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“Promise me you’ll come back,” Cody says, reaches up to run his fingers across the age lines worn deep into Obi-Wan’s face, by the sand and the suns and the sorrow. “You have to promise me, ner’jetii.”
The recycled ship air and bright white lights couldn’t be more different from Tatooine, from the dry heat and drier sand and the way the twin suns sucked the life out of a person; it draws Cody back into memories of the war, of his General about to run off on some reckless mission with no more of a plan than I’ll think of something. Only this time, it’s not just his General looking back at him, it’s his riduur, who he’s spent the last seventeen years building a life with, who he loves more than anything else in the galaxy (except maybe his vode, but the two hardly compare).
The Millennium Falcon is a junk heap, but it is fast, Cody has to give it that. Not fast enough to save Alderaan, and not fast enough to escape the tractor beam currently towing it in, but it’s a decent ship. Better than some of the shit General Skywalker had flown during the war.
“You know I can’t promise that, Cody,” Obi-Wan says, softly, runs a finger over Cody’s scar. He leans into the touch, doesn’t close his eyes, holds his Jedi’s gaze. “Vader is on that station, and I have to face him.”
“Don’t,” Cody says, sharply, dropping one hand to Obi-Wan’s shoulder and leaving the other to cup his cheek. “You don’t have to do anything, Obi. He made his choice pretty karking clear.”
“I know. But the Force is-”
“Kriff the Force,” Cody snaps, notices Solo glance over at them from where he’s clearing out the smuggling space under the floor, and forces his voice quieter again. “I don’t care what the Force says, cyare.” He knows the look in Obi-Wan’s eyes. It’s the look he’d always gotten when he was about to do something monumentally stupid like order Cody to retreat and sacrifice himself so the battalion could get out. Cody had never let him get away with it before, he’s certainly not about to start now. “Luke needs you. I need you. So you have to come back.” His voice cracks just a bit and he swallows, presses his fingers firmer against his cyare’s cheek like maybe he can convey all his sincerity and desperation by osmosis.
“I love you, Cody,” Obi-Wan says, and kriff him.
“That’s not an answer. I’m coming with you, Obi-Wan, and I’m going to drag your di’kutla ass back to this pile of junk, and you’re coming back.”
“Cyare-”
“If that’s anything other than a yes sir I’m going to shake you,” Cody warns.
Obi-Wan’s lips tug up at the corners. “You’ve never been my commanding officer, dear,” he teases, but some of the look is gone from his blue eyes, now.
“Yes, well, semantics,” Cody says, leans in and kisses both corners of Obi’s mouth, because he wants to and he can. “Promise me, riduur.”
“Excuse me,” Solo cuts in, before Cody’s Jedi can respond (kriff him), and Cody nods once without looking away from Obi-Wan’s eyes. “We’ve got to hide before they finish pulling us in.”
“Get in the smuggling compartment, then,” Cody says. “We’ll be there in a minute.”
He’s not moving without a promise.
“Cody-” Obi-Wan starts.
Cody doesn’t let him finish. “You gonna promise me, Obi? Or are we just going to stand here until the stormtroopers show up?”
Obi-Wan swears under his breath, then lifts one hand to slip through Cody’s grey hair and touch the scar where his chip once was, high up on his temple. “Alright, cyare,” he says, finally. “I promise I’ll come back.”
“Vor entye,” Cody says softly, leans in to kiss his Jedi, gentle. “C’mon, we better hide.”
He still doesn’t like the look in Obi-Wan’s eyes, but at least it’s better than it was before. He thinks his Jedi will hold to this promise. He’d better.
They climb inside the smuggling compartment and Cody tugs Obi-Wan against his side, cloak and all (even though he knows his armor isn’t the most comfortable), leans his cheek on top of Obi-Wan’s head. Space is tight with four Humans and a Wookiee, but there’s just barely enough room for them all beneath the floorboards.
As Solo pulls the grating into place, Cody leans down and whispers into Obi-Wan’s ear, “Just so you know, I’m still coming with you.”