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You watched as the members of the 212th battalion went around and around on the ice. Some of them were more confident than others- even the General and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was gliding gracefully across the ice. He was mesmerizing to watch; it was almost as if he had wings. You'd thought he must have done this a million times before, but then again, you figured he had plenty of help through the use of the Force.
You had your skates on, but as the battalion's medic, you felt it a duty to make sure nobody got injured, even if ice skating was a million times less deadly than an actual battle. You had skated a couple of rounds with the men but you felt like you'd be able to keep a better watch from the sidelines.
You couldn't help but worry about them. You had grown very close to the clones over the course of the war. You were conflicted with your own inner feelings about it though. You knew there were those who were apathetic towards the war, and those who thought of the clones with disgust- or as less than human. But you had seen them in action and gotten to know them as individuals. Each one had their own name and personality and they cared so much for each other. They were loyal to the Republic, almost to a fault. You struggled with the knowledge that the clones were basically slaves to a Republic that condemned slavery, but the clones themselves either didn't realize this or didn't let it bother them. They were bred for war, but you knew they deserved so much better. You kept a stiff upper lip when treating their wounds, but internally your anxiety skyrocketed whenever someone got hurt.
You smiled and waved as Waxer and Boil skated by, the former helping the latter keep his footing. You shook your head with a laugh as Boil lost his footing again. You could tell he was just fine by the way he was laughing his ass off while sitting on the ice. Longshot skated by, giving you a double thumbs up as he swerved around the two.
"Doing okay, Wooley?" You asked, as he made his way around the rink. He was clinging to the edge and you could see his legs wobbling as if he might slip any second.
"Ha, well mir'ika, it beats getting shot at, that's for sure," he huffs, as he makes his way in front of you. You give his glove a pat as he passes.
"You're doing great, keep at it!" You encourage him, "the ice has nothing on you!"
He looks back and gives you a big grin, though he stumbles a little as he does. You move to help him, but he reinforces his grip, assuring you that he's fine. You give him a thumbs up and look back over the ice. As you do, your breath catches when you see him.
Commander Cody.
He was halfway across the ice heading your way. His hat and mittens matched the bright orange of his battalion's colors. He was skating tall and fluidly. He skated the way he led his men: with complete coolness and confidence. You two made eye contact, and he gave you a small smile. You watched as he sped up a little, and then turned around and skated backwards for a moment. When he turned, his eyes immediately seeked yours, and he gave you a slightly bigger smile when he saw that you had still been watching him. He continued towards you as he did a small spin.
He stopped right in front of you.
"Having fun, mir'ika?" He asked, with a soft voice. He was hanging onto the railing, almost as if he was going to slip. All of his former confidence on the ice seemed to have dissipated the closer he got to you. "Don't you want to skate a little more?"
You felt your face get a little warmer at his changed demeanor. He was so collected on the battlefield or when he was discussing strategy with General Kenobi. . . But he always seemed nervous around you. At first it worried you sick, and you were thankful you spent most of your time in the medbay surrounded by ailments to help calm your nerves. It was important to you that the commander you worked under trusted you with the health of his men. After a while, your nerves eased as more of the men warmed up to you, eventually becoming a treasured member of the group and even given a nickname by the clones. Commander Cody had always been respectful, and kind, but he always seemed unnerved in the medbay even when you tried your utmost to assuage his tenseness. His pulse was usually unusually higher than normal, but you figured that leading an entire battalion of your brothers in the middle of a war would warrant a high blood pressure and pulse.
"I wanted to make sure nobody got seriously hurt," you replied, "I feel like I can see better from out here. If I'm doing rounds, I might miss someone falling."
Cody felt his heartbeat pick up. You were extremely diligent and dedicated to improving the lives of his brothers. He couldn't help but feel warm at your admission- this was supposed to be a team building experience...but his vod knew what it actually was: they were on leave and they deserved to have a good time. And that included you.
Cody cleared his throat a little before speaking.
"Everyone's having a lot of fun, and they're all okay. These are some of the finest men in the Grand Army of the Republic, mir'ika, they can handle a little slip."
He was looking down at his skates, sliding them back and forth as he stood there. At first, a jolt of panic shot through you. Was the commander condemning you for being too serious on what you knew was supposed to be finally a fun shore leave? Maker knew the clones deserved it. But after a second of thought, you softened at the clone in front of you. You thought you might as well have some fun while it lasted.
"Are you suggesting I abandon my duties, commander?"
Cody's head snapped up at your question. His grip tightened on the railing, and he opened his mouth to answer before shutting it again.
You couldn't help but give a laugh. "Or are you offering to skate with me for a while?"
He cleared his throat and nodded his head. He could feel the heat in his cheeks and wondered if you could feel it radiating off of him in waves.
"I- I think it would be good for the men to see you participate. They... want you to have a good time. We all do."
