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"Obi-Wan!"
Groaning, Obi-Wan's mind was too foggy to answer his Master's call. His head hurt. His chest hurt. All of him hurt, and he really didn't want to wake up the rest of the way to feel all of that pain consciously.
"Obi-Wan!"
His Master's call was getting closer. Ingrained to obey, Obi-Wan let go of the desire to slip back into the cool dark of sleep. More awareness came to him. He could hear sparks and crackling nearby and sirens in the distance. He could feel waves of intense heat wrapping around him. The air smelled burnt and toxic.
Instinctively, Obi-Wan tried to get away from it, curling in on himself. The movement compressed his chest, which set off a brutal coughing fit.
"Obi-Wan." From Qui-Gon's tone, he'd clearly heard Obi-Wan's coughing. Only a few seconds later, his Master's shadow fell over him, and a big hand was cupping Obi-Wan's head to help ease his airway.
Still coughing, Obi-Wan looked through blurry eyes to see that everything around him was on fire. Obi-Wan had no idea what was going on or even where he was. All he could concentrate on was how hard it was to breathe.
"Are you alright?" Qui-Gon asked anxiously. Obi-Wan tried to answer, but just drawing in the air set off another coughing fit.
Qui-Gon shook his head, seeing there was no answer. "We have to go. Can you stand?" Even as he spoke, he shifted his hold to Obi-Wan's elbow to help lever him up. His other hand moved from Obi-Wan's shoulder to his waist as Obi-Wan was coaxed to sit up.
Breathing was a little better now but Obi-Wan still couldn't shake the hacking cough. Qui-Gon didn't give Obi-Wan a moment to try to overcome it, still pulling Obi-Wan to get him to stand.
All of Obi-Wan's body protested the action, even as he tried to obey. He could see the fire. While he didn't understand this situation, the ancient instinct in his primal brain could feel the danger he was in, and he was more than willing to follow his Master's command to leave.
But his body wouldn't cooperate. Even as he tried to get his feet under him, there was no strength there. His body felt shaky, and his headache was making him dizzy. He couldn't breathe properly.
Not far away, something popped loudly and the fire flared hot for a moment. Qui-Gon took immediate action. Obviously deciding they couldn't wait, he scooped Obi-Wan up into his arms.
Obi-Wan could feel the presence of the Force helping Qui-Gon take on his weight. He wanted to help somehow, but he couldn't even get his fingers to properly hold onto Qui-Gon's robes.
Burying his nose into Qui-Gon's shoulder, Obi-Wan tried to get away from the smoky air choking him. But this only made it more difficult to breathe, and he soon had to turn away to gulp in unhealthy air, which made him cough again.
While he was struggling with this, Qui-Gon was already a blur of motion. His actions augmented with the Force, he dashed as fast as he could while carrying a fully grown man in his arms and his way was beset with obstacles.
Peering over Qui-Gon's shoulder, Obi-Wan saw the twisted wreckage of the room he was in. As they passed into a hallway, he realized they were in a spaceship, though he still had no idea which ship and what had happened to cause so much destruction.
The quickly moving scenery was making his dizziness worse so even though it hurt his coughing, he put his head down on Qui-Gon's shoulder and waited for him to stop.
It wasn't long before that happened. Qui-Gon came to a sudden halt, gently setting Obi-Wan down on the ground before rushing away. Obi-Wan looked around to find they were in the cockpit of a ship, but it was so small that it couldn't possibly be for the spaceship they'd been running through. Indeed, Qui-Gon moved to the controls and quickly pressed the buttons that sealed the smaller ship from the one they were docked to.
Even as that was happening, Qui-Gon was ripping open a small cabinet to the left of the controls where a medkit was packed. He opened it up one-handed while he pressed more buttons to warm up the engines and begin pre-flight procedures.
Having moved from constant coughing to rapid breathing intermixed with coughs, Obi-Wan could only watch. He could see the stars outside the window move as the ship floated away from the other spaceship it was no longer tethered to.
Qui-Gon grabbed a mask and small tank from the medkit. He paused only a moment to flip a few switches on the control before turning to kneel next to Obi-Wan. He pulled Obi-Wan's arm away from where he'd been coughing into his sleeve, and put the mask on with brisk efficiency. The strap around Obi-Wan's head was too big, leaving it loose.
"Just give me a moment, and we'll take care of you," Qui-Gon promised as he tied the end of the tube coming from the medical mask to the oxygen tank. As soon as it was in place, he said, "Breathe deep."
He touched Obi-Wan's cheek briefly, and then sprang up to go to the controls again. He sat in the chair, now focused on getting them away from the burning spaceship. The stars were moving a bit faster as he engaged the short thrusters for a small burst to get them out of range of the spaceship so they could make a jump to hyperspace.
