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Chapter Text

Cody was quite tired of this back and forth. No, they didn't want the Jedi forced into service to make up for what happened during the war, to make up for how they were treated at Kamino and for the chips.

No, they didn't want the Jedi to face any consequences. They wanted the Senate to face consequences for being so dumb regarding the Chancellor. They wanted the Senate to face consequences for not giving them rights until they realized they karked up upon the Chancellor's death at Anakin's hands when he revealed his hand at the wrong time. 

Cody just wanted this nightmare to be over. He wanted to be free, he didn't want the Jedi to basically be treated like they had been. 

Another dumb suggestion, another refusal. 

"How about marriage?"

"What?" Wolffe snapped. He was the most irritable. If he wasn't one of the Marshall commanders and one of the most respected among the clones, he would have refused to attend the meetings and everyone agreed that they were better off if he hadn't joined them.

"Well, you could marry the Jedi, that would make up for their errors, right?"

Cody paused and considered. They were trying to find a way to get the clones separated from the Republic. And he knew the Jedi were working on the same. The Jedi were supposed to serve the galaxy. They had discussed working together. 

"I think we'll have to discuss that among ourselves," Cody decided.

"Very well. At least you're considering something finally. Thought nothing was going to be harsh enough."

 Cody glared. They had repeatedly said they didn't want the Jedi punished for what they didn't see as errors. It wasn't the Jedi's fault the clones were created, that they had been abused. It wasn't the Jedi's fault they had chips in their head. That fault entirely belonged to the Sith.

But they were left to discuss. He looked at his brothers. They all looked equally as frustrated and done with the situation.

Bly spoke first. "I suppose marrying Jedi is the best we're going to get. I was hoping to marry Aayla but... not like this."

Cody quietly agreed. He wanted to marry Obi-Wan, but they were still exploring their relationship. Obi-Wan didn't deserve to be forced into this.

Wolffe grumbled. "As long as we're not going to be forced into anything, I don't see why not. Get the Senate off our backs about trying to decide on a punishment for the Jedi, and ensure the Jeid are safe from further punishment."

"It is far better than anything else we could've gotten," Fox agreed. He, along with the rest of the Coruscant Guard were by far the most suspicious of the Jedi but even they didn't think the Jedi deserved it, at least among those who were in charge.

There were several battalions that never had a chance to work with a Jedi, who weren't too sure about the Jedi. But they had conceded if the most respected of the clones liked the Jedi and didn't blame them, then the Jedi, as a whole, were probably fine.

"At least Aayla and I have been talking about it." Bly sighed. 

Cody looked around at those that hadn't spoken yet, to see if they had anything to add. He sighed, shoulders slumping.

"So we are going to give into their demands that the Jedi be punished... by marrying Jedi. Let's suggest some basic rules before we fully agree. I don't want any of us to be blindsided if we can help it." Cody felt defeated. He knew his brothers felt defeated, or most of them did.

They were getting their rights, but was the cost really worth it now?

. 

Obi-Wan dreaded Council meetings these days. During the war they were never pleasant. But at least there was a good friendships, there was hope. There was... 

Well. It wasn't the same. Even with Quinlan being appointed to the Council. 

After all, the Jedi were to marry clones to repay the clones for their mistakes. Aayla and Bly had their wedding date set as soon as that was announced two months previous. 

Surprising everyone, Thorn had picked a Jedi he had worked with frequently. 

Other commanders picked their Jedi generals. 

And yet... Cody had not said a word to him. In fact, it was starting to seem like Cody was avoiding him. And Obi-Wan didn't know why.

Sure, the whole marriage thing was a bit uncomfortable. Especially since the Senate was imposing it as a punishment. But it could have been far, far worse. Obi-Wan had heard some of those suggestions. He was still having nightmares about them.

It wouldn't have been ideal to marry now, but Obi-Wan would have been okay with that. They could have still acted as if they were dating, just being married legally and still explored their relationship. 

But Cody was avoiding him. 

And it hurt.

Obi-Wan arrived at the meeting and settled in his chair, glad he was one of the first there. He dreaded these meetings and needed to brace himself. Every meeting since the marriage announcement spent some time on that ruling, on how a minimum of one hundred Jedi had to marry clones. Often times with updates on who was getting married now.

Yoda was already in place, quietly contemplating the galaxy, the state of the Force with the death of the Sith. It had immediately gotten a lot lighter, and yet it still felt shadowed, and the more trapped the Jedi Order felt, the more shadowed it seemed to get. As if the Senate and galaxy actively hating them actually bled into the Force. 

The next person to arrive was a dazed looking Kit. Obi-Wan was about to ask, but then he spotted the traditional Nautolan marriage band and decided he was better off not souring his mood further. 

Quinlan stepped in next, glancing around cautiously before taking his seat between Obi-Wan and Kit. He was still adjusting to the idea of being on the Council, having been inducted just a week before. He fit in well, though, so everyone was happy to have him.

Depa was next, still pleased from marrying her own commander just days prior. 

Mace and Plo arrived together, as they often did, walking close as they discussed something quietly.

Obi-Wan withdrew into himself at that point when it looked like someone might speak to him. He really wasn't up to more questions about if Cody had asked him yet. Cody wasn't going to. That was clear.

After two months of hardly seeing Cody, let alone talking to him... Obi-Wan was starting to feel like their relationship was dead. And he had no clue why. 

There was really only one explanation that Obi-Wan could think of. When faced with marriage, Cody realized he didn't want that with Obi-Wan and decided they weren't meant to be. And rather than actually talk to Obi-Wan about it, he decided practically ghost Obi-Wan.

 And it hurt. Obi-Wan had thought Cody was a better man than that. Had thought they could make it through any issue. But they weren't making it through  this one. 

The meeting went as it always did... until they got a summons to the Senate. They rushed through the rest of the meeting and then left together. They had the time to make it or they wouldn't have bothered trying to finish the meeting.

Quinlan hung back to talk to Obi-Wan. He wrapped an arm around his friend.

"You doing alright? You've been quieter lately."

Obi-Wan sighed and allowed himself to lean in just a bit. "Cody hasn't talked to me since the announcement about the marriage. I think we're done."

"Oh, Obi, I'm sorry." Quinlan pulled him in closer. "That sucks."

"Yeah. And people keep asking and... I'd just rather not think about it. So... how are you?"

"We'll talk about it when you're ready." Quinlan gave him the look that said he was serious before cheerfully switching to talking about himself. "I'm doing pretty good. It's been weird being on the Council. Everyone recognizes me now and the stares are kind of weird. The worship from the younglings is a bit much, if hilarious."

"Ah yes, the initial awe of 'that Jedi is special enough to be on the Council and be in charge'. It'll wear off eventually. But there will always be those who treat you with more respect than they might have before. It's still strange, even three years later."

"Good. I'm glad I'm not the only one weirded out by that." Quinlan then sighed. "I still don't understand why me?"

"You were one of the best masters throughout the war. Your investigations were key at many points. You did well whenever you had to take charge of a battalion, and... well, based on the  reports from the Coruscant Guard, you were the main Jedi they interacted with and were the reason many of them survived at all, since you made sure they got supplies one way or another. You showed a lot of leadership qualities, and a lot of good Jedi wisdom."

"Well... When you put it like that... Still weird though. Can you imagine someone telling us when we were padawans that we would be on the Council some day?"

Obi-Wan snorted. "We would've accused them of lying."

Quinlan laughed. "Oh, yes, we certainly would have. Heck, asked me just five years ago and I never would have believed it, especially now, at this age. I'm only forty! And on the Council! It's weird."

Obi-Wan patted his shoulder. "I know. I was thirty five, same age as Mace was when he was appointed and I'm currently the youngest." 

Quinlan leaned on Obi-Wan. "Well. Glad I got the job. It's nice."

Obi-Wan smiled. "It is. We can truly make a difference."

After that they moved onto other topics, talking about more light hearted things than the previous topics.

.

The meeting with the Senate was not something they could ever have expected.

It had been two months. The Senate (those pushing for such things) were impatient. So they decided to take matters into their own hands.

"Based on the trends for clones marrying Jedi, we have decided that all clone commanders should marry the Jedi general they were assigned to, or the Jedi they worked most closely with. We are still figuring out how many we expect to be married, but we do have pairs we are most interested in seeing go through. Note, some Jedi were not paired with commanders if they did not work with commanders frequently."

Obi-Wan felt like he'd been dunked in ice and punched in the stomach. He glanced at the pod the clones were in but Cody was staring resolutely ahead, not daring to look in his direction. That only made Obi-Wan feel worse. 

"I see there is some confusion. So, we're going to list off some of the pairs we have lined up already." 

Obi-Wan had a sinking feeling hit him. He glanced around and could tell the others of the Council felt the same way.

"We decided to skip Master Yoda as he is quite old and should be able to live out the rest of his life in peace without worry of a husband. Ki-Adi Mundi is already married to several wives according to Cerean custom. And now, for the list."

Obi-Wan accepted Quinlan's offered hand, grateful no one could see their quiet support, grateful no one could sense how the Council was rallying around each other in the Force to offer as much comfort and support as they could. 

Ponds and Mace Windu

Wolffe and Plo Koon

Colt and Shaak Ti

They all exchanged horror and shock and reassuring each other in the Force, using the equivalent of a hug. All three of the Jedi were already married. Mace and Plo to each other and Shaak to Feemor. Or rather, it was the closest Jedi typically got to marriage outside of following cultural norms. 

There were other names, so many Jedi paired off just so they could meet the hundred Jedi requirement.

The best was for last. The most famous of the clones and Jedi for their involvement in the war. Quinlan had helped Fox at the end of the war and they ended up being in the news for being instrumental for Palpatine's arrest and death. 

Rex and Anakin Skywalker

Cody and Obi-Wan Kenobi

Fox and Quinlan Vos

Quinlan made a noise of distress though he never opened his mouth. He looked to the clones, picked out Fox from the group. He quite liked Fox but there was just something about the way Fox acted that made Quinlan feel like Fox was always holding him at an arm's length. 

Obi-Wan just let out a breath. It was official. He had to marry Cody, even though Cody had not contacted him in two months and was avoiding him completely. This was not the way he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Cody, not after their relationship had died.

Then the other name registered. Anakin and Rex? Oh no. Oh that was not good. Anakin had finally admitted to the marriage with Padme, as Padme was four months pregnant when the war ended and he was trying to get her to go to the doctor. Obi-Wan had immediately convinced them both she needed to see a Jedi healer, and only after he was certain she was healthy did he start berating them for how they had handled their relationship so far.

Thankfully, Anakin seemed to have decided he had to do better for his children and was getting help for his problems. He was still thinking about if he wanted to be a Jedi after all, if their requirements were too much for him, but the way the war ended and his own brush with letting emotions get the better of him when seeing that, he understood better why he was supposed to control himself. 

Obi-Wan put it out of his mind, seeing that Padme had a calculating look on her face as she stared at the pod where Rex was sitting, in total shock. Understandably so. 

No, now he had to worry about his own future husband. And helping the Council members. They had to strategize. The Senate forcing this meant they had to speed things up a bit. 

The Jedi were planning on leaving Coruscant but they had to be careful. They could not be obvious, especially with how heavy handed the Senate was being regarding the marriages. They were mostly working on smuggling all the important things out first, archives, artifacts, things they didn't want to lose as part of their culture. They had plans in place to grab the younglings and leave. The clones had given them some of the ships from the war, which would greatly help in getting all Jedi off Coruscant at once if necessary. 

But the Council favored a slower approach. All priceless artifacts and other things they didn't want to lose and especially did not want to see end up in the wrong hands out first, then the youngest younglings, and all the initiates. Then junior padawans. Then everyone else. 

The marriages were already messing things up before, as they debated how to bring those clones in on the plan. 

Now they were being forced to marry more clones and could not be certain they could trust the clones with their plans. Obi-Wan thought abandoning their husbands might be on the table. If the marriage was totally unavoidable. 

There was an emergency meeting after that. None of the Council were totally composed, even those already married, proposed to, or exempt. How could they be with what the Senate was forcing on them?

Quinlan had his head in his hands as everyone tried to compose themselves towards actually discussing their next moves. Others were just sitting, staring blankly. Shaak was pacing, muttering angrily under her breath. Mace and Plo were quietly talking, holding hands in a rare show of public affection.

Obi-Wan decided to take charge of the situation. "The Senate is showing that as a group, they don't care about us. We knew that they didn't before, but this is blatant abuse and quite a bit like slavery now. Mace, Plo, isn't your marriage on record?"

"Yes. While not every Jedi who bond choose to register it legally with the Republic, we did. Unfortunately, it seems they do not believe that Jedi have anything like marriages. If they disregarded us, they'll disregard everyone."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Which means even though we're not ready, even though we don't have plans or can even leave properly, we need to leave as soon as we can get everyone able to go at once. No arousing suspicion or anything. Use judgment on the clones you know."

"We aren't ready, it'll be another month at least before we are ready to go without leaving too much behind," Depa pointed out, curious about where Obi-Wan was going with this. 

Obi-Wan nodded. "And the vast majority of the Order does not know we're leaving. So here's what I propose: Some of us go through with the marriages right away, keep the Senate happy. Those already married or close to their troopers. Or both. Can use their discretion on if they specifically can be trusted to keep it to themselves. Those who have reason not to want to be married, you stall out as long as you can and let those of us who can do the marriage thing now distract them from that." 

Everyone was staring at him now.

"And then, we can just leave when we're ready. We can figure out our relations to the galaxy once we have everyone safe from whatever insanity the Senate wants to impose on us next."

Quinlan let out a breath. "Not a bad idea. A bit risky and asks a lot of some of us, but I think we can pull it off."

Obi-Wan smiled at him and looked around at the others. 

