#cody loves him to death but he is also losing years off his life watching him wild around on the battlefield like that | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chaoticevilbean · 3 years

Text

Another Star Wars AU, TBN*

*To-Be-Named

I love time travel. A lot. So here is a time-travel au, with the CW trio.

Somehow, perhaps by touching a Sith artifact, perhaps by the Force deciding they should, perhaps from some sort of weird ritual the locals were performing that the trio didn't know about, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Anakin, Rex, and Cody travel aback in time.

[Please keep in mind that Canon Timeline has died tragically in a fire, and I am but the weeping widow with an inheritance.]

Due to whatever happened, they all also end up (technically) deaging. They still have their memories and their knowledge and skills, just stuck in smaller bodies. They can think and act like adults, but they also have to struggle a bit more to implement Older Skills in Younger Bodies.

Ahsoka is 2. She's nubby. She's emotional. She's tired and sore from her deaging.

She wakes up in someone's office. She's in a spinny chair, a big one with leather padding. It's kind-of chilly in the room.

She's not thinking, because all her brain is putting together is that she's still tired. She grabs the jacket off the back of the chair and pulls it over herself. She goes back to sleep.

Rex and Cody wake up together.

They are their actual age, which is to say they're both about eleven.

They find themselves on Mandalore. In the more wild areas.

(let me believe that there are parts of the planet that aren't covered in city)

(also, this is the Mandalore in the cartoons)

They find a teen trying to wake them both up. Rex has absolutely no clue what's going on. Cody has a vague idea, because this girl looks very similar to a picture he once saw...

Obi-Wan does not fare as well. He is 3.

He wakes up in someone's arms. He's just as tired and sore as the other three. However, he's also got more awareness because he's in someone's arms.

He looks up to see who's carrying him.

He looks around at the people walking with them.

He starts crying. He cannot help this, as he is suddenly flooded with Emotions, and he is Smol. Smol = harder to handle Emotions.

Because Qui-Gon is walking right next to him, tapping away on a holopad as they go. Dooku is on his other side, on a comm call where both parties sound very tired.

And Obi-Wan is being held... by Obi-Wan.

So, yeah, not that great for a suddenly Smol Obi.

Now, Anakin is 8, so he's better off in that perspective.

But he wakes up on some remote planet without anyone around. He just was in the middle of a group, so he ends up kinda panicking.

Then he hears something coming towards him, and he panics more.

He's Tiny! He's Smol! He's massively at a disadvantage against attacks! He can't fight off whatever is on a planet like this!

It's Mace (and Depa).

Anakin, however, doesn't realize this. He has gone Feral.

Back to the beginning

Jango Fett has been very busy w/Important Mand'alor Paperwork all day. He finally has time to go and relax a little, and he makes it all the way down to the exit before he realizes:

It is really cold outside. He is not in armor bc he was planning to only do paperwork today (though he still has many weapons). When one plans to stay in the same room for almost the entire day, one does not wear normal garb.

That said, he has no protection from the cold. He forgot his jacket upstairs. He rushes back up to his office.

He distinctly remembers that he left the jacket on the back of his chair, not on the seat.

He also is wondering what that lump is.

He arms himself, grabs some of his "emergency" armor plating, and walks over to the chair.

He lifts his jacket up, expecting a bomb or some paperwork that fell off the desk, or something logical.

He does not expect to find a tiny Togruta child clinging onto the fabric, whining as they're woken up by his yanking of the jacket.

Jango's brain stutters for a moment, then he kicks into action.

First things first, he wraps the jacket around the Togruta. They thankfully stay asleep. Then he turns up the heat, because he knows the office has gotten colder in the twenty minutes or so he's been gone, and Togruta are from warm temperate zones.

He decides to call, in this order, a guard who can help him watch the Togruta (they did break in, after all), a medic to check the Togruta’s health, and the first person he can find in his contacts that might know an adult Togruta.

Next group

Rex and Cody manage to get the teen to stop fussing over them for long enough to ask for her name.

Her, clearly lying, but that’s understandable: My name is Ine.

Cody, who knows exactly who this is now: Oh, kriff. You’re Duchess Satine, aren’t you? Kriff.

Rex: Wait, Satine? As in the General’s Satine?

Satine, now very suspicious and reaching for her stunner: I think you need proper medical attention.

Cody, looking down at their eleven-year-old selves: Yeah, I think so, too.

They agree on one thing, at least.

Obi-Wan is crying. Loudly, uncontrollably, w/too many Emotions to even care that he’s supposed to be an adult rn.

Other Obi-Wan is very uncomfortable, bc he doesn’t know how to handle children too well.

They found this kid unconscious in the middle of a ruined, abandoned town.

Obi-Wan was meant to hold this kid while Qui-Gon did research and Master Dooku tried to convince the Council that it was entirely necessary to bring the kid back to Coruscant. Granted, they can still give the child to the locals at any time before they make it back to their ship, but apparently the Force is Being Loud.

The Force was Being Loud when it told Master Dooku to come along.

The Force was Being Loud when it led them to that town.

Qui-Gon and Dooku have argued fifteen and a half times on this mission, and an additional six times on the flight here. Obi-Wan is trying to mediate but also doesn’t want to overstep. The Force is Being Loud, sure, but the kid is also Force-sensitive so it might be something off that.

He didn’t argue with holding the kid bc he thought that it was better than being caught between the Masters.

Holding a crying child and trying to get two adults to stop arguing bc they can’t decide how to comfort the kid is not better.

Obi-Wan keeps walking past them to the ship with this baby. He does what he’s seen some crechemasters do to the younglings. The kid eventually calms a little, and he belatedly realizes that both Masters are still behind him, not with him.

Anakin is panakin.

He is currently in a state of Feralness. His instincts have kicked into overdrive, full-on Survival Mode.

Depa and Mace do not know this. All they know is that there was suddenly an extremely powerful Force presence that started fading quickly (bc Anakin started shielding).

They burst into sight of Anakin and are suddenly attacked by all four feet and some of Feral Force Child.

It’s all they can do for a good minute or so to avoid losing their fingers, eyes, or untorn clothes.

Mace puts a few things together very quickly.

This planet is uninhabited by any sapient life. Therefore, this child is utterly alone. This child also is clearly strong in the Force, and knows how to hide their presence, for whatever reasons. Mace is a Jedi, and therefore is bound by certain duties.

He decides it is his Duty to get this kid back to Coruscant safely.

Back to the beginning

Ahsoka wakes up to find a familiar face looking down at her. She’s still tired, but not as much. She’s very aware of her size, and does a few quick observations.

She does not fully know who Jango Fett is. She does know that some clones run off bc they hate war and weren’t given a choice an- no. Not going down that path yet.

Ahsoka assumes, semi-incorrectly, that she was shrunk or deaged and somehow found by a rogue clone.

She knows it’s a rogue clone bc they’ve got weird armor.

So she does the logical thing and tries to comfort this clone bc he looks really worried and kinda panicked. She stands up on the spinny chair and tries to balance and he practically lunges to help her and she can’t help but giggle, but it comes out in a bunch of chirps instead.

The clone picks her up and looks really awkward so she pats his face bc that’s the best she can do bc she doesn’t want to disprove the fact she’s two yet.

For all she knows, this rogue clone has no idea she’s actually a Commander in the GAR.

He doesn’t, but for different reasons than she thinks.

Rex and Cody go with Satine to the city. They have introduced themselves and said that they were separated from their aliit. They don't know where said aliit is.

Satine is highly suspicious by this point, bc these two kids recognized her with only part of her name, and they were alone, and they speak Basic with Mando'a thrown in.

Basically, she thinks that they're children of people like Death Watch, but she's too young to know that Death Watch isn't really into children.

Rex and Cody get checked over by a medic, but also start trying to get access to some working comms. They are refused on account of being suspicious children (which makes them a little upset bc they're not children)(Well, they are, but not those types of children)

They have not yet figured out that they are in the past, bc Cody and Rex only know that General Kenobi talks about Duchess Satine, and they know about Padme Amidala from General Skywalker, so clearly this Duchess is really young and the General simply viewed her as someone he wants to protect.

They are very very very wrong.

Obi-Wan manages to calm himself somewhat now that it's just him and... him.

He is three, and he knows roughly what's happening, so he knows he should probably act like a 3yo.

Unfortunately, he has very little understanding of how child ages work. 3 is smart enough to go up the stairs and communicate with adults, but def. not old enough to speak sentences that are 15 words long with at least 2 5-syllable words.

Fortunately, his older (younger?) self doesn't know children either.

So when this 3yo starts telling him that he needs to leave the two Masters on the planet and head to Tatooine really fast, Obi-Wan is more concerned about the idea than the strangeness of "this is a 3yo suggesting this".

Obi-Wan is really good at convincing people. Including himself. He manages to get Padawan Kenobi to leave supplies where the ship is supposed to be and head towards Tatooine.

He says that the Masters will be fine, they know how to survive, and they need to be alone together in order to work through all the tension. Plus, it gives them plenty of time to talk to the Council.

Toddler Kenobi also tells himself that he'll take the blow and say he used a mind-trick.

Padawan Kenobi doesn't believe him yet, but Toddler Kenobi smiles like a very smug adult and says "you'll get there eventually". What he truly means is up in the air.

Anakin, since waking up, knows much less than everyone else. Which is saying something.

He knows he's Smol. He knows he's Alone. He knows Someone has come and they are Strangers.

One thing about Anakin's instincts is that they are very much Survival Based. He was Feral when he joined the Jedi, only he had to hold those instincts back for most of his life bc of being a slave.

A slave cannot bite someone who approaches and Vibes Wrong.

By the time he felt okay with being Feral Out Loud, he also felt safe enough that he didn't need to activate his Survival Mode.

What I'm trying to say is that Anakin does not realize how strong his Feral Instincts are. He has absolutely no control over them rn.

When Mace decides to Help this child, this child is trying to Maul them.

Mace makes a small ruckus to draw Anakin's attention to him so Depa can move back. Depa pulls out her saber now that she won't hit the kid. The kid notices Purple and Bright and Lightsaber.

Lorge Jedi Mind says this is Good. Safe. Jedi.

Smol Feral Brain says this is Dangerous. Mean.

Anakin freezes on sight and just starts tracking Depa's saber. She does one of those things where a snake or something is focused and the person waves the fire or the food slowly to make sure the wolf is watching it and usually they toss the thing away so the snake follows it.

Mace instead takes this opportunity to wrap Anakin in his cloak. And Depa's cloak. And the spare ones in their bags.

Feral Child is not happy with this. Feral Child is also unable to scratch or Maul or do things other than bite and snarl.

Depa carries Feral Child while Mace comms the Temple and they walk back to their ship.

The Temple is having a field day.

First, one of their Shadows reports that a well-known bounty hunter got an emergency message from a pal of theirs that said Jango Fett needs help learning Togruta childcare.

Then they get a call from Dooku, which is not the mission report they wanted.

Yoda: Mission report, you have?

Dooku: Of a sort. We successfully spoke with the locals, then went to investigate a rather large disturbance.

Mundi: A disturbance?

Dooku: We found the source to be a Force-sensitive child.

Mundi: So you are here to ask for more time on the planet?

Dooku:...

Yoda: Bring the child back, you wish to?

Dooku, unapologetic: He is of an acceptable age to be admitted into the Temple, and no other beings were around at the time to entertain the idea of there being guardians.

The Council is sighing and muttering bc this is a Disaster Lineage (and they haven't even met the other two yet). Their call is interrupted by the sound of crying and Dooku saying the child's woken up.

Then there's another Shadow who sends a message saying a set of twins that seem like Death Watch were found by the heir of Clan Kryze.

Finally, to top everything off, they get a call from Mace Windu and Depa Billaba. Two very dignified, not-at-all chaotic Jedi from a perfectly respectable lineage.

Yeah, most of the Council and the Order itself forgets that Yoda had a hand in raising Windu. Yoda "Feral Grandpa" who throws children at every problem. Grandson isn't doing too well? Throw a child his way. Other grandchild is struggling to cope with grief? Throw another child their way. Oh, there's a war going on and newest grandchild is angry a lot? Here's a child!

The entire lineage has a soft spot for children.

Anyways...

Mace: Our mission was a success. We found the artifact and both specimens.

Koth: How long until your return?

Mace:...

Yoda: Found a child, you did?

Gallia: Master Yoda, that's a rather illogical guess. Once is unusual, twice is-

Mace: Oh, did Qui-Gon find a child as well?

Yoda, smugly: Bringing the child back, are you?

Depa, from the background, after a rather loud snarl is heard: We do not bite things, young one.

*more snarling*

Mace: We have no reason to believe he was not alone.

Tiin: *deep sighing*

Mundi: *mild confusion noises*

Koon, eagerly: Please send photos of this youngling. For the archives, of course.

Mace, nodding sagely: Of course.

*extremely loud yowl* *sounds of Mace turning*

Mace: DEPA!

Depa: He nearly bit off my finger!

Mace: That doesn’t mean you pinch him!

Depa: What else am I supposed to do?!

*sudden exclamation filled solely of Mando’a, Huttese and Twi’leki curses*

Mace: So, I don’t know if he speaks Basic, but Master Che should be able to talk him through a check-up.

Yeah, several Council members are experiencing headaches now. Normally, they would have some empathy for Mace and his own stress-induced migraines. They currently do not.

Right after that call, Dooku calls back to say that Obi-Wan has left without them.

Mundi: He left the child with you, right?

Dooku:

Mundi: He left the child with you, right?

Obi-Wan did not leave himself with the Masters. Obi-Wan has listened to Mini-Obi and is off on some wild space adventure to a criminal-run planet.

The toddler won’t stop staring at him. He asks for a name. The kid says to call him Ben.

OW: Is that your name?

“Ben”: It is a name I am called :)

OW: That isn’t what I meant.

“Ben”: I know :)

Ben also keeps staring at OW’s lightsaber. OW decides to make sure the kid doesn’t start playing with it when he isn’t looking.

MEANWHILE

Ahsoka has figured out that she was really very oh-so wrong. She’s on Mandalore. As in, the Mandalore that is under Jango Fett. Bc she’s with Jango Fett. He’s holding her hand bc she was nervous about the strange looking medic (who was just wearing armor, but not clone armor and civies don’t wear armor.)

Ahsoka knows very little about Jango Fett. Clone Buir, Mandalorian leader, tried to kill Master Kenobi. Also dead.

He asks how she got in. She shrugs. She is too small to fight back so she can’t let him know anything. Whatever everything is right now. But also, he doesn’t seem mean or evil or anything.

Oh yeah. Skyguy said that Mandos love children. That's why the clones were so protective of her, even with Skyguy on her side of the argument.

She decides to use this to her advantage. She can probably get herself a comm, and enough time to call the Temple. If she can convince them she at least knows a Jedi, then they can come get her and she'll work from there.

ELSEWHERE

Rex and Cody are getting really upset. This Duchess is really nice, but she's acting really weird and keeps insisting she's not actually called Duchess. No one will give them a comm, they keep getting weird looks for speaking Mando'a even though they're on Mandalore, and Satine's father keeps mentioning a Fett. Maybe Boba's set a bad example again.

Rex starts to fall asleep, to his chagrin. He's too bored, sitting and getting some abnormally extensive check-up. Cody is fine, but he's used to the calm that is General Kenobi. Rex usually has a Togruta teen in the vents and a Human that is never where he's supposed to be.

Rex does, in fact, fall asleep. His "twin" starts glaring when a doctor goes to wake him up. Cody makes it clear that his brother is like Cat: once asleep, you do not wake.

Satine is giggling, but trying not to let the others hear. Cody does. Cody looks at her. They have a stare-off.

Cody goes back to glaring at the doctors. He will not admit to any emotions besides Protect™.

BACK TO

Obi-Wan and Ben have made it to Tatooine.

