Archive of Our Own

The sun was down, the winds had come, and Cody was, at the current moment, the happiest man alive. Or, well, at least this was a joy he shared with his brothers.

Elsodda's days and nights were almost two times that of, say, Coruscant. The planet spun slowly around its axis and even slower around its star, and even though they had marched through the agonizing heat of the day twice as long, they could now drop and drown into the sweet abyss of unconsciousness for twice as long as well. At last, they had stopped between dunes, digging in for a short rest while it was still dark, set to continue at the break of dawn - which did not, in fact, mean a dreadfully short nap of two or so standard hours on the Force-forsaken sand planet, but at least an eight-hour camp. The tents were set up quickly, courtesy of the men's enthusiasm to finally get some lights-out somewhere that wasn't directly on top of a pile of sand.

Thank the stars General Skywalker wasn't on the mission. They'd never hear the end of it. Poor General Kenobi.

Skywalker's quasi-religious hatred of all things sandy was a well-known joke within the GAR. None of them really knew if he was actually that opinionated or if he was just doing it to annoy Kenobi, but one thing was clear - he succeeded at the latter, always. Went above and beyond. Sometimes, after particularly long visits of sand planets, Cody would do his best to refrain from even breathing in his General's direction. He might've been about as Force-sensitive as a backup ventilation pipe on Coruscant, but he didn't need an all-encompassing celestial presence to tell him when Kenobi was about to call for a Code-breaking duel with the closest person he could find and be displeased with; and the ordeal would certainly end with someone being fried with the good end of his lightsaber.

Well, perhaps needless manslaughter was uncharacteristic of Kenobi. But he could also engage them in a very active - actively passive-aggressive, that is - discussion on the essentiality of differing environments on planets - yes, deserts included. Which was just as bad. If not worse. He could find it in himself to be very enthusiastic about flora and fauna when he was within Skywalker's earshot.

So, Cody wasn't too surprised when he saw that Kenobi was in the process enjoying himself, actually. The heat didn't have much effect on him, it seemed, as he had been walking just fine with five layers of robes on him while the rest of them dragged themselves along, even with the less-than-fancy thermoregulation systems in their armor. Maybe Kenobi was just unaffected because he refused to miss out on a desert without Skywalker muttering curses by his side every five clicks.

He'd stopped along with the rest of them, though, convinced to spend the night here by Cody and Waxer. He looked a bit surprised when they brought up the exhaustion due to heat, but it took him half a second to take a good look at them, steam pretty much hissing through the plastoid, and then he was nodding, turning to look for a good spot to halt the men.

They'd found it, the sun had set, and it was, at last, cooling. It'd only get colder - Cody remembered being briefed on this, hellishly scorching days and freezing nights. Well, he would have welcomed a snowstorm in his blacks, at this point. Let it come.

And come it did, along with three near-identical moons that seemed to bring the chill and biting wind along with them. Honestly, it wasn't that bad - Cody made a few rounds about the camp, exchanged a word or two with some of his brothers, grinned, watching the fast-asleep shinies getting absolutely demolished with golden paint-pens, and then turned to go back to his tent. 

Somewhere along the path, he raised his eyes to meet Kenobi's, who offered him a smile, hardly looking for one in return from the unresponsive helmet. Cody inclined his head slightly as a greeting instead, and Kenobi turned to come with - their tent was shared. 

They'd found it the most convenient arrangement, considering that, when need be, Cody and Kenobi spoke a lot. Debated, mostly, compromised, discussed, their conversations so fast-paced and occasional disagreements so vicious most newer troopers just flat-out thought their Commander and their General were fighting, that they were off somehow, didn't like each other - which just wasn't true. Tearing down each other's ideas as best as they could was necessary, they needed the brutal honesty, they needed to find flaws in each other's thinking, and they weren't afraid to point them out, or else people would die. 

Cody didn't dislike Kenobi; in fact, he may have just liked him too much, his more traitorous thoughts suggesting Kenobi was a good friend and the way he acted reflected that - 

He would be a good friend, Cody would answer it grimly, shutting it down, if he wasn't my General and I was a person.

He himself had no doubts about his personhood, obviously, but the rest of the galaxy did. And the Jedi were larger than life. So mysterious and vague, impossible to bend, to break, rare to find. That was to the outside world, yes, but it couldn't change who they were. And they were a people, bound by their own many rules, as many or even more than there were regulations and orders for the clones, and navigating through this web of restrictions and codes was difficult as it was - joining the two and attempting to slip through the gaps of both the Jedi Code and the GAR regs would’ve been a right nightmare.

