Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Obi-wan stood in all his fully armored glory before his aliit. Coplan, one of Obi-wan’s buir, had been fussing all morning over Obi-wan going on his first solo mission. It was a little late by Mando’ade standards, Obi-wan being sixteen standard already. He’d only been adopted two and a half years ago though, so he’d had a lot of learning to do before anyone was comfortable letting him out on his own.

Now though, his new family was gathered in the courtyard of their compound as they threw a party to celebrate his mission. Obi-wan thought it was all overkill but his ori’vode explained, with differing levels of tact, that his buire just wanted to make sure he didn’t think they were trying to get rid of him. He still thought it was a bit much.

After he gets tired of all the holos, figuring everyone has enough, he removes his buy’ce and hooks it to the spot on his belt. With the intention of getting at least partially out of the spotlight, Obi-wan starts toward his crowd of family. Before he gets far, one of his buire intercepts him, laying his hands on Obi-wan’s shoulders.

“You’ll comm us if anything goes wrong, or if you even think that they might go wrong.” Coplan says as the Pantoran brushes non-existent dust off of the shoulders he’d been grasping moments before.

“You’re smothering the verd’ika, let him breathe.” Shlin, one of Obi-wan’s other buire scolds. They kiss Obi-wan’s temple before they herd Co’buir away, the near-human winking one of their fluorescent eyes at Obi-wan as they move away and the teen huffs out a laugh at his buire’s antics.

Xen, Obi-wan’s third and final buir comes to stand in front of him while he was distracted by the others. “You ready?” is all the Tholothian says as they cross their arms and visually check his armor.

Obi-wan rolls his eyes with a fond grin. “I was ready months ago. This is not even a full mission by myself. I am just scouting so that Maul will have the proper intel to bring in the ure'gettse scum from that Colosseum with his verde.”

Xen runs their hand through his hair so that they can cup the back of his head and pull him into a gentle kov’nyn. “Let us worry. We missed out on more than a decade of fussing after all.” They say softly before pulling back and speaking in their normal tone. “Now, go say goodbye to your vode. I know Maul’ika will be in orbit while you infiltrate, but Trinde has to stay on Manda’yaim. She’ll deny it, but she worries just as bad as Coplan.”

“Yes buir.” Obi-wan says with a cheeky grin before skipping his way around their attempt to whack him and makes his way to where his vode are bickering.

He waves at his ba’vodu Tor as he passes by the snack table and the man gives him a grin, stopping mid conversation with his son Pre. Pre glances to where his buir is looking and makes a rude gesture when he sees its Obi-wan. In retaliation Obi-wan sticks out his tongue childishly making Pre grin.

Shaking his head Obi wan turns away and continues to look for his vode. He spots them on the edge of the room with a healthy amount of space around them as they clearly argue. Obi-wan sighs and makes his way over to burst their bubble of aggression. On his way through the crowd he accepts well wishes and congratulations from various clan members. Some he’s met, many others he hasn’t. After what feels like much too much time and effort, Obi-wan walks up to his vode having what amounts to a rather typical conversation for them.

“Maul I swear to the Manda I will have my riduur bungle you next armor maintenance if you say that again.” Trinde says with her hands on her hips.

Maul sneers, an expression he’d learned was very effective as a Zabrak. “What, too much of a coward to take me on yourself.”

“Oh please, we both know it wouldn’t be a fair fight.” She leans in close, completely unphased by her vod’ika and his posturing.

Obi-wan sighs, “Can you two get along for just one day? I don’t ask you for a lot.”

Maul cuts his eyes to Obi-wan, though neither of his vode move away from each other. “You literally asked us to not fight for your last life-day celebration. Don’t act like you’re not asking a lot of us.”

Trinde uses his distraction to bring an arm around and pull Maul into a headlock. “Ob’ika you should have seen Tor and I when we were ade. It’s good to vent your frustrations in a healthy and safe manner.”

“Like fratricide.” Maul pipes up from where he’s not even struggling.

Trinde tightens her arm a fraction and he tries to catch her chin with one of his horns. “No, Maul’ika. Like squabbling and sparring. I will get you benched and in with a mir’baar’ur before sunset. Don’t test me.”

“I don’t think mir’baar’ure are supposed to be used as threats, ori’vod.” Obi-wan pipes up from where he’s watching Maul try to escape.

Completely ignoring her captive now, Trinde just smiles. “Did we ever tell you about the first couple of years we had Maul?”

“Yes, several times.”

Maul growls, but they ignore him.

“Sometimes I look at the old bite marks and miss the feral tooka Xen’buir brought home with them.”

Obi’wan rolls his eyes. He knows his ori’vod is more than a decade older than him, but the age difference is never clearer than when she longs for days past like a ba’buir. “Can I borrow Maul? There are a couple of details I want to go over before we set out. I need to leave in an hour or so if I want to get to the planet before the local night cycle.

-

Obi-wan is running. His comms are down, and he is running. He needs to get out of the city and back to his ship hidden in the maze of cliffs a few miles outside city limits. His only saving grace is that this Zygerrian seemed to be off duty when he’d caught Obi-wan snooping, so he hadn’t called for backup. Obi wan just needed to stay out of sight so none of the other occupants in the city called it in.

He skids around a corner, desperately trying to navigate the backstreets of this ramshackle collection of buildings, cursing under his breath every time he almost trips or slips in the unidentified detritus in this dung heap of a city. This was the worst sort of place, a slapped together collection of sentients that not only enjoyed the Colosseum that made up the city’s center, but relied on it. These were all slavers and gamblers, or the guards hired to keep them in line. Not to mention the collections of other criminals that gathered around the creators of such violence.

“I can’t believe I let him shoot my comm. Why do I even have an external comm?” Obi-wan berates himself ignoring the fact that Maul had explained why they couldn’t use their built-in comms already. They’d have to have someone encode their personal comms when they got back to Manda’yaim because this was the worst time to not be able to lose the ability to communicate.

Obi-wan turns a corner into a dead end and glances back to see his pursuer hot on his heels. “This is so dumb.” He says before trying to use his sen’tra just enough to clear the large fence, cursing how loud it is the whole time. Just as he reaches the apex, his pursuer opens fire, and a lucky shot must hit something vital because one of the main thrusters gives out.

Rolling in an attempt to land without hurting himself, Obi-wan still manages to land heavily, surely bruising a large part of his back. He also hears a worrying snap from his jetpack, and the smell of fuel wafts from it with a worrying strength. Figuring it for a loss, Obi-wan unclips it from his back and doesn’t bother to look back as he continues running. As far as he’s concerned, the stealth aspect of the mission is a bust. He just needs to get back to his ship so he can send a coded message and get Maul and his Di’kute down here to draw fire.

It’s only after he’s outside city limits that Obi-wan realizes he’s come out on the wrong side. It’s going to take twice as long to get back to his ship now. Obi-wan groans long sufferingly before settling into a jog he knows he can keep up for hours if needed. This is going to be a long night.

-

As Obi-wan is dangled by his neck over a cliff by the Zygerrian that’d been chasing him earlier that night, he concedes that he should have double checked that he wasn’t being followed. Just because he thought he’d gotten away didn’t mean he wasn’t being tracked.

“Any last words, Mando?” The Zygerrian hisses.

“Tha-at’s really un-original.” Obiwan manages to sputter out as the edges of his vision begin to darken. He hopes his HUD isn’t damaged, his vod’s riduur would be so disappointed.

Before his captor can do anything else there’s a flash of orange Obi-wan can see before the sound of a blaster rings out, echoing through the canyon. The Zygerian’s knees buckle and before Obi-wan can find his feet they’re both tumbling over the cliff side. Obi-wan curses in his head over his lost sen’tra even as he struggles to get futile breath back. ‘It won’t matter soon’, he thinks as he falls, looking down into the fathomless mists.

Something hard slams into him and whatever it is says, “Sorry, sorry I’ve got you.” As Obi-wan is righted, a Mando’ade Obi wan doesn’t recognize, in bright shereshoy orange and cin vhetin white, is supporting him while their sen’tra whines.

“Hello there.” Obi-wan says, still a little lightheaded from the oxygen deprivation.

“You alright?” His rescuer asks as they try desperately to get their straining jetpack to cooperate. Knowing the dangers of overloading a sen’tra Obi-wan looks around for a hand-hold. He spots a sad little tree clinging to the opposite cliff face and decides that will have to do. Just in time as the jetpack lets out a final pop and sputter before giving out just a few feet from the safety of the cliff top.

Acting fast as he can, Obi-wan adjusts his hold on his rescuer and fires out a line his ba’vodu had insisted be added to his armor at the last minute. It catches on a scraggly tree on the opposite side of the canyon and suddenly they’re not falling down, but sideways. The other Mando’ade lets out an impressive stream of curses throughout the entire process, and Obi-wan hysterically files a few away with the intention of scandalizing his aliit later.

They slam into the cliffside and Obi-wan yelps as the sudden weight dislocates his shoulder with a sickening pop. Obi-wan can only be grateful the line is built into his vambrace and hope the other keeps hold as his grip falters from the pain. When Obi-wan’s ears stop ringing he assesses his surroundings, noting that his former rescuer is still letting out a string of curses from where he is clinging to Obi-wan’s waist and looking down into the mists below.

“I’m sorry, you’re probably going to have to pull yourself up. This line doesn’t retract, and I can’t do much like this.” Obi-wan tries to say clearly through gritted teeth. They tilt their head up to look at him for a long moment and Obi-wan nervously tacks on, “I’m Obi-wan, he/him by the way.”

They look at him for another long moment before responding “Cody, also he/him. Sorry my rescue turned out like this.”

Obi-wan lets out a pained burble of laughter, “Not to worry. Par for the course really.”

Cody pauses, “This is probably going to hurt. Ni ceta.”

“No debts here. Just be as quick as you can.”

Cody adjusts his grip and climbs up Obi-wan’s body until he can reach the grapple line, and it is all Obi-wan can do not cry out with the pain from his shoulder as the other Mando moves around. Soon though, Cody eases his weight off of Obi-wan and heaves himself up the grapple line. Once he reaches the little tree in the cliffside he hooks an ankle over it and before long he is straddling the little tree and pulling Obi-wan up. With gritted teeth Obi-wan manages to get up onto the tree with Cody’s help.

While they pant with the pain and exertion of the last several minutes Obi-wan takes in his new companion. The other seems shorter than him, though not by much, and is bulky with muscle Obi-wan’s lean frame couldn’t hope to match. Cody’s armor is really what takes up the focus though. Obi-wan knows not all Mando'ade paint their armor with the color meanings in mind, he still can’t help to think of the bold statement this Cody makes with his choices. It practically screams, ‘I’ve been given a new chance at life, and I’m going to take advantage of everything that means.’

It makes Obi-wan's own mismatch of colors seem noncommittal.

Pulling Obi-wan out of his thoughts Cody asks, “So how’d you even end up in that situation?”

Obi-wan shrugs, “Oh, you know how it is, I was doing recon, I got caught. The better question is why are you out here in the middle of nowhere?”

“Mission.” Cody responds curtly. “Recon for who?”

