Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The first night back on Coruscant was spent in one of the safe houses the Jedi had hidden around the planet. 

The first time Cody and Obi-Wan had occupied one of these for less than official reasons, Cody had been worried about someone walking in or getting into trouble. It wasn’t until Obi-Wan assured him that many Jedi came through here for the exact same reasons as theirs that Cody had been comfortable doing anything in the space. 

Now it was like a secret getaway for them, a little place no one but each other knew about that they could steal away to. 

Well, most everyone. 

“Ahsoka,” Cody sighed as he answered the door, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, “What are you doing here?”

Ahsoka, who’d started pounding on the door moments earlier, looked at Cody guiltily, “I couldn’t sleep.”

Cody blinked down at her, yawning widely. It was nearly three in the morning. 

“I went looking for Master Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka explained when Cody didn’t say anything, “And when I couldn’t find him I went looking for you, but Helix said you’d gone out for the night.”

Cody studied the kid in front of him, trying to dissect what was wrong with this picture. 

“I just kind of followed my feet after that,” Ahsoka’s voice quieted further and she broke eye contact, “I didn’t realize you two were - I shouldn’t have interrupted. Sorry.”

Cody sighed and moved to the side, allowing for Ahsoka to enter. The girl looked up at him, eyes wide, and waited for his assenting nod before crossing the threshold.

“Come on,” Cody prompted, leading the way to the kitchen. Obi-Wan normally kept tea here, “Let’s not wake your master.”

“Is he okay?” Ahsoka asked and Cody suddenly realized what was going on. Most people, kids especially, didn’t wander a full two miles in a dangerous city just because they couldn’t shut their eyes. 

“He’s fine,” Cody told her as he pulled two mugs from the cupboard, “Just exhausted by the events of the past few weeks.”

Ahsoka hummed, not adding anything to his statement. Cody let it be, content to get the water boiling while he rummaged around for tea bags. He emerged from the pantry with a noise of triumph, holding up his prize for Ahsoka to see. It brought a forced smile to her face, but it was something. 

“Cody?” Ahsoka asked when he turned back to the stove, unable to see her. 

“Yes?” Cody responded, hearing her hop up to sit on the counter.

“I’m really really sorry.”

Cody expected this, but it still made something in him sad for the little padawan across from him. 

“Don’t be,” Cody responded easily, “It wasn’t your fault.”

He could sense her biting her tongue, already picking up Obi-Wan’s habits. It made him bite back a smile, considering how he wanted her to fill him in on what was going on in her head.

“Battle plan aside, I should’ve listened down in the canyon,” Ahsoka argued, “If I’d just left when you told me to, we could've gotten out of there. Or I could’ve stayed with you in the camp and fought off the rest of the Twi’leks and -”

“And what?” Cody turned back around, leaning against the counter top and crossing his arms, “And been stuck alongside me?”

Ahsoka tugged at her padawan beads, her eyes going everywhere but his, “I just - I knew better.”

Cody shrugged, “And sometimes despite that things don’t go our way. The blame doesn’t lay with you.”

Ahsoka frowned, thinking over what he said. 

Cody sighed, “What's the first rule of combat?”

“No plan survives contact with the enemy,” Ahsoka mumbled, her gaze hardening where it was fixed on the floor.

Cody nodded, “So what makes you think that this situation makes you special?”

Ahsoka’s shoulders hunched further in on themselves and Cody cursed himself silently. He’d always been better at being a soldier than any sort of emotional support. Obi-Wan was the one who always knew what to say and how to say it. He usually just blundered his way through these conversations.

“I guess,” Ahsoka said in a small voice. 

“I didn’t mean it like - I just meant that everyone messes up in the heat of the moment. It’s part of life. Even the best trained soldier trips up or makes a fool of himself from time to time,” that sounded better. Less patronizing at the very least. Cody really was trying his best, but vode never talked about anything. 

“Wasn’t it scary?” Ahsoka asked, changing the topic quickly, “Being caught?”

Cody crossed his arms over his chest, the kettle just starting to bubble loud enough for them to hear, “I guess maybe a little bit.”

“Just a little?” Ahsoka laughed weakly.

Cody shrugged, carefully moving the water to a cool burner and plopping two tea bags inside. 

“I knew I’d either be found or killed,” Cody said, his back to Ahsoka. He missed the flash of panic on her face at his words. “I’ve made peace with my death. When the day comes I won’t leave with regrets. But I knew the chance of being found was stronger with both you and Obi-Wan after me.”

The room was quiet. Cody turned back and handed Ahsoka her tea, watching as she carefully cradled it in both hands. She looked deep in thought.

“I think you’re a better Jedi than Anakin.”

Cody stared at her in shock before letting out a surprised laugh, “What the hell makes you say that?”

Ahsoka smiled, a little more real this time, to let Cody know she was messing with him a bit, “You let go of things easily.”

Cody settled back down, shaking his head lightly as he nabbed the honey from the little spice cabinet overhead and offered it to the padawan, “I don’t know about that. It’s more not thinking about it then letting go.”

Ahsoka cocked her head to the side, confused. 

Cody cleared his throat, trying to think of how best to put it into words. He’d never really needed to verbalize this before. 