#star wars #star wars fic #another star wars au #obi-wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #kote fett #cody fett #rex fett #cody #rex #ahsoka tano #disaster lineage #mace windu #depa billaba #jango fett #duchess satine #time travel #deaging

339 notes · View notes

newswcanonprompts · 4 years

Text

Skywalkers are immortal eldritch fucks (there’s so many ways this can go)

1. How does being half-force affect Anakin as a force ghost

Anakin... wasn't properly dead. just a bit too present, a bit too lively, and that if only someone pulled hard enough on the veil, he could be made to bleed again.

Anakin just keeps coming back to life, And so do Luke and Leia when they die.

"You've done it, you've killed Anakin fucking Skywalker. Wait, why is he standing behind you? Where's his body gone? Oh fuck, what is that expression? Oh no!"

This happens to Vader and terrifies the f*ck out of literally everyone

the man is the son of the Force, yes? how could he "become one with it" if he basically already was part of it? or at least, made of it?

It'd be either kinda horrifying or basically a regenerate-your-limbs get out of jail free card

Anakin turns up in Luke's temple one day, like "hey turns out I can't die"

Luke is just happy to have a Dad

imagine the backlash if that little factoid ever went public. "What do you mean Darth Vader can't die???"

"You mean he's alive right now????"

Obi-Wan realising he can't have a peaceful retirement in the afterlife because Anakin's apparently immortal now

Anakin starts trying to figure out how to make Obi wan immortal too

Ahsoka is so confused at everything

"You look a lot like the Hero with No Fear from the Clone Wars. Are you his grandson or something?"

"Nope, I am him."

"Freaking weird Jedi and their not aging."

2. how terrifying it would have been if during the Dooku fight in AOTC his arm just regrew the moment it was cut off

3. them realizing this during the clone wars: CHECKMATE BITCHES

imagine the propaganda if there was a General who literally couldn't die

the Seperatists wouldn't know which way was up anymore

Anakin realised he had this sort of ability during the clone wars it would be hilarious to see him just throwing himself at things

he could protect his men better

Imagine how distressing it would be for a shiny to just see their general die and then come back seconds later

And Rex being like "Yep, the general does that."

just rubbing his eyes. and being completely done

Imagine the bitching sessions with Cody "At least yours resurrects! Mine just runs off without his kriffing lightsaber and armor all the time!"

clone boys have a heart attack whenever their general just decides to regrow limbs

rex faints the first time he sees anakin's arm grow back.

instead of the whole "my general keeps losing his lightsaber" it becomes "my general keeps losing his arm"

"My general keeps dying."

"Oh, how many have you been assigned to now?"

"No, no, he gets better again afterwards."

the 501st never tell the shinies that their general is immortal because the vets like to fuck around like that

it's kind of a right of passage for shinies to almost have a heart attack when the general comes back from the dead

Anakin is basically just the "if all else fails" option at that point because no matter what happens to him, he will be back at the temple annoying the hell out of everyone before dinner time

Anakin gets mortally wounded and is like "Well, I'll see you in five."

Droids: * shoot Anakin *

* Anakin: * dies *

Anakin, 5 minutes later in the middle of a crowd of droids: SURPRISE BITCHES!! * Murders them all *

Anakin dying to Dooku at the end of Attack of the Clones and then coming back and Dooku just being like "Fuck this shit I'm out."

him coming back and chasing dooku with his arm

Imagine the moment they find out Anakin can come back from the dead:

Ahsoka and Obi-Wan just sobbing their hearts out and then suddenly he's behind them like "Hey, bold of you to presume I'm mortal."

He pulls a Percy Jackson, and walks into his funeral.

mace windu utters a quiet "are you fucking kidding me"

next time anakin dies, his funeral includes a "welcome home anakin" banner

Mace stops letting the Yoda Lineage have funerals because they don't stay dead

They keep having funerals for Anakin just as an excuse to have a party

what if politicians don't know this. like the first time he dies during the war, and all the diplomats are there. Except Padme. She knows all and is just there to see the chaos.

They're usually private funerals, so they can keep inviting new people to screw with

"general skywalker just died"

"senator he's right here"

"i saw him die protecting me right before my eyes"

"senator do you need the healers?"

Obi-Wan, just watched Anakin go splat at the bottom of a ravine:

“ANAKIN!!”

Anakin, popping back into the mortal coil just behind him: “Yeah? What's up?”

obi-wan finding out about a Anakins thing and keeping it a secret,

so one day anakin dies and the whole council is like, mourning

obi-wan is just rolling his eyes and saying “it’s fine he’ll be back”

everyone thinks obi-wans having a mental breakdown

but then anakin walks into his funeral with a cup of caf and sunglasses and flashes everyone a peace sign

All of Yoda’s lineage (except dooku) and padme know.

"can you guys not cover me in white next time? it's pretty boring"

"can i get, like, glitter? is that a thing? make it a thing"

Skywalkers can also breath in space.

They just don’t have to breathe.

4. THE FORCE IS A PROACTIVE PARENT IN THIS (AND AGENDER) (THEY/THEM PRONOUNS)

during the time it takes for him to resurrect, the force and anakin talked.

Bc that's the only time he could talk with a tangible parent.

he learns about palps that way

one time Anakin dies twice in one day

turns out the ability has a bit of a cooldown time so everyone's just panicking a bit because he should be back by now

then he appears like three days later

Obi-Wan's like "You bastard."

"Gotta keep you on your toes."

Really his parent just wanted some more time with him, and who was he to refuse?

a cracky! anakin basically having annual dinners with The Force because of how often he dies in the clone wars

in this verse the clone wars was created so Anakin & his parent The Force can have family dinners

Mortis, but instead of All That Nonsense, it's just a nice episode of meet the parent

padme dies, and then at her funeral she comes back, but force sensitive.

force sensitive, immortal, padme amidala. The seppies are going DOWN

The Force wills Padme to die because The Force wants to meet their daughter in law

It does this for basically everyone Anakin cares about

sometimes anakin and padme just drop dead, and wake up a few hours later bc they had a family dinner to get to.

"I'm going to kill you" is suddenly the literal way for Anakin to say "I love you"

Anakin dies on Mandalore and Satine witnesses it and she's horrified and doesn't know what to tell Obi-Wan but then she sees Obi-Wan talking to Anakin and she's so confused

So if anakin kills you and you’re someone he cares about you come back to life immortal.

Death By Skywalker basically being a way of becoming immortal is gonna fuck with the war so much

when Palpatine tells Anakin to kill all the jedi he thinks Palpatine is telling him to invite all the jedi to his Force Family Dinner

One day the entire Jedi temple just dies all at once, and comes back a couple hours later, to the confusion of literally everyone (including the Jedi)

yoda is frequently killed to spend time with the force because after 900 years the two of them are tight as fuck

Anakin doesn’t have attachment issues in this bc hey, people die all the time! :)

He also ends up being worshipped as a demigod.

More Angsty version of this: young anakin kills palps bc he thinks he'll resurrect, but then the tangible form of the force appears and explains that he was the sith master.

Palpatine would probably actually try to get Anakin to kill him, because hey! Free immortality! Don't mind if i do!

5. Imagine if this was something he discovered as a little kid. Anakin going off to visit Qui-Gon in the force and Obi-Wan wondering what eldritch beast he has ended up with as a padawan

"Anakin what are you doing?"

"I'm making master Qui-Gon a friendship bracelet?"

"...master qui gon?"

"yeah! i gave one to my parent yesterday and master qui-gon said he wanted one too!"

"Your parent? when exactly was this yesterday?"

anakin being a convoy for dead masters and their old padawans like Weed Dad qui gon jinn and his Struggling Son obi wan

anakin has two parents

Parent and Mom

#star wars #the clone wars #long post #anakin skywalker #the force #obi wan kenobi #padme amidala #yoda #master yoda #palpatine #count dooku #mace windu #captain rex #commander cody #tcw #qui gon jinn #eldritch

1K notes · View notes

boonki · 3 years

Note

“You look absolutely horrible.” For the prompts!

OKAY I KNOW YOU ASKED THIS LIKE THREE HUNDRED YEARS AGO i am so sorry ive had to work a ton lately and have just been so tired, i havent written at all recently

BUT

here you go!! some nice sleepy vibes from yours truly at 2:20 am, apologies if there are any mistakes

_______

The only light on in their shared kitchen space is above the sink, drowning the space in a burnt orange color, like the warm glow of a fire. As he stumbles into the room, Obi-wan nearly misses Anakin sitting at the table, fiddling with droid parts, back curled over and head drooped to study a piece of machine in his hands. How he’s even able to see is far beyond Obi-wan, but he’s learned to let it go throughout the years.

Obi-wan turns the knob on the stove and shuffles the kettle to check for water, startling Anakin out of his meditative state.

“Oh, Obi-wan.” Anakin looks up at him and squints, exhaustion forming neat lines around the corners of his eyes. “I didn’t know you were awake.”

Before reaching up to the cabinet for a well-loved mug, Obi-wan catches how pale Anakin is, how dark purple blooms around his eyes like bruises, how he seems to shrink into himself. Obi-wan has seen Anakin look tired before, especially when he was younger and put so much pressure on himself to perfect his schoolwork, but this is on the particularly bad end of things. Anakin’s hair is greasy, the long curls pushed back and tucked behind his ears, and the small blanket draped around his shoulders does nothing to hide the fact that Anakin is still wearing the same shirt from two days ago. He looks absolutely horrible.

“You look absolutely horrible,” Obi-wan says, the mug settling on the countertop with a clink. “Have you even tried to sleep?”

Anakin frowns. “Hey, you don’t look much better. We’re both awake at what,” his head swivels around as he looks for a clock, and finding none, guesses, “four in the morning? What’s your excuse, old man?”

Obi-wan hums noncommittally at that, amusement assuaging the growing worry nagging at his chest. He pulls a tea bag out of the flimsy cardboard box left out on the counter, and rips the packaging open, letting the sachet dangle into the cup. He lets the silence linger.

With a softer tone, Anakin tries again. “You can’t sleep either?”

Obi-wan pours the boiling water into the mug, watching the color turn into a deep shade of purple, and he gently bounces the bag up and down, encouraging it to steep. “I think you’ll find, my dear padawan, that I’ve evolved past the need for sleep.”

Anakin’s eyebrows flatten, and he snorts. “I’ll make sure to pass that along to Cody, I’m sure he’ll agree with you.”

A smile tugs at Obi-wan’s mouth. “No, I,” he pauses, taking a breath, “I keep waking up. Figured a cup of tea would help.”

All of the mirth vanishes from Anakin’s face, leaving only unadulterated worry. Obi-wan looks down at his tea. They both know a euphemism for nightmares when they hear one by now, considering they’ve created half of them on their own. Fighting a gruesome, bloody, and endless war will do that to a person. Fighting a gruesome, bloody, and endless war where a good portion of the deaths are on your hands, on your conscience, even more so.

The air is still between them, but dense with emotion. Obi-wan rarely admits his nightmares to anyone, and by the myriad of expressions racing through Anakin’s features, he can tell Anakin is struggling with the right response.

Obi-wan sips his tea.

“Sometimes, I,” Anakin starts, clearing his throat, “I wish I knew them better, my men who died. I see them in my dreams.” He’s staring down at his hands, either as a distraction or remembering the blood he’s washed off. The droid parts sit motionlessly beneath them.

Obi-wan leans back on the counter, holding the steaming mug up to his chin. “So do I,” he nearly whispers, grateful for Anakin’s admission, his attempt to empathize with Obi-wan. He wants to say more, wants to sit down and let out the demons haunting his dreams, but he’s afraid that they’d rip all his bandages on the way out and tear him apart completely. It’s easier, he thinks, to keep it all inside, contained, controlled. But in the dim and molten light of the kitchen, with his face hidden in the shadows, he wants to be vulnerable. He also wants Anakin to get some rest.

“Do you want to come sleep with me?” Obi-wan asks, eyes darting up to Anakin’s face.

Anakin’s eyes go wide, and he straightens up in his seat. “What?”

He suddenly realizes what he’s said, and he can feel his ears burn. “No, not like that.” He dips the tea bag in and out of the mug, and Anakin relaxes a bit, though still wary, looking somehow disappointed. “When you were a youngling, you used to crawl into bed with me when you couldn’t sleep. You thought I never noticed.”

“You remember that?”

Obi-wan smiles to himself, gazing wistfully down into his mug. “Of course, dear one. You weren’t the only one who slept better.”

Anakin’s eyebrows are knitted together, his lips parted. “Oh.” He looks thoughtful. “Sure, then. Your room?”

Warmth floods Obi-wan’s chest in anticipation, not at all feeling guilty about his careful manipulation. He knows Anakin could never turn down helping others, it’s in his nature.

Anakin’s little droid project is completely forgotten as Anakin stares at him for an answer.

“Considering I don’t quite feel like tripping over half an engine, yes, my room.” Obi-wan takes one final sip of his tea and sets it by the sink, treading over the cold floor back into his room.

With a scoot of his chair, and loud, heavy footsteps, Anakin follows, sliding Obi-wan’s door shut behind him, leaving the pair in complete darkness. Obi-wan is still in his sleep shirt and shorts from before, so he slips into bed, pulling back the covers for Anakin to join him. He hears the soft thump of clothing dropping to the floor and then a dip in the mattress next to him.

Obi-wan lays on his back, as he assumes does Anakin.

Then there’s a shuffle as Anakin readjusts, and with a slight startle, Obi-wan feels a bare arm rest against his chest, a face in his neck, a leg thrown over his. It’s odd, but rather nice. Obi-wan doesn’t remember the last time he felt so safe.

“Is this okay?” Anakin mumbles into the crook of his neck, blowing hot air over his collarbones.

“Yes.” Obi-wan faintly wonders if Anakin can feel his heartbeat.

“What were your nightmares about?”

Obi-wan considers this. Blood, so much blood, headless bodies strewn over a hopeless landscape, their heads coming to life and blaming their deaths on him, his call, his decisions. Qui-gon, standing in the flames, yelling at him to be better, to have saved him, saved his men, to save Anakin. Stillness, as he stands utterly alone and deserted, everyone finalizing realizing they were better off without him, because he is worthless, unlovable, tainted-

“The war.” Obi-wan answers, his voice cracking. “And you?”

When no reply comes, Obi-wan wraps his arm around Anakin’s back, tracing his spine, the flesh warm and smooth underneath his fingertips. Anakin’s breaths come slow and even, and his hand twitches once.

Already asleep, then.

Obi-wan bites a lip to keep from chuckling. Maybe this is the trick to get him to sleep. He rests his cheek against his hair, presses a light kiss to the top of his head.

“I dream of losing you, dear one,” he whispers out to no one, letting the honesty linger in the darkness above them. He trusts the nighttime to keep his secrets.

When they both wake up in the morning, Obi-wan is sure there will be some level of embarrassment from cuddling, from cracking open their hard exteriors to each other. They’ll probably be sent out to the frontlines and never speak of this again.

He feels the sturdy muscles of Anakin’s sides, the dip of his waist and rise of his hips.

For now, Obi-wan holds him, keeps him safe from the torment of his own brain, and lets him get some much needed sleep.

___

Light billows out from underneath the door when Obi-wan wakes, morning having come and gone long ago.

Anakin has curled further into him, practically seeping into his bones. There’s a leg thrown over his waist, face completely smooshed in his neck, and his arm drapes over his chest, Anakin’s palm cupping the side of his face. Delicate snores come from Anakin’s nose, and Obi-wan’s neck is hot from Anakin’s breath. Obi-wan’s hand is settled in the small of Anakin’s back, the other arm thrown up above Obi-wan’s head.

A languid grin finds its home on Obi-wan’s face, sleep tugging at his edges. He hasn’t felt so well rested in years.

Not wanting to wake Anakin, Obi-wan flutters shut his eyes, and lets himself drift back off, soaking in the feeling of love and security that pool together in his heart.

He can feel Anakin breathing steadily on top of him, peacefully.

The war will have to wait.

