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Cody left Obi-wan's office after finishing his work. He was almost done. He needed to check on the men, make sure none of them needed him. Another battle done. They won. But lost too many. He trusted Waxer and Boil to hold down the fort until he was done with debriefs and work for the GAR headquarters, but even they would need a break. They had lost brothers too. Some younger than them. He sighed, and he checked on them first. Waxer was tearing up, but bravely cuddling with a shiny who lost his entire batch. Cody smiled at them.
"Hey, Tri, Wooley and Longshot have something for you," he said, gently, and the shiny nodded and wiped his eyes. He shuffled over to them and was engulfed in their arms. They gave him some contraband, in the form of sweets. Cody pulled Waxer and Boil into his arms, and they leaned their heads on his shoulders. He had stripped out of armor, only in his blacks, leaving them in an empty locker for now. The brother wouldn't be using it, ever again. He ignored the tears dripping onto his collar from his two vod'ike. He held them tightly, being strong for them, as Obi-wan had just been for him. He hoped Obi-wan was able to find someone who could be strong for him tonight.
The night passed slowly as he held the two of them tightly. He didn't get much sleep, but that was fine. They would be returning to Coruscant soon. The war was coming to a standstill. With the Republic and the Separatist trading losses like a child trades pudding for goldfish. Cody wasn't able even though Waxer and Boil fell asleep long ago. He watched the clock tick through the seconds, then the minutes, and then finally the hours.
Soon, it was time for him to wake up and get to work. Or rather, get out of bed. He managed to squirm out of his vod'ike's arms. Boil opened one eye, before pulling Waxer closer to him. Cody smiled at the two of them sadly, wishing he could stay with them longer, wishing he could be of more comfort to them. He smiled at Boil, leaving as Boil let a few more tears slip. He sighed as he slipped away into the dim hallways. It was early.
It was too early, he felt, not after such a loss as yesterday's, but the war didn't stop for grief. He had meetings to attend, formwork to complete, plans to make… some for the war, some for their grief. He wondered if Obi-wan would join them this time for Remembrances. He shook his head. He would figure that out later. Obi-wan was hyperaware of their privacy as if he needed to be. As if Ghost Company, the 212th Battalion, would ever deny him access to their family, to Vod'e An. He was a di'kut.
"Morning, Cody," Obi-wan said, leaning against the holotable, looking over a map. It was the exact same position Cody had left him in the night before.
"Did you get any rest, General?" Cody asked, even though he knew the answer. Obi-wan's eye roll and wan smile at him was answer enough, and Cody sighed. "Cyare, you have to take care of yourself." He pulled Obi-wan away from the holomap, hugging him tightly. He sighed. It was time for a bit of a confession. They knew they loved each other, they knew how much they felt.
"I will sleep when all of this stuff is done," Obi-wan said, "I have too much work."
"You take too much responsibility on yourself," he said in response.
Obi-wan let his hand slide up to cup Cody's cheek. Cody leaned into it, enjoying the coolness against his skin. His brown eyes stared into Obi-wan's blue. The coolness of the blue matched the temperature of his skin. Obi-wan could always be cold in everything except his personality. His eyes flickered with the warming love, kindness, and heart of the man. The flames of the gold mixed with the waves of the blue, and he felt them draw him in.
"As do you, darling," Obi-wan said, quietly, with the softest of smiles. A smile reserved only for Cody. It was the quirk of his lips. It was the way his cheeks flushed the slightest pink just from looking at Cody. It was the way his eyes would wander over his face, tracing every edge and scar, before returning to his eyes.
"We're too similar," Cody said, pulling him into a chaste kiss.
"That we are," Obi-wan said, and he leaned against Cody, eyes not quite returning to the map, instead staring at a blinking light on the console. "Because we have to."
Cody nodded. Both had too much responsibility to simply be anything less than they were. And sometimes who they were was not enough. He pulled Obi-wan closer, and he didn't need the Force to know they were both ruminating over their previous failure. He held on.
"I need to tell you something, Obi-wan," Cody said.
"Of course," Obi-wan said, turning to look at Cody again. And with his eyes on him again, a flutter of anxiety carved its place in Cody's stomach. Obi-wan's brows furrowed, shifting to look at Cody more fully, pulling away slightly. Cody wasn't sure how he would take the news, but he had to. Now that he concerned Obi-wan, he had to go through with it.
