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Huffing in annoyance, Obi-Wan stepped through the corridors of the Temple, his search for Quinlan growing more and more exasperating.
In one last desperate attempt, he decided to check a location Quinlan shouldn’t be, but tended to go when he needed to focus.
“You’re not supposed to be in here,” Obi-Wan scolded when he saw Quinlan’s figure working through the motions of his favorite katas.
“Neither are you, but here you are,” Quinlan grinned, stopping midway through a move.
Obi-Wan scoffed and rolled his eyes.
“Did you come down to the padawan dojos just to scold me?” Quinlan grinned.
“You’re not a padawan anymore,” Obi-Wan frowned.
“No one uses this dojo,” Quinlan shrugged, clearly unperturbed by the accusation Obi-Wan was leveling at him. “And it wasn’t so long ago that you were a padawan,” he teased.
Obi-Wan huffed again and folded his arms across his chest.
“So what did you want, Obi?” Quinlan pressed.
Obi-Wan stood, shifting his weight from side-to-side and staying uncharacteristically quiet.
“If you want to fuck, we can fuck,” Quinlan teased.
“No, that’s not-” Obi-Wan said shortly and exhaled deeply. “That’s not why I was looking for you.”
“Then why?” Quinlan pressed.
Obi-Wan exhaled slowly through his nose and closed his eyes. Opening them again, he peered at Quinlan, keeping his gaze as steady as he could. “I need your help.”
“With what?” Quinlan coaxed.
Tucking his hands in the wide sleeves of his robes, Obi-Wan took to his usual manner of soothing anxiety, his fingers dragging over the skin of his wrists. “I made a mistake,” he admitted.
Snorting a laugh, Quinlan said with a reassuring grin, “Who hasn’t?”
“Not like this,” Obi-Wan murmured.
The playful teasing left Quinlan’s face as he watched Obi-Wan become more and more despondent over his mistake - though he was fairly sure Obi-Wan was blowing it out of proportion. “Then like what?” he asked.
“I thought Anakin used the Force to push a classmate in anger,” Obi-Wan began. “They’ve had fights before so it wasn’t unreasonable for me to think that the gossip I heard from the other classmates was true.”
“Okay,” Quinlan said slowly. “And I take it that wasn’t the case?” He was still struggling to see what the big deal was.
“He insisted over and over that he did not in fact do that, but I didn’t believe him,” Obi-Wan continued. “And I punished him for using the Force in anger.”
“Okay, but now you know he was telling the truth,” Quinlan guessed.
“Yes,” Obi-Wan nodded. “And I apologized to him, promised to do better, told him I would make more mistakes-”
“It sounds like you did everything right,” Quinlan shrugged. “People make mistakes. I’m sure your padawan understands that.”
Obi-Wan shook his head even as he said, “Yes.”
“But…?” Quinlan pressed, drawing the word out.
“I am struggling to move past it,” Obi-Wan let the words slip out in a whisper. He was this far in and he knew Quinlan, he’d never let him back out now.
“What have you tried?” Quinlan said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I’ve meditated on it quite a bit - with and without Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, clearly annoyed with himself that that hadn’t worked. “I’ve visited with Master Yoda,” he sighed. “I just seem to cling to this guilt.”
“So what are you asking of me?” Quinlan asked.
Obi-Wan frowned and lifted his gaze once again to meet Quinlan’s. He had hoped that Quinlan might just suggest it instead of him outright asking for it, but apparently that had been a foolish wish.
“I thought you might…” Obi-Wan exhaled sharply. “I thought you might punish me for it so I can move on,” he said as quickly and as confidently as he could.
“Ah.” A look of understanding spread across Quinlan’s face.
“Please,” Obi-Wan added when Quinlan didn’t say anything else. The silence as he waited for Quinlan’s answer was overwhelming.
“I’m not going to go easy on you just because you asked for this,” Quinlan warned.
Obi-Wan swallowed a lump in his throat. “I would not expect you to,” he answered in a clear voice. “Is that… Does that mean you will?”
Quinlan eyed Obi-Wan’s nervous figure before him. Normally, he projected an image of confidence, but now as he stood in front of him, Obi-Wan seemed so unsure. He cleared his throat and said sternly, “Yes, Obi-Wan.”