Obi-wan resists the urge to sigh at the short answer. “My ori’vod got a puck, we’re on a bounty.” There, tells the stranger his actions are sanctioned and he’s not alone without disclosing how many there really are. “What’s your mission?”

Cody removes his helmet and clips it to his belt, “I’m here with my unit to free the slaves in the Colosseum.” This planet’s sun chooses that moment to rise enough to alight on Cody’s revealed face and Obi-wan feels his breath catch. Cody has close-cropped dark curly hair, beautiful, bronzed skin, perfect if not for the scar on his temple. Even that curves around his eye in a fetching way, bringing attention to Cody’s beautiful brown eyes that almost seem to turn gold as the light hits them.

Obi-wan is glad for his buy’ce in that moment, because he’s sure he’s gaping at the perfect being in front of him. Cody tilts his head and Obi-wan realizes belatedly that Cody had said unit. The only verde in the military that young are the, “ade be Mand’alor”.

Cody gives a self-deprecating smile, “Yeah, I suppose we’re easy to spot.”

Obi-wan shakes his head. “I actually didn’t know what you all look like. It’s just that the only verde our age in the military are ad be Mand’alor.”

“What clan are you from that you don’t know what we look like?” Cody asks, disbelievingly.

“I’m a foundling. Despite my best efforts I haven’t gotten to modern events in my Mandalorian history modules yet.”

Cody hums and looks at Obi-wan for a few long seconds. He must find what he’s looking for because he turns away to look at the top of the cliff. “My ship isn’t too far from here. I’ll go get it and come back for you. You won’t have a lot of luck trying to climb with that shoulder.”

“Don’t go out of your way.” Obi-wan tries to protest, half-joking, but Cody turns back to him with intense focus.

“I won’t leave you here. It will take me twenty minutes. Thirty, max. Haat, ijaat, haa'it.”

And Obi-wan finds himself believing the alor’ad. Not because of the oath, but because of the look in the other’s eyes. Lost for words Obi-wan just nods and receives a nod in return before Cody starts to make his way carefully up the side of the cliff.

When he gets to the top he pokes his head back over the side and shouts down, “Stay there.”

In spite of himself, Obi-wan smiles.

-

His good humor doesn’t last long as Obi-wan sighs, trying to find a comfortable way to sit as he waits for the ad be Mand’alor to return. Involuntarily, Obi-wan thinks back to Melida/Daan and how he came to wear his beskar. He is grateful to his buire, of course, but he will always feel the weight of tragedy over their first meeting. Pain, like that of his dislocated shoulder and aching neck, acute things, always seems to bring him back to Melida/Daan.

It was definitely worse on that war-torn planet than this tree keeping him from falling into the abyss below. Obi-wan doesn’t think he will ever forget the feel of ash in his lungs that never settled and burns on his hands from the ancient, overheating blasters the Young were forced to use. Obi-wan clenches his fists at the memory, hardly feeling the pain from his shoulder as he falls deeper into the memory.

Obi-wan hears Cerasi shout as the blaster bolt hits her. He hears the pounding of blood in his ears as Neild blames him for her death. The pain of that loss aching in his chest. Obi-wan had lost two friends that day, had lost so many more before that. Even after the Mando’ade had stabilized the planet, Neild never spoke to him again. Though it made his buire sad, they knew Obi-wan would carry all the losses from Melida/Daan for years to come. He doubted he’d ever really put them down.

Obi-wan sighs and shifts again, trying to get comfortable on the scraggly tree Cody had left him on and tries not to dwell on how he’ll get out of this mess if the ad be Mand’alor decides he isn’t worth coming back for. Lust for life and new beginnings huh? Obi-wan knew he shouldn’t put so much stock in how others chose to paint their armor, but Cody’s certainly makes a statement.

Obi-wan looks at his own vambrace and thinks back to the first time he’d painted his armor. His buire had decided that Melida/Daan had been more than enough to count as his verd’goten, and had gotten Trin’vod’s riduur to make his first pieces. It was just vambraces at first, so he could get used to the weight of them. Obi-wan remembers just holding the pieces of armor and looking at them for the longest time. He hadn’t thought that it was real, that these Mandalorians had really wanted him, until that moment.

He blinks and he’s no longer looking at his first unpainted vambraces and instead sees his scuffed reliability blue edged in duty green. He takes a deep breath and decides he’s waited long enough for the alor’ad to come back for him. Before he can do more than shift, Obi-wan hears the rumble of a ship drawing nearer. Clearing his throat of the clinging ash he knew wasn’t really there, Obi-wan watches as the ship draws nearer. It is clearly of Mando’ade make, and Obi-wan finds himself relaxing minutely, it was unlikely the Zygerians on the planet had access to any Kad class ships.

It takes a bit of creative maneuvering to get Obi-wan safely on the ship, with the high risk of the ship’s generated wind from the thrusters blowing Obi-wan off his perch, especially with his shoulder. Cody is there to help haul him into the cargo hold of the ship once sufficiently up the ramp.

“Hello there.” Obi-wan says, breathing heavily with the effort and pain in spite of himself.

Cody has his helmet on, so Obi-wan can’t see an expression, though he thinks the alor’ad is amused by the tilt of his buy’ce. “Hello again. I think we should get you to the baar’uur so he can check you for a concussion before he skins me Ob’ika.”

Obi-wan barely has a chance to blush at the term of endearment before he is being forced into their med bay by the aforementioned baar’uur, despite Obi-wan’s protests. Once there, the stern medic wearing white and orange like Cody, with only the alternate patterns and the addition of healer teal to differentiate them, identifies himself as Helix. It is only after Obi-wan’s settled on one of the two exam tables in the generously sized med bay that he connects the name to another of the Mand’alor’s children.

Favoring his right arm as he hops onto the exam table, Obi-wan turns toward where Cody is leaning in the doorway watching Helix fuss with something in one of the cabinets. “Cody,” he calls as softly as his vocoder will allow to get the other’s attention.

Cody turns his attention toward Obi-wan and he finds himself swallowing and then immediately wincing at the action, remembering the bruises there. Ignoring it for now, Obi-wan continues now that he has the other’s attention. “Please tell me that this ship isn’t entirely made up of ade be Mand’alor.” He pleads, thinking of how beautiful the alor’ad was.

Instead of Cody, it is Helix who answers. “Yeah, we’re all clones. You have a problem with that verd?”

Obi-wan immediately puts his good hand up in an attempt to placate the medic. “Oh, dear. Not at all. The opposite really.” Come on Obi-wan you can’t call someone you just met beautiful. “You are just considered princes due to your buir, and I’ve never really been around royalty before.” Obi-wan kicks himself inside his head. He’s already ruined things and had only said one sentence.

Before he can spiral any further, Helix removes his helmet and Obi-wan is relieved that he doesn’t feel the same awe at the reveal as he had with Cody on the cliffside, though that may be due to his glare. Helix levels Obi-wan with an unbelieving gaze before turning his glare toward Cody. “Is he serious, vod?”

When Obi-wan looks at him, Cody is still watching him. Cody turns toward Helix and shrugs, “As far as I can tell. He says he’s a foundling.”

Helix sighs, grumbling “I don’t get paid enough for this” under his breath before tuning back to Obi-wan. “Alright, vod. I don’t care that the verd is your stray, I can already tell this one is a med bay jumper so get out. I need to do a full exam and I’m sure he doesn’t want you watching him strip.

Obi-wan blushes, so glad to have his buy’ce. “I really am not all that injured. I ca-”

Before Obi-wan can continue to try to talk his way out of being treated, Helix pokes Obi-wan’s shoulder, causing him to suck in a breath and flinch away from the medic.

“Yeah, good try, but maybe don’t be so obvious about dislocating your shoulder if you want to avoid treatment.” Helix holds up a hand preempting Obi-wan’s attempt to protest. “Unfortunately for both of us, you being a med-bay jumper means I need to do a full exam now.” He points at Cody. “Which means you need to get out of my Med Bay unless you are also injured.”

Cody winces, “All good here vod. I’ll leave Ob’ika here to your tender mercies.” As he leaves the door shuts automatically behind him, and Obi-wan turns to see Helix looking at him with an eyebrow raised.

Obi-wan has never been more grateful for his helmet.

“Ob’ika, huh?”

“Obi-wan Kenobi, actually. I would greet you properly, but as you said, my shoulder is dislocated.”

-

Cody leaves before Helix can try to poke him with something unnecessary. He feels a little guilty leaving Obi-wan there, but he still has a mission to complete and can’t wait for verde to be finished in medical, even if they are mandokar. Instead, he makes his way to the common room, removing his bucket before he gets there. He spots Waxer and Boil huddled together over an abandoned game of sabak and waves Boil over, being one of the few vode still in his kit.

Boil lopes over with a grin that belies trouble, though Cody knows that’s just his vod’s face. “What’cha need Kote?”

“There’s a natborn Mando’ade I saved from a Zygerrian in medical. Can you wait outside for him and bring him back here when Helix is done with him?”

Boil salutes sloppily, “Sure thing!” he chirps before he jogs out of the room.

Cody shakes his head. He has no idea how some of his vode have so much energy.

“What was that about?” Longshot asks from behind him.

Cody sighs, he has a feeling he’s going to have to explain this several times. “There was a natborn Mando’ade one of the Zygerrians was trying to kill. He’s in medical now, but I have too much to do before the mission tomorrow to wait for Helix to be done with him.”

Longshot hums. “Medbay jumper?”

“Medbay jumper.”

“Yeah, it’s going to be a while then. Here, let’s go sit to talk. You still want me set up to snipe outside the arena?”

Cody huffs out a laugh. “Who else would I have do that?”

-

Chapter Text

-

After Helix is satisfied that Obi-wan isn’t dying, he sends him off with strict orders to rest after eating and drinking something. Obi-wan jams his helmet back on before leaving the med bay and is glad he did when he sees another of the alor’ad waiting in the hall outside. There goes his plan to get off the ship so he can contact his ori’vod about the mission.

This alor’ad is also wearing white and orange armor, though his is less intricately patterned than Cody’s. He also has his buy’ce clipped to his belt, so Obi-wan can see the patchy attempt at a mustache growing on the young man’s face. He straightens from where he’d been leaning against the far wall and smiles at Obi-wan.

“Hi, I’m Boil! Cody asked me to bring you to the common area after Helix was done with you. Most of us are in down-time before the mission.”

Obi-wan reaches out to clasp Boil’s forearm and introduces himself. “A pleasure to meet you alor’ad Boil. You can call me Obi-wan.”

Boil grins wider, “Oh, the vode are gonna eat a polite thing like you right up.”

Obi-wan extracts his arm and laughs nervously, “As fun as that sounds, I’ve actually been instructed to eat and drink something before I rest?”

“Not to worry!” Boil enthuses as he wraps an arm around Obi-wan’s shoulders. “We don’t have a mess on the ship, so we all eat in the common area. I’m sure we can scrounge something up for you!”

So much for grabbing something simple and holing away in whatever spare bunk they have on the ship Obi-wan thinks wryly as he allows himself to be led somewhere else on the ship. Boil’s arm burns where it drapes across his shoulders, and Obi-wan has a hard time following the other’s rambling story about a prank war. When was the last time someone had touched him like this outside of his family?

