Chapter Text
Obi-Wan sat in his quarters aboard the Negotiator, lost in meditation, when he felt him: the bright aura of his Commander, warm like the morning sun. He opened his eyes just as the door opened with a whoosh .
“‘Evening, General, may I come in?”
There stood Marshall Commander Cody, bucket held under his left arm, waiting to be allowed in. Always so formal, Obi-Wan thought to himself.
“Cody, what a welcome surprise!” He replied, rising from his position on his bunk. “Come in, I’ll make some caf. You look exhausted”
Cody’s tired eyes crinkled with a small grin as he stepped through the doorway. Obi-Wan knew caf always lifted his Commander’s spirits. He opened the cabinet in his kitchenette to find the stash of caf he recently acquired just for Cody. Ghastly stuff, in his opinion, but Cody had been nodding off during their evening battle planning recently. Their last campaign had left the Commander utterly exhausted, and Obi-Wan knew Cody would appreciate the gesture.
Cody took a seat at the desk in Obi-Wan’s quarters. It was nothing fancy, but it was big enough to seat both of the men side by side. Obi-Wan caught him out of the corner of his eye, staring at the caf brewing with a raised eyebrow, arms crossed.
“Since when do you drink caf?”
“I don’t” the Jedi replied with a smile.
Cody eyed him knowingly as a blush crept across his cheekbones. Obi-Wan felt his aura glow even stronger.
Once the caf was done brewing, Obi-Wan grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured the caf. Black, just how Cody likes it. He handed the mug to the Commander, their fingers brushing for just a moment. The touch sent shockwaves in his body and through the Force. Get a grip. He tried not to let it show on his face, although a slight blush betrayed him. If Cody noticed, he didn’t show it.
“Thanks General. Shall we get started?”
The rest of the night was spent in conversation over data pads, discussing strategy and going over previous skirmishes to see what can be improved. Obi-Wan caught himself staring at his Commander’s side profile as he went on about various ways his men could improve, the Jedi finding himself leaning into Cody’s voice and how it rumbled in his chest. How his amber eyes seemed to flash with pride when talking about his brothers. His vode, as he put it. Force, he’s handsome.
As the night drew into the early hours of the morning, and Obi-Wan found himself yawning and stretching in his seat, he knew they should probably get some shut-eye. They would have plenty of time for more discussions, as they would be in hyperspace for another couple days at least to get back to Coruscant.
As they shut off their data pads and rose from their seats, Obi-Wan realized just how close he was in proximity to the Commander. He stood mere inches away, and looking into his tired eyes brought a pang to his chest. Cody had bags under his eyes so dark they looked bruised, and although he tried to hide it, Obi-Wan saw through his facade. The man was completely drained.
“When was the last time you got a good night’s sleep, Cody?” He asked, brows furrowed with concern.
“Probably when I was a cadet, sir” Cody replied with a tired chuckle.
“Seriously, Cody. You need rest. I can’t have my second in command dozing off during our next report.”
“You’re one to talk, General. I don’t remember a time when you weren’t dozing off wherever you can out in the field.”
Obi-Wan sighed, his Commander is right. He finds himself snoozing on a pile of crates more often than he’d like to admit. He always winds up with a blanket he didn’t lie down with…
“Goodnight, Cody. Get some rest. That’s an order”
He placed his hand on his Commander’s arm as he spoke, hoping to convey his seriousness. Although, as Cody turned to leave, he found himself hesitating to let go.
“Yes sir” Cody replied, with a casual salute. He donned his helmet and opened the door, but lingered for just a moment.
“Sleep well, General.”
“You as well, Commander."
And with that, the door closed, and Obi-Wan was once again alone. He felt his Commander’s aura fade as he walked further away towards his quarters. He thought about the way Cody’s eyes shone as he talked about his brothers, how his aura strengthened when he looked into his General’s eyes.
Scrubbing both hands against his face, Obi-Wan blushed bright red. Thank the Force Cody wasn’t here to see it.
Stars , he feels like a Padawan.
As Obi-Wan changed into his night clothes and settled in to his bedtime meditation, he thought about his growing feelings for his Commander. How unprofessional of me . A crush is one thing, but this? This was much different. They have a kriffing Force bond , although he’s not sure how it’s possible since Cody shouldn’t be Force sensitive. It started the first time he met the man, and as much as he hoped it would, it never dwindled. Clearly, the Force was telling Obi-Wan something, he just didn’t know what. And he didn’t know why it had to be his second in command. Recently, Obi-Wan has found himself blushing just at the sight of his dear Commander. There’s no way Cody hasn’t noticed, although he hasn’t said anything of it to Obi-Wan. Perhaps it’s for the best.
“Get a karking grip, Kenobi” he muttered as he tucked himself into bed.
Obi-Wan woke in the middle of the night, startled as a sheen of sweat built on his forehead. Cody's aura...
Fear, pain, suffering...
Cody is wracked with fear…
“Cody!” he shouts, springing out of bed. He grabbed his lightsaber and sprinted out the door, still in his nightclothes, not even bothering to pull on his boots. He could feel Cody’s suffering through their bond, the dizzying fear and pain threatening to send him to the ground. As he rounded the corner to Cody’s quarters, he ran into the night watch making their rounds. Even though the clones had their helmets on, he could see that they were startled.