#boonki writes #obikin #obiwan #obiwan kenobi #anakin skywalker #anakin #star wars #prompts #ask #sonda walkin #i hope this makes sense #i wrote this at 2 am whats good #fanfic #hurt/comfort #sleep deprivation #obiwan & anakin #obi-wan/Anakin #THEY JUST NEED SOME FUKIN SLEEP DUDE #let them cuddle

192 notes · View notes

silvermoongirl10swfics · 3 years

Text

A selfish, guilt-ridden choice

For @codywanweek 2021 Day 1: Fix-it.

You can also read this fic here on A03.

Warnings for mentions of blood, injured characters, mentions of mind control and a non-graphic character death (it is a fix-it, so two guesses who dies.)

Cody felt his face twist into a snarl when he watched Palpatine throw Fox against the wall of his office, without thinking, Cody ran across the room, ignoring the sounds of lightsabers clashing as his cyare and his fellow Jedi tried to defeat Palpatine. The Sith Lord. The thought lodged in Cody’s throat, his brothers and the Jedi had been pawns in a Sith Lord’s plan, a Sith Lord who Fox had had to face every day and a Sith Lord who had made Fox connect with the wall with a sickening crack. When Cody skidded to a stop on his knees beside Fox’s crumpled form, he slowly took off his brother’s helmet and looked down at Fox’s slack face. Part of his curly hair had been shaved away so they could take out his chip (same as Cody), but there was now a bleeding cut on his forehead from the force of his helmet hitting the wall. Blood was now coating the left side of Fox’s face and it made Cody’s stomach twist unpleasantly. He turned for a moment, checking to see that Obi-Wan was still alive, he wanted to help his cyare, the thought of losing his Jedi when they were so close to winning the war was not a thought he wanted to think about. But helping Obi-Wan now, would mean leaving Fox lying unconscious, vulnerable, and that was not something Cody was willing to do. Fox was one of his batchmates, he was the youngest of their batch and Cody had spent three years thinking Fox was as safe as he could be on Coruscant, to find out Fox’s mind had been tampered with by Palpatine, a Sith Lord, filled Cody with unbridled rage.

He turned back to Fox and leaned over his vod’ika, gently cradling his slack face. “Fox?” There was no answer, panicking Cody felt for a pulse and was relieved to find one. “Fox’ika?”

Fox’s face twisted in a grimace. “Don’t call me that,” frowned Fox, his voice gravelly with a faint slur.

A relieved breath whooshed out of Cody’s lungs. “Then don’t scare me like that. Do you have any idea what Wolffe would do to me if I let anything happen to you?” Fox just stared up at him with an unimpressed glare and raised eyebrows. As much as Fox liked to argue that he wasn’t the ik’aad of the batch, it fell on deaf ears, and Wolffe, the third oldest of the batch, always wanted to look out for and protect Fox.

They both flinched at the sound of cackling laughter. Fox tried to twist his head on the plush carpet to look, but Cody made him keep his head still, while he turned to look himself. Generals Windu and Skywalker were on the floor, Palpatine towering over them, Obi-Wan was pushing himself up off the floor and forcing himself to rush to his former Padawan and friend’s sides. Cody tensed, knowing Obi-Wan would not fare well if he faced the Sith Lord alone. A hand gripped his arm and pushed him onto his hands and knees.

Turning back to look down at Fox, whose eyes looked glazed, a definite sign of a concussion, his brother glared up at him. “What are you waiting for?!” Fox growled threateningly, Cody nodded and then picked up his fallen blaster and rushed closer to the action, wanting to put some distance between Fox and what was happening. He knelt, his knee digging into the plush purple carpet, and aimed his blaster at the back of Palpatine’s head. But the Sith Lord could sense the danger, and with a creepy smirk just batted the blaster bolt away with a swish of his hand. The blue bolt streaked through the air and struck the wall above where Fox was lying, causing Cody to hastily push himself back up on his feet. Some plaster debris fell onto Fox who just started glaring hatred at the Sith Lord as dust settled into his dark curls.

Suddenly, in a flurry of red and blue lightsabers, Palpatine used Cody’s lack of focus on the fight to throw Obi-Wan to the floor, while his yellow eyes turned to look at Fox who was struggling to sit up. His cyare landed with a heavy thump and didn’t move, Cody’s heart seized in terror, he couldn’t even be sure whether or not if Obi-Wan had been struck by the Sith’s lightsaber.

Cody was torn. He was stood in the middle of the Chancellor's office, stood an equal distance away from two people he loved dearly, while the Sith Lord swung his deadly, blood red lightsaber, cackling as he nearly caught General Windu's shoulder. General Windu who had quickly stepped forwards and was valiantly standing in front of Obi-Wan, who was lying on the floor, his face turned away from Cody's sight. Cody didn't know if his cyare was badly injured, but if Cody ran to Obi-Wan, his brother who, clearly had a concussion and was still lying crumpled on the floor as he tried to force himself to sit up. Would be left vulnerable.

As he stared between his love and his vod'ika, everything slowed down. Cody's breaths echoed in his ears; his eyes darted from his injured love to his injured vod'ika. Knowing if he chose one over the other, he was leaving the other to potentially die because he didn't choose them. It was a heavy burden placed on his shoulders. A burden he couldn't alleviate by saving them both.

He had to choose.

Time was running out.

Obi-Wan continued to lie still, Windu and now Skywalker trying to protect him. As the Sith Lord tried to court Skywalker to his side. Cody flinched and inched towards his cyare, but then his breath caught as his gaze skittered over to Fox. His vod'ika who had suffered enough having to serve with Palpatine as his Commanding Officer. If Cody chose Obi-Wan now, Palpatine might well kill Fox, his vod'ika injured with a concussion after being Force-thrown against the wall.

If Cody chose Fox. He might live out the rest of his life knowing his choice killed Obi-Wan. That his choice would make him break the promise he made to himself. The promise that he would do whatever it took to get Obi-Wan to survive the war. To save Fox, Cody would have to lose his cyare.

If Cody chose Obi-Wan. He would live knowing he willingly sacrificed his vod'ika to save his cyare. Sacrifice the brother who had never relaxed in three years, who ran himself into the ground to protect his Guard. If he chose Obi-Wan, Fox would never live a free and happy life. Cody would be forced to look his batchmates in the eye and tell them Fox was dead because he was selfish. That he valued his cyare above his vod'ika. If he chose his little brother, he would lose his cyare.

For the first time in his life, Cody didn't know what to do.

Then Fox lifted his head and stared Cody down with a firm, but glazed look. And Cody's heart sank. Fox didn't have to say anything, Cody could read his vod'ika. He had spent his Cadet years protecting Fox from the trainers, had promised Fox that one day everything would be alright. Silently promised himself that he would rather die than hurt Fox.

Fox shook his head and frowned at him. His glazed hazel eyes shone with anger and disappointment. He had listened to Cody talk non-stop about his cyare, about how much he loved him, how he wanted to spend his life after the war with Obi-Wan. Fox knew what Cody would lose if he chose Fox over Obi-Wan. And he knew Fox would never forgive him for giving up his happiness. Cody felt tears prick the backs of his eyes, as Fox mouthed one order that broke Cody's heart. “Go.”

And so, Cody made his choice. He hated himself as he turned away from his vod'ika, hated the choice he had just made. Screamed inside his head as he raised his blaster, screamed and cried how choosing was wrong. But as he raised his blaster and those cold, calculating, yellow eyes locked onto him. Cody wondered if he didn't really have to choose. Perhaps he could save both his cyare and vod'ika. He would just need to be the one lost in this battle. This was an easier choice to make.

Palpatine twisted his arms and made Skywalker and Windu stumble against each other as they hurried to avoid the red lightsaber striking at them. Cody stepped towards the Sith Lord, neither moving closer to Fox or Obi-Wan, making himself a target. Then Cody felt an invisible hand start to tighten around his throat, Cody growled at the Sith Lord, trying to raise his blaster once again, but another invisible hand kept his arm pointing downwards. Palpatine sneered at him, his yellow eyes promising death. The way he had looked at Fox, it made Cody furious and he tried to fight the Force hold that was holding him, he was prepared to die for his cyare and brother, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to fight back, he wasn’t going to let Palpatine have the opportunity to still win even if Cody died fighting. He wouldn’t go down that easily. Not when those he loved still needed to survive this fight.

While he was prepared to sacrifice himself for the greater good, he wasn’t going to give Palpatine an inch of success. Not only were Obi-Wan and Fox at risk, but the rest of his brothers were as well. They were de-chipping every single brother, but it wasn’t fast enough if Palpatine decided to reach for a commlink. He tried to struggle in the invisible grip, gasping slightly when the hold around his neck tightened a little more.

As Cody stared down the Sith Lord, he recalled the first time he met Obi-Wan, how he had been immediately impressed with the Jedi General’s care and devotion to the men under his command. Very quickly Cody came to trust Obi-Wan and from there they became very good friends. Every hurt the Jedi took on hurt Cody, he hated to see his General hurt especially when he got hurt protecting the 212th. Cody felt it was his job to protect his General, not the other way around. When the war had been going on for a year, one day Cody looked at his friend and realised that his heart pounded harder at every shared look, his hand or arm would tingle after Obi-Wan touched him there and soon enough he realised that he had fallen in love with his friend. There had been no grand revelation, just a quiet conversation that led to a gentle kiss and Cody silently promising himself that he and Obi-Wan would survive the war and live a peaceful life together.

Seeing Obi-Wan’s blatant terror at the revelation that Palpatine was the Sith Lord they were looking for, how Palpatine had been trying to Turn Obi-Wan’s former Padawan to the Darkside, led Cody’s protective urges to ramp up into hyper drive. Cody had used his rank of Marshall Commander to get his chip out first, Fox a close second. Cody had wanted to keep Fox away from the impending fight, but the determined fire in his vod’ika’s hazel eyes made Cody aware that he couldn’t stop Fox from coming with them. And so, Cody had to just try and breathe, his vod’ika and cyare were in harm’s way, as they all tried to stop a vicious Sith Lord from gaining control of the galaxy. But as those evil yellow eyes stared at him, Cody was filled with fear, what if it wasn’t enough? What if Palpatine still won? What would he do to the Jedi? To Cody’s brothers? As he stared death in the face, Cody could only hope his sacrifice would be enough to at least buy his cyare and his fellow Jedi enough time to permanently stop Palpatine.

Cody didn’t close his eyes as he braced himself, knowing that Palpatine intended to kill him. That was clear from the look in the yellow eyes staring at him with complete and utter contempt and hatred. But while his eyes remained open, not wanting to physically demonstrate his fear, Cody’s sight was instead filled with memories. The first time Obi-Wan smiled at him. The time Cody dragged a young Cadet Rex to his barracks. The time Cadet Fox gave Alpha a run around in the vents for three hours, the proud smirk on his face. The time Ponds, Cody and Wolffe met up with Fox in 79’s and dumped beer all over him. So many happy memories passed through his mind, and while Cody knew he was going to die, he at least died with the smiling faces of his cyare and brothers in front of him.

“No!” cried a voice, and just as Cody felt his feet begin to lift from the floor, he was bodily slammed back down to the plush carpet. Windu and Skywalker rushed Palpatine, distracting him away from Cody and whoever saved him. “Cody? Are you alright? Cody?!” snapped the voice worriedly.

Turning his head up, Cody felt his helmet pulled off his head and blinked blearily up at the face of the person leaning over him. He blinked and was surprised to find Obi-Wan was the one leaning over him. Bruises and cuts lining his face, Cody was shocked, just moments ago he had thought Obi-Wan was badly injured, as he lay unmoving on the floor. Raising a shaking hand, Cody cupped the side of Obi-Wan’s face. “You’re alright,” he stated in confusion, sure that he had almost lost his cyare.

Obi-Wan smiled slightly at him, but there was a slight bitter twist to it. “I was until I saw you prepared to sacrifice yourself,” frowned his cyare, his hands shaking as he helped Cody up to his feet. Heart still pounding at the image of Obi-Wan unmoving in his head, Cody grasped tightly onto one of Obi-Wan’s arms. Not yet prepared to watch his cyare yet again fight the Sith Lord.

Cody’s attention was caught on a shadowed figure who was creeping around Palpatine, who was still too busy trying to recruit Skywalker to his cause as he fought Skywalker and Windu. Between one mad cackle and the next, a blaster was fired, the bolt striking Palpatine in the back of his head, causing the Sith Lord to gasp and collapse face forwards into his plush purple carpet. All eyes slowly drifted up from the body to Fox, who was leaning on the Chancellor’s desk for support, his blaster starting to shake in his grasp as he lowered his arm. “I’ve always wanted to do that,” he murmured, his voice hoarse. Cody then watched as his brother swayed on his feet, further demonstrating that Fox must have a concussion, when suddenly Fox’s legs gave out. Cody released his grip on Obi-Wan’s arm and once again ran to Fox’s side. Part of him panicked at leaving Obi-Wan’s side, the Force knew how much of a trouble magnet his Jedi was, but another part of him needed to make sure Fox was alright. The guilt at choosing Obi-Wan first starting to eat at him, despite the fact it was Fox who told him to choose Obi-Wan.

Once he reached Fox, kneeling beside his brother, he ignored Fox’s hands trying to bat him away and instead leaned Fox’s back against the side of the Chancellor’s desk. He knew his eyes were wide as he stared at his vod’ika, he knew his hands were shaking but he didn’t care right now. He was too busy trying to fight against the tightness of his throat as he recalled how easily he had followed Fox’s order and chose his cyare over his vod’ika. He distantly heard his cyare talking with Windu and Skywalker, they were probably planning what they were going to tell the rest of the Senate. But Cody only had eyes for Fox, and noted how his vod’ika was fighting to keep his eyes open.

“FOX!” bellowed a voice. Fox jerked and reached up to grasp onto Cody’s shoulders.

“Oh no,” Fox faintly mumbled. Cody turned towards the footsteps running towards them and found himself looking at Manner, the Senior Medical Officer in charge of the Guard’s medical care. The medic with his buzz cut black hair and permanent scowl on his face was well-known throughout the entire GAR. Many medics were feared by their men, but Manner, named for his gruff, no nonsense personality and non-existent bedside manner, was one of the scariest medics. Manner had actually been voted in as that year’s scariest medic in the GAR, despite the fact Manner had never left Coruscant in the three years they were at war. And the battle of wills fought between Fox and Manner, two of the most stubborn brothers in the GAR, during the war was a well-documented series sent via commlink to brothers in the GAR courtesy of Thorn and Thire, leading to Cody and the rest of his batchmates’ never-ending amusement. As Fox’s situation on Coruscant became more known, Cody and their batch were at least mollified that Fox had Manner looking out for him. Not that Fox ever saw it that way.

Manner came to kneel beside Cody and took one look at Fox and his bloodied face and non-responding pupils. “Another concussion then,” Manner drawled with a roll of his eyes.

Fox tensed and it was only Cody keeping him where he was that stopped him from moving. “It’s not like I intend to get concussions Manner,” bitched Fox. “They just happen.” Leading to Cody wanting to know just how many karking concussions Fox had had and not told him about.

Ignoring his Commander, Manner grabbed a hypo spray and jabbed it into Fox’s neck. His look to Cody told him to brace himself, Cody frowned in confusion until he remembered, that for some reason, Fox and a handful of other brothers were far more affected from the pain relief hypos than the rest of their brothers. Within moments, the tension bled out of Fox and his head drooped, leading to Cody having to hold his head up so he didn’t hurt his neck. Fox then blinked up at him and Manner, a dopey smile beginning to form on his face.

Manner smirked as he placed a bacta patch on the cut marring Fox’s forehead, “so care to tell me what happened Commander?”

Fox’s body flopped uselessly as he tried to nod, instead jerking his entire body, his dark curls falling into his eyes. “Sith Lord threwww meee. I fleeew. Then I hit the waaaaall. That wasn’t good… Cody my head hurts,” he added pitifully, with wide eyes reminiscent of the Junior Cadet Fox used to be.