It took a bit more discussion, but soon they had a plan of action, though they had never felt so ashamed of having to make difficult decisions before. This was the best course of action, but there were still Jedi being forced into unwanted marriages. They would be escaping them when they left.

But what choice did they have?

.

Cody was watching his brothers. They should have seen this coming but it still took them by surprise. Fox and Wolffe were fighting. Fox was angry about being forced into the marriage. He didn't want a relationship, period. And now he had to do it. With a Jedi he didn't think he could actually live with. 

Wolffe was freaking out because he considered Plo to be his dad more than anything. He nearly had a meltdown when he heard the news. Him and Fox sparring was a blessing for both of them, keeping them out of trouble.

Rex was still in shock, muttering to himself but not talking or reacting to anyone. Cody could sympathize. Everyone knew about Anakin and Padme. It was a miracle that Anakin had started settling down and had not thrown a public temper tantrum at the news.

There was a wide range of emotions throughout the room. It was going to be difficult to move forward with being forced into this. At least the Jedi Order  was safe from further punishment regarding the clones and the war now. 

Cody didn't know what he was going to do. Obi-Wan didn't deserve this. Their relationship had been going so well... and then Cody agreed to the marriage thing, agreed to punishing the Jedi at all for something that was not a problem. He couldn't face Obi-Wan. But now he had no choice. They had to get married.

The door opened. There was a determined looking Padme there, with a uncertain Anakin behind her. 

She marched up to Rex, face set in determination with signs of anger. 

"Eep." Rex shrunk, expecting to be attacked or yelled at.

Padme yanked him up and kissed him. 

That got just about everyone's attention and they turned and gaped at the sight. Even Fox and Wolffe paused in their rough sparring match to see what was happening. 

Rex was a bit dazed when she pulled away, wide eyed. "What...?"

Padme nodded once. "We can work with this. Extra hands when the twins come won't be amiss." She grabbed his hand.

Rex blinked, giving his brothers pleading looks, then her words registered. "Twins?" 

Anakin stepped up and patted his shoulder awkwardly, taking a moment to press a kiss to Rex's cheek. "Padme is six months pregnant with twins," he explained quietly. 

Cody blinked, and wondered how Obi-Wan reacted, but at least that explained Anakin's sudden turn around. A lot of people apparently changed for their kids. Worked on their issues so they could be good parents.

Rex nodded slowly, eyes wide. "What do you mean... we can work with this?" he asked tentatively.

Padme gave him an impatient look. "The majority Senate is being particularly obtuse about everything these days. I am not about to lose my husband because of them. The best case scenario is we become a triad."

"Really?" Rex wasn't sure how he felt about it. He did like Anakin, and even Padme but he had not let himself dwell on any feelings for either of them. 

Padme smiled and nodded.

"You're a cool guy Rex. I like you." Anakin dropped his arm around Rex. "So let's go talk all the good relationship stuff like boundaries."

"Uh... okay..." Rex just looked dazed as they led him out of the room. 

Cody stared after him, surprised it ended up being that easy. It couldn't be that easy. Could it? He shook his head. Anakin had Padme, and Padme was taking charge to make it work. That was different.

He sighed, watching Wolffe and Fox resume their sparring match. Wolffe was even less interested in a relationship than Fox was, but considering who he was supposed to marry that was a lesser concern. After all. He was supposed to marry the one he considered a father.

Finally they both managed to knock the other down. 

Cody stood over them. "Are you two done? I think we should all discuss this..."

Fox pushed himself up with a glare. "What is there to discuss? We're going to have to marry Jedi we don't want to marry. You're lucky, you got someone already. Why you hadn't married him yet I don't understand."

Cody pinched his nose and breathed for a moment before crossing his arms. "Because Obi-Wan deserves better than to be forced into this. I don't want our relationship to be based around something like an arranged marriage, not like this. And now it doesn't matter." He shook his head. "Regardless of how this is set, you do both clearly have feelings, and maybe we can sort something out. So you can take your time."

Ponds stepped over. "Like a schedule."

Cody nodded. "Those of us more willing to marry our general can go first. Schedule them out like two months. If they're scheduled the Senate can't say they're never going to happen."

Fox sighed. "I suppose that could work. I can go for it sooner rather than later. I don't mind Vos, I just don't think I can live with him. And it's not like the marriages have to be real so relationship doesn't need to factor in."

"That makes sense."

Cody spent hours sorting things out with his brothers. By the time he was done, he was exhausted. Every one hated being forced into this to protect the Jedi. The Jedi were good at hiding emotions, but after working with them for so long, everyone could tell when they were uncomfortable, when they were upset. Maybe not how intense that feeling was, but they knew when those feelings were present. 

So they knew how uncomfortable many of the Jedi were. Sure, there were some couples that just worked out easily, that decided to go for marriage when presented the chance.

But that wasn't the case anymore. Now there was no choice in partnerships, no choice in marriages. The Senate had arranged that for them.

Cody just wanted to sleep, but when he looked at his comm, he had a message from Obi-Wan.

We should talk.

Cody groaned. They really did need to discuss when they were signing the legal papers. He just wasn't prepared to be social right now.

When and where?

Dex's in an hour.

I'll be there.

Cody groaned again and laid on his bed. It was only just now getting to evening hours. He would mess up his sleep schedule if he took a nap now, no matter how much he wanted to take one.

After a few minutes he rolled out of bed to get ready to go. He made sure he looked decent enough and put on the shirt Obi-Wan had picked out for him after the war ended but before the Senate started going nuts.

It was weird going without his armor, but he had noticed it got one of two reactions. Either people were scared of those with obvious armor, so he couldn't go with full armor, or they saw any bit of obvious armor and went straight for Mandalorian. Which. No. 

Cody and the rest of the clones were in no way Mandalorians. He was still trying to figure out the best way for them to wear any armor without that conclusion being drawn. They were clones, it was weird it was happening at all. But until they figured that out they just had to go with out the armor.

Cody didn't mind, much. He knew he could handle himself without it. 

It was still weird to walk around without that weight. 

.

Obi-Wan sat at a table at Dex's. He wasn't the only Jedi there. Every Jedi had their own table. 

He and some other Jedi decided that Dex's was the safest place to have a 'date' to discuss the marriage. It was only those who weren't planning on stalling the marriage to avoid it altogether that were present.

Dex agreed to letting them do so, but only accepted a flat fee for them taking up so much space and eating. He didn't think they deserved what they were getting and wanted to help in any way he could

So Obi-Wan was waiting. He wasn't sure what to expect. But he was certain this was going to feel more like a business arrangement than a real marriage. Not the way it could have been. But then, Cody had made it clear that he did not want to marry Obi-Wan. They could have talked about it, and the few times Obi-Wan brought it up before Cody started completely avoiding him, Cody ignored him and changed the subject.

Quinlan was sitting in the booth behind him, leg bouncing with nerves. He had his usual drink order, but was waiting for Fox to order actual food. He wasn't super into relationships, but he did like Fox. He hoped things could work out, but he also knew that he could be a bit much for people. 

"You okay there, Quin?" Obi-Wan asked quietly, turning his head slightly.

"A bit anxious. Not super into the idea of marriage, less so for someone I'm being forced to marry who also had no choice. And I like him but I'm not sure he likes me. He's a grump. You?"

"Anxious yeah, I don't know why he decided marriage wasn't on the table, why that led to him outright avoiding me. But we have to make arrangements anyways."

"Yep. We can see if we can make this work. If not, we're leaving in a few months anyways and can leave them behind. It's not ideal but we have a solution."

"True." Obi-Wan was going to say more but the door opened. "Looks like they're here. May the Force be with us."

"May the Force be with us," Quinlan echoed solemnly.

Cody was surprised that Fox was going the same way, that Quinlan had made the same suggestion as Obi-Wan. And there they were, waiting. ...they weren't the only Jedi there either.

Obi-Wan met Cody's eyes and nodded to the table. 

Cody sat down awkwardly. "Hi, Obi-Wan."

"Hello Cody. How are you today?"

"I'm okay. You?"

"Quite well, thank you."

Dex stopped by them first for their orders. Obi-Wan ordered his usual, comfort food. He didn't care that it was not what people expected him to order. He ordered a shake as well. 

Cody went with his own favorite from the menu.

Dex nodded and went to Quinlan and Fox to take their orders.

"You said we should talk." 

"Yes. I did." Obi-Wan nodded. He had his hands clasped on the table. "I was thinking that if we are going to be required to married regardless, I would like to get the legalities out of the way sooner rather than later. But there is a matter of what the Senate expects openly, which I imagine includes us living together. Where will that be?"

Cody stared at him, blinking, stunned. He had not expected Obi-Wan to be so forthcoming, so willing to accept their fate. He had not expected this in the least.

"I... I don't want to live in the barracks forever, even if I have my own room. And I don't want to displace you from your rooms. But if your second bedroom is open, I will stay there?"

Obi-Wan nodded, not surprised. A bit upset to have to totally share his space like that, but not surprised. "Very well. I have a clear schedule tomorrow. The Council had our big meeting today, and so we just have the usual rotations of Council members being available all day. We can take care of the legalities tomorrow."

Cody gaped. "What about vows?"

"Does the paperwork require vows?"

"I..." Cody frowned. "I guess not."

"Then no need to worry. I wouldn't want to say the type of vows typically said anyways. As a Jedi I cannot pledge myself to another person above all else."

"Then how are the others getting married?"

"Typically, a Jedi pledges to love and to follow the Force when doing our usual ceremony. We have responsibilities that say we cannot put anyone above our duty, even for love."

"Oh. Huh." Cody accepted his drink from Dex and sipped at it.

"There are other things we should discuss, but that can wait until after dinner if you would prefer."

Cody considered. If they didn't discuss it now there would be awkward silences and conversations until they did. Better to get it over with and maybe things would be less awkward after. 

"Alright. What other things?"

"Things like boundaries, expectations and so on. We are going to be living each other and having to act somewhat like a married couple in public. I'm sure the Senate isn't expecting us to act totally in love, but I'm also certain they have expectations on how we act."

"Oh. Yeah. They're still putting together a list. I think they're waiting to see how we act first so they have a better idea of what they expect?"

Obi-Wan huffed. "Typical."

"Okay, so boundaries?"

"Ask before entering each other's bedrooms, and knock before entering the bathroom. Respect space. If there is food that isn't meant to be shared, we write our names on it. Probably should set up a schedule so we know where the other is and when, and when we need to appear together. Maybe something for daily routines, to avoid conflicts since I do only have the one bathroom. Um, we do."

Cody nodded, taking notes. He was not going to screw this up. "Um... what about your meditations?"

"I typically take an hour for meditation in the morning before my morning routine. Only interrupt in emergencies, I need that meditation to prepare for the day." Obi-Wan was silent for a moment to let Cody note that down. "What about you?"

"Uh... I don't know? I like keeping to a schedule as much as possible, it's comforting, though at least I don't need to be exact to the minute anymore. I'm working on being less rigid. Um... I can't think of anything."

"Okay. Let me know when you do think of something. If I tread on a boundary you didn't know you had, I'd like to know so I don't do it again and we can work things out that are good for both of us."

Cody nodded uncertainly. "Okay. So... what exact kind of arrangement do we have?" 

"I was thinking legally married but otherwise roommates."

Cody was briefly disappointed, but shoved it aside. Clearly Obi-Wan was as uncomfortable with the circumstances as he was. "That works." 

Obi-Wan took a long drink of his shake to hide his own disappointment. So Cody truly wasn't even interested in dating anymore. He would have to live with living with his love like roommates. 

Dex brought out food at that point and patted Obi-Wan on the shoulder before turning to get everyone else their food.

Obi-Wan started eating, grateful for the distraction. 

Cody was silent, not willing to say anything as he ate his food slowly.

Obi-Wan was sad and trying to hide how sad he was. He would just have to learn to live with this, no matter how painful it was. No matter how much he wanted to have a proper marriage. It was clear that Cody didn't want that.

And he had to live with that.

"So..." Cody started awkwardly as they slowed down. "Um... How is the Council taking the news?"

"Some better than others. For good reason, of course. Mace, Plo, and Shaak are all particularly upset. Yoda was a bit offended that he got a pass, actually. It was definitely for the best but he was still offended to be passed over."

"G-Master Koon is upset because he thinks of Wolffe as his son?"

"Partially."

"You're not going to tell me the full reason."

"I don't trust you with that information." Obi-Wan decided he had to be blunt. He had trusted Cody with that information, but then Cody ghosted him. Trust would have to be earned once more. 

Cody looked down, swallowing. "Oh. I don't actually need to know beyond wanting to help my brothers navigate the situation."

"Well, you don't need to worry about Rex." Obi-Wan chuckled. "Anakin told me they already have a plan laid out, not just for adding Rex to his relationship with Padme, but for sharing with the galaxy that he and Padme are married and will have twins. Including Rex marrying Padme and Anakin in a traditional Naboo wedding in a few weeks, on Naboo, though they're still deciding on if they want to have the twins on Naboo or in the Temple."

Cody nodded. "Rex was a bit floored when Padme marched up to him and kissed him."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Of course. Anakin is actually happy about it. A bit uncertain about being forced into it, but happy to attempt to make it work."

Cody nodded. "I hadn't really considered it before, but Rex and Anakin have made a good team and I think they would be a good couple. Especially with Padme in the mix."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I think Rex will balance things out a bit between Anakin and Padme in a way they were missing. But we will have to see how that will develop."

"What about Rex and the babies?" Cody asked.

"He'll be another dad to them, of course. No need for him to just be an uncle when he'll probably be doing just as much for them as Anakin."

"Oh, good for him. And I also feel bad for him. Joining an existing relationship, months from them becoming parents which means he's going to be a dad in a few months... that'll be rough."

"Rex is adaptable. I think he can handle it." Obi-Wan finished his food and leaned back, sipping at his shake. "But we should return to talking about us, I think."

Cody nodded, then hesitated. "Why don't you trust me?"

