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slotmachines-fearofgod · 3 months ago

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jsnnholy moly yes pls send the link to the codywan fic when its ready pretty pls

aghhhh so life update i broke my hand :( makes typing very hard so i'm not sure when it will be DONE done BUT i did make a WIP of the fic hehe so what i've got so far is below the cut

Cody sighed as he picked up the saber, giving it a perfunctory dust off. Really, Kenobi needed to stop throwing this thing around so much. He didn’t even know anything about the Jedi and he knew this was important. It was their one and only weapon, without it the general was -

Well, not defenseless. In their short time together Cody had to come to know his general was anything but defenseless.

Cody tucked it into his belt, sure he’d have to readjust at some point. He really should just get a clip or holster and call it a day but the Jedi likely wouldn’t appreciate that. It wasn’t his saber after all.

Cody strode through camp, his head high, as he scanned for Kenobi. Chances were the man was still off doing something insanely dangerous, but there was always hope.

So far this war wasn’t what he thought it was going to be. For one, the Republic was overwhelmingly unprepared for them. Each commander had been brought before the Jedi Council the day of their assignments and had it very patiently explained to them that no, no one knew they existed before this. Before Geonosis.

No one except Kenobi, that is.

He’d gotten looks from his fellow commanders when he’d been given his assignment. Kenobi had been somewhat of a shock to them all the day he showed up on Kamino. A Jedi, dressed from head to toe in the exact robes they all used to giggle about because they simply couldn’t be real, showed up drenched in the Kamino rain and heralded the beginning of the end for them all.

Some vode had whispered after Geonosis that Kenobi was a harbinger, a catalyst, a messenger of war. He was the first domino to fall and the clones would be the last.

Cody largely dismissed this as stress-induced idiocy. Especially after the first three times the man lost his lightsaber.

Cody made his way to the command tent, resolving to stop at the med tent if his general wasn’t there. They were holding their post well, waiting on the 501st forces to swoop in and give them a little back up. Christophsis was a busy place after all.

“Cody!”

Cody stopped and sighed. Only one person refused to call him by rank in this shit show.

“Yes, General?” Cody turned around, Kenobi’s lightsaber already held out toward him.

Kenobi laughed at the obviously practiced motion, plucking the weapon from Cody’s hand without breaking his stride. Cody caught up after a few seconds, falling into lockstep with the man.

“I have some excellent news,” Kenobi’s eyes glittered, “I believe my new padawan is arriving. Right now.”

Cody’s steps (and heart) stuttered, “Uh. Padawan? Sir?”

“Yes, yes, very exciting!” Kenobi did not seem to catch on to his panic, “You know, now that Anakin’s a knight I have no apprentice and the younglings can’t stay younglings forever. Someone has to step up and take charge.”

“And that’ll be you?” Came the sarcastic drawl from none other than Skywalker himself.

Skywalker marched up to them, Rex in tow, and fell in on Kenobi’s other side. Cody took that as his cue to drop back, instead walking with Rex. Cody discreetly tapped his helmet and Rex nodded, making the switch to internal comms.

“Captain,” Cody greeted while the Jedi talked.

“Commander,” came Rex’s tired reply, “Good to see you up and running.”

Cody huffed, “You have no idea.”

“He lose the lightsaber again?”

“Yup.”

“Great. Skywalker blew up another section of the street.”

Cody rolled his eyes, “Does he ever do anything that doesn’t involve explosions?”

“Not yet,” Rex grumbled, “You hear about the padawan?”

“Yeah,” Cody sighed, “Kenobi wants it to be his.”

“And you think it’s a good idea to leave it to Skywalker?” Rex pushed. Cody knew he had that stupid smirk on his face.

“No,” Cody agreed, “I think a kid out here at all is a bad idea.”

“Yeah,” Rex sighed, “That we can agree on.”

They made it a ways further before reaching the landing platform. The two Jedi were still bickering with each other so Cody made himself busy with a few of the workers around the dock. By the time Kenobi called him back over he’d collected five new pieces of paperwork to sign off on later.

Cody stood back with Rex, allowing the Jedi their space, as the ship touched down. He felt lightly nauseous.

That became full blown vertigo when the child in a skirt and tube top stepped off the ship. He had never been more thankful for his helmet before because he was pretty sure his eyes were about to bug out of his head.

She was tiny. And wearing no armor, let alone the robes that Kenobi and Skywalker seemed to favor. She couldn’t have been older than fourteen, her montrals not even grown into true horns. Cody could see one saber at her side but he doubted she was anywhere near as proficient as Kenobi. She likely had no field combat experience or medical training or -

“Breathe,” Rex reminded him with barely muffled laughter, “She’ll be fine.”

And then.

The best moment of Cody’s life happened.

“Actually Master Kenobi, I’m supposed to be Knight Skywalker’s padawan.”

Cody almost pissed himself in relief.

Rex, however, snapped up straight, his panic evident even without weird Force mind readers around. Kenobi cast an amused glance back at the two of them while Skywalker was too busy denying it.

“Breathe,” Cody said, not bothering to hide his mirth, “You’ll be fine.”

Rex’s fist shot out before any of the three Jedi could catch it and smacked into Cody. When they turned to look at the pair there was nothing but staunch professionalism, but as soon as they turned back around Cody jabbed Rex in the armpit, right in the armor gap. Rex clutched at his shoulder, the nerve there flaring up, and gave Cody a seething look. Cody just shrugged.

Brothers.

Cody and Rex followed the motley trio back to inner camp. They melted into the background, allowing the Jedi to take the front on whatever needed doing. Honestly half of Cody’s job was listening and nodding and making sure whatever harebrained plan the Jedi came up with was at least doable for his men. That and checking the collateral damage. Jedi weren’t exactly masters of subtlety.

