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Cody had been dealing with the cadets all day. The Negotiator was currently docked and undergoing some routine maintenance. They weren’t needed anywhere in the galaxy. And instead of getting a few days off, the cadets from Kamino came as part of a hands-on learning experience.
His batch didn’t get to have anything like that. The Jedi hadn’t been aware of their existence at that point. The current cadets had different training. And much less of it before they were thrown into this war.
It pained Cody, but he knew that it wasn’t something he could change. What he could do, was show them and teach them all he knew. All the little things nobody bothered to mention on Kamino. The things that really mattered. Small things that could save their lives one day.
They didn’t fully grasp the reality of the war yet. The cadets were excited about being on the massive ship, about talking to at this point veteran soldiers. They wanted to get out there and join the good fight.
The training dragged on and by the time Cody was finally on his way to his and Obi-Wan’s quarters aboard the Negotiator, it was well into the night. Nobody here really cared about their commanding officers sharing a room. They were in the middle of a war, facing unimaginable horrors and death every day, comfort was hard to find and nobody questioned how people found it.
Not on this ship, anyway.
Cody had enough mind to strip out of his armor. He put it away, not as properly as he would have liked, but he had no strength left. Both mental and physical. He was utterly drained.
When he slipped under the covers, Obi-Wan stirred. Cody had tried to be as silent as he could, but Obi-Wan was a light sleeper. Without opening his eyes, Obi-Wan pulled him closer and into a warm embrace.
“How was today?” he asked, words slurring a little.
Cody tangled their legs, bringing them even closer. “How did you manage this every day?” He sighed into his partner.
“This?”
“Anakin. Taking care of him for all those years.”
“I don’t even really know,” Obi-Wan said, more awake now. He rubbed circles into Cody’s tense back muscles.
“They’re still just kids. They don’t know what’s waiting for them out there.”
“We can’t protect them from the world.”
“I wish we could.”
“Yeah, Cody, me too.” He kissed Cody’s temple. “Me too.”