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Obi-Wan grew up believing he didn't have a soulmate. He never felt the physical sensations others described when talking about their soulmates. Ever.
Not a flicker of cold or warmth. No pain he couldn't explain. Nothing.
Then, suddenly, after he became a knight and had a padawan to look after, he started feeling sensations.
Mostly pain. Pain was the most obvious of them all.
It worried him, that he had what must be a young soulmate who was always in some sort of pain and never seemed quite comfortable.
He did his best to stay out of trouble so that his soulmate did not have to suffer more because of him.
He wondered why they were soulmates, if the age difference would mean more of a parent-child sort of relationship, more like what he was developing with Anakin than a romantic soulmate.
It wasn't completely unheard of, though it usually popped up when the younger of the two needed a better mentor or parental figure.
Based on the abuse, that likely wasn't far off.
He tried to put it out of his mind. He would meet his soulmate eventually; that was the thing about having one. It was incredibly rare for soulmates to not meet even when born on different planets with no intention of ever leaving.
He got used to the pain, and as his soulmate grew older, they must have figured out how to avoid pain as well, so it didn't happen as once, and more often than not, they seemed to be the sore of working bodies too hard.
Obi-Wan wondered what that meant.
Anakin on the other hand already knew his soulmate was Padme and had stayed in contact with her.
Obi-Wan was a bit concerned about the obsession involved but there didn't seem to be a good way to approach it.
Coddling Anakin was obviously the wrong move, as he would not grow and learn to let go of the obsession, but trying to even gently move him away from obsessive behaviors was a struggle.
At least he had the support of friends and several masters to help him navigate the difficulty, and the option of the mind healers, if he could convince Anakin that they would help him.
In other words, Obi-Wan had plenty to distract him from his soulmate on all but the worst days.
.
Cody had always known that he was connected to someone, though it took years and someone sneaking around to find out that the shared physical sensations were due to a soulmate.
Because of his soulmate he knew what a hug felt like. Sometimes the timing was good and his soulmate got one the same moment he needed a hug.
His soulmate got bruises that felt like they were from some sort of training. And the occasional burn.
But he wasn't getting hurt often like Cody was, which made Cody feel guilty that he was hurting his soulmate like that.
Every so often, he would get hit with pain that almost had him reacting in front of others, though he was quick to cover it up. It made training difficult, but mostly he just worried about the person he was connected to.
They didn't get hurt like that too often, but he was pretty sure most people weren't supposed to hurt like that much at all.
Cody didn't know how to offer comfort, to say he felt bad for his soulmate.
He took to squeezing his own hand. The first time he did it, he got a squeeze in return which surprised him, but after that he was quick to do it every time he wanted to check in on his soulmate because they were injured.
.
The war started.
Obi-Wan did his best to ignore his soulmate's sensations, because with the war, he could not afford to be distracted.
At least he had a good commander to keep things on track when he was a bit lost.
Cody did his best as a commander, relieved to get a Jedi who treated him like an equal.
He noted that his soulmate was starting to get hurt more often, and was cold more often.
He did his best to try to stay warm when he could, drinking warm drinks to help his soulmate feel warmer even if it didn't actually affect his body.
The squeeze he received on his hand told him that his soulmate appreciate the gesture so he kept it up.
In the meantime, he enjoyed his working relationship with Obi-Wan Kenobi.
He might even say he could see himself falling in love with the Jedi, though he was desperately trying to avoid that.
He was just a clone. He had no idea how his own soulmate would take it, and he certainly didn't deserve someone as good as Obi-Wan.
There were some strange patterns, though.
His soulmate tended to get hurt while Cody was on a mission or campaign, or even around the same time they were attacked even if they had not been planning to be in a fight before that.
It made Cody's own, typically minor injuries, harder to handle, knowing his soulmate was hurt.
They often spent time squeezing hands to check in.
Cody felt like his mind wanted to jump to conclusions but he refused to think it through.
He was just a clone. No one would want to be soulmates with a clone. Aside from some Jedi that apparently were soulmates with clones, like Aayla with Bly.
But he couldn't let himself get his hopes up.
.
Obi-Wan smiled when he felt the usual squeeze his soulmate had adopted the first time he had gotten seriously injured a couple of years after he realized he had a soulmate.
