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It had been an awfully rough and tiresome campaign for the 212th and 501th Battalion and their General, Skywalker. Almost none of them had gotten away without some sort of injury and Cody's leg kept twitching from anxiety and worry. The adrenaline of their last battle was wearing off and now sitting in the shuttle, he almost questioned if any of this had been worth it. It should have been a simple misson, nothing they couldn't handle, especially with a jedi by their side. There was not supposed to be so much blood.
Waxer was holding Boil who got shot in their last battle, it fortunately hadn't hit any important organs, but it was still bleeding a lot, even after a medic had treated it the best they could.
A droid had barely missed Crys' head, the bold had cut straight through his helmet and brushed the side of his head, it had stopped bleeding some time ago, to Cody's relief.
He wasn't sure how things looked in the shuttle of the 501th, but he had seen Rex heavily leaning on General Skywalker on their way to their shuttle and he didn't believe his other brothers were any better off.
After what felt like an eternity, their shuttles landed and the men that were capable helped the more severely injured vodes to the medbay where Kix and a couple other medics immediately took care of them. It had been a while since Cody felt this miserable after a mission. It was like they once again got reminded just how mortal they all were, how fast it can all be over and how little difference it would make. A reminder that this war did not care about any of them. H
His rather depressing thoughts got quieter, almost vanished, when he walked down the hanger on his way to his barriers –after he assured himself that all the injured soldiers were taken care of– and spotted Obi-Wan quickly walking in his direction. His eyes never leaving Cody's, full of sorrow and empathy for the soldier and his vodes; Obi-Wan felt the burden on his commander's heart in the force, loud and present and heavier than it had been in a long time.
Once he reached Cody, he pulled him into a hug in which the other man practically melted into. It was an unspoken comfort they both had started getting used to in moments where there were no words to make anything better.
When Obi-Wan let go of him, he spoke up with a voice whispering in sorrow, "I want to check on my men and Anakin." His brows were furrowed, the concern about the state of the men of the 212th and 501th clearly visible on his face. Cody never fully grasped the idea of how the force worked, but it looked like the jedi felt all their pain and worry at once.
"Yes, of course. I will go with you." He made eye contact, nodded, tried to assure his General that he's not alone. He wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay, but he couldn't, because he didn't know that. He could hope, yes, but knowing it will be okay? That there will ever be a time of not worring and mourning? Of a peaceful future? Even simply surviving the next day was not definite for any of them. So he said nothing, because he didn't want to lie to him.
The jedi gave Cody a sad but thankful smile before they made their way to the medbay.
When they arrived, it was just as chaotic as it was when Cody was there for the first time. A bunch of medics were running from bed to bed, where a large number of vodes were sitting or laying down, with bandages on their rips, arms, faces.
On the bed closest to them was Rex with a bandage wrapped across his torso. He nodded in greeting when he spotted Cody and Obi-Wan entering. Anakin was standing next to his bed, his arms crossed over his chest. Other than the jedi's robes being dirty and ripped in places, he seemed better off than many others. When he noticed Rex' attention shifting, he turned around to also greed Obi-Wan and the Commander with a nod.
Obi-Wan and Cody walked up to the pair, "Hello, Rex. Anakin. How are you?"
"Hello General. Well, it was tough out there but I can assure that me and everyone else have been taken care of–" Due to a jedi (who's not Skywalker where Rex didn't care about posture) now being there, Rex tried to sit up straighter. He grimaced in pain while doing so and Obi-Wan held up his hand in protest, "it's all good, Captain. I will not stay for long anyway. I just wanted to check that you and your brothers, and Anakin as well, are alright now. I'm so sorry what an awful turn the mission took. I should've been there. But the council... they wanted me in the temple." Obi-Wan sounded like he was not only empathic towards them, but upset about himself. And upset about the council. Upset he hasn't been there to help them like he should've been. What is a jedi if not a protector? If not someone you can rely on? He should've been there for the people who trusted him, and he hasn't been.
Cody did not know how to convince his General that none of this was his fault. How do you tell a man who always searched for blame in himself and not anyone else that he cannot always be the savior, the hero? No matter what Cody could've said, Obi-Wan willingly carried the whole world on his shoulders. Perhaps he would allow someone to carry it with him and maybe Cody would be that someone one day.
