Work Text:
Quinlan woke up on the day of his twelfth birthday and darted to the mirror to start figuring out where his soulmate mark was.
It could be anywhere. He heard that some soulmates even had marks on their head under their hair! Though that was pretty rare, and more likely when one of them wasn't someone with hair at all.
He checked his wrists, one of the most common places. Not there. He looked at other visible parts of the body, then lifted his shirt. He beamed. Just half an inch above his belly button was his mark.
It was a golden heart with red and blue flowers on either side. He recognized the flowers from Kiffu. He wondered what it meant.
A lot of people said there weren't meanings for the mark, just things that were important to the people involved. But... Quinlan wasn't sure. Most marks were simple. There wasn't a lot to read into them, even if they were important. Were they most important to the people involved? Or the relationship? Did the marks say something about the soulmates?
Either way, Quinlan was happy with his. It looked pretty and he could not wait to see it matched on his soulmate.
He showed his soulmark to Master Tholme, and to any of his friends that were interested. The ones who hadn't had their soulmarks were more awed than those who did. None of the friends who were old enough to have a mark had found their soulmate yet.
Quinlan didn't think much of it. He liked the mark, and knew one day he would meet his soulmate.
Soulmates were the Force's gift. Someone who could understand their soulmate well and get along. It would always take work, and they had to want to make it work. If a soulmate pair or more turned sour, it was not because they were not meant to be but because they let things fester and go bad.
So, Quinlan hoped he got a good soulmate who didn't just matched him, but was willing to work on problems so they could be the match the Force knew them to be.
He just wasn't sure how long he'd have to wait. Could be decades.
Until then, he had a perfect little golden heart with red and blue flowers to represent the nebulous idea of a soulmate.
.
Obi-Wan woke up on his twelfth birthday with a feeling of dread. He was another year older. One year more before his chances of being a padawan went to almost zero.
He already knew that masters didn't want him. He had been overlooked so many times. And just about always because of his temper. They didn't want a padawan who would lose it so easily.
Obi-Wan had been trying together better at not reacting, at holding it all in. But it was slow going and he wasn't sure he would ever get the hang of it.
At least, not in time to prove to the masters that he could learn.
He knew that he just needed to wait for masters that were right for him. That many of those who didn't give him a second glance were not right; the Force even said so.
But there were some masters who could have worked who turned away. There were some masters that the Force seemed to encourage Obi-Wan towards that did not approve of him at all.
Obi-Wan was supposed to be a Knight. That was the one thing the Force had always been firm on. There were always things that seemed a bit more or less uncertain, or harder to understand. But there was nothing to misunderstand. Obi-Wan was going to be a Knight. He just wasn't sure how he would do it and if he didn't become a Padawan before he turned thirteen it was going to be really hard.
He sighed and went about his morning, almost forgetting that there was something special about his twelfth birthday. Not until after breakfast when he was asked about his soulmark. He admitted not looking yet, and was sent off to look immediately.
He started looking, not expecting to find one. He knew that most people had soulmates. Why would he? No one would want him anyways.
Obi-Wan froze when he lifted his shirt and saw a familiar mark. Well, except for Quinaln! He grinned widely.
It was his twelfth birthday. He didn't have to go to class today, and he actually was caught up anyways.
He darted out of the bathroom and went looking for Quinlan. He hoped Quinlan was still in his room.
He knocked on the door.
Tholme answered. "Hello, Obi-Wan. What brings you here?"
"Can I see Quinlan? Please?"
Tholme raised an eyebrow but stepped aside. "He's still getting ready for the day."
Obi-Wan darted for his room and opened the door.
Quinlan yelped. "Obes! What are you doing here?"
"Quin! Look!" Obi-Wan lifted his shirt. "I got my soulmark!"
"Oh yeah! Happy birth-" Quinlan froze when he saw Obi-Wan's soulmark. A perfect match.
He let out a squeal and grabbed Obi-Wan, picking him up in a hug and spinning excitedly.
Tholme poked his head in. "What's this about?"
Quinlan put Obi-Wan down and pointed at his stomach. "We're soulmates!"
