#not beta'd cuz I'm lazy

[shadowmaat]

Workout

Set at some point in the Winged!Maul AU after Maul’s wing has healed.

Obi-Wan ghosted through the night-time corridors of the Temple, following a hunch. He’d awoken to find Maul missing from the quarters they shared with Qui-Gon; a not uncommon occurrence as Maul tried to adjust to his new life. There were several places he was likely to be, but Obi was pretty sure he knew where to look.

His toes curled against the chill stone steps as he made his way upwards. Sure, he could have taken the lifts, but even this late at night- early in the morning?- there was a chance of running into someone and since he’d only thrown his outer robe over his bedclothes, well, it would be highly improper.

A gust of wind ruffled his hair as he neared his destination, a meditation chamber in one of the Temple’s outer towers. It could be opened to the air, as it clearly now was, meaning he’d made the right choice. He slowed his pace, listening, but other than the distant murmur of traffic and myriad city sounds he couldn’t hear the room’s occupant. He edged up to the doorway and peered inside.

Maul was there, limned in the glow of the Coruscanti night. His movements were slow and measured as he moved through the forms of what Obi eventually recognized as Juyo. His teachers called it the Form of Ferocity, but watching Maul all he could think was how beautiful he- it- looked. Light and shadow danced along muscles. His wings, held tight one moment, unfurled with a quiet hush as he leaped. Obi bit his cheek to keep from gasping. Maul rarely extended them to their full reach, partly due to space restrictions, but mostly, Obi thought, from embarrassment. Which was a ridiculous concern since his wings were glorious; ebon darkness fringed with red, almost mirroring his tattoos. Obi leaned against the doorway, drinking in the sight.

He should… he should probably announce himself. And he would, in a minute, but he rarely got to see Juyo in action and if Maul knew he was there he’d probably stop. That was the reason, he told himself. He could almost believe it.

The wings did get in the way of some of the stances, but Maul already had better control over them than he had when he’d arrived and if they might interfere with a saber sweep they also served as an excellent distraction. Maul could- and was- modifying things to compensate, and to take advantage.

“Are you here to join me or drag me back?”

Obi jumped, his heart in his throat as Maul tucked in his wings and turned to face the doorway.

“Uh.” Face burning, he stepped into the room. “Join? I- I mean maybe not for training, I’m not really dressed for it.” He gestured at himself and immediately regretted it. Nothing like drawing attention to the fact that he was running around the Temple in his sleepwear.

“Battle won’t wait for you to get dressed,” Maul said, twisting the training staff into two pieces and tossing one to Obi.

He caught it on reflex and stared as Maul settled into the “ready” stance, wings twitching behind him.

“I don’t really know-”

Maul lunged and Obi brought his saber up, barely blocking him in time. Another strike and block. He managed to throw Maul back long enough to shrug out of his robe so he wouldn’t be tripping over it and then the attack was on in earnest.

“You’ve been practicing without me,” he said, ducking a sweep that would have beheaded him. “I’m hurt!”

“You will be hurt if you don’t move faster, Jedi!”

Obi lost track of time for a while after that, caught up in the exhilaration of practice. He scored a few marks against Maul, who returned the favor. His quips, however, tended to fall on deaf ears. Or if Maul did respond it was to criticize something he was- or wasn’t- doing. Maul spun and Obi found himself knocked sideways by a wing. He stumbled but recovered in time to turn a killing blow into a graze across his chest.

“Playing dirty? I see how it is!” He grinned.

“Whatever it takes to win.” Maul’s teeth gleamed before he struck out again, sending Obi dancing back.

Dawn was just starting to pink the horizon when Maul’s wings flared wide, turning him into an inky silhouette. Obi stared, unaware that his point had dropped until he felt the heat of a saber at his neck.

“Do you yield?”

There was a gleam in Maul’s eyes and a slight curve to his lips that had Obi’s stomach doing flips. Or maybe it was just hunger. Yes, that must be it. He licked his suddenly dry lips and nodded, thumbing off his saber.

“It seems you’re adapting well,” he said, trying to catch his breath. Now that the practice was over he was becoming aware of his own exhaustion and the various stings Maul had inflicted on him during the match.

Maul left the saber at his neck for another heartbeat before disengaging it. “I may never be as good as I was, but yes, I can at least best an unwary opponent.”

He, too, was breathing hard from the exertion and was coated in a light sheen of sweat. Obi resisted the urge to run a hand down his chest.

“Those tricks won’t work on me again,” he warned, stooping to retrieve his robe.

“Are you sure about that?”

A wing brushed against Obi’s back as they headed for the exit, raising goosebumps along his arms.

“I guess we’ll find out next time.” He elbowed Maul in the ribs. “Come on, Qui-Gon will be cross at us for being absent.”

They made their way back down through the Temple and Obi tried not to think about how very, very screwed he was.