Chapter 25: Special Episode 5: Knitting with Gree and BarrissNotes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text"If you're a neverde, you can click off the video now," Commander Gree all but snapped as the latest video of Creche to Command started.
"Gree, be nice." Padawan Barriss scolded him. Her tongue poked out a little as she tried and failed to cast on chunky, green yarn onto a thick knitting needle in her hand. The yarn kept slipping off and looping around itself, getting hopelessly tangled.
Commander Gree's eye twitched. "I am being forced to do this under duress."
"No, you're not," Padawan Barriss scolded. The yarn slipped off again. She sighed and handed the yarn and needle over to Gree, who cast on a neat row of stitches without blinking.
"Yes, I am," he continued. The stitches were on. He started knitting. "Cody thought everyone was stressed so he's making me teach a GAR-wide knitting class because 'it's good for the mental health of the troopers' and 'look at all these boring research articles I found saying that crafting can be a great stress reliever' and 'I outrank you, Gree. You have to do what I say' and 'If you don't do this, I'm calling Seventeen and having him inspect your troops and he'll force you to do forty rounds of Camel March when he finds something wrong. Do you want to do forty rounds of Camel March? Don't tempt me. I am not bluffing'." Gree mocked in a voice that was way too high-pitched to be Commander Cody. Granted, the man wasn't usually talking when he was on screen. Either standing silently slightly behind General Kenobi or crushing the heads of droids between his thighs (that was the most viewed video on Best of the GAR to date). But people assumed that he would have at least a similar depth to his voice that Gree and the others did, given that they were clones and all.
"I found some articles too," Barriss said.
"Yours weren't boring. Cody's absolutely were. You hear that, Codes. You're about as fun to watch as paint dry. In fact, I would rather watch paint dry. Because drying paint doesn't yammer on about boring interests like tea and shit!"
"I didn't think Commander Cody liked tea," Stix called from off-camera.
"He doesn't," Spine said. "He just knows a lot about it because—"
"Because nothing. You know nothing. You've seen nothing. You are nothing." Gree spat. "In fact, just for that comment alone, Camel March both of you. Ten times."
Spine and Styx groaned. The audience watched as Spine tossed Styx over his back and started running on a treadmill in the back. They went wild speculating what Gree was trying to hide. Ninety percent of them got it right.
"Regardless, it's good for the troopers to have a hobby," Barriss continued. She picked up another set of needles and started trying to cast on again. "And knitting can be a great way to relax!" Her yarn slipped off the needles. She scowled at it. "If it follows what you want it to do."
"You'll get the hang of it, vod'ika," Gree said. "Here, have a scarf. We've got that cold-weather mission coming up." He slipped the scarf off the needles and looped it around Barriss' neck.
Wait. Hold up! How did he finish it so fast? He just cast on like a minute ago! The scarf was over three feet long! How did he knit that quickly?
"Oi, Spine, pick up the pace. This is Camel March, not Walk of Shame. Let's go before I call Seventeen here myself!" Gree snapped.
Spine let out a very long, loud, whine, and started running faster.
"You're doing great, Spine," Barriss said.
"Thanks, vod'ika. I'm murdering the commander after I get done."
"That's what you think." Gree scowled. "Alright, let's start. I got shit to do. First off, use thick needles and yarn so that you can see your stitches. I know what you dumbasses are going to say. "Oh, but this sweater I want to create has much smaller yarn. So I'm going to use much smaller yarn!" Don't do it. You're not as good as you think you are. That sweater was knitted by an old woman who has seen kingdoms fall. You are nowhere near her level. Don't even try it."
Half the audience shivered.
The other half was made up of old women talking about the various governments they had seen collapse in their lifetimes and reminiscing about civilizations long turned to dust.
"There's a whole shit ton of yarn types out there. I know, it gets confusing. But if you can clean and put together a DC blindfolded in under thirty seconds, you can figure it out."
"I have faith in you," Barriss said brightly.
Gree did not agree with this statement.
Spine put Styx down. Good. So they were done then?
Nope. Styx put Spine on his back and started running.
"To make it easier," Gree said, "get a medium-weight or worsted-weight yarn. If it doesn't say medium or worsted, don't get it. I'm sure even you idiots can follow directions."
"Gree, are you feeling okay?" Barriss asked. "You seem to be very angry today."
"I'm always angry."
"I mean, yes. But normally it's on the inside."
Gree growled in response.
"Right," He held up his yarn and his needles. "First, to cast on. Leave a generous yarn tail and make a slip knot."
The troopers must have learned how to make a slipknot in their training because Gree did not explain what it was whatsoever. The audience paused to video to go look up a tutorial on how to make a slipknot.
"Then, put the slipknot on the needles and pull the yarn tails to tighten. Grab the short yarn tail and swing your thumb behind the yarn. Hook the yarn onto your thumb. Touch the needles in front of the thumb and slide the needles into the loop on your thumb."
Gree did this so fast, that the audience had to pause, rewind, and slow down to see what he was doing.
Gree continued at his breakneck pace. "Hold the needle and grab the yarn attached to the ball with the right hand. Wrap the yarn around the needle, from back to front. Pull down the yarn so it meets the loop on the thumb. Pull the loop on your thumb over the needles. Place the loop on the needle. Pull down the yarn tail to tighten. Then repeat the previous steps until you have as many stitches as you want on the needles. For any troopers out there, one foot or I will end you."
The audience was too busy scrambling to try and cast on to realize that Gree had stated an oddly specific length.