Ignoring Manner’s amused snorts, Cody took pity on his vod’ika and hugged Fox against his chest. Successfully hiding his grin in Fox’s mess of dark curls. He turned his head slightly and met Obi-Wan’s amused look, as Fox continued to babble nonsense. But any good humour Cody had, it drained away as he held his vod’ika against him and looked at his cyare. Once again reminded how willingly he was prepared to potentially lose Fox in order to try and save Obi-Wan. His Jedi must have noticed the look on his face, but before Obi-Wan could approach him, Windu was needing to talk to Obi-Wan as some distressed Senators barged their way into the office. Knowing it would be best to get Fox out of sight of Senators he knew his little brother didn’t like when his tongue was loose, Cody lifted Fox into his arms and with Manner’s help, got to his feet carrying Fox bridal style. Leaving Manner to collect his medical supplies, along with Fox’s helmet.

“Cooodyyyy,” complained Fox, waving his hands in the air and gently smacking his hands against Cody’s face. “Coodyyy, I can walkkk,” whined Fox. Despite the situation and his own guilt, Cody couldn’t help but smile. Fox’s whining reminding him of when Fox was a two-year-old Junior Cadet who had been told he wasn’t allowed to vent crawl by Alpha-17.

“No, you can’t vod’ika,” he corrected gently. “You won’t be steady on your feet.”

“Who needs feet, when you can flyyyy,” grinned Fox, clearly out of it as he looked up at Cody with unfocused eyes.

Cody shook his head and left it to Manner to explain why it was not a good idea for Fox to try flying again. Instead, he looked over to Obi-Wan, his cyare already looking at him and signing for Cody to meet him in his Temple quarters. Cody nodded his agreement and with one more look at his Jedi, he left the office with his vod’ika held securely in his arms. His guilt still weighing heavily on his shoulders.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After leaving Fox in the Guard’s Medbay in Manner’s capable hands and after comming Wolffe that he was going to be needed to babysit Fox and stop him from wandering off on a pain-relief-hypo-high. Cody made his way to Obi-Wan’s quarters and found he had beaten his cyare there, he sat down heavily on the sofa and just buried his face in his hands, continuingly berating himself for daring to choose between his cyare and his brother. He didn’t know how long he sat like that for, but when the front door of the quarters opened, Cody looked up and found Obi-Wan looking at him seriously as he placed Cody’s helmet on the kitchen table.

“You seem awfully grave for someone who has just helped rid the galaxy of a Sith Lord,” Obi-Wan stated mildly, his hip leaning against the kitchen table.

Cody just shrugged, finding it difficult to voice his thoughts. How could he tell Obi-Wan, the man he loved, that he felt guilty for choosing him? How could he explain the guilt of willingly risking Fox’s life to save Obi-Wan’s? It wasn’t exactly an easy conversation to have.

Hearing a soft sigh, Cody brought his focus back to Obi-Wan, and just watched as his cyare approached him. Obi-Wan slowly sat beside him on the sofa, his body sinking into the cushions. Cody’s throat convulsed as he tried to think of something to say, but his guilt constricted this throat and he could not force any words out. Obi-Wan laid a gentle hand on his shoulder and once Cody felt himself calm down, he watched as his cyare began to remove his armour pieces with practiced ease. Once Cody was left in his blacks, he looked down at his hands in his lap, his hands pressed firmly together, his nails cutting crescent moon shapes into his palms. He jumped when his cyare’s calloused hands came to rest over his own. Cody slowly raised his eyes and found his cyare’s caring, ocean blue eyes looking back at him.

“Cody, what is wrong?” asked Obi-Wan in a quiet voice.

After a pause, the silence heavy in the quarters. “I’m sorry,” mumbled Cody, turning his face away in shame.

A hand came to rest under his chin, and gently turned his face back towards Obi-Wan. “What could you possibly be sorry about?” questioned Obi-Wan with a frown. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“But I do,” Cody retorted, his voice gruff as his guilt and shame for his guilt and horror at his shame rose up within him. He felt guilty for choosing Obi-Wan, he felt shame for even daring to feel guilty about choosing to help Obi-Wan and then he felt horror at how readily he seemed to be prepared to leave Fox to be possibly killed by Palpatine.

“Cody, cyar’ika. I cannot help you if you do not tell me what is wrong,” commented Obi-Wan, his hands now resting against each of Cody’s cheeks, his blue eyes wide in concern.

Sucking in a shaky breath, Cody lifted his hands up to lightly grip Obi-Wan’s wrists, finding the contact comforting. “I’m just a mess right now,” he stated, seeing if that would mollify Obi-Wan. One look at his Jedi told him that was not the case. Heaving a steadying breath, Cody found his eyes trailing away from Obi-Wan, unable to look his cyare in the eye as he confessed his feelings. “I chose to help you. I chose to turn my back on Fox. It doesn’t matter if Fox told me to go to you, I still willingly turned away from my vod’ika who needed my help… and now I feel guilty and then that makes it worse. It’s worse because how could I ever feel guilty for trying to save you?” Cody’s voice cracked on the last words, and he felt tears begin to sting the backs of his eyes.

“Oh, Cody,” sighed Obi-Wan. Cody clenched his eyes shut and forced himself not to lean against Obi-Wan and take comfort in his cyare’s presence. “Cyar’ika, you do not need to apologise to me for those feelings.”

Opening his eyes, Cody stared at Obi-Wan, not comprehending how his Jedi seemed fine with part of him regretting trying to help him. “But you are my cyare! I should not feel guilty for trying to help save you!” he protested. He only realised he was crying when he saw and felt Obi-Wan brush away his tears.

Obi-Wan smiled sadly at him. “A heavy burden was placed on your shoulders and you are a good man, Cody. No matter which one of us you tried to save, you would have felt guilty either way because that just tells me how good you are.” Cody wanted to refute his cyare’s words, and he began to shake his head. It couldn’t be that easy. But Obi-Wan pressed a thumb against Cody’s lips, silencing him before he could even speak. “Cody, I love how much you care for your brothers and I would be surprised if you weren’t feeling guilty about how the events in the office played out. And I will tell you now. If you had chosen to help Fox instead of me, I would not be angry. You have a big heart Cody and it is in your nature to protect everyone you care about.”

Cody bowed his head as his shoulders began to shake. “It just felt so wrong having to choose between you like that.”

“Choices like that are awful things,” agreed Obi-Wan as he pulled Cody against him. Allowing Cody to tuck his face into the crook of Obi-Wan’s neck, while the Jedi began to tangle his fingers in Cody’s dark curls. “As a Jedi I have faced many similar choices and whichever person you try to save, there is no right or wrong answer. Sometimes you just have to make the choice you feel you could live with. But you faced a most terrible choice, Cody. There was no right choice for you and I wish I could lift that burden from you, but you have to understand. Fox and I are both alive and in Fox’s case, mostly unharmed.” Obi-Wan then leaned back slightly, causing Cody to grumble a complaint, but he did look up to meet Obi-Wan’s eyes, once again the blue depths looked at him seriously. “But if you ever are faced with a similar choice again Cody, please do not feel sacrificing yourself is the better option. Committing selfless acts is one thing, but needlessly sacrificing yourself is a completely different matter.”

Seeing the barely hidden terror in the ocean blue depths, led Cody to wrapping his arms around Obi-Wan’s neck and push their foreheads together. Knowing how he would feel if Obi-Wan had been in his place, made Cody readily agree to never do that again. “Depending on the situation, I promise never to sacrifice myself like that again.”

Obi-Wan smiled and nodded, keeping their foreheads pressed together. “I know it is not easy keeping a promise like that. There may be many situations to come that might require a little self-sacrifice, I am a Jedi after all, so I know this quite well. But thank you. We have now won the war; I do not want to lose you so soon.” If Cody had not known his cyare so well, he would not have heard Obi-Wan’s voice tremble slightly on his last words.

“We survived,” comforted Cody, his guilt starting to ease. He knew his guilt would not be fully lifted until he spoke with Fox when he was not on a pain relief high, but he also knew that conversation would lead to Fox smacking him upside the head, so he was fine to leave the conversation a little longer. He felt Obi-Wan’s shoulders drop in relief and then press his face into the crook of Cody’s neck.

“It’s really over,” stated Obi-Wan, his voice filled with exhaustion and disbelief. Cody tightened his arms around his cyare’s middle and nuzzled the copper hair that tickled his cheek.

“Yes, cyare. It is really over,” Cody found himself grinning as he looked up at the bland ceiling of his cyare’s quarters. Never had a blank ceiling looked so good to him. It was proof that they were safe. They were not on the Negotiator heading to another campaign, they weren’t on some distant planet trying to hold back the Separatists, they weren’t in a Medbay recovering from injuries and they were not still in the Chancellor’s office trying to defeat the Sith Lord. Everything was alright. Cody knew it would take some time for that to sink in, but everyone he cared about. Obi-Wan, Rex, Fives, Echo, Fox, Wolffe, Boil, Waxer, Ponds, Bly, Monnk, Grey and the rest of their brothers and friends in the Jedi were all alive and safe. (Even if Rex and Echo were blocking out Fives’ declarations that he had helped save the day by finding out about the chips. Apparently, that made Fives and Tup’s love of conspiracy theories not so crazy.)

For the first time in his life, Cody allowed his faint hopes to bloom into reality. During his training on Kamino and fighting the war, he had hoped that one day he would be able to live a peaceful life with Obi-Wan. Able to watch his brothers be happy, able to go on Jedi missions with his cyare and just get to live in a galaxy in peacetime. While Obi-Wan had never outright said anything to him, Cody knew that for the past six months, Obi-Wan, Plo Koon, Mace Windu, Shaak Ti, Depa Billaba and Yoda were all working together to achieve citizenship and rights for all of Cody and his brothers. It was everything Cody had ever hoped for and now it was all in touching distance. The war was over, he would not need to helplessly watch as he lost brothers to the war. Also, his cyare’s friendship with Bail Organa and other Senators filled Cody with anticipation for the Clone Rights Citizenship Bill passing soon.

Which would hopefully mean, Cody would never be faced with a choice like he had in the Chancellor’s office. With peace restored and the chips taken out of his brothers’ heads, Cody would never be forced to make a selfish or guilt-ridden choice again.

Feeling much better, Cody let himself fall onto his back, sinking into the sofa cushions and pulling Obi-Wan with him, so his cyare was lying on his chest. They smiled at each other, their elation at the war’s ending evident in their eyes. Cody wasn’t sure who moved first, but he didn’t care, because soon their lips were pressed together and Cody could prove to himself that this wasn’t a dream, he was awake and this really was happening. They had gotten a happy ending, which he hoped would soon transform into a happy beginning.

End note:

My brain wanted to add a scene of Fox in the Medbay, but as this is a Codywan fic, this scene did not make into this fic. So, if anyone is interested I might post a fic with two missing scenes from this fic, so let me know if this is something you would want to see/read. The first being Cody dropping Fox off at the Medbay and Wolffe coming to babysit Fox and the second being Cody and Fox's conversation about Cody feeling guilty for choosing Obi-Wan.

#codywanweek2021 #commander cody #obi wan kenobi #codywan #commander fox #oc clone trooper manner #star wars fic #day 1: fix-it

58 notes · View notes

cora-vizsla · 3 years

Text

Into The Dark- Chapter 1

Pairing: Jedi!OC x Sith!Obi Wan

Word Count: 4.5K+

Story Rating: E (18+)

Chapter Rating: Just assume they’re all E at this point.

Warning: Swearing. Threats of violence. Mentions of death/dying. Mention of war. Drugging. Snark. Angst. (I mean seriously if you know me you know angst is gonna happen)

A/N: This is the beginning! If you haven’t read Hypnotic this story isn’t going to make much sense to you. If you have read Hypnotic, welcome back! I hope you’re ready to be sad lol. Anyway, enjoy and let me know if I missed any tags!

“Darling, you can’t be serious. There is no way that you’re going.”

“I am being serious, and I am going. This isn’t really a discussion. I’ve already made up my mind.”

“Explain it to me. Please?”

Zara sighed and sat down next to her husband. Obi Wan smiled at her softly, brushing her hair back.

“Mace called me. Palpatine got loose which shouldn’t surprise anyone. I wouldn’t care but.. he took Cody.”

“Cody? Who the hell is Cody?”

They both looked up to Anakin walking in, a four-year-old Leia on his hip.

“Zara!”

She slipped down Anakins leg and bolted into Zara’s arms. She laughed and giggled as Zara held her close and spun her.

“Oh, my beautiful little Leia. Couldn’t let your daddy go without you?”

“Nope! Gotta watch him. Mama says so.”

Anakin rolled his eyes but laughed.

“I came here to help you, Obi Wan, but if that slimeball took Cody there is no talking her out of it.”

“The clone?”

“My friend.”

Zara snapped and glared at the blonde. He held his hands up defensively and sat back, crossing one leg over the other.

“Yeah, Oh-bee. Her friend!”

Zara laughed and kissed the girls cheek.

“That’s right. You get it. We protect our friends, no matter what.”

“No matter what!”

Zara set Leia down who immediately ran around the room getting into everything. Anakin sighed but Zara motioned for him to let her go. Out of the two, Leia was the well behaved one. She was busy but it was more out of curiosity than breaking anything. Luke was more likely to break things just to see how they worked.

“The question I have is why you didn’t call me to help you.”

“Mace was very clear that neither you nor Obi Wan were welcome on this mission.”

“So, you’re working for the Jedi. Again.”

“No, sweetheart. I am helping them get my friend to safety. We all know how dangerous Palpatine is.”

“All the more reason for me to be by your side.”

“Can’t say I disagree with the Sith, Zar.”

Zara rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

“No. Both of you will stay here. Anakin you have a family now. Your kids and wife are top priority. I’m not letting you get dragged into Jedi shit again. And you, my love, don’t play nice.”

“How rude, darling.”

“Rude, but correct. You don’t play nice with the Jedi and frankly I’m not letting you get near Palpatine again. He controlled you once.”

“So, you don’t trust me.”

Anakin cleared his throat and called for Leia. She ran over and jumped into his arms, holding on tightly.

“C’mon sweetheart. Aunt Zar needs to talk to her domesticated Sith.”

“Mama says you need to be nice to uncle Oh-Bee.”

“Well, mama isn’t here.”

“Good thing I am so I can tell her how mean you are to Aunt Zar’s husband who she loves very much.”

“It’s complicated, Leia.”

“Nope. Everyone duh-serves forgiveness, daddy. Plus, he makes Aunt Zar happy.”

Anakin sighed and looked at Zara for help, but she crossed her harms and shrugged.

“And don’t say its com-pluh-cated. You made Aunt Zara cry before. She forgave you. So, you should be nice.”

“You sound a lot like your mother.”

“Good! She’s the smartest person I know.”

Zara chuckled as Anakin sighed, defeated, and left the small home. She turned back to Obi Wan who had been watching her.

“We have a good life, Zara.”

“I agree.”

“Then why are you leaving?”

She sighed and let her shoulders slump slightly.

“Obi Wan, Cody meant a great deal to me. We worked together for a long time. I know that you don’t really work with anyone or play nice. It’s just when you work with someone for so long they become like family to you.”

“Not to be rude, but you left him before.”

“I left the entire order. I trusted the Jedi to keep the clones safe. They were to have their inhibitor chip removed and retired with honor. That isn’t what happened.”

“Well, your first mistake was trusting the Jedi.”

She sighed in frustration and got up off the couch. She put more things in her bag before turning to look at her husband.

“I need you to trust me. I need you to understand that a friend needs help.”

“And I need you to understand, my darling, that I know Sidious better than anyone on the Jedi counsel. What do you plan to do? Waltz in and tell him to give you your clone back and go back to jail?”

“Of course not.”

“Then what are you doing, Zara? This is reckless.”

“You wouldn’t save a friend if they were in danger?”

“I don’t have friends.”

“You wouldn’t save Anakin?”

“Absolutely not.”