“There’s a difference between compartmentalizing and letting go,” Cody said slowly, “For instance, in a fight, do you pay attention when men fall around you?”

Ahsoka shook her head.

“That’s because you’re blocking out the information,” Cody explained, “It’s a mental trick that most people do unconsciously. Your brain does it for you. But later, when it’s just you, all that information comes rushing back, right? And that’s natural and it’s healthy. Jedi are taught to feel that emotion and allow it to move through them, connecting them to the universe in a way I honestly don’t really understand.” Cody smiled as he thought about how many times Obi-Wan had tried to explain it to him. He had a feeling it was one of those things you have to experience in order to get.

“That’s letting go,” Cody sipped his tea, wincing as it burned the back of his throat, “My solution isn’t nearly as elegant. That feeling of blocking things out in battle is a constant for me. I can’t let myself feel every insult or every loss because it’s not impersonal.” Cody sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair, “They’re my brothers. It would be the same thing as watching your fellow Jedi be cut down day after day right in front of you. You may not know every one, but you know their spirit. If I let myself feel that, I might drown in it.”

“So you just don’t feel anything?” Ahsoka asked, her eyes big and searching.

“Not quite,” Cody gave her a soft smile, “I just…have to put certain things away sometimes.”

Ahsoka looked back down at her lap, thinking about what he’d said. Cody let her have her time with herself, going to clean up the very small mess he’d made with the kettle. 

“What do you do for fun?” Ahsoka asked, taking Cody by surprise. 

Cody laughed abruptly, “I don’t know that anyone’s ever asked me that.”

Ahsoka made a noise of discontent, “Well I’m asking you now.”

Cody took a moment to think about it, “I used to help design tattoos on Kamino.”

“Really?”

Cody nodded, “Lots of vode wanted ‘em but didn’t know what they wanted. I used to help draw up sketches.” He and Bly did it together for Wolffe and Fox a lot. He always thought it was funny that those two were the most vehement about getting some real ink once they were off world and neither one had even a blot to show for it. 

“That’s cool,” Ahsoka said, hopping down from the counter now that Cody was done cleaning up, “Torrent all thought my face markings were tattoos.”

“They’re not?” Cody asked, surprised. 

Ahsoka laughed as she moved out of the kitchen, clearly also familiar with the layout of this place. Cody wondered what need she would have for it.

“They’re facial markings,” Ahsoka explained as she settled on the couch, Cody not far behind, “Togruta use patterns to help distract prey. It makes us blend in easier when we hunt in the wild.”

Suddenly the fifteen year old with a full face of tattoos made much more sense to Cody. They didn’t really learn biology during their upbringing unless they were medics after all. 

“That’s interesting,” Cody mused, “Same reason your montrals are patterned I assume.” 

Ahsoka nodded, unconsciously bringing a hand up to curl around one of her lekku, “They’re also hollow. That’s a big difference between us and Twi’leks.”

“Hollow?” Cody asked, looking at her horns with a new sense of curiosity, “What for?”

“Helps us hunt,” Ahsoka shrugged, “It’s like passive echolocation. We can hear better and pin point our target from further away than most others.”

That was pretty cool, Cody had to admit. He sank down into the couch, a foot or so in between him and Ahsoka, “You ever used it to hunt before?”

“No,” Ahsoka answered honestly, “At least, not that I remember.”

Ah. Cody remembered Obi-Wan telling him something about Jedi younglings being taken to the temple long before they were old enough to form solid memories with the community they were born into. It had struck him as a little bit sad, but his general hadn’t seemed bothered by it. 

“Do you remember much from before the temple?” Cody asked. 

“I remember feelings,” Ahsoka shrugged, “But otherwise no.” 

Cody hummed, wanting to ask more but sensing that was probably best kept to Ahsoka. He wouldn’t be the one to pry her open when all she wanted was privacy. 

“You don’t like Anakin, do you?”

Cody was, once again, taken off guard by Ahsoka’s question. She was more perceptive than he’d given her credit for.

“Why all the questions?” Cody dodged answering, “What’s going on?”

Ahsoka opened her mouth to respond before thinking better of it and curling a little further away from Cody. Cody rolled his eyes internally. And he thought he was bad at opening up. Jedi were all the same it seemed.

“‘Soka,” Cody tried softly, doing his best to imitate how he’d seen others talk to kids. This was not something he’d prepared for all those weeks ago when Obi-Wan told him of Ahsoka’s arrival, “You’re not going to get in trouble.”

“I’m just -” Ahsoka cut herself off, making a frustrated noise. Cody let her have a moment to work through everything as he set his mug down on the coffee table. “This stuff is really different from the 501st.”

He should’ve expected that in retrospect. Skywalker had always been more of a ‘flying by the seat of his pants’ guy, and while Obi-Wan certainly had his moments, he was much more staunch in his moments of military leadership. Cody had always had a distaste for the ‘games’ Skywalker made up on the battlefield, but looking at Ahsoka here and now he could understand how the other man landed on the solution. 

Cody sighed and opened his arms, “C’mere.”

Ahsoka tilted her head in confusion again. She really did remind him of a tooka sometimes. 

“It’s a hug,” Cody said with a bit of sarcasm, “I’m not going to bite you.”

Ahsoka didn’t hesitate before launching herself into his arms. Cody laughed softly, wrapping his arms around her and letting her bury her face into his shoulder.