Spine stopped running and put Styx down.
Good. Now they were finally complete.
Styx picked up Spine, stepped back on the treadmill, and started running again.
"Right, now we're moving onto the knit stitch."
Most of the audience hadn't even managed to cast on at this point. Barriss was hopelessly tangled in yarn. Again.
"Insert the right needles into the first stitch, bottom to top. Push the right needle into the stitch. Grab the yarn attached to the ball of yarn. Wrap the yarn around the needle back to front. Pull the yarn down. Gently pull the needle down and pick out the yarn on the needles. Push the right needle into the loop. Pull the right needle off the left needle. Pull the yarn attached to the ball of yarn to tighten the stitch. Repeat these steps until the end of the row. Any questions?"
Several.
"Good. I'll do another video about purling and moss stitches—" Please, Force, no! He was not good at tutorials! "For now, let's do the cast-off. Knit two stitches. Slide the left needle into the first stitch. Pull the first stitch over the second stitch. Continue to pull the first stitch over the second stitch and off the needle. Knit one stitch. Repeat these steps until one stitch remains. When one stitch remains, cut off a ten-inch yarn tail. Wrap the yarn around the needle. Pull the stitch over the yarn tail. Pull the yarn through the needle. Pull the yarn tail to tighten it up. There. You're done. Congrats. You made a shitty bookmark." He threw the yarn at the camera.
Spine picked up Styx, stepped onto the treadmill, and started running.
"Well, thank you for that," Barriss said, still trying and failing to untangle herself from the yarn.
Gree clicked her tongue and helped her out. "You doing okay, ner ad'ika? You seem tired "
Barriss hummed. "Oh, yes. Just some nightmares. I'm working through it."
"Need me to fight someone?"
She laughed. "Gree, they're bad dreams. How are you going to fight bad dreams?"
"Watch me. Stix, go get me my sledgehammer!"
Master Unduli's head popped into frame. "Stix, do not get him his sledgehammer!"
Gree rolled his eyes. "Fine. I can use knitting needles as weapons too. Stab things in the eye."
Barriss laughed. "Thank you, Gree. But it is unnecessary. Thank you for teaching the class. I hope it was everything Commander Cody hoped for."
"It better be," Gree growled. "Next week we'll tackle purling and moss stitches. Everyone better be present or I swear—"
"I think that's all we have time for," Barriss said before Gree could paint any more graphic depictions of violence. "Thank you everyone for watching and we'll see you next time."
Just like that, the tutorial was done. No one knew how to knit. Those that did know, were trying to decide if they actually did. Old women continued to reminisce about kingdoms most people had never heard of before.
And, legend has it, Styx and Spine are still doing Camel March to this day.
*****
Obi-Wan stepped into the rec room to see Cody hopelessly tangled in yarn. He was trying and failing to get some chunky 212th gold yarn onto a thick knitting needle but was having no luck. The yarn looped around the edges of his armor, got tangled with the multitude of antennae he had on his shoulders and back, and knotted and twisted around itself.
He didn't immediately announce his presence, instead leaning against the door and observing with a soft smile on his face as Cody tried and failed to get untangled. Gregor laughed at him, not helping in the slightest. On the datapad in front of them was what sounded like Barriss and one of her men (likely Commander Gree) talking about knitting. The tutorial itself seemed rather aggressive for fiber crafts. Normally, these sorts of tutorials were carried out by kindly older women with soft, creaky voices and laugh lines around their eyes; hair glittering silver in the artificial light. He supposed Gree's abrasive nature may appeal to some people, though.
"For fuck's sake!" Cody cried as he flopped over onto his side; seeming to finally accept his fate as the yarn's prisoner.
"Come on, boss. It's not that hard," Gregor said, finally taking pity on his brother and commander. He stood up and unlooped the yarn from around Cody. "Casting on is the easy part. See?" He cast on a row of neat and orderly stitches.
Cody grunted and said nothing.
It amused Obi-Wan to see his commander bested by something so trivial. Cody seemed to excel at just about every challenge put in front of him. To see him fail so hopelessly at knitting was… humbling. It reminded Obi-Wan that Cody was a human. A man. Not infallible and not perfect, no matter how hard the Kaminoans tried to make him. And that little glimpse of humanity; the peak at a flaw so minor it was almost laughable, it made Obi-Wan fall just a bit more in love with him. Not that there was much more love he could give.
But that was the truth.
He loved Cody and all his imperfections. In fact, it was those imperfections that drew Obi-Wan to him in the first place. When you were surrounded by people who all had the same face and voice, that all were trained to be the best of the best, it was the imperfections that made individuals stand out. Not that Cody was all imperfections in Obi-Wan's eyes. Far from it.
Cody truly was a handsome man.
Most people thought the troopers all looked the same.
Those people were horribly incorrect and could go die in a deep, dark hole.
Okay. Maybe that was a bit of an overreaction. After all, Obi-Wan had a little cheat in that he could see the troopers' Force signatures that marked them as the wonder individuals they were. And most people would not have the privilege of spending weeks, months, or even years with these men to see each little detail. But, his point still stood. The troopers were all unique, even without access to the Force or spending time with them. Though, that certainly did help.
