Troublemaker, Part 9: Cold and Warm
Qui-Gon tried to get comfortable on his sleep mat. After the trip to the Jedi park, he had thought this little camping trip back to Letinn would be good. He could get to spend some time alone with Obi-Wan, just the two of them, no initiates, no Masters, no classes, and no missions. They had spent the day hiking, swimming, watching the wildlife, and all the other fun things he could think of.
In retrospect, it may not have been the best idea, considering Obi-Wan spent virtually, no, actually every day he was at the Temple with him. He was also discovering that one of Obi-Wan's favorite pastimes was complaining, which he did in abundance. Not that it made Qui-Gon love him less; it was just very irritating. After all, he only did it for attention, and Qui-Gon did not know how he could possibly give him any more.
"Master?" came the voice from beside him, which should have been asleep under the starry sky.
"What?" came the almost frustrated answer.
"I'm cold."
"Go to sleep, Obi-Wan."
"But I'm cold!"
"You have plenty of blankets. You should not be cold."
"But I am!"
Qui-Gon sighed. He knew what the child was after.
"Come here." He sat up, and a second later, a small bundle bolted into his midsection.
"Fank you, Master," Obi-Wan said as he curled into the Master, the cold night making him sound even more childish.
"Ow, Obi-Wan, that's my spleen!" Qui-Gon tried to keep the boy from burrowing into his torso while still keeping him warm.
"Obi-Wan, you know Jedi have to learn to live in cold and warm places. They don't always have their Masters there to keep them warm."
"I'm not a Jedi." Obi-Wan seemed not to understand.
"Not yet, but you will be, unless of course you kill your poor old Master first." He was still trying to keep his internal organs internal.
"Obi-Wan, relax. I have you." The child finally ceased to dig into the Master's belly. Qui-Gon heaved a sigh of relief that he was still intact.
"Fank you, Master. I wuv you!" Obi-Wan said from his new, warm bed area.
"No, you don't. If you really loved me, you wouldn't give me such trouble," Qui-Gon joked, but Obi-Wan seemed to misunderstand again. His little eyes looked up at the Master.
"But I do!" he insisted. "I wuv you, Master!" His turquoise eyes misted over.
"Oh, child." Qui-Gon framed the boy's face in his hands. "I know you do." He would never doubt the boy's love for him. "Sometimes though your actions seem to indicate otherwise." At the blank look he received, he decided to rephrase what he had said. "You act like you don't, even though you do."
"Me sorry, Master Qui-Gon. I'll try to do better." One little hand curled around two of Qui-Gon's thick fingers. "We still friends?"
Qui-Gon smiled. "Yes, little one, we're still friends."
"Good." Obi-Wan yawned. Qui-Gon pulled the blanket snuggly around them and lay down with the young boy tucked against him.
"Master?"
"Yes, Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon still smiled, thinking he would hear one of Obi-Wan's sweet, childish affections.
"I'm still cold."
Qui-Gon's smile fell into a teeth-grinding grimace. It was going to be a very long night.
Qui-Gon tried to get comfortable on his sleep mat. After the trip to the Jedi park, he had thought this little camping trip back to Letinn would be good. He could get to spend some time alone with Obi-Wan, just the two of them, no initiates, no Masters, no classes, and no missions. They had spent the day hiking, swimming, watching the wildlife, and all the other fun things he could think of.
In retrospect, it may not have been the best idea, considering Obi-Wan spent virtually, no, actually every day he was at the Temple with him. He was also discovering that one of Obi-Wan's favorite pastimes was complaining, which he did in abundance. Not that it made Qui-Gon love him less; it was just very irritating. After all, he only did it for attention, and Qui-Gon did not know how he could possibly give him any more.
"Master?" came the voice from beside him, which should have been asleep under the starry sky.
"What?" came the almost frustrated answer.
"I'm cold."
"Go to sleep, Obi-Wan."
"But I'm cold!"
"You have plenty of blankets. You should not be cold."
"But I am!"
Qui-Gon sighed. He knew what the child was after.
"Come here." He sat up, and a second later, a small bundle bolted into his midsection.
"Fank you, Master," Obi-Wan said as he curled into the Master, the cold night making him sound even more childish.
"Ow, Obi-Wan, that's my spleen!" Qui-Gon tried to keep the boy from burrowing into his torso while still keeping him warm.
"Obi-Wan, you know Jedi have to learn to live in cold and warm places. They don't always have their Masters there to keep them warm."
"I'm not a Jedi." Obi-Wan seemed not to understand.
"Not yet, but you will be, unless of course you kill your poor old Master first." He was still trying to keep his internal organs internal.
"Obi-Wan, relax. I have you." The child finally ceased to dig into the Master's belly. Qui-Gon heaved a sigh of relief that he was still intact.
"Fank you, Master. I wuv you!" Obi-Wan said from his new, warm bed area.
"No, you don't. If you really loved me, you wouldn't give me such trouble," Qui-Gon joked, but Obi-Wan seemed to misunderstand again. His little eyes looked up at the Master.
"But I do!" he insisted. "I wuv you, Master!" His turquoise eyes misted over.
"Oh, child." Qui-Gon framed the boy's face in his hands. "I know you do." He would never doubt the boy's love for him. "Sometimes though your actions seem to indicate otherwise." At the blank look he received, he decided to rephrase what he had said. "You act like you don't, even though you do."
"Me sorry, Master Qui-Gon. I'll try to do better." One little hand curled around two of Qui-Gon's thick fingers. "We still friends?"
Qui-Gon smiled. "Yes, little one, we're still friends."
"Good." Obi-Wan yawned. Qui-Gon pulled the blanket snuggly around them and lay down with the young boy tucked against him.
"Master?"
"Yes, Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon still smiled, thinking he would hear one of Obi-Wan's sweet, childish affections.
"I'm still cold."
Qui-Gon's smile fell into a teeth-grinding grimace. It was going to be a very long night.