"You ghosted me without a word when we could have tried to talk out whatever problem there was." Obi-Wan focused on his shake. "It will take some time to trust you again, especially with difficult situations."

Cody winced and nodded. Okay, it had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it was causing problems. Earning back Obi-Wan's trust shouldn't be too bad. Obi-Wan was a good person. Kind, gentle, understanding. 

He underestimated the depths of Obi-Wan's hurt. Underestimated how easy it was to get the trust of a person who trusted easily a second time. The first trust is easy, not exactly earned. Then one proves they do not deserve the trust, and a person who trusts easily? Will be far more cautious the second time. There, the trust truly had to be earned.

And well, he could have tried to talk about his reasons for ghosting Obi-Wan and that would have gone a long way towards healing, a long way towards earning that trust.

They continued their discussion. It really was like a business arrangement.

.

It took a couple of days but before they knew it, they were getting the legalities done and signing the marriage license. 

Obi-Wan stared at it as soon as they were done, ignoring the conversation around him. It was done. No going back. He was now stuck in this marriage, at least until they could find their way off of Coruscant. 

Cody had already started moving in, and they had made notes for everything they need to and given them to each other. It was time to try to be roommates.

Time for Obi-Wan to constantly hide his sadness and hurt from the source of it.

Time for Cody to navigate the situation carefully, giving Obi-Wan space for being forced into something he did not want.

Obi-Wan made the most of the situation. He let Cody into his rooms, let Cody into his space. He really only had his bedroom as a safe space. It would have to do. He spent time meditating in his bed every night just so he could sleep without feeling miserable. 

Cody kept giving Obi-Wan the space he needed, especially once he realized that Obi-Wan really was struggling with trusting him again. That it wasn't going to be as easy as he thought. 

He kept tabs on his brothers. Colt reported that Shaak was stalling. Plo and Mace did not talk about marriage at all with Wolffe and Ponds, but Cody got the sense that they did actually know why. 

Rex was finding that he was falling in love with Anakin and Padme, now that he was free to have his feelings. He was anxious about being a dad, still incredulous he was going to be included, but the more the shock wore off, the more excited he was. Especially after going with them to Padme's next appointment to check on the babies. Cody was happy for him. That was really making the best of a terrible situation. 

Others were saying that they felt their Jedi was being cautious and hiding things. Some that did not have trust of their Jedi stopped updating so much once they did. Cody kind of worried about that. Was there something big the Jedi were hiding?

If so, what was he missing? He was living with one of the Councilors. So were others. Grey and Monnk were both becoming less responsive to his inquiries. He didn't know why and it stung. He just wanted everyone to survive and be happy, until they could break away from the Republic and be free from this kind of chaotic bs ever again. 

Unfortunately, marrying Jedi just tied them closer to the Republic. That was probably one of the goals. Leaving without their spouses would not look good, but leaving with them would be taking Jedi away from their home and their family. Cody wasn't going to do that to them. He was still trying to figure out a way around this conundrum. 

He was most worried about Fox. With Fox still in charge of the Coruscant Guard, he had to live there. So Quinlan had moved in with him without a fuss. 

Fox reported that Quinlan was not acting like he was used to. Near tiptoeing around him, being as helpful as he can, and being oddly quiet. Wouldn't even sleep in Fox's bed, preferring to sleep on the couch. 

Cody didn't envy Fox trying to figure out what was up with the normally obnoxious Jedi. And Cody had thought he had it bad with Obi-Wan! He didn't want to deal with worse. 

So Cody didn't know what to do and was stuck a sort of limbo, following the same routines day after day.

What made it hurt worse was that he and Obi-Wan danced their routines around each other just like they did during the war, only it was so much more of their time. Every morning and evening, and often, good portions of the day too. They fit so well together.

But the Senate had to force the issue. Had to make them get married. Cody sometimes wondered if he had ever hated anyone as much as he did the Senate. 

.

Obi-Wan attended a support group for those Jedi forced into a marriage with their commanders. He didn't quite fit in. These people had no feelings for their commanders, mostly, and if they did, they had not been dating. This was all new, and they were all struggling with their choices being taken away.

He refused to attend the other existing support group, for those Jedi who had been in a relationship with their spouse but had not been ready for marriage. Because that certainly didn't fit either. They had been dating, but Cody ghosted him in an obvious break up. 

Obi-Wan didn't know where to turn to these days. So instead, he often focused his attention on Quinlan, who was struggling even more than he was. Especially since he had to commute to the Temple every day to get his Council duties done.

And that was how Obi-Wan came to the Kiffu section of the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Looking for Quinlan.

Quinlan was laying on a branch, staring at the ground as his legs and arms dangled, unbothered by the idea he could easily fall out of the tree.

Obi-Wan smiled. "Quin!"

Quinlan jumped and looked down. A grin appeared. "Obes!" He jumped down and hugged Obi-Wan. 

Obi-Wan was concerned that it lasted longer than usual. Quinlan was in a strange environment, with a husband who did not want a relationship, let alone be married to someone like Quinlan, so of course Quinlan needed more touch than he usually did. 

Quinlan pulled away. "I love him Obes," he said quietly. "I love Fox. I had... There were feelings before. But I had been ignoring them. Hadn't thought they were important. But living with him... He's wonderful Obes, and he doesn't even like me. Barely put up a protest at me sleeping on the couch, ignores me most of the time, and I don't even know what to do. Unless he has a migraine, then I know exactly what he needs."

Obi-Wan hugged him again and then pulled him over to the bench to cuddle.  "Oh, Quin."

"I don't know what to do... I never even really wanted a relationship and now Fox is here and I... I don't know what to do. Sometimes I swear he hates me, we're only stuck together because of the Senate, because we need to at least appear like we're married even if there are no feelings and our relationship is like that."

"It's okay, Quin. You'll figure it out.  You're resourceful, and smart.  You can do this." Obi-Wan cuddled Quinlan and let out a breath. "It's not the best situation, but if you're in love with him, that makes it so much easier. It's made it easier for me and Cody. I still love him, even if he never wanted to marry me. Hard to let go of such strong feelings."

Quinlan nodded. "It is. Even with the trust broken, your feelings haven't changed?"

"They had lessened, were less intense. But now we're living together and I see him every day. And it's so hard to be around him, at the same time. Because I love him, but he has no idea, nor would he care."

"Oh... that makes sense." Quinlan sighed. "Is there anyone in this situation where they love their husband but there's no feelings back?"

"Not in the support group, it sounds like." Obi-Wan sighed. "So it's just you and me dealing with this."

"Well... the plans to get off the planet are starting to move faster, since we got some clones in the know and on our side. So we can be off this planet soon, and then we don't need to worry about it anymore." 

"Yeah. I wish it didn't have to be like this, though."

"Me too."

.

It had been more than a month since that conversation, closer to two. If anything, Cody felt like things were worse. Sometimes it was like Obi-Wan wanted to leave him behind and never talked to him again. Cody didn't know what to do. Space wasn't helping, but he didn't know how to help. 

Obi-Wan for his part was miserable. Everyone was adjusting, even those who didn't want to be forced into a relationship were doing well. Even if they didn't have feelings for their husband, they were adapting well and finding a good balance.

But not Cody and Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan didn't know how to find that balance. Didn't know how to talk to Cody. After all, Cody didn't want to marry him, when they had been dating. What more was there to it? What more could Obi-Wan get out of him, even if he could figure out how to talk to Cody.

On the positive side, Obi-Wan was pretty happy with the escape plan. Younglings were already getting smuggled out with their crechemasters. Almost everything of importance had been transferred out. They were still working on preserving as much of the Room of A Thousand Fountains as they could, partially since they wanted to recreate it wherever they ended up. 

He just felt sad that even those of the Council who weren't marrying their commanders were able to bring their clones. He wasn't going to be able to, not when he couldn't talk to Cody. At least Quinlan hadn't been able to tell Fox yet, so he wasn't alone. Quinlan was still wrestling with loving someone who actively seemed to hate him. It was sad. Quinlan was wonderful, he didn't deserve such hate. 

And naturally, things went wrong just days before the final evacuation. Many Jedi were already living on the ships, the Temple was down to the barebones.

It seemed the Senate had been running investigations into the Jedi the entire time, because of how the Jedi apparently let the Sith get away with everything until his death. 

And now they wanted the Jedi to answer for it.

Obi-Wan studied the summons and the evidence. "They only asked for two of us to see them, I'm sure they'd want all of us, but we can take advantage of that. Two of us got to the Senate to face their interrogation, everyone else uses that to get everyone else into the ships and gone. Shouldn't stick around to see what kind of sanctions are even going to be put in place."

Everyone discussed the idea, before conceding that it was a good plan.

The came deciding who would stay behind.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, thinking about it. "I'll go talk to them. I was very involved in the war, I can answer more questions than even most of this council about how we conducted ourselves. Besides, there's also the question of why Anakin was allowed so close to the Chancellor that only I can answer." 

They all wanted to protest, but all could see that Obi-Wan was right. It was better for him to go be the distraction they needed to make that last push off of the planet. 

"I'll go as well," Quinlan decided. "I'm one of the most knowledgeable here about the contract. If we're the only Council members still on Coruscant, then we will also have to be the ones to lay out just how much they've screwed up and why we're leaving." 

Again, everyone wanted to protest. But that would be the reaction for any one who tried to go be the one. They didn't want anyone to be left behind. But it was the best chance they had. 

Quinlan and Obi-Wan had to prepare. 

.

They stood in front of the Senate, listening to the idiots drone on and on about all the rules they had broken. About all the things they should and should not have done. All the things they should have seen that was really only possible to see in hindsight.

They took turns answering questions, though Obi-Wan answered quite a bit more about the decision making while Quinlan focused on the information gathering and how difficult it was at some points.

The majority of the Senate did not approve of their methods. They knew that was a possibility. The Senate as a whole needed a scapegoat so that no one looked too closely at their own misdeeds. And the Jedi were perfect. The Sith had put in some effort towards keeping the clones without rights, but had done nothing to demonize them. The Jedi on the other hand... there had been a quiet smear campaign going on throughout the war, to the point that even people they directly saved were not convinced they were doing their best. This smear campaign built on decades of whispers here and there about the Jedi.

And now it was going to show up in how they were to be punished. Not that Obi-Wan and Quinlan let on that the Jedi were gone, not yet. The longer they could go, the better. The evacuation had been well underway that morning when Cody and Obi-Wan left, though Cody didn't seem to realize what was going on, just that everyone seemed busier than normal.

As the Senate prepared to announce their decisions after hours of deliberations, it had now been ten hours since they left that morning. They had estimated six to eight hours to get everyone out. The extra two hours was a good buffer. Everyone should be safe.

Except for Obi-Wan and Quinlan. And they were okay with that.

The Senate was called to order. Cody and Fox, both done with what they had been doing that day, joined them. As their husbands, it was their right to be with them.

“We are going to contact the Jedi Council in order for the entire Council to hear the decision now, as some of these are going into effect immediately.”

Obi-Wan nodded serenely, hands tucked into his sleeves to hide how they were shaking. It was the moment of truth. Had they been right? Was ten hours more than enough?

Quinlan's face matched Obi-Wan's in Jedi serenity. Even after getting on the Council, that wasn't something he did often, but here and now, he was keeping his face Jedi serene. A united front with Obi-Wan, and a fantastic way to ensure he wasn't showing his emotions. 

The Jedi Temple was called. There was no answer. Everyone waited. The confusion was palpable. They tried again. 

It took half an hour for them to realize something was wrong. Obi-Wan and Quinlan kept up the masks, waiting to be asked questions, but they were ignored as the Senate scrambled to figure out what was wrong.

Then finally, one of the younger members of the Coruscant Guard ran up to Fox, panting, not even looking at the Jedi. “Most of the ships have jumped into hyperspace. They did not respond to our attempts to make contact. This includes...” It was a long list of battalions, including those that the Council worked with most closely, aside from the 212th.

Fox was incredibly confused, then he realized something. “Are we certain it was just clones on the ships, or were Jedi on them too?”

“No idea, Commander.”

Fox interrupted the chaos of the Senate to inform them of this information.

The Senate promptly ordered Fox to send some troopers to go check out the Jedi Temple, and called another recess. 

This time, Fox and Cody dragged their husbands to a private room. 

"What is going on?" Fox hissed at Quinlan.

"There was no way this was ever going to end well for the Jedi Order," Quinlan replied calmly. "So they used the distraction of the meeting to evacuate from the Temple."

Cody looked at Obi-Wan. "That's why everyone was so busy this morning!" 

"It was." Obi-Wan nodded. 

"Why didn't you say anything?" Cody asked, frowning.

"Didn't see a need, besides your own shock helps sell that you didn't know which means that you and Fox weren't in on getting all the Jedi off, which means that the blame isn't going to lie with any clone."

"But it is going to fall on you and Quinlan! You knew what they were doing."

Obi-Wan met his gaze steadily. "Of course we did. It was a sacrifice we were willing to make. We volunteered for this."

Cody couldn't find the words to respond, his heart aching that his general, his husband, didn't trust him with any of this plan. Had never even hinted that the Jedi were considering leaving Coruscant. To be able to leave so quickly, they had to have been planning it for a while.

And Obi-Wan never told him. 

.

Obi-Wan could feel the hurt and confusion from Cody but put it out of his mind. He didn't like hurting Cody, but Cody hadn't wanted to marry him and didn't talk to him about it. Cody didn't seem open to talking about anything.

How could Obi-Wan trust Cody with such a big thing?

They were called back to the Senate. Cody and Fox were asked questions first about Obi-Wan and Quinlan, and about the Jedi. Once it was established that until just before the recess they had no clue anything was going on, the weight of the Senate turned to the two remaining Jedi on Coruscant.

After questions determining that yes, Quinlan and Obi-Wan were fully aware the rest of the Jedi were leaving Coruscant, the question they were waiting for came up.