There was still a lot to be done on Christophsis. With Ventress driven out and Separatist forces beginning to flee, it had calmed slightly, but other admirals had begun to press forward outside of the main horde. He was still directing troops all across the capital and the longer he was away the antsier he got.

“Cody,” Kenobi called his name, grabbing his attention away from future battle plans and if Helix was still good to go on field medical supplies, “What do you think?”

“I think it’s an excellent idea sir,” came the automatic response. It was easier to just agree than have them repeat whatever it was they had said. Chances were they weren’t really asking him anyway.

As he expected, Kenobi nodded and turned back to Skywalker, “Right. Then you and Padawan Tano shall handle Rotta while we finish up here.”

Skywalker had a serious glower on his face but so long as it wasn’t directed at him Cody couldn’t find it in himself to care if the man liked his assignment or not.

“Fine,” Skywalker bit out, “Come along Padawan,” he turned on his heel and left.

The padawan - holy fuck she was so young - looked up at Kenobi with big eyes, “Does he hate me?”

Kenobi gave her a fond smile, “No. Anakin is just like that sometimes.”

She frowned and looked after her new master. Cody almost pitied her.

“Come along, Commander,” Rex stepped up and offered his arm, “We’ll track him down together.”

Yeah. Rex was going to be just fine with her.

Then it was just him and Kenobi.

Cody actually didn’t mind the other man. He was respectful enough, let Cody keep his distance, and operated with a decent amount of professionalism. That last bit fluctuated depending on the day but most of the time he behaved himself.

Cody grabbed a pad and flicked over to the bay reports he needed to wrap up. He’d go visit medical after this, check in with his medics and the wounded, and then make his way to the infantry barracks. He’d probably be out there with his men for the next big push so he’d need to clean his armor and guns as well. After that he’d go over battle plans with Kenobi, make sure everything was in order for them to seize the planet, especially now they had 501st backup. He wasn’t sure what the whole Rotta business was about but he’d read the report and figure it out on his own.

Kenobi set his saber down gently on the tabletop. Cody glanced up, finding his general staring at him.

“Is everything alright sir?”

“Hm?” Kenobi asked, his eyes seeming to actually focus on Cody this time, “Oh, yes of course. Thank you for getting my saber, by the way.”

“Oh,” Cody said, unused to actually being thanked, “You’re welcome. I actually just stumbled on it earlier.”

“Is that so?” Kenobi looked at him with mischief in his eyes, “How interesting. Where did you find it?”

Cody shrugged, “Just outside of base camp.”

“Curious,” Kenobi brought a hand up to stroke his beard and looked down at his saber, “I could have sworn I lost it at least five miles out. Funny how that happens.”

Cody resisted the urge to cock his head to the side and let his confusion show, “Yeah. Very funny.”

“Well,” Kenobi grinned back up at him, “Whatever the case, you’ve returned it to me safely and for that I cannot thank you enough.”

Cody hid a smile of his own under his helmet, thinking of all the past times he’d secretly put Kenobi’s saber somewhere he could find it or slipped it into his robe pocket while he wasn’t wearing said cloak. Maybe he should keep outright returning it. It was sort of nice to be thanked.

“No worries General,” Cody assured him, “We all lose things sometimes.”

Funny how just a few minutes prior he’d been complaining to himself about what an irresponsible dumbass his general was. Now look at him.

—

Cody was in the middle of a very exciting conversation about potential armor upgrades for the GAR when he felt himself get bodily dragged backwards.

He immediately flung out an arm, glad their requisition officer, Fraud, was able to catch him. And then they both started moving backward.

“What the hell?” Fraud yelled, letting go as fast as he’d grabbed on.

“I don’t know!” Cody waved his arms in panic, something pushing into his abdomen and sliding him across sleek steel floors, “Help me!”

Fraud and two other troopers, attracted by the fear coloring Cody’s tone, grabbed onto him. That, unfortunately, had absolutely no effect on whatever was pulling Cody along. Now there was a squad of four troopers, all panicking and yelling, being dragged across squeaky clean floors.

“Cody, have you seen - oh my.”

The dragging suddenly stopped, the group yelling as they failed to stop pulling in time and all fell backwards

Cody groaned, having landed flat on his face, “What was that sir?”

“Never mind,” Kenobi was laughing, “I do believe I’ve found it. Would you like a hand?”

Cody turned his head to glare up at him, grateful for the cover of his helmet. Kenobi had a stupidly amused smile on his face as he stuck a hand out to both Cody and Fraud.

Cody grumbled as he accepted it, standing with all the grace of a beached aiwha and taking off his bucket. His nose hurt like a motherfucker.

Kenobi laughed as his expression was revealed, “My apologies boys, I was looking for this.”

Next thing he knew Cody was bodily yanked toward Kenobi before the pressure was released. He stared in shock and betrayal as Kenobi’s saber flew to his hand out of Cody’s belt, pointing an accusing finger at his general.

“You!”

“Me,” Kenobi grinned, “I’m afraid I was not aware it was attached to my good commander when I started searching but the show made it quite worth it.”

Cody was going to kill him. He was going to kill a Jedi.

Cody turned to his men and dismissed them, thanking them for their ‘help.’ He could feel Kenobi laughing behind his back. When they’d filed out of the hallway Kenobi had pulled them all into Cody whirled around, furious.

“What was that?” He asked, shoving his helmet back on.

“Fun,” Kenobi replied cheekily, placing both hands on Cody’s helmet and pulling it back off, “Accidental fun, but still fun. Let me see your face.”

Cody batted his hands away, “I’m fine. Just fell.”

Kenobi gave him a look and ran two fingers down his nose anyway. Cody’s face twisted into a scowl as he did so but he allowed it. Barely. If it was anyone else he would’ve bit their fingers off.