Before he really registers it, he’s stepping into an open space filled with alor’ade in various states of dress, though they all have at least half their kute on. Obi-wan still finds it difficult to find a safe place to look and he stills abruptly in the doorway, Boil’s arm slipping off of him as he continues past Obi-wan into the room. Boil looks back at him curiously and Obi-wan rolls his shoulders back and attempts to put on casual body language as he strides further into the room.

When Obi-wan spots him, Cody is still in full kit, helmet clipped at his hip, sitting and talking to one of his vod. Obi-wan starts making his way toward him, shooting, “It was nice to meet you” over his shoulder toward Boil before he gets too far.

Boil just laughs and shakes his head before he makes his way toward another of his vod.

The one that Cody is talking to spots Obi-wan before Cody does and smirks. “We can finalize the plans tonight, I’m sure we’ll have more intel by then. I’m more interested in talking about the hot verde you saved.”

Cody crosses his arms. “Longshot, I’m warning you, leave him alone. Besides, I thought you only liked women who can outshoot you.”

Obi-wan sees where this is going and decides to cut it off. He’s not sure he wants to hear Cody talking about types. “Cody, am I interrupting?”

Cody turns and Obi-wan sees Longshot roll his eyes. “Obi-wan, that was quick. Are you alright?”

“I am certain that Helix would not have released me if I were not. Is now a good time to talk about bringing me back to my ship?”

Cody straightens in his seat, “Oh, uh sure.” He turns back toward Longshot who waves him off as he gets up. “Before that, I actually wanted to talk to you about why you were in that situation to begin with, you still haven’t really explained. It’s not every day someone finds themself being dangled over a cliff by a Zygerrian.”

Obi-wan laughs, “My life must be more interesting than yours, my dear.”

-

[Will someone explain to me why a Nat-born is tagging along for our slave freeing mission?] Gregor says over comms as they collect in the cargo hold at sundown.

[Because Kote is in looove~] Boil teases.

[No!] Cody says over the sound of his brothers’ laughter. He looks over at the verde in his tasteful duty green and reliability blue armor where he’s fiddling with his comm unit with Static’s help. [He already did half our mission before we got to the planet, and it seemed poor form to try to kick him out of it.]

A buzz sounds over comms [Hello all. Can you hear me? This is Obi-wan.]

Before any of his brothers can say something embarrassing, Cody jumps in. [Loud and clear, Obi-wan. You ready for this?]

The ramp starts to open as the ship passes over the Colosseum and Obi-wan turns around to face Cody. [Try to keep up!] He says with a salute before allowing himself to fall backwards, using his borrowed jetpack to propel himself once he’s clear of the ship. The setting sun paints the scene in soft light that steals Cody’s breath. The vode can hear Obi-wan’s laughter over comms as they begin to scramble after him one by one.

Cody hears Longshot come in over private comms before it’s their turn. [Kote, if you don’t lock this dinii verde down, one of the vode will.]

[Oya.] Cody jumps and focuses on landing in the predetermined spot. His heart races as he gets closer to the ground and is supremely grateful that his jetpack doesn’t give out this time. Once his feet are firmly on the ground he directs his vode with hand signs well learned. The vode move in quickly, entering through doors that have already been sliced open and splitting off into their assigned groups. Cody takes point on one of the groups heading up to take care of the Masters, monitoring his vode’s chatter.

There seems to be a lot of it from the group containing Obi-wan and Cody struggles not to get distracted by it. Obi-wan himself is quiet only occasionally whooping in success or cursing under his breath, and Cody feels his heart race. He’s simultaneously grateful and deeply regretful that he hadn’t assigned Obi-wan to his own group. Even knowing he’d have been unable to take his eyes off the verde, Ka’ra, what a way to go.

Cody shakes his head as his group makes it to the top of stairs they’d been climbing, and he holds up a hand to stop them while he waits for other groups to confirm they're in position. After a few moments he waves them forward and the vode bee-line for the room that Obi-wan had told them the local ‘governor’ stays in when there isn’t any fighting. Without pausing, Gregor kicks in the door and Cody leads the rest into the room, pulling the Zygerrian out of bed and cuffing him before the slaver can even properly register what is happening.

They get the slime to tell them where the control for the collars is located and after securing it, Cody passes him to a trio of vode assigned to transport him to a cell reminding them that they need him alive.

[Control secured, all collars should be off, begin emptying the cells. Be cautious, this life can lead to violent reactions and Colosseums like to use Spice to encourage compliance]

Cody can practically see Boil rolling his eyes as he says [Lek ori’vod.]

The rest of the group leads answer with a more professional [Elek].

Cody sighs and signals for the remainder of his group to move to the next objective. This is going to be a long night.

-

Obi-wan laughs as he falls out of the ship. His aliit would have never let him do this. Relishing in the flip of his stomach Obi-wan rights himself before using his borrowed sen'tra to propel himself to his landing point. He wasn’t sure why he was assigned to corralling the slaves instead of capturing the Masters, since he’d already scoped out the executive level instead of the cells. He worries in an abstract way that Cody somehow knew of his own time as a slave.

He lands on one of the nearby rooftops and waits for the rest of his raiding party to join him, scanning the area to make sure it’s clear. Luckily, it seems as though it’s a quiet night. He supposes when your whole planet was unapologetically run on crime the sunset was the equivalent to the dawn. He doesn’t have long to ponder the quiet night before the rest of his team alights on the roof.

Boil is team lead so they follow his hand-sign directives and make their way quietly to one of the many service entrances. Happy to have someone he recognizes in his party, Obi-wan sticks to the front of the group as they make their way through the kitchens to where the domestic slaves are kept.

They come across a lone guard, and before anyone can react, Obi-wan darts in and does a vicious elbow strike to their sternum before striking them across the temple, knocking them out.

[What the Kriff] one of the verde in his party says several of his vode echoing him. Obi-wan can’t help but laugh as he secures cuffs to the guard.

Before they can produce any more chatter, Boil motions them forward. Falling back into his former position after stashing the guard and marking his location on the map, he gets a couple pats on the back. Obi-wan can’t help the grin under his helmet.

They don’t encounter any more guards on their way down to the cells, but they have to wait for Cody’s team to get the master control before they can take out the rest of them. Otherwise, they’d run the risk of the guards using the slaves as hostages with their own remotes.

Luckily, it only takes a few minutes for Cody to give the all clear and they rush in at the same time as the other teams at the cells adjacent to the fighting pits do. Obi-wan listens with half an ear as he and his team efficiently take down the few guards stationed to guard the domestic slaves. Once down and secured, they go cell by cell and evacuate them.

As these are the ones expected to maintain the kitchens and personal quarters of the masters there are a lot more young women and children than likely allocated to the pits. Obi-wan feels faintly ill at the scant clothing most of them have been forced into, but tries not to dwell on it as he coaxes a young Mirialan toward him. When they stay plastered to the back of their cell Obi-wan glances around the room and notes where the alor’ade are.

When he’s sure none of them are watching him he makes a sign that he’s relieved one of the older women recognizes. Her eyes light up and she begins to whisper to the rest of the slaves in her cell. When she starts to shuffle out, Obi-wan offers her an arm in support. She takes it and he begins to lead her out. Slowly, as the other slaves notice them, the rest seem to come to the conclusion that the verde are actually safe to go with.

Several hours later Obi-wan passes a young Rodian off to Helix, brushing off any thanks from the child and allowing the crowds to separate them. He looks around to see if there’s anything else he can do to help with the clean up. He feels buzzy with excess energy. This mission was probably the smoothest one he’d ever been a part of, and it was making him unsettled. Maybe he should have invited Maul to this party. There’d have been more maiming, but it would have been more interesting.

They hadn’t lost any of the alor’ade, and only a handful of the slaves had been critically injured, half of those were from injuries they had gotten in the pits before the unit’s arrival. If this is what happened when you worked with a full unit, maybe Obi-wan would enlist. He shook his head at the wayward impulse. He could never.

“Obi-wan!” he hears from his left, and when he turns, he sees an unfamiliar alor’ad, again with an orange and white paint job, jogging up to him.

When the verd gets closer Obi-wan responds. “Yes, dear? Apologies, I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.”

Obi-wan can hear the grin in their voice as they respond. “You can call me Waxer. The vode are beginning to make their way to the ship and Cody wanted someone to walk you through our after-mission reporting. I volunteered!”

Obi-wan smirks from under his helmet and drawls, “Oh, and I’m sure it’s because you’re just so passionate about proper flimsywork.”

Waxer put a hand over their karta. “How did you know? It is my one true love in this life!” They say dramatically and the two share a laugh before he leads Obi-wan to where the ship had parked itself after the fighting had stopped.

Obi-wan grows less convinced that Waxer had been asked to show him the reporting procedure the longer the verde sits with him. Waxer spends more time trying to pry information out of Obi-wan about himself than even looking at flimsywork.

Obi-wan wasn’t exactly trying to keep his life with his aliit a secret, but his time before them wasn’t something he was comfortable telling any of these verde about. While anti-jedi sentiment had lessened since Mand’alor the Reformer, his buire agreed that Obi-wan’s history was need-to-know. As nice as the alor’ade had been, he didn’t want to give them any reason to distrust him.

Luckily, the flimsywork was rather self-explanatory. Obi-wan finishes with it before Waxer can really dig deeply into Obi-wan's past. The alor’ad hadn’t even touched his own report by that point though, so Obi-wan apologizes for distracting him and heads after the alor’ade that had already finished their reports.

Once the others had submitted their after-mission reports they headed off either to their own rooms or the common area. Obi-wan still doesn’t have a room on their ship, having stayed up trading intel with Cody, so after he waves off Waxer, he makes his way to the common area to see if he can find Cody.

He spots Cody in the Kar’ayi in the middle of the room and makes his way toward him. He freezes as Cody laughs at something one of his vod says and Cody glows. Obi-wan’s breath catches again as he notices that he is wearing loungewear. Thanking the Manda that Cody doesn’t seem to have noticed Obi-wan’s entrance he steels himself.

‘Say something witty. Something funny.’ He thinks as he stops outside the recession of pillows, and addresses Cody. “So, is this a boots off situation, or are you all heathens?”

Cody whips around to face Obi-wan, and he feels a bit of pride over sneaking up on him. “Obi-wan. What?” Cody is in loungewear, helmet off so Obi-wan can see the full glory of his flabbergasted look.

Obi-wan gestures toward the expanse of the karyai. “If you wear boots in there, I will find somewhere else to sit, because that’s a blasphemy I cannot abide.”

The alor’ad Cody had been talking to when Obi-wan walked up laughs. “Leave it to Cody to find someone as fussy as he is.” Obi-wan notes that this alor’ad is sporting pale blonde curls as opposed to the brown Obi-wan had noted in the few other alor’ade he’s interacted with thus far.

Cody glares at his vod and hisses. “Ne'johaa, Rex.” Before he turns back to Obi-wan with a false bravado that makes Obi-wan smile under the safety of his buy’ce. “This is actually a kit free zone, so if you want to join us, you’ll have to stash your Beskar.”