Cody's Force signature was like a warm sunrise or sunset. Obi-Wan liked to think sunrise. There was something comforting about the thought of a sunrise that gently caressed your face as it filtered through the green leaves of spring; chasing away the darkness and bringing with it new possibilities as birdsong filled the air. Warm and inviting. Freshly laundered sheets still warm from the dryer. Comforting and illuminating. Not harsh or severe. He felt himself turning towards that sun, like a sunflower. Drawn to it like a moth to a flame. A guiding light even in the midst of chaos on the battlefield.
It was such a dramatic change from Seventeen that Obi-Wan nearly fell out of his chair when he first laid eyes on Cody.
Where Cody had been warm, inviting, and dependable. Seventeen had been a dark, foreboding mountain. His presence seemed to loom large over everything. Almost as if he were trying to signal to the world that if they crossed him, he would kill them. It was threatening in a way that made Obi-Wan glad he was never on the receiving end of his ire.
Not that Cody didn't have a vicious streak in him. He absolutely did. Feral and violent in battle, particularly when his men were in more danger than usual. This was the man who decided it would be a good idea to leap, unarmed, onto Grevious' back after all. Anakin had once confided in Obi-Wan that he found Cody to be scary.
At first, Obi-Wan couldn't see it. His Cody, scary? Intense and ruthless, sure, but scary? Never. Rex, however, confirmed that Cody could be very scary when he needed to be and that Obi-Wan should count himself lucky that he never saw Cody that way. He hoped he would never have to.
But, if it did ever come down to it, he had faith in his commander. Though he held danger and fury in his body, he was still, at the end of the day, Cody.
His Cody.
His warm sunrise that reminded him that there was still good in this world. And that no matter how dark or long the night seemed, the sun would always rise and bring about a new day.
A new light.
A new hope.
It wasn't just Cody's Force signature that drew Obi-Wan to him or made him handsome. Despite being clones, all the men were different in some way. Some, like Rex, had obvious differences. Cody had differences too, but they were subtler. You had to really know his features to see how he was different. Not that Obi-Wan made a habit of staring lovingly at Cody's face when he should be paying attention to council meetings. He was a professional, after all. He paid attention to the meetings. If Cody's face just so happened to be in his line of sight whilst at those meetings though... well, who could blame him?
Cody's most distinct feature was the scar on his face. He never did get a full story on how it happened. Cody's cheeks would flush dark and Rex would snicker behind his ori'vod, claiming it was nothing when pressed.
It did frame up his face nicely, though. Curving around his eye and highlighting his cheekbone. Obi-Wan ached to run his fingers along it. To finally get the full story of how it happened, no matter how embarrassing it was. He wouldn't press, though. That was Cody's story to tell. Obi-Wan was not entitled to it and if he went the rest of his life without knowing what happened, then that was Cody's choice to make. Besides, Cody's scar wasn't the only distinguishing feature of his.
There were the less subtle features. Those were Obi-Wan's favorites.
His nose wasn't perfectly straight. It was crooked after being broken during training. Cody insisted it had been an accident. Given some of the things Shaak had uncovered during the investigation into Trooper Welfare to help Quin out with his investigation, he was more than willing to bet a trainer had done it to him on purpose. He didn't press, though. All injuries told a story, but he was not entitled to those stories. Still, it helped give his face some definitions. Slight imperfections that only served to highlight his good features.
His front teeth were also slightly crooked. Not enough to be disabling in any way, but enough that he may have been slated for 'decomissioning' had the Kaminoans noticed it sooner.
That was the reason why, when Cody smiled, he rarely showed his teeth. What a privilege it was, then, when Obi-Wan got to see his face light up and his lips part to show those crooked teeth.
To hell with the Kaminoans and their impossible standards. Obi-Wan loved those teeth.
And he loved Cody.
Cody, who was dedicated to his brothers and his duty to the Republic. Cody who was so eager to learn about anything and everything; from languages to culture to lightsaber forms. Cody who was so good with children. Teaching Ahsoka hand-to-hand when she was visiting. Showing cadets around and answering their millions of questions. Cody who was organized and not afraid to take charge when needed. Cody who had a brilliant mind that seemed to have a never-ending supply of tactical knowledge.
Cody, who on the surface kept his face neutral and the perfect picture of professionalism. But, if you looked closely, you could see all the differences.
His serious face when he was planning a campaign: brows slightly pinched; one hand stroking his chin (did he pick up that habit from Obi-Wan?); his lips turned slightly downward into a frown.
His annoyed face when one of the natborn officers was making a truly, spectacularly dumb decision when it came to the campaign: face impassive, but with a slight twitch in his lift eye to signal he had a lot to say, but wasn't saying anything. It was then that Obi-Wan would usually step in to voice some of the concerns Cody had. They were in sync enough by this point that he could usually tell what the issue was. If the concerns were particularly pressing, Cody might tap them out in Dadita for Obi-Wan to relay. It was horrible that he felt they needed this system, but Obi-Wan wouldn't push. Part of diplomacy was knowing when to push and when to let things go, as hard as it was.
By far his favorite look was when Cody was particularly cocky about something. Cody, as a rule, didn't tend to be a cocky man. Perhaps Seventeen had beaten it out of him during training. Perhaps that was his natural state even without intervention. Either way, he was humble. Almost to a fault. He would downplay his accomplishments or talents out of some sense of extreme caution so as to ensure the campaign or mission ran correctly with every contingency accounted for. But he was still a man. And every man had their cocky moments.
And when Cody was cocky, there would be a light in his eyes. The left corner of his mouth would quirk up into a smirk.