Once the war was over, perhaps things would change. Stars, Cody had to admit to himself he just really kriffing wanted to have a friend in the General. Kenobi has offered his camaraderie readily, yes, but to take it, from Cody’s part, would’ve definitely been some form of fraternization. However unrealistic the possibility was, it still existed - he could’ve gotten decommissioned for it. Though there was something, in the corner of his mind, that assured him Kenobi would never let that happen.

He fought for his men. That included Cody. But Kenobi’s friendship, a gentle touch beyond making sure he was uninjured, smiling blue eyes after an easier battle - that was the one thing Cody couldn’t let himself see.

Nevertheless, he and Kenobi talked to each other, whenever they could, and it took Cody a while to catch himself talking about things unrelated to the mission and Kenobi nodding along like he'd been listening for the past hour. It took even longer to notice that Kenobi was doing the very same thing. If subconsciously. But neither had ever complained; only listened to the other.

Thus, the same tent. Their strategic debates could last for far longer than the meetings, and sometimes they'd talk well-into the night, shamed into hushed voices and whispers by the quiet breaths of Cody's brothers around them. They'd talk, sometimes, until Cody's eyelids would start drooping and, out of nowhere, he'd hear a sympathetic Goodnight, Commander, or until Kenobi would trail off in his speech and Cody would go through three inquisitive hums before realizing his General had fallen asleep in the middle of the sentence.

(It had amused him to no end when, once, just that having happened the previous night, Kenobi woke up and immediately told Cody two different flaws in his assault strategy, continuing his sentence like there hadn't been a good five-hour break between the beginning and the end. He'd been so confused, the poor man, when Cody had wheezed so hard he'd had to shove the blanket into his face, surprising even himself, and then Kenobi had seen the sun rising and groaned, falling back onto his own cot.)

It was good mental exercise, and it helped them stay alive. That was it. Whatever feelings Cody had about being - and remaining firmly placed - at his General's side were his to keep, and -

And those were really too many thoughts for about a minute-long walk back to their cots. He was almost glad Kenobi started going on about the success of a mission - and, strangely, Cody had little to add. It had, after all, been a success. It was just that their transports got neatly blown up one by one and they had to trek back to the cruiser.

"I must say, the nights make it difficult to sleep," Kenobi was saying, giving Cody an exasperated grimace when he held up the corner of the tent's cloth to let Kenobi in first. "And while I don't mind the walk, I'm not the one carrying forty kilograms of armor on my back, am I?"

"Oh, no, it's perfectly pleasant, sir," Cody answered him dryly, lips curving into a half-smile as he followed Kenobi in. "I'm sure it builds... Something. Not morale, but definitely something."

"Don't you dare start me a mutiny, Commander," Kenobi joked, sitting down on his cot and pulling a datapad out of his bag. "Because if it continues to be as sunny as it is now during the rest of this, hum, "perfectly pleasant" trip, I might just join your ranks, and we'd be stuck in this desert forever."

Cody turned to his own cot, long-acquainted with the strangest things Kenobi would decide to bring to warzones and long-having stopped being surprised (such as holonovels, small mechanical structures he'd work on idly whenever he was fidgeting (unlike Skywalker, who took each mechanism like a personal challenge), and a smooth small stone he never seemed to lose and carried most places), and sat down.

"Sir, all due respect, even if we did want to mutiny - which we do not," his perfectly serious affirmation was met with a smile, "I doubt we'd have enough energy to start anything in the middle of this particular desert."

Kenobi chuckled, then, covering his mouth with the usual propriety. "Then I shall dutifully avoid any and all other deserts, lest you decide to put a cannon behind me and blast me off a dune of your liking."

Cody didn't even realize he'd started frowning a bit ago. All this mutiny talk was unpleasant - even the thought made him feel guilty, made him want to hide. Thought crimes were not punishable, but even thoughts, even speculations, even jokes could go over wrong with the wrong General. 

Kenobi had always been good to them - would always be good to them, he'd like to say, but Cody didn't think he'd ever fully rid himself of the caution he'd ingrained in himself on Kamino. The fault was not with Kenobi; there had been a record-setting two desertions in total within the 212th the GAR was even made aware of, and even those two named the system as the culprit, not the General. Dar'vode were those who hated that system so much they were willing to sacrifice their comrades for it, no longer family, no longer brothers, traitors, aruetiise. And nevertheless, the rest of them, even knowing their righteousness, were subconsciously careful around authority. They had to be.