Zara scowled and crossed her arms.

“Obi-Wan!”

“You could have picked anyone else we know, and I would have at least hesitated. That’s on you for choosing Anakin. It’s not like we’re the best of friends.”

“You wouldn’t save Padme? The twins?”

“I wouldn’t save them without you. I wouldn’t even dream of going without you.”

“Palpatine controlled you once.”

“Sidious had control; it was not over me. If you recall I convinced him not to kill you and tricked him into thinking that you were becoming my obedient little plaything. I tricked him at every corner, and he had no idea until the very end. Tell me I am wrong.”

She fell silent, looking at him with sadness written all over her face.

“Then tell me what the true problem is. Tell me that you’re afraid I’ll feel the dark side too strongly and go back. This has nothing to do with me not playing nice. It has everything to do with the Jedi playing into your fear of the very darkness that I carry inside of me and using it to control you. How can you not see that?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Which part?”

Zara looked down at her feet and chewed at her bottom lip.

“None of it. Cody needs my help. If I want the help and the resources needed to help him, I must do it their way. I love you with all my heart. I truly do. Is there some truth to what you said? Yes. I think I’ll always be afraid of you turning fully to the dark and not needing me anymore. The darkness does scare me. I’ve never said anything contrary to it. Your darkness doesn’t scare me though.”

“If you trust me, then you have to also trust that darkness, Zara.”

“I have to do this, Obi Wan.”

“You really don’t. You can’t change my mind of this.”

“Then I guess we’re at an impasse.”

Obi Wan stood up and walked to her, placing his hands gently on her arms.

“I know nothing that I say will stop you from going. I’ve known the entire time we’ve discussed this. Just know that I strongly think you should take me with you. We’re stronger together. Always have been, even if we didn’t want to admit it at the time.”

“I have to do this.”

He nodded and kissed her forehead, holding her close to him.

“Come back to me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of not coming back to you.”

“Don’t make me come looking for you either.”

She laughed and wrapped her arms around his torso, resting the side of her face on his chest.

“I mean it, Zara. I will tear this galaxy apart before I let anyone, or anything keep us apart.”

“I believe you.”

“Good. Just don’t ever let yourself forget that.”

XXX

Zara stepped down the ramp of her ship and pulled her saber into her hand, igniting it. She looked at the burned orange hue of it and thought of the man waiting for her. When she had settled onto Naboo, one of the first things she did was make a saber with the crystal he had given her at the ball.

Now she was glad for it. It reminded her of him and everything that she was always fighting for. It wasn’t as beautiful as his eyes, but it was close enough to bring her some peace. She wasn’t thrilled about not having him there, but she knew it was the best thing she could do.

She thought about their argument quite a bit on her trip. Obi Wan had been right about her fear. She feared losing him more than she feared losing her own life. The last thing she wanted to happen was for Palpatine to get his hands on him again. She couldn’t risk it.

The same went for Anakin. He had already twisted him beyond breaking once. He had no training with the darkness that he now carried. She had wondered if Obi-Wan could teach him but never brought it up. They didn’t get along and it came down to how much the darkness scared her.

It hurt her heart how much Obi-Wan was hurting. She didn’t do it to harm him, but it didn’t change that it did. Zara desperately wanted to get Cody to safety and go back to her life. They both deserved to be done fighting and yet there she was fighting another battle for the Jedi.

She made her way down the hallway and felt through the force. She sighed when she felt a familiar signature and moved into a wide-open room. In the middle of the floor was Cody, hands bound in front of him. Zara looked around to check for any traps but when she didn’t see any, she walked to her old friend.

“General?”

“Just Zara, Cody. I’m not a general anymore.”

“You.. you shouldn’t have come.”

“Of course, I did. You’re my friend. As soon as I found out you were missing, I came.”

“You don’t understand, General. That’s exactly what he wanted.”

“Who? Palpatine?”

“I’m so sorry.”

She knelt down to look at him and picked his head up to look at her gently. Her eyes widened when she saw that he had tears brimming his eyes.

“Cody, why are you sorry? We’ve talked about this in depth. I don’t care that you’re a clone. You mean-“

“I’m not the only one that knows your soft spot for clones, General. I can’t.. I’m so sorry.”

Before Zara could ask him what was wrong, she felt a jab in her arm. She looked down to see Cody sticking a syringe into her arm and push the plunger down all the way. She yanked her arms away and fell backwards onto her butt.

“Cody?”

“I told you.. you shouldn’t have come. I’m so sorry, General.”

The binders fell off Cody’s wrists and he stepped forward, pulling Zara up into his arms. The world was spinning so she shut her eyes, desperately wanting it to stop.

“I have her, sir.”

“Very good, CC-2224. Just as I expected. Bring her here. Destroy her ship before you do.”

“Yes, sir.”

Zara lost consciousness as Cody carried her to his ship. He set her down gently, placing her saber on his waist. Once she was settled, he walked over to her ship and looked through her belongings. He pulled out a few holo pictures that he clicked on. A small smile spread on his lips when he saw Anakin alive and well with Padme and two children. The other ones were of her and the Sith that had taken her. He had been worried when he first heard she had left the order with him but was assured it was her choice.

“You look so happy, General. Exactly what you should be.”

He closed his hands around the holos and slipped them into his pocket. He glanced at the dashboard and saw the emergency signal. He hesitated then reached past it, “accidentally” hitting the emergency button. When he stood up walked outside and waited.

“Stars, I hope that signal gets to someone.”

After a few moments he stepped back and shot at the fuel tank, exploding the ship as instructed. Once he made his way back into the ship and checked on Zara, he hit the coordinates for where he needed to go.

“I know you can’t hear me, General. I just hope you know I wouldn’t do this unless I had any other choice. I’ll do what I can to keep you safe. Hopefully General Skywalker and your Sith can find you in time.”

Once they were into hyperspace, he pulled her saber from his waist and looked at it. It was new from what he remembered, but still beautifully made. He expected nothing less from his former General.

He thought back on the first time he saw her. She showed up to command his troops with a smile on her face. He initially thought that she was going to be a weak leader and weakness meant death to clones. He had been so wrong.

She was the first Jedi to show compassion towards him and his men. She grieved their deaths just as much as he did. Nights when he was up wrestling with the pain of losing someone, she was always right by his side. She didn’t need to; the mission was always finished. She wanted to. She wanted them all to know that they were all individual people to her, regardless of where they came from.

She made it easy to run into the heat of battle. It wasn’t that he didn’t ever want to. He believed in his own fighting and trusted his brothers. It just came down to the fact that he wasn’t fighting for her. He was fighting alongside her.

He ignited the blade and widened his eyes when a new color came out. He didn’t know the particulars of the Jedi and their blades, but he had never seen a blade that color before. Cody looked down at his hand holding the hilt and frowned.

He had hurt her. What was even worse was the possibility that she would never forgive him for what he did. The chip had been deactivated before Order 66 could be initiated but somehow Sidious still had a hold over him. He had gotten close enough to him to activate it just enough to make him obedient. He glanced back at Zara asleep and shook his head.

“We will find a way to get out of this, General. We always do. Somehow, we will get you back to your happiness. Maybe I’ll even find a bit of it myself.”

He chuckled to himself and shook his head again.

“Look at me, thinking a clone can be anything more than a tool. You’d think I’d learn by now. Although you’d be yelling at me for even thinking that. Stars, General, I hope you don’t hate me forever for this.”

XXX

Mace sat in the council chambers alone. The last thing he wanted to do was call up Zara, but he didn’t see any other option. Once the war was ended, the Jedi no longer had the authority to do anything without the government’s approval. He knew that they wouldn’t send them for a single clone. As far as they were concerned Palpatine was no longer a threat. Not that the Jedi agreed with that at all.

When his coms went off with Zara’s emergency signal, he felt his chest get heavy. It ended just as quickly as it was received, but he knew the longer it took for her to message or call him, the worse that was. She had a propensity to bump into buttons, but she always called. He tried to call and was met with no answer. Master Yoda walked into the room and looked at him.

“Her signal went off then immediately went dead.”

“Feel it, do you? A great darkness, there is.”

“Yes. I feel it. It has to be Sidious.”

“Mmm. Yes. Suspect him, I do.”

“I’m going to have to reach out to Anakin and Veth.”

“Go. In much danger, she is.”

XXX

Obi-Wan sat in his home, reading the same book for the third time. As much as he wanted to reach out to Zara, he didn’t want her to think he was trying to distract her or force her back home. It was killing him though. Even just hearing her voice would make him feel better. He looked up from his book when he heard a ship land close by. Before he could stand up, Anakin was bursting into the house.

“Sith, it’s the Jedi.”

“Is Zara with them?”

“It’s only Master Windu.”

“Shit.”

He followed the younger man outside just in time to see Windu walking closer. He clenched his jaw, not wanting to see the Master Jedi at all.

“Anakin. Veth.”

The three men looked to the side as Padme and the twins came running out of their home.

“Wow, even your children are strong with the force.”

Anakin stepped in front of Mace and set his jaw; his hands balled into fists at his side.

“Don’t even look at them. They will never be hurt by you or the council.”

“I’m not here for your children, Anakin.”

“Where is my wife.”

Mace turned to look at Veth who was standing with his arms crossed over his chest. He still looked just as cocky to Mace as he had when he was a child, but the darkness swirling around him was new. It was the first time they had faced each other, other than through a holo communication.

“We should go inside. Small ears don’t need to hear this conversation.”

Anakin glanced over at Obi-Wan, who nodded back at him. Anakin looked back at Padme and gave her a tight smile before following Obi-Wan into the house. Once Mace made it through the door, Obi-Wan used the force to slam it behind him, smirking when the master Jedi jumped.

“If it weren’t for the children, you wouldn’t be welcome in this home. Now tell me, where is my wife and why is she not here with you?”

“She made it to where we though Sidious was with the clone trooper.”

“Cody.”

“What?”

“His name is Cody. You sent my wife to find him and don’t even have the courtesy to use the name she knows him by.”

Mace rolled his jaw and sighed.

“Cody. My apologies. She made it there safely and sent a communication she was heading inside the building. From there, we lost contact. Soon after, her emergency signal reached us and turned off within a few seconds.”

“And nothing since?”

“Nothing.”

“Sidious has her. That emergency signal was a mistake. Where is she.”

Obi-Wan was seething. Her being taken was exactly what he was afraid of, and he was completely powerless to change what was happening. The more he thought about how terrible Sidious was and how much she could be hurt, the more the room started swirling with darkness. Mace put his hand on his own saber and took a step back.

“Please calm down, Veth.”

“You called up my wife, the woman that I love more than anything in the galaxy and asked her to go on a fool’s errand with no backup. Then you come here and tell me that Darth Sidious, the most dangerous man I have ever met likely has her. Now you expect me to calm down. After everything you’ve done to me you’re lucky you’re still breathing. Let alone what you’ve done to her. She came to me broken, Master Windu. She came to me lost and afraid that she had lost every bit of her life and soul because she couldn’t live with your lies anymore. You nearly forced her to kill her best friend. Now you sent her into the hands of a madman. Tell me, why in the galaxy should I calm down?”

“I understand that you’re upset.”

Obi-Wan barked out a laugh and crossed his arms again.

“You don’t understand anything that the Jedi didn’t shove down your throat. Tell me where she is. I will go bring her back home where she belongs.”

“I’m going with you.”

Obi-Wan looked at Anakin and frowned. He could feel how unstable Anakin felt. The normal darkness around Obi-Wan he was used to, but the pure rage he was harnessing was drowning him. It wasn’t ever something that was discussed but he would never be able to fully get away from the dark side. It just wasn’t possible.

“You aren’t stable enough, Skywalker.”

Obi-Wan shot his finger out to point at Mace, shaking his head.

“You don’t get to tell him what to do, Mace. The audacity that you Jedi have. It is absolutely astounding that you thought you could walk into my home and tell anyone under this roof what to do.”

“You know he isn’t stable. I can’t be the only one who feels it.”

“What he is or isn’t is no problem of yours. Just give me the coordinates and I will take care of getting Zara back.”

“I want to help.”

“You have done enough. Now, if you will, I have much to do and none of that involves catering to you being in my home. You’re tarnishing the air and I won’t have it a moment longer.”

Mace sighed and shook his head, setting down a data stick with the coordinates and information about the ship she had been using. He thought about asking him how he planned on helping him, but he thought better and walked through the door. Once he left Anakin huffed out a frustrated sigh and grabbed the stick.

“Alright let’s go.”

“You aren’t going.”

“What!?”

Anakin spun around to glare at Obi-Wan.

“You just said-“

“I said he doesn’t get to come into my home and tell anyone what to do. That does not mean I don’t agree with him. You’re unstable. You have been for a long time.”

“I’m fine.”

“Tell me that my darkness didn’t affect you then.”

Anakin opened his mouth a few times and shut it, without uttering a word.

“Exactly. You have a family here that needs you.”

“Zara is my family too, Veth.”

“Stars above I wish you’d stop calling me that.”

Anakin smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Why do you think I call you that?”

“You’re insufferable. I pity your former master. You wouldn’t have lasted five minutes having been my padawan.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I’m a lot stronger than you think I am.”

“I gladly would have tossed you off the first cliff we found. I considered it when we found you if I’m being entirely honest. Ungrateful brat that you are. You’re lucky when I shoved you it was to your safety.”

“I still don’t fully believe that was you. I don’t remember you being so smug.”

“No need for you to. It wouldn’t be the first time that you ignored the reality around you to construct fantasies that mean absolutely nothing to anyone else.”

“You’re an ass, do you know that?”

Obi-Wan barked out a laugh as he started gathering his supplies.

“Oh, I’ve been told. The fact of the matter is that you are not stable enough to come with me. I need to focus on Sidious and whatever he has planned. I can’t babysit you through your temper tantrums, reckless behavior and propensity to disobey any form of authority within a parsec of your location.”

Anakin frowned and huffed out a sigh.

“Then teach me.”

“Teach you? If Padme can’t control you, I highly doubt anyone else can.”

“I’ll listen! I’m not asking you to turn me to the dark side. I just.. I’m the only person in this situation that even remotely trusts you. If you would just help me, I can help you then we both can help Zara.”

He sighed and looked at the younger man in front of him. He meant what he had said to Zara: if given the choice he would not save him. He had a point though. He was someone he could trust to at least want to help his wife. After considering it for a moment he sighed and tossed his hands up in the air.

“Fine. Only if you go tell Padme that it is entirely your idea and that I was opposed to it from the beginning. You will listen to me and do as I tell you to. I will teach you how to control yourself at least enough to help Zara. Beyond that, just stay out of my way.”

“Yes! I’ll go grab my bag and let Padme know what is going on.”

Anakin head towards the door but paused when Obi-Wan spoke to him.

“And Anakin? The first time you aggravate me I’m shoving you out the airlock. Don’t think that I won’t either. I’ve killed for less.”

XXX

Cody carried a still unconscious Zara into a dark room, only having the very center lit up dimly.

“CC-2224 I see you have returned successfully.”

“Yes, sir.”

The shadow of a man stepped forward, using the force to push Zara’s hair from her face. Cody thought that she looked almost peaceful curled up in his harms, her face resting against his chest.

“You have pleased me, trooper. Now the next part of my plan begins. Take her to her chambers. She is not to leave unless I command it.”

“Sir, am I permitted to stay with her?”

“Yes. Keep her calm. Give her a reason to stay here. Though I don’t expect her to be on board with everything I say, at first, this entire plan is contingent on her falling in line.”

“Yes, sir.”

Cody turned, walking down a long hallway. Once he entered Zara’s chambers, the door shut and locked behind him. Normally it would have made him uneasy, but he was calmer knowing that he wouldn’t be separated from his former general just yet. He placed her down gently into the bed, careful to ensure she would be comfortable.

He pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed, crossing his arms over his chest. He glanced down at the black armor that he now wore, unsure of how he liked it. He always wore armor, so it wasn’t new. It just made him uneasy at how dark it was.