Damn, this escalated quickly, well no backing down now. Obi-wan shifts his weight to one leg and props his hand on his hip. “I am not sure I feel comfortable stripping and piling it on the floor right here in front of the whole unit. Is there a bunk I can borrow to stash my kit for a few hours, or are you dropping me back at my ship?”

Rex laughs again as Cody reddens. “Y-yeah, we have a spare bunk you can borrow. We’re technically still on mission right now while we wait for the diplomatic envoy to get here, so we probably won’t be able to get back to your ship tonight.” Cody scrambles out of the karyai before gesturing back to the door Obi-wan had just entered through. “I’ll show you.”

Further endeared, Obi-wan nods and makes his way out of the common room, ignoring the various eyes of the alor’ade scattered through the room. After shoving his feet into some bright orange slippers, Cody speeds up so he can start to lead Obi-wan through the ship.

The room Cody ends up leading Obi-wan to seems to be a neat, though lived in, single occupancy room, small personal touches scattered around it.

Obi-wan hesitates in the doorway, “Is this your room?”

“I can double up with one of my vod, but we don’t really have any extra empty rooms.” Cody rushes out, and when Obi-wan looks at him, Cody’s ears are bright red.

“I don’t want to kick you out of your room.” Obi-wan is surprised to hear himself say. “If you’re going to share anyway, you may as well stay here with me.”

Cody looks up from where he was studying his slippers. “Are you sure?”

Kriff it, Obi-wan decides and he goes to remove his buy’ce. With a blush Obi-wan can feel burning across his cheeks he says, “I’m sure.”

Cody gapes and Obi-wan curses in his head and shifts nervously. “If that’s okay with you of course” Obi-wan adds after a few heart pounding moments.

Cody shakes his head. “Ni ceta, of course it's alright with me. Here, let me show you where you can stow your armor, and I’ll pull out something clean you can wear. Do you, um. Do you want to use the fresher? Since I’m in command of the unit for this mission I got the room with an attached one. Not that I think you need. I mean. I’m going to stop talking.”

Cody starts rummaging through his clothes and Obi-wan smiles softly. “I’d love to use the sonic if it's not too much trouble.”

Cody straightens with an armful of soft looking clothes and without another word points to the other door in the room and exits leaving Obi-wan a little bewildered. While Cody presumably waits outside Obi-wan smiles to himself as he looks at the fuzzy slippers Cody had left for him, a little too short and wide for his feet. They’re perfect.

-

Cody holds his face in his hands and slides to the floor opposite his door. He is so screwed. Cody had already been half in love with Obi-wan while they were sitting in that tree on the side of the cliff, it was entirely unfair that the verde be beautiful too. Obi-wan has the fairest skin that showed the flush of his cheeks so clearly, and his flush had showed his freckles. Ka’ra Obi-wan has freckles. How is Cody supposed to look at him when the verde has freckles?

Don’t even get him started on Obi-wan’s eyes. By the manda, his eyes. A glowing blue that almost seemed unnatural. Obi-wan must not be fully human, there has to be something ethereal in his blood. Maybe he’s part angel.

It’s that thought that finally breaks Cody out of his spiral. What is he doing? He was made to be a Marshall Commander. He stands up and brushes himself off looking up and down the hall to make sure none of his vode saw him. Assured no one caught him mooning over the verde in his room Cody takes a deep breath.

He is not going to embarrass himself in front of Obi-wan anymore. He is going to be cool, competent, and the next time he saves Obi-wan’s life, neither of them are going to get hurt.

-

About fifteen minutes after Obi-wan was left alone in Cody’s room he finds himself comfortably sprawled in the Karyai with various alor’ade sprawled around him. He has his vambrace strapped on over his borrowed loungewear so he can check his messages that had piled up over the last day and a half.

Now that their target was imprisoned there was no need to worry about anyone intercepting their comms. As he scrolls through his contacts, the one he’d been looking for flashes as he receives another message from them. Obi-wan sighs before clicking on Maul’s contact to scroll through his brother’s messages.

[Mauling: Obi]
[Mauling: Obi-wan]
[Mauling: Pick up your kriffing comm]
[Mauling: SOBi-whine]
[Mauling: You better not be going after the Zygerrians by yourself]
[Mauling: Vod]
[Mauling: I swear to the Manda]
[Mauling: I will get Co’buir involved]
[Mauling: He will cry all over you]
[Mauling: And you will feel guilt]
[Mauling: Because you are weak]
[Mauling: Obi-wan]
[Mauling: Why are we picking up activity in the Colosseum]
[Mauling: Please tell me you are not kriffing involved in this]
[Mauling: Obi-wan]
[Mauling: Obi-wan]
[Mauling: Obi-wan]
[Mauling: By the Manda there’s ori’ramikade all over the planet]
[Mauling: Obi]
[Mauling: Obi]

[No one: Maul why are you like this]

[Mauling: You missed your check in!]
[Mauling: Also you were supposed to wait for me]
[Mauling: But I’m getting reports that the arena has already been raided]
[Mauling: What the Kriff Obi-wan]
[Mauling: We were just after one Demigolka]

[No one: sorry for missing check in]
[No one: If it makes you feel better]
[No one: I got a whole unit’s worth of help]

[Mauling: I’m afraid to ask]

[No one: Apparently the ade be Mand’alor were running an op on the zygerians too]
[No one: For royalty they’re not that bad actually]

[Mauling: …]
[Mauling: Give me your coordinates]

[No one: We’re already done it’s fine]

[Mauling: Don’t care]
[Mauling: Actually I’ll just get your comm traced]

-

“So, one of my ori’vode may or may not be here within the next hour.” Obi-wan announces in the common room.

“Oh, you have a vod?” Boil asks with interest.

“Unfortunately, yes. I just want to apologize before he gets here.”

Rex laughs, “Why?”

Obi-wan sighs as he stands and stretches. “You’ll see soon enough. I just want you all to know, he was like that when my buire found him, it’s not my fault.”

“Well, that’s ominous.” Wooley says before he plops down in the Karyai. “Wait, Obi-wan, where are you going?”

Obi-wan makes his way to the door. “I need to warn Helix. At least one of us is getting bitten, and Maul got down to the bone last time. I can’t let him just get away with that.”

After he leaves the vode all turn toward Cody, who is silently panicking.

-

Not even half an hour later Cody watches as a verde in, admittedly intimidating, red and black armor strides into the common room. Their buy’ce clearly denoting them as a non-human with the crown or protrusions built into it. They’d been announced before they’d been allowed on the ship and Obi-wan had returned to the common room with a visibly upset Helix in tow only a few minutes before his vod had come storming in.

Before the verde can say anything though, Helix points at them. “I don’t care who’s vod you are. I have not slept in over thirty-six hours. If either of you injure yourselves or each other I’m leaving you like that and having you both thrown in the brig. Do you understand me?” Cody winces at the barrage of vitriol coming from Helix and makes a note to hold off on taking any more major missions until his vod had gotten at least a ten-day off.

In contrast, the verde had stopped cold at the wall of words being flung at them, and after a slow tilt of their head they reach up and remove their helmet. They reveal a grinning Zabrak, their facial patterns matching the ones on their buy’ce, same color and everything. He steps close to Helix and says lowly, “You are so mandokar. What’s your name, mesh’la?”

Cody watches in horrified fascination as Helix slowly grows bright red. Cody had never seen Helix express anything other than annoyance, exhaustion, and rage in their whole lives. Now his vod is getting flustered. A vod makes a noise of distress from somewhere, and Cody finds himself agreeing with them. After seeing Helix reboot, Cody watches as Helix announces to the room at large. “I’m going to bed. No one bother me unless you’re dying.” before he flees.

When Cody looks toward the verde again he sees them smirking in the direction Helix had run off, and Cody suddenly feels a protective urge to hit the Zabrak.

Before he can dwell on it too much Cody is distracted by Obi-wan speaking up from beside him. “Maul, must you flirt with everyone that threatens you?”

Maul scoffs, “I don’t flirt with everyone that threatens me. Just the pretty ones.” He glances around the common room, “Though I suppose most of you are pretty.”

“Maul, that is so rude!” Obi-wan scolds, and Cody almost laughs at how offended he sounds.

Maul sticks out his tongue. “At least I don’t have a kad up my shebs.”

Obi-wan makes an affronted noise and Cody can’t hold back his slightly hysterical laugh any longer. Obi-wan whips his head to look at Cody in betrayal. “Are you laughing?”

Cody tries to tamp down his giggling. “I’m sorry Ob’ika. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when you said your vod was coming, but this took me off guard.”

Suddenly the zabrak is hovering over where Cody is seated in the karyai. “Ob’ika huh?”

“Maul don’t start.” Obi-wan protests, but Maul shushes him.

“Rather familiar, don’t you think, alor’ad.” The longer the Zabrak postures, the tenser Cody can tell his vode around the room gets.

“Ob’ika hasn’t said he minded, and we’ve saved each other’s lives. It tends to bring verde closer together.” Cody responds, forcing himself to project calm.

The Zabrak sits back on his heels and hums before he stands. “Alright, shove over. If I’m going to hear the vaar'ika gush about his meet-cute, it won’t be while he’s cuddling with his new boyfriend.” Maul starts stripping off his armor with no shame and leaving it in a pile next to the Karyai.

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Obi-wan says with bright red cheeks.

Maul glances between the two of them raises a brow ridge. “Why not? You obviously like each other.”

“Hey, Obi-wan’s vod!” Longshot calls from the far side of the room. “Thanks for ruining the bet! I was going to make a killing!”

Cody glares at his vode, “You were betting on this?” he hisses out at them. He could feel the rage building in his chest as he looked at all the guilty vode around him.

He catches Waxer and Boil make eye contact before they shout in unison, “Scatter!” and suddenly the room is clearing out.

Before Cody can lunge after any of them, he feels arms around his middle. When he looks down he sees Obi-wan’s big blue eyes and Cody’s anger leaves him in a sudden rush of embarrassed affection.

“Are you angry because it’s not true, or because it is?” Obi-wan asks in a deceptively steady voice.

Cody is astounded that this beautiful verde could be so unsure. “I have been so embarrassing about how much I like you. Ob’ika, I couldn’t fight on the same floor of the Colosseum as you today because I knew I’d be distracted. When I first saw you, I had to look away because you’re so beautiful.”

“Cody.”

A loud clap sounds right next to them causing them to jump “Alright, I will actually hurl if you continue to be all mushy in front of me.” He turns to the doorway where Cody can see some of his verde peeking into the room. “Hey, get your shebs back in here so they stop being all mushy!” Maul shouts to them.

Cody hears Obi-wan mutter “I’m gonna kill him.” And Cody can’t help but bury his head in Obi-wan’s shoulder and laugh. Why did he ever think he could be dignified about this?

-

Chapter Text

-

After about an hour Maul forces Obi-wan off the alor’ade’s ship. Obi-wan exchanges comm codes with a few of the alor'ade, including Cody of course. Even as he’s frog-marched out, once again in his armor, he can’t help but grin. He can’t believe Cody likes him.

“You’re disgusting.” Maul says from where he’s walking next to Obi-wan through the Colosseum's hallways.

