A Soulmate’s Song - Chapter 12 - regina_stellaris - Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) (2024)

Chapter Text

Cody wakes up at 0500 the next morning. He takes his sweet time to get ready, and makes a point not to look at his comm unit, afraid of what his brothers may think about his song.

Finally though, he can’t not look at it anymore if he wants to know if something happened during the night cycle. With a deep breath, he takes it off his nightstand and clicks it into his vambrace with barely veiled apprehension. Only then does he look.

Messages, thousands of messages, glow back at him. And that’s just his private messages.

The sheer number startles a gasp out of him.

He flips through them slowly, trying to read them all. Most of his brothers love this new song, telling him as much either with words or a barrage of memes. Some are asking about certain words, and some are confused as to what he wanted to do by posting the song in the general group chat, but overall the messages are very positive. He knows he can’t possibly reply to all of them as the sheer number would keep him typing away in his room for at least a day. But maybe, he can formulate a message to them all in the group chat?

He opens said chat and starts typing.

[Su cuy’gar, vode . Thank you for the many messages and the overall positive response. I won’t be able to respond to all of you, but I want to address some questions asked about it.

The song I posted last night is for you… for us. All of us. I wrote it myself some months ago and General Kenobi was kind enough to translate it into Mando’a because I was losing my mind trying to find the right words.

I hope this song brings you as much joy as it brought me writing it. I thought of all of you while I wrote it, and hope you’ll use it whenever you feel lost and alone. Ret’urcye mhi.]

The group chat explodes.

Cody is shocked when, in the span of just a few minutes, about 1,000 messages accrue. He doesn’t possibly have the time to read them all, so he signs off with another Ret’urcye mhi and logs off.

The rest of the day, nothing can wipe the stupid smile off his face.

Not much happens in the following weeks.

The 212th is patrolling some hyperlanes close to the CIS systems, which is as uneventful as it is boring. Around the middle of the second week, Cody notices that most of the men seem to be itching to get back into the thick of things, and he has his hands full diverting them to spend their energy elsewhere, either by sparring with them or organizing some activities.

It keeps him so busy that he and Obi-Wan really don’t find the time to have their talk. Furthermore, the Jedi is requested by the Council to go to Mandalore, as he and duch*ess Satine have a history that might be beneficial to bring the neutral systems into the folds of the Republic.

Cody’s heart aches as he sees his Jedi to the shuttle set to bring him to Sundari. He wants to speak to Obi-Wan before he goes off, but doesn’t find the time. There are so many clones coming up to Obi-Wan to wish him luck on his mission, and while it just shows the positive impact the Jedi has made on his brothers so far, Cody wishes they would just stop for one kriffing moment and give him the time to finally have that talk.

The opportunity passes, however, and Cody’s heart fills with regret as he watches Obi-Wan enter the shuttle. It takes off swiftly, soaring through the force field, and Cody’s heart goes with it, flying alongside Obi-Wan to whatever challenges he may face.

He goes to his bunk that night feeling like something is missing, and for the first time since it happened, he wishes Obi-Wan hadn’t kissed him. Whenever he’s not occupied with work, he thinks about that kiss; about the feeling of Obi-Wan’s chapped lips on his own, the way the other man’s bread had scratched against Cody’s chin; the noises he’d made as their tongues had met, and how their kiss might have continued if not for the beeping of Cody’s heart monitor…

Thinking about Obi-Wan in the loneliness of his bunk does things to Cody. He grows warm all over, flames of desire burning through his blood. His co*ck stirs for the first time in his life, and he looks at it in annoyance before he pushes his head back into the pillow and groans.

The images don’t stop, however. In his mind he sees Obi-Wan leaning over him, a smile on his face. They kiss, a playful thing that quickly grows into a heated promise of more, and Cody can’t get enough of it, opening his mouth so that their tongues can meet.

He gets caught up in his fantasy. In it, Obi-Wan slowly moves his hands under Cody’s bottom blacks and strokes his skin, and it sets him on fire like nothing’s ever done in his life. Almost subconsciously, his own hands travel beneath his trousers and grasp his co*ck the moment Obi-Wan does in his mind, and a groan escapes him.

