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The first Cody heard of Quinlan Vos was from his brother Fox.
Quinlan Vos was the idiot Jedi that the Guard arrested while he was undercover.
Everything Fox said about Quinlan had Cody shaking his head. Quinlan sounded like a lot of chaos. He didn't even sound like a real Jedi by how he acted.
Over the next several months, he heard a lot about that damn Jedi until he finally met Quinlan when Vos was going on a mission with Obi-Wan.
He was a bit over the top, and even seemed to annoy Obi-Wan. Cody was glad he wasn't going on that mission.
Then months later, he heard from Fox about Vos again.
He was infuriated. Vos had gotten Fox hurt and Fox was cursing up a storm about ever trusting Quinlan or having a crush on him.
Cody never trusted Vos after that, and glared daggers every time he saw Vos. One day he would make sure Vos paid for hurting his brother who was under enough stress as it was.
.
Quinlan first heard of Cody when Obi-Wan met his commander.
It was all good things at first. Then things started seeming a bit off... Obi-Wan was a bit jumpy, especially around any medical personnel.
Obi-Wan was quieter, and didn't engage in banter as before. He seemed more exhausted and skinny than ever.
Eventually Quinlan got it out of Obi-Wan.
Cody was concerned about Obi-Wan, as were the medics. They were trying to keep Obi-Wan healthy, and were trying to curb his supposedly bad habits.
Quinlan winced. No wonder Obi-Wan wasn't well rested. He could not sleep on a normal person's schedule, but five hours later, he could sleep the required eight hours, if he had the time. He had to be absolutely exhausted to go to bed at normal person time.
Obi-Wan wasn't eating as well because they kept forcing food on him that he didn't want or like, so he avoided eating out of his office and relied on his usual snacks.
There were other things causing stress and Quinlan cursed Cody for all of them.
Cody was causing Obi-Wan a lot of stress and insecurities that Obi-Wan had overcome years ago.
Quinlan vowed to be careful around Cody and never trust him. He had hurt Obi-Wan, Quinlan's best friend. He wouldn't make Cody pay, that wasn't the Jedi way. But if Quinlan made sure that some pranks made their way to Cody a little worse than they would have been otherwise? Well, no one would know.
After his falling out with Fox, Quinlan decided to do his best to keep showing up at the 212th, using any reasonable excuse he could.
Even if Cody seemed to hate him for some reason that had Obi-Wan confused and Quinlan suspected had to do with Fox.
Because supporting Obi-Wan was way more important than being treated like dirt by someone who thought they had the full story.
Quinlan pretended it didn't bother him (it totally did) and continued to be himself.
After all, most people didn't care for him being himself, but that didn't mean anything in the end.
Because he knew the important people didn't care. He was a Jedi regardless.
.
Quinlan cursed at all the ways this investigation was going wrong. It was supposed to get them very important intel. And it did. Just not the intel they were expecting.
Then the whole place started collapsing on them, as a huge structure built on a mountain (and not in the mountain).
Quinlan found his way through the rubble once the dust settled. He thought he saw Obi-Wan get away from the worst of it. But Cody wasn't fast enough...
Quinlan checked with the Force as he moved, ignoring the bruises he was sure he was forming from the collapse of the base and tumbling down the mountain a ways.
He shivered and looked up, frowning. That was right... it was winter on this planet, meaning lots of snow. Especially in the mountains.
He shook his head and went back to looking for Cody.
He had accumulated a nice pile of supplies before he managed to find Cody under a wall.
He pulled Cody out and checked on him, sighing when he found a concussion. At least it looked like nothing was broken.
Quinlan pulled Cody over to a safer area and then built up a shelter, stopping to stretch and test his limbs when ever there was a sharp pain.
He was pretty sure he had more than just bruises, but he didn't have time for that.
Cody needed him to keep him safe until either they were rescued, or until they decided he was well enough to try to climb back up.
The only part of the base that was built into the mountain was the hangar and they could use that to get off the planet, if they didn't find Obi-Wan or anyone else before then.
Quinlan brought all the supplies he had found over to the makeshift shelter, and then took stock of what he had, and how much of each thing. He would have to try to find some more, but it would do for now. He didn't want to walk away from Cody until Cody woke up.
He should have expected Cody's anger when Cody woke up. He would be the last person Cody wanted to see.
He waited until Cody got his rant out of the way.
"I found some supplies, and made a shelter. You have a concussion. I wouldn't recommend going anywhere until you have at least mostly recovered, since I'm fairly certain we're going to have to climb back up the mountain," Quinlan explained calmly.
Cody groaned. "Wonderful. And I'm stuck with you."
"Yes."
Cody eyed him suspiciously.
And so the days started. It was not going to go well from here on out, Quinlan knew. Not that it had gone well at all from the beginning.
As Quinlan prepared a meal, he ignored Cody's vitriolic words mocking him and accusing him of not doing it properly.
Then he ignored Cody being grumpy about following the usual recommendations with concussions.
"If it's mild, it'll only last a few days. If it's not mild... you'll still be better in a few days and we can decide on moving then."
Cody cursed him out and threw a bit of debris at him.
Quinlan was surprised and so, didn't dodge. He rubbed where it hit his chest, grateful it wasn’t something sharp or heavy.
"It's your concussion talking, I doubt you would be saying these things to my face if you didn't have a concussion."
"I hate you," Cody snarled. "Stop being so cheerful. You're no Jedi!"
Quinlan hummed. "Not what my files say, but believe you want I suppose."
Cody threw his empty plate at Quinlan.
Quinlan caught it this time. "Must you? Like it or not, you're reliant on me, and we're going to get out of this or not."
"Maybe I don't care if I make it out if it means that you don't get out!"
Quinlan flinched back, surprised. Then he shook his head. "Well. Get some rest."
"No."
Quinlan rolled his eyes. "You really need to get some sleep, Cody. Isn't that what you're always telling Obi?"
Cody spluttered. "I uh, that's different! Obi-Wan doesn't take care of himself! I know my limits!"
"Sure. And recommendations do say rest will help you heal faster. So if you don't want to rest, well. Take that risk as you wish."
Cody grumbled and settled down to sleep.
Quinlan sighed in relief when Cody finally fell asleep. He double checked the supplies and resumed looking for anything that could be useful.
He didn't find any way to try to communicate with Obi-Wan. That was unfortunate, as it did mean he would have to endure all of Cody's hateful comments alone until they were to safety.
