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Around the age of adulthood, everyone got the date of their soulmate's death on their wrists. Everyone knew it.
But it was strange. There was no other indication of soulmates. Sometimes, people just speculated that was what people decided they meant. But married couples would lose their partner on the date on their wrist. People lost their best friends on that date.
It was common enough it could not be a coincidence. And sometimes, the date passed, and they had no clue who they lost.
Quinlan had been happy when he got his to learn that his soulmate would live to when Quinlan was about sixty. That was a long life, maybe not as long as many would like, but it wasn't like Quinlan would be thirty either.
Obi-Wan was stunned at the date on his wrist. It was nearly a hundred years in the future. His soulmate would live a very long life. Hopefully, not a lonely one.
They were always good friends. They always did their best to be there for each other.
And they dated. They weren't sure they were soulmates, or that they'd stay together.
Life and duty just kept getting in the way. But that was okay for them. They were Jedi first and foremost, and that would always take precedence over anything.
And then the war happened, and they both took comfort in the fact their soulmate had to have survive the war. No matter who that soulmate is.
After the war, Obi-Wan looked at his mark and wondered. Was his soulmate a Jedi lucky enough to escape the purge? Or was his soulmate just some random person that he hadn't met? Or someone he met once and then never again because Obi-Wan had never wavered in his determination to serve the Force as a Jedi?
The thought never crossed his mind that Quinlan could be his soulmate, not until he entered the safe house and saw that Quinlan had survived the purge.
If there was any Jedi likely to be his soulmate, it would be Quinlan. People didn't think they could ever get along. Quinlan the openly chaotic and affectionate with the Negotiator who didn't joke? Or rather his jokes were subtle enough that many didn't notice his jokes.
But Quinlan was secretly insecure and some of his chaos was a cover to keep people underestimating him. And Obi-Wan had always loved the chaos and the affection even if he didn't outwardly show it.
They were a good balance.
Obi-Wan didn't dare reach across the galaxy looking for Quinlan in the Force. It would have to be enough to know that he was alive
Besides. He remembered Quinlan's soulmark. The date of death... it was approaching quickly. Assuming he and Quinlan were actually soulmates.
Maybe Quinlan would be less impacted by his death if they did not reconnect. Maybe Quinlan wouldn't even notice.
Obi-Wan didn't want Quinlan to go through further pain. He would have felt everyone die as well. He would have suffered alone, just like Obi-Wan.
And then came the day the droids showed up. Obi-Wan thought about the date on Quinlan's wrist and realized that things were heading that way. He regretted that they could not spend more time together. That life, that duty kept them apart.
And that they had never considered they were soulmates while they were together.
.
Quinlan was deep undercover with the Empire. He had gone from running the Path, to being a part of the Rebellion. This was a mission he had volunteered for. He had seen the date looming faster and faster.
His soulmate was going to die soon, and Quinlan had been rather isolated from everyone since the rise of the Empire. Since he lost everyone and everything. He kept a distance between him and others, not willing to entirely trust, but he did try to trust enough.
His mind kept going back to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan had been the best friend he could ask for. There through everything. There for all of Quinlan's worst moments. And all of his best.
It was too bad a relationship could not work the way they wanted it to, but they had solved that easily with good communication and love. And understanding. They had always understood each other. They had always been good friends, best of friends. A perfect balance.
Sometimes Quinlan wondered if Obi-Wan was his soulmates. How could soulmates get any better than what they had? But it was silly, how could they be soulmates? That was unlikely. They grew up together after all.
And now... now Quinlan sometimes wondered what he had left to live for. And when that happened he pulled out an old recording and watched Obi-Wan give a message of hope over and over again. It was that message that got him out of the fog of grief and pain and into doing something for the galaxy, starting with getting one person to safety, then two, then a family, and before he knew it, he had an entire network. He was making a difference.
He wanted to look for Obi-Wan, but it wasn't safe. He knew Obi-Wan. He knew Obi-Wan wouldn't be staying away if there wasn't a good reason for it. If there wasn't something big he was doing already. So it was not something he should do.
So Quinlan busied himself with work. Made sure he was doing his part for the galaxy. He got his need for touch met by cuddling kids. It wasn't the same and sometimes it wasn't enough.
But it didn't matter. Not so long as the Empire was around.
Quinlan felt so tired sometimes. But he pushed through, passing on all the information he could. Even when Vader came around, he did so. It took a bit but after a few months he realized why Vader felt so familiar.
The betrayal hurt. He remembered little Ani, remembered how much Obi-Wan had dedicated to little Ani. How much Obi-Wan raising Anakin had been a factor in why dating was difficult and often did not work out.
