Work Text:
The first time he saw them, Cody froze mid battle. In fact, if it weren’t for the blaster fire all around him, he would have thought the whole world froze. Despite taking a shot to the shoulder, the first real injury he took in the war, he found it in him to memorize the colors.
A month later all of his physical paperwork had little sketches peppering the corners and doodles in the empty edges of the holopad documents. He remembered to get rid of most of them before sending anything over. Usually. But there were times Rex or one of his other brothers would catch the doodled feathers and tease him in the gentlest ways. They knew he had a crush, but they had no idea that Cody had already been falling long before then.
In the medbay, Renegade snorted at half of his questions and asked him how the kriff he was supposed to have any of those answers. They’d pretty much only been taught how to deal with humans in general, not their subspecies. The clone medics weren’t veterinarians , either. (A muttering that Cody took full offense for in Obi-Wan’s absence.) There wasn’t even a compatible experience to compare to. Not a single other Jedi in the Order was from Stewjon. Somehow, possibly by accident, the Kaminoans had missed one Jedi species to teach them about.
But a week later, after the next supply drop, Renegade dropped an actual book off at Cody’s quarters and told him to read it. At first, Cody was just mesmerized by the flimsi pages, flipping back and forth with wide eyes. Was information so hard to come by that it only came in texts like this? How secretive were the Stewjoni people?
Chapter 1: Stewjoni and their Home. Cody was thankful the book was in Basic, because while he could limp through a number of languages, reading a book this size was best in what they had learned the most.
Not one to turn down any information that could better help them help their Jedi, because of course that’s all it was, Cody started it right away. Between his duties he managed time to read the thick book, committing as much to memory as he could the first time through.
Chapter 5: High Republic Travel Bans. He found out then how secretive they really were, and why the Kaminoans had not anticipated this species to be on the medical roster. Stewjon was nearly shut down to outsiders after multiple groups had hunted the human sub-species for their wings.
No wonder Obi-Wan kept them covered.
Chapter 10: Force Sensitivity raised every hair on the back of Cody’s neck. He wondered how hard it had been for the Jedi to claim Obi-Wan, or how hard his parents had fought to make sure he lived long enough to get there.
The details made Cody set aside the book for a bit. He would rather be on a battlefield than read about what adults did to children just for being different.
Chapter 15: Specialized Diets struck Cody like a blow to the head. He wondered if anyone on The Negotiator had any idea Obi-Wan needed a vastly different diet. Another month went by as Cody helped the mess staff create a better meal plan for Obi-Wan. The Jedi Order hadn’t given them any specifics in that regard, most likely because they knew Obi-Wan was an adult and capable of speaking up for himself.
Except, big surprise, he never had. He hadn’t even shown them his wings until recently, and always kept them covered unless necessary. No one had been brave enough to ask about them after. Not even Cody.
Chapter 20: Medical Care bled into Chapter 21: Emergency Care which then brought Cody, jarringly, to Chapter 22: Burial Customs. Their main purpose in life was to be the backup for their Jedi and make sure they lived. He couldn’t imagine having to utilize chapter 22. He couldn’t imagine having to tell anyone Obi-Wan Kenobi was dead.
The next several chapters jumped into outlining the characteristics and use of each type of feather. He read through them quickly but carefully, then froze when he got to Chapter 30: Proper Courtship. His heart pounded in his chest as he read through Stewjoni customs, which continued on through Chapter 31: Preening - Technical and Chapter 32: Preening and Other Intimate Acts.
The nearly 40 chapters of the book left Cody’s head swimming. He set the book aside, took on more battles, passed more time, then picked it up once more. Then he read it again, and again. His personal holopad was filled with notes, doodles, and questions. Maybe one day he would get the chance to ask Obi-Wan all about the Stewjoni and all about his wings.
But for now, Obi-Wan was keeping his wings hidden, and Cody respected that. But he also made sure that the kitchen kept up with his needs, certain medical equipment was stocked, and slowly watched Obi-Wan grow more comfortable around the clones. The first time Cody found a molted feather, he just smirked to himself and figured Obi-Wan had missed one, since he always cleaned them up and threw them out only in his personal quarters. After that, he started to hear of his brothers finding the feathers all over The Negotiator . They became a good luck symbol, kept in pockets or backpacks, or even sewn into the padding of their armor.
They were, after all, a piece of their General, their Jedi, their friend.
Still, Cody kept his book and knowledge to himself. He felt no need to share what he knew, content in caring for Obi-Wan from afar.
Until the day he walked into the medbay at Renegade’s call, finding Obi-Wan laying on his stomach on a bed. The way he gripped the pillow under his chest told Cody he was in pain, and he could see why.
