[Over the years with Obi-Wan under his wing, one thing that Qui-Gon could never, ever, get used to was seeing his Padawan in pain. It didn't matter where said pain came from. Whether it was a glancing blow from a blaster, a shameful glance after being told off, or the bereft emptiness that came from true loss, Qui-Gon Jinn couldn't stand it.]
[He also knew that pain was, unfortunately, a powerful lesson in itself, provided the individual undergoing it used it as a foundation to grow. Obi-Wan excelled at that--and, now with his knowledge of the younger man's future, Qui-Gon can't help but wonder if he's so good at growing from pain because his life was destined to be full of it.]
[It's not fair. Life wasn't meant to be fair. It was a test, through and through, carefully constructed by a power far beyond their full grasp, and designed to either make or break an individual, depending on how they responded.]
[And Qui-Gon couldn't be more proud of how Obi-Wan grew.]
[He sighs, heavy, and reaches out again.]
[Their hug before had been brief. Celebratory. Happy. But it was too shallow a greeting meant between a father and a son who'd been apart for so long. That had been Qui-Gon's mistake from the very beginning of Obi-Wan's apprenticeship: he'd taken too long to make himself emotionally available to his Padawan, and the latter had suffered as a result. He couldn't allow himself to repeat that mistake.]
[If Obi-Wan allows, Qui-Gon will pull him close and fully envelop him again, squeezing tight and murmuring the one thing that he feels Obi-Wan may need to hear.]
no subject
[He also knew that pain was, unfortunately, a powerful lesson in itself, provided the individual undergoing it used it as a foundation to grow. Obi-Wan excelled at that--and, now with his knowledge of the younger man's future, Qui-Gon can't help but wonder if he's so good at growing from pain because his life was destined to be full of it.]
[It's not fair. Life wasn't meant to be fair. It was a test, through and through, carefully constructed by a power far beyond their full grasp, and designed to either make or break an individual, depending on how they responded.]
[And Qui-Gon couldn't be more proud of how Obi-Wan grew.]
[He sighs, heavy, and reaches out again.]
[Their hug before had been brief. Celebratory. Happy. But it was too shallow a greeting meant between a father and a son who'd been apart for so long. That had been Qui-Gon's mistake from the very beginning of Obi-Wan's apprenticeship: he'd taken too long to make himself emotionally available to his Padawan, and the latter had suffered as a result. He couldn't allow himself to repeat that mistake.]
[If Obi-Wan allows, Qui-Gon will pull him close and fully envelop him again, squeezing tight and murmuring the one thing that he feels Obi-Wan may need to hear.]
It wasn't your fault.