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Could things get even more annoying in this tree-hugging affair? Master Dooku asked himself. Apparently, they could. Sleeping with about fifty tree-huggers crammed up in one old army tent was far from Master Dooku's ideal of a holiday. Escape was not possible because outside it was raining the Triondean equivalent of felines and canines.
Another notch of discomfort was added by the fact that his Padawan had given away his own insulation mat in a chivalrous manner to a girl belonging to a straggling group of more tree enthusiasts who had walked into the camp at sunset. Purportedly to help with the tree-planting effort, but with almost no more equipment than enthusiasm and love for, well ... trees at day and fellow tree-huggers at night.
Probably the whole claim to further international understanding by tree-planting was a sly excuse for an international snogging event.
If things had been up to Master Dooku, the sweetly smiling redhead would have slept on the bare ground to learn her lesson about proper preparation when embarking on a mission that lasted more than a day.
If things had been left to a sterner Master, his own Padawan would have slept on the ground to learn to be more resourceful with the equipment provided by the Temple.
But, as things were, the said Padawan had occupied the edge of his Master's insulation mat with a "If you don't mind", as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Well, actually Master Dooku didn't mind - were it not for Qui-Gon's wriggling and squirming.
//Is there a colony of Corellian fire ants in your sleeping bag, Padawan, or would you otherwise care to explain this tossing and turning about?//
// I'm just slipping over the edge of the mat, Master,// came the drowsy answer. The feeling that accompanied it was content, however. A little smug even.
Master Dooku started to wonder if the sacrifice of his insulation mat had been an utterly selfless act on Qui-Gon's part. There was too much mat-sharing going on around them, and perhaps that had given his Padawan other ideas. Or was it just himself who was having other ideas now?
//One-man mats, my young Padawan, are by definition meant to provide space for one person. And in case of this mat, the one person is me.//
//Do you want me to leave?// Now the smugness was gone, and disappointment coloured the mental words.
No. Not really. //I want you to be more resourceful next time. If these young ladies bring no mats for themselves despite the weather forecast, it's their problem, not yours. You could have invited her onto your mat. Then you would know what it is like to be the target of a squirming attacker. Who knows...// he added with a chuckle. //Perhaps you would have enjoyed it ...//
//Master!// Youthful indignation came with that thought. And more squirming.
Master Dooku frowned, a little exasperated. Had he not deserved a little rest after planting 36 rows of trees today?
There were three courses of action available to him: the first, to ban the wriggler from the mat. Second, to tell him to stop wriggling although the cause for wriggling - his position on the edge of the mat - still existed. Third, to share the space in a better way.
Releasing his exasperation with a sigh, Master Dooku opted for number three, even if it meant he had to sleep on his side. Spooned up, there would be space enough for two. He turned towards his charge, and with a contented groan Qui-Gon wormed into position. Master Dooku put his left arm under his head to make a cushion, but his right hand was snatched by the intruder and pulled it forward around his chest, entwining his fingers with his Master's and lying perfectly still then. His shields went up, however. Master Dooku glimpsed a mix of smugness and satisfaction shining through: mission accomplished.
A grin spread over Master Dooku's face. The little scoundrel! Though 'little' didn't describe Qui-Gon anymore. With his sixteen years, he stood scarcely half a head shorter than his Master, and that was why he couldn't tuck Qui-Gon's head under his chin now as he had done once, when as a thirteen year-old Padawan, Qui-Gon had almost frozen to death on a flyer on which the heating system had been sabotaged. He remembered the chattering of teeth all too well, and the boy's fear of suffocation because the oxygen supply was reduced to a degree that keeping warm by exercise hadn't been an option anymore. Meditation and shared body heat alone had kept them alive.
Since then, Qui-Gon hadn't sought such closeness, almost as if embarrassed for his pathetic freezing back then. The more surprising it was now.
Or not. Master Dooku rested his cheek against Qui-Gon's head, allowing himself to nuzzle into a more comfortable position, and got his hand squeezed slightly in response. Qui-Gon's thumb stroked his hand in a slow rhythm.
Master Dooku drew a deep breath. This was so comfortable that it quickly grew uncomfortable.
Qui-Gon was no thirteen year-old anymore, but a young man, whose voice had broken long ago and who rebelliously grew his first attempts at a beard -- if he wasn't sent back to the refresher to shave properly every few days. And other sex characteristics had developed as well. Of course he had noticed that too, even if during the last year, his Padawan had become shy of sharing the communal showers with him.
So here it was: the first Padawan crush from his first Padawan. Having been the green troll's Padawan, Master Dooku had no idea what to do about it. Of course he knew the Code: the Masters' edition of it, and the whole yadda-yadda of the commentary, thank you very much.
But how did he tell his kind-hearted Qui-Gon that this was going too far? Not because a Padawan was particularly forbidden to hold his Master's hand, or stroke it. But because of the way the Master reacted to it. And the way the Padawan's grand-master would react if he knew about that attraction.
Now Master Dooku fought hard not to wriggle.
