You’re really just going to leave mypainyourpain there? Without Qui-Gon saying anything?? Come on!! That is wildly unfair!! More please? What happened?? What happens next???
Frozen
in bed, his hands fisted in his lap, Obi-Wan struggled to find words
as he continued to stare at Qui-Gon with wide eyes.
He
couldn’t have heard right and yet he could feel that the other
wasn’t lying.
And
despite how weak he was, Obi-Wan forced himself to reach out towards
his master’s hands resting on the bed
and pinch Qui-Gon’s left
wrist,
feeling the responding pain in his own wrist that physically
confirmed everything the other was saying.
Qui-Gon
allowed it, his face set in a bleak grimace as he continued watching
his padawan.
‘And
soulmate.’ A small voice whispered in Obi-Wan’s mind.
“…I
guess that does explain why we never shared a bed during missions.”
Obi-Wan licked his lips nervously, shifting a bit in bed as he
couldn’t help but comment. He had to admit he was curious about it
when his fellow padawans had mentioned sharing bed with their masters
on cramped transports and lodgings.
Somehow
Obi-Wan however had never done that, there had always been enough
credits for them to get an extra bed or even a room.
Now
it made sense.
Qui-Gon
just chuckled wryly, resting his head in his hands as his elbows
rested on the bed.
Frowning
thoughtfully, Obi-Wan licked his chapped lips. “…I didn’t think
this was legal?” He finally stated as he looked at his other.
Taking
a deep breath through his nose, Qui-Gon let out a soft sigh.
“Officially there is no rule in place to prevent it, however it is…
considered a social taboo,” He murmured before smiling wryly.
“There’s a lot of ways I could have taken advantage of this
situation basically.” Qui-Gon stated.
Frowning
deeply, remembering all the conversations with council member Koon
and Ti, Obi-Wan nodded slowly.
Some
of their questions made sense now.
They
had been checking that Qui-Gon hadn’t done anything untoward to
Obi-Wan or corrupting him in some way.
Frown
deepening even more, Obi-Wan licked his chapped lips. “Then why
were you allowed to be my master?” Obi-Wan finally asked the
question taunting him, staring at blue eyes.
Qui-Gon’s
shoulders slumped and the truth came out of his mouth.
Obi-Wan
was sick.
Soul
sick.
Soul
withering.
His
soul had been withering but thanks to the bond he had with his
soulmate, the effects had been staved off for a few years until he
was older and more responsible,
culpable for his own actions and recognized as an adult in everyone’s
eyes.
Until
Obi-Wan could actually have a soulbond with his soulmate, who was his
master, who had kept an eye on him.
‘That
explains the past Hall visits too, now that I’m thinking about.’
Obi-Wan dropped his eyes back into his lap, eyes widening a bit as he
remembered all the visits and all the checks, the way they had used
the aura crystals and how it had turned faintly red or black
depending on how they moved it around Obi-Wan’s body.
‘It
had been getting bigger…’ He remembered the last visit, the
growing spot of red and black in the crystal.
The
sign of his growing soul rot?
Another
thought occurred too, all those knights and masters who had seemed
interested before in Obi-Wan as a padawan, only never to return for
him and now Obi-Wan could take quite a few educated guesses as to who
had involved his clawed green hands in that situation to keep them
from taking Obi-Wan on.
Pressing
his hands together, Obi-Wan bit his lower lip to try and hold back before letting out a
soft sob.
It
was just so much to take in, soul withering, soulmate bond, Qui-Gon,
his apprenticeship, how it was none of his fault that he hadn’t
been picked, not really, how he had been sick for years without
knowing…
Tears
leaked down his face as another hiccuping sob escaped him.
There
was a shift of cloth and then the bedside sunk before hesitant arms
wrapped around him, Qui-Gon cautiously checking if he was welcome
before tightening his arms around Obi-Wan when he pressed his face
into his soulmate and master’s neck.
This
was his soulmate and his master, and Obi-Wan was damn well due some
comfort as his hands weakly twisted into the tunic as he shook and
cried over all the things that had been going on and all the things
that hadn’t been his own damn fault.
He
wasn’t about to reject Qui-Gon for keeping quiet on something like
this, even if the emotional trauma was there and therefore he was
doubly due the comfort of being held and cuddled tightly into the
warms of someone who cared.
And
Obi-Wan knew the other cared.
He
could feel it through what he now knew was a soulbond, Qui-Gon’s
emotions of worry and care reaching him easily.
And
so, in the sterile room of one of the private rooms of the Halls with
his master and soulmate holding him and his own vanilla scented
blanket resting over his legs,
Obi-Wan cried thick and heavy tears mixed with confusion and pain.