Gently, the Jedi starts moving his hand, up and down and up and down Cody, grip tightening whenever he gets to the crown. Cody groans again and mirrors the fantasy with his own hands, stroking his dick first slowly, then getting faster as Obi-Wan does the same.

“Obi-Wan,” he whispers brokenly into his empty bunk, “Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan flicks his hand, and Cody does the same to himself. He’s rewarded with waves of pleasure searing through his body like blaster shots, and whimpers as the slide gets ever easier.

His spine tingles, his toes curl into the bunk sheets. His labored breath is loud and wet, and his hand still moves, up and down and up and down—

In his mind, Obi-Wan leans down and captures his lips in a searing kiss. It’s messy and full of spit and hot as f*ck, and Cody is close to coming when the Jedi breaks it off, leans his mouth against Cody’s ear and whispers, “Come for me, my dear.”

It’s enough to push him over the edge. Cody moans loudly and spills, tensing as he comes all over his hand and the inside of his pants.

When he’s finally caught his breath, he opens his eyes and is alone in his bunk. His heart is still racing, and whenever he closes his eyes, he sees Obi-Wan before him, a handsome smirk on his face.

His co*ck twitches in interest.

Cody groans and heaves himself out of his bunk and into his fresher, running a cold water shower to soothe his hot body and quench some of the need singing in his blood. It works, partly at least. He stays under the cold spray until his accumulated water reserve is deplenished, then uses the sonic to dry himself off.

The entire time though, his thoughts are of Obi-Wan.

Cody’s never been sexually interested in anyone, so it’s a surprise to get this worked up over the Jedi. Sure, he’s head over heels in love with the man, but unlike so many of his brothers, he’s never had carnal desires such as this, where he feels like he could masturbat* until his dick is chafed.

On one hand, it’s a relief that he’s normal, but he’s also weirded out. He’s not accustomed to feeling need such as this, and the thought that he’s going to feel it around Obi-Wan all the time from now on scares him somewhat.

It’s three cycles later that Obi-Wan makes contact.

Cody is on the bridge keeping track of their patrols when a comm call comes through.

“Commander,” Wire says. “General Kenobi is calling. It’s marked ‘URGENT’.”

“Put him through,” Cody says. Obi-Wan’s holo appears above the table, looking a little rough around the edges.

Before Cody can even ask about his disheveled appearance, he says, “Cody, I need you to gather some of our finest officers and come to Mandalore ASAP. We are to escort duch*ess Satine to Coruscant so that she can make a statement before the Senate.”

“Of course, General. I take it your negotiations were successful?”

Obi-Wan shakes his head. “Sadly, no. Satine is as headstrong as she has always been.She’ll declare the Mandalorian Sector and all systems under her rule as neutral territory.”

Cody frowns. “This will make a lot of people angry.”

Obi-Wan sighs. “Don’t I know it. I tried to tell her that the Separatists won’t care for neutrality, but she overruled me.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I’ll send you the plans of the ship she’ll use through an encrypted channel. It is of the utmost importance that we keep this voyage quiet.”

The last sentence has alarm bells ringing in Cody’s head. “Were you attacked, sir?”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan says. “Death Watch went after us. They’ve increased in numbers, and I’d even go as far as to say that they’re stronger than they were 18 years ago. It was only at the last minute that I was able to fight them off.”

“I’ll choose some of our best troopers for this, then,” Cody says. “Ghost Company should suffice.”

“Excellent. General Skywalker will come as well. With the added threat of Death Watch, the Council thought it best to send another Jedi as support.”

“I see,” Cody says, not liking this at all. Despite his successes in war and the praise Rex bestows upon the man, he still feels there’s something off about Skywalker. “What are our orders, sir?”

“You are to rendezvous with Anakin above Ta’han and then continue to Mandalore. The duch*ess’s ship will leave in three cycles.”

“Understood,” Cody says and salutes. Then, because of the urge to talk to Obi-Wan about the Incident , he asks, “Will you accompany us as well?”

Obi-Wan’s eyes turn soft. “Of course. duch*ess Satine’s safety is of the utmost importance.” He clears his throat before adding, “We cannot risk another civil war on Mandalore should an assassination succeed. ”

Cody swallows. “Understood, sir. I’ll assemble a team right away.”

“Very good, Cody,” Obi-Wan says, and oh, that sentence makes Cody’s stomach flip, “May the Force be with you.”