He was worried, too. Such uncontrollable anger was a bad sign. He hoped Cody would recover well and at least be able to restrain his anger in the future.
The next few days went slowly. Quinlan continued taking care of Cody, bandaging the wound on his head, and making sure Cody was starting to recover.
Cody sat through all of that grumpily the rare times he didn't have things to say.
Quinlan found more supplies and started figuring out how to pack things for them to carry it up the mountain so that if they couldn't do it in one day, which was likely, they had enough for a few days. It was difficult to find enough though.
He was pleased when he found some ropes and other things that would come in handy, along with some coats to keep them warm.
On the fourth day, he woke up before Cody and started his usual search. This time he found some hand warmers and blankets. The blankets would take up space but if they had to spend the night on the mountain, possibly without a shelter, the blankets would definitely help.
Once he was satisfied and had the bags packed, he stretched again.
He frowned at the sharp pain in his shoulder. The other pains were going away. That one was stubbornly sticking around. He wondered what he'd done to his shoulder. Probably just a sprain but it was going to make climbing different.
Oh well. It wasn't like he was unused to operating with injuries. He could take care of his injuries as soon as they arrived to safety.
Quinlan got breakfast ready and then woke up Cody.
Cody grumbled at him and ate his breakfast.
Then he let Quinlan examine him.
"Looks like the concussion is mostly healed. I think. Hard to tell without being able to properly scan. You should be fine for climbing. Which means we should set out today."
"Finally!" Cody jumped up, knocking Quinlan off balance.
Quinlan flailed for a moment before landing on his butt. He winced and tested his shoulder before he stood up. It didn't feel worse but the flailing had hurt it.
Cody selected a bag and glanced through the contents before he finally nodded approvingly.
Quinlan put on the coat he found and then the bag. "Let's start climbing."
Cody nodded and started off without a word.
Quinlan hurried to keep up.
Luckily, they didn't have to climb up the whole time. They did need to hike some steep slopes, but it was rare that they needed to use their arms to pull themselves up to the next part of the mountain.
Cody didn't say a word to Quinlan the whole time they climbed.
Quinlan didn't say a word either, relieved that Cody seemed to have run out of spiteful words to say.
And he still didn't quite get Cody's beef with him. He knew it had something to do with Fox and their fallout but he was certain that Cody thought something happened that didn't.
Quinlan didn't think he had done anything worthy of being treated like this, anyways.
The first day of climbing went well, and they even found a cave for the night.
Quinlan made sure not to sleep anywhere near Cody, even if it would be good for body heat. He had a feeling Cody wouldn't appreciate him being clingy and did not want a rude awakening.
The second day, there was a blizzard. They kept climbing anyways, staying close enough to hear each other.
Neither wanted to wait for help if they could help it.
They made it a good ways and then found a spot with trees that sheltered them from the worst of the storm.
Neither slept well that night.
The third day of climbing wasn't any better.
Even better, there was an avalanche they didn't see or hear coming.
Quinlan found himself trapped under a tree and buried in snow when everything finally came to a stop. He groaned and broke through the snow enough to breathe. He was relieved that he had ended up so close to the surface.
He couldn't figure out how to get free, so he resigned himself to waiting. He couldn't even tell if Cody had made it out.
It took a few hours, but then he heard Cody calling for him.
"I'm over here!" He yelled.
It took some more exchanges before Cody found him.
Cody stared at him in surprise, all signs of anger and hate disappearing momentarily.
Quinlan let out a sigh of relief as Cody dug him out and got the tree off of him.
Cody grabbed his arms and pulled him up.
Quinlan yelped as his legs gave out and he ended up face down in the snow. When he tried to push himself up, his arms were shaking and aching. He couldn't do it. He whimpered as his shoulder gave in.
It was only then he became aware of just how much everything hurt.
Quinlan groaned and removed his bag before rolling onto his back. "I don't think I can walk."
Cody sighed. "Fine. I saw a cave earlier." He grabbed the bag and sorted out the supplies before he picked up Quinlan.
Quinlan flailed for a moment before hissing and leaning into Cody. He had not expected Cody to pick him up right then. He had half expected Cody to decide to leave him behind.
Cody didn't say a word as he carried Quinlan to the cave.
Quinlan wasn't sure what to expect out of Cody. Not with how much Cody hated him.
Cody set him down and got a fire going after checking to see if the smoke would vent out.
Quinlan laid on the ground and stared at the ceiling. It was actually a bit terrifying being at the mercy of someone who hated him. He doubted he could do anything if Cody tried to do something.
He knew Cody was considered a professional who tried not to leave anyone behind, but he still half expected Cody to take the opportunity and abandon him.
Cody took out the blankets and spread one out before turning one of the bags into a makeshift pillow.
Then he moved Quinlan over to the blanket before he started taking off layers carefully to figure out what was wrong with Quinlan.
Quinlan added quiet notes about what hurt the most and where Cody should check. Quinlan did have a bit more than first aid knowledge of healing, and it greatly helped out here.
Their best guesses included a lot of broken bones, some sprains, and a dislocation, though with some of the pain Quinlan had, he worried about tearing some important ligaments like the ACL with how he had been tossed around.
As the day wore on, Quinlan felt a bit worse, like he was getting sick.
He remembered he had felt like he was being stabbed by a branch at one point, and he didn't think it had been something they had found on checking him over. In fact, laying down hurt quite a lot.
"Uh, Cody?" He spoke up.
"What?" Cody snapped.
Quinlan shrank back; being in pain and feeling sick had his emotions a little more at the forefront, and a little harder to control. "I... I think we missed something. My back, we didn't check that..."
Cody sighed, muttering to himself about how it was probably nothing.
He helped Quinlan roll on to the side that would be the last painful to lay on.
Cody immediately cursed. He started cleaning up the wound. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but it was looking red and angry. He added a little batca to a bandage and got it fixed in place.
All they had for bacta was a tube, so he was being careful with it so it would last.
"How do you want to sleep?" Cody asked before helping Quinlan back onto his back.
"Back is best," Quinlan mumbled tiredly. The day was finally starting to hit him and he just wanted to sleep.
Cody nodded and got him on his back.
By the time he was done making dinner, Quinlan was asleep.
Cody stared at him then set the dinner aside. He still wasn't sure how Quinlan found more than just ration bars in the wreckage of the base, but he wasn't going to protest it.