Obi-Wan let out a sigh of relief tinged with apprehension. “Should I- should we go to my quarters?”
“No,” Quinlan shook his head. He eyed Obi-Wan’s hair, now so much longer than it had been as a padawan even though it had only been a year since his knighthood. “Do you use a brush on your hair?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course,” Obi-Wan said, clearly confused at the question.
“Meet me in my quarters in thirty minutes,” Quinlan said simply. “And bring your hairbrush.”
“Quin!” Obi-Wan protested without thinking.
“I said I wasn’t going to go easy on you,” Quinlan shrugged.
“Fine,” Obi-Wan huffed, his face reddening, and turned to leave.
“Thirty minutes, Obi!” Quinlan called after him. “And don’t forget the brush!”
As he expected, Anakin was not in their quarters when Obi-Wan returned to them to fetch the blasted hairbrush Quinlan had requested.
Rifling through his things in the fresher, he pulled out the brush - something he had invested in as soon as his hair started growing less manageable. He didn’t spend money on much, but when he did, he made it worth his while.
He tested the flat wooden surface with a slap to his outer thigh and even through the layers of fabric, he could feel the sting.
That was going to hurt.
He tucked it into the sleeve of his robe and left his quarters to make the agonizingly long walk to Quinlan’s.
He would be early, he knew, but he’d rather be early than late.
And the weight of the brush in his sleeve was an annoying reminder of what was to come.
“You’re early,” Quinlan pointed out when he opened the door to his quarters after Obi-Wan had knocked.
Obi-Wan swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. “Yes, well…” he trailed off. “I would rather not wait, if that’s alright with you.” He stepped inside, not waiting to be invited in.
“Well, Obi-Wan,” Quinlan said seriously, “I said thirty minutes and I meant thirty minutes so you’re going to have to wait”- he checked the chrono -”the other seventeen minutes still.”
“Quinlan!” Obi-Wan complained.
“And you can do it in that corner,” Quinlan said, pointing to an empty corner in his living room.
“You cannot be serious,” Obi-Wan frowned.
“Very serious,” Quinlan replied simply, raising an eyebrow as if daring Obi-Wan to challenge him.
Obi-Wan huffed indignantly, making no move to go to the spot Quinlan had directed him to.
“You’re not in charge right now,” Quinlan reminded him. “I am. So unless you want to make this worse for yourself, I would suggest you do what I tell you to.”
Obi-Wan sighed deeply and shifted uncomfortably from side to side. “Yes, alright,” he agreed eventually.
“Did you bring the brush?” Quinlan asked before Obi-Wan had turned around to do as he was told.
“Yes,” Obi-Wan said, his cheeks flushing all over again as he withdrew it from his sleeve.
A smirk crossed Quinlan’s face as he saw Obi-Wan’s clear embarrassment over the implement. “Good,” he praised. “I want you to hold onto it with both hands while you’re waiting in the corner.”
Obi-Wan clenched his jaw, clearly annoyed at the order, but didn’t complain.
“Go on then,” Quinlan shooed him away.
With as much dignity as he could muster, Obi-Wan walked to the corner, standing steadily, his fingers wrapped around the brush.
He did his best to remain still as he heard various noises coming from Quinlan’s kitchen, trying very hard not to think about Quinlan’s eyes on him. His fingers trailed over the smooth back of the hairbrush, feeling its small ridges and imperfections of the wood.
He hoped that Quinlan was using this as a tool to make him apprehensive and nothing more. It was a fleeting hope, but at least something he could cling on to as he waited.
His heart fell as he thought about Anakin waiting just like this when Obi-Wan had punished him. It was embarrassing enough having something to actually reflect on, it must have been torture when Anakin shouldn’t have even been there in the first place.
Maybe he deserved the hairbrush.
“Turn around, Obi-Wan,” Quinlan said firmly into the silence of the room, startling Obi-Wan from his guilt-addled reflection. “And come here,” he said as he sat on the couch.
Obi-Wan strode as confidently as he could to where Quinlan was seated.
Taking the brush from Obi-Wan’s hands, Quinlan ordered, “Take off your belt and your boots.” He waited while Obi-Wan did as he was told before saying, “And trousers and underwear down.”