He had that look on his face during their sparring match; after he thoroughly laid Obi-Wan out on the mat. And then again when he announced he could dance and laid him out on the mat a second time.
That smirk could keep Obi-Wan going for a very long time.
And was just further proof that Cody was a wonderful person. Amazing, humble, talented, handsome, and strong, with a strong moral compass and drive to protect those he loved.
The fact that he seemed to have chosen Obi-Wan to be brought in under that umbrella of protection would never cease to amaze him. The Galaxy truly was Cody's for the taking. And yet he chose Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan would make damn sure he never squandered that display of trust and loyalty.
"Sir, do you need anything?" Cody asked, pulling him from his thoughts. Gregor had handed him back the needles and was trying to teach him how to complete a knit stitch. It didn't appear to be going very well. Half the stitches had slipped off the needle and Cody was once more tangled in yarn.
"Hmm? I see you've taken up knitting, Commander."
Cody shrugged and tried to untangle himself. On the video, it sounded like Gree was threatening to take a sledgehammer to something.
"Yeah, well my brothers think I'm stressed. They told me it was either get laid or this."
"I see you chose the latter."
At the mention of 'getting laid' his immediate thought was " I could help with that". Maybe he should have been focusing less on how handsome Cody looked when he smirked and more on meditating his feelings for the man back into submission.
Because what he did next was very much out of line, especially with Gregor in the room. But after their sparring match and feeling Cody's body so close to his and the following fantasies of what else they could get up to whilst horizontal and the fact that he was exhausted after back-to-back campaigns where he hadn't had time to meditate; barely had time to sleep in fact, his self-control was gone. And he did something he had wanted to do for a very long time.
He ran his fingers through Cody's hair.
It was impossible to resist the urge.
Maybe if he had a bit more sleep the night before and wasn't dreading the upcoming diplomatic mission he'd be able to resist the urge. But right now, that wasn't happening.
Cody's hair, which was normally kept regulation short, had gotten much longer. He hadn't had time to cut it. There was one curl that seemed to not want to fall in line with the others. No matter how much gel Cody put in his hair to slick it back and keep it in some sort of order, it would always fall. Right in the middle of his forehead. Just begging Obi-Wan to wrap it around his fingers. Thankfully, he had enough self-control not to do that. He simply ran his hand through Cody's hair and pulled it back before he could do anything more.
Cody's cheeks flushed dark. His head leaned towards Obi-Wan's hand, chasing it even as he pulled back.
"Yeah," Cody cleared his throat. "Yeah, well, I don't want them any more involved in my sex life than they already are."
Obi-Wan felt his cheeks heat up. Cody's skin was darker than his and no doubt hid the blush better. Obi-Wan's, on the other hand, let everyone know when he was heated. He tried to will the feelings away and release them into the Force. The Force refused to accept them.
"I hope not too involved," he said. He wondered if his brothers had picked up on their tension and that's what Cody was referring to.
On one hand, he hoped not because that would mean everyone would have picked up on it. He'd never hear the end of it from Bant, Quin, and Garen if they found out how head over heels in love he was with his commander.
On the other hand, if they didn't, he'd be ashamed of their observational skills.
It wasn't like they were trying to hide how they felt about each other. But they both had duties that came before their emotions. There was a war to win and both of them. Even without discussing it together, they seemed to agree that now was not the time to add complexities to their relationship. As much as it hurt, this was the only way he and Cody could interact for now. As general and commander. At least until the end of the war.
"They're annoying when they smell a perceived weakness," Cody grumbled.
"And your sex life is a weakness?" Quit talking about his sex life! The more you talk about it, the more likely you are to invite him to your bunk for a quickie!
"They like to tease," Cody said. "You never answered the question." He thankfully directed the conversation away from sex.
"Question?" Obi-Wan couldn't remember a question.
"Do you need anything? I'm sure you didn't come here to watch me knit."
"You're not knitting, sir," Gregor said. "Not even close."
Cody glared at him.
"Oh, right. I wanted to let you know that Seventeen is coming in about fifteen minutes with my babysitters for the mission. I was thinking you'd like to make sure they're up to snuff."
Cody rolled his eyes. "They're not babysitters. They're there to make sure you don't get assassinated, kidnapped, or stick your nose where it doesn't belong."
"But my darling," Obi-Wan grinned, "if I do get kidnapped I know you'll come rescue me."
"Not on your life, Kenobi. I haven't had a break in months. I'm enjoying this. I'll rescue you after shore leave."
He tipped his head back and laughed. "Fair enough. I look forward to seeing you in a bit, my dear."
"Yes, sir." Cody turned back to the yarn to get it untangled.
As he left the room, he heard Gregor sing a familiar little tune. "Cody and Kenobi sitting in a tree. KISSIN-mmph."
He put a hand to his mouth to keep from laughing as Cody shoved the ball of yarn in Gregor's mouth.
He continued towards the landing bay.
Cody caught up not long after. His face, the perfect, stoic look. No indication that he had just tried to assassinate his fellow trooper for… insinuating certain activities between him and Obi-Wan.
"It'll be good to see Seventeen again," Obi-Wan said. "I hope he's doing well."
"He's doing fine," Cody grumbled. He fidgeted with his armor and tried to slick back his hair so it was more standard. The curl fell forward once more.
Obi-Wan had to turn his eyes away. Even if Cody's pout made him want to kiss him. "Relax, dear. You know Seventeen is mostly just bark."
"Like hell he is. I'd rather not spend my entire shore leave doing fifty rounds of Heart Stopper because I didn't look presentable enough for him."