When he shifted, he felt the holo pictures that he had taken from her ship. He pulled them out and turned on their display, looking at Zara’s family. He felt so much guilt and pain knowing that he was part of the reason she wasn’t home with them. Cody knew that nothing good was going to come from Sidious getting his hands on Zara, but he was determined that he wouldn’t let her forget where she belonged.

“I can’t let you forget something that you always deserved to have, Zara. I just can’t.”

Zara continued to sleep while Cody sat next to her. He was caught between his loyalty for her and his obligation to follow Palpatine. He wanted her to wake up, but he also was afraid of what she was going to say once she realized he had betrayed her.

“You’re so strong, General. If anyone can fix this, it’s you. I believe in you so much. Please have just a little bit of faith in me.”

Tag List:

@mapplestrudel @cannedsoupsucks @musubabii @mascaracoffee @ahsoka-padme

#sith #sith!obi wan #sith!obi-wan #sith!kenobi #sith!obi wan x oc #hypnotic #star wars #starwars #Star Wars Fic #fanfiction

37 notes · View notes

talkcloneshipstome · 3 years

Note

I would like to request Rex/Fives, incorporating the word: forever ❤️

D... did I really never answer this ask? I wrote the prompt. It's been written for a while now. I am so sorry I forgot about this! I'm pretty sure Kanra even reminded me at some point, and then upon being reminded, I forgot to come and post this. Either way, I hope you like this. It's geared more towards Rex/Fives/Echo — which was done on accident — but Echo isn't actually present. This takes place post-Citadel. Due to that, the fic is under the cut for talk of death and character death.

Rex sits alone in the barracks. He hasn’t got a clue how he’s managed it, but he seems to have found a random sweet spot of time in which the entire bunk room is totally empty. It’s just Rex, the bunks, and his thoughts.

Thanks to General Kenobi, Cody, and the 212th’s ARCs joining the 501st for a few rotations for strategy planning and other similar responsibilities, Rex has been relegated once again to the barracks, along with Fives. They’re the only ARCs at the moment, so the ARC bunk room has been given over to their guests. Not that Rex is complaining though. He likes staying in the barracks usually. It feels less lonely…

The pressing quiet of his and Fives’ bunk room has been driving him insane. They were never an overly rowdy bunch in their free time, so the quiet isn’t out of the ordinary. But there’s something horribly oppressive about silence brought on by a missing presence who should, by all accounts, be there. But he’s not.

It’s been… oh, Rex isn’t sure anymore. He lost count of the days by the third after returning from the Citadel. It’s been over a week, he’s at least sure of that much. But other than that, time has been blurring into itself of getting very little (if any) sleep, rising with his alarm, and forcing himself to go through the motions. He is aware that his men are getting concerned, but it’s not like there’s much to worry about. Something will snap him out of this eventually, Rex is sure of it. It always does.

Though, they’ve also never lost Echo before. They’ve lost vode, of course. That’s just life for the clones. They’ve been losing brothers since before they could even remember. It’s different now that the war is officially going. Now that it’s been a year and a half or however long, losing brothers is different than it had been on Kamino.

And truthfully, Rex would be a filthy liar if he said that losing Echo wasn’t the punch in the gut that it is.

He tries not to think about it too hard. Tries to ignore the weight bearing down on him from all angles, and how sometimes he wants to cry so hard he can’t breathe. Rex doesn’t deserve to feel this way. He shouldn’t get to think of Echo and feel pain wash through him, so debilitating that he once actually stumbled and fell to his knees with a silent, grief-stricken sob.

Luckily, Fives had not been around.

After all, Rex is the one who said no. He’s the one who turned them down. Them. His chosen shinies, his ARC troopers. His Echo and Fives. They held out their hearts to him, full of love and hope for the future. They asked him for forever, and Rex told them no.

He wanted to agree so badly. It hadn’t been a new concept, of course. Brothers marry all the time. It’s not unheard of. Beyond that, the three of them had actually talked about it before. Rex had shared his concerns — his fears, his dreams, his realism. For all that he knew there was nothing wrong with it, Rex was scared of marriage. He still is. How can he promise someone forever when he can’t even be sure he’ll make it to see the morning?

It didn’t matter that they are his troopers. It didn’t matter that it’s more likely for all of them to die together than to die separately. Rex couldn’t promise them what they wanted. He refused to break their hearts like that.

Of course, he broke them a little bit by doing this anyway. They had looked at him with hope and love so true and deep in their eyes, and Rex had crushed it.

No, Rex does not deserve to miss Echo. He doesn’t deserve to feel like he’s bursting at the seams and falling apart. Fives is the one who deserves to be feeling this way. And he does. Rex knows Fives is barely keeping a lid on this thing. One misstep, and the whole tower of cards will come crashing down. Rex needs to be there for him when it finally does. Even if Fives hates him, Rex will be there.

That’s the thing that’s killing him though.

Fives does not hate Rex. Hell, he’s not even mad at him. Even as Rex watched his troopers’ hearts shatter before his eyes, they still smiled at him — sad though the expressions were — and said it was okay. They told him they understood. Because that’s how they are. Understanding. Caring. Loving.

Rex couldn’t have asked for better partners even if he wanted it.

The swish of the door opening and closing again pulls Rex out of his thoughts. There are tears on his cheeks, dripping down his chin.

Fives stands in front of Rex. His eyes are dull and watery with his own unshed tears. There’s a slackness to his features that tells Rex all he needs to know about how well Fives has been sleeping recently. Not.

Rex startles a little, not having realized someone was coming toward him.

“Fives—”

Fives holds up a hand and shakes his head silently. Rex shuts up immediately. He may be the captain, and Fives one of his ARC troopers, but Rex still knows when to take orders. The answer is “now” and “definitely from Fives”.

“You haven’t been sleeping,” Fives eventually says. It’s not what Rex was expecting to hear.

“Not well.”

The ARC nods. “Me either.”

There’s a pause after that in which neither of them speak. They just watch each other for a moment. A million things to say flash across Rex’s mind. In the end, he says none of them. It’s Fives who has to break their silence again.

“You and I both know he wouldn’t want us living like this,” he says finally. “This isn’t living, cyare.”

No, it’s not. Rex knows that. He nods in agreement, because really, that’s about as much as he can get out right now.

Fives sits heavily onto the bunk side Rex with a deep sigh.

“I don’t know why you’ve been avoiding me, Rex, but this has got to stop.”

“I’m not—”

“You are. I won’t pretend to know what going through that head of yours. Only you can say. So the only way I’ll know is if you actually tell me.”

Rex stares down at his lap, playing with his fingers and twisting them together painfully.

When he thinks he’s finally found his words, Rex swallows.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I shouldn’t have… I wish I hadn’t said no.”

Fives shakes his head again, cutting off whatever was going to follow that thought up.

“He knew you love us, Rex,” Fives tells him. He leans into Rex’s side, pulling him into a side hug with an arm hooked over the blond’s shoulders. “No marriage or lack thereof would change that. We love you, and you love us. You have your reasons for denying our proposal, so—”

“Had,” Rex corrects him. “I had my reasons, which I’ve realized now were really just making me feel worse. I just want to use whatever time I have at least trying to find some semblance of happiness.”

Fives doesn’t respond, but he doesn’t argue, either. He doesn’t pull away from Rex and leave him alone.

“I’m not asking you to marry me,” Rex cuts in again quickly. “That’s not— I wouldn’t—”

“Shh…” Damp lips press against his temple in a kiss. Fives tugs Rex even closer, until he’s practically in the ARC’s lap, hiding in his neck. “Shh, it’s alright. We can talk later, after we both take a nap. Got it?”

Rex nods, finally and suddenly realizing he doesn’t mind that he’s crying in Fives’ presence and noticing just how exhausted every part of him is. Fives maneuvers them until they’re laying down together. The new position is much more comfortable for the both of them. Rex finds himself sinking into the warmth of Fives’ embrace and the safety and comfort that he offers.

“Forever,” he mumbles. “You feel like forever.”

Fives smiles tearily against him.

“You do, too.”

Rex falls asleep to the feeling of a phantom hand he isn’t sure exists brushing over his hair. Warm air tickles across his ear like perhaps someone had whispered something into it.

“Forever, cyare’se. I’ll come back to you.”

#the clone wars #clonecest #clone shipping #fives/rex #fives/rex/echo #arc trooper fives #captain rex #angst #death #references to character death #spite prompts #jude writes

27 notes · View notes

colehasapen · 3 years

Note

As a prompt: "It has long been impressed into Anakin Skywalker's mind that if something goes wrong, he should call Obi-Wan. As a result, after Palpatine reveals that he was the secret Sith lord all along, Anakin comms Obi-Wan while incoherently screaming. Obi-Wan goes 'Anakin calm down, tell me what's wrong, and we'll think about this for more than five seconds.' the result of this is the saving of the galaxy."

For as long as Anakin had been a Jedi, Obi-Wan had been watching his student’s back, has been doing his best to be what the younger man needs. He had made sure Anakin had known since he was nine years old - too small but too old, too quiet but too loud, a Freed slave who didn’t know what being Free meant - that he would drop everything to help him if he needed him, that he’d be there to support him no matter how unimportant the matter seemed to be. Obi-Wan knows too well the pain of being brushed off by the person he was supposed to be able to lean on, remembers the words that had never been meant to be uncaring but never seemed to care enough.

Obi-Wan had never wanted Anakin to feel the same, but he can’t help but feel like he failed.

He used to call for the smallest of things, the most minor of things, things that made his classmates give him weird looks for needing his master for something like not knowing what to pick for lunch, but as he’d gotten older, Anakin had pulled away from him, almost aggressively at times. Obi-Wan had promised him that he was there if he wanted to talk, but Anakin never reached out, never took the hand that was being offered to him.

Sometimes, Obi-Wan had worried that he never would again, that their relationship was too damaged by misunderstandings and miscommunications to be fixed. The Clone Wars had brought them back together, had led to them becoming closer than they had ever been before, but it had also made their differences painfully possible. He hopes that, with the impending end to the War, that maybe they’d be able to bridge those differences, as equals instead of Master and Padawan, or High General and General. Stepping down from the Council will make him more approachable, hopefully, and maybe they’ll be able to be honest with each other.

After the War. He casts his mind to his troopers, who will be able to be free once the War is no longer dragging down any bill brought to the Senate. To Cody, who will no longer be his subordinate, who will be free to live and laugh and love however he pleases, like he and all his siblings deserve. They’ll be able to see a Galaxy without constant battle, to discover things about themselves they never could with the threat of the Senate and Kamino breathing down their necks.

Maybe Ahsoka will return, like she had expressed an interest in during their last conversation. Maybe Anakin will finally come clean about the nature of his relationship with Padme, and will no longer feel the need to hide a part of himself.

Maybe they’ll all be able to just be free.

It’s a sweet thought that powers him through the bad days.

They’re already so close to the end, Dooku is dead, and the Seperatist Senate is collapsing, most of its members defecting to return to the Republic. With ARC Trooper Echo’s rescue from the Techno Union, they had lost a valuable resource, and the droids couldn’t keep up with the Trooper’s knowledge of their movements and tactics. It’s almost over, all Obi-Wan has to do is defeat General Grievous, and they’ll be able to bring the remaining leaders in for negotiations - not even the strongest voices for war in the Senate will be able to continue the fighting if there was no one left to fight.

They just have to defeat Grievous here, then they can turn their attention to finding the Sith Lord, and if Ahsoka can capture Maul, then they have a perfect way to learn their identity.

He’s just running Cody and lieutenants through the final branch of their plan of attack, when his comm chimes, and, absently, Obi-Wan answers it, wondering if its command with more intel. “This is Kenobi.”

“Obi-Wan?” Anakin’s voice wobbles over the comm, like it had back when he was a child, and didn’t know what to do when confronted with a choice between milk and juice at breakfast. He sounds young - young and scared in the way that he hadn’t allowed himself to sound since he had turned sixteen and started pulling away from Obi-Wan.

“Anakin?” Obi-Wan straightens, turning away from the holotable, feeling Cody’s worried eyes drilling into the back of his head. “What’s wrong, dear one?”

“I-” Anakin stutters slightly, sounding close to tears, and Obi-Wan wishes desperately that he was on Coruscant so that he could comfort the young man, “- Obi-Wan, the Chancellor - he’s -” Anakin is quiet for a long moment, and when he speaks again, his voice is pitched lower, like he’s desperately trying to control his breathing or like he was sharing a dark secret, “- he’s the Sith Lord.”

Behind him, Cody and his men go deathly still.

Obi-Wan’s heart drops. “He’s the what?” He breathes in shock, mind rolling in his head as he tries to connect Anakin’s dear friend, the leader of the Republic, with the shadowy Sith Lord. He hadn’t listened - Dooku had warned him. He had been told that the Sith Lord was in the Senate, but he hadn’t been able to bring himself to believe him, had thought it was just another mind game so soon after he had taunted him with Qui-Gon. “Anakin - are you alright?”

He had let him be around his Padawan. Around his Grandpadawan.

“He told me.” Anakin says shakily, “He - he said that there were ways to keep people from dying - skills that only Sith knew. He told me a story about Darth Plegueis - there’s no records of a Sith by that name ever existing in history.”

“Anakin.” Obi-Wan says pointedly, and he glances over his shoulder to see Cody rapidly typing into his own comm. “Where are you?”

“At the Temple.” His former Padawan murmurs, “Master Windu’s taken a team to arrest the - the Sith Lord.”

“Okay.” Obi-Wan forces himself to breathe past his own nervousness, releasing his fear into the Force and embracing the calmness it brought him, the clarity. “Okay, breathe, Ani. Who did Master Windu take?”

“Masters Fisto, Kolar, and Tiin.” Four of the best swordsmen in the Order, all on one team to confront the Sith Lord. Obi-Wan prays to the Force that they’ll be enough. “Master. He - he said that he could help me save Padme.”

Obi-Wan’s brows furrow, confusion bubbling up past his alarm, “What’s happened to Padme?” She had been fine the last time he had seen her, glowing with pregnancy and excited to travel back to the Naberrie home on Naboo to give birth to her children. Her Force signature had been strong and bright, as had the life forces of her babies. He had even asked Sabe to pass on his wishes of good health the last they spoke.

“She’s - I’ve been having dreams again Master -” Obi-Wan’s stomach drops again, he remembers too well that painful week of Anakin’s nightmares about his mother’s death. He had urged his Padawan to meditate on them, the last time, as his Padawan had never before shown much of a connection to the cosmic Force, or any predisposition for visions, hoping that he’d be able to help him learn to differentiate nightmares from true visions. But then their mission to protect Senator Amidala had happened, which had led him to Kamino and Anakin to Naboo, and they’d never gotten the chance to really study the root of Anakin’s dreams.

Anakin had screamed himself hoarse afterwards, blaming Obi-Wan for his mother’s death, telling him that if he had just listened to him, than she would still be alive. It had driven them even further apart.

“Anakin-”

“She’s pregnant, Master.” Anakin interrupts in a rush, “And I’ve been dreaming of it - her dying.”

“Ani-”

“And you can’t say that they’re just dreams! They’re real! And Chancellor Palpatine says that he can save her.”

“Anakin, I need you to take a deep breath, to center yourself.” Obi-Wan keeps his voice soft and soothing, and he can hear Anakin’s breathing slowing the longer they speak. “Please, think through this rationally. People don’t die of childbirth on Core Worlds, nor do they on Naboo. The last time I spoke to her, Padme was strong, as were her children, the Force is strong with them, healthy. Save foul play, nothing should happen to her.” Anakin’s breath shivers, “Ani, listen to me. Nothing Palpatine can offer you would be worth what you’d lose. You’re strong, Padme is strong, your children are strong. Trust me. Trust Padme. Trust yourself.”

“I -” His former Padawan stutters for a second, “- children?”

“Yes.” Obi-Wan says slowly, patiently - anything to pull the younger Jedi from the spiral he had fallen into. “You didn’t know?”