It was comforting, knowing his soulmate was there, and offering his support, checking in.
There was a reason he liked to go for hugs when his soulmate seemed to be feeling down, especially the rare times he felt like there was wetness on his cheeks, which likely meant tears.
It was nuances like that that made Obi-Wan look more into soulmates on and off.
Most people talked about the pain and the hot and cold, and how pressure sometimes could be felt.
No one talked about feeling the little things, like heart aching when something happened. The nausea of anxiety and other emotions.
Even minor pressures could be felt if one paid attention, though much like how clothes felt, for the most part it was easy to learn to ignore.
Maybe that was why.
It was rare for people to have more than a five to ten year age gap between them and their soulmates, and so, between those being born with soulmates much older than them, and those with smaller gaps would not remember life any differently.
They would be used to those little sensations and not necessarily take note of it.
Or they wouldn't want to talk about it for their soulmate's privacy.
Obi-Wan thought about it more than he used to, with how things were going with the war, and the way his soulmate felt.
His soulmate often had minor pains and soreness around the same time he got injured, in a strange coincidence.
After learning of Aayla's soulmate being Bly, he wondered if there was a possibility that his own soulmate was a clone.
The timing was right for it.
Which meant that maybe he was meant to have a romantic soulmate after all.
But he would wait and see. He wasn't going to seek out his soulmate during the war, and oftentimes, those who sought out their soulmates still ended up not finding them unless by chance, as if the physical sensations were not meant to guide them together but rather help navigate whatever form their relationship took.
So Obi-Wan purposely ignored all hints and clues. He was not going to rush it.
And maybe he was not exactly prepared to know his soulmate. Not yet with the war, and not yet if it was a clone. He was not just a Jedi, he was not just a general, but he was a member of the Council; the power dynamics would be tricky to balance.
It would be best to figure it out when he was meant to and not a moment sooner.
.
Cody was waiting to hear from Obi-Wan and his squad when he felt it.
A sharp pain in his shoulder, then across his stomach. Pain in the leg, probably broken.
He shifted and squeezed his hand after checking to see if anyone was looking at him. No responding squeeze.
That worried him more but he was still waiting to hear from Obi-Wan.
But he didn't hear from Obi-Wan. No, he heard from Waxer instead.
"It was a trap, General Kenobi is hurt, we're trying to fight through as quickly as possible."
"You can't turn back?"
"Too late for that, they're on us. The general wants to keep going for the objective. He'll need a medic when we're done."
"Right. We'll be ready with evac. Keep me updated."
"Of course."
Cody let out a breath. Of course things went wrong. Of course. They had been going far too well before this.
So naturally, something had to go wrong.
At least he knew that Obi-Wan would be willing to let the medics take care of him once the danger was over.
Cody wanted to pace, but the pain his soulmate was experiencing was far more intense than usual, and he wasn't sure he could bear the pain of moving.
Which meant it was a good thing he wasn't a part of the action that day like he usually would have been.
It meant that no one noticed that he was dealing with intense soulmate pain.
The pain was only getting worse.
His soulmate wasn't getting treatment. And based on the throbbing of his leg periodically, he was still moving on it.
Cody squeezed his hand again to tell his soulmate he was there, but focused back on directing his part of the mission and waiting for word on what the group inside the facility was doing.
On if they needed extraction or if they could make it out without a problem.
An extraction was called.
Cody went through the varying plans and decided on which plan would be most effective, relieved when he realized that it was the one that involved him being on the extraction team as one of the best fighters.
He issued the orders.
They arrived to find Obi-Wan barely standing as he blocked the droids' attacks.
A bolt grazed his hand. Obi-Wan just switched his lightsaber to the other hand.
But that's not what distracted Cody.
No. It was the jolt of pain across his hand in the exact same place.
He looked up at Obi-Wan and saw the way he was standing, keeping the weight off of his leg.
No. Way.
Then he remembered they were there to extract the team.
Cody shook his head and stepped over to start shooting at the droids.
"We're here General! Ready to go?"
"Quite. I am going to need some support.”
"Of course." Cody offered his arm without pausing in shooting at the remaining droids.
As soon as everyone was ready, they rushed for the ship, and then they were out of there, headed to meet up with everyone else to make sure that everyone was safe.
The medic they had taken along immediately got to work.