Especially not the meat that Quinlan found. That especially was going to help them survive.
Of course, now Cody wasn't sure how they would get further with how injured Quinlan was.
Cody decided to give Quinlan a few days before making that decision.
Cody ate his food and stored the leftovers that Quinlan didn't eat safely, planning on that being breakfast.
He went to sleep a bit after that, with nothing better to do.
He woke up to whimpering.
Cody prepared to ignore it, but then he heard Quinlan muttering about Fox.
That got his attention, so he sat up, and was a bit surprised to realize Quinlan was worried about Fox dying. He wondered where that nightmare had come from.
He debated waking Quinlan, and then sighed before he crawled over and shook Quinlan.
Quinlan didn't wake.
Cody shook him harder, but Quinlan just kept having the nightmare.
It was then that Cody realized something wasn't right.
He did a check over every injury, ending with the wound on Quinlan's back. He cursed when he saw that it had gotten infected.
He cleaned it out carefully, then applied a bit more bacta before putting the bandage back on.
Then he settled Quinlan down and debated on what to do with Quinlan and his fever, and other symptoms.
The fact that Quinlan wasn't waking was worrying.
Cody took out all the supplies and discovered that Quinlan had found some antibiotics. He sighed in relief. He didn't know how well these ones would work, but he would just have to take that risk.
If they would slow down the infection, that would give Cody time to figure out what to do.
They were a bit off-course for getting back to the base. He thought that without the avalanche they might have even reached it that day or before midday the next day.
But now... Cody wasn't sure how far it was, and he wasn't sure he could make it up there. He sighed and looked at Quinlan.
If he was not such a professional, he would be tempted to just leave Quinlan behind. Quinlan was a nuisance.
But... Quinlan had taken care of him and his concussion without complaint. Had weathered all the angry words and hateful speech without a single flinch. Cody thought it did hurt him, but he never showed it. He never treated Cody with anything less than careful respect, trying to help him recover and not even arguing when Cody said no to some things.
Cody frowned. Why would Quinlan do that? Why was he being so nice about it? Why wasn't he arguing back?
Why was Quinlan worried about Fox dying after he hurt Fox?
Cody sighed and looked at Quinlan.
Quinlan was no longer having a nightmare, it looked like but he was not looking good... he looked even more ill than when Cody first noticed that something wasn't right.
Time would tell if the antibiotics would work.
Cody settled back down to sleep.
It wasn't long before he was again woken to Quinlan whimpering in the midst of a nightmare.
Cody groaned and debated ignoring him this time, but dragged himself up to at least check on Quinlan.
He wasn't looking better, but he wasn't looking worse either.
He still couldn't be woken.
Cody sighed and checked everything over, changed bandages where they needed to be changed and by the time Cody was done, the nightmares were gone.
There was a problem though. Quinlan's arm was wrapped around his leg.
Cody sighed and carefully pulled himself free of the arm. He was not going to punish Quinlan for this. He was sick. He probably didn't even realize what he was doing, this time.
The third time Cody woke to nightmares, he gave up on sleep. He checked over Quinlan again and this time he saw the moment Quinlan relaxed from the nightmare.
It was the moment Quinlan's arm wrapped around his leg again. This time Quinlan's head was leaning on his calf as well.
Cody stared. So maybe Quinlan did need touch more than he had assumed. Some people did need more touch than others.
Cody sighed and shifted out of the kneeling position. Then he laid down, carefully pressing his side against Quinlan's, trying not to jostle any injury.
Quinlan nestled his face against Cody's shoulder almost immediately and let out a sigh.
It was kind of adorable.
Cody grumbled at himself and settled in for the rest of what was turning out to be a long night.
He jolted awake some time later and squinted at the ceiling. Did he really fall asleep?
Well, he was rather comfortable.
When had Quinlan moved into a full on snuggle?
Cody sighed then checked Quinlan over carefully before moving Quinlan in order to take care of the bandages once more.
Everything was looking quite a bit better than his last check. He frowned. Strange. They had looked like they were barely improving the last time he checked. But now they were well on the way to healing.
Cody shook his head and started getting breakfast going. He debated on trying to wake up Quinlan, but decided to wait. They weren't going anywhere that day anyways. He did need to figure out what to do.
After eating and leaving a bowl near Quinlan in case he woke up, Cody left the cave and checked the surrounding area.
He found some downed trees and many branches. Big ones. Could he...?
He looked up at where he could see the edge of the wreckage. Yes, it looked doable... It was going to take a bit to be ready, though.
Cody selected some of the branches and brought it to the cave to work.
Quinlan was sitting up and eating carefully, wincing with each movement.
"Oh, you're up."
"Yeah," Quinlan said quietly. "What were you doing?"
"Brainstorming. I think I can make something of a sled and drag you up the mountain most of the way, since I doubt you're going to be able to walk anytime soon."
Quinlan nodded. "Good idea. Thank you for the food."
Cody shrugged. "You're welcome."
There was an awkward silence as Cody started working on figuring out how to build the sled.
Quinlan had laid back down and was staring at the ceiling.
Cody didn't know why he wasn't talking, but he didn't like it.
Quinlan was hard to get to shut up, normally. It was like he loved the sound of his voice. Cody never understood how anyone could stand it. Obi-Wan even would hold an entire conversation without pausing his work.
The silence got to Cody. "You had an infection," he said before he could stop himself. "I'm not sure on the doses on the antibiotics I found, but I gave you one dose last night."
Quinlan nodded. "Can I see the bottle?"
Cody tossed it to him.
Quinlan looked at it and hummed thoughtfully before telling Cody what the doses would be.
Cody memorized it but figured Quinlan would probably be on top of it now that he was awake.
After more silence, Cody sighed. "I only noticed the infection because you had some nightmares and wouldn't wake."
"Nightmares? ...oh. Yes, now I remember." Quinlan sounded sad and exhausted just at the thought of the nightmares.
Now that was interesting. Cody didn't want to dwell on this, but... why was Quinlan so down about the nightmare?
Cody wasn't going to ask... but he was curious.
Quinlan did not start talking about them.
Cody found that odd. He thought Quinlan would just start talking about them because Quinlan didn't know boundaries. He just did what he wanted. So why didn't Quinlan want to talk about them?
Another few minutes and Cody couldn't hold it in. Again.