So with a deep breath, calming, he said, "We're going to leave." Obi-wan's concern morphed to confusion quickly. He blinked, eyebrows raising.
"Leave?"
"Leave the GAR," Cody said.
"When?"
"In a few weeks," he said, and before Obi-wan could ask more, Cody continued. "We've found some… concerning things… and we can't tell you yet. It's too dangerous. But we would like you to come with us… and not just you, but all of the Jedi. Except Krell… Krell can die."
"Leave the GAR, the Republic? Cody, we're at war. We have a duty, people to protect," Obi-wan said, confusion and hurt flashing into his eyes. He was pulling away, stepping away, out of Cody's reach. "I can't leave… the Jedi can't leave. We… We are peacekeepers."
"But you aren't, Obi-wan," Cody said, "The war's changed you, changed the Jedi. And… And not in a good way."
Obi-wan jerked back, hurt, closing off. Cody mourned as Obi-wan's eyes became as cold as his skin. He knew he messed up. He knew he should have taken more time to figure out how to explain without hurting his boyfriend. He reached out for him, before dropping his hand to his side. Not for the first time, Cody cursed his inability to explain in a way that the famous Negotiator would understand.
"I did not know that you… had this opinion. My apologies, Commander," said Obi-wan.
"Obi-wan, listen to me," Cody pleaded. "There's something weird going on here, and… and I can't let anything happen to my brothers anymore. The war is dragging on, and it's not going to end well for anyone."
Obi-wan sighed, and he looked at Cody with a sad look in his eyes. "I know you're afraid, Cody, I am too. But we can't just abandon the Republic because of it." He sighed. "But I won't stop you."
Cody stared at Obi-wan in desperation. "It's not just me, Obi-wan. It's all of us." Obi-wan once again blinked at Cody confused. "The entire clone army is leaving. And we want the Jedi to come with us. The 212th, Ghost Company, I would like you to join us, going somewhere far away to be safe." He reached again for Obi-wan. This time, he caught Obi-wan's hand in his. "We're leaving. The Vod'e An… We can't stay."
"Why?" Obi-wan asked, looking far more lost than Cody had ever seen him. Not when Satine died. Not when Skywalker blew up on him after Hardeen. Not when Ahsoka left the Order. But Cody leaving… Cody was what broke the man. And he hated himself for it for a moment. He squeezed Obi-wan's hand, and he looked him deep in his eyes. It was Cody's turn to cup Obi-wan's cheek, and even while hurt, Obi-wan leaned into Cody's touch. His trust warmed Cody.
"We found some things," Cody hesitated. "And… and maybe Fives wasn't wrong about the things he said."
"Fives died, Cody," Obi-wan said, and with less certainty, he expanded. "He took his chip out… he was insane."
"No," Cody said, slipping closer, so none of the cameras could pick up what he was saying, "Fives didn't die. Fox didn't kill him."
"What?" Obi-wan asked, but he knew Cody wasn't lying.
"The Kaminoans are lying, Obi-wan," Cody said, meeting his eyes again. "I need you to trust me."
"Always," Obi-wan said.
"Then I need you to come with me, come with us," said Cody. "I am their Alor. They trust me. But I need you to help me, guide me. I can't lead them by myself."
Obi-wan's eyes shifted, scanning his face and eyes, looking for any sign of lie or misunderstanding. "Okay," he said, nodding. "I… I will talk to the Council about evacuating the Temple… this will be hard, Cody."
"I know."
"How long do we have?"
"Three weeks exactly."
Obi-wan nodded, in shock. Cody pulled him into his arms, which Obi-wan went to willing, leaning into the strength. "Thank you," he whispered.
"I couldn't deny you anything, my dear," said Obi-wan.
"I know, and neither could I," said Cody, breathing in the scent of his lover, closing his eyes. Just happy that Obi-wan trusted him, would go with him. The clones could keep the Jedi from assured destruction. Their mutual assured destruction could be averted, and Palpatine could go kark himself.
And if keeping Obi-wan happy meant putting up with Skywalker and his mood swings, then Cody would do it. Happily. Or well… somewhat happily.