"Why would the Jedi leave?"

Despite their eagerness to answer this, their faces went blank. Gone was the Jedi serene mask. Anyone who knew Jedi knew that a Jedi with a blank face was a Jedi trying very hard not to let their true feelings out, and it usually meant that the other person on the receiving end was about to be ripped to shreds verbally.

Obi-Wan tilted his head. "The Jedi Order was drafted into the war, given no choice in the matter. Our padawans were forced to the frontlines with us, with threats of forming groups of padawans if we did not take on those of age fast enough. Many Jedi were forced into roles they were not comfortable with, particularly many healers being put in charge of battalions that engaged in active fighting."

Quinlan took over. "After fighting the war we were not given a choice in, we were once again given no choice but to have some Jedi marry the clones we have been trying to help. And then you took that further and arranged some marriages, disregarding public records. Shaak Ti is already married to Feemor Ti. Plo Koon and Mace Windu have been married for more than a decade and you disregarded that to force them into an unwanted marriage." 

"And now you are threatening more sanctions on the Jedi Order. You really think they would be interested in staying when our contract is up for renewal?"

Quinlan suppressed a smirk at the murmurs that had been steadily growing and exploded at that point.

"What contract?"

Obi-Wan produced the contract and sent it to the Senate to view. "The Jedi Order has, I'm sorry, had a contract with the Galactic Republic. When it was first signed, the agreement was that a renewal would be signed every ten years, with a negotiation of terms every one hundred years. The negotiation of terms is about fifty two years overdue as every time the Council has tried, they have had the request denied. With the renewal up two years ago, we are free to leave the Republic."

They were leaving it to everyone to put it together that they could have abandoned the Republic two years ago if they'd wanted to. But they had chosen to fight the war anyways, and this was how they were being repaid.

Quinlan waited for silence before dropping the next bit. 

"So, the Jedi Order has decided, with many of the changes introduced to the contract since the last negotiation, particularly in the last decade, that the Jedi will not renew the contract and find some other way to serve the galaxy. Serving the galaxy in a way that suits Jedi, not the politicians who control us. The Jedi Order will be negotiating with individual systems once they settle in their new home but it will be a while before they consider an agreement with the Senate."

"That is all we have to say on the matter." Obi-Wan sat down and waited for everything to die down.

Cody was busy looking through the insane document that was the contract. He was skimming through for what looked like important parts, and he just kept finding more and more ways the Jedi were curbed in what they could do. It made sense that they should prioritize the Republic's interest over other entities, but there was a clause in there that they should do that even when they were supposed to the the neutral party. It also could not have worked with the Jedi philosophy. Prioritizing the Republic would mean not giving people in need what was best for them. And the Jedi... accepted it? Why?

Then he got to the hundreds of pages dedicated to consequences. Some were specific to the rules that were broken, some were broad, consequences any Senator could deal out... for any reason, and they did not even have to go through any checks or file for it. 

It was eyeopening and horrifying at the same time. It seemed that the situation could have been even worse than what it was, if the Senate had remembered this. It was also apparent to Cody that the Council had been painfully aware of how far the Senate could go and preferred to toe the line rather than risk bringing this document to their attention.

He didn't blame them. If the Senate had been aware.... the Jedi would have been treated as no better than the clones which was a terrifying thought. The Jedi were good people and always tried to do good. 

The rest of the meeting was mostly arguing between the different members of the Senate, with Padme arguing fiercely for the Jedi. Some had accused her of getting Anakin to get more influence for Naboo, that she was working with Palpatine.

But she had always been passionate about the Jedi, and on their side, so it was easy for many to bury that worry, at least those who knew her.

Then came the moment of truth. The Senate now had no one to place sanctions on. But they had two Jedi they could take their anger out on, that they could punish. They had to be careful though. They were married to clones, the group the Senate had been trying to appease.

(Many Senators were in denial about what it meant that so many clones left with the Jedi)

"Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Jedi Master Quinlan Vos. In the absence of the rest of the Jedi Order, and in light of your intent to hide the desertion of the Jedi Order, here are our final decisions:

"1. You are to be in the company of your husband or one of the approved list of Senators outside of your rooms at all time. 

"2. You will be doing community service for three years. The type of community service is to be determined.

"3. You are to give up your lightsaber to whoever is escorting you. 

"4. No use of the Force allowed unless your escort gives permission. If we suspect any violations, we will use Force suppressants.

"5. According to the contract, there are provisions for corporal punishment. We will be following through with that once we have compiled the rules and consequences related to such things.

"You two are on thin ice. Do not test us."

Obi-Wan nodded with a blank face. "We understand. There will be no problems."

"You have our word." Quinlan added, unclipping his lightsaber and handing it to Fox without even looking at him. 

Obi-Wan followed his lead and handed his lightsaber to Cody. 

Cody stared down at the lightsaber, alarmed, but he knew protesting would not go in their favor so he just put the lightsaber at his side.

Thankfully, they were free to go. Which was good, since Cody and Obi-Wan had to move out of the Temple and to some apartment that had been procured for clones, but was rarely used.

Once they had everything moved, Cody sat down on the couch and turned to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan had been quiet the entire time they were moving, had not had much to say at all. It was strange.

Obi-Wan took the silent request for what it was and sat down on the couch with Cody. And waited.

"Why didn't you trust me? Why did no one share what was happening with me? Wolffe had to know but..."

Obi-Wan looked at him, sad. "You didn't trust me. You don't trust me. Wolffe and others left it up to me to tell you because we were being very picky about which clones knew. We couldn't risk this getting back to the Senate and while many of your brothers adored their Jedi and would never hurt them, others do not feel the same especially if they were unlucky with which Jedi they got... assuming they got any."

"I trust you."

Obi-Wan clearly didn't believe him. He looked away. "I am not hungry, but I am tired. I think I will go to bed now." He stood and walked to the other couch he had claimed as his. He stopped and looked back at Cody, who was stunned. "You ghosted me for months. You did not show trust. And you broke mine." Then he laid down and put his back to Cody.

Cody put his head in his hands, trying to figure out what to do. What he even could do. This wasn't something easily resolved. Clearly Obi-Wan hated the situation more than he had thought. 

And yet, Obi-Wan volunteered to stay and be stuck for the Jedi. For his people. He was good. He knew he'd be expected to stay married to Cody, expected to show the usual, and would be in trouble, facing consequences for what the Jedi did. But he did it anyways.

Probably because it was the right thing to do. And Cody hated that Obi-Wan didn't even flinch at any of the decision. He'd even handed over his lightsaber without blinking. But Cody knew Obi-Wan had to be hurting about it.

A lightsaber was a Jedi's life. It was part of them in a way that Cody couldn't understand. But he knew how important it was to Obi-Wan.

What could Cody even do though?

.

Cody tried to help Obi-Wan in any way he could, tried to stick with him. Without the Jedi Order, without most of the clones on Coruscant, he did not have much to do anymore. He was figuring something out. The Senate was giving him no choice. But he had a lot of free time to stick by Obi-Wan's side so he didn't have to worry about the not so great Senators holding onto his lightsaber. So he didn't have to deal with them either.

What was worse, was seeing Obi-Wan get more and more depressed as time went on. Obi-Wan really was a Jedi at heart, and it hurt him not to be a Jedi right now. He wasn't even able to contact them, make sure they were alright. It was too risky.

Obi-Wan was going to bed early. He was hardly eating. But he held his head high and did what he could during the day only to retreat every night at the earliest opportunity.

Nothing Cody said ever seemed to get his attention. Maybe if Cody had been better, had prevented the marriages in the first place... but it was too late. 

Their relationship was gone. Cody would be surprised if Obi-Wan still loved him. He had ruined everything. All because he gave up on fighting the Senate. 

After a week, it seemed like Fox and Quinlan were getting along better. There had been a distance between them, but now they were getting closer. 

Cody wondered what had changed, but mostly he was just happy for them. He did talk with Fox at the end of the first week, and at least once a week in general, but Fox didn't really say much about their relationship. It was none of Cody's business, apparently.

Close to a month after they became stranded on Coruscant with no way off, Cody and Fox had dinner together. They had left Obi-Wan and Quinlan together in Fox and Quinlans's rooms and Cody and Fox were together in Cody and Obi-Wan's.

"Is everything alright?" Fox asked Cody. "Obi-Wan... hasn't seemed like himself. And you seem pretty mopey too."

Cody spilled everything. About how he struggled with agreeing to the marriage thing in the first place, how he had ghosted Obi-Wan when it had gotten too hard, and how things hadn't been the same. How Obi-Wan didn't trust him anymore, how Obi-Wan had chosen to do this anyways, knowing it meant he would be stuck in a situation he didn't want and how much it hurt to see Obi-Wan suffer so. 

"And on top of that, there's not much for me to do now so I have too much free time and I'm glad it means I can accompany Obi-Wan so we don't have to worry about some Senator with his lightsaber and being cruel but I don't know what to do. I never realized how much of me was tied up in leading and work and being responsible and now that I don't have that..."

Fox snorted. "You're talking to the wrong person for that sort of thing. I started doing some hobbies. Quinlan paints, you know. He's taught me some things. I think like baking more. And singing. Singing is actually kind of fun without people teasing me. But I don't know what to tell you for starting to figure it out for yourself."

"No, that's fair." Cody sighed. "Obi-Wan was always encouraging me to find myself, he kept giving me different things to try. I just... I never took hobbies beyond training and meditating or anything that would help really seriously. I never really tried baking or art beyond a couple of goes to say I'd tried and then I'd just forget about it. He stopped after... well. After."

Fox nodded. "I'm sorry that so much has changed for you."

"I wish it hadn't. I miss the Obi-Wan I knew before they forced us into this situation. He's even more closed off now than he was at the start of the war. I can't read him anymore. I don't know how he's doing."

"That sucks. Maybe you should talk to him about it?"

"And make things worse? No way."

"Or it could make things better."

"Doubt it."

Fox hoped Quinlan was having a better time than he was.

.

"I am so happy to be out of those rooms," Obi-Wan told Quinlan as they cuddled on the couch. "Sharing with Cody, they only gave us one bed, is awful. I can't trust him. He broke my heart, shattered it really, and it's been a month."

"I know, Obes. It sucks. Worse than we expected."

"But you and Fox are getting along now."

"Yeah... turns out that I was wrong. Fox did like me and he's in love with me, so it all worked out and we're doing fine now. So let's focus on other things. It's still worse than we expected. They keep giving us the worst things for community service."

"No kidding, and we can't have our lightsabers either. I think I'd rather just leave them behind than leave it in Cody's hands. I trust him in battle, but not with something so much a part of myself outside of that."

"I know. You ever going to ask him why?"

"I'd rather not poke at a sore spot and make things worse." Obi-Wan shook his head. "Besides, I don't think I can ever be ready for the harsh things he might say as to why he ghosted me." Obi-Wan sighed. "But I'll be fine. I can work with this."

Quinlan poked him. "You're not fine and it's only going to get worse, the longer we're here. Because you know they're not going to let up. You know that we'll just be the victims of their anger any time something else goes wrong."

Obi-Wan grumbled. "I... I know. But I can't be anything but fine. We can't let anyone see how we feel, and I don't want everyone to see that I'm struggling, for something I volunteered to do."

"I'm pretty sure even Yoda would struggle with these restrictions." Quinlan pointed out. "I get why you don't want anyone to see, but you don't need to pretend with me. You're stuck on Coruscant, I'm the only other Jedi around, you can't have your lightsaber outside your room, and you're living with someone you love but you know didn't want to marry you and probably doesn't love you."

That got to him and Obi-Wan started crying. Quinlan hugged him tightly, rocking gently and rubbing his back.

"I'm here, Obes. Don't worry. I got you."

.

Obi-Wan was a bit embarrassed, later, that he had broken down like that. But it had helped. At least he had Quinlan when he had no one else. At least he had someone he could confide in, who understood. 

He did have others he was still in contact with, of course, but it wasn't the same. Not with many of them being in the very Senate that condemned him and Quinlan, even if they had voted against the measures. It did not help that they were reeling from learning of the contract, that the Jedi had always been dealing with such measures.

He did not notice that Quinlan and Fox had started conspiring. Did not pay much attention to Quinlan asking him to try talking to Cody about why he didn't want to get married. Obi-Wan was firm that he did not want to deal with learning the truth, that he did not want to make things worse for them. 

He did not notice any of Quinlan or Fox's attempts to get him and Cody to communicate. Or at least, he did not recognize them for what they were. 

Obi-Wan just wanted to get through this. He knew that Fox and Cody were trying to find some way to get everyone off of Coruscant without trouble. Trying to find some way to save everyone from the Senate. He was happy to stay out of it. 

More than a month went by before Quinlan and Fox had enough of his and Cody's moping about the situation and came up with some way to get Cody and Obi-Wan to hear the truth of the matter. 

They were eating at Dex's. Quinlan was sitting in one side of the booth with Obi-Wan and Fox was in the other side with Cody. 

Quinlan decided to start. "Fox and I have talked and we really think you two need to discuss what happened." 

"What? Why?" Both Cody and Obi-Wan asked, torn between offense and surprise.

"Because maybe you're both being idiots," Fox said with a huff. "Kind of sounds like it. Like we were but worse and yet more understandable why you didn't talk."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I think things are very clear."

Cody sighed and looked at him, giving in. "I don't think they are. I... I don't understand why things have changed between us so much. I get that you didn't want to be forced into marriage, and that I hurt you by not responding but why was that enough to change things so much?" 

Obi-Wan stared at him, confusion warring with hurt. He opened his mouth, then shook his head. "I can't." He turned to Quinlan, who was blocking his escape.

Quinlan smiled at him. "Just pretend it's just you and me and tell me about it, okay?" 

Obi-Wan hesitated, glancing at Cody again. "But I..."