"You were telling Fox not to die."
To his surprise Quinlan flinched. "Yeah. That's... a twisted memory."
"Is it?" Cody asked, surprised.
"Yeah." Quinlan didn't elaborate.
Cody frowned. More instances of Quinlan not behaving as he expected Quinlan to behave. Why? Why was it about Fox?
After all, it was Quinlan who hurt Fox. Why would he have nightmares about Fox dying? It made no sense. And Quinlan didn't even want to talk about it.
Cody frowned as he worked. He glanced over at Quinlan from time to time, but Quinlan had found ways to occupy himself aside from staring at the ceiling.
Cody kept his mouth shut until after he had made them a lunch.
Quinlan accepted it and ate slowly.
Cody ate and then watched him. "You normally talk more than this."
Quinlan gave him an unimpressed look. "Why would I risk annoying the reason I'm not dead right now? You could abandon me and no one would know."
"Why would I do that?" Cody asked, offended.
"You hate me. And for some, that kind of feeling will override even their professionalism." Quinlan didn't even look at him as he stated it matter-of factly. He finished his lunch and set the bowl down before getting comfortable once more.
Cody stared at him. "You know?"
Quinlan stared at him. "Jedi. We can feel emotions in the Force. And..." he grimaced. "Psychometry. You leave hatred for me on everything you touch when I'm around."
Cody started cleaning up from lunch so he didn't have to look at Quinlan. "Oh." So Quinlan knew Cody hated him, and was being careful? That explained some. Still, it was weird. Quinlan was never normally bothered by it. Was he? Or maybe he was just as good an actor as Cody. Maybe he was hiding his awareness under his chaotic, obnoxious cheerfulness.
Cody finished up. "Do you know why I hate you?"
"Something Fox told you, I guess. You're thinking of Fox quite strongly when you think of me. I have no clue why." Quinlan shrugged tiredly as he laid down.
Cody glared at him. "You hurt him."
"He hurt me," Quinlan responded softly and curled up on his side.
If Quinlan had used any other tone of voice, Cody would have argued. Would have been furious with him. But the... resignation, sadness, the vulnerability in his voice... Cody held back.
After a moment of thinking about it, Cody had to ask. "You're not going to tell me how?"
"What's the point? You believe Fox. He's your brother, of course you do. And anyway. I'm not stupid. Why the heck would I be vulnerable to someone who could kill me right now and no one would be the wiser? Who I know hates me?" Quinlan shook his head and curled up tighter.
Cody sighed and went back to working out the best way to make a sled he could pull.
Quinlan stayed quiet. Too quiet.
Cody checked on him after a bit too long of too much silence. He was breathing. A little fast, but breathing.
As he went back to working, he heard a sniffle.
...was Quinlan crying? If he was he was doing a pretty good job of hiding it.
Cody hesitated then sighed. "Fox told me that you said some hurtful things to him after a mission went wrong and that you were the reason he was hurt during that mission."
Quinlan flinched. Sore spot, then?
"He didn't tell me any details, but that's more than he usually tells me about anything, so I knew it meant he was very hurt by whatever you did. And anyways, you got him hurt."
There was a long pause. Quinlan's hand went up to his face, and he took a deep breath, then he turned to face Cody. Aside from red eyes, there was no sign that he had been crying.
"The mission was a simple arrest, but due to the nature of it, a Jedi needed to be present, and as I was the one who had collected the evidence, I was the best choice," Quinlan explained quietly.
"Unfortunately, our targets either knew we were coming and prepared, or had contingency plans. When Fox and I went to arrest the ringleader in his office while everyone else rounded up everyone else, a fire broke out. We were almost to the office so we decided to grab him and get out. It wasn't that simple."
Cody listened.
"The ringleader started a fight with us, Fox was brilliant, and we arrested him. We started dragging him through the building, but the smoke was everywhere. I covered my mouth, and... I guess we got separated. I had to rely on the Force to find Fox, and when I did, he was unconscious from the ringleader's escape, and..." Quinlan swallowed. "His legs were on fire. I got the fire out and got him out as quickly as I could. I collapsed immediately after from breathing in too much smoke. I had some burns from the fire, most weren't bad aside from one on my back where I didn't realize I had caught fire for a bit too long."
Cody had seen that scar. He just hadn't considered what would have left it.
Quinlan sighed. "I thought he might have died before we got out when I woke up," he admitted quietly. "And it would have been my fault for losing track of him and the ringleader and it took me too long to find him. I was relieved he had survived, and I made sure he had everything he needed while he recovered, especially when he insisted on returning to work. I brought him extra supplies when I heard the medics complaining about not having enough, I brought him that caf he enjoys, I brought him his favorite foods... but he just got fed up with me hovering and yelled at me. I gave him more space."
Quinlan paused and thought over the best way to explain what had happened.
Cody still didn't have anything to say, staring at Quinlan because he had not expected any of that.
"The next day when I dropped off his morning caf, I asked him what he would like me to do in the future and what was most comfortable for him. He said that he was fed up with my chattering, that I was too clingy, and that he didn't want me anywhere near him."
Quinlan closed his eyes as he remembered that day, and the gut punch those words had felt, more than Fox getting fed up with his hovering.
"I asked him if he was trying to push me away, if it was the pain talking, or if he genuinely meant it. He yelled at me and said of course he meant it, why wouldn't he know what he wanted? So I said I would leave him alone, and turned to leave and then he had to mock me for giving into his boundaries so easily. So I snapped. I'm not proud of what I said to him. I was so hurt and shaking and my back was still burning from the burn because it was taking its sweet time healing and I do not remember what exactly I said because everything is a blur after that point. I believe I said something about him being alone and trying too hard, and probably something about him pushing everyone away and wondering why no one cares when we do care, we're just respecting the boundaries and..."
Quinlan frowned. "I think I may have said something about something he had confided in me once after he had thrown something at me about something I had confided in him."
Quinlan sighed. "And I've not bothered him outside of when I have to work with him since."
"But you're still showing up around the Guard."
"They deserve nice things. I wasn't going to deprive them of that because Fox and I had a falling out. I definitely avoid him as much as I can." Quinlan sighed and rolled back over to face away from Cody.
"So yeah, Fox was entirely accurate. He hurt me, but I also hurt him." Quinlan fell silent after that.
Cody stared at him for a bit before remembering he needed to get the sled finished if he wanted any chance of trying to leave the next day. He sighed and went back to it.
