Chapter Text
As the sun rose, the Jedi rose from their shared meditation and respectfully took their leave of the stone circle. Together, they walked back to the village to fetch their belongings.
As Obi-Wan passed the boundary of the village, he stopped, frowning. It was empty. Too empty. "Do you sense that, too?"
Next to him, Qui-Gon paused, cocking his head slightly. "Yes."
The village was deserted. Every speck of snow had vanished, leaving the settlement as dry and dusty as expected for late autumn. Obi-Wan saw no movement, from people or animals, as they walked to their house. Automatically, he stood guard at the door while Qui-Gon ducked inside and returned with their belongings. Unwilling to speak aloud, Obi-Wan fell into step with the other man as they headed to their rendezvous point.
:This is very weird,: noted Obi-Wan. A shiver ran down his spine, and he fought the urge to quicken his pace.
:Weird is putting it lightly,: Qui-Gon replied. His large fingers brushed against Obi-Wan's pinkie, and Obi-Wan caught Qui-Gon's hand in his. Their fingers remained entwined until they boarded the landing shuttle.
Once aboard the Republic light freighter Bendu-Nar , Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon shoehorned themselves into the cockpit to supervise the pilot.
"I'm just setting our course to Coruscant," the Rishii told them. "You can set yourselves up in the back. I'm afraid there's only one bunk for the two of you."
Obi-Wan fought hard to keep a smile off his face. "Not a problem, Captain."
The pilot's emerald green crest feathers twitched. "I know I'm not supposed to ask, but it sure is mysterious to pick up a landing craft in the middle of open space," she said casually.
"Open space?" repeated Qui-Gon, his brow furrowing.
Obi-Wan leaned forward to get a better look out the main viewport. A field of tiny stars twinkling against the blackness of space greeted him. The bright blue and green planet they had left behind—there was no sign of it.
Next to him, Qui-Gon pressed against Obi-Wan's shoulder to check the ship's position. "We should be looking right at it," he murmured.
"How does an entire planet just disappear?" Even as he said the words, the Force bubbled inside him. The sound swelled in his head, truly pleased and teasing rather than ominous, almost sounding like—
Like Vina, Anuli, and Helwen were laughing at them.
****
Spring in the Room of a Thousand Fountains was a riot of colours and perfume, reminding the Jedi that chaos could be expected and celebrated within the confines of order. A little smile tugged on Obi-Wan's lips as drew out the slip of flimsi from his pocket.
Meet me beneath the flowering magnol tree at 1800. -Q
The Coruscant sun, slowly sinking towards the horizon, splashed the roof's sky-illusion with vivid pink and brilliant orange and cast the features of the rapidly-approaching Qui-Gon Jinn with perfect illumination. Obi-Wan lifted his hand to wiggle his fingers at his lover, but Qui-Gon's returning smile was strained.
Dressed in carefully-settled tunics and robe and sporting a fishtail braid that ran from the crown of his head to settle over his chest, Qui-Gon appeared to be the epitome of a calm, collected Jedi. Even the little knot in Obi-Wan's mind where Qui-Gon resided seemed to be blank—
Except that smile spoke volumes.
"What's wrong?" asked Obi-Wan, taking Qui-Gon's hand and pulling him off the path to stand under the gnarled branches of the tree. The heady, sweet smell of the waxy flowers clung to them like a cloud.
"Nothing's wrong, exactly," Qui-Gon rumbled, glancing over each shoulder as if afraid of being watched.
"Then why are you being shifty, Qui-Gon Jinn?"
Qui-Gon slowly licked his lips, then met Obi-Wan's suspicion with an intense but nervous gaze. "I don't like to be made a liar," began Qui-Gon. He shook his head to forestall the question forming on Obi-Wan's lips. "I once told an entire village that I asked you to marry me under a blossoming tree in spring, so here I am."
Obi-Wan's heart leapt into his throat, and at the sight of Qui-Gon's bright blue eyes, humbly begging for the answer, he swallowed roughly. "And I said yes, so here I am."
The breeze in the Room of a Thousand Fountains had not been programmed to activate that night, but it rushed through the flowers of the magnol tree, filling the air with white petals and shaking the leaves as if in joyous applause.