“I didn’t think you were much of a hugger,” Ahsoka tried to say, but with her face smushed into his clothes it sounded more like “I dnt thk yew re much of a hgger.”

Cody grinned and plucked Ahsoka’s tea from her hand, setting it on the table next to his where it wouldn’t spill, “Touch is the first language the vode learn. At least, according to the ARCs.” He’d listened to A-17 say that over and over growing up. The ARCs always meant it from the standpoint of a fight. Before Cody could speak he knew he was destined to throw one hell of a right hook. But the clones after them, the ones that were a little less scrutinized and thus a little softer, knew it was more about batches huddling together after bad training days or leading each other in a chain of hand holding across the outdoor balconies so no one slipped and fell off the side. 

Cody squeezed Ahsoka a little tighter, his eyelids growing heavier now that the initial surprise of her arrival had worn off. 

“I’m really glad you’re here,” Ahsoka turned to rest the side of her face on his chest so she was more free to talk, “I thought you hated me at first.”

Cody huffed, “Of course not. Just wasn’t sure how you were going to react to everything.”

Ahsoka hummed, “Fives said you used to make him and Echo run until they collapsed.”

“I did,” Cody said with no small amount of laughter in his voice, “Did he tell you why?”

Ahsoka shook her head no as best she could and Cody answered, “They painted my armor blue.”

Ahsoka didn’t respond for a moment, almost prompting Cody to see if she’d fallen asleep, before bright peals of laughter escaped her. Cody rolled his eyes, “Yeah yeah, laugh it up. They needed the cardio anyway, Rex is too soft on his ARCs.”

“Hey,” Ahsoka warned, narrowing her eyes playfully, “That’s my captain you’re talking about.”

“And my little brother,” Cody said mockingly, “I think I win.”

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, a smile on her face, “He calls me vod’ika so I think I win.”

Cody let out a playful gasp of shock, “Rex? Adopting the closest kid to him? Never would’ve guessed.”

Ahsoka elbowed him in the gut, “Says you. How many vod’ika’s do you have at this point.”

Cody retaliated by scrubbing a fist across the top of Ahsoka’s head, quickly putting her into a headlock, “None. I’m a faithful older brother who would never think of taking on another vod’ika.”

Ahsoka squealed as she tried to wiggle away from him, but Cody’s grip was too strong. He laughed as she squirmed, finally letting her go only to get tackled backwards immediately. Cody had two seconds to process what was happening before Ahsoka launched him off the couch and he landed with a hard thud on his ass below her. Cody stared up in shock and betrayal. 

“Oh you’re in for it now.”

Ahsoka screamed as Cody threw her over his shoulder and marched toward the bedroom, her fists pounding on his back as they moved, “No fair! Let me down, this is foul play!”

“You’re a Jedi,” Cody hoisted her a little higher, “Figure it out.”

They made it into the bedroom quickly and poor Obi-Wan barely had time to react before one very squirmy padawan was thrown down next to him. Cody laughed as Obi-Wan gave him a desperately confused look, still mussed from sleep. He backed up a few steps, knowing Ahsoka knew exactly what he was about to do by the look on her face. 

“Good morning Obi-Wan.” And with that, Cody flung himself toward the bed, completely crushing both Jedi in uncontested victory.

—

“Er, Commander?”

“Yes Waxer?”

“Why is Commander Tano sitting on your shoulders?”

The men were standing in a semi-circle at 5am sharp for their ARC training. It was Cody’s first day back, which meant that he could finally stop getting complaints from Boil and Waxer about Longshot picking fights and Wooley and Gregor fucking off to do who knows what. Not a single one had skipped, which was more of a blessing for them than it was for Cody. 

He’d run into Ahsoka and Obi-Wan on the way down, not having expected either of them to be up. Turns out Togrutas only need five hours of sleep and Obi-Wan’s insomnia had been acting up the night before. He’d offered for Obi-Wan to join him as well, but the Jedi had been crashing hard when Cody found the pair. He’d check in on him a little later. 

After Ahsoka had come knocking at the apartment, Cody had been a little more freely affectionate with her and she’d taken to it like water. After a quiet conversation with Obi-Wan it was revealed that yes, Skywalker was very physically affectionate with her and no, Obi-Wan did not consider doing the same when she came on board. Since then Cody had been making more of an effort to pat her on the back or give her a high five when she did well.

As for right now…

“Because she wanted to be,” Cody answered breezily, “Now, routine for the day is - yes Wooley?”

“Does that mean we get a turn too?”

“Are you a fifteen year old girl?” Ahsoka shot back, making Cody laugh. His ARCs stared in shock. 

“Well?” Cody prompted when Wooley just stared at the pair, “What do you have to say for yourself?”

“No,” Wooley said slowly, looking between the two of them like he couldn’t believe it, “I am not a fifteen year old girl.”

“Great,” Cody said sarcastically, “Any other questions?”

Ahsoka’s laughter rang clear across the space as every hand in the room shot up. 

—

“You know,” Obi-Wan laughed as Cody dug into his meal like a man starved, “We can just order more.”

“Shut up,” Cody said teasingly, “I’m enjoying myself here.” 