That probably said more about him than Kenobi.

Still, the pain disappeared in the wake of his hands and Cody had to admit it felt better.

“Thank you,” Cody said grumpily, still feeling the hit to his pride from skating across the floor for a solid thirty feet.

“It was the least I could do,” Kenobi assured him, “I really have got to keep a better eye on this thing.” He sighed as he tucked his saber back into his robes, giving Cody an embarrassed grin.

“You would think as a Jedi Master it wouldn’t be that hard,” Cody drawled, making Kenobi chuckle.

“Yes, well these things seem to have a mind of their own sometimes,” Kenobi joked, “I put it down in the navigation room for two minutes and it was gone.”

Cody laughed, “I picked it up in the nav room, maybe you just didn’t look hard enough.”

Kenobi rolled his eyes, “And perhaps you stole it while I was turned away.”

Cody shook his head, smiling fondly. He liked Kenobi. More than was probably acceptable. But they spent nearly every minute of the day together, how was he supposed to avoid that?

“Come along General,” Cody tugged at his bicep, figuring if he could use the Force to drag Cody wherever he wanted Cody was well within his rights to do the same. Kenobi allowed it easily, laughing as Cody pulled him.

“Where are we going?” Kenobi asked amusedly.

“I’m getting you a weapons holster,” Cody released him once Kenobi began to follow of his own accord, “So you’ve got a better place to put it then your pocket.” Kenobi’s armor hadn’t automatically come equipped with a gun holster as he was a Jedi. He still preferred his cloak over his armor and base robes underneath, but neither of those were good options for tucking a lightsaber into.

“Very well,” Kenobi sighed dramatically, “as my commander wishes.”

Cody, who was suddenly very glad he’d put his helmet back on as his cheeks flushed, scoffed, “This is for both our sakes.”

“I don’t know,” Kenobi pretended to stroke his beard in thought, “I quite like having the excuse to talk about something other than war with you.”

Cody didn’t really have a response to that one. Kenobi laughed at his obviously flustered form, saying, “You must admit it does get tiring after a bit.”

Cody shook his head and sighed, “You have no idea.”

Kenobi’s smile tightened then, his shoulder gently bumping Cody’s, “You know you are always welcome to come speak with me Cody. About anything. Not just battle plans and death tolls.”

Cody glanced over at him, seeing nothing but authenticity on his face, and said, “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Kenobi nodded, “I must admit, I do miss the companionship of my fellow Jedi. It would be nice to have a friend on board.”

Cody felt a weird warm feeling in his gut in that. He rolled his shoulders, trying to shake off the syrupy pleased part of himself and responded, “I thought we were already friends.”

Kenobi laughed, “Once you start calling me Obi-Wan I’ll say we’ve made it.”

Cody huffed, “But your rank -”

Kenobi waved his hand, effectively cutting him off, “Let’s not start that here, shall we?”

Cody frowned but let it slide. Kenobi could be weird about certain subjects and Cody had found it best to just smile and nod whenever that happened.

Getting Kenobi his holster was a fairly quick process. A few pieces of flimsiwork, a waist measurement, and then it was handed over quickly. Cody showed him how to buckle it quickly on the armor, teasing him about his lack of knowledge for clothing outside Jedi robes, and stood back to admire his handiwork.

It was just a little thing sitting at his hip, but at least now Cody could stop worrying every time he picked the saber off the battlefield that Kenobi was off bare knuckle brawling with Grievous somewhere.

“What do you think?” Kenobi did a little spin like it was a brand new dress and not just a piece of equipment.

Even so, Cody smiled and said, “Very nice. Hopefully this means you can keep better track of the thing now. And stop yanking me across the ship.”

Kenobi gave him a guilty smile, “As entertaining as it was for me, yes I think this should help.”

Cody chuckled, oblivious to the whispers of his brothers around them, “Glad to hear it sir.”

—

Cody cursed, taking another turn at top speed. He skidded around the corner, the sounds of combat growing closer. Ventress had found them and set a trap, luring Kenobi and Ghost onto her ship where she had the advantage. Of course Kenobi had sent Cody and the others to check for hostages or hostiles and he’d charged in, his saber blazing against the red light and black shadows of the ship. His cocky grin had been a bit slanted, the way it was whenever they went up against this particular acolyte, lit up in that familiar deep blue light.

Kenobi’s call for backup had come just as they cleared out the last of the droids on board, sending Cody sprinting to his last known location. Kenobi rarely called for backup, much preferring to put himself in the line of fire instead of his men. A bad feeling churned in Cody’s gut.

It only intensified as he spotted a small object in the center of the hall. Kenobi’s lightsaber rested innocently on the ground, making Cody push a little harder. He didn’t break his momentum as he sprinted forward, scooping the weapon up. He held it in his hand as he activated his comm.

“Kenobi, come in. This is Commander Cody, I repeat General Kenobi come in.”

“Kenobi here,” Cody winced at the breathless voice over his comm, “How’s that backup looking?”

“I’m on my way sir, once I’ve found you the troops will track my position and move in behind. I’ve got your saber with me.”

“Excellent,” Kenobi said, the end turning into a shout as the sound of an opposing lightsaber came dangerously close to his audio input, “I’m in sector three hall fourteen.”

Cody let out a small breath of relief, “I’m one down sir. Hold on just a little longer. Cody out.”

It took him thirty seconds too long to find Kenobi. He turned the last corner to find Ventress standing over him, Kenobi flat on his back on the ground and her saber poised to strike.

Cody grabbed for his pistol with his free hand, firing off a shot that was quickly deflected. He’d succeeded in capturing her attention though, her snarl now focused on him as he charged toward the pair.

“Cody!” Kenobi yelled, “My saber!”