You smiled at Cody and made your way onto the ice. You skated up to him, and he almost looked a little panic-stricken but held out his arm regardless. You smiled and took it and the both of you took off.
You glided with ease next to Cody, who seemed to have forgotten all his previous vigor. You went along wondering if you were actually the one stabilizing him.
Trapper sped up and passed the both of you, doing a small spin as he did. He got close enough to Cody to make him stumble a bit. He huffed and looked down at you. You raised an eyebrow and nodded your head once towards Trapper in response. Cody got the message- he smiled at you and you let go of his arm. He sped off to catch up to Trapper, doing a circle around him. You laughed at Trapper's surprise, and Cody gave you a bright smile. He set off again and did a few more twirls, each one a little faster and more impressive than the last. Each time, he looked to you almost as if for approval.
If he was being honest with himself, it pleased him to see you so happy and carefree. More often than not, you had the steely look of determination on your face when you were tending to the injured, though Cody could tell that underneath that cool, hard and serious exterior lay worries and doubts. He could tell because he often did the same thing. Leading men into battle and seeing his brothers die was enough to break anybody down, but Cody knew his vod looked up to him for a sense of security and control.
But shore leave was different. This was a time for the clones to have fun, destress, and in some cases, go wild, though Cody strongly discouraged that. One too many calls about shinies causing a ruckus from Fox had gotten Cody to learn his lesson and steer his men from doing anything too crazy. But here on the ice, with all his vod padded and cozied up, Cody didn't see any harm in a few bumps and bruises. His vod were pretty tough; they were bred to be so.
Cody skated back towards you, smiling as he did so. His cheeks and nose were dusted with a reddish hue against his deep golden skin. He made it up to you, and you could see hesitation in his hands. You smiled, and grabbed one and held it as you skated forward.
"That was very impressive, Commander," you smiled up at him, "is there anything you're not good at?"
At this, Cody's hand gripped yours tighter. He looked down at you, and you could see part of his scar peeking from under his hat. His eyes were bright and he looked more flustered than anything. You smiled brightly at him, and gave his hand a squeeze back.
You broke eye contact just in time to see Waxer and Boil, who were making their wobbly way across the ice, right in front of you both. You gripped Cody's hand tight, and made a yelp as you both crashed into the pair of clones.
"Waxer! Boil! I'm so sorry, are you okay?" you asked, as you scrambled to get up and help bring them to their feet.
Both gave a booming laugh and smiled up at you. "We're fine, mir'ika, but the commander's not looking too hot."
Adrenaline immediately flooded your body as you looked to Cody, who was still sprawled out on the ice. He let out a low groan as he tried sitting up.
You got down on your knees to check him.
"Are you okay, Cody?" You asked, frantically looking over his body for any injuries. "Did you hurt anything? Can you stand?"
Cody managed to sit up, and looked at your face, which was full of worry and emotion and he was never more sure in his life that he was in love with you than at that moment. He grabbed one of your bare hands with his gloves- you had ripped them off when you knelt next to him- and you gave him a puzzled look. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears, and wondered if you could hear it too.
"Mir'ika," he said in a thick voice, "I'm okay. I...think I better join you on the sidelines for a while though, if that's okay." He didn't want to admit it, but his tailbone hurt quite a bit. He took a hard fall on his ass when you two had been distracted and knocked into Waxer and Boil.
You noticed Cody wince as you helped him up. You both made your way slowly to the entrance of the rink, and you sat Cody down on one of the benches that lined the rink.
"Are you sure you're okay?" You asked, trying to give him a stern look but faltering.
He gave you another smile, reassuring you that he just needed a break. You nodded, and told him to wait there for you to get back. He watched you leave, cursing himself for causing you to worry. You headed off to find him a blanket. Once retrieved, you brought that and two hot chocolates back to Cody, who had remained in his seat just as you instructed.
He smiled as you wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, and thanked you for the hot chocolate. You stood there contemplating him for a moment before speaking.
"You know you don't have to get injured just to see me, right?"
Cody choked on his hot chocolate at your comment, and you couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm sorry Cody," you said smiling and sincerely, "it's my fault you got hurt. I wasn't paying attention."
He was quick to counter you, blaming himself for being distracted. His cheeks were flooded with a dark red color, and you warmed at the sight. You sat down next to him, taking one edge of the blanket and putting it over your own shoulder. You were sat thigh to thigh with the clone. You looked up at him and smiled. You could tell he was tense.
"You know, it's a medical secret, but I think I might have the perfect ailment for you."
Cody furrowed his brows and looked at you quizzically. You giggled again and breached the space between you two. Your lips met his and he went rigid against you, until softening and melting into the kiss. He finally broke the kiss to come up for air, and rested his forehead against your own. Cody closed his eyes and willed his heartbeat to slow down lest it beat right out of his chest.
"Thank you, mir'ika, I think that did just the trick. I feel much better now."