Fates–Come what may

by Leandra, with a writing-cameo by Partner in Crime Raina

Disclaimer: The fiend in flannel owns Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn. Ben and Quiggs, Seda and Dun, Master Titulus, Lieth and of course Squicky belong to Raina and me. (The list of Original Characters is growing...)

Category: Q/O, AU, Drama

Rating: NC-17

Archive: yes please, m_a, nutters inc (nowhere else)

Feedback: nuttersincorporated@hotmail.com and raina_at@yahoo.de

Note: This story is part of a series. To understand it you might want to read (in the following order):

Fates – Clotho
Fates – A Fading State of Innocence
Fates – A Loss of Innocence
Fates – How Squicky Can It Get?
Fates – The Seduction of Padawan Jinn
Fates – Come what may

The timeline can be found here: www.angelfire.com/theforce/nuttersinc/fates_timeline.html

Summary: We left our heroes with a horrible revelation at the end of "The Seduction of Padawan Jinn". Now Ben and Quiggs have to sort out their feelings for each other, and for the threat hanging over their heads.

Thanks to: Tem-ve, my beta reader and Raina, for plotting and helping me through a very difficult time.

Additional notes: I'm sorry that I left you with a cliffhanger at the end of "Seduction" and that it took me so long to get this out. Real Life has been busy (or still is) and at some point I had to take a new direction with this, so to make it a worthy successor of "Seduction". Thanks for the patience and have fun.

"The test results from yesterday's exam were, overall, a catastrophe," the grey-haired Master announced loudly to his class of more or less attentive students. "Even those of you who are normally very apt in understanding the astrophysical processes have deeply disappointed me. Padawan Kenobi!"

Obi-Wan was roused from his half-slumber by a deft kick to his right leg, and almost jumped.

"Padawan Kenobi!"

With drowsy eyes he looked up at Master Titulus who stood in front of his desk, staring down at him with blazing eyes. "You can do better in your exams than that!" The Master threw his test results right under Obi-Wan's nose on the desk. "I would like an explanation for this weak performance!"

Another kick to his legs by Qui-Gon, who was sitting at the desk next to him, made him jump once more. "Eeerrr...," he started, not knowing what to say to the fuming Master facing him. He had always been one of the best students in astrophysics, but there, on the front page of his exam sheet was one word written in green ink: "Catastrophe".

"I wonder what has kept you or your classmates from studying a decent amount of time for my exam," the Master continued, then dropped another paper on the desk in front of Qui-Gon. "Terrible as always, Jinn. I really didn't expect anything from you, but what I got in this exam was far less than I ever hoped to receive."

Qui-Gon stared guiltily at his mark, not meeting the Master's eyes. Luckily for him, the Master didn't stop for long, but started to walk through the rows of desks, distributing the test results to his left and right, remarks like "Horrible!", "Would be apt for a junior Padawan", "No idea of anything remotely related to astrophysics" and "A shame to waste paper for this" spilling from his lips.

When he had finished, twelve Padawans were staring at the wooden surface of their desks, their cheeks aflame with shame. The Master addressed the class as a whole again. "We will repeat this test next week. I expect something better than this. And Kenobi," he turned towards Obi-Wan again, "...I don't know what you have been up to lately, but I'm sure it's not astrophysics that keeps you from getting some sleep."

With that, the Master turned on his heel and left the class room with an angered air, the door falling shut with the force of the Master's irritation.

A loud groan was heard from the back row. "I hate astrophysics. It's the most stupid subject anyone ever invented. Why do we need it anyway?" someone asked.

"Because we need to know how a hyperdrive works and how to navigate a ship through space," someone else could be heard.

"Oh shut up, dumbass," Dun growled and stood up, collected his papers and was on his way to leave the class when he stopped at Obi-Wan's desk and saw the absent look on Kenobi's face.

He bent down and braced his hands on the desk. "Kenobi, stop sulking! It's refreshing that someone else is able to see the imperfection in Master Yoda's Padawan..."

Obi-Wan shot Dun an angry look, but decided to not comment on the other's audacity. "I bet you had a very good reason for not studying for the exam," Dun concluded with a quick look at Qui-Gon, who tried to keep a straight face.

"Indeed, Dun," Obi-Wan remarked dryly, but he was smiling a bit.

And it was so much more fun than studying... he sent.

It was definitely worth failing the exam... Qui-Gon admitted, blushed a bit, and remembered....

"Do that again...," Obi-Wan half-moaned.

"What? That?" Qui-Gon asked softly and bit the tender skin on his hip.

"Mhhmmm..." Obi-Wan nodded his consent.

The other Padawan laughed airily, then worked his way up Obi-Wan's body with little nips and finally settled himself in the other's arms, resting his head on Obi-Wan's chest. He listened a while to the steady and calm breathing, then said, "I can't believe he told you that we should stop loving each other. How does he think it is possible?"

He shifted his head to look at Obi-Wan's face. His lover raised a hand and ruffled his hair, sighing softly. "I bet the old dwarf was never in love himself and that's why he has no idea."

Qui-Gon nodded slowly. "What do you think we should do now? There is no way I'm leaving you just because Master Yoda had one of his prophetic days.... And what's all that talk about 'Qui-Gon, destined for another he is...'? I don't want anyone else, ever," he said with conviction.

"Me neither. I suppose he thinks it's one of my flings. He doesn't get the depth of my feelings for you. He said to me, playing with the Fates you are, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Know that the Fates can't be tricked, in time know your place in the universe, you will."

