skin. "Don't want to wake them, now, do you?"

The professors were snuggling on the couch by the fire in Padua after Jo and Keith had gone to bed. Snowed in on this January Saturday, they were spending the night with the Prentices. Quinn had cued a Pachelbel CD and it played softly in the background, mellow music for their winter world. Covered by the heirloom brown quilt, Ian cuddled into Quinn's side feeling warm and cozy, despite the deep freeze outside.

Ian moved Quinn's hand to his cheek. "Sorry. I was daydreaming about last July." His eyes sparkled with the memory of fulfilling his teenage fantasy -- making love in his childhood bedroom -- when he'd finally gotten the chance, thanks to the family reunion his parents had gone to in California.

Quinn smiled at Ian reminiscently and petted his lad's cheek as he started to daydream about the very same thing.

"It's the first time we've spent the night here since then," Ian whispered.

Quinn looked out the window onto the snow-covered yard, but it was no match for Ian's dream-come-true. "By now, it's more like Christmas in July, but whatever the month, I'm just the man to warm you up."

"Don't I know it," Ian said, playfully easing his hands into the sleeves of Quinn's lumberjack shirt.

Quinn dropped a kiss onto Ian's copper strands. "Mmm. Your hair's even more spiky than usual."

Ian grinned. "Nothing like static electricity, especially in wintertime."

"So that's what I feel, now, is it?" Quinn asked with a lazy smile.

"Might be a little something extra," Ian drawled, burrowing into Quinn's flannels.

Quinn's low chuckle sent good vibrations through them both.

"It's getting warmer in here already," Ian whispered, wrapping his fingers around the inviting skin of Quinn's forearms and rubbing all the right places.

Quinn purred for him, encouraging his lad's caresses. Those strong fingers knew just how to touch him.

A dog barked, abruptly shattering the snowy silence outdoors.

Ian smiled up at Quinn as he thought of Sandy and Artoo. "We have good neighbors. Mrs. Chang's making liver and rice for our pups." He slid his hands out of Quinn's sleeves so he could hug him.

Quinn hugged back with zest. "Ah, they'll like that. It's their favorite wintertime treat." He kissed Ian's forehead. "Have a feeling your mom'll cook us up something special, too."

Ian grinned at the kiss and the comment. "You know her so well. She told me we're having blueberry pancakes for breakfast."

"Sounds even better than liver." Quinn's eyes were a teasing blue...

...But no one did teasing better than Ian, both verbal and physical. "Y'think?" He continued with a playful rub to Quinn's stomach. "It's lucky Dad went shopping for the week this morning. Plenty for everyone, even us unexpected houseguests."

"Even for me?" Quinn asked dryly. He knew his lad enjoyed ribbing him about his appetite.

"Well..." Ian looked him up and down, pretending to think about it. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had to forage for provender, after all, especially by dinnertime."

"At least I'll be well-fortified with pancakes," Quinn said with a smile.

Ian kneaded his husband's biceps. "The perfect meal for my lumberjack."

Quinn drawled, "I've got to take a better look at the forecast next time, in self-defense. No more visits to your folks in conditions that make Hoth look like Hawaii."

Before Ian had a chance to sass back, a creak from upstairs made them freeze in a handsome tableau, even though they were indoors. A breathless moment later, Ian's impish grin was back.

"What have we got to worry about now?" he asked merrily. "Mom saw us this way years ago."

Quinn groaned. "I've been trying to forget about that."

"Cheer up! It's not like she saw us in bed." Ian couldn't repress a snicker.

Quinn looked scandalized at the very thought. "Thanks for the visual," he said wryly.

"You're welcome," Ian said with a wink. He snugged deeper into their cozy nest.

Quinn sighed in contentment. "Somehow, time seems to crawl when we're snowed under." He ran his nose along a crease in Ian's forehead. "Reminds me of Heritage of Hastur."

Ian made a vague sound of encouragement, too lazily comfortable to exert himself further.

A soft chuckle from Quinn tickled his lad's cheek. "Remember when Regis and Danilo were snowed in crossing the Hellers?"

Ian nodded, giving Quinn the chance to tickle his hairline with the bump. "How could I forget? It was the first time they made love."

"And also the first time for another milestone -- their lovemaking sparked Regis' laran." Quinn nuzzled Ian's temple. "Talk about intense." He kissed the hot spot behind his laddie's right ear.

Ian shivered in delight. "Sounds familiar."

"Regis even has red hair." Quinn ran his fingers through the spiky strands with satisfaction, relishing the way they glowed in the firelight. "But it can't be as gorgeous as yours. Looks like burnished copper now."

Ian burrowed into his herven's touches, a grin on his face from Quinn's compliments. "Too bad I don't have some super-power to go with the hair."

Quinn smiled into Ian's hair. "Oh, but Lelia thinks you do, Uncle Wan."

"Actually, she thinks both of us do, Uncle *Qui*." The last word was as full of mischief as Ian could make it.

"Guess when you're five, anything seems possible," Quinn said, eyes a contemplative blue.

Enthusiasm brightened Ian's voice. "Mm-hmm. And my inner five-year-old says that anything's possible with you."

Quinn just had to kiss him then, no matter if Jo and Keith were watching every second of it. The tenderness of Ian's lips was eclipsed by the tenderness in his eyes. He searched out the faint taste of mocha in Ian's mouth, relishing the hunt.

Ian melted into his arms, despite the frozen world around them, sheltered by his warmth while sheltering Quinn with his own. Quinn's lips were chapped, so Ian licked them lovingly, revelling in his husband's happy sigh.

All thoughts of Darkover and Hoth vanished in a surge of heat between them.

"Being snowed in isn't as bad as I thought," whispered Ian.

"That's because we're snowed in together, laddie." A master of his profession, Quinn punctuated his statement with a kiss.