“How did you?” Anakin asks incredulously, and Obi-Wan huffs out a slight laugh.

“They’re strong in the Force.” Behind him, Cody waves to catch his attention, gesturing to the holotable, and Obi-Wan lets out a breath. “Anakin, listen to me. Master Ti should still be in the Healing Halls, go to her, tell her what Palpatine told you. She’ll send Shadows to help defeat the Sith Lord. Soon I’ll have Grievous, and the War will be over. I have to go now, but I swear to you, I’ll comm you as soon as the battle is over.”

“Okay.” Anakin breathes, “Alright. Be safe, Master.”

“The Force is with you Anakin.” Obi-Wan promises, “Trust in it, and trust in yourself. I’ll see you soon.”

Taglist: @a-mediocre-succulent @yellowisharo @spoofymcgee @roseofalderaan @everything-or-anything

#Cole answers #cole writes #anakin skywalker #Obi-Wan Kenobi #Fix-It #prompts #bellablue #commander cody

60 notes · View notes

milfbenkenobi · 3 years

Text

Star Wars Fic Rec List Part 4

All fics are complete, some may be in incomplete series.

still much that is fair by raineyday

Word count: 21173 Chapter count: 8

Anakin Skywalker was used to following the commands of the Force in his daily life. But a lot of the time, that didn't really mean much. Until the day the Force nudged him to catch a kid falling through the sky- and through time.

Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi was so tired of failing. He just couldn't handle it anymore. He always disappointed people. It would be better to just rip off the bandaid and remove the problem. He wasn't expecting to be caught in the attempt- or in the future.

Time traveling Obi-Wan on one end, and a Jedi Order losing their mind on the other. Mind the tags on this one.

——————

Life has a way of rewriting the story by K_R_Closson

Word count: 39193 Chapter count: 3

Obi-Wan Kenobi, failed Jedi initiate, never makes it to Bandomeer. Instead, she lands on Tatooine and has to figure out how to survive on a desert planet without losing her freedom.

When Anakin's destiny takes him to Coruscant and the Jedi, is this Obi-Wan's second chance? Or does her future lie elsewhere, with Jango Fett and his mysterious job on Kamino?

Okay, so normally I don’t read fem!obi, but I didn’t see the tags in time when I first read this this fic was so good, I had to keep going. Obi-Wan accidentally cons the entirety of Tatooine, what more can you wish for?

——————

When Night Falls by penguinkiwi

Word count: 5052 Chapter count: 1

In one universe, newly minted Sith Darth Vader, once Anakin Skywalker, kills the Jedi Battlemaster, Cin Drallig.

In another, Cin Drallig kills him.

Amazing fic, this is what first introduced me to the character of Cin Drallig. Whoever wrote this DEFINITELY knows how to write lightsaber battles.

——————

stars sing my name, scars tell my story by whymylife(nabringa)

Word count: 13994 Chapter count: 3

Anakin wasn’t sure how to ask, so he didn't.

Instead, he waited until Master Kenobi fell asleep and stayed up to tinker in the dark, building his own scanner out of parts stolen from the trash.

The chip was in his right thigh.

Anakin realizes that the clones have slave chips in their heads and ends the war before it begins. Lots of freed slave-related angst. Also, Shmi lives.

——————

Free the hearts and rust the chains by littlekaracan

First part in incomplete series. Word count: 464367 Chapter count: 3

There aren't many clones left in the Imperial Army. The ones that stay alive do so through methodical obeisance, resembling droids more than people.

Occasionally, some go rogue. There are stories of clones blowing up entire Star Destroyers for the Generals they killed themselves, stories of them awaiting execution and spitting curses at the officers for depriving the Galaxy of what should've become peace, stories of quiet, sobbed apologies in their sleep directed at the long-dead Jedi. Such clones, according to the Imperial Command, are not to be trusted.

Zhade-Ran doesn't trust her two bunkmates. Although perhaps not for the reasons she should.

Imperial defectors abound!!!! Cody and Boil are on a team with two other stormtroopers, and all four desert after a mission where they’re assumed dead. I put that the series is incomplete, but both works can be read with the series still having a satisfying ending.

——————

In Sacrifice, Peace by artikka

Word count: 5757 Chapter count: 1

“Shh. . .” Anakin says, gathering the younglings around him, reminding Obi-wan of all those whispered arguments where he had insisted to Anakin that yes, he was good with children, he’d be just fine teaching Ahsoka. He can almost feel the terror rising off Anakin from the hologram; Anakin doesn’t know what’s happening either. But he isn’t letting the younglings feel it. “You need to listen to me very carefully, okay? This--” his voice breaks, “--this is going to be scary. But you have to be calm, and strong. Just like Master Yoda taught you.

* * * * *

Or, the ROTS au where Obi-wan finds a very different type of pain while looking through the Temple's recordings of Order 66.

An Anakin doesn’t fall AU, with all sorts of angst. Delightfully sad.

——————

Still dancing with your ghosts (sleeping with your memories) by jcp_sob_rlj_lmep

Word count: 1070 Chapter count: 1

Everyone knows about the Massacre, and how no Jedi made it out alive.

The Jedi refuse to let anyone forget.

The Jedi, and later the clones, are ghosts that haunt the galaxy. Amazing fic told from a second-person POV. Normally I don’t like 2nd person POV, but this one is amazing

——————

In a Warped Time by Lochcamean

Word count: 20392 Chapter count: 1

In a single moment, history is changed forever and Depa Billaba is faced with a life she was never meant to have.

Role swap AU where Caleb/Kanan dies in Order 66 and Depa lives. Super interesting character study, especially because Depa is aware that the roles should have been reversed because of her Seeing abilities. Ezra is her padawan here.

——————

sand on memories and armor by loosingletters

Word count: 2122 Chapter count: 1

"Uncle Ben, Boba is messing around with Cody's weapons again!"

"Shut up, Luke!"

A family can be you, your former Commander, your apprentice's son and an eighteen-year-old with identity issues. Obi-Wan's life on Tatooine is slightly different than he thought it would turn out to be.

Obi-Wan and Cody vibe on Tatooine and try to keep their house from exploding.

——————

Today is the Day That Nobody Dies by omegarose

Word count: 1154 Chapter count: 1

A brief rewrite of a scene from ziggyzigzagged's "Ib'tuur Jatne Tuur Ash'ad Kyr'amur" where the fight in the reactor room doesn't end in Maul or Qui-Gon's death.

Qui-Gon’s POV while he watches reactor footage of a time traveling Obi-Wan and Maul in the reactor room. I’ve read this one so many times, I love it.

——————

#mads posts #tag: stir wirs

2 notes · View notes

37-children-of-the-dreams · 3 years

Text

Day #31: Fearless

Dear Dave Filoni, thank you for being the next person who had hurt me through a fictional character. I saw the leak and now this fanfiction of Crosshair and Korkie has gotten a million times sadder. Especially because this means Crosshair would never be friends, let alone acquaintances, with Korkie. He'd just kill Korkie if they met.

Because of Dave, the next titles will just be Taylor Swift songs for reasons.

-------------------

Crosshair had a long list of things he hated in life. Regs, war, discord and people.

True, bringing Korkie in his life brought some discord, but he gave him some stability in his new life. Also, Korkie mostly made sure there was some sense of peace. And he never saw Crosshair as just a clone, but a person he loves to marry.

But Bo-Katan? Crosshair was willing to put a technical war crime in his resume. As in kidnap the heir to the Mandalorian throne, and marry him so Bo-Katan can't do anything. Which was one part of their insane plan.

Looking at his Korkie and the aunt who abandoned him made Crosshair grab Korkie's hand to make sure they couldn't take him away.

"Drop your filthy hands off my nephew!" Bo-Katan barked.

"No," Crosshair declared. "I'm Korkie's fiancé, and only he has the rights to tell me anything."

Bo-Katan glared at Korkie. Korkie glared back in defiance and tightened the grasp Crosshair had of his hand. He can't break his stoic face and smile at Crosshair's declaration. He wants Bo-Katan to know who he'll listen to.

"Korkie Kryze, you need to stop this! Your relationship with this clone will destroy our House. Don't you want to bring glory back to this House? To Satine? The woman who raised you?"

"Don't you ever dare use my mother against me!" Korkie roared. "I was the one who had always stayed by her side while you ran off with Death Watch because you were a coward who couldn't argue with my mother."

Bo-Katan opened her mouth, but Korkie used the Force to shut her up. Bo-Katan felt her mouth closing and saw that Korkie had his free hand raised. She mentally gasped at the revelation and knew what Korkie might be capable of.

"I am not done," he added. "I know I'm just a young boy to you, but I've just found things about me that made realize how much I needed to grow up. One, I, and by extension you, came from a long line of Force Seers who could see the past and future. Two, I've been using the Force to see our family's history and you know I'm not wrong when I said you ran from Mother because you were never one to win an argument with words. And lastly, Crosshair is my future husband and I don't care if you hate him, you need to respect my choice or I'm going to make things harder on you."

Korkie dropped his free hand Crosshair hugged him in the back. Crosshair smirked at the sight of Bo-Katan freezing at the knowledge that she has no more power over Korkie. And even if she did, who's to say Korkie wasn't going to bolt and leave Mandalore for good?

Bo-Katan finally stopped being a statue and looked at the sight of her nephew with his lover. It disgusted and rocked Bo-Katan to her core that Korkie would follow in Satine's steps in choosing the wrong person to love. She didn't even need to guess who helped sired Korkie because she already knew, and she hated how he had picked a clone who might have worked with his father.

Bo-Katan must right this wrong before Korkie marries the clone and destroy his future as Duke of Mandalore.

"I will leave for now," she said. "But I'll come back with my Nite Owls. You know what must happen or else."

Korkie sighed. "Really? Threatening my nanny? You might be my aunt by blood, but Nanny Rana is more of an aunt to me than you."

Bo-Katan left the scene through jetpack, but she still heard the screams of a pissed off Korkie. The only way to right a wrong between Kryzes is a duel. Winner take all, loser must fall.

Korkie screamed at the air as Bo-Katan left. He almost fell to the floor, but Crosshair was still hugging him and he sat the angry former duke on the floor. Rana got to his side as Crosshair was running his hands through Korkie's hair. The nanny hugged her former charge and walked him through their old breathing tactics.

"She's the one who left me!" he argued. "I'm nothing to her. Nothing!"

"Maybe in your head," Crosshair said. "But you're actually important Korkie. You were announced as your mother's heir, and Bo-Katan has not right to say you're not."

"He's not wrong," Rana agreed. "You might have been under house arrest, but unless you die, Bo-Katan has no power over what you are. You might think of yourself as a former royal, but that's not true."

"But I haven't been active in almost a year," Korkie argued. "Bo-Katan has been in the spotlight, not me."

"But who was the one with the bounty?" Crosshair reminded. "They know how important you are. You're the real heir, not Bo-Katan."

Korkie sighed as the thought settled in. He was so done with the trauma that he basically let him down. He became so dependent on Crosshair's praises that he forgot how much he really cost to Mandalore and the throne. He forgot that Amis, Lagos and Soniee came for him because of who he is. He might have lost his Mother, but he was Satine's heir.

Korkie stood up as Crosshair steadied him. He looked at his future husband and laughed. Crosshair give him a confused look as he stopped laughing.

"You know," he said. "I know you never worked with my father, but you did say you used to work with Commander Cody before, who was my father's second-in-command. My mother fell in love with my father, and now I'm in love with you, who worked with his former second-in-command."

"And why is that important?" Crosshair asked.

"I think Bo-Katan wants to make sure I don't end up like my mother. Falling in love with the supposed enemy. Which makes me want to fight harder for tomorrow."

"But it's late!" Rana protested.

"I'm not losing to Bo-Katan. I want her and her Nite Owls to respect Crosshair."

Rana sighed and gave Korkie her blessing. Korkie left to find a perfect training area.

"Crosshair, come with me!"

Crosshair sighed as he went after Korkie. Korkie lead Crosshair to the basement. There hasn't been a good reason to use the basement in years. It wasn't really much as a basement as an underground training facility. Crosshair was amazed at the Kryze's details in how much they wanted to train their heirs. Weapons were placed everywhere and the floor was basically a battle court floor. Korkie took a sword from the walls and looked at Crosshair.

"Shoot me," he said.

"I know you hate Bo-Katan," Crosshair said. "But no."

"She loves using blasters. You have a rifle."

"Not the same thing."

"Then get one of the blasters here."

Crosshair looked around and saw the amount of blasters around the area. It seemed the favorite weapons in the Kryze family were blasters because there was not one wall that hadn't had a blaster.

"How in the world did you guys turn to pacifism?" Crosshair asked.

"Grandfather Adonai wanted peace," Korkie reminded him.

"But the amount of weapons here."

Korkie laughed as Crosshair picked a blaster. Korkie steadied himself with the sword as Crosshair shot him. Korkie deflected the blast with the sword as Crosshair smiled. They did it alone until Fennec came and help them.

The day broke and Bo-Katan came with her Nite Owls as promised, but she brought a few extras. Amis, Lagos and Soniee came with her to see that Bo-Katan did not end Korkie's life. They were in front of the entrance when the door opened.

Korkie and Crosshair greeted them along with Fennec, Rana, and Luka and Kristal Shand. Crosshair escorted Korkie to Bo-Katan and kissed him good luck in the duel.

Bo-Katan recoiled in disgust at the display. Her Nite Owls whispered among themselves with Amis, Lagos and Soniee keeping quiet.

"Are we sure Korkie Kryze can still be the heir?" one of her Nite Owls asked.

"I can't see him as the heir anymore," one of them replied. "He's allied with a clone."

Bo-Katan glared at her Nite Owls. And then at Korkie.

"You know the rules," she said. "If I win, you must leave that clone. He will never be your husband."

"And if I win," Korkie countered. "You're invited to the wedding."

Amis peeped a small laugh. The Nite Owls looked at him with concern, but the girls smiled at him. Even with the dread atmosphere, Korkie still managed to make a joke.

"Weapons are always used," Bo-Katan continued. "But they can't help you at all."

Bo-Katan pointed at Korkie's party.

"Same with you," Korkie countered again. "Also, is the Force technically a weapon?"

The Nite Owls gasped at the revelation. Their leader's nephew was a Force user? That might that Korkie was not Satine's nephew, but her son with that Jetii!

"Bo-Katan!" one of her followers cried. "You can stop this duel. He's not a Kryze anymore, he's dar'manda."

"Enough!" Bo-Katan ordered. "Korkie is still a Kryze. He just needs to lose the side that makes him a Jedi."

Korkie rolled his eyes as he readied himself with the sword. Bo-Katan shot him, but like last night he never let any blaster fire hit. He was busy closing the gap between them that he had a clear shot of knocking off Bo-Katan's blasters. Which he did making Bo-Katan freeze long enough to head butt her. Bo-Katan stepped back, but steadied herself and fought him hand-to-hand. Korkie was never the best in hand-to-hand, but he always knew how to dodge. He pushed Bo-Katan with the Force and made her land on the ground with her back. Korkie ran to her, sword on hand and stabbed the ground near her face.

"You know I can't kill family," Korkie said. "My mother loved you. As her son and your nephew, please let me be. You know what I am."

Bo-Katan screamed and attacked Korkie making him use the Force once again to scare her into losing. The Force fear was immense and instant that Bo-Katan dropped to her knees and looked at Korkie.

But all she saw was Satine's crying face. It was as if Satine came back to say she needed to accept Korkie's new life. Bo-Katan cried at the spot as Korkie knelt beside her and placed a gentle hand on her back.

"Please don't make me do worse," Korkie begged. "You can be the heir to Mandalore now. We both know they'll figure things out, and they will never accept a Jedi's bastard as a ruler."

Bo-Katan stood up and Korkie raised with her.

"Leave Mandalore," Bo-Katan said. "You've won your freedom. Leave and never use House Kryze's name ever again."