"Screw the little dwarf!" Qui-Gon suddenly growled. His curse was met with a rich laugh.

"You shouldn't talk about my Master the way you do, Quiggs. I'm sure he knows what you think about him."

"Ahhh right... as if you never called him 'green troll' in your life," Qui-Gon answered and nudged his lover with his elbow.

They both lay in silence for some time, each of them lost in their own thoughts separately.

"We will just go on, like we did before Yoda told me," Obi-Wan whispered, breaking the gloomy silence.

"I'm not going to let his prophecies ruin my life. Just imagine we stop seeing each other and we wait and wait for years to come that your mysterious soulmate makes an appearance. I wouldn't want to miss the time I have with you. It might be just this day for us, but it also might be a whole lifetime."

Qui-Gon nodded slowly. "Yes. It's just as you say. We don't know if that person ever makes an appearance. You know, I really can't imagine feeling for someone else the way I do for you."

He was drawn close again, and buried his head in Obi-Wan's neck. "Ben?" he finally murmured and was rewarded with another "mhhhhmm". He almost felt the other's face breaking into a glorious smile at the use of his nickname.

"Shouldn't we celebrate our conviction that we will stay together, come what may?" Qui-Gon asked, raised his head and looked at him with a mischievous grin that did nothing to hide his obvious intentions.

A loud laugh. "Again? We already 'celebrated' the overpowering of misery several times... shouldn't we study for the exam tomorrow?"

Instead of an answer, Qui-Gon bit him again. "I don't really care for astrophysics at the moment. And I doubt you would prefer sitting over your data pad to this..." Qui-Gon hissed and trailed his hand down Obi-Wan's side to cup his groin with a demanding touch.

He actions were acknowledged with a throaty groan and then his mouth was captured in a long kiss.

Qui-Gon stared at the ceiling until he had memorized each and every one of the cracks in the old temple walls. Sleep was deserting him. He had gone to bed early – alone, but he could find no sleep without the familiar presence of Obi-Wan's warm body snuggled up to him. The last mission had spoilt him. When they stayed at the temple, they rarely had the opportunity to sleep in one bed, but on missions they were mostly assigned shared quarters, sometimes even only one bunk. He had gotten so used to the feel of Obi-Wan's body warming the bed next to him that the physical absence of the other Padawan kept him from falling asleep.

Qui-Gon sighed and shifted to his other side for what seemed the hundredth time that night. He wanted, no, he needed Obi-Wan to be here, needed to feel the warmth radiating from him, needed to hear his soft even breathing, the occasional soft snoring when he lay on his back, he needed the feeling that accompanied having Obi-Wan in his bed: security, safety, comfort, especially after all that had been revealed lately.

A frown appeared on his face when he thought of what Yoda had told Ben. How could the old Jedi Master say something like that? He could not imagine that he would love another being more than Obi-Wan Kenobi, that he would choose someone else over Ben one day, that he would leave him and find love in the arms of another. Unthinkable! The thought alone was painful, the knowledge that this was his future stabbed at his heart and tore it apart. Such betrayal to the one person he loved the most! He had never.. he would never... he vowed, even if he had to battle the Fates, all three of them and the Force itself!

He would not give up on Ben Kenobi, better not to live at all than to live without him. Never had Qui-Gon thought that such devotion, such sweet and deep love was possible. He would even desist being Jedi if that was the sacrifice the Fates demanded of him.

The worst thing was that he felt ashamed for something he had not even done yet, but was supposed to do in the future. He groaned and wiped his eyes, aching from staring at his dimly lit surroundings for hours. Meditation had not presented him with a solution, but had left him an even greater heartache and a foul mood.

His dark musings were interrupted by the beeping of his comlink and he reached for it blindly, finding it on his small side table.

"Hey, you gloomy pile of misery!" a teasing voice greeted him.

"Hello to you too, Dun," he sighed and rubbed his eyes again

"Listen," Dun said, not giving Qui-Gon the chance to say anything else, "I'm here with a couple of our class mates from Astrophysics and we want to celebrate this successful failure of an exam accordingly. Well, to be serious, we simply want to drown the memory of Master Titulus' harsh words in booze, so what I wanted to ask was: Do you want to join us in our quest for complete oblivion?"

Qui-Gon sighed again. "I don't know...," he said slowly, the prospect of getting sloshed not at all appealing to him.

A laugh answered him. "Ahh! Maybe I should have mentioned who has already joined us..."

"Hi Quiggs...," a familiar voice interrupted Dun and before his mind's eye, Qui-Gon could almost see the warm smile of his lover.

"Ben...," Qui-Gon whispered and sat up in his bed immediately, sleepiness and misery suddenly forgotten.

"Well, that changes everything," he exclaimed. "When and where do we meet?"

"In twenty minutes at Gate 7B," Dun was heard again.

Qui-Gon tugged the comlink between shoulder and ear and threw his legs over the bed's edge.

"Give me 25," he answered. "I need to dress and sneak past Master Windu."

"Oh... you're naked?" Ben asked mischievously and Qui-Gon blushed a bit, a grin appearing on his face, a warm fuzzy feeling spreading through his body.

"Want to fetch me?"

"Argh!" Dun growled in the background. "Stop it! 25 minutes, Qui-Gon, not a second more. And I'm not sending Kenobi over to fetch you, because in that case we won't see any of you again tonight."

