The Seduction

by Nicole D'Annais ([email protected])

***

Qui-Gon moved unsteadily down the hall, exhaustion hampering his usual grace. He stumbled, and only a quick tug with the Force kept him from spilling the tray in his hands. The physical and mental exertion of moving the damaged materials in the cargo hold, combined with his lack of sleep over the past week, had him in a near sleep-walk state. He had to sleep before they arrived at Telos. Or the pirates came back. Or he fell over trying to walk.

Finally, he made it to the room he shared with his apprentice. He stopped outside the door to center himself, then went inside. Xanatos was there, sitting on his bed, staring at the wall. He started to get up, but Qui-Gon shook his head. "Stay where you are," Qui-Gon said as he sat the tray down on a small table at the foot of the bed, then settled onto the floor next to it. "Evening meal," he explained unnecessarily.

"The bed is far more comfortable than the floor, Master," Xanatos said as they both began to eat. "Will you not sit beside me?"

The corner of Qui-Gon's mouth quirked up as he waved a hand toward his own body. "The bed would be far less comfortable to sleep in if I were to transfer even a portion of all this dirt onto it." Even though he had used the Force to move the most of the rubble, dirt and dust had been everywhere, and the more objects he moved, the more clouded the air around him had become. "I've come through sandstorms cleaner than this."

Xanatos smiled. "Stieg Wa stopped by long enough to say we could use a full tub of water this evening. Shall I draw you a bath?"

"You go first. I fear the water will be completely unusable by the time I finish."

"Are you sure?" Qui-Gon nodded, trying to ignore the pang of desire that slid through him as he watched his apprentice gather his things and leave the room, the silent grace of the movements enough to affect him in his present state. How could he possibly control himself in the time it would take to complete this mission? He could barely manage half the trip to Telos!

He settled himself into a comfortable position and fell into a light meditative trance, hoping to find the answers he needed. Master/padawan relationships were frowned upon, but mostly ignored unless it caused problems in training. So what kept him from simply giving in? Was it his own perverse need to be the perfect Jedi? Even the detachment he had sought from the trance couldn't keep Qui-Gon from frowning at that. It was not his conscious wish to be perfect. Yet he strived for it daily without a second thought. But this hesitation was more than just that need to excel. Something inside of him balked at taking the final step. If only he could figure out what it was.

A knock at the door brought him out of the trance. "Enter."

Stieg Wa opened the door and stepped inside, leaning against the door jamb. "All of the repairs are done except for one. I need to go outside the ship to do it, and there's a meteor storm right now."

Qui-Gon could hear the occasional ping of meteors striking the hull of the ship. "Are we in danger?"

Stieg Wa shook his head. "They're not big enough to do any damage to the ship, but they'd rip a hole in a space suit in a heartbeat. Meteor storms are common in this sector and usually last for several hours; it'll be clear by morning, and I'll be able to finish. Then we'll hit full power and be out of this damned system."

"Very well," Qui-Gon nodded, only then noticing the stiffness in his neck. He checked the time and realized he'd been in his trance far longer than he'd thought. What was taking Xanatos so long? "We'll see you in the morning, then?" he said, returning his attention to Stieg Wa.

"Bright and early," the pilot responded with a grin. "Have a good sleep," he added as he left, closing the door behind him.

"It certainly would be a refreshing change," Qui-Gon muttered as he rose, his legs protesting the movement. He should go check on his padawan. Just a quick peek in the door to see if the young man was all right. Certainly he could handle that.

Resolve hardened and shields up tight, he left their room and went to the bathroom. The door was unlocked, so he opened it quietly and looked in. Xanatos was still in the bathtub, eyes closed, sound asleep. His hair was damp, black strands clinging to his forehead, such a contrast to the pale, almost translucent skin. One long leg hung over the side of the tub, as did a slender arm. How anyone could manage to look so elegant asleep in a bathtub was beyond Qui-Gon.

He swallowed hard before he cleared his throat. "Xanatos." The word came out in a hoarse whisper, despite his attempts to make his voice sound normal. "Xanatos," he said again, his voice stronger and clearer this time.

The young man stirred, dark lashes at the ends of white eyelids fluttering open to reveal deep blue eyes. "Master?" He shook his head and sat up, the leg disappearing back into the tub. "I'm sorry, I must have fallen asleep."

"It's all right, Padawan. We're both tired."

"Yes, Master." The words were emphatic, and Qui-Gon got the sense he meant more than just physically tired. Then Xanatos stood, and Qui-Gon lost the ability to speak. He'd seen that body in his dreams, in his apprentice's dreams, but it had been a while since he'd seen it in the flesh. He found himself instantly hard, his body on fire as he stared at the young man before him, watching the play of muscles beneath skin that begged to be touched, possessed, marked....