Blood dripped down the white tipped auburn primaries from the blood soaked secondaries, drawing his eyes up over the dark tawny coverts, all the way to the light tan and white down feathers. Two large strips of the feathers were torn and bloodied, making Cody clench his jaw at the sight. The bleeding ones needed to be plucked immediately, the rest preened so they wouldn’t stick together from the blood and could be put back in their natural position.
The command from Renegade had been short and final. Take care of their Jedi. The medic had plenty of other bodies to attend to and Cody had very suddenly become the most experienced in this field. But Cody had never needed a reason to take care of Obi-Wan, their Jedi, his Jedi.
“General Kenobi…” Cody started, making sure the door slid shut behind him. “Will you let me help you?”
“Oh, Cody… I can - I can do it.” The way he shifted his wings, the feathers fluffing out as he tried to move. No doubt he was in pain, which made Cody huff.
“With all due respect, General, you cannot deal with this much damage alone.” Cody stepped closer, his jaw set as he looked at the blood streaks.
“Do you - know how?” Obi-Wan asked, faltering as Cody set his fingers on the skin right between his wings. Rubbing small circles there encouraged Obi-Wan to settle, his wings relaxing so the feathers could lay flat and give him a proper look.
“I read a book…” Cody scanned his eyes over the more damaged wing, helping Obi-Wan stretch it out enough to rest it on the other bed in the room. That would make this side a little easier, but it was still going to hurt. “Try to relax, I’ll get the forceps and bacta spray out. Walk me through what I’m doing.”
As Cody stepped away to get what they needed out of the cabinets, Obi-Wan took a shaky breath and started explaining how to remove the broken feathers. Thankfully, most of it sounded exactly like Cody had read. Minus having to translate pictures and diagrams to actual wings.
With Obi-Wan’s guide, he picked up on the procedure rather quickly. The whole process took nearly an hour as Cody combed over every inch of his wings, removing not only the newly broken ones, but any that had been damaged horribly in previous fights too. No one had taken care of them in a while, not even Obi-Wan himself.
Worse yet, he had been in pain and not told any of them. Which, if Cody were honest with himself, was probably because the clones were equally bad at telling Obi-Wan about their injuries. They would need to correct that - even if just in private.
By the time he finished the feathers had practically filled the small trash can and Obi-Wan’s face was tear stained. They both took a minute to breath as Cody washed his hands and got a rag wet. When he turned back, Obi-Wan was starting to sit up. Watching him made Cody frown.
“Hey, atin jetii, where do you think you’re going?” He crossed his arms as he spoke, letting the wet rag hang down from his hand.
“To - rest back in my own quarters?” Obi-Wan said with a mixture of innocence and residual pain.
“Nope. Try again.” Cody deadpanned, staring his Jedi down. “You still need your remaining feathers properly preened. Respectfully, you’re rather bad at caring for yourself, sir.”
“Starting an insult that way doesn’t lessen the blow, my dear.” Obi-Wan stood and wobbled, his wings flaring out to correct the imbalance immediately. The pain was evident on every inch of his face.
“ Obi-Wan. ” Cody hissed, despite having never called him by his first name alone before.
They both paused, and Cody wondered how fast he would be sent back to Kamino before the smile cracked on Obi-Wan’s face. “Well, Cody… What book did you read this all from? There’s not many out there.”
“ Stewjoni Anatomy, Care and Customs by Epray Flint.” Cody answered almost embarrassingly fast. He had it memorized by this point. It had really helped with the feather care they’d just done.
“Have you… Gotten to chapter 30?” Obi-Wan asked, and it occurred to Cody that Obi-Wan did not realize how much time Cody had spent reading and rereading that book.
“I’ve reread the book four times.” Cody stepped around Obi-Wan to look at his wings again, smoothing a hand over the sensitive skin where they joined his body. “I know what I’m offering. I knew what I was doing by stocking your favorite tea and changing your meal plan, too. Making sure your ration kits have the vitamins you need… Coming in here to care for your feathers, instead of waiting until we could take you to Coruscant. I know what I’m doing, Obi-Wan.”
“Oh.” Obi-Wan muttered in return. A beat passed before his eyes went wide and a much breathier oh escaped him.
“Will you, please , allow me to properly preen your wings, Obi-Wan?” Cody asked from behind him, standing close enough to feel the body heat coming off his wings.
“I would very much like that, Cody.” A moment passed before he tucked his wings against his back, reaching for the extra cloak that had been brought for him before Cody came. “Under one condition.”
“You want to do it in your quarters, hm?” That was an easy guess, since Obi-Wan had looked anxious since the moment Cody had walked in.
“Very much so, yes.”