And if it had impacted him this much, he couldn't imagine how devastating it was to Obi-Wan. That the little boy he had put so much effort into raising, the knight he was so proud of, the man he trusted with just about everything... and he betrayed them all for the Sith. Threw all of that into Obi-Wan's face.
Poor Obi-Wan.
Quinlan was working on the Death Star. And it was not fun. He didn't like being there, but he was passing on vital information to the Rebellion, he was compiling so much more, along with a list of information he wasn't sure was vital but maybe people needed to know, such as Vader being Anakin Skywalker.
One morning, he woke up, and the Force was tense with anticipation, even through the thick weight of the Dark side. So Quinlan packed up everything he could to keep it on him, especially his information. When the Force felt like that, it was best to be ready to go at a moment's notice.
Things happened so fast. He nearly doubled over when Alderaan blew up. He wasn't even sure what happened. It was worse than when all the Jedi died, with it being more people and right in front of them, concentrated on one planet that was no longer there. It was only later that he learned what had happened.
At least no one saw that. Quinlan glanced at his wrist and wondered. It was the same date. Today was the day his soulmate died. Or would die. Was his soulmate on Alderaan?
Things happened so quickly a few hours later. A breakout, and... Wait a minute.
Quinlan threw all caution in the wind... If Obi-Wan was here, there had to be a way out. He wanted to see Obi-Wan and help out. No wonder the Force was so anticipatory. It was time to move.
He arrived at the hangar as Obi-Wan and Vader dueled, spotting the Senator for Alderaan, Leia, and another boarding a ship with a Wookiee and a few droids (Threepio? Artoo? Of course those two were still around), and Han Solo. Quinlan recognized the bounty hunter from some run ins in the past.
He was just debating his best course of action... but it was too late.
"No!" He heard the unfamiliar person scream.
"OBI-WAN!" Quinlan yelled at the same time.
Obi-Wan whipped around, surprised, then he gave Quinlan a sad smile before turning and facing Vader down. He disappeared into the Force as the lightsaber came down.
Quinlan felt tears on his cheeks but he moved anyways. He summoned Obi-Wan's lightsaber to himself and ran onto the ship just in time.
No one said a word to him until they were certain they were safe.
"Who are you?" Leia demanded.
"Jedi Master Quinlan Vos," he responded promptly, straightening. "I have a lot of information for the Rebellion with me."
Leia's eyes widened. "You're the one that's been with the Empire for three years!"
Quinlan grimaced. "Yes, I am. Three long years."
"You're a Jedi?" Han asked him incredulously. "You do that magic mumbo jumbo too?"
"Oh yes," Quinlan nodded.
"You knew Ben."
"That's the name he was using? Yes, I did. We grew up together in the Temple."
"Oh... You must've known my father too. I'm Luke Skywalker."
Quinlan froze and stared at him. Now he could see the resemblance. He smiled. "So that's what he's been up to. Nice to meet you Luke."
Luke bit his lip, grief and curiosity warring. "Can you teach me the Force? Ben was just starting."
"Of course."
"Thank you. Can you tell me about my father? Or Ben?"
Quinlan debated with himself. Luke deserved to know the truth about his father, but now was not the time. Not with Luke grieving Ben. Not with Leia grieving all of Alderaan and possibly having been tortured. Not with people listening and there being no real escape for Luke if he wanted to be alone. So he would tell Luke later, when there was a good opportunity.
"How about I tell you about the time I caught my padawan, that is my student, Aayla, and your father trying to prank Ben?"
Luke's eyes widened. "Really?"
Quinlan smiled. "Really."
.
Quinlan finally had a moment alone to grieve. He played the recording of Obi-Wan again and again, seeing Obi-Wan in his mind in the moment before he died. He ran a thumb over his wrist.
He knew without a doubt that of all the people that died that day, it was only Obi-Wan that it could be. Only Obi-Wan who was his balance, who complemented him so completely.
He started crying, grieving for what could have been. Grieving for his lost soulmate, and the years they lost together because things had been stacked against them. At least he got to see Obi-Wan one last time.
Han stopped awkwardly in the doorway when he saw the Jedi crying and clutching his left wrist.
"Was... Ben your soulmate?"
"I believe so," came the hoarse response. "The date is today."
Han nodded and turned to Luke and Leia, both staring with astonishment. "We shouldn't bother him." He was not going to disrupt that sort of grief.
They didn't bother him, they just made sure he had some comfort while he grieved by bringing blankets and drinks. They made sure to keep their own grief to themselves, because he didn't need them dumping all that on him in the moment.
Quinlan watched the recording one last time. "A new hope, huh?" He laughed shakily. "You always did have hope when I had none, Obes. I'll do my best to live up to you." He remembered the death date on Obi-Wan's wrist. He still had decades to live. He couldn't be stuck with grief too long.
But for now... things would be shaky, for a while. Even if there truly was hope.