Tholme blinked, then smiled. "Alright. Quinlan, I'll let your teachers know you need the day off. We have some discussions to do and arrangements to make."
"What kind of arrangements to make?" Obi-Wan asked curiously.
"We don't separate soulmates completely, you can have different career paths, but if no one takes you on as a padawan, you're not going to be sent out of the Temple."
Obi-Wan brightened. "Really?"
Quinlan hugged him excitedly. "That's amazing!"
"It is. But you still are Jedi," Tholme reminded them. "So there are expectations about soulmates and how you handle yourselves."
"Of course." Obi-Wan nodded seriously. "I won't let my emotions get the better of me."
Tholme hid a frown at the phrasing. Most about that age would not be taking it seriously at all, let alone be making a comment about their emotions. There was a reason they laid out the expectations immediately and had mind healers specifically for soulmate pairs and groups to be sure they were handling things correctly.
But then... Obi-Wan was known for a temper. The way people talked, he had not known Obi-Wan was so aware that it was a problem.
"To start with, we'll have to register you as each other's soulmate in your files. Then we'll get you signed up for soulmate counseling. From there, you might be recommended for individual mind healing sessions if it is beneficial."
Obi-Wan shifted. "Oh. That... could be nice." He looked a bit nervous.
Quinlan nudged him. "It will be! Maybe someone will finally help you actually figure out how to control your temper instead of just telling you to do it!"
Tholme frowned a little deeper. If that was how most were handling Obi-Wan's problem, no wonder he was having trouble. At least having Quinlan as a soulmate would help him.
He knew they were good friends, and that Obi-Wan didn't just tolerate Quinlan but enjoyed his antics. He should have known there was a good chance they were soulmates just based off of that.
He was happy for them. Quinlan deserved a good soulmate, and so did Obi-Wan.
Tholme looked between them. "Before we start with discussing what this means for you both, why don't we meditate?"
Obi-Wan frowned. "Why?"
"Because it's good to meditate with your soulmate, especially after learning who your soulmate is. Soulmates are given by the Force, after all."
Obi-Wan accepted that answer.
Tholme just wanted to see how he meditated. If Obi-Wan was average or better, it might mean there was something up with his emotions. Maybe he experienced them more intensely than others, or maybe he just didn't start out with the same level of control others did. Either way, it would give him a starting point.
It also would allow him to observe how Obi-Wan and Quinlan interacted, and determine the best way forward to help them both. Quinlan may be his padawan, but now Obi-Wan was going to be around quite a bit. Tholme wasn't going to avoid teaching him.
.
Obi-Wan and Quinlan were busy all morning. There was still more to do after, but Obi-Wan was no longer a normal initiate. He had a soulmate he could be around, and he would be getting extra lessons because he knew his soulmate already.
They met up with friends at lunch, both grinning excitedly.
"You skipped classes," Bant said to Obi-Wan. "I thought you were hoping to make a good impression on masters by not doing that on your birthday?"
Obi-Wan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I was going to do that but then I saw my soulmark and all thoughts of classes left."
Bant leaned in eagerly. "Show me!"
Obi-Wan grinned and lifted his shirt.
"Oooh... that's Quin's!" Bant said excitedly. "That's why you ran off! You had to tell him!"
Obi-Wan nodded. "No matter what, I get to stay in the Temple 'cause we're soulmates. I don't have to worry about going anywhere for training if I don't get to be a padawan."
"That's amazing!" Bant hugged him, then hugged Quinlan. "I'm so happy for you two! Of course you're soulmates, you're perfect for each other."
.
It didn't take long before rumors went around.
Obi-Wan didn't care. He was floating on the knowledge that he already knew his soulmate. That he didn't need to leave the Temple if no master wanted him... that he had options if he hit thirteen without being picked.
That security helped him relax. He didn't try hard to catch a master's attention. If he did, he did. If not, well, it didn't matter as much as it would have without Quinlan being his soulmate.
He wasn't even as bothered by the bullies anymore.
Of course, rather than deterring them, the lack of response drove them to be more vicious. They knew that he was great entertainment, if only they could get him to react.