“You have no room to talk.” Obi-wan snipes back. “I saw you get Helix’s comm code from one of the alor’ade.”

“Perhaps, but at least I am not mooning like some holo-novel heroine.”

“Shut up!” Obi-wan’s voice cracks, audible even through his vocorder.

Maul just laughs as Obi-wan sulks in embarrassment. Obi-wan thinks it’s completely unfair that Zabraki teens don’t have puberty the same way near humans do. All he had to deal with was waxy horns.

Taking pity on his vod’ika, a learned behavior hard fought for, he bumps shoulders with Obi-wan. “Hey, you did good, even though our buire are gonna kill you for going so far off mission.”

Obi-wan whips his head back to Maul. “Wait, are you really going to tell them?”

“I already did, vaar’ika. What do you think I did when you missed check-in? You’re lucky I was able to keep Co’buir from getting on a ship and coming after us.”

Obi-wan groans. This was going to be a nightmare.

“It could be worse.” Maul half attempts to console him as they come to a stop in front of one of the cells that the former Masters now sat. “You could have failed the objective.” They both look down at their bounty that had been captured during the revolution earlier that day.

-

Cody stretches as he stands after hours hunched over flimsywork and several different pads. Passing command over to the transition specialists always takes so much longer than Cody can tolerate. He understands the importance of their work of course, it was supremely complicated to help a planet build a government that didn’t revolve around slaves. It just always takes so long to get through those meetings. He nods to a couple of the other vode that had taken point on taking over different major structures on this awful planet and finally, finally steps out of the conference room.

“Finally done?” Gregor chirps at him from where he’d been waiting in the hallway for him.

Cody just groans and his second laughs. “Do I have any more meetings the naak gotal’ade insist on making me go to?”

“No, we’ve been cleared to go back Manda’yaim.” Gregor says cheerfully as they begin to make their way back to the ship. “I heard that a certain red-head will also be heading back to Manda’yaim.”

“Gregor” Cody says with a warning tone to his voice.

He hold his hands up, “I’m just saying, the Mand’alor gave us a couple ten-days off after this campaign…”

Cody sighs, “I’m not discussing this with you. You actually bet on us taking a year to get together.”

Gregor just boos him and Cody reaches out to cuff him on the back of the head.

They fall into a companionable silence until they make it back to the bridge.

“Everyone back on board?” Cody asks Gearshift and at his nod signs for the pilots to take them up.

Once they’re safely in hyperspace and headed back to Manda’yaim, Cody passes command over to Gregor and retreats to his room. Once there, he finally takes the time to check his personal comms. With dread he clicks over to the CC channel.

Blythe: So, a little birdy told me something

Bark: You know nothing

Blythe: Not about you
Blythe: WAIT

Bark: Damnit

Blythe: What are you hiding?

Bite: I know Wolffe’s secret I’ll tell
Bite: But you spill first

Blythe: I take back everything
Blythe: Fox is my favorite

Splash: Bly spill

Blythe: ~Kote has a Boyfriend~

Bark: Oh mine isn’t that bad

Glory: Who snitched
Glory: Not saying it’s true
Glory: I just want to know

Bite: I didn’t believe it but
Bite: Kote pretty much just confirmed it

Keeys: I can’t believe Kote got a partner first

Gloom: What do we know about them

Glory: Wait no

Blythe: Obi-wan Kenobi, unknown clan
Blythe: red head with blue eyes

Splash: Ooo exotic

Glory: Bly what can I give you to stop?

Blythe: Nothing <3
Blythe: Sorry not sorry vod’ika
Blythe: Apparently he’s super polite

Bite: So nothing like Kote

Giving up, Cody flops back on his bed ignoring the comms continuing to come in on that channel. If he ignores it, maybe it will go away. Before he can spiral too much, his comm pings with a newly programmed tone and he perks up.

Navigating to the right comm channel Cody grins as he reads the message.

Ob’ika: We just finished dropping off the bounty.
Ob’ika: Are you done with your meetings?

Cody: I just finished, we’re in hyperspace
Cody: Should be back to Manda’yaim soon

Ob’ika: Oh! I will see you soon then!
Ob’ika: I mean, if you want.

Cody: Briikase to see you Ob’ika

Ob’ika: Good.
Ob’ika: I’ll send you coordinates then?

Cody: Where are we meeting?

Ob’ika: Hmm, you will have to wait and see.

Cody: I guess I will

Cody is so glad he waited until he was in his room to check his comm, because he is definitely grinning like an idiot.

-

Pre shoves Obi-wan’s head to the side and Obi-wan squawks in protest.

“What has you smiling like an idiot, little Ob’ika?” Pre says with a sneer.

“Leave him alone.” Ce’vu scolds from the opposite side of the table..

Pre shoots her an incredulous glare. “Why are you defending him! He ruined our hunt!”

“I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to complain over an easy job.” Her lekku twitches in annoyance, “It’s bad luck.”

Pre scoffs and shoves off of Obi-wan. “I agreed to come because I wanted to hunt.”

“Is Pre still complaining?” Rutil asks with a grin as the Kiffar comes back to their table with drinks.

“Yep.” Ce’vu confirms and scoots over to make room for him before taking a long sip from her proffered drink.

Rutil slides into the booth and rolls his eyes. “Verde, it’s because of Ob’ika we even got our bounty. You know how the ramikade are.”

Maul slams a tray of food down on the table and glares at Pre. “We would have never gotten our bounty unless Ob’ika traded intel for the assurance we got to bag our quarry.” He looks at Obi-wan and nods. “The verd’ika did good, even if he should have found a way to comm us sooner.”

Pre smirks, “He’s too distracted by someone named Cody.”

Obi-wan feels his face flush and Rutil coos while the others laugh.

Maul shoves his way into the same booth as Pre and Obi-wan. “Cody is one of the ad be Mand’alor. The vaar’ika and he started dating after the raid.”

Ce’vu whistles lowly, “Ob’ika, I never took you as the type to fraternize.” She teases.

“Oh they were disgustingly sweet about it.” Maul complains. “The alor’ad seems the type to court traditionally.

Pre and Ce’vu laugh and Rutil smacks Ce’vu’s arm. “You besome have no sense of romance.” He turns to Obi-wan, “I’m glad you found someone sweet Ob’ika.

They spend the rest of the meal trading good natured insults and teasing before waving goodbye to the owner and heading back to their own homes. Pre rushes off to the compound ahead of them, something about getting a good seat to the show. Maul waits for the others to head off before throwing his arm over Obi-wan’s shoulders.

“Hope you enjoyed your last meal vod.”

Obi-wan groans. “They’re not mad are they?”

Maul grins. “Our buire? No, our buire are the least of your worries.”

Obi-wan’s mind races as he tries to figure out what that’s supposed to mean.

When they finally reach the front door, the clan head is seated on a chair, seemingly having had it drug outside for that purpose. Vex takes a drag from a pipe Obi-wan has never seen him use before and Obi-wan starts to sweat under his even gaze. Maul claps Obi-wan on the back before nodding at Vex and heading inside. Vex nods to the Zabrak, never taking his eyes off of Obi-wan.

He blows out a mouthful of smoke. “I had to calm your buir down from a panic attack last night.” Vex says, voice level. “I haven’t had to do that in over a decade.”

Obi-wan opens his mouth to defend himself or apologize, but Vex holds his hand up before the teen can say anything. He empties his pipe off to the side of where he’s seated before standing up with a groan.

“Here’s what’s going to happen. You are going to go inside and apologize to your buire and accept whatever punishment they give you without complaint. On top of whatever they give you, you are going to write me a report on communications protocols and how to get a message to your team lead even when you don’t have a secure line. Do we understand each other?”

Obi-wan nods.

Vex nods minutely to himself before motioning Obi-wan toward him. Obi-wan sullenly plods toward him and plants his head in his chest. Vex wraps Obi-wan in a hug and sighs. “I’m glad you’re safe verd’ika.” Vex says softly before pulling back. “Now go hug Coplan, that man has been blubbering since you left. It’s like he’s never had his ade go on a mission before.”

Obi-wan smiles wanly and Vex gives his own small grin in return.

-

Cody hates flimsywork. The actual writing isn’t so bad, but if he’s doing flimsywork it usually means he’s stationary. This makes it easy for his batchmates to find him.

“Kote~”

Cody feels his blood run cold and he launches himself over the desk he’s seated at. Luckily he’s still in the hanger logging the flight information so maintenance has the records. There’s no way his vod can corner him here.

No sooner does he think that than he’s tackled to the ground. He groans and cranes his head to try to see which of them is crushing him.

“I thought we agreed to be nice about this.” Cody gives up trying to see who’s pinning him and looks up from the boots that stop by this head. Ponds looks down at him with his arms crossed and Cody bares his teeth in the mockery of a smile.

“This is nice.” comes from behind him, and Cody concludes it must be Wolffe.

“Let me up, dikut.” Cody says as he struggles under the weight of his brother. “You weigh a ton, you sha’buir.”

“Great, now Kote is never telling us anything.” Bly whines as he trots up.

Wolffe growls, “He’ll be lucky if he ever says anything again.”

“What is going on here?” a voice that makes all of them still cuts over their chatter.

Wolffe is off of Cody in a second and he scrambles to his own feet a moment later. When he gets to his feet he sees Alpha-17 standing a few feet away, an unimpressed expression on his face as he looks at the group before him.

Bly takes a half step forward and gives Alpha-17 tubie eyes. “Kote has a boyfriend and we were just trying to get him to tell us about him.”

Alpha-17 gets a strange look on his face before he turns to Cody. “This true?”

Cody swallows nervously, “Yes sir.”

17 sucks his teeth for a second. “You done with your reports?”

“No sir.”

17 nods to himself before announcing to the hanger, “Anyone involved in this is going to do laps until Kote is done with his reports at which point you will leave him alone.” Quieter he says to Cody, “Report to me when you're done with your flimsywork. We have protocols for dating nat-borns. Even Mando’ade have weird rituals that need to be observed for any hope of success.”

Cody nods, feeling twice as awkward about this situation under Alpha-17’s gaze, “Yes sir.”

17 looks sharply at Cody’s batchmates and they immediately start doing laps. Cody decides to get back to his flimsywork without any further prompting. Once seated he glances up and sees 17 had followed him. Cody feels a pit in his stomach under the continued attention.

“You will also be assigned remedial training in both spatial awareness and how to get out of a pin. I’ll see if any of the nulls are available.”

The pit gets deeper.

-

Obi-wan grimaces as he helps a rickety maintenance droid replace some of the old shingles on the compound. He wipes the sweat from his forehead and ignores the droid as it beeps out a series of curses at him. He was grounded, naturally, and required to check in every hour, on the hour for the duration of his grounding just to drive home the point. Sometimes having three buir was the worst, in cases like this it meant three times the punishment. At least the check ins meant he had to have his comm with him, so he’s been able to stay in contact with Cody.

Apparently, having a vast majority of your brothers in the military meant that when you roughhouse with them, allowing yourself to be caught earns you remedial training. Having Cody complain about his brothers makes Obi-wan feel more comfortable about airing his own complaints. A side effect of that is Cody apologizing for not immediately taking Obi’wan back to his own ship, and Obi-wan has to assure him that he doesn’t blame Cody at all.