Ah yes, Seventeen and the nicknames for his workouts. There was Heart Stopper. Acid Bath. Soul Crusher. Camel March. Rise and Grind. Black Eye. Fives (Yes, it was named after Fives. And yes, everyone hated Fives because of it). And so many more. Obi-Wan once asked what the workout in question entailed (this one in particular was Soul Crusher). Seventeen got about halfway through listing the various workout components before Obi-Wan changed the subject. How the troopers managed to survive his insane training regime was beyond him. Obi-Wan was a fit man, and even he would struggle to keep up with a hundred and fifty devil's presses at half your body weight followed by a one hundred kilometer run with a fifty-pound weight vest strapped to you.
Waxer, Boil, and Wooley were loitering around the landing bay, chatting amicably about what they hoped to get up to on shore leave while idly taking stock of some supplies. Wooley had heard about a craft market held in the temple that he was hoping to go check out. Waxer had managed to get a hold of some tickets to a sporting event that he and Boil were going to be attending.
"Any plans?" Obi-Wan asked Cody.
Cody shrugged, licked his thumb, and tried to rid his vambrace of a dirt stain. It didn't work. "Rex wants to meet up with me, Wolffe, Gree, Bly, and Fox for drinks. Oh, and Rex and I are going with Ahsoka to some Torgrutan restaurant she found. Wolffe might tag along too but he's got that training with Ponds' men that might go a little long. Maybe Offee and Gree can come, but I know Offee's doing something in the archives. Other than that I'm going to sleep."
"It has been a while since your entire batch has been together. Correct?"
He nodded.
"It'll be good for you to not worry about the war for a few days. I know you had a chance to talk to Rex after we rescued him, but a full week to spend with your brothers will certainly help you feel refreshed."
"It'll only be a full week if you don't get your ass kidnapped and force me to go rescue you, sir."
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "My dear, I assure you I don't intentionally get into trouble."
"Uh-huh."
"I swear!"
"I believe it, sir."
He glared at him. "It certainly doesn't sound like you do."
Cody gave him the most flat, unimpressed look he could manage. Then, turned back to try and clean his armor.
"Here, let me help," Obi-Wan said. He always kept some wet wipes on his person. Anakin had a habit of always having sticky hands when he was younger, even if they weren't anywhere near anything sticky. And Ahsoka was constantly getting covered in dust. He had learned that when one was around padawans, it paid to have some sort of wet cloth to wipe them down with as padawans seemed incapable of not getting themselves into messes. He didn't remember being so sticky as a youth.
Cody held out his wrist. A silent form of consent that Obi-Wan could touch his armor.
He took ahold of Cody's wrist and wiped the dirt off; methodically getting every crease and crevice he could reach.
"Just so you know," he said softly, "and I've let the Council know this as well, but Rex and the others are not allowed to talk to Palpatine without a Jedi present."
Cody's right vambrace was done. The wipe was completely filthy. Obi-Wan tucked it into his pocket, pulled out another one, and started to work on his other arm.
Cody swallowed.
"None of you are. Not you. Not Gregor. Not Fives. Sadly, given Fox's position, we were unable to guarantee it. But Quinlan is to be alerted if Palpatine needs any of the Corries for a special mission outside of their normal duties. Granted, I don't think he'll follow it, but it's a start. Any orders Palpatine or any officer who is not their commanding office wants to give, has to be approved by the Jedi generals. And if their generals aren't available, it must go to the council. Master Plo specifically. You can contact him if you have any questions or have any trouble."
"And Palpatine knows this?"
Obi-Wan flashed him a smile. "My dear, I was the one that personally delivered the news."
"You're going to get yourself killed, Kenobi."
"Bold of you to assume I can die."
The other vambrace was now cleaned. Having had longer hair himself, he knew how to handle it better than Cody did. He took the curl in his fingers and slicked it back, winding it around the others until it stayed put. Cody leaned into the touch once more.
"There, now Seventeen won't punish you for having dirty armor or unruly hair."
Cody nodded. "Thank you."
Whether this was for the armor cleaning or Obi-Wan's new rule regarding troopers, he couldn't say. Maybe it was both.
Cody must have been feeling off-kilter as well. Worn, tired, and beaten down by bloody and endless campaigns that never seemed to push them closer to victory. Because, the next thing he knew, Cody had hooked their pinkie fingers together. Obi-Wan tightened his a fraction. He hoped at least some of his support bled through the Force until Cody could sense it.
It seemed to have worked because Cody pushed gratitudelovesupport through the Force until Obi-Wan could feel it faintly enveloping him like a warm hug.
They dropped their hands when the shuttle carrying Seventeen and the squad of cadets arrived. The support they had been giving each other simmering down into something much more becoming of a General and his Commander.
Seventeen stepped out first.
"Seventeen, good to see you again," Obi-Wan said, stepping up to the man.
Seventeen's eyes narrowed. He wasn't looking at Obi-Wan or Cody, but behind them to where Waxer, Boil, and Wooley were talking.
Only Boil seemed to realize what was about to happen, freezing like prey who just realized they were in a predator's sights.
"You three!"
Wooley and Waxer jumped; turning to look at them.
"The fuck kind of sloppy ass kits are those?"
"We just got done with a mission," Wooley said. "We're doing inventory. We'll clean them later, sir."
"Excuses mean nothing to me. Three rounds, Spiral Fracture, now!" he barked.