Force help me! he thought and focussed on his penis to make his arousal go away. It would so not do to desire his student, when two thirds of the Council had considered him too young to take a Padawan, and Master Yoda had only agreed in a gruff voice because the Force had been faster than the green one's plans.
"Too young you are!" the troll had growled. "First Padawan for you: a Senior Padawan they should be. Someone who has lost their Master. Someone only a year or two away from their trials. Not a youngling! Spoil young Qui-Gon you will. Make him as defiant as you are, you will!"
But the only 'will' that had triumphed, had been the will of the Force. He remembered the day clearly. He was on a short break between missions at the Temple, immersed in mission preparation when his newly knighted friend, Jocasta Nu, had dropped by. She had told him that her former Master was about to look for a new Padawan to fill the gap she had left and had asked if he would like to accompany them to the crèche. Knight Dooku had been far from pleased, but it looked like the only opportunity to spend a few hours with Jocasta before she was sent on her first mission as knight.
The initiates were busy with lightsaber katas. In Dooku's eyes they were a sorry bunch. Only two stood out: a dark-skinned, bald human boy, and another boy with blue eyes and a damaged nose. Jocasta's master asked them for a sparring match, and while the dark boy fought with vigour and dogged determination, the other one, Qui-Gon, seemed to seek the fun of it and the communion with the Force the duel provided. He lost, and commented on his defeat with a grin and a shrug.
Of course, Jocasta's Master took the dark boy to the benches to talk with him in private. Knight Dooku couldn't resist the desire to lecture the loser that he had to work harder if he wanted to find a Master. Glancing up at the frowning knight, the boy said with a cocky grin, "I'm not afraid of the Agricorps."
Probably, it had been meant as a comparison with his crèche fellow who had just made it from Initiate to Padawan, but Knight Dooku had taken the cheeky chops to the mats again to show him how poor his footwork and defence actually was - just to be surprised at the talent he felt when he engaged in a sparring fight with the boy. The kid was in tune with the Living Force in a way that was uncanny for such a young one, and the moment Knight Dooku lowered his shields to feel the phenomenon more clearly there was a buzz in his mind, as if the Living Force itself had slapped him on the back of his head and told him, "Take this one! Now!"
The boy faltered at the very same moment, shook his head as if dazed, and then looked up, suddenly very serious and said, rubbing his forehead. "I can feel you. You're puzzled." Half an hour later, Knight Dooku and Initiate Jinn had faced a Council who were anything but amused.
Actually, thunder and lightning had rained on the young knight over the unplanned beginnings of a training bond. "Too young you are! Too strong in the Living Force the boy is for someone inexperienced like you! Forced a bond you did to give me trouble again!" And so it had gone on, until Knight Dooku realized that he had taken the boy right out from under Master Yoda's tiny nose.
Said boy, sixteen now, pulled their entwined hands up and kissed his fingers. Master Dooku pulled his hand away. //Don't do that, Padawan.// He wasn't sure that he could project calm right now. To show his apprentice that he was not annoyed, he let his hand rest on Qui-Gon's chest.
Qui-Gon shielded his emotions, but even a Force-blind person would have sensed his disappointment and embarrassment now. "I'm sorry, Master."
"Don't be," he hugged Qui-Gon close and gave him the equivalent of a cautious knocking against his shields. When they came down a little, the mortification behind them was burning bright.
//No, Qui-Gon, don't,// Master Dooku soothed, and to prove his sincerity he pressed a kiss into Qui-Gon's hair. //It's perfectly all right, but Jedi don't cuddle in public.//
Now curiosity won out over embarrassment. //But we could if we were in private?// Hope coloured Qui-Gon's thoughts.
//What do you want, Padawan?//
Master Dooku hadn't thought it possible to feel someone blushing over a training bond, but that was what was happening right now.
//I...// Qui-Gon sighed and turned his face toward his Master, //I'm sorry if you find it disgusting somehow, Master, but ... I'd like ... Would you like to make love with me?// The last words came out in a rush, and Qui-Gon's shielding trembled in a way Master Dooku had experienced only when Qui-Gon was under great distress.
"Shhh," he said, and rubbed Qui-Gon's chest. //First of all, shields up, warrior! There are Agricorps folks around and you're projecting like a navigation beacon. Second, yes, I'd like to make love to you. Third, yes, I really would love to. But you know the Code, Qui-Gon.//
Shields were erected, but sadness was bleeding through them. //But you break the Code so often, Master ...//
//I bend it, Padawan. Sometimes. There's quite a difference, even if the Councillors prefer to use the word 'break' for its dramatic air.// Master Dooku added some soothing energy to his touch, and his Padawan relaxed and purred.
//Good boy.// He nuzzled close again. It wouldn't hurt. And no Agricorps folks would hear - not with all the moaning and giggling around them: for the tree-huggers seemed to have lots of excess energy left to spend at night-time. After all, Qui-Gon hadn't been the only one who had commandeered another person's insulation mat.
