TITLE: Subtle Changes

SERIES: Hearts and Souls

AUTHOR: Scorpio

ARCHIVE: Yes, if you've got the others in this series.

FANDOM: StarWars (pre TPM)

PAIRING: pre Qui-Gon/Mace (the boys are aged 14 and 15 respectively.)

RATING: PG

CATEGORY: fluffy stuff, friendship mook

WARNINGS: This one is mostly harmless to everyone but Qui-Gon.

NOTES: This is still a part of the "Hearts and Souls" AU, but it's set waaaaay back when Qui and Mace were still Padawans, so this comes before "Gentle Shackles of Love".

DEDICATION: As always, this is for Sentinel Cat. She deserves so much more, but I'm a poor writer so all I have to offer her are stories.

DISCLAIMER: George Lucas is God of the StarWars Universe. He owns everything Jedi and I intend no infringement on his copyrights. This is an act of love, not profit.

SUMMARY: Qui-Gon has to deal with various subtle changes in his physiology as he grows up. Mace finds one of these changes to be fascinating.

Subtle Changes
by Scorpio

The younger boy sat on the closed lid of the toilet in his best friend's 'fresher and watched as the older boy studied his face in the mirror hanging over the sink. To do this, Qui-Gon had to be kneeling on the floor, since this 'fresher had been designed with Master Yoda in mind. Mace watched with a mix of fascination and more than a bit of satisfaction when Qui-Gon ran the tips of his fingers along his own chin and frowned slightly. Smirking, he reached out and lightly grasped his friend's face and tilted it so that the light from the ceiling was shinning directly down on one cheek.

"See? I *told* you that you were growing hair on your face. It's sprouting out of your chin and along your upper lip."

Qui-Gon merely grunted in acknowledgment, his wide blue eyes never leaving his image in the mirror. Mace chuckled at his friend and reached up with the hand on his chin until he could reach the soft silky Padawan brush cut that covered the top and back of Qui-Gon's head. The hair was a deep brown that streaked a shimmering gold if he spent enough time in direct sunlight. Running the palm of his hand over it, the soft bristles sent a tingling pleasure through his skin and all along his arm.

"Then again, I don't know why I'm surprised. You've always had lots of hair."

At that, Qui-Gon finally tore his eyes away from his own reflection and looked over at Mace. Grinning like a loon, Mace reached up and ran his hand along his own head. Soft smooth skin met his touch from the top of his thin eyebrows and continued on back as far as his arm would reach. Qui-Gon saw his grin and raised him a shrug.

"All of the humans from your home planet are hairless. Even your wife."

Mace bristled slightly at that. He was willing to admit that he didn't know her very well because she was being raised back home while he was being raised by the Jedi, and it wasn't as if he had even *chosen* her as his wife. As was the custom of his people, he had been betrothed to her in an arranged marriage at the ripe old age of four months old. His parents wouldn't let the Jedi take him away until all of the marriage contracts had been in place, so he and Sandra Windu had been married when he had just turned two years old and his wife was almost three. The marriage contract stated that his birth family, who was wealthy with land but had little money and no title, would be granted the rights and respect of those who were of the noble Windu clan and in return, the Windu's would be able to make use of his own birth family's land. All Mace had to do was make both families proud by becoming a great Jedi that carried their name and to father three children on his wife before she reached the age of thirty-five. It was a simple arrangement and it didn't preclude either him or his wife taking on other lovers or responsibilities. And while he didn't pick her personally and he only knew her through holo's and brief letters, he didn't like the idea of Qui-Gon suggesting that she wasn't absolutely beautiful, which she was.

"Hey! Sandra Windu is a beautiful and amazing woman. Be respectful of my wife you hairy barbarian."

Qui-Gon chuckled up at Mace and shook his head.

"I didn't say she wasn't. I've seen your holos of her and I'm not blind or stupid. She's a very beautiful girl...if you like that sort of thing. They're too soft and squishy for my tastes, but that's besides the point. I was just pointing out that she didn't have any hair."

Mace scowled at him for a long moment and then let it drop. Sandra was a great girl and they seemed to get along fine with their letter writing and he was more than willing to defend her honor, but he had to admit to himself at least, that he much preferred Qui-Gon's company. He also sort of agreed with his friend about girls. They were nice enough as friends, but boys were much more exciting.

With a sigh to push away those thoughts, Mace turned his attention back to the matter at hand. Specifically, the fact that Qui-Gon had started growing hair on his face. It was a light dusting of soft silky brown that was easier to feel than see. Gesturing to his own face along his jaw, Mace posed a question.

"So, what are you going to do about the hair on you chin? Some of the Knights that can grow hair on their faces let it grow into beards, but others just...shave it off."

Qui-Gon went still for a long moment as he considered the question. Finally, he turned bright blue eyes to Mace and shrugged slightly.

"I think I'll try and shave it off. I mean, I don't want anyone to tease me about it and you *know* that Pros'ank will find new and creative ways to torture me with this."

Mace nodded. Pros'ank was the son of a Senator and he was often in classes with one or both of them at the University of Coruscant. Plus, he was often employed by his mother as a messenger to the Jedi Temple even as they were used as messengers to the Senate by their own Masters. Pros'ank was intelligent, ambitious and had lots of potential. He also had a cruel streak a mile wide and he didn't like Qui-Gon for some unknown reason. The other boy often went out of his way to make Mace's best friend's life miserable. With a sigh, Mace had to nod his agreement, although he wasn't too crazy about this idea. He *liked* those soft little hairs. They were fascinating to him.