"You aren't our trainer anymore. Or our commanding officer," Waxer called back.
"Did I fucking stutter? Make it ten!"
"But—" Wooley argued.
"Twenty!"
Boil, sensing they weren't going to get out of this, dropped to the ground and started doing fingertip pushups. Waxer and Wooley dropped to the ground, albeit with a bit less hustle than Boil.
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "My dear, they are on shore leave. Surely you can let them relax."
Seventeen glared at him. "Shore leave starts on Coruscant. Are we on Coruscant?"
Technically, that was correct. Until Cody cleared the men on Coruscant, they were on duty.
Obi-Wan wasn't about to go down without a fight, though. "I'm just saying, it doesn't hurt to have a break every now and again." He was the negotiator. He could negotiate a way out of this. If only for the sake of his men.
"Yes, it does. Breaks make you sloppy. Sloppy soldiers are dead soldiers."
Right, he forgot how stubborn Seventeen could be. His negotiation tactics never did work on him no matter how hard he tried. It was like Seventeen was incapable of compromise.
"Pick up the pace, trooper! Before I tack on Thumb Screw!"
Waxer let out a loud groan and started doing his fingertip pushups faster.
"Groan like that again and I will tack it on. Don't test me!"
"Yes, sir," Boil shouted, desperate not to be punished further.
"What exactly is Spiral Fracture?" Obi-Wan whispered to Cody, having fully given up on trying to convince Seventeen to go easy on the men.
"One hundred fingertip pushups, one hundred reverse curls at body weight, one hundred triceps extensions at body weight, one hundred pull-ups with fifty-kilo plates. And then a ten-minute bar hang," Cody recited back almost robotically. "It's supposed to kill your forearms and grip strength. Hence the name."
Obi-Wan winced. "Ah, I see." He didn't even want to ask about what Thumb Screw entailed.
Seventeen finally turned to survey Cody. His eyes swept his frame, pausing briefly over the now-cleaned vambraces and his longer hair. Despite the fact that Cody technically outranked him, Obi-Wan had a feeling that if Seventeen gave him an order, he'd do it.
Cody did not falter under his gaze. He stared straight at Seventeen, standing as a perfect soldier with his face perfectly stoic and passive.
Obi-Wan held his breath, not knowing if he was going to demand Cody do five hundred jumping jacks or something.
"Cut your fucking hair. You look homeless," he snapped. He turned back to the ship. "Troopers, present yourselves! Let's go. We got a schedule to keep."
Cody relaxed slightly, having seemingly passed Seventeen's strict standards.
"Seventeen, you've clearly never seen a homeless man before. Cody is nowhere near as scruffy as they can get."
Seventeen glared at him once more but said nothing.
Five cadets in shiny kits marched out of the ship. Backs straight. Armor clean. Hair all regulation length. No tattoos. No markings on their armor. No scars. They looked like perfect soldiers. Perfect and deadly. The lines on their faces hadn't deepened like Cody's had. Their eyes were still fresh; still hungry for action. He hoped this mission wouldn't snuff out that hunger and fire. Too many troopers were shipped off of Kamino and lost all their batchmates in their very first battle. Obi-Wan knew he wouldn't be able to stop that from happening, but it still hurt every time he had to comfort a shiny who had been through one battle and had lost everything he had ever known.
"This is Sword Squad, a fucking idiotic name but I didn't pick it," Seventeen all but spat. "You've got Raider, Grip-hook, Fireball, Scale, and Nye. Equally idiotic names."
The troopers saluted as their names were called before returning to parade rest.
"Now, Seventeen, be nice."
"Never."
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and stepped forward. Hopefully, Seventeen hadn't filled their heads with too many horror stories about what it was like to work with him. He could ease some of their worries now, though. As he did with every new trooper that came into his command.
"Gentlemen, pleasure to meet you. My name is General Kenobi. This is my second in command, Marshall Commander Cody." He gestured to Cody, who nodded at the men.
The troopers saluted, sharp and quick. To anyone not Force-sensitive, they were emotionless. But to Obi-Wan, he could feel everything. Their Force signatures flared with excitement, particularly at the introduction of Cody.
He had heard from Shaak that Cody had made a bit of a name for himself back on Kamino. He was a man of myth and legend and the cadets passed around wild stories about his heroic deeds. And why wouldn't they? He was one of the highest-ranking troopers in the GAR with a service record that spoke for itself. Not to mention there were more than enough videos floating around the holonet (particularly Wolffe's Best of the GAR series (Yes he had seen the one where Cody crushed a droid with his thighs. No, he would not be making any more comments on the matter. (Quin, please stop sending him the video. (And Bant. (Also Garen. (And Hondo. (And Shaak. (And Bail. (And Mon. (And Dex.)))))))))) to show off his heroic deeds. Apparently, the Cadets had started passing around stories, legends almost, of Cody's various accomplishments.
Some of them were true like him dogpiling Grevious unarmed.
Others were not true. Below was a selection of some of Obi-Wan's favorites:
Commander Cody doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants. Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Commander Cody. Commander Cody once roundhouse kicked a droid so hard, that his foot broke the speed of light. Commander Cody does not sleep. He waits. Commander Cody once shot an enemy ship down with his finger by yelling "Bang!" And so on and so on. He understood, then, why the cadets would be excited to meet him in person.
"I'm sure you men must be superior to your classmates to be assigned a mission before you even graduate," he continued.