A boyish snicker was heard and then the connection closed. Qui-Gon placed his comlink on the side table and reached for the neatly folded pile of clothes on the floor next to his bed. Maybe it was exactly the right thing to do. Going out. Meeting friends. Meeting his lover. And maybe they were able to talk about that sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. He needed to talk about this. He needed to assure to himself and Ben that they were never going to part. Come what may. Smiling and feeling a lot better after the quick chat with Obi-Wan, he started to dress.

Dun led them into a small and smoky bar on the lower levels of Coruscant, a place that had not seen soap, water or cleaners in a long long time. The customers of the club were as seedy as its interior and consisted mainly of space navigators with large tattoos on their muscled arms, dubious spice merchants with a passion for dice games and scantily-clad females whose profession was obvious if you looked at them once, or even just caught a whiff of their cheap perfume.

A very apt place to drown oneself into oblivion. The group of Padawans that slowly and cautiously filed into the cramped space consisted of Dun, Seda, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Lieth Erics, a dark- blond human Padawan who had recently joined some of their classes, after he had spend some time with his Master at the temple on Yavin where his Master had taught Advanced Martial Arts.

The five Padawans tried to blend into their surroundings as well as was possible, still painfully recognisable as temple Padawans despite their unified efforts to glance around menacingly. Surprisingly the only one of them who didn't seem impressed by their seedy surroundings was Qui-Gon. He was comfortable enough to push his way roughly towards the long bar, oblivious to the snarls and growls he received from the people he so roughly shoved aside. Dun and Obi-Wan exchanged a confused look. Obi-Wan shrugged at the questioning frown on Dun's face and trailed after his lover, carefully avoiding bumping into anyone who had received Qui-Gon's harsh treatment. When he finally reached him, Qui-Gon was already waiting for a drink he had ordered, and in the meantime checking out the area for a vacant table.

Luckily at that moment three Wookiee navigators with heavy brass collars slung around their necks marking them as former mine slaves from Bandomeer made attempts to leave their table, and Qui-Gon waved his friends over to join him. They squeezed themselves onto the narrow wooden benches and Obi-Wan wondered briefly how the Wookiees had managed.

Seda had been very silent the whole evening and Qui-Gon watched her compassionately. Her face wore an almost desperate expression and her foul mood seemed to overshadow even his own misery. He hadn't seen her so unhappy in quite some time. He really should look out for her and he could not help but feel ashamed for the treatment he had given her lately and how he had abused her friendliness whenever he had needed somebody to take care of Squicky.

Lieth, Dun and Obi-Wan swiftly started to fulfill their task for the evening: to drown their misery over the failed Astrophysics exam in booze as quickly as possible, tossing back their drinks so fast that the poor waitress had trouble keeping up with their drinking. Meanwhile Seda didn't even touch her glass but stared gloomily at the tabletop in front of her.

"Seda, what's the matter?" Qui-Gon asked. He was a steady but careful drinker and had just finished his first glass, while the three other male Padawans tossed back their third, simultaneously ordering another round with a flick of their fingers.

She sighed deeply, looking up at him with bleary eyes and forced herself to smile, a smile which tugged on the corners of her lips but failed to reach her eyes. She nodded her head in the direction of the other Padawans and he followed her subtle direction, seeing her gaze fall upon Dun, who was in a deep and seemingly satisfying conversation with Lieth about batball, the blond Padawan's favourite topic.

Batball was a sport Lieth had learned during his stay on Yavin, and he was currently trying to establish a batball team on Coruscant, something most Masters didn't approve of, for batball was not only a time consuming hobby for their Padawans to indulge in, but also a particularly dangerous one. Head injuries and broken bones were very common, which meant that one or another of the team members would almost constantly be accommodated in the Healers' Ward, confined to a bacta tank for at least a day if not more.

Lieth himself was very passionate about batball and was always seen pimping for new team players. Since his arrival on Coruscant four weeks ago he had managed to talk some 17 Padawans into joining the two teams he needed. Training was scheduled to start in a few days, and Lieth seemed determined to get at least the necessary 20 players together.

Qui-Gon watched as Lieth drew some lines on a ripped piece of notepaper, illustrating something he was explaining to Dun who seemed very interested, listening with rapt attention. They sat close together, shoulders touching, heads bowed over the sheet, Dun biting his bottom lip. When Lieth looked up to see if Dun could still follow his explanations, there was a mad gleam in his dark brown eyes, his over-excitement evident in the focused look on his face, and Qui-Gon suddenly knew why Seda seemed so distressed.

"You don't think Lieth and Dun...," he started and could have hit himself the moment the dreadful words escaped his lips. Seda shivered, her miserable face darkening considerably.

"Lieth likes boys...," she simply stated and studied the liquor stains on the table in front of her with an interest they didn't at all deserve.

"Oh Seda..." Qui-Gon sighed heavily and inched closer to wrap and arm around her shoulder. She turned her face to him and he saw tears glistering in the corner of her eyes.

"Do you have any proof...," he began, but she shook her head immediately.

"No. But just the way he looks at Dun. And Dun...Dun...," she broke off, her voice cracking.

Qui-Gon felt her shoulders trembling slightly and he drew her closer, soothingly stroking the nape of her neck.

"Dun is simply interested in batball. Just because he is spending some time with Lieth that doesn't mean he is interested as well," he tried to calm her.