If anything this situation is Maul's fault for being a snitch.

It’s as Obi-wan thinks that a shadow falls over where Obi-wan is working. When he turns around Maul is standing there with sunblock and the big hat Shlin’buir wears when they garden.

“You’re too gross and pale to be out here without your strange human defenses.” Maul says as he throws the hat at Obi-wan.

Obi-wan snatches the hat out of the air before it can hit him in the face and glares up at the grinning Zabrak.

“Don’t look at me like that, you’re hardly intimidating.” Obi-wan screws up his face more and Maul laughs. “You’ll look at me differently when you hear what I did for you.”

Obi-wan’s glare morphs into a squint of suspicion. “What did you do?”

“I got you early parole vod’ika!” Maul exclaims with a dramatic sweep of his hands.

“What’s in it for you?”

“A favor.”

“What favor?”

“I haven't decided.”

Obi-wan screws up his face again. “When am I free to go?”

“Well, you already finished your paper, so as soon as you’re done with this chore.”

Obi-wan chews his cheek as he thinks, “I want a contract stipulating what you’re allowed to ask for.”

Maul’s grin doesn’t waver as he pulls out a pad, seemingly from nowhere. “You are frightfully predictable vaar’ika.”

Obi-wan just holds out his hand for the pad and starts reading once it’s in hand. He reads it through twice, but doesn’t see anything immediately distressing about it and looks back up at Maul suspiciously. “What’s the catch?”

Maul sighs, “Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot.”

“You literally bit me the first time we met.”

“I bite everyone!” Maul pinches the bridge of his nose. “That’s not the point. In spite of all your,” He gestures toward all of Obi-wan, “you-ness. I… Kriff it. I know you don’t like to talk about it, but we need to talk about it. You were raised as a jetii, and I had two dikut dark side cultures raising me before our buir found me. You haven’t touched the force or manda or whatever you want to call it since you were brought here.”

“I do not see the point.” Obi-wan says, still with false calm.

“The point is that it’s hurting you! No one is saying you need to go back to the jetii to learn their magics, but at least go sit in with a goran. I know Trinde’s riduur would love to have you as an apprentice.”

Obi-wan glares with more venom than he had earlier. “Is that the favor?”

“Yes, it hurts to look at you.”

Obi-wan screws up his face again, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You have a” Maul gestures to all of him again, “haze around you that… tastes of pain.”

Obi-wan chews his cheek in thought. “Fine.”

“Fine?”

“Fine.”

Obi-wan goes back to replacing tiles and Maul stands there awkwardly for a few seconds before starting to make his way off the roof. “Ok then.”

After he gets a few feet away Obi-wan calls after him. “Ask Xen’buir what their punishment for me was!”

Maul freezes before cursing under his breath and moving faster to get down to find Xen’buir. “This is what I get for caring about stupid ade.” he mutters under his breath as he stomps off. “I should have stayed in that stinking cell where Xen found me.”

-

Cody is never letting his batchmates near him ever again. He was sore in muscles he didn’t even know he had. Cody had been assigned ‘remedial training’ with the worst null there was. Everyone thought Mereel was the nice one, but it was an act. A horrible lie designed to lull fools into a false sense of security.

Cody had been a fool.

“Get up Kote. I still have ten minutes with you before we’re done. If you can catch me off guard you can leave early.” Mereel calls from a couple feet away.

Cody groans and rolls to his feet. Ten minutes didn’t sound like a lot, but it certainly felt like a lot when a null was knocking you around.

-

Obi-wan stands across the street from a forge and watches as Mando’ade walk in and out and past it. It’s the forge Trin’vod’s riduur usually works in. In spite of them having made all of his armor, he had never actually been inside their main forge. They always used the Vizsla forge for family pieces, claiming that it would help forge the aliit together in the forge’s memory.

Faced with the facade of the shop in front of him he can’t help but hesitate. Xen’buir had insisted he talk to the Goran. The stars touched verde in the compound had apparently gone to his buire about him, saying he was visibly volatile. He’d closed himself off to the force for years now, not letting any of it in or out. Logically, he knew it was bad for him to keep it all stagnant, but he’d put off facing the repercussions of it for so long. How is he supposed to walk into something he know is going to hurt?

“Are you going in or not?”

Obi-wan jumps at the sudden voice. When he turns to look at where it came from he sees a large mando ade sitting in a stoop behind him to his left.

“I’m sorry?”

“You’ve been standing there for almost ten minutes, just staring. Are you going in or not?” The verde says sounding annoyed.

Feeling awkward, Obi-wan begins to shuffle toward the forge. “I am, see? Going now.” Turning away completely in an attempt to put the interaction out of sight and out of mind, he walks across the busy pedestrian street.

Before he really knows it, Obi-wan is inside the shop, the beskar bell above the door tinkleing merrily to announce his arrival at the same time as the lights in the back of the shop glow brighter before dimming to their normal brightness.

Bravery leaving him, Obi-wan hesitates just inside the doorway, observing a pair of customers seemingly being helped by one of the apprentices on the far side of the room. As his eyes sweep over the different weapons and additions to one’s armor that are on display he sees a fully armored verde waving him over from behind a display case.

He makes his way over and tries not to make it obvious he’s looking at their black rimmed grey kar’ta. It somehow doesn’t clash with the erin of the rest of their armor, and Obi-wan can’t help but admire the deep conviction this Goran apprentice must have.

Seemingly not noticing Obi-wan’s evaluation of them, they cheerfully ask, “Hi, how can I help you?”

“I have a meeting. I was told they’d be expecting me?”

“Oh! You must be Ob’ika! Come, come, they’ve been glaring at their next project for twenty minutes, if we don’t get you back there quickly they’ll get sucked into it.” They usher Obi-wan behind the display case and back into the forge proper.

Obi-wan is breathless as he takes in the enormity of it. The Vizsla forge has nothing on this. There are three large furnaces, evenly spaced in the middle of the cavernous room, with three smaller furnaces around each of them, each one at least six feet from the one next to it. In the center is a large pillar that’s so intricate Obi-wan can’t tell if it’s structural or purely decorative. As he follows it up to the ceiling he takes in the beautiful mosaics made of what must be different colored pieces of beskar. He is quickly distracted by the image of a mythosaur hunting what looks like stars.

The apprentice tugs on Obi-wan’s arm, dragging him out of his observation, and when he looks at them they motion him deeper into the cavernous room. As he steps in, the roar of the forges and sound of the other Gorane working fills the space.

It all seems cacophonous at first, but the longer he listens the more it almost sounds like it has a rhythm to it. Before he can really make it out, he’s deposited in front of his ori’vod’s riduur. They turn from what looks like blueprints detailing the inner wiring of a vambrace over their shoulder at Obi-wan.

They turn back to the blueprints and announce to them, “You are late.” they condemn, their lightly accented words somehow softening the reprimand.

Obi-wan shuffles in place and glances toward the apprentice, but finds that they’re already heading out of the forge. Cursing the lack of attention in his head, Obi-wan turns back to the Goran in front of him.

“I wasn’t told I needed to be here at a specific time.”

They sigh and turn around to face him properly. “Do you know why you are here?”

I’ve been told that I ‘taste’ painful in the force. I’m fine though.”

They don’t say anything as they stare at him from under their buy’ce, not moving an inch.

After a few long minutes Obi-wan adds, “I haven’t touched the force since, since my buire brought me back.”

“Why.”

Obi-wan shrugs instead of answering and they spend the next few minutes in silence again.

“Because it seemed like something I should hide here.” He offers.

“And?”

Deciding not to draw it out this time, Obi-wan adds, “It didn’t help.”

They begin to circle him and it sets his teeth on edge. “When?”

Obi-wan can feel himself growing frustrated. “You know when.”

“That may be true, but you have not acknowledged it yourself, so you will now acknowledge it with me.”

“Since Cerasi.” Obi-wan says bitterly

“Wrong.”

Obi-wan bristles “What do you mean wrong?”

“When was the last time you meditated?” they say steamrolling past his anger.

“I thought that was a Jedi thing, not something Mandalorians do.”

Obi-wan is suddenly knocked on his back and the Goran stares down at him with their emotionless helmet. “You are unbalanced Obi-wan, you do not see anything except that which is in front of you. This tunnel vision is going to get someone killed.”

Obi-wan tried to get up and they pin him with a boot to his chest. “Your old Masters feared your anger would lead you to darkness, instead you direct it to yourself and it causes you to disconnect not only from the force, but hide yourself from others behind a wall.” They move down into a squat by his head. “Your animus will be your undoing, verd.”

Suddenly very tired, Obi-wan sighs, “What am I supposed to do about it.”

The Goran stands, “We are going to help you connect with the breath of the galaxy again, you have tried it the Jetii way, now you will step into Mando’ade tradition. It is well past time for you to listen to the stars.” They tilt their helmet in a way Obi-wan has come to connect with Mandalorian amusement. “I look forward to hearing you sing.”

-

Cody sits in Alpha-17’s office, but it is not 17 sitting on the opposite side of the desk. Mij Gilimar is the Chief Medical Officer of the Mand’alor’s personal unit, and had been grandfathered in from Mand’alor the Reformer’s Cabinet of Confidants. Or as the vode called them, the CoCs.

Gilimar steeples his hands, elbows on 17’s desk. “Commander, it’s come to our attention that you have recently started a relationship with a Nat-born mando’ade.”

He pauses as though expecting Cody to say something, when he doesn’t the medic sighs and continues, “The vode and any associated buire that have managed to convince any of you to allow yourselves to be adopted have put together a living document to help the vode understand nat-born relationships. We will also be sending a link to the buire of your partner to do with what they see fit to help with any cultural misunderstandings.”

He pauses again, searching Cody’s face, and when Cody doesn’t give anything away Mij sits back in 17’s chair. “You’re not in trouble or anything, It’s just that you’re the first of your generation to get into any romantic relationship and there have been unique… complications with each generation of the vode coming of age. I’m just here to make sure you’ll document your experiences in case it can help any of your vod’ike later.”

Alpha-17 moves for the first time since Cody had entered his office. Peeling himself out of the shadows in the corner 17 hands a pad to Cody before moving back into the corner.

Mij gestures to the pad. This will be your only way to connect to the server that your vode started. Read through some entries on courting, nat-born familial structures, and if you have questions or input add them into the relevant channels. Do you have any questions?”

Cody just looks back at the man, unblinking.

Mij claps his hands and stands. “Alright, well. This never gets less awful. 17, this is the last time I talk to one of your vod’ike about this for you. Jango said Kote was one of the sweet ones.” Mij begins to make his way out of the room muttering under his breath the whole way out.

Once he’s gone Cody turns to Alpha-17, “Why did you call in Gilimar for this?”

17 sits in his chair, “He wrote the lesson plans for our health classes once we got off Kamino. The other Alphas and I like to traumatize him here and there.”

Cody, not knowing how to process this, elects to ignore it instead. “Do I really have to do this?” he says, gesturing to the pad.

“You could just avoid being in a relationship. A lot of us seem to take after Prime in that regard.” seeing the look on Cody’s face, he adds. “Look over what’s there. I can’t tell you it’s actually helpful because I refuse to involve myself, but at least look over the cultural documents.”