“Yes it seems you are,” Obi-Wan smiled and tapped Cody with his foot under the table, “But we are in public darling.”

Cody shrugged, picking up his burger with both hands and going to town, “Your problem, not mine.”

“And how is it not yours?”

“Well,” Cody said around a mouthful of food, “Here’s what I figure. You’re on every war effort poster from here to Tatooine, and I share a face with a billion other men -”

“Seven million two hundred thousand but who’s counting.”

“- so if one of us were to be recognized, it would be you.”

Cody grinned at the other man as his friend, whom Cody had been introduced to seconds after entering the diner, barked a laugh from the kitchen. 

“He’s got you there Kenobi!” The besalisk called, obviously thoroughly enjoying eavesdropping.

“Hush Dex!” Obi-Wan yelled back, “Don’t you have better things to do?”

Cody laughed as Obi-Wan settled, looking like a reprimanded cadet. “Come on, I never get natborn food. This is rare for me.”

“It would be less rare if you allowed me to pay more often,” Obi-Wan smiled oh-so innocently. 

Cody laughed and shook his head, “Not a chance.”

Neither one of them flinched when something hit the window with a thud. In fact, Obi-Wan plastered his palm over Ahsoka’s smushed face against the glass. 

“Hasn’t been two hours yet,” Obi-Wan said in a sing-song voice.

“Don’t care,” Ahsoka whined, “This date is taking forever.”

Cody flushed at the mention of a date and staunchly ignored Ahsoka’s evil grin. 

“Not a date,” Obi-Wan reminded her, “And I would love it if you stopped spreading rumors about my marshal commander.”

“I didn’t spread anything,” Ahsoka defended, though it was muffled through the glass, “Helix on the other hand -”

“Is a perfect innocent!” A new voice yelped. Cody looked up, giving his head medic an unimpressed look as he grabbed Ahsoka by the shoulders and tried to pull her away, “I am so sorry General. She seemed entertained by the surgery videos! I swear I only left for five minutes.”

Cody took another bite of his burger, deciding it was best to just ignore what was going on outside and the fact that Helix apparently thought most children were entertained by open heart surgery.

“As long as she doesn’t follow us back to my quarters, it’s fine.”

“Gross!”

“Oh I did not need to know that.”

“Obi-Wan,” Cody sighed and finally looked up, “They won’t need to spread anything soon enough.”

“But I have an apology to make,” Obi-Wan nearly purred , “And I plan on being very thorough.”

“GROSS!”

“Alright we’re leaving.”

“Cody! Cody blink twice if you want me to save you!”

Cody kept his eyes wide open.

—

Ahsoka blinked owlishly up at the trooper standing over her, holding his lunch tray nervously. 

“I’m sorry?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted company,” the trooper blurted out quickly, “Since the general is busy today.”

“Oh,” Ahsoka looked around, for the first time realizing that a few of the nearby clones had been eyeing her. She subtly reached out in the Force, trying to get a feel for what they were thinking. 

It startled her to feel nothing other than warm concern and a bit of mild amusement directed toward the clone still standing by her. 

Ahsoka gave him a big smile, “Of course! What’s your name?”

“Trapper, sir,” the clone sat and removed his helmet to show off one hell of a mullet, thick with curls, “We fought together on Elek’i but I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself then.”

Ahsoka nodded and stuck out her hand, “Nice to officially meet you Trapper!”

The other man hid a smile as he shook her hand but his Force signature betrayed his mirth at the movement. Ahsoka blushed, supposing it was a little silly to be shaking his hand when they’d fought together, but it was what Cody did. 

“Are you enjoying your time with the 212th?” Trapper asked, making casual conversation as he started eating. 

Ahsoka laughed lightly, “It’s been eventful, that’s for sure.”

“Yeah, we’re sorry about that,” Trapper offered, “The boys were eager to get to know you.”

“Really?” Ahsoka asked, a little warm feeling fluttering in her chest. 

“Yeah,” Trapper shrugged, “We don’t normally get easy going natborns on board and every battalion wants a padawan.”

“ Really ?” Ahsoka asked again, a blush rising to her cheeks.

Trapper gave her a smile before turning around and whistling for attention. Ahsoka saw a group of troopers whip their heads around and spot them at their table. She gave them a small smile and a wave, at which point they stood in near unison and began walking over. 

“See?” Trapper gestured, “My squad’s been waiting until the Commander’s done with you.”

“Oh,” Ahsoka said a little breathlessly as the rest of the group approached, “Well I don’t think Cody’s done with me.”

“Of course not,” Trapper agreed, “But he’s relaxed his grip on you a bit.”

Ahsoka looked over, curious as to what that meant, but before she could ask four more men were settling down at the table around her.

“So,” one of the other men began, “is it true that the General is trying to get you transferred here permanently?”

Ahsoka’s eyes widened in alarm, going to dissuade the rumor, before the man beside him elbowed him hard. 

“You idiot, of course not. You need to stop listening to the medics,” the clone then turned to her, “Freis and Reiyj here at your service. And that there is Spinner and Klick. Nice to meet you Commander.”

“You can just call me Ahsoka,” Ahsoka offered, “Nice to meet you too!”

One of the clones - Spinner - leaned in, “Is it true the general is making you spar with the commander?”