“And you,” Cody answers, then shuts off the connection. It takes him a moment to get himself under control again — Obi-Wan’s words had struck something within him, something he’s not prepared to handle just yet — but once he does, he starts giving orders.

He sends a message to Ghost Compamy to assemble in the hangar bay at 1200, then tells the maintenance crew to get their fastest shuttle ready. Another message is sent to Skywalker to further plan their rendezvous on Ta’han,and afterwards he calls for Admiral Block relieve him of his position so that he can gear up as well.

Not five minutes later, Admiral Block enters the bridge and promises to provide Cody with daily updates while he takes care of their patrol mission. Cody doesn’t know what to make of him; the man is professional, yes, but besides his work ethic the commander doesn’t know anything about him. He barely interacts with his officers outside of working hours, nat-borns or clones alike, and whenever there’s downtime, he disappears into his room and barely comes out. If not for his loyalty to Obi-Wan, Cody would’ve already suspected him of something shady. However, the Admiral has yet to do something to cast suspicion on him, and Cody would prefer he keep it that way, since he really doesn’t want to have to deal with a situation like that.

At least he doesn’t treat us with outright disdain, Cody thinks to himself after he’s thanked the Admiral and goes to his room to gear up as well. But his true motives remain to be seen. He vows to keep an eye on the man just in case from now on.

At 1200 hours, he meets Ghost Company in the hangar bay. Of the twelve troopers assembled before him, he knows only five on a more personal level; Waxer and Boil are ready as ever, bickering quietly under their breaths; Wooley, as usual, looks far too innocent to be considered dangerous, a trait the clones regularly uses to their advantage; Crys is obviously bored, typing away at his datapadd furiously, while Longshot, vigilant as ever, carefully calibrates his DC-15X sniper rifle for close-ranged shots. The rest are intermingled with each other, talking quietly amongst themselves.

Once Cody arrives, all communication ceases. The clones salute him in perfect synchronization and fall into a straight parade rest, waiting for him to address him. It still hurts Cody a little bit how far removed his position has made him be from everyone, but he pushes it to the back of his mind. Now’s not the time for sentimentality. They have a mission.

“Attention, Ghost Company. At 1130 hours, General Kenobi made contact. We are to protect duch*ess Satine Kryze, the ruler of Mandalore, on her way to Coruscant where she will make a statement before the Senate and declare the Mandalorian Sector as well as all the systems under her rule as neutral territory.”

His padd pings. The plans have arrived. “We will board a ship of the duch*ess’s choosing and accopany her to Coruscant. General Kenobi sent the layout of the ship via an encrypted channel to alert as few people as possible to our mission. During our flight, you will familiarize youselves with the plans and come up with strategies on how to arrange security. Do not hesitate to make suggestions if you think they’re necessary, and do not hold back on ideas.”

“The duch*ess’s life is at stake here. Death Watch is after her, trying to finally reclaim Mandalore from her after she united it 18 years ago. General Kenobi emphasized that her death would be a significant loss and could thrust Mandalore into a new civil war. We cannot let that happen. And we will not let that happen. We won’t fail this mission, understood?”

“Yessir!” Ghost Company choruses.

“Good. We’ll depart to Ta’han to meet with General Skywalker, then continue on our way to Mandalore. I want you all to stay sharp and be vigilant.” After a moment, he adds, “And to show the 501st how it’s done.”

“Yessir!”

“Good. We leave in five. Dismissed.”

The six hour flight to Ta’han is uneventful.

While the men go over the ship plans of the Coronet , trying to come up with several strategies to keep the place secure without impeding on their Mandalorian hosts, Cody fields requisitions and status reports alike. Several battalions of the 3rd Systems Army have concluded their respective campaigns, and Cody has to sign off on the flimsiwork since his General is busy. The only time he falters is when he gets to the casualty lists, taking a moment to mourn all the songs unsung, before he sets his signature beneath them and carries on.

The moment they leave hyperspace, they’re greeted by the sight of the Resolute orbiting one of Ta’han’s moons. It makes Cody long for Rex, who he hasn’t seen in person since their joint campaign on Geonosis. He pushes his personal feelings aside, however, and orders Sergeant Wing to land in the ship’s hangar bay.