"Fox told me what Cody has said, and I've told him what you said. I promise it's not as bad as you think."

Obi-Wan trusted Quinlan, so with a deep breath he faced Quinlan.

Cody leaned over to Fox to whisper. "'Not as bad'? What does he mean by that?"

Fox huffed. "He means that you did not think through how your actions would appear."

Cody frowned, not sure what Fox meant. 

Obi-Wan let out a breath. "Okay. Should I just go from the top, Quin?"

"Sure, if that's what you want." Quinlan nodded, smiling at him reassuringly.

"Right. Okay." Obi-Wan took another moment to put his thoughts in order. 

Cody waited impatiently. He was finally about to get to the bottom of this.

"I..." Obi-Wan couldn't get words out. He focused on Quinlan and pretended that Cody (and Fox) was not there. "I think it's clear Cody didn't want to marry me. As soon as the announcement that Jedi and clones had to marry went out, he started distancing himself from me, and then completely just stopped contacting me... until the day that the Senate decided we had to get married. It's okay that he didn't want to marry me, I just wish he told me instead of ghosting me. Because now I don't know what to trust him with and it's hard living with him when I still love him."

Quinlan hugged him while he took a few deep breaths and thought about what else he could say.

But he'd said enough for Cody to figure out just what an idiot he had been. Knowing that Obi-Wan assumed he didn't want to be marriage, and seeing Obi-Wan struggle with talking about it at all...

Cody thought about how his actions would look from Obi-Wan's perspective, and what that would mean for their relationship. He realized that he would have felt totally rejected, and he knew how Obi-Wan took rejection. 

"Obi-Wan," he started, then stopped when Obi-Wan turned to him. He realized he had no words, no plan on what he was going to say. That wasn't how he normally handled things. He usually thought over what he said carefully, or at least put some thought into it. 

But he couldn't take the time to think now. Not when Obi-Wan was sitting there with that calm serene expression he used on politicians. Not when he finally understood what had changed. What had changed was his foolish actions, thinking he knew what would be best. He had to just talk.

"I'm sorry. I was the one who had to make that final decision, and I felt guilty that I was forcing the Jedi Order into marriages like that when even many couples of Jedi and clones were not ready for marriage. I didn't want to force you into something we weren't ready for. I thought it was better to distance myself, and then it was hurting too much to stay in contact so I just... Stopped, without a thought as to how it would look."

Cody took in a deep breath. "I thought you needed space when you put distance between us so I gave you space. I didn't think there was anything to it beyond why I stopped being in contact with you. It was my fault we were going to have to marry, so I didn't want to make you hate me more. I didn't... I didn't think about any other reasons you could have done that. I am so sorry. I wasn't rejecting you, I did want to get married, just not like that and now... where does that leave us."

Obi-Wan's expression didn't change. "Truly?"

"Of course." Cody placed his hand on the table in offering. "I love you, and that never changed. No matter how you treated me, or how it hurt to be working around each other the way we have been. We still fit so well together and yet..."

"There was a gap that we could not bridge," Obi-Wan responded quietly. 

Quinlan and Fox exchanged looks and grabbed their food. They went to another booth and started eating, leaving Cody and Obi-Wan to work things out on their own.

Obi-Wan put his hand on Cody's, smiling and a little teary eyed. "I love you too, Cody. That never changed and it certainly did make things more difficult for me to manage. You mean quite a lot to me and I didn't understand what had changed, besides you not wanting to marry me. And I never blamed you for the marriage thing. The Senate tends to get what they want when it comes to us."

"No kidding." Cody frowned. "I wish you had trusted me with it sooner, during the war even."

"It would not have helped anything if we had said something during the war. We are also used to the situation and not used to explaining it to people outside of the Order. After the marriage thing... I didn't know if I could trust you with anything, and I no longer could be certain of how you would react."

"Because me ghosting you wasn't something you'd ever thought I'd do and if you were wrong about that..."

"Precisely."

"So where does this leave us?" Cody asked quietly.

"This leaves us with having to rebuild our relationship from the ground up. Understanding what was going through your head does go a long way, but it's still going to take some time to rebuild the trust after hurting about it for so long."

"Okay, that makes sense. We've been abandoned, so let's make this our first date?" Cody suggested. 

"That works for me," Obi-Wan agreed. "And of course they left us to it, they've only been listening to us complain for months."

Cody chuckled. "True. I'm glad they were careful not to do anything that we might have felt betrayed by... Not sure how well I would have handled it."

"Me either..." Obi-Wan smiled. "Although Quin does have first hand experience of how angry I would be if he shoved me into a closet with someone I'm upset with."

"Oh? I don't think I've heard this story?" Cody asked. 

As Obi-Wan launched into the tale of how Quinlan thought it would help him and Siri get along again if they were locked in a closet (in his defense, he was like, sixteen and an idiot), neither Obi-Wan nor Cody moved their hands.

.

Obi-Wan and Cody were hanging out in Fox's office with Quinlan, helping Fox get work done. There wasn't much else they could do that was productive. Besides, establishing such patterns made them planning out how to get free of the Republic easier to handle.

Quinlan was humming to himself. That abruptly stopped at one of the requests. "Uh... did you know there was a delegation from Kiffu arriving?"

"No...?" Fox asked, looking up. "They request anything?"

Quinlan huffed. "Yeah. Me."

Obi-Wan stifled a laugh.

"Why would they request you?" Fox asked curiously. 

"Ah kriff, I never told you about my family." Quinlan let out a breath. 

"...what about your family?"

Obi-Wan snickered, leaning over to Cody. "Brace yourself."

"Why?" Cody asked quietly, glancing over at Quinlan and Fox then looking at Obi-Wan.

"Quin's about to reveal his greatest secret."

"Okay..." Cody gave him a weird look.

Quinlan was fidgeting, trying and failing to come up with a gentle way to put it. "Well... You saw in your research into Kiffar that Kiffar tend not to leave Kiffu and tend to be very family and Clan oriented, and overprotective, right?"

"Yes...?"

"So that means that I've always been in contact with them. They didn't want me to be a Jedi. And anyways, it's impossible to separate Kiffar culture and family so if I wanted the culture, I needed to accept my family and well... Clan Vos is... well..." 

"It can't be that bad."

"Clan Vos is considered the royal clans any Kiffar meeting someone with the Clan Vos stripe will call that person 'prince' though at least usually it's in Kiffi."

"That's not too bad. Prince by default."

Quinlan smiled sheepishly. "My grandparents were the last kings and one of my first cousins and her spouse are the current kings."

Fox stared at him. "...oh. So they requested you because they want to see you?"

Quinlan winced. "Overprotective family. And a culture that only marries for love, even the kings. Pretty sure they're here to tell off the Republic, make sure I'm okay and probably rescue me, if they can."

Obi-Wan and Cody sat up, exchanging looks. "We can use that!" they both exclaimed at the same time.

"How?"

"The biggest problem with any of our plans is that it's far harder to get Quin and I off the planet than any of the clones. But if the Kiffar delegation wants to get us off... we can not only get off, but that chaos will help everyone else get free as well." Obi-Wan explained excitedly. 

Quinlan  lit up as well. "He's right, we can use that. It's our best chance."

"You're certain that it will work?" Fox asked.

"Kiffu isn't part of the Republic, partially because of things like this. They have trade agreements and some that leave the planet on occasion, but otherwise they prefer to keep to themselves."

"He means, yes, it will because Kiffu will find some way to justify it if there is trouble and if not, then we get off either way."

Cody hugged Obi-Wan. "Finally, a break through." 

Quinlan sighed. "But it's probably best that you aren't with me at first," he said to Fox. "They don't believe in loveless marriages, and I'll need to explain that I do love you."

Fox huffed. "Take Humor. He's been fascinated with Kiffar for months. He'll love the chance to talk to more Kiffar."

"And as a medic he'll seem less intimidating." Quinlan nodded, grinning.

.

Obi-Wan and Cody were packing up everything, trying to fit everything as tightly together as they could. They wanted as little luggage and boxes to carry as possible. They were already sneaking some of it to the Kiffu temporary offices. 

Obi-Wan sat down, needing a break. "Soon, Cody, soon." 

Cody nodded, joining him. "Soon. We've got almost everything packed, and the plan is coming together nicely. You ready?"

"Absolutely. I cannot wait to get off this planet and reunite with the Jedi Order. I cannot wait to be done with the Senate as it is and to deal with them in a better way. Even if it means I end up banned from their space. Not like they can keep me or any Jedi out completely for long. Not if individual planets want our help." 

"True... As long as you're happy, I'll stick with you. I don't really care to keep leading if it means you're miserable or it's tearing us from our relationship."

Obi-Wan pulled away. "But I do have responsibilities as a member of the Council, and it could cause the same problems."

"It's not the same," Cody said, then held up his hand. "It really isn't Obi, I see you wanting to protest. You've been on the Council since just before we met. You've grown into the responsibility, you're used to balancing it and your personal interests. Until the end of the war, even though my brothers saw me as default leader, I still had the safety net of you and other Jedi supporting us and making those decisions easier. But then we became our own people and I was floundering, even if I didn't want to admit it with how much every one of my brothers was expecting of me."

Obi-Wan nodded, slowly leaning in and listening, giving Cody a chance to get it all out before he started talking.

"I don't know how to juggle anything and personal relationships. And... Honestly, I probably should take more time to explore hobbies and I'm trying... I've noticed it's been easier with everyone off planet. I don't feel as responsible, like I can't take a break. I think at the least I need to take time to find myself, find how you and I fit together if we're not being the general and commander duo, before I consider being a leader like that again. You've always had to juggle personal and mission. We weren't allowed to have personal. It always had to be hidden."

Obi-Wan nodded and hugged him. "Alright. If you need to step back from us to do that, I understand."

"You're too understanding for your own good, sometimes." Cody sighed, but smiled anyways. "I don't think I need to take a step back. You support everything I try, and you don't mind anything I bring back. I think I prefer that support than being on my own trying all that stuff. So... once we're with the Jedi again, do you have suggestions?"

Obi-Wan grinned. "There's always classes. The way our classes work is there's the initiate classes, the junior padawan classes, those two have a lot of overlap but it's better to keep initiates and padawans in separate classes, and then classes that are for senior padawans, knights, and masters, and some classes that are for certain levels of knowledge, including some just for masters. And there are beginner classes."

"So... I should take classes for anything I'm interested in? Well, if I'm not planning on leading, I could take a lot of classes, huh?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "You could. If there's anything I'm interested in, would you want to try it together, or still alone?"

"It could be nice to get a hobby we can do together... Fox seems to enjoy baking with Quinlan..."

Obi-Wan grinned. "Then that's that settled. I love you."

"I love you too." 

They took a long break of cuddling and kissing before getting back to the packing.

They weren't off of Coruscant yet, but they had a plan, and even if it wasn't ideal, being married wasn't so bad, they just knew they were committed to each other and could take their time exploring their relationship as they should have been able to do.

Chapter Text

 Quinlan was still nervous. Talking with Obi-Wan had not helped. But now Fox was here and they had no choice but to talk.

"Hi, Fox," he greeted quietly.

"Hello, V-Quinlan." Fox sat down. "I've never eaten here. I know my brothers love it... what do you think?"

"Best place to eat on Coruscant. Dex is great." Quinlan didn't look at the menu. He knew what he wanted to eat. 

"Oh. Okay. Suggestions?"

"Drinks are pretty straightforward. Highly recommend trying a shake if you see a flavor you like. They're amazing." Quinlan tried not to be too enthusiastic. He knew it was off-putting. And he didn't want this conversation to start off on the wrong foot. 

Fox nodded and decided to try a blueberry shake when Dex came around. Quinlan hadn't gotten a shake yet and chose to get a strawberry one. 

Then it was to an awkward silence. 

"So... we have to get married," Quinlan started slowly. "What do you want that to look like?" 

"I don't know. I don't know anything about relationships let alone marriage. The Senate hasn't even given us a list of their expectations on what this marriage should look like, though I guess they will soon."

Quinlan nodded slowly, then sighed. "On one hand I want to take time to adjust to the idea, on the other hand I just want to get it over with. Next week?"

Fox stared at him, then sighed and nodded. He was of the same mind. Get it over with so they can adjust and move on. Hopefully it wouldn't be too hard to do that.

Quinlan smiled. "Cool. Next week. Senate expectations or not, married couples normally live with each other. So... my place or yours?"

Fox didn't have to think this time. "Mine. I'm still in charge of the Coruscant Guard. I can't make that commute every day."

"I am on the Council," Quinlan pointed out. "I'll have to commute every day, but I think it will be easier for me than you, since I can just have them change meeting times or whatever to make sure I'm not late due to traffic."

Fox was relieved. It was bad enough he was going to have to share a space with Quinlan, but having to move out of his room was not something he wanted to do. He did not want to give it up, not when he was finally making the changes he wanted, and had even expanded it so he could fit a couch in there. 

"That works then." Fox accepted his shake and took a sip without thinking, trying to figure out what they needed to talk about next because there had to be a lot to this living together and being 'married' thing. He stopped and stared at it.

Quinlan grinned, drinking his own shake. "Good, isn't it?" 

"It's amazing." At least Quinlan had a good suggestion. 

There was an awkward silence. Fox wondered why Quinlan was so quiet, so fidgety. Why wasn't he talking? He couldn't be as nervous as Fox, he was confident and loud about it. Arrogant. 

Quinlan drank his shake, contemplating the best way to approach this. He had decided the best way to approach living with Fox was to be cautious and wait and see what Fox liked and didn't like. He knew he annoyed Fox, though he wasn't sure how, so he wanted to avoid that. 

They were going to be living together and such annoyances could build up to bigger issues, and Quinlan wanted to avoid that. He wanted this marriage to be as painless as possible. 

Fox sighed. "You know I don't want this?"

"I gathered as much." 

