Title: Everything In Its Time (Part 2/??)
By sidewinder (sidewinder@fanfiction.net)


Please see Part 1 of 
this story for full headers, disclaimers, etc.

***!!!BIG LAST CHANCE WARNING!!!          ***
***                                       ***
*** The following fiction involves an     ***
*** UNDER-18 Obi-Wan in sexual situations ***
*** with his master. If the idea of such  ***
*** subject matter disturbs you, you are  ***
*** hereby advised to look no further.    ***
*** YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.                 ***


=======
Sixteen
=======

"Again--and this time, stay alert. You're 
losing concentration and leaving your left 
side wide open."

"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan breathed deeply and 
summoned his strength, found his center in the 
Force, and then reignited his 'saber. He stood 
with his knees slightly bent, waiting in the 
traditional starting pose for the practice 
duel. He watched for the first sign of 
movement, the signal that the match had begun. 
When it came, Obi-Wan immediately drew up his 
'saber to block the blow. He managed to throw 
enough power behind his return push that he 
threw his master back several meters, leaving 
Qui-Gon now on the defensive. The pace quickly 
accelerated from there.

They'd been going at it for *hours*, it seemed 
to the young apprentice, and he was near 
complete exhaustion. The Force was the only 
thing keeping him on his feet, supplanting the 
physical energy he'd long since burned up in 
the afternoon's endless drills. Qui-Gon showed 
no signs of similar tiredness, leaving the 
padawan struggling to match his master's 
stamina, determined not to show his weakness 
by asking for a rest.

A rare lull in demand for their services had 
given them several weeks of peace at home on 
Coruscant. "Peace" being an interesting term, 
Obi-Wan thought, since to Qui-Gon that seemed 
to mean putting his apprentice under a 
grueling schedule of physical and mental 
exercises. Obi-Wan reported to morning 
lectures and classes with the other padawans 
and temple instructors, or sometimes was put 
into service overseeing the initiates on field 
trips or other activities. Afternoons were 
spent in seemingly endless sessions of 
physical training--sometimes with Qui-Gon, 
mostly with other apprentices and knights. 
Evenings were his only time for relaxation, 
although even then Qui-Gon often wanted them 
to work on meditation exercises or other 
mental skills together.

He was used to the odd few days back here at 
the temple and usually welcomed the chance to 
spend time in these familiar surroundings--his 
master's familiar quarters. Yet after twenty 
days of it, Obi-Wan couldn't *wait* to get 
back out on active assignment.

Obi-Wan had to admit there was also a somewhat 
selfish aspect to his desire to leave. When 
they were out on a mission, he was often close 
at his master's side day and night. He'd 
become used to their always being together--
the familiar presence of his master close by, 
the powerful aura of his living Force that 
nearly always was soothing, comforting. Here 
at the temple, though, things were different. 
Qui-Gon was always busy in some meeting with 
the Council. Or he was asked to lend a hand 
with teaching an initiate-level class, or 
invited to spend the day or a night out with 
an old friend. 

Obi-Wan realized it was foolish to become so 
possessive of his master's attention, but the 
feelings were still there inside him, and even 
with studious meditation he found it difficult 
to keep them completely under control. He 
looked forward every evening to finally having 
his master to himself at night. And he 
similarly disliked waking up in the morning, 
as it meant they would soon go off in their 
separate ways for most of the day. 

*Perhaps it's our bond making me feel this 
way. Maybe it's growing stronger, changing 
again,* he wondered. After their first year 
together, he had wanted the comfort of being 
near his master at night. Could it stand to 
reason that now he wanted more, he wanted the 
comfort of Qui-Gon near him nearly all the 
time?

*And maybe that would explain those dreams I'm 
having about Qui-Gon, too. Those...really 
interesting ones.*

Obi-Wan's train of thought was interrupted by 
a terrible burning feeling in his side. 
Staggering as he yelped in pain, he discovered 
he'd been caught by a direct swipe of Qui-
Gon's saber. Even set at the lowest power 
level, it was still hot enough to burn through 
his tunic and sear the skin beneath.

Hurt like Hell, too. *What I deserve for 
getting so damn distracted!* he chastised 
himself.

Qui-Gon turned off his 'saber and sighed, 
frowning with obvious disappointment. "You 
see? Your left side again."

"I'm sorry. I lost my concentration." 