Perhaps, then, the fact that he'd been in heated debates with Kenobi about things that weren't battle strategy meant that he was slipping. He should keep his guard up, not let himself be blinded by the comfort, and -

And, nothing. This was Kenobi he was talking about, Cody chastised himself. Have faith, Commander, he'd once told him, I'll do my best not to let you down.

He never had. Not once. Cody knew Kenobi trusted him, he'd made that clear on multiple occasions, and Cody would do his best to reciprocate.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he did already, and the thought frightened him a little.

So, perhaps a little too abruptly but with a pause for good measure, Cody asked, carefully changing the topic, "Why can't you sleep during the night, General?"

Kenobi shrugged, swiping at something on the datapad briefly before looking up. "Oh, well, it's only the sudden temperature changes - quite jarring, wouldn't you say?"

Cody quirked an eyebrow. The temperature changes? Kenobi?

"Sure. The heat is hardly bearable," Cody agreed. Kenobi furrowed his brows, lost about something again, but Cody couldn't imagine what. He placed his helmet by the cot and unclipped his chestplates. "But it should get better during the night."

"Ah, that's precisely what I fear." Kenobi frowned at the datapad for a second before shoving it back into his bag, and then tucking his hands into the sleeves of his cloak. "I'm sure it'll bring brief relief and then - well. You know how deserts are."

In truth, Cody did not, but he was going to trust Kenobi's judgement, even if he was being a bit odd about it.

"It'll only get colder, now," Kenobi added. His cloak pooled like a nest around him.

"That doesn't sound too bad," Cody admitted. Kenobi raised an eyebrow.

"You do well in the cold, don't you, Cody?" he asked, turning to look at the opening in the tent. "I've always been the opposite."

"Not any better than the rest of my brothers." Cody shrugged. "It's not that cold, is it? All due respect."

"There's no respect due for a question, Cody," Kenobi bristled, inadvertently putting a crooked smile on Cody's face. "And - no, I suppose it isn't. Let's hope it stays that way, hm?"

Suddenly, at the rustling of cloth, the glint in his eye disappeared, he sat up straighter. Cody followed his glance and saw a brother scratching lightly at the side of the tent to let them know he was there before he raised the flap over the opening, and soon Vy's head was peeking in, looking mildly worried.

"Uh, sir?" Seeing the two in the middle of conversation, he raised an eyebrow. "Sorry to interrupt, sirs. It's just that - um. Taika found a couple of snakes by his tent. We weren't sure if they were venomous, and you did tell us to ask you if we had any questions about the planet. So." He shuffled his feet, pretty clearly feeling a bit awkward. "General. Would you check out the snakes, see if you've seen them before?"

Kenobi had stilled, listening intently to Vy's request and nodding calmly. "Of course. Lead the way." Standing to follow him, Kenobi leaned to the side and gently nicked the side of Cody's vambrace. "Excuse me, Commander."

"Sir," he replied with practiced resignation to the fact that he would never get to have a decent conversation with Kenobi in private that would last longer than a minute and thirty seconds, and pretended to consider not going after them to see what was going on.

He shadowed the two silently, looming over Kenobi's right shoulder, as always. Saw when the Jedi wrapped his arms around himself idly as he walked, but didn't mention it yet. It had gotten a tad chillier, he noticed, but still fairly comfortable in blacks and the leg guards he was wearing.

Vy led them to a tent he shared with Taika, legging it quickly enough for Cody to assume either Taika had a phobia of snakes the size of The Negotiator or was actively being strangled to death by one of them. The trooper, as it turned out, was pacing back and forth in front of the tent with his arms crossed, glancing nervously at the opening.

"They're still inside?" Vy asked, and, at Taika's nod, gestured apologetically at the tent. "They're there, General."

"I see." Kenobi stepped forward, staring into the inner tent. "Were they aggressive? And how big?"

"Highly aggressive," Taika assured. Kenobi clicked his tongue in displeasure. "And - I can't say exactly how big they were, didn't get a good look while I was hauling ass - " Taika went abruptly red - shinies, Cody thought with no little fondness. "That is to say, hm, sir."

"Taika's afraid of snakes!" a trooper called from another tent. "Hope there aren't more in your sleeping bag, Taika!"

"Yeah," Vy agreed, smiling slyly, and clapped his brother on the shoulder. "They're just lizards. They don't even have legs!"