Eventually, they realized that Obi-Wan could be very protective of his soulmate and started targeting Quinlan or making comments about Quinlan rather than about Obi-Wan and that did the trick.
Obi-Wan reacted to that. And he was not exactly calm about it. They kept it up, especially since they could get him even more easily in trouble.
Obi-Wan found himself doing more mind healing.
But he was reluctant to open up. Outside of Tholme, none of the adults ever seemed to actually accept his reasons and explanations. They always expected better. They always assumed he wasn't trying because he lost it so easy.
So he talked about anything but the bullying. Especially about spending time with Quinlan and his classes. He loved learning new types of meditations, especially since some of them were easier considering how bored he would get trying to hit the right state of mind for meditation.
Obi-Wan was sitting in another mind healing session, idling coloring in a mandala. He liked that he could do more than just try to pay attention and talk in these sessions. It was easier to listen and put his thoughts in order.
"You can't keep avoiding the conversation about your temper."
Obi-Wan tensed, shoulders hunching in as he worked on his coloring. "What's the point? No one ever listens to me anyways."
"What do you mean?"
"They see what they want to see. They don't ask, and any attempts to explain are just me having an attitude and making excuses at best." Obi-Wan tried not to sound resentful. But it had been that way for years despite his best effort.
"I know you, Obi-Wan. I know that just like Quinlan, you prefer to tell the truth wherever possible. I will listen if you want to talk."
Obi-Wan sighed and gave in. He did want to talk, even if he didn't think his mind healer would believe him. "They just get under my skin. They know how to make me upset and they think it's funny to get me in trouble for it. And I try to not react and move on, and I try not to lash out but... I do. I used to do it on the first comment and then I got it up to several comments and then after my twelfth birthday the comments stopped bothering me so much and then they started making fun of Quinlan regardless of if he's there or not and I'm used to those comments being aimed at me. He doesn't deserve that."
"You are trying?"
"Always trying. I don't like hurting people, but sometimes I don't even realize I'm attacking Bruck until after I've been pulled off of him. I don't like it."
"I believe you. Can you tell me more about what happens?"
"Why?"
"I want to figure out how best to help you. You are good at meditating, and you are good at letting emotions go when we work through them. So, there has to be something we can do to make it easier."
Obi-Wan sighed and talked.
Later, his mind healer talked to Quinlan and Tholme to get their assessment of Obi-Wan's temper and the cause of it.
His mind healer was not impressed with the details. So many people dismissing Obi-Wan as not trying when he was experiencing intense emotions from bullying. It was actually impressive how well Obi-Wan had been doing. Others would not have done nearly so well in his shoes.
The mind healer set up strategies and ensured that someone would always be around to try to catch the bullies in action. They sooner they could be dealt with, the better. Obi-Wan would have an easier time learning to control his temper without it constantly being put to the test, especially when the comments were at the expense of his soulmate and best friend.
Obi-Wan ended up impressing Qui-Gon when he and Quinlan were working at transplanting plants from Kiffu into the Kiffu section of the Room of A Thousand Fountains.
He wasn't even trying, just helping his soulmate and having fun.
That good impression had Qui-Gon watching him over the next few weeks before asking Obi-Wan to be his padawan a month before Obi-Wan's birthday.
Obi-Wan was very surprised, but needed little prompting to agree with how the Force danced around them.
.
Quinlan and Obi-Wan ended up straying a little from what they thought their career paths would be.
Quinlan decided he didn't want to be a shadow while having a soulmate. It was too risky.
Obi-Wan wanted to be able to work with Quinlan; it wasn't unheard of for soulmates to be mission partners. In fact, some of the most efficient knight pairs were soulmates.
It took a lot of meditation and career counseling, along with some trying out the careers they were thinking about to come to a conclusion that made them happy and was right in the Force.
Quinlan and Obi-Wan became one of the best known Jedi of the Order in no time after they became Knights.
They were often asked their secret. Most just put it down to them being soulmates, but it was far more than that. It was their ability to work together flawlessly with excellent communication skills. It was how they worked together to solve problems and did their best to ensure that their relationship never fell apart.
It was how they trusted in the Force to guide them correctly on their path.