"So I noticed. Nevertheless, I didn't mean to 
catch you like that." Qui-Gon walked toward 
him. "Stand still, Padawan, let me see." 
Gently the elder Jedi helped Obi-Wan remove 
his tunic so he could inspect the injury. "Not 
too bad. I don't think we'll need to take you 
to the infirmary." Qui-Gon pressed his large 
hands close to the burn and closed his eyes. 
Obi-Wan felt the Force radiating out through 
his master's hands and into his body, rapidly 
repairing the minor damage.

He also was keenly aware of the warmth of Qui-
Gon's body so close to his own, the scent of 
his perspiration, the tingling sensation of 
his breath falling against his own damp, bare 
skin. The closeness was not a new experience, 
but the way it affected Obi-Wan was. It 
started to set off those feelings inside him, 
the same ones that he had during *those* 
dreams. He shivered at the sensation and felt 
a hint of fear--what was happening to him? Why 
was he feeling so out of sorts, responding to 
things in ways he never had before? 

"There, that should do it," Qui-Gon startled 
him out of his thoughts as he withdrew his 
hands. "I pushed you more than I should have 
today," Qui-Gon said. "You were doing 
excellent until the last few rounds." 

Obi-Wan accepted the complement and apology, 
neither necessary yet both appreciated. "Thank 
you, Master."

"I think it is certainly time to rest for 
today. I will see you tonight, Padawan."

"Yes, see you then." Obi-Wan found his eyes 
lingering over the sight of his master's body 
as he walked away--the broad expanse of his 
shoulders, the tight, perfect curves of his 
buttocks, so very lightly covered by the thin 
leggings he wore for their workout...

Obi-Wan shook his head and sighed. These 
feelings were starting to weird him out and 
make him wonder if there wasn't something 
wrong with him. But right now, his side still 
ached slightly from the injury and he was 
exhausted. He wanted to get in a decent shower 
and a short nap before dinner. He'd worry 
about the rest later.

* * * 

In the dining hall that evening, Obi-Wan 
spotted and joined a group of padawans about 
his own age, many of whom he'd had classes 
with but he hadn't seen in months--some even 
for years until this recent leave at home. 
Some of them he'd been spending a little time 
with these past few weeks in the morning 
lectures and classes, but that was about it. 
The truth of the matter was he felt somewhat 
uncomfortable in their company--a bit 
disconnected, out of touch with the things 
they were interested in and wanted to talk 
about. Many of them seemed to spend a lot more 
time close to home than he and Qui-Gon did--
either their masters spent most of their time 
teaching instead of traveling, or they weren't 
called to duty as often as Qui-Gon was. 

With his long-standing record of success in 
the field, Obi-Wan's master was frequently 
requested by name when the Jedi were contacted 
for assistance. Though the Council was often 
chagrined by the Jedi master's seemingly 
reckless ways, they could not deny his 
effectiveness, nor often refuse to dispatch 
him when his presence was requested.

So it was that the longer Obi-Wan spent as 
Qui-Gon's apprentice, the less contact he had 
with his old friends. They didn't outright 
tell Obi-Wan he was not welcome, when he tried 
to join them and seek distraction in their 
company like now at dinner, but he didn't feel 
right at home with them, either.

"You and your master are like, never around, 
Obi," the girl he was sitting next to, Eva 
Seln, remarked. 

"Yeah, I heard some people joking the other 
day about how you two probably didn't really 
exist," another boy chimed in, who was a few years 
younger than the rest of the crowd. Obi-Wan did 
not know his name.

"What?" Obi-Wan asked.

"You know, no one ever sees you two around, 
but everyone's always hearing about the things 
you've done. 'Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stopped the 
war in the Delbian Sector. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan 
saved the heir to the Throne of Gallag. Qui-
Gon and Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan...' It's 
enough to make some people wonder if the 
Council just didn't make you two up so that 
the rest of us would have some sort of perfect 
standard we're all supposed to shoot for."

Many of the others laughed. Obi-Wan tried to 
manage a grin, but feeling uncomfortable to be 
the focus of such attention he argued, "We're 
not perfect. Things don't always go right for 
us, just like everyone else." At that point, 
to his relief, he spotted Qui-Gon enter the 
dining hall by himself. "Look, sorry to go but 
Master Jinn's here and I think he wants to 
talk to me about something," he partially 
stretched the truth, picking up his dinner 
tray and getting up to leave.

"Okay Obi. Catch you later," Eva said, and the 
others added their own quick good-byes before 
getting back to their conversation.

Obi-Wan waited until his master had gone 
through the service line and settled at a 
small table by himself. As he then approached 
the table, Qui-Gon looked up and greeted him 
with a questioning, "Obi-Wan?" 

"May I join you, Master?"

"Of course. But I don't want to take you away 
from your friends."