"Sure!" she said sarcastically. "I don't get it. I mean... batball! What's so interesting about batball?" she asked, frowning.

"I don't know," Qui-Gon admitted, "it's just a game. I played it all the time with the boys from my village when I was younger."

She nodded, then cast a glance at Dun again, who had laid a hand on Lieth's shoulder and leaned in, telling the other Padawan something that had him in fits in an instant. Seda winced at Dun's laughter, then turned to Qui-Gon again, her frown replaced by a sad face.

"I wish I'd find someone like you have in Obi-Wan...," she murmured.

"Obi-Wan is...," Qui-Gon started, but when he looked in the direction of his lover, he stopped abruptly and frowned as well. Obi-Wan had inched closer to Dun, half leaning on the Twi'lek's shoulder, joining the two other Padawans in their engrossing conversation.

Oh no, he thought miserably. He had wanted so desperately to spend some quality time with Obi-Wan, talking about what had really happened over the last few days, about what they were going to do now, but he had the fleeting feeling that if Obi-Wan got himself occupied with batball, this was not going to work out.

"Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon called, but his lover didn't even as much as flinch, too preoccupied with listening to Lieth gushing about the wonders of batball.

Qui-Gon's frown deepened. "Obi-Wan!" he said again, a bit more forcefully this time, determined to get the attention he deserved. No reaction.

"Ben! I need to talk to you. About you know what!"

"Huh?" Obi-Wan almost jumped, then turned around and grinned at his lover. "Quiggs, he told me I'd make an excellent batsman, I have the dexterity and the right amount of control of the Force. This is really fascinating. You really should consider joining the team as well," he said, the words pouring from his lips with a velocity that made him swallow half of his vowels.

Qui-Gon sighed. Another one lost to the Dark Side. "I'm sure it's fascinating, Ben, but can't you leave Dun and Lieth alone for a while, so we can..." And he stopped, because Obi-Wan wasn't listening anymore and had turned his attention back towards Lieth's illustrations of the very complex and complicated rules of batball.

Seda was staring at Qui-Gon open-mouthed.

Compelled to complete his sentence, Qui-Gon stuttered, "Obi-Wan is... err... he is... err.. special."

"You call him sweetie?!" she suddenly blurted, and the look on her face would have been best described as something between confusion and fascination.

A blush spread over Qui-Gon's face and, humiliated, he turned his face away to cover his embarrassment and to hide from Seda's scrutinising stare.

"I always forget you are Corellian too and able to understand my dialect...," he said sheepishly, his face hot and bright red. Qui-Gon tried desperately to regain composure, but Seda's mad giggling was not helping him in his effort.

"That's so cute!" she exclaimed and hugged him.

He blushed an even deeper red, but actually felt rather relieved that Seda wasn't sulking anymore. At least the desperate expression on her face had changed to one of fondness and amusement.

"Come on now, Seda, we should see to our drinks," he murmured, slowly disentangling her from his body.

"Right," she agreed, a small smile playing on her lips. "We should really hurry, the others are far ahead of us..."

A look in the direction of the three Padawans confirmed that they had a lot to catch up with. Obi-Wan was leaning heavily on Dun, supporting his weight on the Twi'lek's shoulders, Dun was slightly swaying; Twi'leks weren't particularly hard-drinking. His head tails were trembling slightly, an indicator that he was already having trouble processing the information Lieth was still throwing at them.

"We are Corellians, Quiggs. Not for nothing...," Seda said and raised her untouched glass to him. She waited until he had picked his up as well, then said 'Lok'tes' and tossed the drink back. Qui-Gon followed suit.

Two hours later the feeling crept up on Qui-Gon that they had finally drawn even with the batball-fanciers. His head was swimming and he had trouble keeping the slur out of his voice. Obi-Wan, Dun and Lieth were almost lying across the table, their talk had become confusing and unfocused and Qui-Gon was probably right in assuming that not even they were able to follow their own conversation anymore.

Occasionally one of the three would slur, "Fascinating game, this batball," whereupon the two others would nod in agreement. Then they would fall silent again for another couple of minutes.

Seda had fallen back into gloomy silence and Qui-Gon himself felt slightly bored. He hadn't joined the batball conversation, for obvious reasons – batball, really! – and because it looked like none of the three other male Padawans had been interested in a change of topics, he was stuck with a dissatisfied and tight-lipped Seda.

He would have loved to talk to Obi-Wan about the upcoming mission he and Master Windu had been assigned, and he would have also loved to talk about what had happened in the last few days (quite a lot, in his opinion – at least you weren't told every day that you would leave your lover for another in due time), but the current state of his boyfriend was not particularly conducive to this wish.

Just in time he reached out to catch Obi-Wan and keep him from sliding out of his seat. He slung an arm around his waist and held him steady, Obi-Wan leaning like a dead weight on his shoulder. Lean or not, at the moment he felt as if he weighed as much as a full- grown bantha. If he wanted to get Obi-Wan home tonight somehow, he needed to get him sober first, or he would need to carry him all the way, something he was not really looking forward to. As much as he loved body contact with Obi-Wan, the prospect of dragging a nearly unconscious, drooling and slurring, unsteady-on-his-feet and highly intoxicated Padawan back to the temple and past Master Yoda unnoticed was not very alluring.

He reached out and lifted Obi-Wan's chin, which had dropped to his chest. The other Padawan grinned at him through his intoxicated daze, and he smiled back warmly, rubbing his thumb absently over Obi-Wan's bottom lip. Drunk or not, Obi-Wan was always a treat.