Their Force signatures faded from excitement to pleasure at being recognized for their talents.
"They are superior only in their mediocrity," Seventeen all but spat.
Obi-Wan grinned. "Well, gentlemen, you must be something special. I don't think I've ever heard Seventeen say such kind words about people."
Seventeen grimaced. "General Ti suggested that I be kinder with my words. It would be… better for everyone's mental health." He spat out the word kinder like it was the most disgusting curse word he had ever heard.
"So, you going to give me a compliment?" Cody asked. He quirked one brow in subtle defiance.
Seventeen sneered. "You are an utter disappointment. Every breath you take shames me."
Cody let out a cry and pounced on Seventeen, knocking him to the ground as the two began to grapple with one another.
Obi-Wan winced. That just proved that Cody was desperate for a break. He hoped he managed to sleep plenty whilst on Coruscant.
He cleared his throat and turned back to the cadets, trying to ignore the two men wrestling at his feet. "Since they're busy, I'll take you to the briefing room and get you acquainted with the mission."
The cadets all stared wide-eyed as Seventeen managed to get Cody into a headlock. "Tap out, you little shit!"
Cody responded by biting him right in the weak points of his armor. This was doing nothing to stop the cadets from thinking of Cody as a god amongst men. If anything, this only made them believe he was even cooler than the reports suggested. They would be the envy of all their classmates when they got back to Kamino. Obi-Wan just had to make sure that they did make it back to Kamino.
"Right, this way," Obi-Wan said, gesturing for them to follow. They did so without complaint. However, he thought he saw Nye's head craning back to catch one final glimpse of the famed Commander Cody grappling with Seventeen.
They entered a small meeting room. Obi-Wan brought up an image of the planet as well as the diplomats and leaders they were set to meet. "The mission is relatively simple and straightforward. This is a neutral system near a hyper-lane. My job is to convince them to join the Republic and give us access to the hyperplane and the planet's resources. They've indicated their interest, now it's up to me to seal the deal. Your jobs, and I'm sorry to say, will be rather boring. Mostly, you will be there to make sure no assassins or opposing parties try to disrupt the peace. It will involve a lot of standing around and waiting for meetings to get out."
"I didn't think there were any separatists nearby," Grip-hook said. "So who are the potential enemies?"
"Right you are, but internal politics can be just as messy as external ones. There've been no reports of an internal struggle between factions, but one can never tell." After all, Satine had had plenty of issues with Mandalore, what with her own trusted leaders turning against her and all.
"I don't get it. If the leaders think this is good for the people, why would anyone try to stop it?" Scale asked.
"People disagree on things. It's natural and something you'll learn if you haven't experienced that already."
"Well, yes sir," Raider said. "We disagree on how to finish missions all the time. But we're not about to kill each other over it."
His lips pressed to a thin line. "If only the rest of the galaxy was as agreeable. Perhaps we wouldn't be in this war. Some people refuse to talk it out and negotiate. Instead, they turn to violence and terror in hopes they'll get what they want. And, the Separatists have shown in the past they're willing to bribe officials to stall our efforts."
"You mean someone would do this all for a handful of credits?" Fireball wrinkled his nose. Because the troopers were only given a small stipend (and he meant small) most didn't have a good grasp on what money could buy them. Everything they needed was technically provided by the GAR and most extras were donations thanks to Fox's food and clothing donation bill. So to most troopers, the very idea of selling out your people for money was unfathomable. Though a few, like Slick, managed to wrap their heads around the concept.
"You are better men than most politicians, I'll say that," Obi-Wan said. Fireball preened at the praise. "Now then, let's go over who the main players are."
He spoke with the men more about the mission, getting them acquainted with the people they'd be interacting with, the culture and customs to ensure no offense was had, and a very clear lesson on consent and boundaries with a very in-depth discussion on what to do if any of the politicians attempted to proposition any of them. He was getting slightly worried that Cody and Seventeen hadn't reappeared yet. He hoped they hadn't taken their sparring match too far. Cody and Seventeen could be equally intense if allowed.
Eventually, he finished the briefing and answered all their questions. It was time for them to go.
Back in the bay, Cody and Seventeen had finished their fight. Both looked too smug to determine who the winner of the brawl was. Cody had a blooming bruise on his jaw while Seventeen's nose was bleeding.
Boil, Waxer, and Wooley were now all hanging from the bar. Wooley was crying. Boil was thinking very hard about murdering Waxer. The fact that he let his shields drop meant that he wanted Obi-Wan to know what he was planning.
"Remember, Boil, Waxer's got the tickets to the get'shuk game. Don't kill him until after you get your hands on them."
"Thanks for the advice, general," Boil gritted out.
Waxer looked like he had accepted his fate.
"All finished?" Seventeen asked.
"Yes," Obi-Wan said. He glanced back over at his men, who had dropped from the bar and started doing fingertip pushups again. "Er, they don't really have to do twenty rounds, do they?"
"Did I fucking stutter?"
He sighed. Technically, as general he could override Seventeen's command. But he didn't like displaying his power like that unless absolutely necessary. He didn't like to undermine the commands of his men. Besides, maybe Seventeen had a point. Maybe he had been too soft on his men as of late; guilty that they didn't have the rest they so desperately needed. He supposed if Waxer, Boil, and Wooley had managed to survive Kamino, they could survive a few rounds of Spiral Fracture.
"Right, well. We should get going. Commander, I trust you'll hold down the fort while on Coruscant? Make sure Ahsoka and Anakin don't get into any trouble."