Cody tossed it, not sure what he was expecting, and watched in fascination as it shot toward Kenobi’s hand as though it was a magnet. In less then a second the two were fighting again, Kenobi having sprung up and blocked Ventress’ path to Cody. Cody called in backup, alerting the squad to their position, and fired over Kenobi’s shoulder when he had the chance.

They fought like that, ducking around each other like they’d known one another for years, for what seemed like forever. Every time Kenobi closed in, Cody moved to the side and took a shot, creating an opening for him. They were fluid, aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and fought as a unit.

It was the most fun Cody’s had on a battlefield in a while.

Even Kenobi laughed as he ducked under Ventress’ swipe, calling over his shoulder, “We should do this more often!”

Cody emptied a pistol clip as Ventress attempted to take advantage of Kenobi’s brief distraction, yelling back, “Maybe without the murderous Sith next time.”

“I don’t know,” Kenobi teased, “It’s more fun with an audience.”

“Would you two get a room?” Ventress barked, “You’re making me nauseous.”

“My apologies darling,” Kenobi focused his attention back on her, “Were we not giving you enough attention?”

Ventress let out a wordless yell, apparently deciding she’d had her fun with them. She pushed her hands forward, Kenobi easily blocking the invisible wall of force with one of his own to buffet it, but Cody went crashing backwards. He slammed his head on the wall, unable to catch himself in time to not crumple to the ground.

Cody groaned, automatically going up to prod the soft spot before realizing where he was and that he was wearing a full armor set. He shook his head, standing with only a slight wobble. When he looked up, he was surprised to see Kenobi attacking.

Kenobi didn’t like to attack his opponents often. He preferred a more defensive style, instead using his enemies' mistakes against them in an effort to gain the upper hand. It was a style of fighting that was hard to pin down because it was so adaptable so Kenobi rarely diverted tactics.

Cody frowned as took in Kenobi’s more aggressive stance, his back still toward the commander. It looked like he was really pressing Ventress now, backing her up to the opposite end of the corridor.

Cody pulled out his rifle, breathing in deep as he peered down the sights. If he could time it just right then…

Kenobi did a complicated move that Cody didn’t quite follow, but it gave him the opening he needed to take the shot.

Ventress, too busy blocking Kenobi’s sudden onset of aggression, wasn’t able to stop the bolt from connecting. She cried out in pain, dropping one of her sabers, and clutched at her shoulder.

Feet thundered around the corner, signaling the arrival of their backup. In a matter of seconds she’d be outnumbered.

Which was, of course, when she decided to make her convenient escape. Kenobi was just barely too slow to grab after her as she tore open one of the air vents and leapt upward and into it. Her little chuckle was taunting as it echoed around the hallway, but Cody could honestly care less.

Longshot was the first to show, quickly followed by Boil and Wooley. Cody nodded at his men as they appeared one by one, now more focused on catching his breath. He didn’t even notice Kenobi’s approach until the man was practically on top of him.

“Are you alright?”

Cody nearly jumped out of his skin when he realized Kenobi was standing next to him, making a few troopers laugh quietly, “Yes sir, not a scratch on me. And yourself?”

Kenobi frowned, “Are you sure? You hit the wall quite hard.”

Cody waved him off, “I’m fine, just got stunned in the moment.”

Kenobi relaxed a bit, allowing Cody’s men to secure the scene. He moved toward one of the side doors that opened up into what looked like the ship’s archives.

“What’s this?” Cody asked as he entered behind him.

“The purpose of our mission,” Kenobi answered calmly, already inserting a drive into the main hub, “That being said, if Ventress knew it was a trap the data may be gone already.”

“What was the data?” Cody focused his attention on the screen in front of them, frowning as whatever algorithm Kenobi was using opened and closed windows too fast for him to read.

“The Separatists are once again attempting to ally themselves with the Hutts. We are here to figure out what their offer is and what they want in return.” Kenobi’s forehead wrinkled right between his eyebrows. Cody got the sudden ridiculous urge to smooth it out.

“Ah,” he said instead of embarrassing himself. Cody straightened, reminding himself he was on duty. He was always on duty around Kenobi. “And the Republic is planning a counter offer?”

“Force I hope not,” Kenobi looked at him with alarm and concern, “The Hutts are not the sort of folk we should want to ally with.”

Cody pursed his lips. He knew what the Hutts did and how they made their money. It was pure evil. But leaving a contract out in the open with an increasingly large chance the Seppies would give chase was almost worse. Who knew what Dooku would do with that power?

When Cody glanced at Kenobi the man was frowning at him.

“Something wrong?”

“No,” Kenobi said with a strange note in his voice, “I take it you don’t approve of our inaction?”

Cody blinked once. Twice. And then remembered the Jedi was pseudo-mind readers and wanted to slap himself.

“Not at all sir,” Cody answered with a confidence he didn’t feel, “You are correct, as per usual.”

Kenobi didn’t seem to buy his assurances. He turned back to the monitor, quieting his voice a bit as he said, “We cannot stoop to their level. You understand that, yes?”

Cody bristled briefly before getting himself back under control, “Of course General.”

Kenobi shot a look over his shoulder like he knew Cody was holding back. Oh well. They would just have to disagree on some things.

“Did you find it?” Cody asked impatiently, wanting to get out now that there was a weird tension in the room.

“Not yet,” Kenobi hummed, “But it looks like Ventress has scrubbed most of this. I doubt we’ll find what we need aboard this ship.”

“Right,” Cody sighed, “And I assume no one’s pinned Ventress down yet?”

Kenobi shook his head, “She’s probably in an escape pod by now. I’ll have Republic forces do a sweep of the area but knowing her -”

“She’s gone,” Cody took off his helmet. He rubbed his temples with one hand as he mulled over potential escape routes she could’ve picked, what planet may be her next stop, and how best to triangulate the landing of her pod.