"Ben? We have to get you sobered up a bit...," he said, his own voice slurring a little, belying the impression that he at least was still quite sober.

Obi-Wan nodded almost unnoticeably, his drowsy eyes a husky grey, heavily lidded by his fair lashes. If there was one thing Qui-Gon couldn't resist, it was this well-known half-lidded gaze he privately called 'bedroom eyes', and so he leaned in and brushed his lips briefly against Obi-Wan's.

The response he got was more than a bit enthusiastic. His lover, free from setting himself any limitations in public thanks to his sloshed consciousness, all but pounced him, sliding into his lap with a cat- like grace, mounting him, each knee coming to rest next to his thighs. Fingers twined into his short hair, a soft wet mouth descended on his, an agile tongue sneaking out, pushing his mouth open, sliding past his lips, seeking for his own, groin urgently rocking against his immediately responding cock, faster than he even could think about any counteractions.

With much self-restraint and great regret he pulled himself away from Obi-Wan, panting harshly.

"Force, we need to get you sobered up before you shed your clothes in front of this assembly...," he gasped.

Obi-Wan was smiling smugly, rolling his hips against Qui-Gon's groin, evoking another gasp.

"Bathroom. Now!" Qui-Gon growled.

Though Obi-Wan couldn't be called sober by any means, the speed with which he leapt to his feet and started to push his way – swaying, but determined – through the throng of people towards the bathroom was astounding.

Qui-Gon followed him more lazily, not sure whether he should be amused or bemused at the eagerness Obi-Wan was displaying.

His lover's walk swayed, indicating his state of drunkenness, the unsteady movement just added on top of the usual sensual sway of his hips. Other people would look ridiculous, Qui-Gon mused, but even dangerously drunk there was a certain grace to Obi-Wan's stroll.

Qui-Gon trailed after his boyfriend, entering the bathroom, mentally and physically preparing himself to be pounced on mercilessly. Instead of the attack he had expected, Obi-Wan was casually leaning against the cool green tiles of the bathroom, upper body touching the walls, hips slightly dipped to one side, a challenging expression on his face.

Qui-Gon tried to control his bodily reaction to the beguiling assault on his senses, took a deep shuddering breath and stepped over to the sink.

"Come over here...," he beckoned, knowing full well what Obi-Wan expected to happen.

Shielding himself against what he was about to do, he prepared for another of those sexually aggressive onslaughts he knew his lover for. The moment Obi-Wan was within reach, he grabbed him and with a brief sting of regret forced his head under the sink's sensor.

The effect was immediate. Sputtering and wet, Obi-Wan struggled against his grip, finally able to free himself. Cautiously, Qui-Gon took a step backward. Drastic matters needed drastic solutions, he tried to convince himself and observed his fuming boyfriend calmly.

"Are you mad?!" Obi-Wan roared, shaking his head like a dog who had just emerged from a bath in the lake, droplets of icy water flying everywhere. Obi-Wan's eyes were a sparkling angry green, competing with the sea green colour of the tiles surrounding them.

"Sober now, Ben?" Qui-Gon asked, giving his voice a kind tone.

Obi-Wan trailed a hand through his wet hair, brushing away the excess water, then wiped his face. His expression was murderous when he said: "What was that for?! Bathroom now!" he said irritated, imitating Qui-Gon's words, "...just got a whole new meaning..."

Qui-Gon smiled apologetically and stepped towards him, wiping the last drops of water from his face with his sleeve.

"I'm sorry love...," he apologised, watching with satisfaction as the angry sparkle in Obi-Wan's eyes died down and was replaced with a softer expression.

"You were two steps away from ripping my clothes off back there. I had to stop you somehow before you had any chance to show everybody assembled what a real Jedi lightsaber looked like."

Obi-Wan blushed a bit, giggled and leaned forward, resting his head on Qui-Gon's shoulder, hiding his face.

"Just never do that again," Qui-Gon continued.

"Just you never do that again! Look at me!" Obi-Wan complained, and Qui-Gon had to grin at Obi-Wan's faked annoyance. He raised a hand and trailed his index finger tenderly over Obi-Wan's damp cheek.

"You look cute as always, even cuter and very sexy in this state of wetness, if I dare say so..."

"Bastard," Obi-Wan muttered affectionately.

"Now behave like the good little Padawan you pretend to be – and occasionally are – and go back to our table. If you could tear yourself from this aimless discussion on batball, I have some things to talk about as well. Important things."

"Good. But...I'm not little..." Obi-Wan pouted, raising himself on tip- toes, trying to bite into Qui-Gon's nose to prove him wrong.

Qui-Gon ushered Obi-Wan out of the bathroom, delivering a last swat to the enticing bum. He smiled to himself when a startled yelp flew from Obi-Wan's lips and disappeared into one of the cubicles as fast as he could, in case Obi-Wan tried to get back at him.

When Qui-Gon stepped out of the bathroom, a strange scene met his eyes. A few meters from the bathroom entrance Obi-Wan and a burly dark haired senior Padawan were facing each other, mixed emotions crossing their features, but none of them was in any way pleasant.

Obi-Wan was fuming, his normally very contained self had apparently suffered and his pale face had taken on an unhealthy shade of red. Qui-Gon recognised the other Padawan as Zan, Padawan to Master Ti'hal. A smug grin was plastered across his face. He'd obviously upset Obi-Wan, considering the gritted teeth and clenched fists Qui- Gon noticed when he looked at his boyfriend.