Anakin then spoke up and voiced out Cody's thoughts, "it's not your fault, Obi-Wan. There were just too many, no matter if you had been there or not. Don't blame yourself for this one."
"He's right, General. But it's over now, the damage has been done, and we will recover," Cody added.
"You're probably right, I still would've prefered to be there," a mournful sigh escaped Obi-Wan when he looked around the medbay before his eyes landed on Cody's face. He had taken off his helmet a while ago, before Obi-Wan had hugged him. His eyes roamed over his face before nodding more to himself than to anyone else, "Come with me, Commander. Even if not badly, your face is injured too. I will take care of it."
Even the pain couldn't stop the smirk that spread on Rex' lips when the jedi turned around to leave the medbay again and Cody followed him right behind. Maybe this mission will have a happy ending for Cody, at least.
Obi-Wan was running up and down his quarters, gathering everything he needed while the Commander shifted nervously from one feet to the other. Once the jedi was finished he sat down in the middle of the room and told Cody to sit down in front of him, which he did. (Of course only after insisting that it isn't that bad, General, it will heal without any help and Obi-Wan arguing that it has to get sanitized!)
"You have to be more careful, Commander. I cannot lose my best man out there, I would be lost!" Cody felt Obi-Wan's breath on his face while the man sanitized the small wound on his cheekbone. Nothing dangerous, and Cody had protested a second time that the wound would've healed just fine without Obi-Wan's help, but that didn't stop the other man of cleaning it until he was satisfied and decided that the possibility of it getting infected by the dirt that was on it moments ago was rather slim. He leaned back and started to put everything he used back in the First Aid Kit he had found in some corner of his quarters. Cody was suprised he even had that. At least he never uses it, judging by the way Obi-Wan takes care of himself when he's the one injured.
Without looking up, he asked Cody, "How did that even happen? Don't you and your brothers consistently wear your helmets in battles? You know, since your helmet was not broken or showed any other signs of damage."
Cody had really, really hoped this question wouldn't come up. Kriffing Jedi with their attention on details. "It eh- doesn't really matter, does it? We're in war, I mean, who doesn't get injured during a war, Obi-Wan."
The jedi's head shot up, he was grinning. "That's the first time you've called me Obi-wan and not 'General'." Before Cody got the chance to apologize, which the other man knew he was about to do, Obi-Wan said, "I don't mind it, Cody. Wait! You're distracting me. Back to my question. How did it happen because now I'm actually curious." His eyes moved away from Cody's face as he procceded to tidy up.
"Well," Cody awkwardly coughed, "it may uhm–it may not have happened in battle."
The jedi's hands stopped in their track for a moment and his eyebrows furrowed, "then how did it happen?"
He really wished for someone to barge in and blast him right about now. "Uh, how do i explain this... Imayhavetrippedandfellonmyface."
"What?"
"Please don't make me repeat it."
Cody appreciated the effort Obi-Wan made to try and conceal his amusement. "Well, at least I'm glad you didn't got hurt in the battle itself, then."
Obi-Wan looked down and put the last item back into their original place and–
"General, are you laughing at me?" His shoulders buckled and Cody wanted to feel offended but a smile had spread on his own face as well now. Not necessary because of his rather embarrassing accident, but because he could not remember the last time he had witnessed Obi-Wan wholeheartly laugh like that. With his whole body. His heart jumped a bit from watching the redhead. The jedi wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "I"m truly sorry to find such joy from your incident but it's just that–that's something I would rather expect Anakin to happen! Or, well, anyone but you, Commander."
"I get it. Rex laughed at me for solid 10 minutes after it happened. It was probably the only amusing thing that has happened on that mission." He turned his face away from the jedi, trying to hide his wound, now feeling even more embarassed of it, since he had told him his uncharastically clumsy cause.
He could feel his cheeks heat up when Obi-Wan's hand was at the side of his cheek, turning his head in his direction again and hovering over the wound before stroking the skin right below it with his tump. He was not laughing anymore, just a fond smile still remained on his lips.