Kenobi had a fond little smile on his face when Cody looked back up.

“What?” Cody asked defensively, thinking maybe he’d been talking out loud or something else embarrassing.

“Nothing,” Kenobi replied, unplugging his device and pocketing it. “Come along. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

—

Obi-Wan had gotten him drunk. The bastard.

It wasn’t that Cody was against being drunk. In fact, his liver complained every time they landed on Coruscant and Cody had an actual fucking break for once in his sith-damned life. He’d just never been drunk with a Jedi.

It was pretty fun.

They’d gone from talking about the odds of the next clone bill passing through the Senate to Cody laying flat on Obi-Wan’s bed and watching the Jedi make things fly around the room. Obi-wan was laughing as things whizzed around him in a flurry, like the eye of a strange and somewhat barren hurricane.

Obi-Wan had a ruddy flush to his cheeks at this point in the night. They’d been together for a few hours, drinking for a good majority of that. Cody had tried to call him Kenobi once and gotten a very hurt look. He decided he could call him Obi-Wan just for tonight after that.

“You can do better than that,” Cody goaded, “Lift something actually heavy.”

Obi-Wan cocked an eyebrow at him and the next thing Cody knew he was flying. He yelped, scrabbling to grab at the bed before he was lifted just a bit too high for that. Changing tactics he tried to turn himself to yell at Obi-Wan but only succeeded in pinwheeling his arms in the air like an idiot.

“I do believe I win this round,” Obi-Wan chirped gleefully before dropping Cody and everything else he was lifting. Cody grunted as he fell into the mattress, feeling something else hit his back and roll off the side. His hand shot out to catch it before it hit the ground.

Cody sighed as he sat up and rubbed one eye, blinking stupidly down at Obi-Wan’s lightsaber. Of course the man would make this death laser sword weapon fly around the room like it was no big deal.

He was surprised when Obi-Wan flopped down on the bed with him, taking up the space vacated by Cody now that he was sitting.

“Tire you out?” Cody asked teasingly.

“Not in the slightest,” Obi-Wan turned that lazy smile on him, making Cody’s stomach do weird things again, “You just looked very uncomfortable up there.”

Cody laughed, for once not fighting him or whipping up some smart ass comment. He liked this. Hanging out outside of military needs. It was fun.

“So,” Obi-Wan drawled, “Tell me about yourself. I feel like I know very little compared to what you know about me.”

Cody snorted, “There isn’t much to tell. Raised on Kamino for ten years and then sent here to work for you. That’s about it.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, “Come now, there must be more. Who are you close to, what foods do you like, what’s your favorite show? Little things like that.”

“Well,” Cody shifted, unsure of the goal of this conversation, “I haven’t tried many new foods. I’d say juice is pretty good. I’m not used to having something so sweet. I don’t have a favorite show but sometimes I’ll join the men in the rec room and there will be something in the background. And I’m close to a lot of vode. Comes with the job.”

“I do like juice,” Obi-Wan said, the drink clearly getting to him, “Anakin never had any when he was growing up so I always kept some for him in our room. He drank nothing but ujj juice for a whole year, I swear.”

Cody laughed, “Apple juice. That’s my favorite.”

“Good choice,” Obi-Wan told him, “It’s one of the oldest juices in the galaxy. People have been farming and cultivating apples for as long as civilization has existed.”

Of course he knew juice history. Why wouldn’t he know juice history?

“You’re a nerd,” Cody said against his better judgment, poking Obi-Wan in the shoulder.

Obi-Wan let loose a faux offended gasp, “How dare you? I’m a Jedi Master, I’ll have you know.”

“A nerdy Jedi Master,” Cody reminded him.

“Yes, yes,” Obi-Wan waved a hand in the air, “Whatever you say dearest.”

Cody scoffed, desperately trying to ignore his blush again. Stupid fucking Fett genes.

“Where is - Cody, why do you have my saber?” Obi-Wan looked at him with genuine confusion.

Cody brought it to his chest, “You were flinging it around the room like an idiot. Did no one teach you all basic weapon safety?”

Obi-Wan held a hand out for Cody to give back his saber as he said, “It’s not going to turn on all of a sudden, it has to be activated.”

Cody, now sporting a sly grin of his own, did not return the saber, “Oh so no lightsaber accident has ever occurred during training?”

Obi-Wan sputtered, “Well - yes but - that’s not exactly - oh, would you just give me that back?”

Cody shook his head, laughing, “Not until you can be trusted not to throw it into a wall.”

Obi-Wan looked at him in shock, “It’s my lightsaber.”

Maybe Cody had a little too much to drink because he responded with, “Then why does it keep coming back to me?”

Obi-Wan sputtered, having no quick comeback to that, and flung a hand out. Cody was just barely fast enough to catch the lightsaber before it flew out of his hand, tightening his grip just as Obi-Wan pulled.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes, a smile beginning to dance on his lips, “So it’s like that then?”

Cody nodded, not sure what they were getting into but knowing that syrupy sweet feeling was back and quickly growing. He laughed as Obi-Wan pulled the lightsaber again, the weapon still not leaving Cody’s hand. Obi-Wan made a noise of complaint before he really tugged.

Cody felt himself get bodily pulled forward, just like the day in requisitions, his hand leading his path. He laughed as he pulled against it, well aware there was no way he was winning this battle of wills. Obi-Wan shared in his giddiness, giving Cody just enough of a back and forth to make it seem like a real fight. Cody didn’t even care that Obi-Wan was letting him have it.

The problem came when Obi-Wan tugged a little too hard. Cody, off balance and dizzy from the drink, couldn’t stop it when he fell forward if he wanted to hold on to the lightsaber at the same time. In his state he allowed it, entirely forgetting who the lightsaber was being pulled toward.