With a frown Qui-Gon approached them and rested a comforting hand on Obi-Wan's tense shoulders.

"What's the matter?" he inquired, starting at Zan accusingly. The other Padawan was infamous for causing trouble wherever he went.

"He insulted me," Obi-Wan growled.

"Ah come on, Kenobi. I merely complimented you," Zan answered, grinning smugly.

"What did he say?" Qui-Gon asked, frown deepening.

"He asked me... if my services were available to him some other time...," Obi-Wan spat out through clenched teeth.

It took Qui-Gon one or two seconds to process the meaning behind those words and he almost gasped.

"You were never that dense about sharing your affection before, Kenobi," Zan countered with a nasty grin. "Your behaviour rather provoked people seeking you out... for certain kinds of... amusement."

Zan shouldn't have added his last sentence to the insult already made. Faster than Qui-Gon could react, Obi-Wan slammed his fist into Zan's stomach, making the other Padawan fold up.

Before Zan could deliver a counterblow, Qui-Gon stepped between them and raised his hands defensively.

"Easy...," he tried to calm them down, shooting Obi-Wan an almost dirty look.

"Who do you think you are?" Zan snarled at him, furious that he had been stopped from getting back at Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon turned, glaring at the other Padawan, his own temper dangerously tempted.

A grin crossed the other's features as he added, "Ah, now I recognise you. The rogue Jedi whose careless Master got himself expelled from the order. Heard he died a rather stupid death not so long ago... Pathetic."

Anger flared up in Qui-Gon, his vision slowly tinted red. Enough was enough. He exchanged a look with Obi-Wan who almost backed away at the dangerous gleam in Qui-Gon's eyes. Qui-Gon wetted his lips and, turning around, raised his fist, slamming it forcefully into that wicked grin.

From there the rest of the evening went completely downhill.

Mood at breakfast was low. Obi-Wan sat in front of his filled bowl of oatmeal which slowly started to get lukewarm and tried not to wince every time somebody in his proximity spoke louder than a whisper. Next to him Dun was fingering a nasty cut on his forehead, muttering curses under his breath.

Across the table, Lieth, who was sporting a split lip and a swelling under his right eye, poured some drops of Xelotin (a medicine to cure persistent headache) into a glass of water.

"I feel like shit," Dun complained, then continued despite the fact that nobody paid him attention, "and I lost a tooth."

He parted his lips, showing off the bloody gap in his front teeth. Obi-Wan raised his hand to touch his own slightly dislodged jaw and moved it experimentally. It hurt tremendously.

"Where is Seda?" Lieth asked, grimacing a bit at the horrible aftertaste the Xelotin drops had left in his mouth.

"Healers' Ward. Bacta treatment for bite wounds," Obi-Wan commented, scratching dried blood from a cut on his lower arm.

"If only teeth could grow back by bacta treatment," Dun complained. "All because Kenobi can't stop wiggling his arse in front of sick fucks like Zan."

"Hey, I wasn't... And I didn't ask any of you to leap to my rescue," Obi-Wan defended himself, his temper rising again, despite the pounding ache in his skull.

"We didn't. It wasn't really necessary... Once that thing got started...," Lieth said, but got interrupted by a squeal to his right.

"Oh Force! What happened to all of you?!" Bant Eerin's high-pitched voice rang in Obi-Wan's ears, aggravating the throbbing pain shooting through his head in a steady rhythm.

"Bar fight," Dun said dryly, staring accusingly at Obi-Wan.

"But...," Bant started, but was cut short by Obi-Wan who had raised a hand to stop her. "Don't... Just don't, Bant. Your voice hurts... And I think none of us wants to explain what exactly happened. I don't even think we could..."

At that moment, Qui-Gon strolled lazily towards them and all four of them looked up at him. Despite his involvement as a trigger in the fight last evening, he looked suspiciously healthy, not even the tiniest scratch or bruise marring his face. "Hi," he greeted them all rather good-humouredly, receiving deadly glares from at least 3 of the 4 people present.

"I wonder how he does it...," Dun muttered.

Lieth shrugged and held the raw meat he had been pressing to his swelling out to Obi-Wan, who almost jumped back, declining the offer disgustedly.

"Ahh... stay away with that dead piece of animal," he yelped, leaning as far away from the offering as he could.

Qui-Gon quirked an eyebrow, then pushed Lieth's hand aside, giving him a fierce glance. "Do you want him to puke all over the table? Put the steak aside," he instructed him.

"Obi-Wan, a word with you, if you don't mind. About what I wanted to discuss with you yesterday...," he said, turning to his lover who was leaning in his chair with his eyes closed, his face screwed up as if he tried to get the revolting image of the raw meat out of his mind.

"Not now, Quiggs. Really...," Obi-Wan whined.

"I want to talk about this. We should have done that yesterday already!" Qui-Gon said, a little bit more forcefully than he intended.

Obi-Wan winced, but then nodded and stood up on shaky legs, following Qui-Gon out of the hall, leaving the others behind them with confused looks on their bruised faces.

Outside the hall, Obi-Wan steadied himself on the wall and turned to his lover, flinching a bit at the scowl the other wore.

"It's about the thing Yoda said. You know... me leaving you in the near future for somebody else... I wanted to discuss this with you for several times, but you always had something else to do.. Like listening to Lieth go on about batball. And I need to talk about this," Qui-Gon explained.