General Skywalker and twelve of his own men as well as his astromech are waiting for them already. Once the shuttle ramp descends, the Jedi strides aboard the shuttle like he owns the place and greets Cody with a huge grin. “We thought you’d never show up,” he says in lieu of a greeting. “What took you so long?” Before Cody can answer, Skywalker barges through and enters the co*ckpit, whistling once he sees the piloting consoles. “Wow, you really did go all out.”

His nonchalant attitude raises Cody’s hackles to no end. “This is the fastest shuttle the Negotiator has. General Kenobi stressed that it is of the utmost importance we get to Mandalore as quickly as possible.”

Skywalker comes back and claps Cody on the shoulder. “Good thinking there. It’s a tight fit, but we’ll manage it.” He walks back to the shuttle ramp, and yells, “Everyone aboard.”

The clones that enter are largely unknown to Cody. He’d thought General Skywalker would have the foresight to select some ARC troopers for this mission, but it seems his expectations were set too high. While good men, they’re clearly not trained for this kind of security detail, and their unit doesn’t appear to be as cohesive as Ghost Company. Before they’re even done entering the shuttle, Cody’s already coming up with a contingency plan, trying to ascertain which clone to assign to which member of Ghost Company.

Just then, the last man enters. Cody sees blue jaig eyes and feels a weight lifting off his shoulders.

“Hey, Rex’ika ,” he says with a grin. “Good to have you with us.”

“Good to be here,” Rex says, butting his bucket against Cody’s in a quick keldabe kiss. “I see you brought the cavalry with you.”

Cody can’t make out Rex’s tone through the vocoder, but he’s sure he hears some discontent in there. Before he can ask him about it in more detail, however, General Skywalker says, “Alright, everyone is on board. Let’s get going.” With a woosh, the shuttle ramp closes behind them and the environmental seal kicks in. Once Wing maneuvers them out of the hangar bay, Skywalker turns to Cody and asks with a grin, “I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if I took over for your pilot?”

There it is again, this nonchalant attitude that drives Cody mad. He decides to handle it right now as he’s not able to deal with it any longer. “Actually, I would mind.” The moment the words leave his mouth, the clones around him go silent.

General Skywalker frowns. “It’s just a little piloting. What’s the big deal?”

Cody doesn’t budge. “Our travel time to Mandalore is eight hours. I’d like to go over our strategy in greater detail with the entire team and come up with contingency plans in case something goes wrong—”

Skywalker rolls his eyes. “Force, you sound like Obi-Wan. Have a little fun for once.” He grins, youthful arrogance evident on his face. ”What’s the worst that could happen?”

Endless possibilities of how Skywalker could f*ck their mission up run through Cody’s head. “Need I remind you,” he sneers, “that you ‘having fun’ and not taking things seriously lost you your astro-mech and endangered the entirety of the Republic because you didn’t wipe its memory ?! Not to mention the men that died to get it back! Is that a joke to you?!”

Skywalker’s confidant smirk slides right off his face. But Cody isn’t done. Once unleashed, his grievances pour forth like a flood. “We’re at war in case you hadn’t noticed! There are at least fifteen battles occurring on different planets all across the galaxy as we speak, and that’s only accounting for the 3rd Systems Army! Thousands of clones fight and die every second, and you’re asking me what’s the worst that could happen ?!”

“I’ll tell you what could happen! Best case scenario, we get duch*ess Satine to Coruscant without a hiccup, but we both know that the seppies seem to always be one step ahead of us. Which means they will be on board, and they will try to kill her. If they only kill her , it will lead to an all out civil war on Mandalore, which the seppies will use to take over the entire sector and enslave thousands of worlds.”

“If, on top of that, they manage to kill you and General Kenobi too, they’ll deal the GAR a severe blow by not only robbing it of its two best generals, but also because the other Jedi’s morale will falter.”

Skywalker is listening intently, hanging onto Cody’s every word. It robs Cody of most of his anger, and towards the end he just wants the Jedi to understand. For the first time since he’s known the other man, he actually wonders if Skywalker really gets what’s at stake, or if everyone around him just assumed he did and never thought to check if he did.

“Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that not only duch*ess Satine make it to Coruscant alive, but you and General Kenobi as well. And that’s my job as the second-in-command for this mission. But I cannot make plans without your input, and you cannot act accordingly if you don’t have all the details. Do you understand?”