Kenobi chuckled at that, then, and just stepped in. Cody followed, hesitantly, scanning the inner tent. 

...Something was wriggling furiously in the corner. The something was also making hissing noises, and also looked like it was tied in knots. Cody instantly knew he hated the something. With a passion. Too big, too slimy, too fast.

The same couldn't be said about Kenobi, who literally lit up when he saw the mess of long bodies coiling around each other.

"Oh!" he gasped, moving immediately to the snakes, all safety measures be damned, and crouched by the sleeping bag. 

"Is that a good "oh" or a bad "oh", sir?" Cody called after him, still a few steps away. The crystal clear laughter he got in response was answer enough, so he hopped out of the tent as soon as he could and redirected his attention toward his brothers. Especially Taika, who had sat down on the ground cross-legged, a hand sheepishly slapped over his other forearm. 

Cody narrowed his eyes. Taika, as if feeling his glare, squirmed in place, pretty much confirming Cody's worries.

"Did you get bitten, Taika?" he asked insistently, leaning down to be at eye-level.

"Umm," said the trooper, trying in futility to conceal his pretty clearly bleeding arm. Though seeing the expression on Cody's face, he offered, meekly, like an apology, "Sir, yes, sir?"

Multiple voices spoke up at once, huffing or groaning in exasperation. "For kriff's sake, vod," Vy drawled.

"Did you learn nothing from Geonosis?" Cody shook his head, throwing an increasingly restless look at where the General last was. "If you start trying to bite us and-or kill us, I'm assigning you to latrine duty until this war is over, and that's a promise."

"I'll keep it in mind, Commander." Taika bowed his head, grinning sheepishly. Cody's words seemed to have cheered him up.

Cody sighed, pinching his nose. Well, it was nice someone was in high spirits. Even if that was the last person for whom it was appropriate.

"For the record, Taika, honestly," Vy muttered from the side. "If you die because of a snake bite in the middle of a war, I'll kill you."

"Yeah, have some dignity and get yourself blasted off a ledge by a B2, you kriffing disgrace," one of the troopers sitting outside by the tent seconded.

"I don't take orders from some ugly mug that crawled out of a leaking tank," Taika snapped back, hiding his smile just about as well as he did his wound.

"We have the same mug, dumbass."

"Nah," Vy interrupted, "his is gonna go all weird when he dies from the venom."

A quiet chuckle came in a different voice, from Kenobi, as he rounded the tent, standing just outside the opening. "Nobody is dying because of snake venom today, men." Their eyes darted to him as one. 

Cody took half a step back, subconsciously.

Around him coiled two of the monstrosities, one wrapped completely around his waist like a squirming belt and the other resting its head on his shoulder. Kenobi seemed perfectly fine with this, although his arms were spread so as to not touch the snakes. 

"Those are Kartuusi, the Bitter, see the little dark dots on their scales? Their natural habitats being swamps, those help them blend in. Curious how they got to this side of the planet, since they should be closer to the cities, but this is not unheard of." He nodded his head slowly toward Taika. "It'll ache for a bit, and your muscles might feel like you tore something, but other than that, their venom isn't that hazardous to Humans and you have nothing to worry about."

Cody stared. The rest of them stared. They were staring. They should say something. Cody foggily remembered telling a shiny to shut it on Ryloth. He felt a little guilty now. He should say something.

All that came out was, "How are you doing that. Sir," he added, as an afterthought.

Kenobi smiled, a beautiful, wide grin. "Oh, they were just startled. They're delightful, really."

The snake on his shoulder was flicking its tongue lazily, none of that high aggression Taika spoke of present. The other coiled around him, crawling up slowly to Kenobi's chest, pressing its hard body into the clothes, but the General showed no discomfort.

"I'm still checking him over," Bay called, just a few steps away now, holding his medkit like his own child. It took a while to get to him as he was on the other side of the camp, but he did overhear the last explanation as he was going.

"I don't have a doubt about it, Bay," Kenobi replied, graciously turning to the side. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to let these beautiful creatures go a little further away from the camp."

"Just hope they let you go, General," Cody called after him. Kenobi laughed again, and then he was gone.

"Well, Taika, no latrine duty for you, I'm afraid." Vy turned to him.

Cody pinned him down with a glare as he walked past. "Keep talking, trooper."

"Sir," Vy saluted with two fingers, still with the shit-eating grin on. Cody shook his head and made for his tent again.