Cody looked down, his cheeks certainly flushed now, as Obi-Wan sat wide eyed beneath him. The lightsaber rested innocently to the side of them, now forgotten as they stared at each other.

Cody had a knee in Obi-Wan’s lap, effectively straddling the man. Obi-Wan, who had been leaning back on his hands, was forced to look up at Cody, the space between them very small.

Neither moved for a precious few moments.

Cody had never appreciated how blue Obi-Wan’s eyes were. They had a depth to them, yes, but also a lightness. A sparkle that he’d never bothered with before now.

His gaze lowered automatically to his lips. He was very aware of how easy it would be. How Obi-Wan had gone still but not tense under him. How they could always blame the drink come morning.

It was that thought that had Cody ripping himself away like he’d been burned. He stumbled, getting off the bed and grabbing for his helmet.

“Cody -”

“My apologies General,” Cody defaulted, hearing A-17’s voice in his ears.

Anytime you fuck up, grovel until they can do nothing but pity you. It’s harder to punish the guilty than the arrogant.

“It’s been a long day,” Cody shoved his helmet back on, “And this has been lovely.” He moved toward the door, not putting his back to his general for a second, “but I really must be going now. Thank you for the drinks and the conversation, I’ll -”

“Cody,” Obi-Wan called to him again. Cody felt himself go a little weak. He was still in the exact position Cody left him, wide eyed and open on the bed. Cody could just walk right up and -

“Again, my lack of decorum cannot be excused,” Cody apologized again, “And I won’t let it happen again in the future. Goodnight General.”

Cody all but sprinted out the door, going straight to his room and locking himself inside it. He was an idiot. A giant, massive, humongous idiot. He’d ignored the little feelings in his gut because - because it was against the rules. It would go away because it was against the rules and Cody was excellent at following rules. Rules had gotten him to where he was now. Rules defined him, gave him clear structures to follow and guardrails to hold on to when things felt out of control. He could always default to the rules.

So why couldn’t he now?

—

Cody got the goddamn lightsaber clip.

Rather, Obi-Wa - Kenobi got him the lightsaber clip.

The first few days after that night were awkward to say the least. He knew everyone around them noticed it too. The tension was thick between them, Cody avoiding any interaction outside of the professional and Kenobi getting more and more pushy each time they were in the room together.

It culminated in Kenobi knocking on his door very loudly, dumping the lightsaber clip into Cody’s confused hands, and walking away without another word. The clip rested on his desk for a few days until he finally grew the balls to put it on his belt. He didn’t know why it was so difficult to make himself do that, it just felt…it felt like he was owning something that wasn’t his.

The first day he’d worn the clip was the first day Kenobi smiled at him since Cody ran away that night. Cody had given him a nod in return and just like that they were back to normal. He wished he knew how Obi-Wan did it.

They’d been invited to some gala celebrating the clones. Or raising money to make more. Or doing something else Cody probably would’ve hated so he tuned it out. Lucky for him they actually wanted clones in full armor this time. Something about showing them off to potential investors. Obi-Wan and a few other generals had made a lot of noise about that, but ultimately it was up to the senators throwing it. As far as he was aware this one was done by the Banking Clan and Kaminoans.

Cody shifted uncomfortably from where he’d been directed to stand. Turns out they weren’t kidding about wanting clone troopers on display. He and Rex had been guided to their ‘seats’ for the night, aka spots for them to stand in and be pestered with questions. Kenobi and Skywalker both decided that was outrageous and had taken to standing next to them and fielding some of the stupider ones thrown their way. Cody was fairly sure Windu was off yelling at the senators to get the commanders proper seats.

Cody didn’t really care to be honest. He’d gone to plenty of military expos on Coruscant, just because they’d slapped a different label on this one didn’t mean it wouldn’t be the same. They’d probably even have them do a combat demonstration later, meaning Cody could fire his blaster at something. That always cheered him up.

“I’m bored,” Rex complained over internal comms, “Skywalker keeps answering all my questions.”

“Yeah,” Cody agreed, “Less fun to stand here and answer questions when they won’t even let us answer questions.”

Kenobi had taken to standing in front of Cody, only allowing select people through to talk to him. It was a nice gesture but then Cody only had how uncomfortable he was to focus on.

“What's the clip for?”

Cody looked down in confusion before remembering, “Kenobi keeps losing his lightsaber and I keep picking it up. Figured at least this way I’ll have a free hand.”

Rex snorted, “Hypocrite. Skywalker has to replace his at least once a month and Kenobi always fusses at him for it.”

“Kenobi doesn’t break his,” Cody rolled his eyes, having his own opinions about Skywalker, “Just loses it.”

“If I have to hear Kenobi tell him his weapon is his life one more time I’m going to lose it,” Rex griped, “I do not envy Skywalker.”

“His weapon is his life?” Cody questioned.

“Yeah,” Rex heaved a sigh, “Kenobi always talks about how a lightsaber is a symbol of your personhood in the Order and how it’s a symbol of the Jedi. Without it they’re just really cool diplomats.”

“Oh,” Cody said faintly, trying to ignore the implications of that, “Interesting.”

“Yeah,” Rex did not seem to catch on to Cody’s crisis, “If you’re a Jedi.”

Luckily a senator slipped past Skywalker’s defense and started asking Rex all kinds of questions. Cody was glad for the distraction, if only to let himself think over that. He was briefly distracted by Kenobi turning back to him.

“Well,” Kenobi said with an air of discontent, “I sincerely apologize to you to for the way this night has gone.”

Cody laughed softly before turning on his external vocorders, “It’s quite alright General. We’re not unused to military displays after all.”

Kenobi huffed, Cody’s words not doing anything to reassure him, “Well in the future I will see to it that you and your brothers are sat alongside us, not standing against the wall waiting to be prodded.”