Without protest, Obi-Wan lifted the front of his robes to unbutton his fly and tugged his pants and underwear down to his thighs.
“A timeout really helped that attitude,” Quinlan teased and a new blush crossed Obi-Wan’s face. “Over my lap,” he directed.
Obi-Wan let out a shaky breath and crawled across Quinlan’s lap. Feeling his robes lifting off his backside and bared for Quinlan to see, he suddenly found himself tense with anticipation.
“It’s not like I haven’t seen this before,” Quinlan reminded him, feeling the waves of apprehension rolling off Obi-Wan.
“I know,” Obi-Wan breathed out, trying to quell his shame and humiliation.
“How did you punish your honest padawan?” Quinlan asked, resting his hand on Obi-Wan’s backside.
“Time in the corner, a reflection essay, and…” Obi-Wan stopped, his shame seeping into the room. “I didn’t take him on the mission we had assigned to us.”
“He must have been very disappointed,” Quinlan sympathized.
The image of Anakin crying, insisting that he had told Obi-Wan the truth, forced its way into Obi-Wan’s brain. At the time, Obi-Wan had thought Anakin was lying to get what he wanted and it only served to make him angrier. “He was,” Obi-Wan replied simply.
Without warning, the sharp sting of Quinlan’s hand meeting Obi-Wan’s bare backside replaced the image of his distressed padawan. He sucked in a breath and tried to remain still as another three smacks came down.
“Why didn’t you believe Anakin when he told you his side of the story?” Quinlan asked, his hand never ceasing the barrage of swats.
“He’s had-” Obi-Wan cried out at a particularly harsh smack. “He’s had trouble with this classmate in the past.”
“And that was enough for you to think he wasn’t telling you the truth?” Quinlan pressed.
“He gets angry sometimes,” Obi-Wan explained through the onslaught of swats.
Quinlan had the audacity to laugh at that and Obi-Wan’s cheeks turned bright red again. “You do too,” he reminded Obi-Wan and smacked again right at Obi-Wan’s sit spots.
Obi-Wan lurched forward involuntarily, Quinlan clucking his tongue as he pulled him back into place over his lap.
“You’ll have to do better than that,” Quinlan warned and as if to make his point, spanked again in the same spot.
“Sorry,” Obi-Wan mumbled and squeezed his eyes shut, wondering how he was going to remain still when Quinlan started using the hairbrush.
“Does Anakin lie to you often?” Quinlan asked.
Obi-Wan cried out at the smack that accompanied that question before gritting his teeth and saying, “No.”
“Hm,” Quinlan hummed.
He let a few more smacks rain down on Obi-Wan’s backside as he clearly did his best to stay still. He picked up the hairbrush he had set to the side and rested the unyielding surface on Obi-Wan’s behind.
Obi-Wan sucked in another breath as he felt the cool relief of the hairbrush on his very sore and very warm bottom, knowing very well it wouldn’t remain a relief for much longer.
“Tell me how you apologized,” Quinlan instructed.
“I-” Obi-Wan began but was interrupted by a stinging slap of the hairbrush.
“Keep going,” Quinlan insisted over Obi-Wan’s pained cries.
“I went to- to him and-” Obi-Wan hissed at the pain and squirmed ever so slightly.
Quinlan wrapped an arm around his waist and said firmly, “I expect you to stay still and answer me.”
“I went to him one night and told him I found out he was telling the truth,” Obi-Wan said quickly, hoping to get it out between the harsh smacks from the hairbrush. “And I apologized, told him I would try to be better, and asked for forgiveness.” Tears threatened to break through at the memory of seeing his poor padawan’s face, full of relief and longing.
“Did he forgive you?” Quinlan asked gently, bringing the hairbrush down hard.
“Yes,” Obi-Wan croaked and closed his eyes again to hold off the tears that were slowly welling in his eyes.
“But you can’t forgive yourself,” Quinlan said knowingly.
Obi-Wan didn’t answer, but shook his head, hoping Quinlan would take that as a response.
“You’re too harsh on yourself,” Quinlan admonished.