//The point is, Qui-Gon,// Master Dooku added, and he didn't shield his regret, //that I don't dare to make love to you. I love you, young one, never doubt that, and yes, I'm tempted to take that to a physical level, but ... and that's a big B-U-T ... you know how closely the Councillors scrutinize our training relationship already. I do not want to lose you by breaking the Code in such a serious manner. Please have patience.//
Qui-Gon nodded with a heartfelt sigh. //It might be ten years until I become a knight ...// There was no petulance in the thought, only sad acceptance.
//While 26 is the average age for a human to be knighted, some make it sooner.//
//As you did, Master.//
//As I did, but driven by Master Yoda's gimer stick in a way that I don't want to see you exposed to,// Master Dooku confessed, and hugged his Padawan closer. //While Master Yoda indulges the younglings, his patience with human adolescents can be surprisingly short, especially if said adolescents are his own Padawans and are not model Padawans for whatever reason.// He sighed. //Especially if the reason is hormones ...//
//I'm sorry, Master.// Now the boy was really sad. However, he gave his Master's hand a compassionate squeeze. //I promise to work harder.//
//It might help, if you would focus on your own papers while writing exams and not projecting Living Force energy to your comrades to soothe their nerves.// Master Dooku suggested.
Qui-Gon gasped. //You know about that?//
//I was contacted by the studies master,// Master Dooku said, continuing to project calming energy. //While it's not outright cheating, she's of the opinion that you're dragging some of your fellows through exams that they wouldn't take otherwise. And that your own marks could be higher if you focussed solely on your own work.//
//It's just that Mace and Tholme, well ... they know their stuff, but they get nerves.//
//Yes, but you can't be around for them all the time, can you?//
Qui-Gon shook his head slightly.
//And isn't it the task of their own Masters to deal with their Padawans' nerves, hmm? Don't you think so, Master Jinn?//
Now Qui-Gon chuckled. Master Dooku smiled with relief. A chuckle from Qui-Gon, during a discussion that he hadn't looked forward to at all, felt very good.
He nuzzled Qui-Gon's hair. //You will make a fine knight, Qui-Gon, a very fine Jedi. Now try to sleep. It's all about the trees tomorrow ...//
"Hmm-hmm," Qui-Gon relaxed with a satisfied growl. //One more question, Master.//
//What would that be, Padawan?//
//When Padawan Windu recently prepared a history of law paper, he claimed he had found an old common law that there could be a Master-Apprentice relationship, even sexual, if the Padawan was of age and went to the Council and requested it. Is that true?//
//That must be a very old common law, taking into account how negative the current Council is towards all relationships,// Master Dooku pondered. //Honestly, I didn't know about it. How was it that paper came to be discussed in your class?//
//It wasn't,// Qui-Gon admitted. //Mace insisted that he had found this source in the library, but when he went to retrieve the tome as proof it was not available, and our studies master told him to drop that subject. It was 'inappropriate', he said. The hypocrite!//
//Yes, that's what they are,// Master Dooku agreed with a sigh. He knew he shouldn't follow that tempting lead, but it was quite clear which book he would look up in the archive next.
//On my home world, Master, people are legal at eighteen years. I could go to the Council in two years.//
//No!//
//But it would be worth a try!// Now Qui-Gon rolled over, facing his Master. //I will make it clear that it is my own wish, and ...//
//And the Council will claim that you have learnt nothing from me other than bending the Code and defying the Council, and then Master Yoda will take matters into his claws!// Master Dooku responded with vigour. //No way, Qui-Gon! I want to keep you, even if becoming lovers has to wait.//
Qui-Gon sighed, but nodded. He slid down a little, managed to tuck his head under his Master's chin now. //But when I'm knighted and we're allowed to make love, will we come here again?//
"No!" Master Dooku couldn't keep his amused outrage silent. //No,// he replied, //I refuse outright to make love to you in a smelly old army tent full of giggling teenaged tree-huggers, having my hands rough from shovels and my back hurting from digging and planting all day long! When that time comes, we will go to a nice, secluded place with trees in abundance, soft grass, and plenty of foliage where we can be alone or at least hide away for good!//
In his mind, Master Dooku saw a certain green troll wielding his gimer stick, "Sex leads to attachment, attachment leads to jealousy, jealousy leads to the dark side...'"
Not with my Qui-Gon! Master Dooku promised in silence.
//Sleep now,// he sent. //All will be well, never doubt that. All will be well, and tomorrow we'll plant your wonderful trees.//
And he erected shields against every strand of the Unifying Force that whispered that the future wouldn't be like that. That they would be found out. Accused in front of the Council. Separated.
Alone behind his shields, Master Dooku was scared.
He focussed on the boy in his arms, told himself to focus on the here and now, on the treasure he had: a trusting, loving Padawan - something he himself had never been. His heart sad, he clung to Qui-Gon until the relaxed deep breathing of his Padawan made him fall asleep as well.
A certain Agricorps spy watching from the other side of the tent wondered what to make of Dooku's new sleeping arrangement. But considering their still forms in comparison to the wild smooching and eager love-making all around them, Master Yoda would get no other report than that the Dooku/Jinn team planted trees and behaved well.