Cody’s heart fluttered a little bit. He loved that Kenobi genuinely wanted better for them.

Kenobi sighed, lifting a hand to run it through his hair before remembering where he was and what he was doing, “I’ll see if I can make an excuse for you to leave. It’s no good to have you lot standing around if Senator Burtoni can’t even say hello herself.”

Cody cracked a smile at that, thinking back to his few, very limited, interactions with the Kaminoan senator. She’d been a real dick every time.

“Good luck sir,” Cody rumbled, “You know where to find me.”

Kenobi gave him a flat look before disappearing into the crowd. Cody shifted, feeling more eyes on him now that his assigned Jedi had left him to the wolves.

He spent the next half hour answering probing questions from the Republic’s top socialites and political players. He enjoyed his quick conversation with Senator Organa, discussing how his men were doing on the front and yes, an order for a ration increase would go a long way aboard the Negotiator, thank you very much sir. Other than that he watched painfully obvious flirting between Skywalker and Senator Amidala and shared a miserable look with Rex. All in all it was shaping up to be a fairly boring night.

Which, of course, was thwarted as soon as Cody thought it.

The lights went out in the atrium, leading to shouts and gasps from senators. Burtoni was quick to grab a microphone and promise technical difficulties but it didn’t stop the clones from flicking on their headlamps and Jedi from drawing their sabers.

The discovery that the doors were locked only led to more panic. Burtoni disappeared with one of her aids to fix the problem and the rest of the them went about the proper security protocols. High profile senators were evacuated by the Coruscant Guard using serving droid passageways while Cody and Rex helped corral the rest. At one point Kenobi handed his saber off to them after it became evident that the panic would not abate unless a Jedi came with them. Kenobi had simply rolled his eyes and passed his lightsaber to Cody before announcing the clones were very capable of taking care of everyone themselves.

Cody gave him an inquisitive look, “Are you sure you don’t want this sir? What if you need to fight?”

Kenobi stroked his beard, his expression relaxed, “Myself and other Jedi don’t feel any malicious signatures near this area. My guess is this is a thief’s work, not an assassin’s.”

Cody relaxed a bit, “So we’re safe then?”

“Most likely,” Kenobi sighed and tucked his hands into his ceremonial robes, “And you won’t be far if I do need that back. At the very least it’ll help keep them calm.”

Cody nodded, keeping the weapon outstretched and unsheathed in front of him. Kenobi looked like he was trying not to laugh.

“What?”

“It’s not a bomb,” he said amusedly, “You can hold it like a normal weapon.”

Cody scoffed, “I’ve seen you cut through durasteel with this thing, “I’m not taking chances.”

“Very well,” Kenobi shook his head, his eyes shining with mirth, “Have it your way.”

Cody rejoined the others, receiving a strange look from Rex that he chose not to address. Instead he led them into the kitchen. Rex went around handing out knives and various utensils that could be used as weapons. They didn’t stand a chance if someone with blasters came in, but it helped ease the minds of the guests so Cody had no qualms with it.

“So,” Rex muttered when he rejoined Cody by the doors, “He gave you his lightsaber.”

Cody shrugged, “The guests are calmer now at least.”

“Mhm. And how often does he do that exactly?”

Cody side-eyed Rex, the effect lost with his helmet on, and said, “I don’t know.”

“You know, I haven’t seen you with that belt clip before. What exactly is that for?”

Cody wanted to shrink into his armor, “...a lightsaber.”

“Yeah,” Rex laughed, “That’s what I thought.”

“Shut up,” Cody snapped, his cheeks positively on fire, “I see the way you look at Skywalker.”

Rex sputtered, “That - I do not - if you think even for one sec - he’s married!”

Cody’s head snapped over to him, “What?”

Rex went very very still, “I didn’t say that.”

“No, I’m not sure I heard properly,” Cody turned his full body to face Rex, “What did you say he was?”

“Nothing,” Rex faced the door stiffly, “I didn’t say anything. You didn’t hear anything. We’re doing our jobs normally like normal soldiers.”

“Rex.”

“Cody.”

“Are Skywalker and Amidala married?”

“Are you wearing a lightsaber clip on your belt?”

“I already admitted that, it’s your turn now.”

“...Yes. They’re married.”

Cody stared in shock for a moment before turning back to face the door as well, “Well.”

“Well?”

“Well.” Cody struggled to come up with any reaction to that statement that wasn’t ‘what the fuck Jedi can get married and have lives and fall in love and if Skywalker can do it then -’

He wasn’t going to let himself finish that train of thought.

Rex, of course, read it on him anyway, “Oh Kote, you don’t really think -”

“Shut up,” Cody said quickly, “Don’t want to talk about it.”

Rex sighed, “Just be careful. I get the feeling Skywalker and Amidala have plenty of their own issues.”

Cody didn’t respond. The saber in his hand suddenly felt ten times heavier. He couldn’t help but remember Kenobi’s face that night, open and earnest as Cody fell on top of him.

He needed to shut this thing down. He needed to take the stupid clip off his belt. He needed to hand the lightsaber back and never pick it up again.

The gentle blue glow of Kenobi’s kyber crystal was never meant for him and never would be.

#codywan #lightsaber trope #this is born of a post i reblogged for those without context #obi wan handing his saber to cody and then pulling on it to get his attention hmmmm\#thank you to op for the idea this shit is helping with writers block #commander cody #obi wan kenobi #my writing #my fanfic #star wars tcw

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breezy-cheezy · 1 year ago

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You are deep in the paint about One Piece and me and my datemate watched OPLA recently so I will tell you this thing I said while we were talking about Shanks.

He said something to the effect of Shanks is CRAZY STRONG, perhaps one of the strongest, and has some special ability that allows him to tell anyone weaker than him to GTFO, so it's a fucking mystery why he lost his arm when by all rights he never needed to lose the arm. He's still the strongest without it, but why'd he lose it in the first place if he didn't have to???

