Just Easier Than Dealing With the Pain

By: Syntyche

Chapter Two

Obi-Wan slowly dragged himself into the rooms he shared with his Master. Bruised and sore from his latest sparring practice but blessedly tired, he dumped the several readers he'd collected from the Temple library into an abnormally untidy heap on the tabletop. He paused only to collect the topmost reader from the stack before heading for his room; Obi-Wan tossed the reader onto his desk with a clatter, but hung his lightsaber and robe with his usual care.

Obi-Wan stripped off his boots and workout tunic, uncaring of where they landed, collected clean clothing, and stumbled off to the fresher.

Ah, home, finally.

It wasn't that Qui-Gon Jinn hadn't enjoyed seeing his longtime friend Aerin again, or attending Aerin's wedding, for he quite had – perhaps a little too much, he admitted ruefully, gingerly massaging the slight headache that remained. He had not counted on taking an extra week to recover from the massive hangover he'd endured from the all the ceremonial toasting Corellians were wont to take part in, but as it had been quite a long time since he'd taken any semblance of a "vacation," he felt completely justified in taking the additional time off.

He lifted a hand to the touchpad by the door, glad to be home to the familiar after a three-week absence.

The instant he stepped inside, however, Qui-Gon realized something was out of place.

Not wrong, exactly, but there was a discordant hum in the air, a buzzing of not-quite-rightness that permeated the empty space. The Jedi Master's eyebrows knotted in puzzlement as he surveyed the rooms he and his Padawan shared, trying to trace the hum to its source – and to locate his absent apprentice.

"Obi-Wan?"

There was no affirming answer, either vocally or over the mental bond they shared. With sudden comprehension, Qui-Gon realized that he could hardly sense his apprentice at all. He'd not considered it much during his time off-planet, being so far away from Obi-Wan, but now that he was near his Apprentice again, he ought to have been able to sense him. Qui-Gon realized this, and it worried him. His Padawan meant more to him than life itself, and if something had happened to him while the Jedi Master was away...

"Obi-Wan?"

He carefully followed the tenuous thread of their link to his Padawan's room. The door was ajar and the light on, so Qui-Gon stepped around to peer inside.

Obi-Wan was slumped over the desk, but Qui-Gon relaxed as he realized the young man's breathing was deep and even. Obi-Wan was asleep. His arms were crossed over a data reader he'd evidently been studying, and his ginger hair stuck up in erratic, damp spikes. Qui-Gon couldn't help but smile. He closed his eyes and gently touched the weakened tendril of their bond, intending to strengthen it …

… And his eyes snapped open as he realized, with a wave of surprise, that the not-quite-rightness was emanating directly from his Padawan.

"Obi-Wan?" He put a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder, in his worry shaking him a little harder than necessary to wake him.

"Master … ?" Obi-Wan started groggily, and slowly lifted his head to face Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan's native accent was thick with sleep and surprise. "I – I didn't realize you were due back today. I'm sorry I wasn't there to meet your transport. How was your journey?"

Qui-Gon laughed at the rush of words coming from his obviously fatigued Padawan. "Slow down, my Obi-Wan. 'Hello' would have sufficed to start."

Obi-Wan blushed sheepishly, scrubbing a hand across his bleary eyes. "Yes, Master. Sorry, Master. Your journey?"

"My journey was well, Padawan," Qui-Gon answered briefly, feeling a bit too tired to offer much detail, and not sure how much he actually wanted to share with Obi-Wan. He had little doubt his Padawan would find the story of his weeklong hangover quite humorous, but to be the target of Obi-Wan's rather dry sense of humor for the next few weeks did not bode well with the Jedi Master. "We will discuss it in more detail at a later time."

"Mm? Oh. Yes, Master." Obi-Wan was still ineffectually fighting sleepiness, and his head had dropped back down onto his arms during Qui-Gon's brief pause. "Whenever is convenient for you."

Qui-Gon eyed his apprentice carefully. "Perhaps we should discuss it when it is more convenient for you, young one. Is something wrong, Obi-Wan?" he asked quietly, but firmly. "Have you not been getting enough rest, enough to eat? I had hoped you could survive without me for a few weeks," he teased lightly.

To his surprise, Obi-Wan actually scowled at him. "I'm fine, Master, thank you. I can take of myself," he added softly, his eyes dark with an emotion Qui-Gon recognized all too well and was confused to see in his caring and gentle apprentice.

Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow, also picking up on the slight frittering of Obi-Wan's rush of insecurity through their bond before the younger Jedi hastily damped it down, weakening the already strained bond. Qui-Gon couldn't help a sigh.

"I'm not so sure," he said honestly, and Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.

end chapter two