As he worked, he thought about what Quinlan had told him.
He hadn't thought much about the details. He had wondered, wanting to know so he could make sure Quinlan didn't do that to anyone else, but he had believed Fox about what happened, and had not considered that Fox would have any fault at all in any event.
He had let his existing bias against Quinlan color how he received that information. Any other person he might have considered that there was more to the story than what Fox was willing to say.
But not Quinlan. No, Quinlan was obnoxious, unprofessional, and didn't know boundaries. Cody had thought that Quinlan couldn't be a good Jedi. He had wondered why Obi-Wan would tolerate him. He had thought Quinlan didn't care about anyone.
But if Quinlan's side was anywhere near accurate... He cared. Maybe too much.
He was doing everything he could for Fox. Spoiling him. Because he thought he had gotten Fox killed, and then he didn't stop hanging around the rest of the Guard because they deserved better.
Quinlan had been snapped at for hovering too much, and it was after Fox started hurting him that he hurt Fox back.
Probably deserved, Cody could admit. Fox could get vicious when he wanted to be. It was usually a sign that he was more hurt than he wanted anyone to knows so most ignored him. But Cody knew that Bly avoided Fox in the aftermath more than once until he had time to get over the hurt. Cody had been hurt enough once that he avoided Fox for a few days, until Fox was calmed down. Once Fox was calm, it was easier to be around.
But then... at the time, they had no choice. They were a batch. They lived together. Would Bly have bothered trying to make up with Fox if any of those instances had happened during the war? Forgiveness could only go so far.
And... Quinlan had a point. There was only so many times people could hear a no and stay away before they started staying away. Especially considering most people actually meant that and would be annoyed at people for continuing.
Cody sighed. Quinlan hadn't deserved his animosity after all.
Now he felt a bit dumb.
It sounded like Quinlan was more aware of boundaries than he thought.
Cody frowned. Come to think of it, Quinlan never did touch him after he said he didn't want to be touched. Not until he had to tend to the concussion.
And Obi-Wan had said they had grown up together. Quinlan would know his boundaries, and it was always possible Obi-Wan had different boundaries with someone he knew so well compared to many others. Quinlan wouldn't need to be told the boundaries every time, and Obi-Wan actually wasn't tolerating him in that case.
That was without getting into the fact that apparently Quinlan was irritated with him for how he treated Obi-Wan. Cody put that in the back of his mind. Maybe he should actually talk to Obi-Wan about it and listen. He’d been treating Obi-Wan like he treated his brothers, assuming that his evasions and protests were just being in denial. But if Obi-Wan knew what he was doing… That explained a lot.
And... Having seen Quinlan at work a few times, Cody was still bewildered that Quinlan was actually very good at his job. Far more competent than he appeared.
Maybe that was the point.
Cody shook his head and got back to work.
.
The next day, Cody carried Quinlan to the sled.
Despite the antibiotics and the improvement over the day before, the fever had returned overnight. At least there was no nightmare.
Quinlan woke up in the morning, but he was in pain, and his eyes were glazed.
As Cody carried him to the sled, Quinlan clung to him. It was... strange.
Cody shook his head and put it out of his mind as he put Quinlan on the sled with their supplies, tucked him in with a blanket and made sure he wouldn't fall off. Then started pulling.
It was a bit harder than he expected, and he had make a few modifications before they were moving smoothly.
Every time Cody stopped to stretch and grab some water, he checked on Quinlan.
Quinlan just seemed to be getting worse. Cody couldn't understand it. There had been some improvement on and off throughout the night, but Quinlan was mostly just consistently getting worse.
What was he missing?
When he noticed the sun getting lower in the sky, Cody noticed that the wreckage was closer than he expected.
He wasn't exhausted yet. He had a light.
He decided to continue on. The sooner they had a way to get in contact with other people, the sooner he could figure a way to help, the better.
The sun dipped below the horizon. Cody munched on a ration bar, tried to get Quinlan to drink some water.
He wasn't very successful.
So he continued on, dragging Quinlan up the mountain.
Eventually he came to a point where the sled wouldn't work anymore.
So Cody condensed the bags down, ignoring his exhaustion. He carried the bags on his back, picked up Quinlan, and started walking again, hoping there was nothing that would require he use his hands as he wasn't sure he could manage that.
He didn't need to, thankfully.
He was exhausted when he finally got Quinlan into the hangar that was built into the mountain. He didn't bother looking around, just collapsed and curled up with a blanket and tried to get some sleep.
He woke up to Quinlan whimpering and tossing and turning.
Cody groaned and checked on him. He was instantly wide awake.
Quinlan was sweating and pale.
Cody checked on the infected wound on his back and cursed. It was looking worse than he had seen it so far.
He cleaned it up, and this time he used up the last of the bacta on it before adding a sterile bandage.
He hoped it worked. Then he remembered what Quinlan had said about the dosages. He cursed when he realized he was late on one dose and gave it Quinlan.
By then, Quinlan had calmed down from his nightmare but was in a fitful sleep.
Cody stared at him, exhausted. He didn't understand.
Quinlan was improving. Why did he suddenly take a turn for the worst?
He realized that Quinlan was clinging to him again and sighed, getting comfortable once more.
He couldn't bring himself to sleep, despite his exhaustion. What if Quinlan got even worse when he fell asleep?
In the end, the exhaustion was too much for him.
Cody fell asleep.
He woke up to light prodding.
Cody opened his eyes and blinked.
Quinlan stared back. He still didn't look recovered or healthy, but... he looked better.
"Why are you here?" Quinlan asked hoarsely.
"You took a turn for the worst... But now you're better?" Cody squinted at him, still waking up. Quinlan didn't look as pale, he wasn't sweating, and he seemed quite alert.
"Ah... yeah." Quinlan looked away.
"What is it?"
"Thank you."
"What?"
"For cuddling. Kiffar don't heal when touch starved. And don't heal well when getting no touch during the healing process even when not touch starved," Quinlan admitted quietly.
Cody sat up. That meant that Quinlan got better that first night because Cody gave up and let him cling, but when Quinlan didn't have a nightmare, there was no cuddling...
"Oh. Um. You're welcome." Cody thought about how clingy Quinlan was normally. How Obi-Wan and other Jedi usually let Quinlan do so.
