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Obi-Wan settled in a camp chair under white awning of the refreshment tent. He had a stack of articles his friend and colleague Ki Adi Mundi had written to peruse, an endless supply of strong tea within his reach, and the finest sight in the world before him, should he tire of his journals. Anakin thought he was insane for choosing to spend his precious summer downtime at an archaeological dig. Especially an archaeological dig where his speciality would rarely be called upon. But Obi-Wan was fascinated.
The secrets of the past were buried beneath his feet, being brought to light for the first time in centuries before his very eyes. Clues as to how his ancestors had lived and died, discovered and rediscovered. It was outside his field of expertise, but turning down the opportunity to observe was never a choice he could have made.
Chuckling at a joke Ki Adi had quoted in the original Latin, Obi-Wan took a moment to sip his tea. Really, there was nothing quite so refreshing on a hot summer day as a nice cup of tea.
Well, perhaps there was one thing. The sight of Dr Cody Fett, associate professor of archaeology, hard at work before his eyes.
With knee length tan shorts, a wide brimmed hat and attached neck protector, Cody looked like a vision. Handsome, academic, very professorly. Like he ought to be standing in front of a camera, making a documentary about the dig. Or like he was about to grace the cover of Archaeologist Monthly. Obi-Wan, at the very least, would pay good money to see that.
Fortunately, he had the view for free.
Cody knelt in the first of three trenches they had been authorised to dig, pointing with his trowel at the other end. He was surrounded by several of the university's more promising archaeology students, each watching him as if hanging off his every word.
Though Obi-Wan was too far away to hear, he knew how Cody would sound. Considered and measured, until he got caught up in what he was saying. His enthusiasm for his subject making his eyes sparkle and his words ring with vibrance. Obi-Wan had spent many a free hour sitting in on Cody's lectures, even before he was the one gifted with hearing them first.
Even across the site from him, Obi-Wan could see the spark in Cody's eyes, could feel the joy he had in teaching his craft, his passion to the next generation. And when he bent back to his work, careful yet clearly explaining each step of his process? Obi-Wan was transfixed.
One of the students held out a finds tray, Obi-Wan leaning forward to watch Cody set something in its midst. Probably a fragment of pottery or a shard of flint, a scrap of mosaic tile if Cody's students were especially lucky.
Not what Cody himself was hoping to find, he knew. In the privacy of their offices and shared home, Cody had waxed poetic about his specific area of expertise. Charcoal. Where most people saw a burned patch in the dirt, Cody could differentiate between buildings that had burned down, hearth fires, and more long term evidence of intensive habitation on the site.
This excavation should hopefully give Cody more evidence for his latest publication.
He was truly quite remarkable.
Obi-Wan's articles were forgotten, his attention happily contained watching Cody at work.
Sifting dirt, brushing carefully at finds contained within the trench, shielding his eyes against the sun as he called encouragement to Crys in charge of the second trench. Cody was magnificent. Obi-Wan could watch him all day.
And he planned to. Avidly watching was a subtle way of reinforcing the memo that Dr Fett was a faculty member in the “admire but don't flirt” category. For anyone not Obi-Wan, of course. That was a perk he happily reserved all to himself.
The sun was beginning to crest towards the western horizon when Cody tore himself away from his trench. Dirt coloured the sunscreen smeared on his cheeks and sweat sheened on his skin, but he vibrated with happiness. In his element as much here as he was in a crowded lecture hall.
Cody's first stop was the chilly bin filled with ice and icy cold water bottles, a refreshed sigh leaving his lips at the first swallow of blessed coolness. The archaeologist settled into the orange camp chair beside Obi-Wan, stretching his legs out with a groan of satisfaction. His breaks never lasted long, no more than five minutes with a deadline like theirs. Obi-Wan never felt cheated by it.
Cody's attention was all his. And that was a heady thing. As yesterday and the day before, he spoke of the dig progress. What they'd uncovered, preliminary theories, what they hoped they might yet find. Unlike the two days before, this time Obi-Wan was treated to Cody's best puppy eyes.
“Come join us.”
“Oh no, my dear,” Obi-Wan demurred, sipping at his fifth (or was it seventh?) mug of tea at the site. “I shall leave the digging up the past for you. I am perfectly content right here.”
Amused exasperation burst over those beloved features.
“You might be the only person in the world, cyare, to come to an archaeological excavation with no intentions of digging.” Cody inclined his head, mischief sparkling in his eyes. “Aside from the comments you make when Anakin calls, of course.”
“Whatever comments Anakin receives, Anakin warrants,” Obi-Wan sniffed, hiding a smile behind his mug. “And, if you'll recall, Dr Fett, you're the one who invited me to accompany you on this excavation.”
Cody chuckled, a waft of earthiness, sunscreen and Cody filling Obi-Wan's senses as Cody's lips brushed his cheek. “You're right, as usual, Professor,” he replied, stepping back while his warmth lingered. “I apologise for implying otherwise.”
Obi-Wan waved a magnanimous hand. “You're forgiven.”
Silence fell, easy and companionable, between them. Cody sipped at his water, picked at a protein bar. Obi-Wan treated himself to one of the Garibaldi's he was rationing across the two week dig. They could have been in their back patio, relaxing after a long day.
Cody grabbed another water bottle, hovering before Obi-Wan's chair. For a moment, he reminded Obi-Wan of a student desperately trying to work out a plausible excuse so Obi-Wan would give them an extension on a deadline. Then he blinked and all he saw was Cody and his remember you love me stillness. Truly, it was astonishing what Cody could convey by not moving at all.
“Why am I beginning to feel you had an ulterior motive for inviting me to accompanying you, my dear?”
Cody fidgeted. Not in the I forgot to tell you my brothers are invading out house way, but more the I've fallen behind on my marking, please help before Mace Windu gives me the frown of displeasure and makes it your problem anyway way.
“Some of my students were wondering - if the occasion calls for it -” Cody cleared his throat, adorably awkward. “If you might consider offering them the benefit of your linguistic expertise?”
That was unusually wordy for Cody. Perhaps Rex was right and Cody had been spending too much time with Obi-Wan. On the other hand, there was no such thing as too much time together.
As for the request - Obi-Wan would give Cody his last breath if he asked, doing something he loved was easy - there was no reason he couldn't have some fun first.
"Anyone with a rudimentary grasp of Latin could-"
Cody cut Obi-Wan off with a kiss, Obi-Wan feeling him smile against his lips. Pulling back, Cody's amber eyes shone. “They could. But no one else is the dead languages specialist.”
"Very well, my dear," Obi-Wan sighed, as if gravely put upon. "I shall make myself useful to your students."
Cody grinned, warm amber eyes twinkling with triumph. "Thank you, cyare."
Obi-Wan hummed dubiously, his lips curling despite his intentions to pretend to be unimpressed. “Go back to your trowels and brushes, Cody. Ki Adi is expecting feedback on this, you know.”
“That's the article you were reading in bed last night,” Cody snorted, tapping the cover page and leaving a distinct fingerprint. “I helped create your spreadsheet of comments for it.”
If that were true - which it was - the fact was neither here nor there. Obi-Wan felt his point had been made anyway. “Go back to work, Cody.”
With an eye crinkling smile, Cody touched two fingers off his temple in a salute and walked back towards his trench with a spring in his step.
“Oh, my dear?” Obi-Wan called, Cody turning just outside the shade. He waggled Cody's forgotten water bottle. “I think you'll be needing this.”
Cody caught the bottle almost before Obi-Wan even realised he'd thrown it. “Come observe the trench soon, Professor,” he called, loving teasing in his voice. “I'll make an archeologist of you yet, my love.”