Once there, he dropped to his cot, and suddenly the rest of the world dimmed and lost all meaning. It wasn’t worth it, he thought, mildly annoyed with himself. He had eight hours. He might as well get a couple in before he started filing reports.

He wasn't sure whether he was even asleep when General Kenobi's soft voice cut through the mist. All he heard was, quietly, Goodnight, Cody, and then he was rolling over to get on his elbows, blinking through the sleep in his eyes.

Kenobi looked back at him, lips parted. "Oh, very sorry, Commander," he said, shrugging off the hood. Thankfully, he seemed scot-free of any bites and other related injuries - a rare and valuable occurence when it came to Cody's General. "I didn't mean to wake you up. The opposite, if anything."

"Wasn't asleep," Cody grumbled, plopping down onto the pillow with his face toward Kenobi. He was aware, distantly, that this could've been a bit awkward, but, one, he had no energy to roll back over, two, Kenobi didn't seem to mind. Instead, he chuckled, settling down and pulling at the blanket. 

"I see. I told you, Commander, those weren't hostile creatures. No creature is, in fact. We all do what it takes to survive, don't we?"

"M-hmm," Cody murmured. He was aware he was being invited into a discussion, but it was like his eyes were full of sand. Is this how Skywalker feels?

A huff, and, "Again, goodnight, Commander. Do sleep this time." A sigh. "If you're able to."

Then, silence, only the occasional breath from Kenobi. Shaky.

There was something wrong with this.

Cody's brain was somehow very slow at processing things, right now. All was foggy and he just wanted to shut himself off and sleep for Force's sake, but there was something nagging at him. Something was wrong.

Cody sighed. He didn't like this feeling, but his thoughts came so slowly. Re-cap. He was on the cot, in his tent, he was safe. His brothers were camping, they were safe. Kenobi was on his cot next to Cody, and he was breathing, if shakily. He was safe.

But he was -

Cody tore his eyes open through sheer will and sat up, turning to look at Kenobi.

The sand was magically gone from Cody's eyes and he was awake. And Kenobi was rigid on his cot, breathing minimally, one hand gripping the blanket so hard the knuckles were going white, and… Oh, he was quivering like a leaf.

He shouldn't mention it. He and Kenobi weren't talking right now, and he wasn't given a question he should answer, but also it was Kenobi, and Kenobi hid his injuries too frequently and too well, far too well, and it was Kenobi, and Cody cared.

"Sir, you're," and he reconsidered one last time before pointing out, "you're shaking."

"Oh?" his voice replied. Not asleep, then. It was strangely hoarse, like Kenobi was trying to keep it from hitching in his throat. His shoulders stilled for a moment before he drew them in and they started shaking again. He was like a feather in the wind, like this. "Ah. I assure you, it's nothing to worry about, dear Commander."

Okay. Hiding something. Cody was familiar with this. 

"You do know how few times it's been nothing to worry about, yes, General?" he said, leaning over.

"Commander -"

"Very few times."

Kenobi waved him off and immediately hid his hand back under the blanket, rolling over to face him. "Yes, yes, I'm aware. It is one of those times, though. Trust me."

"With my life, sir," he affirmed. Kenobi smiled, and Cody now noticed he was gritting his teeth. "But, uh, all due respect, truly, not with your own."

That caught him off-guard. He got an amused chuckle in response. "Commander, whatever you're thinking, it's nothing worth mentioning."

"Sir," Cody said, leveling his own voice. "We should get you to Bay." He had a suspicion, and he didn't like it. "Check you for snake bites."

To his surprise, Kenobi outright laughed at the suggestion. "Ah. The serpents did me no harm, Commander, I can promise you that. The effects of their venom are different. You saw them at work on Taika."

"You could've just not felt it."

"Cody," Kenobi told him. Insistent, like a command. Cody shut up. "I'll let you in on a secret, so don't go telling. They brought me to the Temple, initially, because three-year-old Obi-Wan was uncannily good with animals. If he listened to them, they listened back. I never lost that ability with non-sentients. They don’t harm me if I don’t harm them first, they can’t even touch me. I'd know if they did. And so believe me when I say those snakes did not bite me."

"I believe you, sir, but - " Cody grit his teeth, aware he was being mildly annoying at best, but he was also right, "You're still shaking."

"Oh, Force help it, Commander." Kenobi, at last, threw one hand up in defeat. "I'm not nursing a snake bite. I'm cold."

Cody squinted incredulously, taken aback at little. 

"You're... cold?" 

