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Cody sometimes wondered how Jango Fett lost his wings.
He had met the man, once. Cody was just a cadet then. Seeing the man with his older brothers’ face without the stretch of wings at his back was uncomfortable. It made the tips of his own wings curl back thinking of their loss. He couldn’t even fly yet, but they were still a part of him.
Prime had noticed the look. Taken off his shirt and shown him the scars.
Cody wondered if that was to be cruel, or if it was just a lesson. That they could be lost if he wasn’t careful.
He reckoned in retrospect those burns were from a lightsaber. He wondered about that too, but Prime wasn’t one of his favourite people, and he didn’t like to dwell on him too much.
So he was… it wasn’t that he was vain. It was he liked to keep them in good working order. Properly clean and well kempt. He was a soldier. He should be orderly and neat. Brush teeth, wash face, preen feathers. Make sure no debris or chunks of broken droid had gotten caught. His and his brother’s wings were a sign of hope and protection to the Republic. They shouldn’t look scraggly.
Some of the boys liked to dye the feathers with their unit colours. Rex had blue wingtips. Some of them even had patterns that matched their tattoos. Cody didn’t alter his. Just regular golden brown. Rex teased him saying from behind he looked like a shiny. Cody always rolled his eyes.
He just wanted to take care of them. He understood if he wasn’t careful he could lose them.
“The artillery is too heavy, sir. We can’t go above,” Rex reported. Skywalker paced angrily a little aways from them trying to come up with a plan.
Cody had seen what concentrated fire could do to bodies, never mind wings, but--
“The General is alone.” Cody stared in the distance only just able to see the flash of blue streaking at an intense speed.
“I’m going.” Skywalker declared.
“You’re not,” Rex countered. “You are in charge of the 212th and the 501st when Kenobi isn’t here. We cannot afford to lose--”
“I can get him,” Skywalker insisted.
“But you aren’t going to!” Rex said again. “Due respect, sir!”
Cody was still caught on the word lost.
He knew Obi-Wan Kenobi was just a human, a talented, force-sensitive human, but a human nonetheless. Jedi weren’t invulnerable. Jedi can be lost.
Cody gauged the distance. Thought of Jango’s scars. Thought of his General’s smile. His General’s respect. His General’s kindness, and fierceness, and beauty and…
Cody wondered if what Prime lost his wings for was worth it.
And he took to the sky.
“CODY!” Rex yelled. Cody didn’t have time to look back, but knew his little brother was half a step behind.
“It’s suicide!” Skywalker. He’d have to thank him for stopping Rex later. If he had a later.
He felt the first burn bite at his skin as one of his feathers caught aflame. He brought it down swiftly flapping his wings. His flying was powerful, he didn’t have Rex’s speed, but his heavy strokes put the little fires out. More blaster fire came, but he could see the electric blue more clearly now. He was closer. He was closer.
The enemy’s fire wasn’t as thick as he thought it would be. He couldn’t move his eyes from the spot where his General was pinned down, but he guessed knowing Skywalker and Rex they had come up with some sort of diversion or cover for him. Skywalker might be a bit crazy, but he knew how to improvise, and Rex was quick on the uptake.
Still, there were enough hits to be painful. Scorched blackened feathers spotted his usual golden brown. Fire and ash. It wouldn’t stop him.
He swooped down and landed in front of his General, spreading his wings to cover him.
“Commander!” His General yelled. “Get behind me!”
General Kenobi was barely standing on a badly wounded leg, sweat dripping down his face.
Cody flared his wings in warning at those surrounding him.
“It’s just a clone! Get ‘em!” One of the droids ordered.
Cody brought out his own blaster unloading on the crowd of droids, his rage and anger rising.
The flames rising.
“Cody…” General Kenobi quietly gasped.
Cody was far too focused on destroying every single droid that thought it could take what was his away. His wings. His heart.
So he didn’t see the fire spread across his feathers generating intense heat.
“Re-retreat! Ahh!” the droids didn’t make it back. They were all engulfed in a golden flame.
Cody turned, wings still stretched high as the fire died away. They were full again, all the scorches and lost feathers replaced with full healthy gold .
He took off his helmet, needing to see with his eyes that Obi-Wan was alright.
Obi-Wan limped towards him, his awed expression drawing into concern.
“Are you alright?” He asked. “That was… that was amazing.”
“I’m the one who should be asking if you’re alright,” Cody visually checked him over. He was sure Skywalker was already bossing around a medic to be ready for their arrival.
“Nothing a lie down won’t fix,” Obi-Wan said brazenly.
“With all due respect sir, you can barely stand.”
“But I am standing.”
The flame must have still been alight in him because he felt a fierce protective affection for the frustrating man that belonged with him. He stepped forward and scooped Obi-Wan into his arms without a thought.
“Cody there’s no need--”
Cody beat his wings and took off into the air, the sky clear of fire. He had no idea how Skywalker worked so fast, but he wasn’t going to question it.
He felt his General press against his chest arms looped around his neck. He realized how close they were. He was glad for his bucket to hide his expressions.
“You know, I’m not really a fan of flying,” Obi-Wan said tiredly, the adrenaline fading. “But I’ve never flown like this.”
“It will be quick.”
“That’s too bad,” His General replied softly.
“I would fly you whenever you like, General. Wherever you want.” Cody admitted. He tried to make it sound wry, full of humour, but it was far too coloured with sentiment and sincerity to fool anyone.
“Somewhere with clear skies next time.” He felt General Kenobi’s fingers run through his feathers and brush out some of the leftover ash.
When Cody thought of peace. That one day there might be a day he and his brothers could lay down their weapons, he would think of those words. Of clear skies. That he might show Obi-Wan different worlds and places he had been from a different perspective. Show him what flight could be. In his arms. Safe, protected.
Cody’s eye caught the symbol borne on his General’s shoulder. The Jedi crest. The wings flaring out.
Like a sign. Like it was always meant to be, the Jedi and the Clones.
The fire wings, the intense emotions, maybe he should feel more worried about that, but they had helped him save his General, so he could only be thankful for them.
“I saw you up there, I was worried,” His General said, a bit reproachfully. “You’re lecturing me about walking, but--”
“That’s my prerogative as your Commander, sir.”
“Now I know that’s not true. I’m the one that gives the orders and I don’t remember giving that one.”
“As your friend then.”
“As something more?” Obi-Wan suggested.
His arms tightened a little. Obi-Wan didn’t tense or try to pull away or loosen his grip.
Obi-Wan’s smile was almost hidden by his hair being pushed by the wind, but it was there.
“Yes, me too,” Obi-Wan said quietly.
He felt one more caress against his wings before they had to land and get tended to by the medic.
Cody promised himself that wouldn’t be their last shared flight.