Age 13

A large man with long, reddish brown hair and crystalline blue eyes sat on a couch. In his lap sat a boy, his hair was a blondish brown, his eyes a deep green. He was rather small for his age. Easily the child could pass for nine or ten years, though he was actually thirteen. The man was holding the child tightly, comfortingly. The child was obviously scared, unsure of his place in this man's life, insecure about himself and his ability to be what the man thought he could be. After several long moments of comfort, the man picked up a pair of scissors he had placed on the small table next to the couch and began cutting the child's hair. All of it was cut short, except for one tiny section. Finished, he smiled reassuringly at the child and brought the scissors to his own hair, cutting off only a few strands. Finally he set the scissors down and began braiding the small section of hair he had left long on the child, twining the strands of his own hair into the braid.



Age 14

The man is once again sitting on the couch, the boy in his lap. The boy no longer looks quite as scared, though his insecurities are still plain to see. He has grown some over the past year, three or four inches, and his body is just beginning to look fit instead of malnourished. He is still undersized compared to his contemporaries, however. The man doesn't seem to care as he picks up the scissors, cutting the hair once again, all except for that one small section. It now goes down below the collar of the boy's robe in length. Once the man sets the scissors down, the boy reaches up, seemingly in awe, to reverently touch the braid before curling close to the man, a hesitant smile on his face, a look of joy on the man's.



Age 15

The man sits on a couch, once again, this time on a starship, their first official mission together as Master and Padawan. The boy has grown much in the last year, slowly but surely he is catching up in size with his agemates. He sits on the floor at his Master's feet, a smile of pure joy on his face as the man snips his hair short once again and twins the long strands left with strands from his own hair into a braid. The man seems to be radiating a feeling of pure contentment as his hands work on the boy's hair, a gentle smile lights his eyes, though other than that he is expressionless. Truly looking like the Jedi he is, serene and blank.



Age 16

The man sits on the couch, waiting for the boy to join him. He is growing older, his hair beginning to gray and just starting to show a crinkle near his eyes, but he ages gracefully, seeming to look even more handsome, more distinguished with age. The boy comes in the door a few moments later, a smile in his eyes and an explanation on his lips about class running late, having to repeat katas until everyone had them correct. The man smiles and shakes his head, remembering having to go through that himself many times during his own training as he watches the boy hang his robes and scurry over to sit before him on the floor. Carefully the man begins the ritual of cutting the boy's hair, smiling to note that the braid is now to the boy's shoulder blades, a testament of their time together.



Age 17

The man sits on the couch once again, the boy at his feet. The boy has grown tremendously in the past year, and it is hard to tell, at times, that he is still a boy, not the man that he sometimes appears to be. The boy shyly sits forward, feeling the man's strong fingers gently lifting his hair to cut it, then braid the small section left long with strands of the man's own hair. He has come to realize that is to bind them together for the duration of his training, but as he casts a longing glance over his shoulder as the man sets the scissors down, he wishes desperately to the Force to make that tie bind them longer than that, to bind them for eternity.



Age 18

The older man stands in a cell, the younger pacing the length of it as they wait. Very soon their captor himself will show up, and the trap they set for him will be sprung. They will escape and take him with them to justice. The waiting has been hard on the both of them, however, especially the younger. He has never been at all fond of small spaces, the older thinks while watching him pace, his own face a visage of calm serenity. He has noticed the way the young man has been looking at him for well over a year now, and he has done his best to hide the way he returns those feelings. Not yet can he tell his Padawan how he feels. He's too young yet, and he's still his Master. Once he's a Knight, however, all bets are off. The young man is his, not just his apprentice, but also his love, his mate. The Force has willed it so; he knows this with a certainty that defies reason. After watching for a few more minutes, he smiles, remembering what the day is. The younger man seems to realize it at the same instant, because he comes forward, apology in his eyes for allowing himself to feel agitation, releasing it to the Force kneeling before the elder man. The elder man reaches down and strokes his hand through his hair affectionately for a long moment before pulling out a vibroblade from his belt and igniting it, carefully cutting the young man's hair.



Age 19

The older man presses an affectionate kiss to his young lover's temple as they lay in the bed. He had tried to stop himself from this happening, but he could no more do that than he could stop breathing. He loved this young man way too much, felt that love returned to him way too strongly. They had been hiding their relationship from everyone for months, and would continue to do so for several more years, until his Padawan became a Knight in his own right. The Counsel wouldn't approve, would likely separate them if they were to ever find out. Hiding it seemed like such a small price to pay for a love this great. Besides, it wouldn't be forever. The young man was a Senior Padawan now, his braid came down nearly to his waist when they had cut his hair this morning.



Age 20

The young man sat on the couch, tears streaming down his face as he held the small boy in his lap, a pair of scissors in his hand.

End.