Ahsoka nodded. She’d guessed this would come up sooner or later, given Waxer’s reaction back in the LAAT/i.

To her surprise, all four men smiled menacingly. 

“Perfect.”

—

Cody and Obi-Wan walked into the sparring room, planning to get in a proper workout for the first time since Cody’s release from prison (read: medbay), only to find the ring already occupied. 

Cody sighed as they approached, a smirk already on Obi-Wan’s face. 

So far it looked like Ahsoka was wiping the floor with the men brave enough to try out their skills on her. There was a line of battered and bruised troopers, all waiting for a very over-it looking medic on the benches. 

The sound of cheers went up as Ahsoka full-on flipped her next victim into the air, sending him flying up and down on his back. The girl in question gave a little curtsy to the onlookers, before deftly dodging a kick to her knee and putting the man on the ground in a headlock that would’ve made A-17 proud. 

Obi-Wan laughed, coming up to lean on the ropes around the sparring mat, “Good turnout.”

Ahsoka bounced up to him, her eyes shining, “Right? This is so fun!”

The clone on the ground groaned in pain. 

“Cody!” A hand came down, slapping him on the shoulder. Cody turned, finding himself face to face with an already bruised Gregor. 

“Nice shiner,” Cody gestured to his eye, “When did this start?”

“About an hour ago,” Gregor laughed, “We’ve been waiting on you.”

Cody raised an eyebrow, making Gregor gesture over to the line that now had one more trooper waiting in it, “They were her warm up.”

He really should’ve seen this coming. 

“So what do you say?” Ahsoka was practically bouncing on her tiptoes, “Round two?”

Obi-Wan looked back, a glint appearing in his eye that made Cody shift uneasily, “My my commander, it looks like my padawan may actually defeat you.”

Cody glared at Obi-Wan, well aware of what the other man was trying to do. 

That didn’t mean it wasn’t working. 

A chorus of hoots and jeers met Cody’s ears as he sighed and ducked under one of the ropes. He was glad he’d wrapped his hands back in his quarters this time. 

Ahsoka gave him a little smile and stepped forward to shake his hand. Cody took it, offering her a respectful nod, before shifting back to his starting position.

“Not gonna take it easy on you this time Commander,” Cody warned.

“Wouldn’t be worth it if you did,” Ahsoka shot back.

They both smiled, their twin expressions sharp and dangerous, and the room quieted. What Cody would give to actually fight side by side with this girl. 

The room erupted in cheers when Cody landed the first hit, an open palm to Ahsoka’s abdomen. He narrowed his eyes, knowing she’d let him get that hit in. 

Seconds later she cracked him across the face, eliciting an “oooo” from the men watching. Cody backed off and laughed, tasting a little bit of blood in his mouth. It was a solid hit, he’d give her that. But it was also an easy one. 

They went back and forth for a bit, longer than any of the others had lasted if the increasing cheers in the room were any indication. Cody caught a few smiles from Obi-Wan every now and then when Ahsoka managed to slip past his defenses or nail a maneuver they’d been working on. 

Cody laughed breathlessly as he dodged a kick to his face, bringing his forearm up to block the hit. It apparently gave Ahsoka the opening she needed, as next thing Cody knew she was barreling toward him. 

At first, he thought she was going to try her leap and strike move like the very first they sparred. He tensed, ready to spin around and defend his back when a force slammed into his chest. 

He caught it easily, barely even stumbling, and suddenly found his arms full of a very confused looking padawan. 

“Why didn’t that work?” Ahsoka asked, her big eyes blinking up at him from where her legs and arms were wrapped around his torso, “That always works on Rex.”

Cody grinned devilishly, “I’m not Rex.”

In the next second, he yanked both her arms off him and got a shoulder in, throwing her off of him. She landed on her feet, as per usual, and looked at him with a new light in her eyes. He took advantage of her momentary shock, tackling low and ending with her on the ground on her back. It didn’t take long to put her in a lock, and without the use of the Force Ahsoka wasn’t able to force him off of her. 

After about thirty seconds of trying, Ahsoka sighed and tilted her head back against the mats, reluctantly tapping out.

Whoops and cheers erupted from around them as Cody offered a hand down and pulled Ahsoka up. He clasped a hand over her shoulder, giving her a nod and a smile. She was getting better, truly, she just needed to stop letting her opponent distract or surprise her. She and Obi-Wan both. 

“You did good,” Cody said, the noise of the others almost drowning him out, “We can go over specifics later.”

Ahsoka swallowed her pride and nodded, leaning a little more into his side. He couldn’t stop the warm flush of affection at the motion. 

It was going to be tough letting her go.

—

Obi-Wan felt like his heart was going to burst. 

First Ahsoka had shown up to the safehouse on Coruscant (and yes Anakin, Obi-Wan is very aware of your specific reasons for its use) and he’d been woken by the sounds of her and Cody talking. He’d been taken by surprise, not expecting Cody to handle the problem himself. He’d warmed up to her a lot since Elek’i and if Obi-Wan had to wager a guess, he’d say the man’s older brother instinct had finally kicked in upon seeing her in danger. Caring for others was a habit Cody loved to pretend he didn’t have. 