Obi-Wan suppressed a groan. "Not now, Qui-Gon. Please. My headache is just about to subside and I don't want it to flare up again provoked by such a topic. Can't we discuss this later?"

He knew he had said the wrong thing when Qui-Gon went slightly red in the face and his lips thinned as if he was keeping himself from voicing a thought.

"Obi-Wan, you always ask for a delay. I feel horrible and you seem absolutely unconcerned by the whole thing!"

"That's not true," Obi-Wan tried to interrupt him, but Qui-Gon shrugged off his remark and continued. "If you can't even make time to talk to me about such an important topic, how should we prove Yoda wrong then!"

Obi-Wan raised a hand in defence. "Wait... I'm not... I'm..." He groaned and wiped his eyes. "How do you think I feel? About this, about you leaving me for someone else!"

"I'm not going to leave you, and you know that!" Qui-Gon's voice gained in volume.

"And how should I know that, huh?!" Obi-Wan yelled back, frustrated beyond reason.

"If we just could discuss this ..."

"Discuss this? Discuss this?!" Obi-Wan asked incredulously.

"Maybe Yoda got something wrong, maybe he didn't understand his own prediction!"

"What's so hard to understand about you leaving me!"

"I'm not going to... ahh Force!" Qui-Gon snapped. "I'm not going to talk to you on that level!" he growled and turned around on his heel, stormed down the hall, leaving Obi-Wan, who tried desperately to prevent himself from bashing his head against the next solid wall, standing outside the refectory.

The light in the training hall was dimmed, the only sounds shallow panting and the noise of punches being delivered. Cautiously, trying not to disturb Qui-Gon in what seemed to be some therapeutic session to get rid of his frustration when releasing it into the Force didn't help, Obi-Wan sneaked into the hall. It had been almost 2 hours since the unpleasant argument, which had caused Qui-Gon to stomp off red- faced, but still Qui-Gon was hitting the sandbag, which couldn't be blamed at all.

After a visit to Seda in the Healers' Ward – during which she had thrown insults at his head for being such a boisterous idiot – his anger had decreased and in its place another feeling had stepped: absolute misery. He had looked for Qui-Gon everywhere and the subtle bond he shared with his lover had guided him to this place. He stood in the shadows and observed Qui-Gon's furious punches, contemplating how he should approach him. He had no experience in solving this kind of problem, despite the fact that he had been taught diplomatic skills in the temple, but this was something completely different, something personal.

While he was still contemplating how he should approach Qui-Gon, his eyes skimmed over the sweat-drenched figure, taking in the glistening naked back, the rippling of muscles under Qui-Gon's softly tanned skin, the way the soaked training leggings hung low on his hips and clung to his long legs... Absently, Obi-Wan licked his lips at the enticing image and he suddenly noticed that the room in his leggings had decreased considerably while watching his lover abusing the sandbag.

The soft grunts and groans flying from his lover's mouth just added to the erotic effect that watching Qui-Gon had on Obi-Wan, and a pleasant tremble ran down his spine, spreading goose bumps all over. All of a sudden, he couldn't remember why he had come here, or why they even had quarrelled, the only thing his mind was set on were the image and sound of his lover.

Slowly, cautiously so as not to give himself away, he sneaked up on Qui-Gon, trying to conceal his footfalls on the hard training floor, though he doubted that Qui-Gon in his present state of escapism would even hear him approaching. He stepped behind Qui-Gon and took in the musky cinnamon smell of the other, basking in the heat from the body in front of him, then he reached out and laid his hands on either side of Qui-Gon's hips. At his soft touch, Qui-Gon stilled immediately. A soft gasp escaped him, but he didn't turn nor utter a word.

Without haste Obi-Wan leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on the sweaty skin of Qui-Gon's neck, just below the dark hair, slightly curled by the dampness. Qui-Gon drew in a shuddering breath and leaned towards the kiss. His skin tasted salty and Obi-Wan started to suck on his neck more forcefully, biting down softly in the process, evoking a moan, and then a grunt, another moan... Every noisy demonstration of pleasure sparked his own arousal and he let his hands slide into the waistband of Qui-Gon's training leggings and pushed them down over his narrow hips until they slid down Qui-Gon's legs of their own accord.

His searching fingers found Qui-Gon hard and ready and Obi-Wan took him into his hands and started to stroke him slowly. Qui-Gon leaned back into his embrace, his head lolling back, eyes tightly shut, mouth slightly parted, small puffs of air leaving his mouth in- between soft noises of pleasure.

"Ben..." A throaty whisper, and Obi-Wan found himself answering incoherently and with sudden haste. He pulled back and stripped off his own clothing with fingers trembling with desire.

Flesh met flesh and they both hissed at the contact, Obi-Wan's erection pressing into Qui-Gon's backside. He wasted no time, but prepared his lover with two saliva-slicked fingers, stretching him carefully with practice and as tenderly as possible, then slicked his own erection with more of his saliva.