“Lek, 17.”

“Don’t lek me. Get out of my office and do it.”

-

Obi-wan brings down a hammer on a block of beskar for what must be the thousandth time. He sweats under his armor, but the Goran insists that he do it all whilst wearing his full kit. Tucked away in a corner of the forge he brings down a hammer, again and again. The beskar he hits isn’t even heated. He’s not making anything. He’s just moving. Unnecessary violence.

It takes a while for him to realize someone is speaking to him. When he does he pauses, panting with exertion and sees an unfamiliar verde. “What?”

They cross their arms, “I said you’re doing it wrong.”

Obi-wan looks between the verde and the chunk of metal in front of him. “How could I possibly be doing it wrong?”

“You’re not listening.” they say matter of factly.

“Can you say more than one sentence at a time and tell me what that means? You have to be a Goran because you refuse to say more than a few words of explanation at a time. What? What am I not listening to?” he drops the hammer and sweeps his hands out wide.

The verde stands there still, presumably watching him for a long moment while Obi-wan huffs and puffs.

“You have to listen. To the forge. To the metal. To the Gorane. To the Manda. You swing that hammer with no regard to anything around you, and it disturbs the flow of the song.”

Before Obi-wan can say anything to any of that, the verde has turned away and moved to one of the furnaces on the far side of the forge.

As his heartbeat and breathing slows Obi-wan is left confused. “What does that even mean?” he asks the empty air in front of him.

“If you’re done with that we’re going to spar now.” Trin’vod’s riduur says from their work table to his left. He watches as they set aside some flimsy and a pad before walking toward him. “We’ll see if you have an easier time hearing in battle.”
-

Cody itches under the observation of his batchmates. He scrolls through the pad he’d been given earlier that day and tries to ignore them.

[When courting a Mando’ade it is imperative to understand the intricacies of their background. Many are foundlings, others are taldin. To understand your situation you must know this as well as the position of their clan they come from and their personal preferences in regards to the seriousness of your courting. Some prefer casual dalliances, others serious courtships. This should be something you and your partner agree with before pursuing a relationship in order for it to succeed.

Now, what does success mean when it comes to relationships? Unfortunately, there is no one answer. ]

Rex creeps closer, likely assuming he’ll be spared any of Cody’s wrath. Unfortunately for his vod’ika, Cody has it on good authority that Rex is the one that sold him out to his batchmates.

Cody discreetly turns off the pad and when Rex gets close enough for him to grab Cody pulls him into a headlock. “I know all of you are there.” he calls over the sound of Rex’s struggling. “I have a hostage so don’t try anything funny.”

Instead of one of his batchmates he sees one of his youngest vod toddle up to where he’s seated. He and Rex both freeze, knowing if they do anything that could inadvertently hurt the ik’aade they’ll be killed, rightfully. The youngest of them were technically six, but they’d never had to go through accelerated aging. None of the vode wanted to be responsible for traumatizing any of the vod’ike that had never even seen a Kaminoan.

Cody slowly releases Rex as they watch the ad’ika climb down into the recessed cushions of the CC’s karyai. Rex scoots away from Cody and clears his throat. “Hey ad’ika, what’s your name?”

“I’m Wooley!” he says cheerfully before climbing in between Cody and Rex. “Ori’vode Fives and Echo say Rex’s ori’vod fell in love, and Ori’vod Bly says that’s you.” Wooley finishes with a grin up at Cody.

“He’s cute, isn’t he?” Bly says from the doorway.

Cody glares at him, but Wooley brings his attention back, “So is it true?”

“Is what true, ad’ika?”

Wooley rolls his eyes in the dramatic way of children, somehow using his whole head in the motion. “Are you in love?!” He asks with a laugh.

Cody feels the eyes of all of his vode more clearly than ever. “Why don’t I tell you how we met, and you decide.”

Suddenly all the eyes are front and center as his vode pile into the recession of cushions, a few overflowing and propped around the outside. Even if he’s not often the one telling stories, the situation is familiar enough to bring him some comfort.

“I was scouting the outskirts of the city when I saw a mando’ade fighting one of the Zygerrian slavers at the edge of a cliff.”

-

“This milkshake is not going to make me like you again.” Obi-wan says glaring over his tall cup at the Goran.

They shrug and fit their straw under their helmet and taking a long sip. “I married your Ori’vod before you were adopted, I do not need you to like me.”

They tilt their head in amusement at his offended face, “As long as you listen to me, and get better, I can live with you disliking me verd’ike.”

They both sit with that for a few long minutes, intermittently sipping their drinks as they people watch.

Once the Goran has finished their own milkshake they turn to watch Obi-wan instead of the Mando’ade around them.

“What?” Obi-wan says testily.

“Are you ready to tell me now?”

Tell you what exactly?

The Goran pushes their milkshake to the side so they can lean their elbows on the table. “Why did you pull into yourself? Why did you stop touching the force?”

“I told you already.”

The Goran sighs and leans back. “Sleep on it. We will meet tomorrow.”

“What? No, I have plans!” Obi-wan protests with a blush.

The Goran laughs, “Fine, fine. We will meet the day after. 0700, so do not stay out late verd’ika”

-

Chapter Text

Obi-wan wakes up, suddenly, brain lagging behind his body. When he remembers that he finally gets to see Cody again he jumps out of bed and rushes to get ready. It’s been a few weeks since the mission where they met, and comms could only do so much. A flock of Anterean Butterflies takes flight in his stomach at the thought of seeing him again and Obi-wan smiles to himself as he gets ready.

He had spent the night before repainting his armor and ensuring his best kute was clean. He dons them now with the satisfaction of knowing he will look his absolute best. He’d even added some artistic flourishes to the gradient of his armor colors. There were now tasteful swirls as the green faded into the blue. He’d added them in a fit of nervousness last night and was relieved they still looked good in the light of day.

After getting ready he tromps down the stairs to the clan kitchens. There he finds Shlin’buir making a pan of eggs and meat, a fresh loaf of bread cooling on the counter. “Where are you off to in such a hurry trouble gotal’ad?”

Obi-wan snags a piece of fruit from a bowl on the table to tide him over until first-meal is finished. “I’m meeting a, uh, I’m meeting a friend at a festival a few towns over.” he says before quickly taking a bite from the fruit.

“Oh?” Xen’buir’s voice comes from behind, “This new friend wouldn’t be an alor’ad named Cody, would they?”

Obi-wan narrows his eyes as he turns to see them leaning in the doorway, “How much did Maul tell you?”

Co’buir comes into the kitchen, kissing Xen’buir’s temple as he walks past. “Not much, just that it was all very dramatic and you have had an amazing picturesque meeting with your true love!” he says with a dramatic sweep of his arms before wrapping them around Shlin’buir causing them to shriek a little.

“There is no way Maul said that.” Obi-wan says over his buire’s giggles, screwing up his face in disgust at the thought of Maul ever saying something that sappy.

Co’buir steals something from Shlin’buir’s pan and gets whacked with the stirring spoon in response. Chuckling he turns back to Obi-wan, “Maybe not like that, but I have learned with my ade to ah, what is that phrase in basic? Haa’taylir acyk? Hear what you don’t say.”

“Read between the lines, cyare.” Shlin’buir says setting a plate in front of Obi-wan.

“Yes, thank you meshla. “None of you say what you mean. Each with their own magic and their issues with it.”

Trinde comes in and makes for the pot of caf. “I don’t have magic.” She says groggily.

“Of course not haa’ika.” Xen’buir teases.

“Hey,” Trinde glares, pointing at them. “Only my riduur can call me that.”

“Where is the Goran?” Shlin asks. “I made enough for you to take them a plate.”

“I don’t understand why they still won’t show their face to us. Only been married into the clan for more than a decade.” Co’buir grouses from his seat.

“Buir, we’ve talked about this.” Trinde complains.

“Leave them alone, Coplan.” Xen’buir says.

Shlin tries to hand a tray to Trinde, “Take this up to your riduur, but… tell them again we’d love to have them join us. It shouldn’t be against their creed to show themself to family.”

Trinde gives a small smile before placing her caf on the tray and taking it from Shlin’buir. She sweeps out of the kitchen shooting, “Thank you all, for another pleasant morning.” over her shoulder before making her way back to her room.

Xen’buir whacks Co’buir over the back of the head and Obi-wan uses the distraction their squabbling makes to scarf down first-meal and deposit his plate in the sink.

“Oh, Obi-wan there's no need to be in such a rush!” Shlin’buir calls after him.

“Sorry! Have to go!” He runs past a few clan members on his way out of the compound and waves to them as he rushes past, unclipping his helmet from his belt and shoving it on his head before leaving the compound.

He’s brought to a sudden stop when he sees Maul waiting outside.

“What, you thought you’d be going without an escort?” Maul asks as he spins a blade around his fingers.

-

Cody stands at the exact coordinates Obi-wan had indicated through comms three hours early and watches a festival take shape around him. A few of his vode argue over the merits of different festival foods and activities a few feet away.

He tries not to focus on the inefficiencies of the Mando’ade setting up the various stands and instead to take in the community of it. An old ba’buir handing out pastries to the vendors setting up, an ad running between different stands with supplies. He decides that it is nice. Most of the Mando’ade here don’t wear the same aliik on their armor in the place where family aliike go, though he sees many Mythosaur skulls showing loyalty to the Mand’alor on the opposite shoulder.

“Hey, Kote.” Rex calls to him from where his tag-along twins hang off of him. “We’re going to take some of the ade and see if any of the games are set up yet. Do you want to come?”

“I don’t want to miss Obi-wan.” Cody says glancing around again to see if he’s arrived yet.

Fox walks over and Cody shies away from him. Fox refuses to let Cody go far and slings his arm around Cody’s shoulders, his smile predatory. “You dragged us out here hours before your Obi-wan said you should meet. Now, your chaperone is leaving with the ade, so unless you want your precious Ob’ika to think you aren’t serious about courting him, I suggest you come with us.”

Wolffe walks up holding Wooley, several other ade hanging off of him awkwardly, he deposits the ade in Cody’s arms and lumbers off with the rest of the ade without a word.

Cody looks down at Wooley and the ad smiles up at him. “I can walk, ori’vod Wolffe just thought you’d want to come if I asked you to.”

“Ori’vod Wolffe was right.” Cody says with a sigh, walking over to the group of ade who cheer at his approach.

-

Obi-wan spends the better part of an hour trying to convince Maul that the whole chaperone thing is outdated and unnecessary. Maul seems to have gotten it into his head though that Cody will want a formal courtship and won’t be dissuaded.

Cody and he hadn’t even talked about formal courting. He knew that Obi-wan was a foundling that hadn’t even finished his historical modules so it would be silly for the alor’ad to assume that Obi-wan would even follow the Mando’ade traditions in that way. If anything, Obi-wan had spent most of his life as a Jedi, and they weren’t even really supposed to have relationships.

Obi-wan shakes his head and shoves that thought down and away. Jedi teachings didn’t apply to him anymore. Most of the Gorane were force sensitive and many of them had riduur. He hadn’t heard a single one talk about the dark side, and while there were dar’manda, they weren’t limited to force sensitives. They are just beings that were no longer Mandalorian because they broke the creed in some way. Sometimes beings did bad things.