That night alone had made him much more secure in Cody and Ahsoka’s relationship, but then a week later he’d interrupted his commander forcing his padawan into her new armor set, their bickering loud enough to be heard across the hall. Obi-Wan had entered the room just to sit and watch, refusing to help either one even when they turned to try to get his assistance. 

When they took off back aboard the venator, he couldn’t say he wasn’t surprised that some of the men had wanted to spar with her, but seeing Cody gladly climb in the ring brought a smile to his face. It seemed his commander had developed somewhat of a soft spot for the girl, and based on Ahsoka’s reactions on Elek’i the sentiment was most certainly returned. 

He’d been worried sick about Cody and Ahsoka. Ahsoka was so like Anakin sometimes, flippant in ways she shouldn’t be, and Cody’s stubbornness had ruined budding relationships before. They both liked things to be done their way and he’d fretted over it ending in flames for the rest of them. 

Which, he supposed it had. Just a little bit. 

But now that they were done with Elek’i and there was time for Ahsoka to simply be, he was thrilled with their progress. 

Not to say that he would’ve stepped in if they didn’t get along. He understood that sometimes things didn’t work out and he was perfectly content to allow them to have their relationship independent of him. 

Still, here he was, taking a photo of the two of them passed out next to each other on the small couch on Obi-Wan’s room. The three of them had been talking strategy, helping Ahsoka come to a better understanding of what to do should she be abruptly forced into the spotlight again. Obi-Wan had left to go get the three of them lunch and when he came back Cody was passed out. 

The man had been working nearly non-stop since waking up from the bacta tank, trying to catch back up with all the paperwork he’d missed while he was unconscious. Obi-Wan had assured him he could help and that Cody didn’t need to do it by himself, but Cody had a particular way of doing his paperwork that he said Obi-Wan was never fully able to replicate. His commander had strict habits and routines and tended to get irritable when someone tried to take over for him. It was no surprise he’d fallen asleep, given the couch was a special order courtesy of Padme. 

Ahsoka had been sitting and drawing on her little notepad Obi-Wan had given her at the start of the session. Qui-Gon had always told him that writing down information made it stick, as opposed to typing or transcribing which could leave you with gaps in your memory. He’d never done his research to see if that was true, but he’d forced the same thing on Anakin and Ahsoka certainly would not be the one to escape it. If he had to write down an entire lecture that had been delivered in Wookie during his padawan days, they could stand to take a few notes. 

Obi-Wan had set both to-go meals down in front of them and Ahsoka had sleepily smiled up at him. Obi-Wan gave her a small smile and asked if she wanted to go take a nap, which she had refused. Not thirty minutes later she’d nodded off as well and over the course of the last hour or so she’d drifted to be huddled into Cody’s side. The older man had unconsciously draped an arm over her shoulders, and Obi-Wan was going to frame this moment as soon as he was able. 

He and Cody had had a rough conversation about their relationship once Cody was out of bacta. It left the both of them feeling strange and uncertain in a way they hadn’t been since their early days together. Obi-Wan hadn’t needed to handle relationship issues since he was a teenager on Mandalore, and Cody had never needed to handle them period. They were still finding their way back to each other a bit, but Cody never fell asleep in front of people he didn’t trust. It gave Obi-Wan just a little bit of hope for their future. 

The thing was, Ahsoka was right. It was unfair of Obi-Wan to tug Cody along, holding all the cards and showing none. He knew that what he felt went far beyond a quick fling and it was cruel to keep Cody thinking that’s all they were. He was sure on some level Cody knew. Obi-Wan had been dragging him out to dates nearly every leave they got and presented him with gifts, even when Cody made a face about the money.

Truth was, Obi-Wan couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so infatuated. He was fairly sure the last person was Satine. 

Obi-Wan smiled as he snapped another picture before getting up from behind his desk and pressing a soft kiss to Cody’s forehead. He grabbed a spare blanket from his bed and draped it over the two of them. 

It didn’t take him long to find a spare room and set up his comm. The line rang for a few moments before it picked up, capturing a very sleepy looking Quinlan in pale blue light. 

“Obes?”

“Hello Quin,” Obi-Wan grinned, “You look cozy.”

Quinlan stuck his tongue out at him before sitting up properly, taking the comm with him, “Just got back from the senate. I hate everyone in there.”

Obi-Wan bit back a laugh. Quinlan never had been one for politics. 

“What’s up?”

“I have a bit of a…situation on my hands,” Obi-Wan admitted, folding his arms into his robes. He liked to be able to feel his own skin, it made him feel less like proper and Jedi-like and a little more human. Anakin had always been the more physically affectionate of the two. 

“Is it the commander again?” Quinlan rolled his eyes, now fully moving from the bed to a different room. Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes at his friend, knowing he had company.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan sighed.

“Is he still mad at you?”

“Not really.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Obi-Wan frowned, fidgeting with his sleeves. Quinlan let him have his time, his eyes sliding shut once he’d settled on what Obi-Wan guessed was a couch. 

“I should tell him, shouldn’t I.”

“Probably.”

Obi-Wan glared at Quinlan, “You’re not being very helpful right now.”

“Obes,” Quinlan sighed as he lazily blinked his eyes open, “We’ve had this conversation at least once a week for months. What else do you want me to say?”

“I know,” Obi-Wan frowned, “but the power dynamic -”

“I’m dating his brother.”