They knew that Quinlan needed the touch more than they did. So they tolerated it from him where they might not have tolerated it from anyone else.
Cody felt sick for how he had felt about Quinlan in the past. He felt worse when he realized how much Fox snapping must have hurt Quinlan. Because Quinlan was clingy for a good reason, and he did back off when told to.
And Fox had a tendency to expect people to pick up on his feelings instead of verbalizing his ‘no’, so he probably thought Quinlan should know full well he didn't want the touch.
Cody started getting a breakfast together quietly.
"When did we get here?" Quinlan asked after the silence stretched on.
"Last night. I was too tired to take a look around and see what we can do to get off this planet, though. Going to do that after breakfast."
"Good idea." Quinlan sighed. "At least it's warm in here."
Cody nodded and handed him breakfast. "How do you feel?"
"Sore... everything is still healing."
"Once we get you out of here, you'll be able to get in a bacta tank."
"It won't work," Quinlan said quietly. "I'm still too touch starved. Even when I'm charged, the best bet is two hours in the bacta tank and at least two hours out and cuddling before another session."
Cody stared at him. "Oh. You... I'm sorry I never took you seriously."
Quinlan gave him a small smile. "It's okay. Most do. Even among the Jedi. It can make my job easy since everyone underestimates me."
"But... it's not fair to you. You actually need the touch and you do listen to boundaries, don't you?"
"I try. Firm boundaries are easier than soft boundaries. Soft boundaries are easy to push. And if no one ever tells me no..." Quinlan shrugged. "But I get it. When I visit my family, they don't always listen to my boundaries and that can be hard to deal with."
"Your family?"
"Yeah. Everyone knows I follow Kiffu tradition, but the biggest thing in Kiffu culture is how important family is so I do visit them as often as I can, though I try to keep it to no more than a month once a year as they can be overwhelming."
"Your family can be overwhelming?"
Quinlan smirked. "I'm below average on the affection and chaos scale for a Kiffar. Of my cousins, only two are milder than me, though they're mild enough that they could almost pass for normal in the galaxy."
Cody stared at him. "Oh...that... that explains way too much."
"Doesn't it?" Quinlan chuckled.
Cody smiled. It was nice to see a return to what he was used to from Quinlan, instead of the quiet, serious version he had been dealing with. He had never thought he'd miss the cheerfulness.
Cody blinked when he realized that his food was gone. He cleaned up breakfast.
"I'll be okay while you investigate," Quinlan assured him. "Not like I can go anywhere."
"Yeah... I know." Cody sighed. "Yell if you need me."
"I will."
Cody started searching the hangar. If he found nothing here, he was going to expand his search to the rest of the wrecked base, but the hangar was the best place to start.
There were no ships.
But... He did find a note from Obi-Wan and a comm.
Cody sighed in relief and got in contact with Obi-Wan immediately.
He rejoined Quinlan. "I got in contact with Obi-Wan. He'll be sending someone to get us soon. He couldn't stay to look for us."
"Of course. Most would assume we died even if he didn't believe that." Quinlan nodded.
"He said they didn't get far, so we should be picked up by the end of the day."
"Good. I am ready to be off of this planet."
"Me too." Cody sighed. "Told him you were injured so there should be a medic sent along."
"Good plan." Quinlan agreed.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I will be. Obi knows what I need."
"Okay." Cody fell silent awkwardly. He wasn't sure what to do now.
Quinlan was also quiet.
Around lunch time the hangar shook with an avalanche.
Quinlan looked up, frowning. "I've got a bad feeling about this."
Cody groaned. "That's a bad sign..." He moved over to sit next to Quinlan, just in case. He wanted to be able to avoid getting separated.
Quinlan seemed distracted, as he was busy listening to the Force.
When the chunks started falling out of the ceiling, Cody threw himself on Quinlan without thinking.
Quinlan stared at him with wide eyes.
The dust settled. Cody opened his eyes and found Quinlan's face way too close. He quickly moved off, wincing.
"You okay?" Quinlan asked, carefully pushing himself up.
Cody nodded. "Yeah. I think it shouldn't be anything but bruises, nothing too hard hit me..."
"What about your fingers?" Quinlan pointed out, raising an eyebrow.
Cody looked down. A few of his fingers were at unnatural angles. The pain hit him. "...ow."
"You don't say." Quinlan sighed. "Get the first aid kit. Broken fingers aren't hard to deal with."
"Yeah..." Cody sighed. He found the kit and brought it to Quinlan. "You're not nearly as bad as I thought."
"Glad you think so. I always thought you were a good person. Not many can actually keep up with Obi when he gets going… well, I was a bit concerned about your tendency to not believe him but I get it. It can be hard to believe him when he’s neglecting his health. It’s just a matter of knowing why he’s like that and dealing with the why rather than the behavior.”
"You know him well."
"We were in the same clan in the crèche. So we grew up together. He knows me better than most, and I know him better than most. Takes someone special to keep up with him and tolerate him."
"What about you?" Cody asked before he could stop himself.
"Me? I'm a bit much for most people. I don't know about it taking someone special."
"I don't know. You've been easy to get along with on this whole... side quest."
Quinlan snorted. "That's one way of putting it."
"You know, Fox had a crush on you."
Quinlan chuckled. "Yeah, I know. I was waiting for a good opportunity to ask him out, but then things went wrong."
"Oh. Oh, that's right, your psychometry. I don't really know how that works."
"Yeah, I keep that to myself most of the time. Kiffar naturally have a variant of it that's not Force related so while mine is stronger than the average Kiffar thanks to the Force, it is basically that instead of what most people are used to when they think of Force related psychometry."
"Oh... what's different?"
Quinlan studied him for a moment before going back to bandaging his fingers. "Force psychometry is something that can be learned, even if one is not born with it. It can be turned off, and it works best with the hands, though it can work wherever a person concentrates the Force, it just takes a bit more practice."
"...but yours doesn't work that way?"
"Yeah." Quinlan concentrated on the bandaging. "I can't turn it off. It's always on, that's why I wear gloves frequently. And it's everywhere that's skin. The more sensitive the area, the easier it picks it up. Like, I wouldn't feel anything faint with my feet but my hands pick it up."
"Oh. That must make life difficult, you're always picking up emotions and such when you brush any uncovered part of your body on something."
"Makes it easier for investigations to have no sleeves and pants, but it can also be a hindrance," Quinlan said quietly. "The worst is the lips. It's difficult to eat sometimes."