Obi-Wan shrugged as he sat down, busying his 
hands by peeling the fruit he'd chosen for 
dessert on his way over. "Actually, I wasn't 
really having a good time with them."

"Why not?"

Again he shrugged. "They're mostly talking 
about things and people I'm not interested in 
or don't know, 'cause I'm not here that much, 
I guess. I know I grew up with most of 
them...but it feels kind of different now." He 
hadn't really had many truly *close* friends 
as an initiate, either, except for Bant. And 
she was off with her master on a long-term 
assignment to one of the Outer Rim sectors, so 
he'd only seen her once in the last three 
years.

"Do you miss having more contact with people 
your own age, more friends?" Qui-Gon asked. 
"If you would want to spend more time here, 
going through more of the structured padawan 
education that some of the others enjoy, 
arrangements can be made--"

"No, no, I don't want that. I *like* this 
life. It's exactly what I always thought being 
a Jedi would be like," Obi-Wan admitted with a 
grin. "I want to see all of these different 
worlds, and take part in these missions 
because I know they're important. And...I like 
*your* company, Master. The things we talk 
about--politics and history and things like 
that...well, I find them more interesting than 
gossip about who managed to sneak out of the 
temple after curfew." 

Qui-Gon smiled. "Then, the matter is settled. 
I suppose I should not worry about neglecting 
the development of your social skills, 
Padawan. You always manage to ingratiate 
yourself with everyone from transport pilots 
to dukes and courtesans, no matter where we 
go. I just don't want you to miss out on the 
things most people your age enjoy."

"I'm not. I'm happy. Well, I'll be more happy 
when we have another mission."

"Then you'll be pleased to know that we have a 
new assignment. We're to go to Rainin and try 
to prevent the current political crisis from 
escalating to civil war."

"Sounds serious."

"Very. We won't be leaving for a few more 
days, but it's going to take that much time to 
prepare for the mission ahead. I suspect it 
will prove quite a challenge to achieve the 
peaceful resolution the Council--and the 
current ruling body on Rainin--has hopes for."

Qui-Gon briefed Obi-Wan on the basics of the 
assignment as he finished his dinner, and then 
the two returned to their quarters for the 
night. Obi-Wan's excitement over the prospect 
of leaving soon was somewhat dulled by the 
long list of texts Qui-Gon told him to read 
before they left, on the history of Rainin, 
its war-filled past, and the rather involved 
social customs the Jedi would be expected to 
follow while there. Still, Obi-Wan decided he 
could tolerate a few extra hours at the books 
if it meant an upcoming adventure.

* * * 

That night he had one of those dreams. 

The ones that disturbed him--not frightened 
him, like the one he'd had when he was 
younger, about his master dying in a strange 
battle. These just disturbed him, because the 
emotions and responses they caused within him 
physically were so intense and unexpected.

In this dream--as usual--he was with Qui-Gon, 
in his arms as he was so often during the 
night. But more than that. Qui-Gon's touch 
felt different. It made Obi-Wan's skin tingle, 
warmth filling his belly and eventually 
traveling elsewhere. Lower. And instead of a 
familiar kiss goodnight on the cheek or 
forehead, like Obi-Wan was used to, Qui-Gon 
kissed him on the mouth, then on his neck, 
repeatedly. When he did that it felt *so* 
good, the warmth that had settled between his 
legs suddenly erupted into a fire, pouring out 
of him, consuming him...

And he jerked awake, shaking and shuddering. 
His chest hurt from the heavy pounding of his 
heart until he was able to calm himself with a 
few deep breaths.

But then, as he came back to his senses, he 
felt a familiar, warm dampness against 
his skin and grimaced. *Not again!* he groaned 
mentally. *This is getting really annoying.*

Annoyance spilled over into fear as he 
realized he'd been curled up so close against 
Qui-Gon, the dampness was seeping through his 
thin pants and onto his master's. *Oh, 
_Sith!_* he thought, pulling away and sitting 
up to get a better look at the situation. 
*This is embarrassing. How am I going to 
explain this to him? There's no way I can 
clean this up without him waking up...*

In fact Qui-Gon was already awakening, either 
alerted to his padawan's mental distress or 
merely responding to the light of dawn, 
starting to come in through the large window 
in their bedroom. His eyes opened and he 
looked up at the young man, asking in a sleepy 
voice, "Obi-Wan? Is something wrong?" 

"I..." he started, feeling the blush coming to 
his cheeks, averting his eyes before 
answering, "I...sort of had an...accident."