"Okay. I see your point. However, I suggest that you read up on the *right* way to do it and get the proper tools."

After a brief pause to consider, Qui-Gon nodded his head.

"Okay."

*

Mace had finally completed the majority of his chores and assignments for the day. He still had to study for his astrophysics class and he had one last meditation to do, but he figured that they could both wait until after evening meal. He was getting real hungry and because of that, his concentration was beginning to waver. Hopefully, Qui-Gon would be able to join him for third meal in the Dinning Hall.

With that thought in mind, Mace chimed for entrance into the quarters that his friend shared with Master Yoda. After a brief pause, the door slid back and Mace was hit with a wall of hot humid air and a bright swirl of the Living Force. Stepping through the doorway and onto the soft moist mud that thickly coated the floor of the common room, Mace turned and bowed to Master Yoda where he sat comfortably on a moss covered log.

"Greetings, Master Yoda. Is Qui-Gon available? I wished to ask him to join me for third meal."

The venerable Jedi Master grunted and poked at the ground with his gimmer stick even as a long thick slithering snake coiled it's way around him.

"In the 'fresher, my Padawan is. Peeling his face, he still is. Odd and uncomfortable, are the rituals and customs of young humans, hhhmmmm?"

Mace flinched slightly at Master Yoda's words.

"P..Peeling his face?"

Yoda nodded sagely even as his ears twitched in obvious amusement at what he considered to be his Padawan's silly and frivolous behavior. With a flick of one wrinkled three fingered hand, he shooed Mace in the direction of the 'fresher.

"Go. See for yourself, young one. Talk some sense into that thick skull, maybe you can."

Nodding his head with his dark brown eyes opened wide in confusion, Mace turned on his heel and headed directly to the 'fresher. Just as he was about to reach out and knock on the door, he heard a hiss of breath and then a muttered curse in a language that he didn't recognize. Without thinking, he palmed open the door with worry for his friend.

Qui-Gon was once again on his knees in front of the mirror over the sink and he turned his head to look up at Mace as the door slid open. Silenced by a wave of shock, Mace felt his bottom jaw drop down at the sight of his best friend. The left half of Qui-Gon's face was covered in a fluffy white substance that reminded the younger boy strongly of whipped cream. The other half was free of the stuff, and his skin was smooth of hair. However, that clean smooth side was also bright red and irritated with the beginnings of what seemed to be a light rash. There were also numerous shallow cuts over his jaw and chin that were still bleeding slightly. Qui-Gon had taken the time to paste little tiny squares of tissue paper over these cuts and so there was a whole bunch of them stuck all over his lower face. Waves of embarrassment and frustration rolled off of his friend and Mace wasn't sure whether to laugh or offer comfort. All that came out of his mouth when he tried to speak was an unhelpful, "Ummm?" Qui-Gon, on the other hand, had *lots* to say.

"Don't even say it. This was a *stupid* idea. I feel enough like an idiot that I don't need you to tell me that I am one, and what's worse is that my face *hurts*. I swear, that whoever invented these dumb razors must have had extensive training in the Sith art of torture. And this shaving cream? I think I'm allergic to it."

Frantically, Mace tried to think up something to cheer up his obviously disillusioned and upset friend.

"Well, at least you don't have to worry about hair growing anywhere else. It's just your face and your head, right?"

Seeing as how his face was already red from the growing rash, Mace didn't think that his best friend's face could glow any brighter. He was wrong. Qui-Gon's blush started below his tunic neckline and raced up and under his Padawan brush cut. Even his ears turned dark pink. A small quiet part of Mace's brain was impressed by this display even as he wondered what prompted it.

"Well...actually...I have hair growing in other spots too."

Mace, whose only hair was his eyebrows and eyelashes, was startled and intrigued by this admission. None of his subspecies ever grew hair anywhere else and as such, he found that made him fascinated by those beings with lots of hair and fur. It was soft, warm and it smelled good when it was clean. He had to know more about these odd and hairy changes in his friend.

"Where? And why didn't you tell me?"

Qui-Gon shrugged faintly and blushed again.

"It's a little embarrassing. I'm getting hair on my chest, my legs, under my armpits and...well...around my, you know...around my groin."

"Really?"

Qui-Gon merely shrugged and nodded even as he went back to trying to shave his face without injuring himself further. Mace, on the other hand, found the very idea of his friend suddenly sprouting hair in places that had never had hair before fascinating and oddly exciting in some strange way. He had the weird desire to strip his friend of all of his clothes so that he could spend time investigating this phenomena. He wondered if the hair on his friend's body was as soft and silky as that which grew on Qui-Gon's head and face. He would love to have the chance to find out, but he had no idea how to go about asking to do so. Another snarled curse pulled him out of his swirling thoughts.

"I am *never* shaving again. I'm going to let this hair grow into a beard and I don't care *what* Pros'ank says. This is just too ridiculous and painful."

Smiling at the thought, Mace let his imagination loose to paint him a picture of what his friend would look like with a short neatly trimmed beard adorning his chin and face. A sizzle of heat unfurled low in his belly and his penis twitched in his leggings with the first stirring of excitement. Nodding down at his best friend, he found that he could barely wait to see if the truth of it would look as good and as...sexy as his imagination suggested.

"Yes, Qui-Gon. I think that's a good idea. Let it grow out into a beard. If you don't like it, you can always get rid of it later."

Qui-Gon merely grunted in agreement, totally unaware that his best friend's feelings for him had subtlety changed.

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