Silence descends, only interrupted by the soft hum of the shuttle going into hyperspace. Skywalker is still looking at Cody, fumbling for words. It’s obvious no one ever gave him a reality check such as this.

“I think so,” he finally says, tone serious. “What’s the plan?”

A collective sigh of relief goes through the clones. Cody nods approvingly and presses the button for the holo-projector of his vambrace. “Here’s what we’ve come up with so far.”

The Kaminoans had trained the clones thoroughly. There’s not a weapon they don’t know, not a tactic they can’t pull off. Flash-sims and thousands of hours of gruesome training had seen to that.

Yet no flash-sim, no obstacle course and no training could've prepared Cody for this .

The scathing burn of jealousy as he watches duch*ess Satine walk onboard the Coronet with Obi-Wan on her arm.

He holds back during their greeting, or else he might say or do something that could give him away. It’s futile in a way, for Obi-Wan glances at him in concern all throughout, but at least none of the other clones — or, Small Gods forbid, Skywalker — seem to take notice of Cody’s inner turmoil.

Still, once the duch*ess retreats to her quarters and the initial security meeting has concluded, giving the clones some time to breathe before the ship starts, Rex corners him.

The younger clone takes off his bucket and asks, “You okay there, ori’vod ?”

Cody removes his bucket as well and sighs heavily. “Not really.”

Rex frowns. “Everything okay between you and Kenobi?”

Cody mulls the question over for a while. He’s not sure if he should tell Rex what happened between Obi-Wan and him. But he’s always told Rex anything. And maybe it would make that coil of anxiety churning in his stomach a little easier to bear.

“We kissed,” Cody says finally.

Rex’ eyes bulge in surprise. “What the… Cody! When?”

“Not so loud,” Cody hisses, heat rushing to his cheeks. “What if someone hears?”

Rex sits down next to him. “Sorry, but… wow. You kissed him?”

“More like we moved at the same time,” Cody whispers with a sigh. “It was right after Boba had stabbed me. He came into medbay to check up on me and… Rex, he was so exhausted, but he still wanted to know how I was. And then he started going on about how he can’t handle this war without me and to never take a hit for him again.”

Rex hangs onto every word. “And then?”

“He sat down on the bed next to me and… well… the kiss happened.” Cody blushes when he remembers it, the feeling of Obi-Wan’s lips on his. “When I’m not on shift, that's all I think about.” He hides his burning face with his hands. “And I want to kiss him again so badly.”

Rex waits a moment before he asks, “So… does this mean you two are a couple now?”

“No,” Cody answers. When Rex looks at him incredulously, he adds, “I mean, I don’t know. We haven’t exactly had the time to talk about it just yet.”

“Mhm,” Rex hums. “Do you want to be with him?”

It’s the easiest answer Cody’s ever given anyone. “Yes.”

Rex hits Cody’s shoulder. Hard. “Then tell him. Don’t waste any more time.” He looks away. “What if you die tomorrow? Or he dies?”

“I know.”

“You deserve to be happy, too, ori’vod.”

“I know.” Cody wipes his hands over his face. “I just… have no idea when to talk to him.”

“How about now? There’s still some time before the Coronet departs.”

“No,” Cody says. “He has to attend to the duch*ess. He hasn’t got the time.”

It seems he couldn’t quite keep his jealousy towards Satine Kryze out of his voice, because Rex asks, “Cody, are you jealous of—”

The ship begins humming around them as the engine starts. Cody sighs and puts his bucket back on. “We need to get going.”

“Cody—”

Cody waves his hand in a placating way. “I know, I know. I promise you, I’ll talk to him after the mission is over.”

Rex slips his bucket over his head too and bumps it against Cody’s. “Don’t die,” he says seriously.

Cody chuckles. “We’ve planned for every eventuality. What could possibly go wrong?”

A lot, as it turns out.

Not only does the Senator of Kalevala betray the duch*ess and try to have her assassinated by assassination drones he managed to smuggle in, but Death Watch and the Separatists try to get the Republic to occupy Mandalore so that Death Watch can sweep in and save the day.