"Accident?" Qui-Gon frowned, looking over his 
padawan...and then he glanced down, apparently 
feeling the damp spot against his thigh. "Oh, 
*that* sort of accident," he said with sudden 
understanding.

"I'm sorry, Master, I didn't--"

"Of course you didn't, Obi-Wan. Come here." 
Qui-Gon pulled the young man down against him 
and hugged him. "Don't be embarrassed. You're 
a young man and these things are only natural. 
There is no shame in our bodies' physical 
reactions."

"It's still kinda gross, if you ask me."

"There is nothing 'gross' about our bodies. Do 
you really feel ashamed of yours?"

"I...no, I'm not ashamed of my body. Not 
exactly."

"Are you ashamed of responses you have 
discovered in it? Urges? Pleasures you have 
experienced?"

The furious blush he'd felt before returned. 
"Kind of. Maybe."

"Padawan, there is nothing for you to be 
ashamed of. It is better for you to accept the 
pleasure your body can bring to you--through 
your own touch, through the touch of others--
than to feel guilt over that which is only 
natural." After a few moments of silence, Qui-
Gon continued, "It's time to include this 
subject in your studies, I think. There are 
some standard texts I want you to spend some 
time reading over the next few days. But I 
also want you to know that you can ask me 
*anything* about this subject, and you're not 
to feel embarrassed about it, understood?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, Master. Thank you."

"Good." Qui-Gon sat up, and patted Obi-Wan 
reassuringly on the shoulder. "Now, I think 
you should get cleaned up, and then we'll 
start meditation a little early this morning. 
It should help you relax. All right?"

Obi-Wan nodded again, relief flooding him that 
Qui-Gon was being so understanding about this. 
Unable to suppress a smile he sat up and 
grabbed his master in a hug, then jumped out 
of bed and ran off for the shower.

He thought he heard his master laughing softly 
to himself before the door to the bathroom 
closed.

* * *

Obi-Wan spent most of the next few days 
immersed in his reading. Some of it was in 
regard to their upcoming mission, since Qui-
Gon was grilling him every night to see how 
well he was absorbing the necessary 
information for the trip. The rest of it was 
devoted the other--and to Obi-Wan's mind much 
more interesting--set of textbooks Qui-Gon had 
put on his reading list. He wasn't 
*completely* uninformed about the subject of 
sex, but most of what he'd learned had been 
through snicker-filled, whispered 
conversations with others his own age. He'd 
never felt the urge nor been given an outright 
order to study the matter seriously before, 
and the information he was discovering was 
sometimes fascinating, sometimes bizarre, and 
sometimes downright...well, stimulating. 

"I don't believe I've ever seen you so 
dedicated to your reading assignments, 
Padawan." 

Obi-Wan sat up with a start, not having 
noticed Qui-Gon slip into their bedchamber. It 
was nearly time for sleep, and he was sprawled 
out on their bed with his datapad, his 
preferred place and position for reading. With 
a small blush he said, "Oh, well...this stuff 
you gave me to read is...really interesting, 
Master."

"Yes, I'm sure." He joined Obi-Wan in bed, 
stretching out his long frame and smiling 
gently. He looked amused but not disapproving 
of his padawan's concentrated interest in his 
new studies. "Is there anything you haven't 
understood in your reading yet? Anything you 
wish to ask me about?"

Obi-Wan shrugged, fighting the lingering 
feeling of embarrassment he had about talking 
about this subject with his master. But Qui-
Gon didn't seem embarrassed about bringing it 
up, so Obi-Wan figured he should try to work 
past his unease to prove he was capable of 
handling the subject like an adult. "The 
technical stuff--how things work physically--
that's not too hard to understand. Even if I 
never thought about doing some of those 
things, and I don't quite see how someone 
would find it pleasurable. But I guess I'll 
find out about that someday for myself," he 
added with a small grin.

"It's just...well, the emotional aspects of it 
all are different...that's what I'm not quite 
understanding yet. Attraction and love--
different types of love--and lust--it seems 
very important to know the difference between 
them. We're supposed to always be in touch 
with our emotions as Jedi, I know that...but I 
can't quite figure out the difference between 
these emotions. At least, how I could tell 
them apart...if I thought I was in love with 
someone, for instance."

"Yes, that is always a difficult question. And 
an important one, as you are wise to notice. 
Particularly for a Jedi, as some of these 
emotions bring us more in harmony with the 
Light Side of the Force...and others, if not 
recognized for what they are and kept under 
control, can bring us dangerously close to the 
Dark." Qui-Gon paused and then asked, "Tell 
me, Padawan, if it is not too personal to ask. 
Does this question cross your mind because you 
have feelings for someone you are confused 
about?"