"It's quite an impressive wound from a simple fall. I hope it will not leave a scar." The jedi's hand now left the place it was resting on to move up and trace the scar that run along his forehead and down to his temple. Cody subconsciously held his breath, the places on his face that Obi-Wan touched felt hot and Cody wasn't sure what to make of his General's sudden affectionate touches. Without intending to do so, he leaned more and more into the other man's space, until he could make out every eyelash on the jedi's eyelids.
In a quiet voice, Obi-Wan then broke the silence, while his hand was cupping his cheek. "Not that I'm not fond of the ones you already have, my dear Commander." Was Obi-Wan implying what Cody thought he was? Or was it one of those lighthearted flirts the jedi seemed to enjoy going on with almost everyone?
Cody swallowed once and before he could overthink his next step, he leaned in and his lips gently touched Obi-Wan's. It was a soft, closemouthed kiss, but before the other man could react, Cody's eyes shot open and the rational part of his brain took over again and sobered him from the courage that had let him actually do what he had just done. He brought multiple inches of space between him and Obi-Wan, who's face Cody could not quite read.
"I'm–kriff, I–was that okay? Sir, I'm so sorry if I misread the situation. That was unprofessional and I, uh, I will leave now, I think–yea. Thank you for, uh, helping me." He was already starting to get up from the position he was sitting in when a hand grabbed his right elbow. He turned his head to look at the jedi and the other man reached up to cup his face a second time. "Cody, you didn't misread anything." And oh, he was now kissing Cody, who sank down on his knees to return the kiss. It was deeper than when the Commander had kissed him and both of his hands shot up to cup the jedi's face as well. Neither of them moved for several moments before they both had to lean back to breathe.
"Oh," Cody whispered.
The other man chuckled lightly, "Yeah, oh." Obi-Wan had a smile on his lips and Cody couldn't help but to return it. If his heart weren't pounding so kriffing fast in his chest, he would have assumed he was dreaming.
The jedi broke the tender silence they had created and said softly, "do you know how long I wanted you to do that? Force, how often did I want you to notice the way I look at you, especially when you weren't watching. I can't believe all it took was falling on your face for you to finally kiss me."
"I think I'm in love with you." Cody didn't actually wanted to say that out loud–at least not yet–and he looked more shocked by his own love confession than Obi-Wan possibly could. But his chest was filled with so much love and hope, and the realization that he was not alone, that Obi-Wan felt the same, was overhelming.
Obi-Wan did not respond immediately. But he didn't have to, he could not look at Cody with more fondness in his eyes. Maybe, Cody thought to himself, this actually could work out.
For the moment, Cody even allowed himself to imagine the day they could perhaps have an actual, peaceful life together, after the war. It was something Cody would not believe in much longer after, but for the moment, everything seemed so kriffing possible with Obi-Wan staring back at him, with so much affection now swelling in his eyes that Cody didn't understand how he did not see it earlier.
How much time had they wasted in silent? How much time will they have left? No, he would not allow himself to think about it. The present is what mattered, the future is only something he could hope for.
"I... think I'm in love with you, too," Obi-wan responded, later on, when they had already stood up again and he had returned the First-Aid-Kid back to it's origin place.
He paused, then: "But I'm afraid this love isn't an easy one." Obi-Wan broke the eye contact he created between them.
The warmth that had spread in Cody's chest from Obi-Wan vocally affirming his affection faltered. "I know but– I don't care. I don't want easy. This war and our roles in it–all of was never easy. It doesn't matter to me. Only you do. Always you."
"It's not that simple and you know that, Cody. I don't know if love is enough. I wish it was, I do. But I think it made this war even more difficult for us now. None of us can let this influence our ability to do our duty. I wish we could just turn our back on it and only see eachother, but we are too important in this story. I can't change who I am and you can't change who you are, but if you allow it, I will love you in every way I can. That has to be enough. Please, let it be enough," tears had started to form in Obi-Wan's eyes, "I don't know how long we are going to continue fighting this war, but I will love you in every second of it. And maybe we will even live to see the end of it. And then, maybe, we can live the life we deserve. Is that okay?"
Cody lightly nodded a few times after Obi-Wan had stopped speaking and reached up to palm the jedi's cheek, "Of course. Of course it's enough. I can fight this war for the rest of my life if I only have you by my side."
With that, Cody leaned down to kiss Obi-Wan again, and again, and again.