The depravity of their scheme makes Cody’s head spin, even more so when he thinks about how many of his brothers would’ve died during a campaign such as this. Their losses would’ve been in the thousands , if not more, and they’d have certainly lost a number of Jedi too.

What if Obi-Wan had—

Cody cuts the thought off before it can form fully. None of this happened. Obi-Wan is alive and well, and will join them at the shuttle soon.

Skywalker is already there, having spent the night making sure Senator Amidala was ‘not assassinated in retaliation for revealing Death Watch’s motives’. From the strained looks some of Skywalker’s men throw each other, Cody can guess that they were probably loud while doing it.

For a moment, he considers telling Skywalker about propriety, and that Senator Amidala’s career in politics could be in jeopardy once people find out she’s f*cking a Jedi, especially one she’s constantly working with. But he refrains from doing so; just because Skywalker listened to him once, doesn’t mean he’ll do it again.

The afternoon sun is warm on their faces as they wait. Obi-Wan still has to attend a meeting with duch*ess Satine before the two groups can return to their respective ships. During their wait, Cody decides to check up on the two clones that were critically injured by the assassination drone, Redeye and Mixer. They’re both recovering at the Jedi Temple for the time being, as a transfer to one of the many medical facilities across the galaxy would’ve been too risky.

Cody sends a quick inquiry to Vokara Che, a woman that’s even scarier than Helix at his worst, and breathes a sigh of relief once she reassures him that the clones are both okay, if a little salty that they can’t return to the Resolute with their brothers right away. Cody snorts upon reading that and sends her a quick thanks before he opens up some flimsiwork to pass the time.

They wait another twenty minutes or so for Obi-Wan to arrive, and when he does, Cody immediately knows something is wrong. The Jedi is tense in a way he’s never seen before, and his walk borders on aggressive as he stomps towards the shuttle.

“Cody, get everyone ready. I want to get off this planet,” Obi-Wan says curtly, voice sharp as a razor as he breezes by the clone.

Unsure of how to handle this new side of their General, Cody does so immediately to placate him. “Ghost Company, 501st, file in! We’re leaving in five! Move it!”

The clones don their buckets and obey immediately. Rex throws Cody a worried look right before it disappears under his helmet, and Cody can’t help but agree, wondering what’s gotten the usual calm and collected Obi-Wan Kenobi in such a mood. He waits until the last clone, Ply, has entered the shuttle before he does so himself and pushes the button for the ramp to close before he sits down.

He’s just requesting permission to lift off when he hears Skywalker asks, “I sense a lot of anger from you, Master. Has something happened?”

“Not now, Anakin,” Obi-Wan replies, a warning in his voice.

Skywalker is bolder than many. “Did something happen with the duch*ess?”

“I said not now,” Obi-Wan repeats himself, getting agitated. “What part of that sentence escapes your grasp?”

The movement in the shuttle stops, and all the clones can’t help but stare. They’ve never heard their General raise his voice at someone outside the battlefield, and now to see it of all places is… disturbing.

The sudden silence seems to shock Obi-Wan out of whatever funk he’s in, because he sighs heavily. “I’m sorry for snapping at you like that, Anakin. Please don’t press me on this.” He tries to smile. It doesn’t reach his eyes. “I will explain once I’ve meditated over it.”

Skywalker nods at him. “Alright, Master. I’m sorry for prying.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Obi-Wan says, and now he sounds like his old self again. “Thank you for asking. Force knows we all need a friend who cares these days.”

The last sentence gets Skywalker grinning again, and he starts beaming once Cody tells him that he gets to fly the shuttle to the Resolute . Obi-Wan throws him a grateful look but otherwise stays silent, contemplating whatever clouds his mind. Cody throws him some worried looks all throughout the trip back to Ta’han .

They arrive at Skywalker’s ship ten hours later and say goodbye to their brothers of the 501st. Cody and Rex share a quick keldabe kiss and promise to comm each other more regularly from now on, while Skywalker thanks Obi-Wan for the successful mission and saunters off to retake command of his ship. It’s not long after that the shuttle takes off again, and another eight excruciating hours later, they finally arrive at the Negotiator in orbit above Koyani.

All throughout, Obi-Wan remains silent. It’s only when they arrive in the shuttle bay that he speaks again. “Everyone, this was really good work. Not only is the duch*ess still alive, but Mandalore hasn’t fallen under Separatist control. Take the next day off to celebrate and then report back to duty at 0800.”