It was pleasantly cool at best outside, and warmer in the tent. They did have the whole temperature conversation, but... Him being this bothered by it? Maybe he really did get bitten.

"Sir, don't get me wrong, I'm not doubting your feelings, but - but it really isn't that... cold outside, sir?" He knew he was adding too many sirs, but this time it looked like Kenobi had forgotten to tell him of how unnecessary they were. He groaned, dragging the blanket over his mouth.

"I know, I know, Commander, you don't need to rub it in." He chuckled, pulling it down a little bit. "Maybe it's just me."

"Maybe - sir, I'm in my blacks, you're in a cloak and under a blanket." Cody pressed his lips together, inching closer. "I don't think it's a preference."

"Well, what else is it?"

"Could be a fever," Cody suggested, and Kenobi sighed.

"It's not."

"Sir."

"It's not. I think I'd know, Cody."

"Just let me check, sir."

Kenobi frowned. Dangerous territory, Cody knew Kenobi didn't like other people being worried about him. "I don't need -"

"You've got nothing to hide, sir, do you?" he asked, as quickly as he could. "Not from me."

And, before he could protest, Cody reached out to press his hand against the pale forehead. Kenobi let out a certainly undignified gasp, but didn't swat him away and just grabbed at Cody's arm, half-heartedly keeping him off. His lips were pressed firmly into a displeased pout, but he let Cody fawn over him a little and stayed still - maybe only to get him off his back.

Huh, Cody thought, then. Maybe he was wrong. Kenobi was perfectly cool. Even cooler, perhaps, then he should've been. Cody dropped his arm and was about to apologize profusely - he'd been so sure - but then he realized Kenobi was still holding onto him, eyebrows furrowed. He was looking at the inside of Cody's forearm like he was searching for a manifestation of his Force, gripping it tightly.

"Uh -" Cody made a noise, unsure if he was going to be Force-thrown out of the tent or what. "Sir?" 

"Cody," Kenobi asked, squinting, thumb moving subconsciously over the inside of Cody's bared wrist (the cold hand felt nice on him, oh, but this was definitely not the time to address this), "may I ask what your normal body temperature is?" 

Cody blinked, letting himself be tugged closer out of sheer surprise. "Uh, forty-five standard? It's the norm set for us. It's been more or less consistent across the GAR thus far? As far as I know."

"Forty-five?" Kenobi's voice jumped half an octave in disbelief. Cody raised an eyebrow - he knew the General's skin was a bit cooler than his, he'd found out numerous times in sparring and battle, but he couldn't have imagined forty-five standard being that shocking. Kenobi cleared his throat. "Cody, I... I would be dead at that body temperature, and by a rather large margin. That's about eight degrees warmer than most Near-Humans run. There are exceptions, of course, but few Humans can handle more than thirty-eight standard as their normal temperature. Anything above that is considered a fever, and at forty-one or forty-two, without intervention, it's a wonder if the person survives!"

"Sir." He was rambling, diverting attention from the topic, from himself. Kenobi was skilled at that, never dwelling too long, always finding some way to distract. As interesting as Cody found this difference in bodies, Kenobi had shifted a bit too far out of his blanket, his coat. His shoulders were tense.

"Is that why you're immune to most sicknesses? That's fascinating." Nevertheless, he had a smile on his face - the kind he did when he wasn't quite there, caught up in something within his head. He cocked his head to the side, taking on a pensive expression. "But, in that case, shouldn't you be losing heat faster and thus getting colder than I am? How strange. How strange."

"Sir." Even through his speech, Cody could hear the quiver of his lip. Now that he knew it was just the cold, it still worried him. 

Kenobi went silent, looking up at him, a little sheepish. 

"That's why you can't sleep. It's the cold, not the heat."

"Unfortunately." Kenobi nodded, glancing down - and promptly realized he was still holding Cody by the arm. He let him go like he was made of searing iron, and if Kenobi's face wasn't already red from the cold, Cody would've noticed the tint on his cheeks, the way flush creeped up all the way to his ears. 

He cleared his throat, "Ah, I, I'm sorry, Commander." Gave him a small smile. "I didn't notice. It felt nice." Cody's eyes darted to the side, his own face warming up as Kenobi cut himself off with a cough. "-Uh, that is to say, the warmth, the warmth felt nice. I am - I am cold."

"Well, if you run at thirty-seven standard, sir, I'm not surprised," Cody said, offering a half-smile that Kenobi graciously accepted. 