"I don't want this to change my life."

"Okay. So... roommates who see each other in the room and otherwise avoid each other as much as possible?"

"At least until the Senate issues some list about their expectations."

"Sounds good. I can handle that."

"Can you?" Fox asked before he could stop himself.

Quinlan barely managed to hide his hurt in time. He straightened and put on a Jedi mask of calm. Normally he hid his feelings in a guise of being cheerful and overexcited, of being maybe a bit dumb. That worked, most of the time, but as he started to show more of his genuine self, which was similar but not nearly so exaggerated, he started to have a harder time hiding his feelings. 

So, Quinlan was now going to play the part of Jedi instead of his usual part. That part was not going to be as useful as it was anyways. It allowed people to underestimate him, so that when he was investigating, everyone who didn't know him well underestimated him. It allowed him to conduct investigations into other Jedi behavior as necessary sometimes because they thought he was too dumb to figure it out.

Dex came over and took their orders. Quinlan ordered his usual, and Dex finished saying it before Quinlan could.

Quinlan just grinned at him. 

Fox had ordered what seemed to be one of the specialties of the diner and just hoped he got something he liked. He was a little surprised by the easy interaction between Dex and Quinlan; this couldn't just be his favorite place to eat on Coruscant. He was actually friends with the owner. Which was weird. People were willingly friends with Quinlan? This wasn't even like Obi-Wan who had to be used to tolerating him.

Quinlan let out a breath. "Okay, so we're doing the legalities next week, we're going to be roomies, but avoid each other until the Senate gives us rules to follow, is there anything else?"

"When are you going to start bringing your stuff over?"

"Oh, uh, I can start doing that tomorrow, take a trip a day so I have everything I need the day it's official. And I can always bring more after I'm done in the Temple for the day." 

Fox nodded. "That works." He was quiet for a moment. "I feel like I don't know you and you don't know me. Is there anything I need to be aware of?"

"Do you have a couch?" Quinlan asked instead.

"Yeah."

"I'll sleep there. No need to invade your space for sleeping."

Fox contemplated protesting that he could take the couch, but decided that he wasn't going give up his bed. "Alright."

"As for anything you need to know... Nothing I can think of right now but I have a terrible tendency to do out of sight out of mind, so we might have to deal with things as they turn up."

Quinlan thought of a few things right away, such as his family, with his cousin being King of Kiffu, how Kiffar needed more touch than most beings, and his psychometry and how it actually worked. On top of his inability to eat anything with artificial sugars as he got an instant migraine. Anything derived from a natural source of sugar or sweetness was fine. Artificial would knock him out of commission for at least day or two as he dealt with a terrible migraine. 

And while it would be good to warn Fox about those things, he wasn't sure Fox would believe him. After all, most Jedi weren't even in contact with their family, and Quinlan, being royalty? That was laughable. On top of which, Fox had plenty of experience with migraines. He wouldn't believe Quinlan had experience unless he saw it. He barely even accepted Quinlan's advice previously when Quinlan just said he knew someone who had migraines.

Fox nodded. "Just tell me when it comes up and remember I can't read your mind to know it's a problem. I like my space to at least be organized with little clutter. I don't like too many loud noises, or being interrupted when I'm focused."

"Got it. I'll remember that." Quinlan meant it too. He already had a whole document of things he'd noticed about Fox over the course of the war. What Fox said lined up with his observations. 

He had started it for the marriage and he would keep making those observations so that he could figure out how to keep conflict low in their relationship. Until they didn't have to anymore.

Because more than anything, this was for the Jedi, not for the Senate, not for himself. The more he played along, the easier it would be on everyone else until they could all get out of here.

They ate in silence, occasionally speaking of things they thought of, but mostly, they didn't have anything to talk about. Maybe they should get to know each other, but they also felt like they knew each other pretty well already after the war.

When Dex came around to ask for desserts, Quinlan decided to go for his favorite, wanting to indulge a little. Fox hesitated then went for one of the chocolate desserts. 

Quinlan trusted Dex to never use artificial sweeteners. Dex knew him well, knew he couldn't have those. Other places were often hit or miss with that request, so he didn't often get dessert out and was cautious about eating in general.

Fox on the other hand had grown up with rigid rules on what he could and could not eat, so he made sure to order sugar free as he had already had a lot of sugar that day, especially in the shake.

Quinlan made a note to be careful about any food he got with Fox. He really did not want to trigger a migraine that way, not when he had no clue how Fox would react. Not when Fox likely wouldn't believe him. 

After all, migraines aside, Fox didn't believe him when he had that broken arm because he was 'being a baby about a little hit'. Just because Quinlan usually preferred not to hide his pain around those he thought he could trust did not mean he was acting like a baby.

.

Quinlan signed the document and stepped away as the paperwork was filed. It was official. He and Fox were married. This was going to be an interesting adventure. So far, they hadn't done much or interacted much beyond Quinlan finding a place for his things in Fox's room.

It was definitely a good thing that Fox had been able to make his room bigger recently, or there never would have been room for everything Quinlan wanted to have. It was to be his home until they could escape Coruscant.

How he'd get everything out without arousing Fox's suspicion he didn't know, but maybe they would have worked things out enough that Quinlan could let him in on what the Jedi were planning.

Time would tell. Until then... he was now stuck with Fox.

Fox looked even more unhappy about it than he was. Face set in a deep frown, practically glaring at the senators who were here to watch. 

Quinlan didn't know what to do now. They'd signed the documents. Felt a bit anticlimactic. It was done. Legally, they were married, and they would have to live with that. 

Fox turned to the Senators. "Is there anything else we need to do?"

They shook their heads.

"Good. Let's go."

Quinlan waved and followed without a word. He was doing his best to not make Fox feel cornered, to not be so enthusiastic. To let Fox feel safe in his own space. He wasn't acting as he usually did, was actually only really speaking if Fox said anything. He did his work quietly, went through his routines with little fanfare. And of course he meditated. There was no way he could do this without meditations.

.

Quinlan was pleased that things had been going so well. He stayed out of Fox's way and suppressed any natural tendencies so that he was not intrusive at all. Or as minimally as possible anyways. 

It sucked, and he was starting to struggle, but he could always return to the Temple and take extra time there. It wasn't like he had a curfew or anything. 

Even when the Senate released a list of expectations, which included dates and seeing them together at special events (and as a Councilor, Quinlan had a lot of those), things went well. Fox tolerated everything, and didn't grumble.

But... Quinlan realized that the more he observed Fox, the more he fell in love and even after he confessed the growing feelings to Obi-Wan he still struggled with the feelings, with them growing bigger and bigger.

He helped Fox through his migraines. Grabbed extras of snacks when he was out, brought back caf for Fox if he returned early enough in the day. He did his best to make sure Fox had what he wanted, and needed. 

Because no matter how hard it was to live with someone he loved without confessing, it was harder with someone who actually hated him. Quinlan learned his facial expressions, and if there was a hint Fox didn't like something, Quinlan never did it again. Even when it meant he had to stop listening to his favorite music, even when it meant altering his daily routines. 

Even when it meant he suffered sometimes because Fox didn't like his gloves or his preference for plastic utensils. It was fine. 

He'd started out wanting to keep things fine for Fox, wanting to keep Fox from getting upset and causing drama this living situation couldn't take. And then he fell in love and now he just wanted to see Fox happy and not hate him. 

But sometimes Fox just frowned at him and was unhappy and Quinlan didn't even know why. And since he didn't know what that was about he couldn't do anything to fix it. 

As the time drew closer to when the Jedi were planning on leaving, with everything progressing as planned, Quinlan was called to the medbay on a day off. 

He hung around the Coruscant Guard sometimes to get an idea on everyone else, occasionally bringing them all snacks when he was out. He thought maybe getting along with them would help with Fox. So far, it hadn't. And they didn't seem to know what to do with him.

"Humerus," Quinlan greeted when he arrived at the medbay. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, I wanted to do a check up since I don't have any of your records on file." Humerus was in charge of the medics, and sometimes went by Humor.

Quinlan stiffened. "I can have the healers send my file over." 

"That would be appreciated. But I still want to do an examination. Fox has expressed concern that you eat too many sugars and a lot of meat?"

Quinlan crossed his arms. "I'm a Kiffar, I'm not human," he stated flatly. "I've got different needs. Meat is a primary source of nutrients for Kiffar. We were hunters first, then gatherers and eventually farmers. As for the sugars... I'm not fat, so I'd say I'm not eating too many."

Quinlan sent a message to Bant to send his file over to Humerus, and waited.

Humerus studied him. "He says you avoid anything artificial. Why?"

"Maybe you should have read up on Kiffar before calling me in here. Something like 70% of Kiffar have some sort of intolerance to artificial sweeteners. Some are like gluten intolerance, some more like an allergy... Me? I get migraines. Which is another reason you need my file. It's documented there."

Humerus looked down as his data pad chimed. "Ah, here it is."

Quinlan wondered why Fox cared. Why was he concerned about how much sugar Quinlan did or didn't have? Maybe he just didn't want Quinlan to keel over when they're married? It would look bad for Fox after all.

Humerus scanned over the file, doing a double take at the birth sex and gender section. 

Quinlan looked up at the ceiling and waited. 

Humerus waited until he was done checking over the file to ask any questions. He would study it in depth later.

"You're intersex?"

"Yes. 1 in 2 Kiffar are. And yes, I am agender, though I'm gender apathetic. Most Kiffar are. I'm comfortable being referred to as everyone has, so don't worry about it. Kiffar generally just choose a pronoun and stick with it when learning basic. Or change it based on which gender they think they appear most as without any real connection to it."

Humerus stared at him then nodded. "Very well. What about this note about needing touch to heal and allowing visitors in your bed for cuddling?"

"Another Kiffar thing. Higher needs of touch than a human, far higher. The less touch I have, the slower I heal. If I'm all caught up on touch, at where I should be, I heal a little faster than the average human, and if I hold someone's hand regularly while healing, I heal a bit faster than that. But if I cuddle... I heal at a far faster rate."

"Are you getting enough, then?"

"I get what I need while I'm at the Temple. And I will heal just fine if I get injured and don't cuddle."

"But if it helps you should."

"I'm not going to make anyone do something they're uncomfortable with. I will live. I've been on missions so long that injuries don't start healing until I have a night of cuddling. So as long as I stay where I'm at, I'll be fine."

Humerus stared at him and made a couple of notes. "I see. Who can I share medical information with?"

"I don't want any medics looking at my files unless necessary. Obi-Wan Kenobi is my primary emergency contact, followed by Tholme and Aayla. The Council is allowed to know details."

"Fox?"

Quinlan shook his head. "He doesn't need to know."

"You're married."

"Legally only. Not like he even likes me," Quinlan said lightly. "I have no reason to trust him with such private information. Now, the check up?"

Humerus gave him a puzzled look but dropped the subject to take care of the check up.

.

Quinlan was getting along alright with Fox. He was absolutely in love with his husband, hopelessly in love with him, even though he knew that Fox did not return the feelings. Even though he knew that Fox in no way felt the same way. Even though he knew that he was never going to truly find happiness in this tuition.

There was a bit of an incident as the time for the Jedi to leave Coruscant drew closer, a fact that the Jedi were keeping to only those they trusted. 

Quinlan was eating with Fox, with Fox having picked out food and dessert. It was a 'date' in his office so he didn't have to pause much on working.

 It was good a good dinner, all things Quinlan liked, though nothing that was a favorite.

And he dropped his fork when a sharp pain shot through his skull. He put his hand to it and took a deep breath. 

"Something wrong?" Fox asked, barely even looking up from the paperwork he'd started after he was half done with his meal.

Quinlan grit his teeth. "Migraine."

"Migraine, huh, sure."

Quinlan froze and stared at Fox in disbelief. Did Fox really just dismiss his pain? Did Fox really just... 

"Eat your food." Fox pointed the plate.

"I'm not really hungry." Quinlan put his head on the table and sighed in relief at the way the coolness relieved his head. 

"You really should eat."

"Not happening."

"Stop being a baby because it's not what you usually get and not a horribly balanced meal with all the sugars and meat."

"I'm Kiffar, not a human," Quinlan snapped, migraine making him irritable. "Kiffar an entirely different species from human." He rubbed his head and took another, cautious bite anyways. This time, he tasted it because he knew to look for it. Artificial sweeteners. Fox could not be trusted to get him food. He'd kind of known that but Fox had stuck mostly with Dex's previously and Dex knew.

He set the fork down. "I'm going to go lay down." Quinlan stood, and grabbed onto the desk when his vision swam. He breathed out and left the room.

Fox did not look up. Did not acknowledge his words. He did not care.

And that hurt far more than the migraine could ever hurt him.

Quinlan leaned heavily on the wall all the way to their room, ignoring everyone he passed. He was just focused on getting to their room where he could take something, drink some water and collapse for the next day or two. Maybe even three. He never knew how long a migraine would knock him out for. He was barely functional with a migraine, unlike Fox. 

He stumbled into the room, took the painkillers, drank some water, made sure everything was on the lowest setting, and then collapsed on the bed with some background music, just loud enough to hear. 

He ended up covering his head with the blanket for maximum darkness. After a few minutes, though it felt like ages, the painkillers started working enough that Quinlan was able to fall asleep. 

.

Fox entered his room with a sigh. His attempt at a decent dinner had apparently been a failure. He wasn't even entirely certain what he did wrong. Quinlan didn't get migraines. Why would he complain of one? 

Maybe Quinlan had noticed the artificial sweeteners? That was insane, there was almost no difference between them and any other sweet thing.

Fox stared at the lump on the bed. Quinlan never used the bed. Yet he was in bed? That was weird... He pulled back the blanket to check on Quinlan.

Quinlan whimpered and blindly grabbed for it. As soon as the blanket was back over his head, he relaxed. 

