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The topic of Obi-Wan's deafness rarely came up, causing certain people to not know. These people being the clones and various others outside the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan had hearing aids, so most of the time his deafness wasn't an issue. Actually, it was him hearing that was the problem, or the desire to not want to hear. That being said, another reason for the subject to rarely come up was the reaction it got out of people. Obi-Wan was shocked at how ignorant some people could be, especially in this day and age. One person was actually dumb enough to ask if he could hear them at the moment, Obi-Wan not bothering to hide his annoyed expression. Even though his hearing aids were active he said that no, he couldn't hear a word they were saying despite being able to respond to their statement. Needless to say, they don't speak to each other anymore.
Obi-Wan was grateful that his hearing aids had an off switch. The reason they did was because of his master, Qui-Gon Jinn. His maser had no desire to rob Obi-Wan of his culture, but when he became a padawan there were certain situations where hearing was a necessity. When they weren't in important meetings or combat situations Obi-Wan had his hearing aids off, using sign language to communicate with his master. Sign language was becoming a rarer language, society being so eager to "fix" anything they consider an imperfection. It was in this that he almost envied the Miraluka, their so called blindness having no way to be "cured."
So imagine Commander Cody's reaction to his general not being able to hear after a particularly rough explosion. They had been too close for comfort to a Separatist canon before the sound of charges reached Cody's ears. He did his best to pull his general away from the blast but he was too late. The blast had sent them flying, Cody doing his best to break the fall for Obi-Wan. His general had been facing away from him, having grabbed him from behind to shield him from the blast when he spoke to him.
"Are you alright, sir?"
Despite being conscious, Obi-Wan didn't respond. Instead, he stood up and brushed himself off after giving Cody a hand.
"Thank you, Cody." Obi-Wan said.
As soon a those words left his lips his face fell into brief confusion. This confusion was replaced with realization and a shocking calmness after he snapped his fingers by his ears a couple times. Cody, however, felt panic begin to rise up within him.
"Sir, can you hear me?" Cody asked concerned. A moment later he felt incredibly stupid before taking his helmet off and look directly at Obi-Wan. "Can you hear me?"
Cody spoke clearly, solely so that Obi-Wan would have an easier time reading his lips. This wasn't the first time someone had lost their hearing due to an explosions, but his hearing wasn't effected at all. He could associate that with the extra protection from his helmet, but that didn't lessen his worries. That just meant that Obi-Wan had been more exposed to the blast. Obi-Wan sensed his distress and placed gentle hands on his shoulders.
"It's alright Cody." His voice was slow and calculated, hoping that he was saying them right. "I'll be fine. I just need you to comm Anakin for me and tell him what happened."
And so he did, General Skywalker also having a strange calmness to the situation. Anakin said he would reach their location soon and instructed Cody to hold their position until he arrived. That left him with Obi-Wan and the other troops, most of them keeping guard and looking out for Skywalker. Cody couldn't help but stare at Obi-Wan, just wondering how the the hell his general could be so calm about loosing his hearing. He had been terrified of even thinking about losing his left eye, though he never showed it. When Obi-Wan glanced over to Cody he quickly looked away. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow before smiling at him and tapping his shoulder to get his attention.
"You have questions, don't you?" said Obi-Wan, an amused expression gracing his features.
Cody could only nod, far to embarrassed and unsure to speak.
"Don'y worry, you're not the first person to be curious. You actually reacted quite well, compared to others."
Cody made sure to look directly at Obi-Wan when he spoke. "Others, sir?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, people who aren't aware that deafness is an actual thing."
"Ah." said Cody. "So, how long have you been...? No disrespect, sir, but..."
"No, I understand." said Obi-Wan. "I was actually born deaf, you see. Even though I had been full term, my eardrums were extremely underdeveloped. A birth defect, as they called it. Deafness is extremely rare nowadays, so there were very few doctors that knew how to handle it. Even at the temple, as a youngling, not many people knew how to "deal" with me. Surprisingly, the Miraluka instructors were the most accepting of me. There was this particular Miraluka youngling that I got on with well. We would use the force to communicate seeing how they didn't know sign language. Other than them, the first person to fully accept my deafness was my master."
"It must have been hard for you, growing up like that."
Obi-Wan shrugged. "I don't generally think of it that way. Although, I will admit that I had a particularly hard time when the instructors tried to teach me to look for verbal signals instead of using an interpreter or learning the signs themselves. That was quickly shut down by a Miraluka instructor, who went to master Yoda personally and demanded that such discrimination not be allowed within the temple."
Cody was surprised and even a little angry at that. "Wait...they tried to teach you by speaking to you? Even though you're deaf?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, and it still baffles me to this day. It's good to see that you're as confused by the concept as I am."
"With all due respect, sir, but why wouldn't I be confused? I mean, you would think that the instructors would use common sense, no offense."
"None taken, I actually agree with you." Obi-Wan said.
It was then that Skywalker's forces were spotted, not a minute later Anakin and Ahsoka rushing over to Obi-Wan. They began to sign to each other, Cody assuming that Obi-Wan was explaining the situation to them. Cody looked away from their conversation, not wanting to be rude. He wouldn't have understood what they were saying anyways, but he respected his general too much to intrude.
"No, you have to stick your thumb and pinky out more."
Obi-Wan reached over to Cody's hands, coaxing said fingers away from his closed fists. Cody held them in the position Obi-Wan had put them in, looking to his general for confirmation.
"Like that?" He asked.
Obi-Wan smiled and nodded. "Yes, now try it all together."
Cody took a deep breath and concentrated, slowly using his hands to spell his name. He certainly wasn't as quick as Obi-Wan, who signed at a pace that made Cody's head spin. Obi-Wan told him not to worry, reminding him that he was a beginner while sign language was Obi-Wan's first language.
"Good, now try a full greeting."
Cody nodded, once again concentrating. He slid his right palm over his left, bringing his hands up in clenched fists. Cody paused, knowing he was missing something, before Obi-Wan reached over once again and coaxed out Cody's index fingers.
"Oh, right, sorry."
"It's alright, that's why we're practicing." said Obi-Wan. "Try again."
Cody repeated the motions, including the part he forgot, finishing with "my name is Cody." Obi-Wan's smiled brightened, causing Cody's heart to flutter.
"Good work, commander. We'll make an interpreter out of you yet."
Cody couldn't help but smile, looking down to hide the blush that crept up his neck. If Obi-Wan noticed he didn't say anything, instead dismissing Cody to his regular duties.
"Same time tomorrow?" Obi-Wan asked.
Cody nodded. "Yes, sir."
Obi-Wan signed "see you later," Cody settling with a simple wave.
In the back of his mind Cody knew how inappropriate this was. Spending one on one time with one's general to learn sign language wasn't exactly on his personal list of professionalism. Not to mention the other...benefits that came with it. Being able to be alone with Obi-Wan, getting to know him in such a personal way was something he was beginning to enjoy too much. He was already fond of the general, but now with their private sessions becoming more frequent there were whispers starting to spread within the troops. The only one to poke fun about it at him was Rex, but he knew the looks his brothers would give him when he was with their general. Rex had joked to him about how if things were actually to work out between him and Obi-Wan it would be the first time he actually hit something. Cody simply flipped him off, not bothering to state how he was a better shot than Rex.
Maybe one day he would ask Ahsoka how to sign "I love you," but at the moment he would let their relationship progress as it would.