"Yes, sir," Cody said.
"You lot, enough dawdling around. Get back on the ship," Seventeen shouted at the men.
They saluted and then marched back up the ramp.
"Oh," Cody said. "Before I forget. I have something for you, sir."
Obi-Wan's interest was piqued. "Really? You don't have to get me anything. That's quite alright."
Cody did a remarkable job of not rolling his eyes, but still making sure Obi-Wan knew that he was rolling his eyes.
"Give me your lightsaber."
Now his interest was really piqued. Cody had never once asked for his lightsaber. He either found it, or Obi-Wan offered it to him for training. How forward of him to ask.
He felt his face heat up as he unclipped it from his belt and handed it to him. "I am going to need that back for the mission, you know."
"Hush. You'll get it back in a second," Cody took it and started fiddling with the handle. His brow furrowed in concentration.
Obi-Wan tried to peak over and see what he was doing. He couldn't tell.
"There." Cody smiled. "Give me your hand."
He blushed again. Cody was being very forward today. He liked it. Of course, they were just two comrades. Nothing more. Even if Obi-Wan's stomach fluttered with traitorous butterflies and the Force seemed unwilling to accept them when he tried to release them.
He held out his right hand.
Cody took it in his. Before Obi-Wan had time to come to terms with the fact that they were now holding hands, something tightened around his wrist. He looked down and furrowed his brow.
"A wrist strap?"
Cody stepped back. The left corner of his mouth quirked up into his cocky smirk that could make Obi-Wan swoon. Right now, he was too confused to let it do much damage.
"Seventeen's not going to be nice like I am and go get it when you lose it."
Obi-Wan's blush deepened. This time, it was not due to the heat in his belly or Cody's grin. "I'm not that bad," he huffed.
"The worst, sir."
Someone scruffed him by the back of his neck and dragged him to the ship. "Quit flirting, you little shit. We got a schedule to keep," Seventeen barked. Obi-Wan didn't know who he was talking to. Maybe both of them.
"Don't lose that!" Cody called. "Remember, it likes me."
"You make it sound like I have a habit of losing my things," Obi-Wan called back.
"Only when you know I'm around to find them."
The door to the shuttle slid shut before he could respond.
He turned to see Seventeen glaring at him.
"What?"
Seventeen glared at him even harder.
Obi-Wan shook his head. "Come along, dear. Let's continue the debrief on the way there. You didn't hear any of it because you were too busy fighting."
*****
Alpha-17: Your boyfriend nearly got shot
Commander Cody: Dammit, you've only been there for ten minutes! How did he already get shot?
Alpha-17: Keep your fucking panties on. I said he nearly got shot. Grip-hook tackled him before it could happen.
Commander Cody: What happened? I thought this was supposed to be a nice, peaceful trip.
Alpha-17: It's Kenobi. There's no such thing as nice, peaceful trips when he's involved.
Alpha-17: And what do you think happened? Separatists greased some palms and found a corrupt official. Surprise, surprise. Now, instead of listening to boring political talks for ten hours a day, I've got to take a bunch of cadets around to sniff out the rest of the cowards.
Alpha-17: On the upside, the Chief is very willing to join the Republic. Said something about how he respects us for not going behind his back. I think he was scared shitless when he realized some of his advisors were willing to shoot him in the head to get what they wanted. Don't worry, I'll keep Kenobi alive while we flush out the rest of the Seppie Sympathizers. Just thought you'd like to know what happened.
Commander Cody: Hang on, did you call the general my boyfriend?
Alpha-17: Fordo owes me ten credits.
Commander Cody: He's not my boyfriend. He's my general.
Alpha-17: Uh-huh.
Commander Cody: There is nothing between us.
Alpha-17: Then how come you didn't realize I called him your boyfriend?
Commander Cody: I was trying to come to terms with the fact that my general was almost assassinated!
Alpha-17: How'd you know I was referring to Kenobi?
Commander Cody: Who the fuck else would you have been referring to? Scale?
Alpha-17: Whatever. Just know if I catch you two fucking I will string up your disemboweled corpse for all of Kamino to see.
Commander Cody: He is not my boyfriend.
Alpha-17: Oh yeah, so what happened in the landing bay was just something between General and Commander?
Commander Cody: Yes
Alpha-17: Don't fucking lie to me. Five rounds of Fives. I will know if you don't complete it.
Commander Cody: I hate you
Alpha-17: Relax, kid. I know you're not together.
Alpha-17: You think Kenobi would be this wound up if he was getting laid regularly?
Commander Cody: Does this mean I don't have to do Fives?
Alpha-17: You wish. I'd get started on that sooner rather than later.
Commander Cody: I hate you so much.
Notes:Shoutout to this website for the knitting tutorial I used: https://sheepandstitch.com/how-to-knit/
I do know how to knit, but like Gree, I'm not great at teaching people.
So, originally this chapter did not exist. But, Cody got to lust over Obi-Wan last chapter and then he had that line about not knowing what Obi-Wan sees in him. So I went, "challenge accepted buddy. I'm going to have Obi-Wan wax poetic over you for like 2K words." And 8K later, here we are. Still, a nice little dip back into C2C for the start of the year. I hope everyone's holidays were good and they're settling back into a routine.
Fun fact, when Cody and Obi-Wan hooked pinkies, I legit thought "Is this moving too fast?" Lord, when I said slow burn I mean Slow. 👏 Burn. 👏