Fox stared. Did Quinlan really have a migraine after all? He seemed pretty out of it. 

Fox decided to leave him be. Either he was sulking and being dramatic, or he truly had a migraine. And the best way to handle it in either situation was to leave him be. 

So he did his usual routine and eventually went to bed.

He woke up to Quinlan clinging to him like he was glued. Fox stared and tried to pry him off. Why would Quinlan be cuddling like this? He was definitely fast asleep, occasionally whimpering from pain.

Fox managed to free his arm enough to grab his comm. He commed Humerus. 

"I think Quinlan has a migraine."

"You think?"

"He claimed to have one while we were eating last night and left to lay down. Came back to find him on the bed, he usually sleeps on the couch, covered in a blanket. When I checked on him, he whimpered and pulled the blanket back over him. Now he's uh, clinging to me and still clearly in pain. Not sure how deeply asleep he is."

"I see. Can you bring him here?"

Fox looked at Quinlan and sighed. "I don't think I can pry him off, it's like he's glued to me." 

"I will be there shortly then." Humerus hung up.

Fox waited, staring at Quinlan. He normally liked mornings when he woke up before Quinlan because he could go to the couch and see Quinlan at peace, looking content even. It wasn't a fake peace like Quinlan projected these days, but a real peace. 

Fox missed the old days. He hadn't known he could miss the obnoxious chaos of Quinlan. But he did. This Quinlan... it wasn't him. Quinlan was quiet and acted almost like he was stepping on eggshells. Quinlan backtracked anytime Fox expressed any irritation.

He didn't understand it. Quinlan had never had any qualms arguing with Fox before. Fox had liked that, even if he thought Quinlan was arrogant and obnoxious. 

And strangely, he found he missed Quinlan's brand of affection most of all. Missed how Quinlan would hang on him randomly, pat his back to congratulate him. Missed how they could just be and it wasn't a problem. 

Why had the marriage changed that? Fox couldn't figure it out. 

Especially because there were moments where Quinlan was genuine. He was sweet. When Fox rejected his advice for migraines, he didn't push. But he still did what he could to ease things for Fox, using dimmer lights, talking even quieter when he did speak, and even getting things like water for Fox if Fox so much as mentioned needing something.

It was kind of endearing how much Quinlan would act like a servant when Fox had a migraine, or even the rare times he was injured. And he seemed to genuinely worry about Fox those times. 

But the rest of the time he almost seemed scared. Scared of what, Fox didn't know, but he wanted to find out. He just could not seem to bridge the gap. 

Humerus arrived. He saw Fox, Quinlan almost completely on top of him and smirked, a quiet snicker escaping him. He was not much one for laughing, so Fox knew the sight had to be amusing him.

Humerus walked over and gave Quinlan a quick check without waking him. Then he gently shook Quinlan's shoulder. 

Quinlan grumbled and opened one eye. "Humor?" 

"Yes, that's me," Humerus nodded. "I wanted to see how you're feeling. Can you describe the symptoms?"

Quinlan shifted, not noticing that he was cuddling with Fox. "Sharp pain, here." He pointed. "Probably about an 8, was an 8 last night too. Light sensitive."

Considering he had one eye open and that eye was squinting, Fox believed him. The lights weren't set very high, just a little more than dim.

"Don't know if sound sensitive or scent sensitive, but probably, usually am. A bit nauseous, don't want to move, limbs feel kinda heavy... can I sleep now?"

"When did you last take something, and what was it?"

Quinlan listed a prescription that Fox recognized, and had not realized Quinlan had. "Last night, I guess? When I got back."

Humerus nodded. "Okay, let me give you a shot for it and we'll see how that works."

Quinlan tensed. "Shots don't work."

"This is a different one than what's in your file," Humerus said gently. "It's a more intense version of your prescription that can be injected. It was developed before the war and only just became more widely available. But I can just give you some other meds if you don't want to try it."

Fox wondered why Humerus was being so gentle about it. Did Humerus know the side effects of the shots? 

Quinlan nodded tensely and clung even tighter to Fox. 

Humerus injected the shot quickly. "Now get some rest, Quinlan."

"Thanks... Humor..." Quinlan yawned, closing his eye again. 

Fox and Humerus waited. After ten minutes there didn't seem to be any side effects and Quinlan was out, no longer grimacing or whimpering from the pain.

"I didn't realize he got migraines enough to have files on it..." Fox said quietly, still reeling. "I thought he was just being ridiculous and I didn't believe him last night."

Humerus gave him a look. "He seems to only have one trigger for migraines and he is generally good at avoiding it."

"What is the trigger?" Fox asked immediately. He wanted to be able to avoid it.

"It's not my place to say. That's his medical information to share." 

"But I'm his husband."

Humerus snorted. "He specifically said not to let you know anything because he does not trust you and apparently, you don't like him anyways. I'm not sure what you're doing, but you're karking up somewhere."

Fox stared at him then sighed. "Fine. What can I do?"

"Right now? Stay there. Have Thorn or someone bring you your work. You want him to trust you? Prove you can be trusted by not treating him badly for this. You also might actually want to take some time looking into Kiffar. I regret not doing so before getting his file and doing a check up because Kiffar are certainly not human and should not be treated as such. They are near human and probably share ancestors if nothing else, but they are still different with different needs. It was eyeopening."

"Send me the sites you recommend I read."

"Alright. I will do that." Humerus then gave him some instructions on what to do and what to look out for and when to call him before leaving.

Fox commed Thorn and requested his work be brought to him. Then he laid there and considered the conversation with Humerus. There was something he was missing. Something about Quinlan's behavior.

Why did Quinlan think that he didn't even like him? And if that's what he thought, why was he working so hard to accommodate Fox?

Fox considered what the best way to handle that was. He wanted to just talk to Quinlan and get it all over with but he suspected that would not go down well at all. Something was scaring Quinlan. Something made Quinlan feel like he had to do everything for Fox. 

...and Fox had yet to reciprocate, he realized. Quinlan had been taking time, even with the busy Council schedule, to learn his habits, learn his likes and dislikes. To learn what helped and didn't. Fox didn't do that. And in fact, had been irritated with his preference for sugars over artificial sugars. 

He tried to think about Quinlan's reaction the night before to it, but he had been so busy with work that he could not remember it exactly. But Quinlan's migraine had spiked, Fox had said he was being a baby, which he deeply regretted now, and he'd said something about it not being what Quinlan was used to... Quinlan had clammed up and left. 

The artificial sweeteners were a sore point, weren't they? Why?

Fox remembered how strict Dex was about making sure Fox knew which desserts had artificial sweeteners did and which didn't since Fox didn't want sugars. Fox hadn't even told Dex to do sugars for Quinlan, Dex just knew. So it had to be a big deal, but Fox had been determined to think the worst of Quinlan because he always did. 

Thorn knocked on the door.

"Come in," Fox responded. 

Thorn walked in, then stopped at the sight of Quinlan glued to Fox. "Uh..."

Fox sighed. "He's got a bad migraine, Humerus has already been by."

"Huh. He gets migraines? Never would have guessed."

"Me either. I guess he's just really good at avoiding his migraine trigger."

"Lucky him, then. Must be rough to be so careful and then trigger one anyways, though."

"Yeah, I was thinking about that.'

"Good luck on all that work."

Fox glared at him. "Alright, out."

Thorn laughed at him and left the room. 

Fox started the work, then dropped his datapad when it hit him. "Are artificial sweeteners the trigger?" He shook his head at the first thought of testing the theory came to mind. That was dumb and would do the opposite of earning trust. 

As he turned the theory over in his mind it made more and more sense. Quinlan would rather starve than eat artificial sweeteners, especially if he knows he can grab something elsewhere. The few times he did eat some, when Fox or others didn't warn him and he forgot to ask, he excused himself pretty quickly, and Fox didn't see him for days. Before the marriage anyways.

Which meant Fox had really screwed up there. Of course Quinlan didn't want to have any artificial sweeteners if they were a migraine trigger. That sucked. 

He resolved to do better and work on jumping to conclusions around Quinlan. He had always loved that Quinlan was the way he was, no matter how annoying, especially since Quinlan did have a soft side he rarely showed. Fox wanted to see that side more often. And besides, Quinlan also always acted dumb, but he really wasn't dumb. Maybe the part of him Fox knew was exaggerated for a similar reason, and was a habit?

Either way, Fox knew he had to do better by his husband if he wanted the chance to live amiably. 

.

Quinlan was confused as to what was going on after his migraine. He woke up a few times, too out of it to register where he was, eating a snack when someone offered.

Mid-afternoon, he woke up, completely lucid and pain down to bearable levels. He was a bit surprised the shot worked and no side effects. Sure, morning to mid afternoon with sleep was still six hours, but normally he wouldn't be up like this until twenty four hours after migraine onset at the absolute earliest. 

He would have to keep the shot in mind. 

But then he realized he was clinging to Fox. In bed. He frantically thought back and realized he had collapsed on the bed, not the couch... and when Humerus was checking on him, he was clinging to Fox, who didn't say anything, didn't move, and apparently didn't try to escape all day. He had to have gotten up a few times, but then came back? Why?

Fox never said a word to him about it, just asked if he was feeling better. 

Quinlan said he was and that was the end of that. He was back on the couch that night, embarrassed he had slept in Fox's bed after sticking to the couch so long. 

And Fox... Fox was treating him differently after that. He didn't seem annoyed, he never brought up artificial sweeteners again, and strangely, whenever Quinlan checked, Fox did get the things with sugars for him. And stuck mostly with Dex's once he realized Quinlan was being cautious. 

Quinlan wasn't sure what brought about the turnaround, but Humerus said he hadn't shared medical information with Fox. 

So Quinlan remained wary, and kept to his new normal habits. Quiet, doing his best not to draw attention to himself, even among the rest of the Guard. 

And then came the Senate summons. Quinlan didn't think twice about volunteering with Obi-Wan. It was when they were in Obi-Wan's rooms preparing for what they would say that it hit them what this meant. They wouldn't regret it but it meant they were stuck with husbands that did not want them. Cut off from their family. 

And worst of all, still at the mercy of the Senate. They spent hours meditating to deal with it all.

Quinlan was pleased that their responses were as effective as they'd hoped. They had dropped a hornet's nest on the Senate... and the galaxy as the Senate meeting was one of those publicized ones. They had to have regretted that choice by the end. 

Quinlan didn't like that he wouldn't be able to go to Dex's on a whim anymore. Didn't like that he had to have an escort like an errant kid. He could live without using the Force, though he knew they would think his psychometry was a Force ability so he would have to be carful. 

The community service hours were annoying but whatever, it couldn't be worse than some of the missions he had done. He'd seen the corporal punishments in the contract and while they wouldn't be fun, he could handle a bit of pain.

No, the worst part was handing over his lightsaber. They had known that was a possibility, and at least Fox was the one holding onto it, but it still hurt not having his lightsaber at his side, especially with Obi-Wan being the only Jedi anywhere near him.

At least they were dismissed after that. Quinlan followed Fox to their rooms and sat down on the couch, head in his hands. That had be difficult. He knew what he was getting into but it was still one of the hardest things he had ever done. Isolated from the Jedi, stuck on Coruscant. No lightsaber...

Fox put the lightsaber on the coffee table. Quinlan looked up in surprise.

"I'm not going to carry that around in our own rooms. Fine, we have to do that outside so that everyone can see we're following their rules, but I'm not forcing the issue here where you're supposed to be safe with me."

"Oh... Okay." Quinlan picked up his lightsaber, closing his eyes briefly. He put it back down. He didn't usually carry it around the rooms but it was a comfort that it was available whenever and not in someone else's hands. 

Fox sat down next to him, frowning. He'd ordered food from Dex's, Thorn was going to pick it up. He'd just told Dex that Quinlan needed some comfort food and gave him a short version of what happened. 

Quinlan didn't look at him, just staring at his hands as he contemplated the life he'd volunteered for. Knowing how much he loved Fox, while Fox didn't like him at all. He didn't want to keep living this life. Wished he could have left this pining behind. But that wasn't what happened. He was stuck here until he and Obi-Wan figured something out.

"I don't get it." Fox said. "You hate it here. Why did you volunteer to stay?"

Quinlan shrugged. "I don't know. Seemed like a good idea. Everyone else trusted their husbands so I knew they'd be happy to get out."

"But not you and Obi-Wan." Fox was still frowning. 

Quinlan didn't look up. "Yeah. Better for everyone. Someone was going to have to stay behind. Two Council members were requested for that meeting. There were other reasons Obi and I were best. Obi-Wan was closest to the situation, and I was a shadow so I know a lot of what was going on during the war when it came to investigations. Besides. I'm the newest member of the Council, it's not as much of a loss for me to stay behind compared to the others, especially with Obi-Wan already staying behind."

Fox frowned deeper. "Quin... I think you are worth more than that to the Council."

"Doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done. I'm stuck here for better or for worse." 

"Then maybe we should talk about how to make it easier on you." Fox was very concerned. 

"No, you don't need to do anything for me. You're already doing more than enough."

Fox was trying to formulate a response when he heard a knock at the door. He jumped up. It was Thorn with the food.

"Is it really true? The Jedi just... left? With most of the GAR?" Thorn asked as he handed Fox the bags. 

Fox nodded. "They did. Apparently there's a contract. And it's awful. But it hasn't been renewed in a while, don't know why they bothered renewing it when they haven't been able to negotiate for the last fifty years. I'll send it over to you."

"Oh boy... So... the Jedi aren't abandoning us?"

Fox sighed. "I get the feeling they weren't certain we wanted to go with them. They didn't talk to me, didn't talk to any of you. But then, when has any of us shown that we care about them? When have we shown that we trust them?" 

Thorn winced. "Alright, yeah that's fair. I'll... look at the contract and the public records."

Fox nodded. "Talk to everyone, I want everyone to have to facts and to not be gossiping around him. He may have volunteered to stay, but he's not having an easy time dealing with it."