Obi-Wan froze, his mouth still hanging open. 

Quinlan threw a lazy smile his way, “Point is, it can work out. Just stop getting so in your own head about it.”

“Which brother?!” Obi-Wan’s sense finally came back to him as he yelled at his friend, “For how long?”

“Fox and mmmm about two months?” Quinlan scratched his stubble, “Give or take. There was some weird stuff happening before like. Kinda like you and Cody.”

“Force,” Obi-Wan dropped his face into his palms, “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because you’d lose your shit,” Quinlan said smugly, “And also Fox didn’t want anyone to know. Still doesn’t, but this can stay between you and me.”

Obi-Wan groaned and thunked his head down on the metal table. Quinlan just laughed at him. 

“Obi-Wan, the best advice I can give you is to trust your gut. You’re not bad at this whole romance thing, you just like to think yourself out of it.” Quinlan rested his chin in his hand, the look in his eyes serious for once in their short lives, “Cody isn’t Satine. Stop assuming he’s going to react the same way.”

“Ouch,” Obi-Wan murmured unhappily.

“But fair,” Quinlan finished for him. 

Obi-Wan sighed, “Yes yes, I get the message.”

“But?” Quinlan prompted.

Obi-Wan bit his lower lip, “But nothing. I’ll…talk to him.”

“Really?” Quinlan shot up, now suddenly awake.

“Later,” Obi-Wan was quick to dissuade him, “After Ahsoka leaves. She’s already had enough excitement with us.”

“Boo,” Quinlan said maturely, “You’re no fun.”

“Never was,” Obi-Wan sighed, “I’ll see you later Quinlan. Tell Fox I said hello.”

“See ya!” Quinlan waved cheerily, “And he’ll kill me if he learns you know so no I won’t!”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes as the holo of his best friend disappeared. He sat in the room for a few more minutes, just thinking. 

Cody deserved to know. That much was true. Everything else could wait for now. 

—

Two months went by in the blink of an eye and it wasn’t long before the 501st and the 212th were docked at a Republic space station just off the Naboo system. Ahsoka was practically vibrating with excitement. She and Obi-Wan had spent the final night together, just the two of them, to close out her time with them. While the first half had been rough, Cody was happy to say the padawan had broken out of her shell with them once it was made clear that neither Cody nor Obi-Wan blamed Ahsoka for the events on Elek’i. 

The reprimand for that whole debacle fell almost solely on Jukka Puris’ shoulders. Obi-Wan had explained what happened to Cody, who hadn’t taken it well. There had been a lot of yelling, mostly on Cody’s end, about blame and where to place it. He hadn’t been happy that Obi-Wan had let him blame the Jedi for so long, especially considering the fact that they were supposed to be on the same side. Obi-Wan had brought up the counterpoint that their argument had taken place before Puris’ actions, at which point Cody kissed him stupid and then yelled some more. Regardless, part of the station docking was a switch in admirals as well as padawans. Cody was excited to meet their newest recruit, but not before saying goodbye to Ahsoka. 

Cody stopped Ahsoka just outside the doors that led to the main hangar, gesturing for Obi-Wan to continue without them. Obi-Wan had let them go without a fuss, entertaining the familiar voices that were apparently already waiting for them. 

Ahsoka’s excited eyes were trained on the door. 

Cody knelt to the side of her, drawing Ahsoka’s attention, “I have something for you.”

“Besides the armor?” Ahsoka crossed her arms, the clacking of plastoid music to Cody’s ears. 

“Yes,” Cody stifled a laugh, “Other than the armor. A few of the boys helped me on this one and Obi-Wan said you’d like it.”

Ahsoka tilted her head in confusion. It was a cute tick she’d picked up somewhere along the way. 

Cody’s hand dove into his side pouch as he spoke, “That being said, I understand if you don’t want it. I don’t think the 501st has done this yet and I’ll understand if you’d prefer that first, but I wanted to give you something to remember us by.”

Ahsoka’s face softened as Cody withdrew his hand, “I don’t need anything. I’ll always remember you.”

Cody grinned, “I should hope so. But just in case, I got you this.”

He uncurled his fingers to reveal a simple small bead. 

Ahsoka looked down in confusion, “Don’t be offended when I say I don’t get it.”

Cody laughed nervously, “It’s for your chain. I know the yellow beads normally symbolize lightsaber prowess, Obi-Wan walked me through the different meanings, but I was hoping -”

Cody was cut off when Ahsoka threw her arms around him, nearly sending them both toppling to the ground. She pulled back with a huge grin on her face and snatched the bead up, holding it up to the light to inspect it. 

“I love it!” Ahsoka gasped, already bringing it to her chain, “It’s perfect Cody.”

Cody let himself wear a full smile. He didn’t do it often, but the occasion called for it. 

“It’s beskar,” Cody told her, “So you can keep us with you wherever you go.”

Ahsoka’s smile was blinding as the bead connected with a click. He was glad Obi-Wan made sure he bought a magnetic one, otherwise that would’ve been embarrassing. 

“Thank you,” Ahsoka said seriously, “It means a lot.”

Cody grinned at her and stood, “Shall we?”

Ahsoka nodded, standing at his side with her back straight. Cody fit his helmet over his head and strode out the doors, Ahsoka in lockstep beside him. 