"Quite. I really am sorry for worrying you." With that, he retreated back into his nest of sorts, bright eyes watching from beneath a wide hood. "Do try and get some sleep, Cody. I'll keep watch."

Cody nodded, but something didn't sit right with him as the winds picked up outside the tent and Kenobi shivered reflexively. He pressed his lips together, not moving from his spot as he thought.

Cody had an idea, and he hated it. Not because of the idea itself, but mostly because of what it was going to do to him. He was, as previously agreed, responsible, in a way, for keeping the General safe, and… this was going to be a part of it. That's what he told himself. This was his duty, as a Commander.

"We don't need watches in a camp," he said, slowly, and Kenobi sighed, nodding.

"Well, just saying 'I'll stay up and stare at the ground' felt a bit boring, don't you think so?" Two hands emerged from underneath the blanket to clutch at his sides, trying to wrap him tighter into it.

Cody stalled for a second, cursed under his breath, and sat back down. A little farther away, but still facing Kenobi, who followed his movement with keen eyes.

"Sir," Cody said, looking anywhere but at him. "We've concluded that my body temperature is higher than yours." Well, he was always straight-forward. And Kenobi seemed to appreciate straight-forward, for all his love of dancing around topics. "If I lay down next to you, we could share heat. Maybe then you'd be able to sleep."

A bit of silence followed. Kenobi seemed to be looking for an answer, eyes darting around the tent. Okay, bad idea, that's fine. Cody could backtrack.

Before he could, though, Kenobi chuckled, raising his hand to his chin in a familiar gesture. Quivering fingers tapped against his chin for a lack of a better thing to do. "Honestly, Commander, you don't need to worry about me."

"I am being practical," Cody replied. He was not. He was worrying severely. He was also not going to admit that.

Kenobi drew in a shaky breath. His smile was wry, crooked. "Well, in that case. It's just that - the cots are rather small."

Cody was slowly working on getting his muscles to move again once he realized, looking at the redness on Kenobi's face that was now decisively too much to be from the cold, what exactly he was signing up for.

Be pragmatic. "That's - mostly the point, sir." Nice.

Kenobi watched him for a moment, hands dropping slowly from his sides as he moved to the side of the cot.

"Very well, then, dear Commander," he chuckled, looking up at him as he disentangled himself from the blanket and offered the side to Cody with a little wink. "Keep me warm."

Cody powered through the fact that his brain ceased all function for a moment. He did not need to say that. Kenobi's habit of flirting with everyone that exhibited more sentience than a pebble on the side of the pavement was not paying him any favours right now. 

Nevertheless, he got himself together and joined Kenobi's side. The man had laid his head down, but for all the calm on his face, the hand on his stomach was curled into a fist to keep it from shaking.

Ah, well, Cody had a duty to do.

Slowly, carefully, he shifted closer. Lay down, draped the blanket over them, and trying very very hard not to think about what he's doing, he turned to Kenobi.

"If you would," he said, quietly. Kenobi shifted toward him with not a word, facing the wall. 

With only a second's hesitation, Cody wrapped his arms around him. Kenobi shuddered - and went still. He was cold. Cody took a small breath, saw the hairs on the back of Kenobi's neck stand - he had shivers. Really cold, then.

Cody knew the ins and outs of heat conservation - the clones were ready for anything, mostly. It was understandable, now, why that information had never come in handy before. 

"Sir. Facing me, please," he said quietly, and Kenobi stirred. "It's more efficient that way."

Kenobi muttered something that died down in his throat and, with shaky hands, pushed himself up and over obediently, careful to arrange his arms in such a way that he would encroach on Cody as little as possible - which was already ridiculous as Cody was the one to suggest this and also already had his arms snaked around him. It was a good strategy, but a bit slow - perhaps because of the distance still between them, Kenobi was still freezing, and Cody, a Good And Professional Commander, shouldn't let that stand. For this reason, he elected he was going to ignore the fact that it was getting very warm for him - even if he didn't know how that was, exactly, seeing as Kenobi was basically a mobile ice cube at this point.

Cody moved to press one of his hands against Kenobi's lower back, just to keep him there as the other was under his head. Kenobi drew in a small breath. 

To Cody's surprise, the Jedi relaxed, almost. Melted into his arms as his tremors started subsiding, as he flexed his fingers and drew his knees up slightly, seeming a little more comfortable.

Cody took the liberty of pressing closer again - his nose brushed against Kenobi's forehead, and he quickly raised his head to try and avoid sneezing into Kenobi's face.