Cody could have used a warning for when he set Obi-Wan's leg because that kriffing hurt.
At least it was more proof.
The question was... how did he tell Obi-Wan about it?
How would Obi-Wan react?
When would the best time be?
Should he keep it to himself instead?
Cody wasn't sure, but he was pretty sure he should at least wait for after the medics had treated Obi-Wan and had him settled in a bed.
He went through the motions of making sure everything had been wrapped up as best as he could, that no one had been left behind, and that the mission was a success.
It had to be, judging by the explosion as they flew away.
He didn't fully relax until he had given his report to the Council and went to the medbay to work on his report and keep an eye on Obi-Wan.
He ignored the looks the medics gave him, and the comments they made to each other.
He knew he had feelings for his general, but sitting with Obi-Wan had to do with more than just that and he refused to tell anyone what he had realized.
Not until Obi-Wan knew and they had discussed if they were telling anyone.
Cody settled in to wait for Obi-Wan to wake up.
.
Obi-Wan woke up slowly, noting the dull ache of injuries with painkillers, and the usual pressure of his soulmate squeezing his hand.
He considered squeezing back but decided that would probably hurt too much so he held off until he was better able to assess himself.
"General?"
"Cody?" Obi-Wan opened his eyes, surprised that his commander was sitting there.
It shouldn't have been too big a surprise, as all the clones liked to keep an eye on him when he was hurt, but it hadn't been that long since Cody had done it, so he hadn't expected it to be so soon.
"Good to see you awake. I expect Manner will want to make sure you eat something before anything else."
Obi-Wan sighed. "Probably."
Sure enough, Manner, came over and examined Obi-Wan carefully before double checking his pain and then getting him food to eat.
Cody kept working during that conversation.
Obi-Wan glanced at him after Manner went before focusing on his food. "Is there something you wished to discuss?"
"Yes, but not about the mission. It went about as we predicted aside from your injuries, so there isn't much to discuss."
"Then what is it?" Obi-Wan asked, looking at him.
Cody met his eyes and very deliberately squeezed his own hand.
Obi-Wan looked down at his own as he felt the squeeze of his soulmate's hand.
"I felt your injuries, but I didn't quite believe it until the medic set your leg," Cody explained.
"I had no idea," Obi-Wan replied honestly. "But I think the clues were there. I just chose to ignore them."
"As did I. I don't think we can ignore this anymore, Obi-Wan."
"No, no we cannot, Cody." Obi-Wan paused, then smiled. "That does explain quite a bit over the years. I had wondered, but I was not certain after Aayla told me about her soulmate."
Cody nodded. "I didn't really know what the injuries meant," he confessed. "Just that you couldn't be a normal person in the galaxy, you had to have some dangerous job. You didn't get hurt often, but it was more often than statistics said to expect when I looked into it."
"Of course."
"Now the question is... where does this leave us?"
"I'm not sure," Obi-Wan admitted. "I had never thought I would have a soulmate, then I had one and assumed that a romantic relationship would not be happening with such a large age gap, but now that I know you... I cannot say I'd mind some romance."
Cody offered a smile. "I'm not sure what romance would mean for us... but I'm open to trying... I do... I do quite like you."
"And I quite like you, Cody."
There was a comfortable silence.
"If you'd like to hold my hand, you may," Obi-Wan offered. "Once I'm done eating. I don't like showing affection while I'm on duty but I do enjoy it when I'm with friends."
"So you had been keeping me at a distance."
"I had been, yes. I didn't want to pressure you or anyone else, and there are the ethical concerns of me as your general."
"I know. So… let’s focus on getting to know each other better, and we can decide after the war what we want?”
“That sounds wonderful.”
.
While they did tell the medics and the Council, since someone needed to know, they otherwise kept their status as soulmates quiet.
It did lead to some funny moments where Cody noticed that Obi-Wan was cold and covered him up without a word exchanged between them, or Obi-Wan noticing that Cody was pushing himself too hard in training and convincing him to stop.
Other similar exchanges where they just knew what the other needed based on their shared physical sensations continued to baffle everyone how they became so attuned overnight.
Those in the know never said a word, just accepted it and adjusted as necessary.
Eventually, they would share with everyone the truth and they could all laugh.
But first, the war needed to end.