"Right. I'll do that. Good luck."

Fox closed the door. After a sigh, he brought the food over to Quinlan. "Here's some food."

Quinlan sighed. "I'm not really hungry."

"Then start with this." Fox shoved the shake into his hand.

Quinlan blinked and stared at it, sipping at it. "Oh. Thanks."

"You're welcome." Fox separated out the food, appreciating the labels so he knew which was which. He piled Quinlan's in front of him and sat down next to him with his own food. 

He started eating. He was still trying to figure out how to talk to Quinlan. They had to get on the same page somehow. How could he help Quinlan if he didn't know what was going through his husband's head? 

And why was calling Quinlan his husband less weird and more... nice these days? ...he really did love his husband, didn't he? Kriff. When did that happen?

Quinlan started slowly eating his food. "How did you know what I would like?"

"I didn't. Asked Dex for comfort food." 

Quinlan stared at him. "Why would you do that?"

"Because you're upset and I thought that would help?"

"But you don't even like me."

"Whatever gave you that idea?"

"You're always annoyed with me, never happy to see me and you certainly didn't want to talk to me after the Senate made their decision that we had to be married."

Fox groaned. "That's not the case. I'm not... I'm not good at emotions and being annoyed at some things doesn't mean that I don't like you." 

"What?" Quinlan stared at him, doubly confused.

Fox sighed. "I was worried about the sugar thing because I care about you, Quin. I did not actually know that Kiffar aren't human until you said something, so I was using that standard and for a human you eat a lot of sugar. But I should have recognized that it was not affecting you negatively." 

Quinlan bit his lip and looked away. "And the migraine?"

"I'm terrible at acknowledging that my experiences aren't others and I had never seen you show any signs of a migraine before. I also was not paying very close attention when that migraine started and so I didn't really look close enough to see the signs I would have recognized. I called Humor when I realized it was bad the next morning. He didn't tell me what triggered it, but he said it was one trigger you could avoid, and I thought about everything and realized it was the artificial sweeteners... looking into Kiffar confirmed that was probably the case. And Quin? I'm really sorry for that."

Quinlan stared at him, fighting tears. "Okay... okay. What does that mean?"

"How about we talk about your change in behavior before we get into that?"

Quinlan looked down, picking at his food, though he was eating it, just slowly. Dex knew what would get him to eat, after all.

"What do you mean?" Quinlan wasn't sure where to begin and thought that was a safe enough question to ask.

"You have been way quieter, less enthusiastic, you aren't nearly as affectionate as you used to be, and now I know Kiffar need touch so that's concerning especially with the Jedi leaving, and you have been doing a lot for me without a word. You know all of my likes and dislikes, you get a pot of caf going for me in the morning while you're meditating, you do a bunch of things you shouldn't have to, and you seem to be doing all of that because you're scared. I snap at you and you fold and back track and apologize. That's not you." 

Quinlan let out a sigh. "You... noticed a lot. More than I thought you would. And... not because I think that lowly of you, not really. More that I've been... well... most people think that lowly of me. Very few really look past the curve to see who I am. Very few people know much about me at all. I don't... I'm not used to people figuring it out. Usually they see right through me right away and call me out or they never do."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm just the obnoxious lazy Jedi people don't think do much. That can't really be a shadow because I'm not subtle enough for it. I can't really be a Jedi. When are they going to kick me out? I need to stop hanging all over people, don't I know that's Obi-Wan Kenobi/Mace Windu/Kit Fisto. I'm too loud. I'm a troublemaker. How do I get anything done." Quinlan looked up at the ceiling, trying to contain his emotions, which had been harder lately, with the marriage and the tip-toeing.

Fox was too stunned to say anything.

"Never mind that I have one of the best records for the shadows over other active shadows, that I have records among the best of the Order, that none of those Jedi are actually bothered. Never mind that this is just me exaggerating my personality so that people underestimate me. At least I know it works well. Never mind that I did raise a padawan to Knighthood despite their concerns and I didn't even get to see her properly married because of this situation and..." Quinlan stopped and shook his head.

"Your padawan? Who?"

"Aayla. It's in my file, it's in her file and yet everyone seems to miss that."

"Oh. I saw that you had raised a padawan but didn't think to actually look at the name. I didn't think I'd recognize the name."

Quinlan nodded. "Sounds about right. As for how I've been acting... the contract played a large part of that. They may not technically have any power over us anymore, but it was better to make sure things went smoothly, and since I knew I annoyed you, I was doing my best to ensure there was no reason for you to complain about me and put everyone at risk."

"...You do know that's messed up, right?"

"Of course I do. But what choice did I have? Besides proper communication. You didn't seem interested in talking and you were so angry those first few days and weeks I thought that it wouldn't help and then I just... fell into comfortable patterns and didn't think they would be necessary anymore."

"Comfortable? That was comfortable?"

"In a way, yes. I knew what I could do to help, I was minimizing issues, and I was still able to go to the Temple every day. That's impossible now, but over all... Just because the pattern hurts doesn't mean it doesn't become comfortable when its the same thing over and over again."

Fox nodded slowly, trying to figure out the best way to talk to Quinlan. 

Quinlan opened the dessert. His eyes widened and a grin appeared. "Been a while since I had this..." He started eating it. 

Fox watched him, smiling slightly. It was good to see Quinlan so happy. It had been a while since he saw that particular grin. He wanted to see it more.

Quinlan noticed him staring. "What?"

 "You should smile like that more. It looks good on you." The words slipped out before he could stop himself. 

"...what?"

Fox sighed. "The thing is... I... I'm a bit of a grump. I have a resting bitch face. I get annoyed by things I also find endearing. There were days where I was more annoyed than others, usually because it was a bad day or there was a brewing migraine. But... I've missed how you've acted. Sure, maybe you could tone it down but all I've felt, seeing you so scared, is worried. And the more you focused on helping me, the more scared and desperate you seemed, the more I worried."

Quinlan stared at him, something clicking finally. "You were frowning a lot out of concern not because I was doing something wrong."

"Yes. This marriage... It's never been ideal. I've never been that interested in relationships. I didn't understand the appeal of even trying for it so I was really upset, angry, and even a bit nervous. I didn't know how this would go, and you've gone above and beyond trying to keep things normal, haven't you?"

"...I just wanted you to feel comfortable in your own room. I am the intruder." 

"You were the intruder. You live here now. You don't have anywhere else to go. You should be comfortable too."

"I'm okay."

"You keep your things stacked in boxes and move them depending on which ones you need. You leave nothing laying around. The only time you've ever slept in the bed was when you had that migraine. You're not a guest here, Quin. You live here."

"I don't..."

Fox got up and opened the box at the top of the stack, putting all of the contents in the bathroom. He collapsed the box afterwards and put it to the side.

"There. Now you don't need to unpack every day just for your daily routines."

"...thanks." Quinlan looked down, hiding his emotions as he kept eating his dessert.

"You're welcome. You really should make yourself at home, Quin. I don't like seeing you act like this. I don't like that you feel like the best option is to act like I'm someone to be scared of. For better or worse, we're married, and until we can figure out a solution, we should at least somewhat act like it."

"Why is this so important to you?"

"Because I love you!" Fox froze. He had barely wrapped his head around feeling that way for Quinlan. Had barely wrapped his head around the idea that a relationship was okay, so long as it was just Quinlan. And here he was, blurting it out for Quinlan to hear.

Quinlan dropped his dessert, staring at him. "What?" he whispered, stunned. "You do?"

Fox sighed and picked up the dessert, glad the plate landed nicely on the ground so it wasn't ruined. 

"I do. I... I'm not sure when it happened and I only just recently realized it. I wasn't planning on saying anything anytime soon because I never thought I would love anyone at all. I said that I was not sold on the concept of relationships."

Quinlan nodded slowly. He bit his lip as put his dessert down. He had never thought that Fox would ever feel the same way. He had only just found out that Fox didn't hate him. That Fox cared at all. And now...

Fox was alarmed when the first tear slipped out. "Quin?" He moved closer, pressing his leg against Quinlan's. He put a hand on Quinlan's. "Are you okay?"

Quinlan hugged him suddenly, actually crying. 

"Uh..." Fox wasn't sure what to do, but he patted Quinlan's back awkwardly. "It's okay?"

Quinlan let out a shaky laugh. "I'm sorry. I just... I love you too. And I've known for months. I hadn't.... I never thought you would feel the same way."

"Oh..." Fox hugged him, then it clicked. "Oh! You love you me?"

Quinlan nodded. "I do... I wasn't just doing things to keep things calm or out of obligation. I was doing it because along the way I fell in love with you."

"I'm glad to hear it..." Fox smiled slightly. "What do we do now?"

"We explore our relationship together. Build a solid foundation. Being married already shouldn't stop us from building from the ground up, making sure we're solid together every step of the way."

"Makes sense... we were idiots. We should have talked."

"Yeah, probably. I'm not sure how the conversations would have gone if we'd tried being open from the beginning, especially since I wasn't ready to trust you with a lot of things, and I'm sure there were things you didn't want to trust me with."

"We still should have placed our greater expectations on the table. I was anxious about living with someone like you, you did know you annoyed me and wanted to avoid being intrusive."

"Yeah, probably. But anxiety and insecurities do funny things to logic, no matter how we try to handle it better. As much as the other Jedi have worked things through with their husbands... they weren't much more forthcoming either, I don't think. Not at first. Not the ones forced into it."

"True. Well... how do you want to start?"

Quinlan shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we should share some stories from the past we're comfortable sharing?"

"That could be nice... I feel like I know nothing about you. And I've done research on Kiffar and I wonder how you got along in the Temple?"

"I still cuddled, cuddle piles are a thing in the creche and even among older Jedi. I may have wanted more cuddling, but they let me get away with it so long as those I was cuddling did not mind and I was otherwise well behaved."

Fox nodded. That did answer some questions. After a moment, he hesitated and started explaining how he had vague memories of cuddling being allowed when he was little, but once training started, that wasn't allowed anymore either.

And that started them talking well into the night about their different experiences. 

.

They worked things out, getting closer, and closer. Eventually Quinlan unpacked everything and got comfortable in the rooms. And he started sleeping in the bed with Fox once he was certain Fox was actually okay with cuddling. 

In the meantime, Cody and Obi-Wan continued to appear like they were at odds, and Fox and Quinlan were privy to their problems. They had not shared the problems with each other but that would change.

.

One day, Quinlan and Obi-Wan spent time in Fox and Quinlan's room while Fox and Cody spent time together elsewhere. 

Fox walked into his room after saying good bye to Cody and Obi-Wan to find Quinlan on the bed looking worried and contemplative about something.

"...something happen with Obi-Wan?" 

Quinlan sighed. "He's not doing well. And he's not letting me help. The only thing I can see that would help is if he took a plunge with his anxiety and talked to Cody." 

Fox tilted his head. "What is going on with Obi-Wan anyways? Cody was complaining about him being distant?"

Quinlan sat up properly. "Of course Obi-Wan is distant after being ghosted."

"What do you mean?" Fox asked, joining him. 

Quinlan leaned in. "I mean we hear about the decision the Senate came to, accepted it because it was probably the best deal we were going to get, Cody started getting distant from Obi-Wan and not talking when Obi-Wan was preparing for Cody to ask him. He was actually looking forward to it, you know. He loves Cody. Not ideal circumstances, but it wasn't like you and me. And then Cody just stopped contacting him, stopped responding to anything for a month before we were forced into the marriages." 

Fox actually considered that, biting his tongue. "You know... I hadn't thought about how it would have looked to Obi-Wan, how it would have felt for him... that's awful. He felt like Cody rejected him, didn't he?"

"Yeah. Still feels that way. They could have talked it through, but Cody made it clear he didn't want to marry Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan's been living with that knowledge this entire time, knowing this isn't what Cody wanted, and trying to pretend he doesn't still love Cody, and of course, there's not much trust left there either. Cody's been pretty clear about his feelings."

Fox groaned. "No, he's a kriffing idiot who should have talked because you're right, his actions are sending clear indications of his feelings that aren't actually reality."

Quinlan blinked. "Oh, really?"

"Cody was the main one negotiating with the Senate. He had the final say. The marriage agreement was the first idea that he felt even somewhat okay with, and he was worried they'd start pushing harder, so he agreed. But he felt really guilty about it and didn't want to force anything onto Obi-Wan. Thought Obi-Wan would blame him. And he felt it was too soon, they weren't ready for that step yet."

Quinlan groaned. "So instead of talking it out, he decided it was better to just pretend their relationship didn't happen at all, and left Obi-Wan feeling like he didn't want to be married, didn't want Obi-Wan."

Fox nodded. "I don't think he's really thought it through how Obi-Wan would feel through all this, and he really should have. Poor Obi-Wan. At least our not communicating was silly on both sides and easily resolved. We didn't cause too much real hurt or damage. But Cody... No wonder Obi-Wan is distant and reluctant to trust Cody. He shattered it."

Quinlan nodded. "So what are we going to do about it? We know what is going on with them, and we know they need to talk. How are we going to get them to talk?"

"That... is going to be harder than it sounds... Cody's stubborn."

"And talking at all will require trust Obi-Wan no longer has."

"We're going to have to brainstorm what it will take to get them to talk it out. I don't want to betray Cody's trust and I know you don't want to betray Obi-Wan's, so we can't tell them the truth."

"Yeah... we'll figure it out."

.

It took some creativity but they got Cody and Obi-Wan to talk.

And shortly after that, a plan Fox had started cooking up with the remainder of the clones on Coruscant combined with a delegation from Kiffu showing up to protest one of their own forced into a loveless marriage. That was all the opening they needed.

Quinlan and Obi-Wan were reunited with the Jedi. 

Quinlan never bothered divorcing his husband. He and Fox were now happy together, even if many never understood their relationship.