His arousal must have seeped through his shields and along the bond. Xanatos stopped in the middle of drying his hair and turned dark eyes smoldering with an answering flame toward his Master. Even if Qui-Gon hadn't seen the arousal in the younger man's eyes, and felt it through their bond, the thick shaft jutting out from his hips would have given his padawan away. Not that he seemed anxious to hide any of the signs. "I'll wait in the other room," Qui-Gon said quickly, rushing out the door before he could reach out and grab what he wanted.

Qui-Gon gathered his things quickly, ready to leave as soon as Xanatos was finished. When his apprentice returned to the room, Qui-Gon lowered his eyes as he brushed past the young man, glad of the clothing in his hands, certain he would not have been able to resist touching him if his hands had been free.

He made it to the bathroom before he allowed the full extent of Xanatos' affect on him hit him. His knees gave out, the door supporting his back as he sunk to the floor, eyes closed, breath coming fast. He was doomed. Not even Master Yoda's controls could withstand this kind of assault.

But he would fight it as long as he could. He opened his eyes and stood, stripping off the layers of clothes as he crossed the short distance to the tub. Surprise registered as he saw there was steam rising from the water. He thought back carefully and realized Xanatos had only had about half a tub of water. His padawan must have filled the tub the rest of the way before returning to their room, so his master would have hot water.

Affection for the young man grew inside him, mixing with the desire until it became almost impossible to resist the urge to go next door and claim what he knew would be his one day. But not yet. He pulled off the last of his clothing and sank into the water, sighing from pure physical pleasure as the heat instantly soothed the aches in his muscles from his earlier exertion. He drifted along for a while, neither asleep nor awake, just living in every moment with no thought to the next. He had no idea how long he had been in there when his padawan's presence disrupted his peace. His eyes opened, meeting the younger man's gaze instantly, fighting against the fire he found there.

Neither of them spoke for a long moment, then Xanatos slowly moved forward. "You were gone so long I thought you might have fallen asleep as well." The words were low and seductive, despite the innocent meaning.

"I...I was meditating." His padawan stood directly over the bathtub now, but Qui-Gon made no move to conceal himself. Xanatos' eyes moved down the length of his body, lingering on the obvious erection.

"Meditating on *what* exactly, Master?" There was amusement in the voice, and something else.

Determination.

Qui-Gon took a deep breath as his padawan slipped off his tunic and reached for the drawstring on his pants, pulling the tie loose in a slow, mesmerizing motion. At that moment, he couldn't have moved if ten fleets of pirates had attacked the ship. He could only sit and watch, anticipation barely allowing him to keep from pulling the young man into the water, pants and all.

At last, the pants slid down the length of those beautiful white legs, past his line of sight. Xanatos stepped out of them, then moved to sit on the edge of the tub, bracing one hand on either side and leaning down, closer and closer to his target. "The time for running has passed, Qui-Gon," he whispered, his lips not quite touching those of his master.

With a groan, Qui-Gon reached up and pulled on the back of his apprentice's head, bringing those lips down to meet his own. His mouth was devoured as Xanatos invaded with his tongue, demanding complete surrender and finding it, kissing him with an almost brutal intensity. Qui-Gon heard himself whimper as Xanatos pulled away, but the younger man simply smiled as he rose enough to step into the water, settling himself with one leg on either side of his master.

Qui-Gon closed his eyes, biting his lip to keep himself from coming right then and there. Xanatos seemed to sense his need to gain control before continuing, waiting until Qui-Gon's eyes opened and he reached for his apprentice, pulling him down for another kiss.

Nothing, not any of the dreams he'd had, none of the situations he'd visited through Xanatos' eyes, had prepared him for the reality of that smooth skin sliding along his, the water easing the friction, and at the same time increasing the sensation. He could feel every hair, every goose bump, every skin cell wherever he touched his padawan. And he touched everywhere he could. His hands couldn't get enough of that skin, running down his padawan's back, across the tight cheeks down to the back of his legs and up again to move to his chest. The Jedi master circled one of the younger man's nipple with his finger, feeling it harden into a stiff peak. But he wanted more.

Qui-Gon pulled away from the kiss, lips moving down Xanatos' chin to nibble on his neck, taking small nips until he worked his way around to the juncture of the young man's neck and shoulder. There he stopped, sucking hard on the skin, determined to mark the paleness with his own dark brand, savoring the feeling as his apprentice arched against him, crying out with pleasure.

At last he pulled back and looked at the red patch, decided it would do, and continued his journey, raising his apprentice up higher onto his lap, intent on reaching those dark nipples with his mouth. Their erections slid against each other as Xanatos rose higher, tearing loud gasps from both of them. Qui-Gon found one nipple with his mouth and began to worship it with his tongue, tracing circles around it, teasing the hard nub there, worrying it with his lips.