Qui-Gon was panting harshly and pressing back against his body and Obi-Wan took this as indication that he was ready as well. He shifted and slowly pressed himself forward into the tight opening, biting down on Qui-Gon's shoulder hard to keep himself from crying out at the exquisite pleasure. He wrapped one hand around Qui-Gon's shaft and started to continue stroking him in time with his thrusts, increasing in speed when he felt Qui-Gon loosening up. Qui-Gon brought one arm back, pressing Obi-Wan closer to him while groping blindly for the sandbag to steady himself against the forceful push of Obi-Wan's hips. Every movement brought a gasp from his lips, every jerk of Obi-Wan's hips touching the place inside him made him see sparks and sent a jolt of pleasure through his body that was almost unbearable in its intensity.

Their groans echoed through the hall, thrown back by the walls, both their breaths coming in short puffs. Obi-Wan felt himself nearing the brink and despite his effort to hold back his orgasm he wasn't able to withstand the tidal wave that threatened to grip him. He tried to warn Qui-Gon, tried to slow down, but then a shudder went through the sweaty body in front of him and the clenching of Qui-Gon's muscles, the hoarse cry that flew from his lips as he spilled his warm seed over Obi-Wan's hand were his undoing. Obi-Wan's hips jerked in an answering spasm and he came hard, once more biting down on the enticing spot on Qui-Gon's shoulder to stifle his scream.

He felt Qui-Gon swaying, his own knees buckling, and with a collective groan they tumbled to the ground in a sweaty heap of tangled limbs.

An indeterminable length of time passed. Neither of them could move, the aftermath of passion still cooling from their bodies, collapsed and tangled with each other on the training room floor.

Heavy breathing had slowed, heartbeats had returned to normal. Complete silence engulfed them, the only sounds in the room their breaths.

They stayed cuddled together on the floor for a long time, the outside world forgotten, as each of them fought their own inner turmoil.

After what seemed an eternity, Qui-Gon spoke softly, "Are you ready to talk now?"

Slowly, Ben drew away from him to look into his eyes. "I think so."

They broke apart, both feeling that they needed at least a bit of physical distance now. They both pulled on their leggings before settling down opposite of each other in traditional meditation pose. Both centred themselves and when they had both calmed and steadied, Ben opened his eyes and locked gazes with Qui-Gon. "So talk."

Qui-Gon took a deep breath, ignored the frantic voice in his mind that didn't want to know the answers to all his questions and asked, "Do you really believe Master Yoda's prediction?"

Ben sighed, sadness filling his eyes, "Yes." He held up a hand to stop Qui-Gon's interruption. "And no."

Qui-Gon frowned. "You're not making much sense here."

Ben moved a bit closer and took one of Qui-Gon's hands. "I believe that you would never leave me if you had a choice. I have complete faith in you and the love you have for me. I know you love me, I know that when you said you'd never leave me, you meant it with every particle of your being, and I also know that you would never break that promise on purpose."

Qui-Gon squeezed Ben's fingers. "But..."

Obi-Wan sighed again and rubbed his free hand over his face, collecting his thoughts. "But I know Yoda. I've spent my entire life being led and loved by him, and I know one thing for certain: Yoda may not be all-knowing, he may not be absolutely right or even accurate with his predictions, but he's never really wrong. Never. What he predicts might not come to pass exactly how he's seen it. 'Always in motion the future is.'"

He smirked humourlessly as he imitated his Master. "But he's never really wrong."

Qui-Gon closed his eyes. He could almost hear the splintering sound of his heart breaking. He was terrified of what Obi-Wan might say next, he didn't want to hear the words he was afraid his lover would say, but he needed to know.

"What does that mean, Ben? If you really think like that, is there any point in continuing this? Do we break up now?"

Obi-Wan looked horrified. "No!"

But Qui-Gon continued as if Ben hadn't spoken, "If you don't have any faith in us, how is this supposed to work?"

"I don't know. I only know that I don't want to lose you. Not now, not ever. I want us to stay together, always. I want to have faith." Ben raised their still clasped hands to his heart and pressed them against his chest.

Qui-Gon looked up and met Ben's eyes, their blue depths glistening with moisture. "I don't want to lose you either."

He opened his arms and Ben practically flew into his embrace. They held onto each other like drowning men to life itself.

"So what do we do?" Qui-Gon whispered into Obi-Wan's hair.

His lover shrugged. "What can we do? We don't really know what the future will bring, so what can we do except live in the moment and listen to what our hearts tell us?"

Qui-Gon drew back. "And what does your heart tell you?"

Smiling, Ben let his hand drift through Qui-Gon's hair before it travelled down his cheek. "It tells me that right now, I love you. And right now, that is all I care about. The future can take care of itself."

He traced Qui-Gon's upper lip with his finger. "And what does yours tell you, Quiggs?"

Qui-Gon smiled now as well. "My heart tells me that I can't imagine ever leaving you, and that I'll never do so by choice."

Obi-Wan's smile turned relieved and he rested his forehead against Qui-Gon's. "Good. Our hearts seem to agree, then." Qui-Gon nodded. "Very much so."

Both of them relaxed and let go of all the apprehension and tension that had settled within them over the last few days. Settling more comfortably against each other, they just held each other for a while.

Then Obi-Wan said, only half serious, "From now on, we have to be more careful. Yoda didn't forbid me to see you, but the Council would disapprove and maybe send one of us away to another Temple, and I don't think we want that."

Qui-Gon nodded his assent. "No, we don't. We'll stay together."

"For as long as possible. Come what may," Obi-Wan affirmed.

Qui-Gon nodded. "Come what may."

Their lips met in a tender kiss as both repeated the words in their minds, sealing their promises. It would have to be enough. For now.

FIN

(Series to be continued, obviously)