Convincing Renegade to let Obi-Wan out of the medbay without more testing and prodding became a battle, but they managed. They both had to promise that Cody would watch him overnight for any changes in condition. The implication did not pass Cody, who flushed red when he realized Renegade had said that for his benefit more than Obi-Wan’s.
Once they finally made it to Obi-Wan’s quarters, Cody was quick to lock the door behind them. He’d been in here before, but this felt different. He was jittery. Before, being in Obi-Wan’s quarters was simply business. A General and his Commander.
Now, as Cody watched Obi-Wan shed the cloak once more, they no longer felt like just a General and his Commander. This was a turning point.
The day bed on the side of the room caught Cody’s eye, and he realized it was half covered with molted feathers, paperwork and wrinkled robes. He had never considered it before reading the book, but that bed was definitely not where he slept every night. That was probably only where he did his work.
“Cody?” Obi-Wan softly called from where he stood in a doorway. Cody had previously assumed it led to the refresher, but was wrong.
The open door revealed Obi-Wan’s actual bedroom, where a large circular bed sat strewn with blankets and pillows. If he didn’t know any better, he would say it looked like an actual nest. Really, he knew the blankets and pillows were for the comfort of Obi-Wan’s wings. So they wouldn’t be pinned down at all and were supported by soft comfort. Which was far more than what he got when they were in the field for weeks at a time.
“May I?” Cody asked, hovering there in the doorway.
The answer came by Obi-Wan’s left wing curling slightly around him, urging him forward. The temptation to reach out and brush his fingertips along Obi-Wan’s feathers was real, but he resisted. Just for now. Instead, he walked forward into the room. This was a safe space for Obi-Wan, somewhere he could stretch his wings without worry. Walking in felt like an intrusion, but also felt like a huge display of trust.
“Obi-Wan,” Cody reached out, touching the edges of Obi-Wan’s wings, which were now both curled slightly around him, “What’re you doing?”
“Apologies my dear. Instinct. ” The bite on his voice wasn’t meant for Cody, but he felt it anyway. And instantly wanted to reassure Obi-Wan.
So, gently, he caught the tips of Obi-Wan’s wings and kept him from retreating with them, instead tugging them closer around him. “Instinct isn’t a bad thing. Being who and what you are isn’t bad either. Take it from a clone. If we only cared about what we were, we would never get anywhere.”
“I suppose you’re not wrong.” Obi-Wan sighed, but allowed himself to step closer, wrapping his arms around Cody’s waist and settling his chin on his shoulder.
Then Cody watched with wide eyes as Obi-Wan’s wings flexed outward, still trembling ever so slightly in pain, and wrapped around him, enveloping them both. Cody knew an outsider would just see this as a hug, but it was more than that. Being surrounded by Obi-Wan’s wings, held close to his body with so much trust and care, this was certainly covered in the chapter about courting.
“What’s it like?” Cody asked, reaching up in the small space his wings had given him to start tending to the inner feathers. He hadn’t been able to reach these ones in the medbay. They weren’t damaged for the most part, which told Cody that Obi-Wan at least cared for the feathers he could easily reach.
A soft hm? came from the man comfortably slotted against his back.
“Having wings. What’s it like? We uh… Never see you use them.” Cody gently touched a pin feather, helping the casing off when it crumbled in his fingers. The act made the surrounding feathers fluff out, and brought a soft hum from Obi-Wan.
“Hm… More often than not, they’re just bothersome.” Obi-Wan admitted, though Cody felt his body relax against him. “We should sit, I’m liable to fall asleep on you like this.”
At that, Cody chuckled. He wouldn’t mind the other man falling asleep on his shoulder, but would mind having to wake him up shortly after. The air surprised him with a chill when Obi-Wan’s wings pulled back and tucked behind him. Though Cody was used to feeling chilled when he was only wearing his blacks anyway.
Then Obi-Wan was gone, retrieving a soft cloth and a spray bottle from his refresher before returning. He climbed onto the bed with ease, motioning for Cody to follow. They settled in with Cody in front of Obi-Wan, leaving enough space for him to bend his wing between them. Cody smoothed a hand over the feathers that were still tacky with drying blood, his heart aching at whatever battle had left the large scratches on his wings. He should have been there, but this had been a mission Obi-Wan did with Anakin and Ahsoka, no clones involved. Jedi were odd like that sometimes. The most deadly missions they preferred to do without the clones.
He knew the Jedi cared about keeping them all alive as best as they could, but letting them take on the danger alone was just ridiculous.
“Why are they bothersome?” He asked as he spritzed the feathers and began slowly, gently working the blood out of them.