The clones salute him with a cheerful, “Yessir!” and file out of the shuttle, already talking excitedly what to do with their sudden free time. Cody watches them leave, and then prepares the necessary flimsiwork for the shuttle to undergo maintenance when Obi-Wan says, “You’ve got the day off as well, you know?”

“Are you sure? There’s a lot of flimsiwork that has accrued while we were gone.”

Obi-Wan shakes his head. “I’ll handle it. The work will do me good.”

A beat passes between them.

“Sir,” Cody begins, taking off his bucket. “I know you didn’t want to share whatever happened between you and the duch*ess with General Skywalker, but—”

“I should talk about it,” Obi-Wan finishes for him. He wipes a hand over his face and adds, “I know.”

Cody looks at him, at the tiredness around his eyes and his stiff shoulders. The silence stretches on, dipping into uncomfortable, and Cody is ready to drop it when Obi-Wan says, “I… I got told some information that, had I known about it from the start, would’ve changed my entire life. And I… I don’t know how to handle it.”

“Changed… how?” Cody asks, sitting down across from Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan drops his head into his hands. “I don’t know. I guess I… I wouldn’t have become a Jedi.”

Cody can’t help it, he chuckles. “Sorry, but… I can’t even imagine that. You not being a Jedi I mean.”

Obi-Wan chuckles as well, a small sound of reprieve in an orchestra of pain. “Believe me, my dear, I wasn’t always the steadfast master you see before today. Back then, I was… maybe a little younger than Anakin, and only beginning to understand that anger led nowhere. Had I known…” He goes silent.

Cody doesn’t press him. He waits patiently for whatever hurt Obi-Wan carries to rise to the surface. He’s all too aware how it is to feel powerless, and seeing the most level-headed and kindest person he knows going through it is… hard.

He’d like to help Obi-Wan, and if that means sharing some of his worries, well, then that will be what he has to do.

Finally, Obi-Wan looks into the distance and says, “I have a son on Mandalore.”

Of all the things Cody’d thought Obi-Wan would say, that wasn’t even on the list. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Obi-Wan says. “Satine told me about him during our meeting. To be honest, it… blindsided me. I didn’t even know she was pregnant when my Master and I left Mandalore. I asked her when she’d realized it, and she told me she found out just before I left.” Obi-Wan sounds more and more angry the longer he talks. “She also said she didn’t say anything so that I didn’t make ‘rash decisions’, whatever the f*ck that means. I mean, yes, I would’ve left the Order for her if she’d shown me even the slightest hint that what we had between us could become more , but she didn’t! And then she didn’t tell me about our child! She took my choice away from me and kept me in the dark for almost two decades! It makes me, it makes me—”

“Wanna kick someone’s ass?” Cody provides.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan says with a snort. A little later, he adds with a sigh, “I’m sorry for unloading all of this on you, Cody.”

“You don’t have to be,” Cody says. He gets up and sits down next to Obi-Wan. “We all have to vent sometimes.”

“But I’m your General,” Obi-Wan says softly. “I need to set an example.”

“Maybe,” Cody argues. “But you’re only human, too. And who can you turn to, if not your second-in-command?”

They look at each other, neither wanting to look away. Obi-Wan’s eyes remind Cody of the sea on Shefeen II , looking like the waves licking at the rocks in the sun. Without noticing he gravitates closer, and closer, Obi-Wan’s breath on his lips, and the scratch of his beard against his chin—

Before their mouths connect, Obi-Wan withdraws suddenly. Cody opens his eyes in confusion.

“Obi-Wan,” he asks, voice barely above a whisper. “Why did you stop?”

“I…” Obi-Wan swallows and looks down in shame. “I can’t, Cody.”

Something akin to dread climbs up Cody’s throat. “Is it because I’m your subordinate?”

“No.”

After a moment, Cody asks quietly, “Or because I’m a clone?”

“No!” Obi-Wan says loudly. “No, absolutely not. You being a clone has nothing to do with it.” Obi-Wan runs a hand through his hair. “I… Cody I would, believe me. I like you a lot, and you taking Boba’s blade for me made me realize that.”