A sudden hard shake knocked Obi-Wan to the side. Something had blown on the other spaceship, spinning their little craft from a force they could feel but could not hear. They were repositioned so that more of the spaceship filled the window.
Qui-Gon cursed, and Obi-Wan felt he should be doing something. He was in such a daze, and he shook his head hard as if to clear it away. That only made his headache sharpen, and everything spun for a moment.
When he focused again, Qui-Gon was turning their craft away from the damaged spaceship. Obi-Wan could see the size of the thing. It was a large freighter, mostly made up of the hauler it was pulling. The fire was all over the hauler, spreading to the back of the spaceship where Obi-Wan had just been. There were small explosions of flames ejecting out into space, and Obi-Wan could feel the slight tremor of it in the metal under his hands.
The feeling was growing fainter as Qui-Gon quickly put distance between the two ships. Even as they were turning away, Qui-Gon was working out calculations. He didn't waste a moment; as soon as the ship had completed its turn, the blue of hyperspace enveloped them as Qui-Gon made the jump.
"We're clear," Qui-Gon said, sounding relieved.
He turned and then started when he saw Obi-Wan. His mask had fallen down his face when he'd fallen over, and he'd done nothing to put it back on. Qui-Gon jumped out of his seat to fix that.
Repositioning the mask over Obi-Wan's nose and mouth, he said, "You must keep this on. There's no telling how much smoke and chemicals you've breathed in." Qui-Gon took Obi-Wan's hand and put it over the mask to make Obi-Wan hold it in place.
"Hold that a moment. I'll be right back," Qui-Gon said. He waited to see if Obi-Wan obeyed.
Obi-Wan was breathing heavy -- the act of just drawing air in and out suddenly a monumentally exhausting process -- but when his Master moved to get up and leave, Obi-Wan was suddenly seized with panic. He tried to say, "Master." He wanted to ask what was going on, to apologize for not doing anything to help their escape, and just to do anything to keep Qui-Gon there.
But what came out was a croaked, "Ma-" It was enough to set off another coughing fit, more intense than what he'd had before now. He felt each cough like a blow to his chest.
Qui-Gon reacted instantly, moving close enough to put his large hand on Obi-Wan's back and rub circles. "Easy. Don't talk right now. Just breathe. Just focus on that."
Obi-Wan wanted to do more than that, but he gave in because just breathing seemed to be all he was capable of at the moment. The coughing fit eased a bit, letting him draw in wheezy breaths between coughs.
"That's it. Just breathe," Qui-Gon said approvingly. He moved his hand to squeeze Obi-Wan's shoulder briefly, and then was gone from Obi-Wan's side.
The ship was too small for him to go far. Obi-Wan could hear him rummaging around, but he could only focus on breathing, trying to ease the constricted feeling in his chest when he inhaled.
Tired, his hand fell away from the mask. Loose, it began to slip down, but Obi-Wan could not bring himself to care. He only had a few moments of rest before another coughing fit grabbed him.
"Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon said sharply, suddenly by his side and pulling the mask back into place. "Keep this on. You need the oxygen."
His voice was stern, sharp with obvious concern. Obi-Wan could only watch him through bleary eyes that were itchy and dry.
Qui-Gon relented. "Just hold it for a little longer while I switch over to the oxygen systems in the ship. I want to look at those burns too."
Burns?
Obi-Wan's mind was slow, not following as Qui-Gon fiddled with the mask. He tried to tighten the string around Obi-Wan's head, but it wasn't working well. He looped it over Obi-Wan's ears, and again manually pressed Obi-Wan's hand to the mask.
"Obi-Wan. You understand what's happening, don't you?" Qui-Gon said, peering closely at Obi-Wan.
Breathing heavily, Obi-Wan forced his mind to think. He was in a fire. His body felt rattled, so perhaps an explosion? He'd been unconscious, breathing in whatever was burning for an unknown time. He'd been oxygen-starved, and Qui-Gon had set him up with a temporary supply.
But he'd need more than that if he was to make it back to Coruscant. He still couldn't remember where they were or what they were doing, but he doubted Coruscant was only a few minutes away.
Slowly, Obi-Wan nodded and pressed the mask a little firmer to his face. Qui-Gon looked relieved. "Good. Just sit there. I've almost got the bacta in place."
Qui-Gon didn't go far from Obi-Wan, who saw his Master pick up a long tube he'd dropped when he'd come back to his apprentice's side. Obi-Wan focused on it, trying to keep his mind from wandering again. He tried to remember what it was Qui-Gon was doing.