Obi-Wan wanted to laugh at that and ask who was being harsh to whom right now, but thought better of it.
“Do you think no master ever makes mistakes?” Quinlan continued, the hairbrush unrelenting.
“No,” Obi-Wan rasped.
“Do you think this is the only mistake you’re ever going to make?” Quinlan asked, delivering another three hard smacks to his sit spots.
“No,” Obi-Wan whispered immediately with a grunt.
“Was Qui-Gon so perfect that he would not have done the same thing you did?” Quinlan finally asked.
At the mention of Qui-Gon’s name, the tears that were threatening to break through finally made good on their promise and a sob was wrenched from Obi-Wan’s throat.
The hairbrush came down a few more times, as if to show that Obi-Wan’s tears weren’t what caused the spanking to stop.
When it did eventually stop, Obi-Wan remained over Quinlan’s lap, weeping into his arm, his sleeve growing damp.
“Obi-Wan,” Quinlan whispered and set the brush aside, pulling Obi-Wan to sit up.
Obi-Wan wiped his eyes with his sleeve, trying to keep the grimace from his face as he sat on the couch.
“You okay?” Quinlan asked, unsure of what he should be saying now that it was over.
Obi-Wan snorted a wet laugh and pulled his briefs and trousers up. “Relatively speaking,” he said with a sniffle. “Though I think it’s going to hurt for quite some time.”
“Would you rather have that pain than the pain that comes from guilt?” Quinlan asked and placed a hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder.
“Very much,” Obi-Wan nodded and inhaled deeply.
Quinlan grinned playfully. “Good,” he said, mussing Obi-Wan’s hair.
“Quin,” Obi-Wan frowned and tried to rearrange his hair without his brush. He didn’t particularly feel like looking at it right now.
“Cut yourself some slack, Obi,” Quinlan said, ignoring Obi-Wan’s displeasure at his hair being messed up. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re not perfect.”
Obi-Wan scoffed and shifted uncomfortably on the couch. “Don’t I know it?” he said bitterly.
“So forgive yourself,” Quinlan said slowly as if it were obvious. “You learned your lesson, you paid your dues. Go be a good master to Anakin and maybe don’t doubt yourself so often.”
“Easier said than done, I’m afraid,” Obi-Wan said sourly. “But I will try,” he promised when he saw a warning look from Quinlan.
He stood from the couch and straightened the front of his robes, making his way to the door. “Well, now I can say for certain that you truly are a pain in my ass,” he said, as he punched the button on the wall for the door to open.
Quinlan laughed loudly at Obi-Wan’s declaration and called after him, “Don’t forget your brush!”
And if Obi-Wan thought the blush would ever leave his face, he was wrong.
“Master, have you been crying?” Anakin asked as he saw Obi-Wan busying himself in the kitchen of their quarters.
“Does it look like I’ve been crying?” Obi-Wan smiled warmly.
“A little,” Anakin shrugged and sat at the kitchen table.
“Your padawan braid looks a little untidy,” Obi-Wan said, changing the subject.
“Master, you should have seen me in class today!” Anakin said excitedly, distracted by the change in subject. “We went through an obstacle course and I won!”
“You did?” Obi-Wan asked, not all that surprised. Anakin was proving more and more how well he learned and how in tune with the Force he truly was.
He sat in the chair next to Anakin, hiding his wincing as best he could. Reaching for the braid, he took out the band that was barely holding it together.
He combed his fingers through it, detangling and smoothing the strands. “I was thinking we might go swimming this evening,” Obi-Wan said as he deftly braided the relatively short lock of hair that was behind Anakin’s ear. “You’ve been working so hard on your strokes and our next mission is to a planet with quite a bit of water.”
Selfishly, he thought the cool water might offer some relief from the ache in his backside, but the sentiment remained true nonetheless.
Anakin’s eyes lit up at the mention of a mission. “Tell me all about it!” he said enthusiastically.
“I will when we’re swimming,” Obi-Wan promised.
“Thank you, Master!” Anakin said, barely waiting for the band to be secured around his braid before standing from his seat and hugging Obi-Wan, who let out a surprised grunt.
“You’re welcome, Anakin,” Obi-Wan whispered, returning the hug and was determined to keep his promise to do better.