Xanatos laced his fingers through Qui-Gon's hair, his hold so tight it hurt. The pain aroused Qui-Gon further, and he sought to return the favor, biting down on the tip of the nipple in his mouth and tugging gently, causing just enough pain to quicken the pace of Xanatos' hips as he rocked against his master, the motion shooting flames through Qui-Gon's entire body. He longed to sheath himself inside the willing body he held, to bury himself in that warmth.

His padawan caught the intent of that thought and smiled, reaching behind himself and inserting one finger in his own tight opening, closing his eyes in pleasure as he slid his own finger in and out. The shocking action pushed Qui-Gon beyond the point of no return, his lips capturing Xanatos' as he replaced the young man's finger with two of his own. He swallowed his apprentice's groan as two fingers became three and Xanatos pushed himself as far down on those fingers as he could. "More," he sighed against his master's lips.

Qui-Gon removed his fingers and lifted Xanatos up, positioning the young man over his master's shaft. He held onto the last thread of his control enough to look into his padawan's eyes, to be absolutely sure this was what he wanted. Xanatos' only answer was to lower himself onto Qui-Gon's erection, inching down slowly until they met skin to skin, Qui-Gon buried as far inside his apprentice as he could go.

They stayed that way for a long moment, not moving, committing this first time to memory. Then Xanatos whispered softly, "Oh, Master. Qui-Gon...." The words broke the spell, and they began to move as fast and as hard as they could, knocking half of the water out of the tub in their driving need for completion. Their mouths met in hard kisses, lips and tongues seeking to devour each other just as their bodies were doing below. Xanatos pulled out of the kiss and leaned back, arms supporting him from elbows to hands on the side of the tub, and shifted his position slightly, changing the angle of his master's erection inside him.

Both men cried out at the sensation, quickly returning to that hard, fast pace. Xanatos let go of the tub with one hand, reaching down to enclose his own erection with his hand, pulling and tugging at his shaft with as much energy as he could. He came quickly, the reflexive tightening of his muscles around Qui-Gon's erection bring the master over the brink as well. They rode the waves out together, hips slowly undulating after the initial overwhelming pleasure subsided, seeking to pull every last drop of feeling out of the moment.

Finally, Xanatos collapsed against his master's chest, lips nuzzling his neck weakly as they both let their breathing slow naturally, in no hurry to end this joining. After they had both calmed somewhat, Qui-Gon rubbed a finger over the mark of possession at the base of Xanatos' neck. "Mine," he whispered, not a question, not a claim, just a simple statement of fact.

Xanatos raised up enough to meet his eyes. "As you are mine."

He could feel the younger man's erection firming again as he pulled him forward, meeting his lips in a bruising kiss as they began all over again.

***

Eventually the water grew cold, and the hour late. Still, Qui-Gon roused his sleeping apprentice with reluctance, placing a kiss on the temple closest to him and whispering the young man's name.

Xanatos stirred, then settled more comfortably against his master's body. The movement brought Qui-Gon's desire rushing back full-force, but he held it in check. "The water is cold, Padawan. We need to go back to our room."

"But I'm comfortable here." Xanatos' lips moved against Qui-Gon's neck as he spoke, further fuel to the fire Qui-Gon was barely holding in check to begin with. "Besides," he added, raising his head to smile wickedly at his master, "we can keep each other warm."

Qui-Gon accepted one kiss before pushing his apprentice away. "Yes, we can. But not here. Up. Now."

Xanatos did as he was told, lower lip stuck out in silent protest. As soon as he stood he wrapped his arms around himself, shivering. "It's cold!"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you." Qui-Gon had pulled a large bath sheet around his back and was drying off, but Xanatos had other ideas. He took advantage of Qui-Gon's open arms to trace a line down the center of his chest before leaning in until their skin touched completely from shoulders to knees.

Qui-Gon put his arms around the young man, wrapping them both in the large sheet. "What are you doing?" he asked. His tone, however, failed to even hint at sternness, as Xanatos' chest slid along his own, creating almost unbearable friction.

"Getting warm," Xanatos replied with a wicked grin, rubbing against his master once more before leaning in for a kiss. His hand traveled down Qui-Gon's back, slipping between his cheeks to test the opening there.

Qui-Gon groaned, his arms dropping to his sides as he pulled away from the warm body. "Our room," he said softly, as he wrapped another bath sheet around his apprentice. "I'll be along in a minute."

"Come with me now," Xanatos requested, tugging at his master's arm.

"Stieg Wa could see us. It's too risky."

The pout turned into a frown. "You're ashamed. Of this--of us."

"No. I simply want this part of our lives to be for us. Not for the Jedi--at least until you are knighted." He caressed Xanatos' cheek. "I will not have your knighthood tainted by idle talk. You deserve better than that."