His Master had said he was patching into the oxygen systems. Obi-Wan knew about that. Frowning as he gave a few small coughs, Obi-Wan tried to distract himself by thinking about how the oxygen systems were usually a mixture of oxygen and other elements to make breathable air. But it was possible to tap directly into the oxygen for emergencies.
And Qui-Gon was doing more than that. The tubing he was working with had a special filter with it, and Qui-Gon was adding an aerosolized bacta to the system. Not only would Obi-Wan be breathing oxygen, but bacta too. It would help the healing process in his lungs, and hopefully stop any further damage.
"Okay, just breathe normally," Qui-Gon said after he moved the mask's tube from the small oxygen tank to the oxygen/bacta system he'd jury-rigged.
Obi-Wan gave a little nod, and tried to obey. But he wasn't breathing normally at all. He could hear how labored his breathing was -- that was when he wasn't coughing. Obi-Wan tried to reach for the breathing exercises he'd learned in his meditation classes, hoping to calm his system down and reduce the coughing.
While he did that, Qui-Gon continued to work with rushed efficiency. He grabbed a small pain-patch, rolling up Obi-Wan's sleeve to stick it on his shoulder. There were tiny pricks as the dermal needles were activated, sending pain medicine through Obi-Wan's system. It instantly made Obi-Wan's shoulder numb, but it would be a few minutes before the rest of him felt any relief.
After putting the patch on, Qui-Gon gently took Obi-Wan's hand. Obi-Wan could see the burn now. His arm and the side of his hand were red and irritated. It wasn't a terribly deep burn, but it did hurt.
Qui-Gon pulled out bandages and bacta gel from the medkit, and began to put them on Obi-Wan's wounds.
Obi-Wan's eyes were getting tired. He tried to follow what Qui-Gon was doing, trying to understand in his own mind where his hurts were coming from and what was going on. It shouldn't be so hard to concentrate. He shouldn't be so confused.
But he was dizzy and his headache was getting worse. Alternating between coughing and panting, Obi-Wan began to feel like he was suffocating. He pulled the mask down so there wasn't anything obstructing his breathing -- the instinct to get more air overriding any sense of what was really going on.
"Obi-Wan, stop!" Qui-Gon said, immediately letting go of Obi-Wan's hand where he'd been putting a bacta patch on so he could put the mask back on.
Obi-Wan threw up his hands to prevent that. He needed to breathe, but at that moment, it felt impossible. He couldn't have anything in the way.
"Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon's tone was again sharp with frustration and concern as he grabbed Obi-Wan's hands to pull them away. "Stop that."
"Can't . . . breathe." Just saying that felt like pulling daggers out of his throat, and Obi-Wan tried weakly to pull his hands free.
Qui-Gon looked at him sympathy. "The mask is helping with that. You have to let it work. You know that."
Obi-Wan shook his head. He didn't know anything right now. His world was the pain in his body and the fact that he couldn't take a proper breath.
Qui-Gon gently squeezed Obi-Wan's hands, perhaps thinking he'd at least quieted Obi-Wan for a moment. But when he moved to put the mask back on, Obi-Wan again tried to block him. He was becoming agitated, and a coughing fit took hold.
It was vicious, one harsh cough after the other until Obi-Wan honestly felt like he was choking as he tried to cough something up that wasn't there. Qui-Gon's irritation turned to alarm as the coughing fit just wouldn't ease.
Bodily, he manhandled Obi-Wan into a new position. They ended up with Obi-Wan sitting facing away from Qui-Gon between his Master's legs -- his back to Qui-Gon's chest. Qui-Gon had one strong arm around Obi-Wan's chest, pinning his arms down so Obi-Wan couldn't grab at his mask. The other hand was covering Obi-Wan's mask, making sure it stayed in place.
"Relax. You need to calm down and let it pass," Qui-Gon said. He continued to speak, and Obi-Wan realized it wasn't what he was saying but how he was saying it. His register was deep, tone quiet, and tempo hypnotically steady.
Slowly, Obi-Wan's coughing eased off. It left him feeling utterly drained, and his chest heaved as he desperately tried to grab whatever air he could.
"That's it. Just breathe. Relax against me. Don't worry about anything else. Just breathe," Qui-Gon said quietly.
Obi-Wan made a small motion with his hands, although he had no idea what he wanted. He had no strength to break Qui-Gon's hold, and the fight had gone out of him.
"Relax," Qui-Gon said again. He gently urged Obi-Wan to settle back against him, and Obi-Wan could only obey.
His body felt heavy. His head was spinning. Every other breath was punctuated with a cough.