Cody blinked a few times, then winced. "Sorry. No wonder you're very aware how I feel about you."
"Yeah. If I had my usual supplies with me, I would've had plastic utensils but that's not what happened. But... your feelings have changed, which is nice." Quinlan gave him a small smile.
"Oh. Right, you can tell. I'm... I'm actually sure what I feel about you right now... can you tell me?"
Quinlan hummed. "You sure you want to hear my interpretation of your own feelings?"
"Yes. Because I'm not... I don't know what they are and I'm kind of confused," Cody admitted. "No matter how hard I think about it... I just can't figure out what is going on in my head."
Quinlan nodded. He finished bandaging his fingers. "First, how does this feel?"
"Better, still sore though. But that's to be expected. Broken bones can be painful and it's weird that it's my fingers this time."
Quinlan nodded. "You'll want to take some painkillers, probably. But if you really want to know how you feel about me... why don't I tell you how I feel while I'm at it?"
"Okay... Go for it. If that's what you want."
"I don't usually share my psychometry or what I get from people because your feelings should be private, Cody. I try not to let it affect how I act, and I try to let things happen at their own pace. I feel weird telling people how they feel when my psychometry is basically an invasion of privacy. So, I'd like to be as honest as possible about my own feelings here."
"Okay. I... that's actually really nice. Thank you."
"You're welcome." Quinlan didn't let go of his hands, though he was done bandaging them.
Quinlan took a moment to put his thoughts in order. "You used to hate me, but there were other feelings underneath that occasionally peeked through, and those are stronger now. I imagine some of your confusion is because you were suppressing them because you disliked me so much, but now they're popping up properly, now that you can't hide them over hatred and annoyance."
"O-oh."
"I always admired you. Being professional is very important, and you, like Fox have that down. You may make sarcastic remarks but you generally stay respectful and only make them if they can be taken seriously or around people who are fine with that sort of attitude."
Cody nodded slowly. "I never thought you'd like being professional," he said quietly. "But when we were actually on the mission you were focused and professional, aside from a few things that most would never do."
Quinlan nodded. "Those are bad habits because I am used to working alone, and a lot of my investigations require me to be underestimated. Pretending to not be professional is one of the simplest ways to be underestimated."
"It works too well." Cody huffed, watching Quinlan.
Quinlan looked up and smiled, meeting his eyes.
Cody found himself at a loss for words.
"So, I'm going to start with the feelings that were hidden. You were jealous of how easy it was for me to get along with Obi-Wan because you had always second guessed yourself in the beginning and you didn't understand how I could be so casual with someone who had seemed so unapproachable in many ways, even after you got to know him better."
Cody blinked, then nodded. Yes, being jealous as part of why he was annoyed probably was a large part of the issue. That made a lot of sense.
"On my part, I was jealous of both you and Obi-Wan. I'm not meant to be alone. Even taking out the need for cuddling, I just don't like being alone, I don't like silence, especially with those I don't trust. But I'm good at my job, and the war has removed most of our usual rules, particularly with time between missions and breaks. Which means I'm alone far more often than I was before. I was jealous that Obi-Wan got to get a battalion and never be alone. I was jealous that you were the one that got to spend time with him."
"Oh." Cody stared at Quinlan, still seeing nothing but sincerity in his gaze. "I... I never thought about it that way... and I suppose that's one reason why you hang around the Guard so much."
Quinlan nodded. "It is. Most of the people I turn to for affection are rarely in Temple when I am. The Guard has no Jedi. I can fill that role, get somewhat consistent company, and help them out when they need it. A win all around."
Cody nodded. "Yeah, that would be." He thought about it more. "And I suppose that made Fox snapping hurt all the more."
"It did." Quinlan nodded. "I had put in the work to get to know him, but it seemed he did not put in the work to get to know me and that was the worst."
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. You didn't know, and of course you were angry at me on behalf of your brother. I've been the same way since you hurt Obi."
Cody winced. He still needed to figure out how to fix that mess.
"Now, next we have... you did like my sense of humor and you'd didn't like that I'd make you laugh, so you defaulted to annoyance at my jokes, even though Obi and I definitely have a similar sense of humor no matter how exasperated he acts, it's just an act because that's how we roll."
Cody snorted. "Yeah, I can see that now. He makes similar jokes when you're not around. I guess I was just so focused on finding reasons to dislike you and not want you around that every little thing was annoying."
"Yeah, that happens." Quinlan nodded. "I like your sense of humor. It's subtle and sneaks up on you. I bet most people don't even realize when you're making a joke. Which is just my kind of joke. I wanted you to like me so we could joke like that all the time because it's fun to troll people."
"It really is," Cody agreed with a smile. "I'm sorry."
Quinlan smiled at him. "You'll make up for it, I know you will. You feel incredibly guilty for just taking Fox's word for it, for not looking beneath the surface, for not considering that Obi-Wan has standards and that I must meet them in some way even if you can't see it. And you feel guilty for lashing out at me when you had the concussion."
"Why did you accept that?" Cody asked. "You didn't deserve it. You were doing everything you could for me."
Quinlan shrugged. "I knew you hated me, even if I wasn't entirely sure on why beyond probably something to do with Fox, and some of the other things that I discovered. Concussions have a tendency to bring out emotional changes and make it harder to control them. I figured you needed some grace while you recovered enough to rein in that anger."
"I threatened you. I tried to hurt you."
"I know. I can't lie, it did hurt because I was trying to do everything I could to make sure you recovered, and I had always been respectful of your boundaries so I wasn't sure why you hated me beyond something Fox said. Which maybe would've been deserved. I did nearly get him killed, and I did hurt him."
"He hurt you, and you got yourself hurt getting him out of there. It's not like you intended to get separated in the thick smoke... I saw the scar on your back. Some of it is completely smooth... you needed a skin graft, didn't you?"
"I did." Quinlan sighed.
"Fox didn't need one because his armor had protected him from the worst. You put yourself at risk for him. It's not your fault he almost died. You still got him out of there."
Quinlan smiled at Cody. "Well, thank you for that. Logically, I know you're right and everyone I've told about the incidents has agreed with you on that. But... it's hard to get that across to the emotional side."
Cody nodded.