"Bless you," Kenobi chuckled, and then his face was against Cody's neck. Tucked into his shoulder.

"Sorry."

"No worries," Kenobi murmured, his breath tickling somewhere behind Cody's ear. His hands rose, subconsciously, to clutch at the blacks over Cody's chest. "Efficient indeed. If I cause any discomfort, feel free to shake me awake."

"I will." He won't. It was such a rare luxury, hearing Kenobi's breathing slow, being able to sense him at peace. He could kick Cody in his sleep and Cody still wouldn't shy away.

And he was getting sleepy, that, Cody could tell. Mostly by the fact that he'd dug his face into Cody's neck and his voice had been barely audible even when he was talking right into his ear. 

He was warmer, warmer, then warm. Cody would keep him that way. Anytime, his foggy thoughts supplied. Oh, for the rest of his life, if he'd like that. Cody would.

He should pack those thoughts away and consult the regulation protocols, the Commander in his head reminded. Cody suggested he shut his mouth.

By the time he came back to himself, Kenobi was asleep, fingers splayed loosely over Cody's chest. Almost like he wasn't in control of himself, Cody watched his hand move from Kenobi's back to push the palm slowly against his head, brushing gently. Kenobi only pressed himself tighter against Cody.

Warm.

Cody hadn't meant to fall asleep that quickly, exactly, but what was he supposed to do? He was doing his duty in what he from now on considered to be the best way; by all means, the battle was won, his brothers were safe, Kenobi was safe - and warm, and lax against him, asleep; and Cody followed suit, still wondering if Kenobi had put a sleep suggestion in his mind just by being like this, sleeping in his arms.

The sleep was dreamless, but not the way it usually is, not him hovering on the edge of consciousness. It was full, in all senses of the word, whole - he could feel someone by his side, radiating calm in waves that enveloped him. Made him feel like he was safe in turn, in a way. 

When he woke, it was because the calm was disrupted so suddenly it frightened him. He blinked awake to see Kenobi's nose right in front of his.

He didn't think the speed at which all the blood jumped to his face was healthy, but he couldn't just jolt away - and, after a second, he realized he didn't quite want to.

Kenobi's eyes were wide on him - as was his smile. They were tangled together, him practically on top of Cody, hands on his chest still. 

"I got it, Cody," he announced, grinning. "I can't believe I didn't figure it out."

"Sir," he croaked out. The weight on him was - grounding. Not unpleasant. Kenobi was rather light. And very, very near his face. "...Sir."

"Your circulation is - I mean, your heart, uh! Give me a moment." He chuckled, sliding off Cody, carefully disentangling their legs, no discomfort nor awkwardness evident. It made Cody feel a bit better. But he still felt a little like he'd missed something, as soon as Kenobi moved away. 

Kenobi sat up, the blanket falling off him, and Cody saw a few sleep marks on his arms as he gestured.

"Your - I noticed it, when I woke up," he spoke, tapping two fingers on his neck. "Your heart beats very quickly. I suspect the norm is higher than a regular Human's in that regard as well. That would explain your resistance to cold - and would have little to do with your temperature!"

Well, the image of Kenobi feeling his pulse felt strange, but Cody couldn't say it wasn't a little endearing. "That's interesting, sir." He was still sleepy, the sun wasn't going to rise for a good few more hours, and once he figured out the sudden disappearance of the peace Kenobi was projecting was just his enthusiasm over a scientific discovery, the weight over his limbs returned. He was still just - missing something.

"Isn't that right," Kenobi went on, looking up at the ceiling, a grin bright on his face. "I suppose I shouldn't have mixed up inner and outer temperatures, but, in my defense, they're easily intertwined, and -"

"Yes, sir," Cody muttered, blindly reaching out as his eyes fluttered closed. He was missing something, he needed it back.

"Your increased heart rate means faster blood circulation, which distributes it into your limbs quicker, and so it - Ah!" Kenobi yelped as Cody finally managed to wrap his arms around his waist and drag him down. "Cody!" 

Cody muttered something, another affirmation that he was listening, and buried his face in Kenobi's chest. There it was. He was missing this.

"Oh, dear." Slowly, two hands came down to rest on his neck, thumbs brushing gently on his jaw. Kenobi chuckled somewhere above him. "Well, I suppose I deserve it. Rest well, Commander."

"G'night," Cody managed, unsure whether his words were even leaving his mouth.

And when Kenobi hummed and muttered something about it being early morning, more like, Cody didn't hear it. He was asleep.