"Breathe, Love," Qui-Gon said. He pressed a kiss against the back of Obi-Wan's neck. It was so surreal to Obi-Wan. His Master had never done anything like this before. Distantly, he realized he was being held in his Master's arms. It was something he'd always wanted, but he couldn't grasp any more than that right now.
Exhausted and hurting, Obi-Wan couldn't deny himself the comfort of being so close to the man he loved. He needed to feel grounded as he fought for each breath he had.
"Rest. Let yourself sleep."
Obi-Wan had been Qui-Gon's Padawan too long not to obey. Eyes finally falling closed, he let himself sink into Qui-Gon's embrace.
###
His rest was fitful, punctuated with coughing spells. It was not a deep sleep, letting him feel how his Master eased away from restraining to just holding him. And then Qui-Gon was rubbing his arms or petting his hair -- soothing gestures to settle Obi-Wan when the coughing was bad or he was trying to pull up back to wakefulness.
There were kisses too, quick ones to the edge of his forehead or into his hair. Obi-Wan felt that he was dreaming. Surely, he must have been. His Master didn't kiss him like that. They weren't like that.
But dream or not, he let himself enjoy his Master's attentions. He needed something to help him through it.
When Obi-Wan finally did claw his way back to wakefulness, he didn't feel rested at all. His body was even more sore than before and he was so tired.
"Master." It came out hoarse.
"Don't speak," Qui-Gon said. "Save your strength. We'll be home shortly, and then we'll get you looked at."
Home was actually a half hour away at this point. Obi-Wan had a half hour of in-and-out wakefulness, and Qui-Gon held him the whole time.
Only when they dropped out of hyperspace did Qui-Gon ease himself away. He helped prop Obi-Wan against the ship's wall, and stayed until he was sure Obi-Wan wouldn't remove the breath mask.
Obi-Wan felt a little more lucid at least, and his headache had eased a bit. He was able to keep the mask in place while Qui-Gon returned to the controls and flew the ship down to the Jedi Temple.
Once they had landed, Qui-Gon returned to him. "Master Caudle is waiting for us. You'll go down to the infirmary to get checked over. I have to give the Council a report on the mission, but I'll join you once that's done."
Obi-Wan didn't want his Master to go, and he reached out for him. Qui-Gon caught his hand. "You'll be fine, Obi-Wan. I'll be with you soon."
He gently squeezed Obi-Wan's hand. The expression in his eyes was tender but haunted too. Obi-Wan wanted to ask about that. He wanted to ask about other things too.
But the door was suddenly opening, and Master Caudle was there with a hover-bed and a medical droid. Qui-Gon scooped Obi-Wan up again, grunting as he took on Obi-Wan's weight. He gently settled Obi-Wan onto the hover-bed.
"I'll see you soon," Qui-Gon promised, and then Master Caudle was taking Obi-Wan away.
###
Obi-Wan was sure his Master had kept his promise to return, but Obi-Wan was not awake to see him. Master Caudle immediately put him on a more aggressive pulmonary treatment, which meant knocking Obi-Wan out.
When Obi-Wan did wake up, he was feeling infinitely better. His throat was still killing him, and Master Caudle warned him his recovery was not over yet, but Obi-Wan was deemed fit enough that he was released to return to his own rooms without an escort. It was late so Master Caudle had offered to let Obi-Wan stay overnight, but Obi-Wan had indicated he would sleep better in his own rooms.
He didn't go to his own rooms though.
Instead, he went to his Master's rooms. He stood outside of them for several long minutes, debating his course of action. Logically, he should leave it for tomorrow -- that was if he didn't leave it forever. His Master was probably asleep, and Obi-Wan was in a terrible position to have an in-depth conversation.
What finally decided him was another bout of coughing. It wasn't nearly as bad as what he'd experienced in the aftermath of the fire, but he did desperately want some water, and his Master's rooms were right there.
He hit the chimes twice, and Qui-Gon answered quickly enough that he probably hadn't been asleep.
"Obi-Wan? What are you doing here?"
"Water," Obi-Wan said, voice rough and gravely. That was all Qui-Gon needed to allow Obi-Wan entry. He immediately went to a small sink to fill a glass, which Obi-Wan drank greedily when Qui-Gon handed it over.
"You should be in the infirmary," Qui-Gon said sternly as he took the glass back and refilled it.
Hands free, Obi-Wan pulled out the datapad Master Caudle had given him. He didn't even have to type out the message, having done so back in the infirmary.
Master Caudle released me. I'm good to recuperate on my own, but I shouldn't speak too much or do anything strenuous. I'm to rest and let my lungs recover.
He handed the datapad to Qui-Gon, who read it. "You were released in the middle of the night?"