“Gen- General? What’s going on?” one of them asked.
“It’s Cody- stay here!” Obi-Wan replied, his voice still hoarse with sleep. The clones froze, looking at each other in confusion, but obeyed.
“OBI-WAN!!”
The cry of his Commander rang in his ears as Obi-Wan felt a streak of pain through their Force bond. He clutched his head and groaned, the pain caused him to sway and nearly send him to his knees. He steeled himself, and stumbled over to Cody’s door. He quickly punched in the code while igniting his lightsaber, and when the door opened, the scene before him left more questions than answers.
As the gentle blue glow of his lightsaber illuminated the room, Obi-Wan’s eyes quickly scanned for danger, only to find none present. Cody was alone in his room, eyes wild and fearful. His aura is dark and sullied by horror, just being in his presence causes nausea to roil in Obi-Wan’s gut. He rushes to Cody’s side, only for the man to scramble out of bed and away from him.
“Ba'slanar ni!”
“Cody, what are you-”
“Stay away from me, Obi-Wan! I don’t want to hurt you!” He screams, voice wavering. Though the lighting is dim, Obi-Wan can see his eyes are red, cheeks dampened by tears.
He’s crying
Obi-Wan sheathes his lightsaber and sets it on the ground as the guards rush through the doorway.
“Stay back, something’s not right” Obi-Wan says to them, holding out his hand towards them.
“Cody, my dear, why do you think you would hurt me? What happened?”
“I- I killed you”
Force, this isn’t good
“We were on Utapau, and I- I killed you. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry General I tried to stop it I-"
“Cody," Obi-Wan soothed, reaching out to place a hand on Cody's shoulder. "I'm right here"
"But- but I shot you" Cody's breath hitched, "I watched you die right in front of me"
"We've never been to Utapau, Cody. It's all right"
Cody’s aura calmed, the darkness no longer all-consuming, and the wild look in his eye relaxed. He looked around for a moment, almost as if he didn’t know how he got to that side of the room.
“Obi-Wan?” He asked, inching closer. He was trembling .
Obi-Wan turned to the guards in the doorway, “Leave us, and don’t say a word of this to anyone”
“Yes sir” the two said in unison, and they quickly ducked out of the doorway. Once the door closed, Obi-Wan returned his attention to his Commander in front of him.
“What happened, Cody?”
“I-I don’t know. I think it was a nightmare” His voice still trembled, hands still shaking, eyes still haunted by whatever he just saw.
Gathering his lightsaber off the floor, Obi-Wan gestured towards Cody’s bed.
“I think we should talk about this, dear”
The two sat on the edge of the bed, and Cody explained what he saw.
Obi-Wan listened intently as Cody explained his dream. As he had mentioned, it took place on Utapau, outside the Separatist headquarters. Cody handed Obi-Wan his lightsaber, and the two exchanged words before he rode away on a Varactyl. Then, he received a holo, and received an order he didn’t recognize. Suddenly, and without warning, his body betrayed him, and he shot his beloved General.
“I fought as hard as I could, sir. I wasn’t in control of myself”
“I have no doubt, Cody, and who was it that gave you the order?” Obi-Wan asked, eyes downcast.
“I’m not sure, didn’t see his face.”
“Hm” is all he could reply, lost in thought of what this “dream” could mean. Although, he was almost certain it wasn’t a dream, but a Force vision. It was entirely too detailed to be an average dream, and the fact that Obi-Wan felt it through their bond is something he can't ignore.
“Cody, I believe you’ve had a vision”
Cody’s eyes narrowed in disbelief, an incredulous smile crept across his face as if he thought Obi-Wan was joking.
“General, you can’t be serious”
“I’m afraid I am”
His smile dropped as quickly as it had appeared.
“But… how? Last time I checked I’m no Jedi”
“I know, that’s why there’s cause for concern, but let’s talk about this in the morning, shall we? I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
“Couldn’t agree more, sir.”
As Obi-Wan said goodnight and rose to leave, Cody grabbed him by the wrist.
“Wait! General, could you- could you stay?” the Commander asked in a quiet voice, not quite looking his Obi-Wan in the eye. That shockwave rippled through the Force again, just like it did when they brushed fingers earlier in the evening.
“Of course, Cody” he agreed without a second thought. Clearly, the Force is telling him to oblige and this is not self-indulgent in any way. Obviously. A slight blush crept across his cheeks and he sure hoped it was dark enough that Cody didn’t see.
With that, Cody settled back into his bed and Obi-Wan to his desk chair. He knew he wouldn't sleep a wink, but he's dealt with plenty of sleepless nights for this to be a bother. After all, Cody needed him, and for whatever reason, the Force needed them to be together. Just this once. Hopefully.
Eventually, Cody drifted off to sleep, his aura returning to the warm sunshine Obi-Wan loves. He basks in the serenity of it, knowing that in the morning, he would have to return to the uncomfortable reality of confronting whatever the hell is going on between them.