Both Anakin and Rex’s heads snapped over to the two of them as they entered the space. It took less than a second for Ahsoka to go flying in Anakin’s arms, the both of them laughing. 

“Skyguy!”

“Snips!”

“And me,” Rex said as he approached Cody, “So how was it ori’vod?”

Cody beat him to the keldabe, yanking Rex forward into a hard knock, “Probably easier than whatever you had going on.”

Rex laughed, a little dizzy as he stumbled back, “We’ve got to stop doing that when only one of us has a helmet on.”

Cody shrugged, “Not my fault you don’t follow protocol.”

Rex rolled his eyes and in the next second widened them again as Ahsoka leapt onto his back, hooting and hollering as he flung out his arms frantically. Cody laughed but grabbed a flailing limb, helping pull his little brother back to stability. 

“Miss me?” Ahsoka chirped into Rex’s ear.

“More than I should’ve,” Rex tweaked her nose and something inside of Cody went undeniably mushy, “Did Cody play nice?”

“Yup!” Ahsoka giggled, looking back at Cody, “We should visit more often.”

Rex grinned at his big brother, “I think the ARCs would get jealous if we did that.”

“Maybe,” Ahsoka slid off Rex’s back to stand at Cody’s side, “But look what Cody gave me!”

She pulled back one of her lekku, showing off the new addition to her chain. The glare that Rex shot Cody could be considered lethal. Cody just crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. 

“I love it,” Rex forced himself to say, making Cody turn off his internal mic so he could laugh without anyone else catching it, “It matches with the chain so well.”

“Mhm!” Ahsoka crossed her arms, unconsciously mirroring Cody. He was so going to pull this off security cams later, just so he could laugh at Rex’s face a little longer. “Cody said he got it special for me!”

“That I did,” Cody rested a hand in between Ahsoka’s montrals, giving her a little pat, “She’s really grown on me.”

“That’s great,” Rex said through clenched teeth. Cody and Ahsoka gave each other a side eye before Ahsoka burst out into laughter and gave Rex a real hug. 

“Come on Rexster,” Ahsoka said as she pulled away, “You know you’re stuck with me.”

Rex softened, dropping the act a little, and Cody could tell Ahsoka was close to the mark. In fact, now that he was looking, both Anakin and Rex seemed less tense in her presence. It was a testament to Ahsoka’s character that she held such influence over them. 

“Commander,” Cody looked over as his attention was called, surprised to see Anakin coming to stand with the trio, “Thank you for looking out for her. Obi-Wan and I swapped reports the other night and I’m glad you were there.”

Cody nodded, popping his helmet off to look the other man in the eye. Anakin was rarely verbally polite, so he supposed he could manage it this once.

“It was a pleasure,” Cody said, “She’s a good kid.”

“That she is,” Anakin said with a warmth in his tone Cody wasn’t sure he’d heard before, “I’m glad you two bonded.”

Cody shook his hand, ignoring the gooey look on Obi-Wan’s face at the motion. Yes, he knew Obi-Wan had a thing about Cody liking the people in his life. Yes, he was content to ignore it and pretend butterflies didn’t happen every time his Jedi looked at him like that. 

“We should probably get going,” Anakin said apologetically as Cody dropped his hand, “The men want to get back to Triple Zero as fast as possible.”

Obi-Wan nodded, giving Ahsoka a quick hug and patting Anakin on the shoulder, “We understand. We’ll be here for another day or so if you need anything.”

Anakin nodded gratefully, turning back to Rex and Ahsoka, “Alright you two, ready to go?”

Rex nodded, straightening from where Ahsoka had been using him as an impromptu jungle gym, “Ready when you are sir.”

“Wait, now?” Ahsoka asked, looking between Anakin and Obi-Wan, “I thought we were staying for a bit.”

“We are,” Obi-Wan explained, “But after their mission I believe the 501st wants to get home quick.”

“The men are tired,” Rex jumped in, giving Ahsoka a consoling nudge, “But we’ll see the 212th again soon.”

Ahsoka hesitated, visibly deflating, before saying, “Oh. Okay.”

Obi-Wan held out his arms for a hug. Cody winced as Ahsoka slammed into him, an audible oomf escaping his Jedi’s mouth at the blow. 

“I’ll see you soon Master Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka said, her voice muffled by his robes, “Take care of yourself.”

“You as well my dear,” Obi-Wan rested a hand on Ahsoka’s montrals, smiling down at her when she pulled away. 

When she turned to Cody, he wasn’t sure what to expect. They were friends now, certainly, but the companionship she held with Rex was different than the one they had. A hug would be nice, but he’d settle for a salute. 

It took him by surprise when Ahsoka backed up and took a running leap toward him, but he flung out his arms anyway. He caught her, barely stumbling, and laughed breathlessly at her poorly concealed attempt to knock him over. 

“Still need to work on that one,” Ahsoka grumbled when Cody dropped her back to the ground.

“You’ll get there,” Cody encouraged her, “Next time we spar you’ll have me.”

Ahsoka looked up at him with something like affection in her eyes, “Thanks ori’vod. I’ll see you soon.”

Rex, the little bastard, caught the exact moment Cody registered her words on camera, tears and all.