Cody’s heart pounds in his chest. Maybe he can argue against the reason, and make Obi-Wan see how much the clone wants this. “But…?”

Obi-Wan sighs. “But there’s a very big reason for us not to be together, one that I cannot look past. Maybe if I hadn’t spoken to Satine, I could have, but I realized during our flight back to the Negotiator that there’s something that’s a dealbreaker for me.”

“What?” Cody asks. He doesn’t care how desperate he sounds. He just wants to know why the man he’s in love with won’t even give him a chance. “What is it?”

Obi-Wan looks at him then, smile sad and eyes filled with tears. “You have a soulmate. I don’t. And one day, you will meet them and you will leave me. And I can’t…” He trails off and looks away.

A chasm opens up in Cody’s heart. His ears ring. He wants to deny it, wants to tell Obi-Wan how much he loves him and that he’d never do something like that to him, but he knows it’s not true. “I’m sorry,” he says finally, voice thick.

Obi-Wan takes Cody’s hands in his. “Don’t be. It’s a fact of life. We all strive to find the one person that was made for us, and we try to fill the void in between with other people. However, in the end your soulmate wins. Always wins, and— hey, shh, Cody, don’t cry.”

“Sorry,” Cody sobs. The tears flow of their own volition. “I just… I love you.”

A few tears escape Obi-Wan’s eyes as well. “I know,” he chokes out, leaning his forehead against Cody’s. “I’m sorry that I can’t be what you want.” His soft apology only makes Cody cry harder as he loses himself in his heartbreak. After another moment, Obi-Wan wraps his arms around the clone and drags him close. Cody hugs him back tightly, inhaling Obi-Wan’s scent as he cries into the Jedi’s tunic. “I’m sorry for breaking your heart, Cody. I’m so sorry.”

In the end, Cody doesn’t remember how long they sit there like this. At one point his tears dry, but Obi-Wan makes no move to release him from his arms, and honestly, Cody doesn’t want him to. He’ll take everything he can get from the man he loves, even if it’s not what he’d expected.

Even if it leaves his heart in shambles at his feet.

Eventually, though, Obi-Wan pulls his arms away, and Cody is left with the memory of his warmth and an ache in his heart that’s all consuming. Even more so when Obi-Wan reaches up and gently wipes the tear tracks off of Cody’s cheeks. “It’s time,” he says mournfully.

Cody nods. One question burns on his mind though, and he needs to ask it before he goes. “You really don’t have a soulmate?”

Obi-Wan sighs sadly and looks away. “No, I don’t. Maybe they died before I was born, or maybe I never had one to begin with, but…” He trails off, before he adds, “My people’s soulmate quirk is rather on the nose, so I would’ve noticed when I got it. And since I never did, I have to assume that the Force has other plans for me. Which I’m fine with, really, it just… gets lonely sometimes, you know?”

Cody’s heart breaks again, but for different reasons. He can’t even imagine what life would be like if he didn’t have his song to keep him company. “What’s your people’s quirk, if I might ask?”

“It’s very obvious,” Obi-Wan explains. “We have our soulmate’s most distinctive feature somewhere on our body. Birthmarks, scars, the like. I’ve never developed one.”

Cody puts his hand on Obi-Wan’s and squeezes it. “I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t have to,” Obi-Wan says softly. “I’ve come to terms with it a long time ago. And despite not having a soulmate, I feel a deep connection to all my fellow Jedi, and now the clones, too.” He smiles slightly. “You’re all I need.” Before Cody can say anything, Obi-Wan removes his hand and stands up. “Take as much time as you need, Cody. You have tomorrow off as well. And should you decide that you can no longer work with me, I will sign any transfer request you’ll send me.”

Cody doesn’t know what to say to that, so he just nods. Obi-Wan acknowledges it with his head, then stands around awkwardly for a moment before he turns and leaves the shuttle.

Cody doesn’t know how long he sits there picking up the pieces of his shattered heart. A small part of him is angry that Obi-Wan won’t even give him a chance, but the more analytical part of him sees Obi-Wan’s reason as sound. And had he not had exactly those same thoughts when his crush had started months ago?

He can’t fault the Jedi for that, yet it still hurts.

And for the first time in his life, he wonders if not having a soulmate would’ve been better, if just to spare him from this heartbreak.

His song is his only answer.