The quiet determination of those words seemed to reassure the young man. He nodded, wrapping the sheet tightly around himself, picked up his clothes, and left quickly. Qui-Gon emptied the tub, cleaned up what water hadn't drained into the grates in the floor, then gathered his own clothing and left.

He barely had time to shut the door to their room before Xanatos was on him, lips and hands demanding as he pulled Qui-Gon toward the nearest bed. The clothing fell from Qui-Gon's hands, then the sheet disappeared as well, leaving them both naked as they tumbled onto the bed, Xanatos writhing underneath his master, burning thin trails of fire down the older man's back with his nails.

"I want you," Xanatos gasped, in between tastes of Qui-Gon's shoulder and neck. "Want..." a pause to slide his hand down Qui-Gon's back to the small opening between his cheeks, "inside you." He thrust one finger into the opening, biting down on Qui-Gon's shoulder as the master arched up with a gasp. "Now. Please."

Qui-Gon groaned in response, pushing back against that finger, trying to take it as far inside himself as he could. "Yes," he breathed, thrusting harder as Xanatos inserted two fingers, then three. He shuddered as they touched a spot deep inside him that sent sharp arcs of pleasure coursing through him. His mind began to replay the dream he'd seen while his padawan slept back at the Temple. "Inside me," he growled, pulling away from that maddening touch with effort, and sliding onto the floor, dragging his apprentice with him.

For a moment Xanatos glared, angry to have lost the closeness of skin on skin, then he realized what his master intended. A wicked grin spread across his face. "Yes, Master." Qui-Gon rolled over onto his stomach, then raised himself up onto his knees and elbows, resting his forehead on the smooth durasteel floor, the coolness of the metal helping him to calm his heated body a little.

Xanatos' hands landed on his master's hips, causing the older man to shiver as they slid slowly up his sides, to his shoulders. A warm chest slowly lined the length of Qui-Gon's back, warming him again quickly as his apprentice resumed biting at his neck and shoulders. The younger man was moving his hips against his master's backside, his erection sliding teasingly in and out of the space between his cheeks. Qui-Gon reared his head back, offering more of his neck, but Xanatos moved his lips away, kissing his way down his master's spine until he reached the small of the man's back.

Slowly, Xanatos traced a wet line down between Qui-Gon's cheeks, parting them with his hands to gain better access. He thrust his tongue into the opening there, wetting his master to make the entry easier. Xanatos moved away suddenly but before Qui-Gon had time to protest, he was back, and Qui-Gon swallowed a whimper as his padawan's erection pushed at his opening, meeting the resistance with firm pressure.

A moment more, and then Xanatos won out, breaking the surface to rest just inside his master's tight channel. The burn of the invasion warred with the pleasure of finally having this man inside him. As his padawan began to slowly sink further into him, the burn began to fade, replaced more and more by the overwhelming satisfaction of being taken, and by the intense pleasure Xanatos was broadcasting through their bond.

Passion swirled around them and through them, increasing in waves as they fed off each other's desire. Qui-Gon could sense they were both about to reach the pinnacle, wanted to slow down and draw it out, but couldn't. He came with a hoarse shout, felt his padawan follow him into ecstasy, both of them riding out the wave of bliss before collapsing onto the floor.

As their breathing began to return to normal, Qui-Gon started to realize the floor was very cold and very hard. He smiled when he moved and Xanatos groaned in protest. "Not to sound redundant, Padawan, but it's cold down here."

Qui-Gon felt his apprentice smile against his back. "If you are cold, then perhaps I did not fulfill my end of this bargain," Xanatos said lazily.

"*That* was most definitely not the problem," he answered, then moved again. "The bed would be warmer, not to mention far more comfortable."

The younger man sighed. "I suppose you are right. But only if you plan on sleeping in the same bed as me. Otherwise I'm not letting you up."

"Well, it would definitely be warmer if we shared body heat."

"I'll show you body heat," Xanatos growled, writhing against his master.

"Padawan...bed. To *sleep*," he added, just in case he was misread.

Xanatos pouted, but he let his master up from the floor. "As long as I can sleep in your arms, that will have to do."

"I wouldn't have you anywhere else," Qui-Gon said immediately, leaning in for a long kiss before he turned off the lights. "Sleep," he reminded softly.

"Yes, Master." They climbed onto the bed, not bothering with clothing, and curled up together under the blanket. Qui-Gon listened as his padawan's breathing quickly fell into sleep patterns. He tried to follow the young man into slumber, but couldn't quite relax enough. The enormity of what they'd done, and what they'd have to do to keep it quiet, weighed down on him, heavy in the dark silence.

It was a long time before he slept.

END PART 4  

~ proceed to Part 5 ~