“They get in the way. I don’t really need them to cover distances, since I have the Force on my side. And in battle, when they’re exposed they become a target.” A soft sound, somewhere between a breath and a hum, escaped Obi-Wan as Cody gentled a pin feather.
“Armor makes a lot more sense than keeping them hidden and pinned to your back. Don’t think I didn’t also read the chapter about the horrible wing binders that I’m sure you wear.” Cody accused, and the guilty look from Obi-Wan was confirmation enough. “If or when you do get hurt, I’ll take care of you.”
The flush on Obi-Wan’s cheeks was well worth letting himself speak freely. But then Obi-Wan looked a bit grim. “I… keep them hidden because I don’t belong. ”
“Because the Stewjoni people haven’t trusted the Jedi since the High Republic?” Cody asked, his gaze glued to the task at hand.
“Indeed. Force sensitivity on Stewjon could be a death sentence. It’s - the Stewjoni do not believe in the Force… My parents were different. They sent me to Coruscant on my own. I was much younger than some in the crèche. And the only one with wings.” Obi-Wan shifted his wings, giving Cody the opposite one to clean.
Cody could feel Obi-Wan watching him intently, but didn’t falter in his focused movements. “So you hid them.”
“If it weren’t for Qui-Gon and my time on Mandalore, I never would have learned to fly, honestly. That’s how much I kept them hidden.” Obi-Wan sighed, “But they had jetpacks that could go much further than any Force jump. They encouraged me to learn.”
“When we have time down there you should come with the ARCs and I. Stretch your wings.” The feathers on the outside of his wings were now radiant again, despite missing quite a few from the injuries. The colors were gorgeous, and Cody found himself just running his fingers over the absurdly soft feathers.
A silence fell over them that wasn’t uncomfortable. Cody knew this was all new to Obi-Wan, and quite frankly new to himself too. He’d been wrestling with growing feelings for a time now - and Obi-Wan had just accepted them. Accepted the offer of preening, allowed him into his room, and hadn’t bat an eyelash when Cody suggested armor. Armor which, of course, he would be personally designing for Obi-Wan’s wings.
Or, already had designed in his scribbles, but he didn’t mention that part.
“I would enjoy flying alongside you.” The color hadn’t left his cheeks, “And, the ARCs under your command, too, of course.”
“Of course.” Cody echoed, glancing up towards Obi-Wan with equally reddened cheeks. “Lay back, I’ll do your inner feathers.”
Obi-Wan nodded, shifting across the bed and laying on his back next to Cody, his wings relaxed to either side. He certainly looked exhausted after everything he’d been through. So Cody let the conversation lapse and they sat there quietly as Cody gave his inner feathers a proper treatment.
At some point, Obi-Wan relaxed enough to start making a noise that caught Cody off guard. He’d read about it, of course, it was called trilling , but it sounded so much different than he had anticipated. Obi-Wan must have felt him stop moving, because he cracked his eyes open and yawned, the noise stopping abruptly.
“Apologies, my dear, it’s just -“
“Instinct? Yeah, I know… And it’s, well, sort of mesmerizing if I’m being honest.” Cody reached out and touched Obi-Wan’s cheek, searching his face. “I’m glad to know you feel happy and safe. Don’t stop.”
For a moment, Obi-Wan stared at Cody, as if he were unsure. Then he smiled fondly and sat up enough to put his wings behind him, laying on his side with them outstretched and relaxed. Cody nearly yelped when he was pulled down beside him, his front to Obi-Wan.
“What’re-“
“Ren said you had to keep an eye on me all night, right?” Then he leaned in and brushed his lips against Cody’s scar, “You should rest too, my dear.”
“That sounds like the best idea you’ve had in this war yet, General. ” Cody teased before moving to get comfortable next to him. He ended up turning around, his back to Obi-Wan, their bodies pressed together from torso to thigh.
As they settled into the bed, Obi-Wan laid his wing over Cody, hugging him close with his arm too. It was a strange feeling at first, being snuggled close to another, someone who wasn’t one of his brothers. But he relaxed into the other man, allowing him to be shielded and warmed by his wing. This was an intimate act, at least according to the book. The book was slowly feeling less relevant, because a door was open now. Cody could ask Obi-Wan whatever he wished.
Maybe tomorrow he would ask why his wing was more comfortable to sleep under than most, if not all, blankets Cody had used. Or how often Obi-Wan would like his wings preened. Or if he would like armor as an official gift.
All of the questions faded in his mind as sleep tugged at him. Cody vaguely felt the press of lips against his neck, just before Obi-Wan entwined their fingers together, hands resting against Cody’s chest.
The last thing Cody heard before falling asleep was Obi-Wan’s gorgeous soft trilling purr.