So I replied, after like a minute of thought, "Because he might not need the arm, but Luffy needed him to lose his arm". Luffy needed the lesson he was going to learn for Shanks giving up that piece of himself to save Luffy's life. He needed to see the stakes and be given that lesson of actions, consequences, collateral damage, giving pieces of yourself for the sake of your crew/family/nakama.

Furthermore, with Sanji and Luffy being connected through "my mentor/surrogate father literally gave up a piece of himself to save my life", stands to logic that Sanji also needed that lesson in the narrative sense. These older guard pirates passed along something vital, giving up something that they don't need to live fulfilling lives but would be seen as incredibly important, to teach the next generation something and give them tools with which to do better.

I don't go here (I don't have the spoons for the entirety of One Piece tbh), but I liked the conclusion I came up with and wanted to share it in the hopes that you might like it too. I don't think I'm breaking any new ground here tbh but as an outsider, it was neat to think about.

I SURE AM, BUDDY X'''D Thanks for popping in! 👀 I got thoughts (and manga screencaps since you won't read it anyway, FREE REIN:

Hm. I mean point taken, but I mean...even the strongest people aren't infallible? Even IF Shanks has Conquerer's Haki (the power in question) which is something very special someone has to be born with and trained to use to its fullest, that doesn't mean it'll fix everything. Also like. He's also been shown to kinda....lose control of it when nervous or on edge.

Like my dude did not have to do this. He mentions later he doesn't like being on different territory or something LOL (he's visiting a different powerful pirate leader here).

Anyway to rescue Luffy at that time, he had to act FAST and was probably SCARED FOR HIM so like. Maybe didn't have the time to make the Haki register? It came down to losing Luffy or bodily thrusting his own arm forward to block the bite from the sea king....and well. Shanks has 2 arms. Only one Luffy. The choice was easy. Even upon losing the arm he didn;t seem upset by it really.

For the sake of the new era he says....the face of it being Luffy himself. And yea the wording really is "I gave it up" and him clearly having no regrets.

STILL I think you do have a point, this was VERY important for Luffy to learn. This same kid stabbed his own face to prove he was "manly enough" to be a pirate (so Shanks wouldn't leave without him....like his brother Ace....like his brother Sabo, to an extent, through "death" in his case) so the realization that being a pirate....would not be easy. There would be sacrifice. There would be pain. But also in a way, it was Shanks showing how important Luffy was to him. This, and passing down that straw hat much to big for Luffy....yeah.

It's clear then he's not ready. Not yet. It's with these parting gifts that Luffy is finally able to let Shanks go, and improve himself so he's strong enough to protect others, so they don;t have to do for him what Shanks did. Luffy learned to live, and while Shanks's sacrifice was devastating to Luffy, he took it to heart to keep going and grow stronger. And yea, that Nakama is just that important, more than limbs. More than life.

NOW SANJI ON THE OTHER HAND....similar but different. Luffy and Sanji were very lonely kids, but for different reasons. Luffy was clingy to anyone who showed him anything close to kindness, while Sanji....puffed up like a scared cat. Without going deep into details, he's from an extremely abusive family that beat into him he's not worth anything because he's weak. Especially from his father. So when Zeff gives him all the food, and sacrifices his own leg....well...

"Why did you do that for me?! I never gave you a reason to be kind to me!!!" And Zeff responds with their shared dreams of the All Blue...but I also feel like it's just. Sanji is a kid. He's just a kid. Again a face of the new generation to come. Zeff had his chance to search for the All Blue and be a pirate, but Sanji's life is just beginning. I'm sure that fueled his decision too.

But unlike Luffy, this just made Sanji cling harder. In a way he gave up his dream to support Zeff, out of guilt, out of a sense of duty and kindness he'd....not really experienced and didn't know what to do with. And Zeff probably allowed it for awhile, because goodness Sanji is just a kid, and he needed someone to help him grow and learn.

But it took Luffy to come along, bringing "I will live for you" to challenge Sanji's "I will die for you" conclusion.

Which uh. Didn't really fix Sanji's self sacrificial nature, but it HELPED, lmao. Eventually he was able to let go of suppori=ting the Baratie to finally chase his dream...as long as he doesn't die for a crewmate in the process hsdhfhdsk

So YEA IDK how much their mentors/father figures knew/thought about their sacrifices, but there sure were willing choices to give up their limbs for the upcoming generation/era, no matter what. I loved Zeff emphasizing that to Garp in OPLA, I think that's extremely important and a huge theme to One Piece in general. Cycles, power, and how many conflicts rise from powerful forces refusing to let go of their power, thus suffocating the new generations (the World Government smacking down so hard on the age of pirates).

Shanks and Zeff gave their support and protection to ensure these kids could live their fullest lives, and I think that's beautiful!

#nsfi #breezy replies #one piece #meta #op #idk if this made sense I have many thoughts all the time in many directions #op manga spoilers #one piece spoilers #ageofzero #sorry if you got back more than you wanted kjHSKJDLHFKSD I SURE AM DEEP IN THE PAINT #LOST IN THE SAUCE IF YOU WILL #zeff and shanks gave up their limbs willingly because wow they're just kids #their own ways of support #they had no idea how said kids' traumas would react to said sacrifices tho LMAO #ie Luffy letting go and needing to be stronger #whiiiich only got worse with Ace heyo abandonment issues babeyyyy #meanwhile Sanji and kindness being complicated and even RARE....why would he let that go....#love these kids they got issues and their parental figures sure are trying their best lolol #thanks for the ask!!!#shanks #luffy #zeff #sanji #i understand....one piece is very long.....#I personally am super enjoying the manga tho heheheh

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