"Okay, so my feelings. I do feel guilty for never actually talking to you to clear the air sooner. I probably wouldn't have told you about what happened with Fox, unless you asked, but I should have tried to explain a lot of my actions before that. I don't... I don't trust people with those things easily. But I should be able to trust anyone that Obi-Wan trusts. And I'm sorry I didn't. We might have had an easier time getting along if I had."
Cody nodded slowly. "I suppose you're right. But I don't think I ever gave you a chance. I'd heard about you from Fox, and I'd heard rumors about you from others, including that you were crazy."
"I am crazy." Quinlan shrugged, amused. "It's not necessarily a bad thing."
"Yeah, I should have known because Obi-Wan is also crazy, and I'm crazy for never protesting those crazy plans of his."
Quinlan laughed. "Probably. Okay, next one..."
The whole time they talked, becoming more and more open, Quinlan never let go of Cody's hands.
Cody enjoyed the conversation, even as they got sidetracked.
"So... anymore you can tell me?" he asked after they calmed down from the latest bout of laughter. He didn't expect there to be anything. He thought they had covered it all.
Quinlan was wincing from pain. Laughter was not kind on his healing bones and wounds.
But once he heard Cody's question, he went awkward, looking away.
"There's one more thing... You have a crush on me."
"What?" Cody wanted to deny it; he'd never crushed on anyone before. He thought the way Bly went on about his crush on his Jedi a bit embarrassing.
But then... he could take a lot of the things that Bly said about Aayla and apply it to Quinlan and...
"Oh..." Cody said softly. He did have a crush, didn't he? Quinlan was sweet and kind. Respectful, always doing everything he could for others. He was a fantastic Jedi, with a fantastic body. The way he moved in a fight...
Cody groaned in embarrassment.
Quinlan looked up and smiled at him. "It's okay. I... I may have a crush on you too."
"Wait, what? But I've been nothing but mean to you, I had to have hurt you with my feelings getting all over things you have to touch... why?" Cody was bewildered.
Quinlan smiled softly at him, running his thumb gently over Cody's hands.
"Because before we met, I had Obi-Wan talking about you all the time, and I already had an idea of who you were. Even the the way you treated him about his bad habits was from a place of care, and it was only your assumption of him being like your brothers that’s kept you from fixing that. Even when you expressed annoyance at me, I could still see why he enjoyed his time with you. You are a good person. Being so willing to defend your brother is a good trait, though not entirely compatible with the Jedi way. Though you know what is?"
"What?"
"Putting duty and responsibilities above all else. We can't have relationships like the rest of the galaxy because we have made vows to the Order, to serve the Force and the galaxy, and not put our own feelings ahead of that."
"Oh... yeah, that makes sense." Cody nodded. "It's... it's hard to imagine that most people don't actually get that. It makes total sense. I... I would like to have someone there for me at the end of the day, but I still want to put my duty above all else and I'd like there to be someone who understands that."
Quinlan nodded. "That's what I would like as well. I... I don't like being alone, I've always thought having someone to come home to, who would support me and do some couple things would be nice."
"So... it actually sounds like we're on the same page?" Cody was bewildered. How did Quinlan go from enemy to taking care of Cody to Cody taking care of him to now they were confessing crushes? Were they seriously considering dating?
"It does." Quinlan nodded. "But we don't have to act on our feelings now. We can wait."
"I... yeah that might be a good idea," Cody said dazedly. "I still hated you a few days ago. I'm experiencing whiplash."
Quinlan smiled. "I get that. We can wait."
Cody nodded and went to pull his hands away from Quinlan only to realize just how painful they had gotten. He hissed.
"Ow... going to need to take those painkillers, after all... mild ones so I can still function..."
Quinlan nodded, then hesitated. A mischievous smirk crossed his face. "They really hurt? I know a way that can make them feel better besides painkillers."
"Huh?"
Quinlan started kissing each finger.
Cody stared, feeling his cheeks and ears get warmer and warmer.
"How's that?" Quinlan asked when he finished.
"Uh. Um. Good," Cody managed after a few false starts.
"Did it help?"
"...oddly... yes."
"Want me to kiss your fingers again?"
Cody melted at the smirk on Quinlan's face. "Uh... go for it." He watched Quinlan kiss each finger once more. It didn't really help the pain, but it was a nice distraction. And Cody didn't have any real experience with kissing. Or being kissed. It was a novel experience that Quinlan was giving him.
Quinlan smiled at him when he finished. "You better go get those painkillers before you forget."
"Uh-huh. Right." Cody searched through the first aid kit, hissing and cursing.
"Oh, right, let me get that." Quinlan found the painkillers and got a dose out for Cody.
"Thanks... you're not pushing yourself too hard, are you? You're not making things worse?"
Quinlan smiled at him. "My arms weren't that bad aside from my shoulder, and my back hurts the worst from the wound that got infected. Sitting up is good for healing, even if it does hurt. I'm being careful. Believe it or not, I know my limits."
"Better or worse than Obi-Wan?" Cody asked skeptically.
Quinlan laughed. "About the same, actually," he admitted. "And it's that we both know our limits but that we believe there are more important things going on so we must push through the limits. And... well... I'll give you some tips for helping Obi."
"You will?" Cody raised an eyebrow.
"You care about him but you're going about it all wrong."
"How so?" Cody really hoped that Quinlan had some good explanations and tips.
"Obi's got delayed sleep phase disorder. He struggles to sleep outside of what his body likes, and that's hours later than most humans. So staying up working is natural because he can't sleep until a certain time anyways unless he's completely exhausted. He also does keep snacks at his desk, he's just neat and no one ever sees it if they don't catch him."
Cody groaned. "I'm an idiot. Why does he hate the medbay?"
"We can feel pain in the Force, and like me, he does have more knowledge of healing than basic first aid, so he knows when he needs to see a medic. But also... your protocols to help him no matter how minor his injury over even those who are dying does not help matters."
Cody blinked a few times and groaned again. "I'm going to need a list. I want him to take care of himself."
"He does. It's just not what you're expecting. But you don't know any better, do you?"
"I guess not. Tell me why our ways haven't been working?"
Quinlan nodded and leaned on him as he started explaining things like bodily autonomy.
Eventually the conversation moved onto other things, but they didn't change positions until help arrived to get them off of the planet.
Cody watched Quinlan get onto the stretcher to be taken into the ship and knew that neither would be able to forget this any time soon.
After all, it looked like it might be the start of their relationship.
Obi-Wan never let them forget it.