Obi-Wan glanced nervously down at his hands. 
Should he really tell him? *If this could be 
dangerous, then I probably should. He'll know 
what I should do.* Taking a deep breath to 
calm his nerves, he then said, "Yes, Master. 
I...I've noticed my feelings for you have been 
changing, lately. Or I mean, the symptoms of 
physical arousal described in these books, I 
have those reactions when I'm with you, 
sometimes."

"Not around anyone else?"

"No, not that I can think of. I've...well... 
had dreams about being with you. And 
I've...pleasured myself...while thinking about 
you," he admitted before he could lose his 
courage.

"You are describing rather classic indications 
of sexual attraction, Padawan. Nothing out of 
the ordinary."

"So it's not wrong for me to have these 
feelings...considering the relationship we 
already have?"

"No, of course not, Obi-Wan. I've sensed these 
feelings developing in you for sometime; had 
they been inappropriate I would have been 
quick to discourage you."

That relieved Obi-Wan tremendously, gave him 
the confidence to observe, "I was wondering if 
it wasn't part of the bonding, another stage 
of it. Since you said before that there might 
be other changes that would come between us 
with time...is this one of them?" 

"Yes, I believe you are correct. Come, sit 
here with me." Qui-Gon opened his arms, and 
Obi-Wan got up and resettled against Qui-Gon's 
chest. The closeness immediately washed away 
the remainder of Obi-Wan's anxiety, and he 
listened with his full concentration as Qui-
Gon continued, "Sexual awakening is a very 
important time in a young Jedi's life. And it 
is often accompanied by feelings of desire for 
one's master, particularly when a bond as is 
strong as ours."

Obi-Wan had a strange, somewhat disturbing 
vision as he contemplated this. "Did you start 
having sexual feelings for Master Yoda, 
Master?" He couldn't help but start to laugh 
at that image.

"Imp!" Qui-Gon reached up to tug lightly on 
Obi-Wan's braid. "I should say not. Though to 
be perfectly honest, at the age of fifteen I 
did develop a strange desire to rub his ears. 
At which point he immediately ordered me to 
spend two hours a day in the company of an 
appropriately qualified--and human--Jedi 
healer. Such surrogates are nearly always 
required when a master and apprentice are of 
different species. We formed a temporary bond 
so that she could guide me through that aspect 
of my training. "

Obi-Wan wasn't sure he understood exactly what 
Qui-Gon was implying. "Training?"

"Yes, Obi-Wan." The hand which had been toying 
with his braid slid down to the loose tail of 
hair, and then fell to rest lightly on his 
arm. "Texts are all good and well in helping 
to explain these things--to an extent. But 
true understanding and acceptance of our 
sexual nature--and for a Jedi, the ability to 
control our desires--this requires a more 
direct approach."

"I see," Obi-Wan answered, finding his 
heartbeat quickening as he thought about this. 
"Will you be...completing this aspect of my 
training, Master?"

"As that seems to be the path chosen by the 
Force for you, yes. When you are ready, and 
that time seems to be close upon us." Qui-Gon 
bowed his head, resting it lightly against the 
top of Obi-Wan's as he slid his arm around the 
boy's waist. The young Jedi reached out 
slightly to sense his master's emotions, and 
found little resistance to his probe--instead 
he found those familiar feelings of 
contentment, and now perhaps a hint of... 
expectation? A feeling of attraction, similar 
to his own?

"You want this too, Master? You share these 
feelings?"

"Of course, Padawan. The bond calls me to this 
just as it does to you." Obi-Wan had a sense 
that there was more his master wanted to say, 
but that he was holding back. When he tried to 
sense Qui-Gon's emotions again, this time he 
was thoroughly blocked from learning anything 
more.

"The mission to Rainin must be our first 
priority right now, however. We leave tomorrow 
morning. I don't want to begin anything until 
I know we have some time without other 
responsibilities."

"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan knew he was going to 
have a rough enough time of it these next few 
days, imagining what lay ahead. It left him 
slightly dizzy with anticipation, just to 
think about the possibilities too much. Yet he 
also felt slightly relieved; Qui-Gon seemed to 
believe he was ready for this, and he trusted 
his master's judgement. But he was glad to 
have some time to think about it all first and 
mentally prepare himself, the best he could.

He had a feeling, though, that no amount of 
thought and meditation was going to completely 
prepare him for this particular aspect of his 
training.

* * *

Go on to part 3
 
Feedback craved if you've stayed with me this 
far! 

sidewinder@fanfiction.net