Obi-Wan quickly typed a response. I didn't want to stay, and Master Caudle said if I felt better in my own room, that was fine.
"And yet you are here," Qui-Gon noted quietly.
Obi-Wan wrote the answer quickly, but hesitated a moment before handing the datapad over to be read.
I didn't want to be alone.
He waited anxiously for Qui-Gon's reaction. His Master stared at the datapad longer than he needed to read it, leaving Obi-Wan unsure if he'd read the situation correctly.
Finally, Qui-Gon met his eyes and handed the datapad back. "I must admit, after the scare of this last mission, I wouldn't mind having you somewhere where I can see you are alright."
Obi-Wan frowned. "Scare?"
Qui-Gon shook his head, and reached out to very gently touch two fingers to Obi-Wan's throat. "You shouldn't talk." His hand moved to cup Obi-Wan's face. His palm was big and warm against Obi-Wan's cheek, who couldn't help leaning into it.
Qui-Gon studied him with an intense expression as he answered Obi-Wan's question. "But, yes, I was scared. When the explosion rocked the ship and I lost communication with you, and then it took so long to get to you, and to see you struggling so hard to breathe -- I never want to live through that again. I hate seeing you hurting."
Obi-Wan could see the honest sadness in his eyes, and he wished he could speak clearly to soothe the pain he saw there.
Typing a new sentence into the datapad, he deleted it, and then typed it again. Qui-Gon let his hand drop and waited patiently.
Obi-Wan's hands were trembling when he handed the datapad over.
Did you kiss me?
"Yes." Qui-Gon's answer was maddeningly uninformative, and his expression was very guarded. It was nice that Obi-Wan hadn't imagined the tiny kisses he'd received, but there was nothing about their meaning. Obi-Wan had to know.
Do you want to do it again?
Qui-Gon inhaled sharply when he read Obi-Wan's words, his head snapping up to meet Obi-Wan's eyes with a burning intensity that made Obi-Wan's trembling worse. Qui-Gon took a step closer, into Obi-Wan's personal space, and said in a low voice, "More than anything."
Obi-Wan's fingers were shaky with nerves as he reached up to rest them on his Master's broad shoulders. Qui-Gon needed no more prompting than that to pull Obi-Wan into his arms and kiss him properly.
It was everything Obi-Wan had ever dreamed of. He wanted to sink into that kiss fully.
His body betrayed him though, and he had to pull away far too soon. His throat was tight, and he rested his head against his Master's shoulder as he tried desperately to suppress the cough that was bubbling up inside.
He didn't want his Master to think he didn't enjoy the kiss.
"Obi-Wan, if you need to cough, then cough," Qui-Gon said, reaching for the glass of water.
Obi-Wan felt terrible but his eyes were watering from trying to keep the coughing in. He paid for it with a longer coughing fit than he'd had since receiving Master Caudle's treatment.
Gratefully, he drank the water Qui-Gon offered as Qui-Gon rubbed his back.
Obi-Wan had overextended himself. His hand was shaky as he set the glass down, and he felt so tired. He tried to shake it away, wanting to return to the much more important talk he was having with his Master.
For a moment, he forgot about his restriction not to speak. He opened his mouth, but Qui-Gon anticipated him, pressing a finger against his lips.
"Doctor's orders, remember?" Qui-Gon said, a slightly teasing tone to his voice. But his eyes were so concerned, and Obi-Wan hated to worry him.
Qui-Gon pressed a quick kiss to Obi-Wan's lips. "You do need to heal. If you want to stay with me tonight, I want you nowhere else but here. But you must let yourself rest."
Obi-Wan nodded, letting himself be pulled into his Master's embrace. Partly that was because he was delighted to be held but partly it was because he needed Qui-Gon's strength to hold him up.
Qui-Gon allowed them to stay like that for a long moment, and Obi-Wan was in danger of falling asleep on his feet.
But eventually Qui-Gon ushered Obi-Wan to his bed. It should've been monumental to finally be in his Master's bed -- a place he'd dreamed of for longer than he could remember -- and when they were finally on the same page.
Obi-Wan was so exhausted though. He couldn't even concentrate on Qui-Gon rearranging blankets, helping Obi-Wan take off the medical slippers he still wore, or settling them together to sleep.
But he was aware enough to feel when Qui-Gon pulled him close. Obi-Wan snuggled into his embrace. Obi-Wan savored the feel of Qui-Gon gently stroking his hair, and he smiled when Qui-Gon pressed a kiss to his temple.
Obi-Wan's throat still itched and his body was still very sore, but at this moment, none of that mattered. Safe in his Master's embrace, Obi-Wan had never felt so content.