By the time they arrive at the festival grounds, the setup is wrapping up. Glad to have a distraction from his heavy thoughts, Obi-wan goes around to a few stands, making sure they’re still able and willing to help make sure Cody has a good time. Getting assurances that they'll keep some of their best treats held from sale until after he and Cody visit them, promises to un-rig games when Obi-wan comes by to win Cody prizes. Little things in exchange for favors owed, some even do so as repayment for the favors Obi-wan had earned.

His buire had realized that he flourished when making connections to people, so they had put him to work in the restaurant they run. He’s made a lot of good acquaintances that are willing to do him a favor. Maul watches Obi-wan's exchanges, bewildered and clearly judgmental even behind his buy’ce.

On their way to the meeting spot Obi-wan feels the need to defend himself. “Why leave something to chance when you can ensure your success?”

Maul just shakes his head not offering his opinion, in itself perhaps more damning, but Obi-wan tries not to dwell on it. It’s not weird to plan ahead. Even with the time he had wasted trying to get Maul to occupy himself elsewhere, they’re still half an hour early when they get to the spot Obi-wan had asked Cody to meet him. When they get there, Cody is already waiting with a verde in white and crimson standing next to him. Not quite the red of honoring a parent, not dark enough to be the maroon of defiance. As they draw closer it’s clear that this is another ad be Mand’alor, though he inexplicably has gray hair despite otherwise looking the same age as Cody.

“Cody! I hope I did not keep you waiting, my dear. Did I tell you the wrong time?” Obi-wan frets as he gets closer.

Instead of Cody answering, the other verde speaks up. “We actually got here three hours ago. I was able to distract him for an hour with the vod’ike but Kote insisted on coming back here so you wouldn’t be waiting for him.”

“Fox what the kriff, why would you tell them that?” Cody hisses.

While Obi-wan tries to absorb that, Maul snorts. “Little gods these disasters are perfect for each other.”

“Oh?” Fox says, amusement clear. “How did Obi-wan display his neurotic control issues this morning?”

Snapping out of trying to wrap his head around Cody waiting three hours to see him, Obi-wan cuts in before Maul can say anything. “Okay! I think that’s enough of that. Cody, have you eaten yet?”

Cody shakes his head and Obi-wan is relieved. “I know the best bakery around here, how do you feel about pastries?” he asks while hooking his elbow with Cody’s.

-

Cody had absolutely eaten already, but he was already too embarrassed to try to derail Obi-wan from something he’d clearly planned for them to do. He is simultaneously reeling from Fox exposing him like that and planning his revenge. It doesn't help his brain processes when Obi-wan links arms with him, pulling him close. Cody can feel the heat coming off of Obi-wan and his brain stutters trying to turn over that thought. He has to put that on the backburner though as Obi-wan starts to talk about the first time he’d met the shun'gotal at the cafe they were going to.

Obi-wan is a great storyteller Cody discovers. He weaves an image that Cody didn’t think words were capable of creating. It also gives enough of a background that by the time they get to the cafe Cody can honestly tell the shun'gotal that he’s heard a lot about him.

When they leave Cody hears Obi-wan say, “ok, we’re ahead of schedule but if we take an alternate route it shouldn’t disrupt the flow.” under his breath.

Fox had called it neuroticism earlier, but it made Cody feel more comfortable knowing Obi-wan had planned the day so carefully. He takes a bite of the pastry Obi-wan had recommended as the shop's specialty and hums in delight. He doesn't like to broadcast it, but Cody has a bit of a sweet-tooth. When 17 had found out about it he'd mentioned that Prime also had a sweet tooth and Cody had decided there that he wasn't going to let his vode find out about it. Here and now though, with it being a recommendations from another, Cody allows himself to enjoy the pastry.

He’s pulled out of his thoughts by Obi-wan asking him about his vode and even as he starts to tell him a story about his batchmates he recognizes that this is likely a calculated way for Obi-wan to distract him from the circuitous route they take to their next destination. Belatedly, he accepts that it is probably also a way to get to know him better.

The mind of a tactician never really turns off does it?

Cody notices as the day continues that Obi-wan knows a startling amount of people. Every vendor they go to knows him by name. Many of them ask some variation of ‘is this the one you were telling me about?’ as they come up to their booth. These nat-borns don’t see him as another clone or even as one of the alor’ade when he’s with Obi-wan. Cody is the nice verde that saved Obi-wan's life. Obi-wan sees him as a singular person, so the people he introduces Cody to see him that way too. A few of the vendors call them ven'riduure and Cody flushes at the implication each time. Pleased with the association.

-

Obi-wan is relieved that Cody seems to be enjoying himself. There had been a tension to the start of the day that had slowly gone away as they each told stories. Cody has such an organized way of describing things. It’s nothing like Obi-wan’s meandering descriptions and explanations, and he was worried he’d been talking too much until he’d paused a little too long and Cody had asked a question prompting Obi-wan to continue.

Cody wasn’t just tolerating him, Obi-wan realizes with a suddenness that would have surely derailed the conversation again if it weren’t for an ade launching themself into Obi-wan’s stomach. He almost falls, but Cody catches him with an arm around his shoulder. Obi-wan looks down and sees what can only be a younger version of the alor’ade he’s already seen. They tilt their face up and grin and Obi-wan in an adorable gap toothed grin.

“Hi! I’m Fives, but I’m not five, I'm eight! My ori’vod Rex said you were courting Cody and we should leave you alone, but Echo, that’s my twin, he said that everybody likes hugs and I should come say hi and give you a hug! Did you like it?” The ade, still latched to Obi-wan, grins up at him waiting for an answer.

Not one to disappoint such an earnest ad, Obi-wan grins back, “I very much did enjoy it, dear. You are very good at hugs."

Fives squeezed harder at his answer and somehow grins wider. Felling himself teetering over an edge into the role of caretaker, Obi-wan looks around for Rex in the crowd around them. "I hope you didn’t go too far from your ori’vod though, I’m sure Rex is worrying.”

As if on cue, Rex rushes up, clutching the hand of another small alor’ade, presumably Echo. “Fives! You can’t just run off like that!” Seeing who Fives had latched onto he grows visibly nervous. “Oh, Cody, vod, I am so sorry. You know what the twins are like. I don’t know how Wolffe keeps track of so many ade.”

Obi-wan hefts Fives into his arms, reassured he won't be asked to keep the youngling, so giving into the instinct to hold the ad close. “Oh it is no bother. Festivals are exciting are they not? The ade should have fun.” He addresses the ad in his arms, “Though you should stay with the ones watching you. It would be simply awful if you were to get lost, dear.”

“You talk funny.” Fives says. Obi-wan can see the horrified looks on Cody’s and Rex’s faces out of the corner of his eyes and can’t help his laughter from bubbling out.

Emphasizing his Coruscantii accent Obi-wan exclaims dramatically, “My good sir! Whatever do you mean? I speak in only the most refined and dignified way. Pish posh, sir!”

Obi-wan is delighted to get not only the ad’ike but Rex as well to laugh even as Maul groans behind him.

After a few minutes talking they decide to play some games, so Obi-wan takes them to the booths he’d already set up to un rig them. He slips them a few extra credits since his group had doubled and most of them seem fine with it, though he definitely owes a few extra favors by the time they split off from the younger alor’ade.

-

Cody is so smitten. It was one thing when Obi-wan was just beautiful, capable and kind, but he was also good with ade. Watching Obi-wan with his vod’ike makes him feel soft in a way Cody didn’t know he was capable of. He’d never thought about having ade of his own, often being put in a position of taking care of his vode he thought he’d have more than enough of that. This feels different though.

Obi-wan hands him a stuffed varactyl the verde had won him from one of the games and Cody holds it close. The whole experience is simultaneously bewildering and awe inspiring, and Cody isn’t even sure Obi-wan understands how amazing the whole day has been. The amount of effort Obi-wan had clearly put into making this date go well is absurd. He’d only met this absolutely dinii verde a few weeks ago and he’d managed to make Cody feel more seen than he had since Prime had given him a name.

How is Cody supposed to give Obi-wan as great a gift? Determined, Cody steps toward where Obi-wan is talking to Wooley and nodding along with great interest. The verde doesn’t even seem to be feigning his interest in the ade and Cody feels a growing smile on his face. After they part from his vod’ike Cody turns toward Obi-wan with a new resolve to get to know the verde; asking questions and receiving vignettes or deflections in turn. Cody marks the deflections in his mind as topics to avoid and tucks what Obi-wan is willing to share away to look at with awe later. Seeing each as their own glimmering meshurok.

He doesn’t voice these thoughts to the other, but resolves to put in just as much effort into their next date. He wants to ensure he doesn’t fall behind. As their date comes to a close though, Cody remembers that there is something he can do to ensure Obi-wan will understand the depth and breadth of his feelings. Mando’ade have a tradition they follow when they intend to court another verde. Cody had gone out and specifically commissioned the item after reading about the tradition and it had been finished just the day before.

Before they part ways Cody brings Obi-wan to a stop and looks at him intently, taking his hands in his own. “Ob’ika, I would like to court you properly.” He pulls out the vibroknife he had had made with the crest the vode had created upon coming to Manda’yaim punched into the pommel. “Would you trade knives so we can defend eachother even when we are apart?”

-

Obi-wan is bewildered. Cody had just done the equivalent of proposing to him. To think Cody would call back to an ancient tradition that had fallen out of practice generations ago. He’s almost grateful that Maul had been so insistent that Cody would want to court him in the old ways otherwise his reactions would have surely been incredulous. Even still, Obi-wan can feel himself gaping in surprise at Cody’s earnest proposal.

He looks down at the vibroknife Cody is presenting, and Obi-wan can tell that it is new. Something warms in his chest at the thought that Cody must have been thinking about this since they met in order for it to have been completed this quickly. It’s a standard size so he won’t even need a different sheath made to accommodate it, and it had the same adiik punched into the pommel that the alor’ade have on their shoulders.

Looking back up to Cody, Obi-wan sees the other verde growing nervous at Obi-wan’s continued silence and Obi-wan softens out of the surprise into something warmer. He reaches out and holds Cody’s hand with a small smile.

“I would be honored.” he says, hardly surprised to find that he actually means it. He pulls out one of the first knives he’d gotten when he was adopted, one of the few that the Goran had bothered to stamp the Vizsla crest into.

Cody lights up at his acceptance and Obi-wan is so grateful that today has gone so well. This ridiculous, sweet verde trades knives with him and glows with the force of his joy.

Of course that’s when Maul decides to ruin it. “Alright you two that’s enough of that. I will barf if you are any sweeter.”

“I don’t know why you’re complaining.” Fox says from next to him. “I have enough blackmail material to last for at least a few years.”

Cody laughs, “I don’t know what of that you think is blackmail, show all our vode how much I lucked out for all I care.”

Obi-wan’s embarrassment at the interruption snuffs out and he can’t help himself from pulling Cody into a mirshmure’cya and smile. Cody’s right, why would he feel embarrassed about being this happy?