Korkie nodded and went back to Crosshair's side. The two left the mansion with Fennec as Rana and the Shands waved them goodbye. Amis, Lagos and Soniee also waved the three goodbye as they left. Bo-Katan stole one more glimpse of her sister's son and shook her head as the Nite Owls surrounded her with questions.

Korkie could have been the Duke of Mandalore. Now, he's a nobody with a clone for a husband. What a pathetic win.

#korkie kryze #korkie kenobi #crosshair #clone trooper crosshair #fennec shand #the bad batch #star wars #bo katan kryze #mandalore #satine kryze #dave filoni #why dave

7 notes · View notes

dottiechan · 4 years

Text

Spare bunk

Pairing: Captain Rex x reader

Word count: 2008

Warnings: TCW S7 spoilers below cut

Summary: After discovering a strange signal at the cyber station on Anaxes, Captain Rex calls an old ally for help.

Having just arrived back to Fort Anaxes from the Separatist cyber station, Rex feels drained. Drained might actually be a poor description of what he is going through – being overwhelmed by all his newfound feelings might be a better way to capture his inner sufferings. Sufferings he cannot share with anyone truly. No one who would understand, no one who would fully believe him.

Because he knows Echo is alive, damn all who think otherwise.

Tup, Dogma, Hardcase and Fives are all gone – no more than distant memories and smiling faces on holo images tucked away carefully in crates of 501st military gear and equipment. Cody is injured, moaning incoherently in his sleep while his face is scrunched up in pain despite all the kolto circulating in his bloodstream, with Jesse and Kix tending to him, watching over him.

There’s General Skywalker, of course, but one need not be Force sensitive to feel he’s reluctant, filled to the brim with disbelief and concerns to his own. And the Bad Batch may have proven themselves as allies and warriors, but none of them knew Echo. None of them would share his pain, feel his grief, and support his blind hope.

There is one another, his mind reminds Rex as he sits alone in his barracks, the white-blue shells of his armour lying discarded on the floor more carelessly than how he usually leaves them, knees hugged tightly to his chest. Another who’s survived the Citadel, another who was broken by the loss of Echo, so broken she walked straight out the Jedi Order, maybe even the Republic. Another who could potentially help, potentially understand. Also across the Galaxy, probably, but that is beside the point. Rex is aching to hear her voice, feel her compassion, feel like something, anything that isn’t just plain miserable. Anyone who says clones are engineered to not be afraid, to focus only on duty, can go straight to hell according to the Captain.

Rex moves slowly, not trusting his limbs as he unravels himself, plants his feet firmly on the ground as if he didn’t trust his own body. He pushes aside the pieces of his chestplate to fish out the utility belt underneath. There’s an encryption only he and her know, the one he constantly aches to use and yet never once dared to actually use to make a call. Now there is no hesitation in his fingers as he keys it into his holoprojector and waits for you to answer on the other end.

...

Sskoora growls, but you know him well enough to decipher the meaning behind the Trandoshan’s hisses – the one he emitted just now is the equivalent of a sigh, and you know you’ve won when the hunter brushes past you to enter the cockpit of your ship.

“Scorekeeper won’t accept droids as Jagannath points. A waste of time; a hunt not worthy of our time and our talents.”

But your old friend is already entering the coordinates of Fort Anaxes into the navicomputer and you can’t help but smile softly. He isn’t like most Trandoshans. He is a seasoned warrior, but he has honour, and the friendship you established over the last year after surviving the harsh sands of Tatooine together is one you will cherish until you die. Your attachment to Sskoora is yet another reminder why you kept failing as a Jedi. And another is waiting for you at the end of your destination.

“I owe you one, old friend.”

“You owe me a hunt,” he corrects you calmly, his red scaled face a mask of perfect tranquillity.

“Find the burliest rancor by the time we’ve rescued my friend, Sskoora.”

The Trandoshan wants to say he knows it’s about more than just Echo, more than just a friend lost and found again. He knows you want to be reunited with your mate, but he keeps his mouth shut. You’re still young in his eyes, and he will respect the rashness of youth just like the wisdom of old age.

“The burliest I will, little hunter.”

...

When a Trandoshan appears on the ramp of the ship that just landed in Fort Anaxes, all the perimeter guards are on alert, guns aimed and ready to fire. Until a Jedi appears behind, waving her arms to show their harmlessness. It takes General Skywalker to break the state of emergency, but the great hunter seems to be regarded with distrust even afterwards. Anakin is upset when he finds out why you’re here, but he cannot truly be mad. He stalks off in the night after showing you the direction in which Rex’s barracks are. You bring back too many painful memories – the Citadel, the way you got out of the Order to live your life, the same way Ahsoka did. You don’t blame him for not wanting to speak to you more. So you send Sskoora back to the ship and ask him to prepare for a fight, pacifying him enough to know his preparations for the hunt will quell any desire in him to cause trouble. And then you take a deep breath and go, trying not to reach out with the Force so eagerly to where you suspect Rex to be. The man you so innocently loved as a Jedi, and then agreed to let go for the sake of the Republic.

You’re not a Jedi anymore. And though you wish nothing more than to throw your arms around him like he used to allow you, what you truly wish is to make him happy, to console him, to trust him when no one else does. You tell your little heart beating so fast that the man asked for your help only to bring Echo back, not for any other reason, and the sour lie helps you restrain your emotions as you enter the dark building.

“I got your message. Rex?”

You can sense him – his anguish and thoughtfulness draws your focus immediately, but you cannot see him until he moves. He’s partly in his blacks, the circular emblem of the Republic visible on his chest. His kama and boots are on, however, and you’ve caught him in the act of fastening his belt around his hips.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come, if I’m honest.”

“Oh... I can wait outside, if you’d like.”

“With our shared history?” Rex snorts, shaking his head. “You’ve seen more while you were still a Jedi.”

“A fair point,” you admit, usurping a bed and perching on top of it cross-legged. “Why weren’t you sure I’d come?”

“That message encryption we cooked up was during... well, you know,” he sighs, sitting across from you as he fidgets with his bracers.

“Yeah. I know,” you breathe, voice quiet and strained.

It was during the prime of your love, before you both agreed to put an end to it for the greater good. Not long after, the mission to the Citadel came, and all your hopes of ever loving him again where shattered by the most painful decision you’ve ever had to make. Echo was a friend, a member of your weird little family, and you realised you were tired of losing them all one by one under your command, as you led them to countless battles knowing full well many of them would die. Echo’s death was the last straw, the awakening you needed to stop being a hypocrite by enslaving an army of clones and spouting wisdom about the wrongness of oppressing the weak.

You never lost hope and you never stopped helping wherever you could, wherever the Republic would still let you, but you mostly did it for the same reason you didn’t delete the encryption from your datapad all this time – Rex. It is well beyond your capabilities to say no to the man, to do anything that would harm him, anything that would go against his beliefs. Even if those beliefs in the GAR and the Senate had shaky underpinnings at best these days.

“I haven’t seen you since you left,” he says suddenly, eyes not rising to meet yours, but voice so full of suppressed yearning that it makes your head spin.

“I hope you understand why it had to happen this way, Rex...”

“You never told me. So no, I don’t really. But you’re not a Separatist, so I wouldn’t mind hearing you out.”

“I left because of you.”

“Me?” he asks, looking up with a face full of shock that makes the corners of your lips lift into a small smile that disappears quickly from your face. Rex’s eyes chase after it, wishing it lasted more than that split second.

“In a way, yes. I refused to be part of an Order that would willingly enslave you and your brothers, forcing you to fight in a war you have nothing to do with. And I don’t see a way winning would make your situation any better. You’re men, and yet you’re treated as property. So much for the Jedi values.”

“It’s the Senate, not the Jedi,” Rex argues back meekly, knowing your words to hold more truth than he’d like to admit.

“Well, now I’m not bound to either. Speaking of being bound, I have a spare bunk on the ship... Sskoora takes up two, but the top bunk is all free,” you joke, trying to lighten both your moods momentarily. It works for a little while as Rex snorts, shaking his head a little as he concentrates on slipping his gloves back on.

“Sharing sleeping quarters with a Trandoshan sounds fun, but I might just pass on that.”

“You could share mine. Captain’s quarters are quite spacious, you know. More comfortable, less... Trandoshan, I suppose.”

“Now that is a tempting offer. Think you could extend it to the end of the war?”

“Let’s just extend it until we find Echo now,” you sigh, both your moods souring considerably as you think of your friend. “You really think he’s out there?”

“It was his voice. I know it. It couldn’t have been anything else.”

You slowly stand and sit next to him, casually letting your elbows touch. When Rex doesn’t pull back, you let your shoulder lean against his, a small encouraging smile gracing your lips as you lean closer. “I believe you. We’ll find him tomorrow. I’ll help. Even if the Republic does not want me to. You just send me the coordinates, and I and Sskoora will be there on Skako Minor to back you up.”

Rex, struggling with his tears at the prospect of seeing Echo again, and moved by your devotion to him, stares at his fingers and nods. “Thank you. For believing in me.”

“I never stopped doing that, and I never will. Oh come here, you,” you sigh, drawing him in for a hug which he gratefully accepts. Despite all the heartache, the war, the constant terror the Galaxy lives in, you find peace in Rex’s arms, and he in yours. It’s both extraordinary and just so natural at the same time, your minds joined in a synchrony you’ve terribly missed. Even if he cannot feel it through the Force, there’s a bond that intertwines your fates so much that there is no escaping one another.

“There was a time I would have scolded you for even suggesting something like that, you know. About the spare bunk thing. But now all I’m saying – no, all I’m asking – is that you hold onto that question until we find Echo and win this war. And then I’ll say yes, if you still want me. Stars know I’m more than ready for that.”

You nod against his shoulder, letting your heart rejoice at the notion that the man you used to love, the man you still do, has grown so much in your absence. Maybe your separation was not for good, but only a temporary setback, a lesson for you to learn that there is no life without one another.

“I’ll be waiting patiently until then. Like I have been all this time.”

#dottiechan writes #tcw s7 spoilers #captain rex x reader #star wars the clone wars #captain rex #clone wars fanfic #my boy deserves better #all the soft love he can get

166 notes · View notes

yikeswtfmate · 4 years

Text

Trouvaille

Trouvaille (n.) a valuable discovery, or a lucky find; something lovely discovered by chance

Summary: Bucky stumbles upon a dingy bar in Brooklyn, turning his world upside down.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: swearing

A/N: Super fluffy piece! I’m so excited about this, every second of it has been an absolute pleasure. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it!

masterlist

It’s another Wednesday night that Bucky spends in a seemingly random bar in Brooklyn. But nothing is random about this bar – although, granted, it was at first. Now, James Buchanan Barnes can be found in this bar once a week without fail (which in all honesty should be a miracle considering what his job is), whether it’s a Monday (when only a few sad men swallow their misery in tall glasses of beer), or a Thursday (his favourite, because at 10 o’clock on the dot the bartender plays that song that he used to love so much in another life), or a Saturday (which he hates the most because it’s crowded and he can’t really have a proper conversation). The bar is nothing much – the same floor that however many times it’s cleaned it’s still a little bit sticky, there’s the smell of stale booze that oozes out from the upholstery and the customers only give him a cursory glance when he walks in and takes his usual stool right at the farthest corner of the bar.

He discovered this bar one night when he was tired of wandering the streets of Brooklyn after a long day of restlessness. He couldn’t sit still in the Avengers Tower, and although he tried sparring with Nat, or playing poker with Sam and Tony, or even tried his hand at chess again with Steve, he just couldn’t stop feeling fidgety. So he just up and went for a stroll through the emptying streets until he ended up in Brooklyn. He noticed the neon sign above the door, one of the clover’s leaves flickering on and off in the darkness. He decided to take a seat when he heard the music – low notes of a song long forgotten dancing between whispers and shouts, the singer’s voice too sweet for the rough hands that were clutching their bottles.

He stayed for the most radiant laughter that filled his ears, folding over and around the song. He stayed for the bright eyes that met his when he asked for a beer of his own; for the smile that tugged at delicate lips; for the raised eyebrow that ascertained recognition. He normally would have pulled his baseball cap lower over his eyes, but he didn’t want to obstruct his view. He wanted to see her fully, to bask in the marvel that this woman in front of him was.

The first words she said to him were of mockery, laughing at his weak attempt at a disguise, and after six months of knowing her, he’s still surprised at how easy it is to be around her. How easy it is to banter, to make fun of the other, to always be able to cheer him up, regardless of how deep his rage might be, to not expect anything more than to just be.

Now it’s another night that Bucky spends at the dingy bar, watching Y/N pour shots for the hen party that’s taking place for whatever reason on a Wednesday. He’s been in a foul mood all evening, and she’s been trying to give him some space, but as she wipes her hands on a damp towel, she huffs and saunters over to him.

“Ok, big guy. Tell me what’s up with you today.” Y/N demands, but Bucky doesn’t answer at first. She leans down, trying to catch his eyes as he lowers his gaze towards the bottle he’s been nursing for an hour already. “You know I hate it when I can’t see your pretty smile, baby.” She tries again. “Come on, Sarge, I won’t be seeing you for another week after tonight, give me something to swoon over until next time.”

He finally smiles, even if for a fraction. He looks back up at her and she notices the dark circles under his eyes. She knows he doesn’t usually sleep well, but he seems even more exhausted than last week. There’s something bugging him that’s enough to keep him from flirting and laughing at her stupid jokes, as he would do.

“Penny for your thoughts?” She offers.

“How about a kiss, doll?” Which is definitely more than she could get out of him all night, but still not the full force of the charm that he normally displays.

“My, mister Barnes, you sure know how to bewitch a girl, don’t you?” There’s a pause in their conversation as she goes about serving a man in a suit that must’ve probably just gotten out of a huge fight with his partner, considering the distraught look.

“Come on, Buck. Tell me what’s up. I ain’t leaving until you tell me what’s wrong.”

“You still have two more hours to work.” He points out.

“Which means I’m super dedicated to the cause if I’m willing to not lose my job by just walking out to prove a point.”

He sighs but at least offers her a small smile in return. Shaking his head, he takes a sip of his beer, knowing from experience that although she can give him space whenever he needs it, he always finds that he feels better after sharing his thoughts with her.

“Just been having a shitty week, that’s all, doll. The last mission was rather…challenging.” He says, memories of too many bodies scattered on a cold slaughterhouse floor in front of his eyes. There are not many things he’d shy away from telling her, but sometimes he feels the need to avoid giving her the grimy details.

Y/N nods in silence, and after a few seconds of watching him closely, she places her hand on top of his right one that was resting on the bar top. He moves his palm upwards in order to hold hers, lifting it towards his lips and placing a soft kiss on a knuckle. She squeezes his fingers for a second but doesn’t let go. He needs the contact, of that she is more than certain, and however much she’d like to deny her affection for him, this sullen man sneaked his way around her veins, slipped between the cracks of her ribs, and nestled himself in a corner of her heart, filling her lungs with sunshine and camellias without her even noticing.

“Well, I’d say beer is a good start to drown your sorrows in.” She notes, trying to make light, drawing him out of the dark place he likes to curl into.

She pulls back her hand, all the while Bucky wishing she’d just stay there in front of him, keeping her hand in his and just looking at each other.

“I can also offer you some salted peanuts as well.” She says, disappearing under the bar, throwing food and alcohol on the top as she keeps on talking. “Might find some pretzels as well, if only I can find where Cody keeps putting them under this goddamn – aha!” Another colourful bag surfaces and Bucky tries to catch it without smashing anything in his way. “Oh! I might even find his secret stash of chocolate if I look hard enough!” Her eyes appear over the countertop, a mischievous glint that Bucky enjoys but always treats with caution. “Would that make you feel better?”

“I’ve already told you that a kiss would be enough, baby.” He winks, already feeling some of the tension easing out of his muscles.

“Now, now, James. This is no way of treating a lady. What would the village say if I were to fall into your arms without you properly courting me?”

Bucky tilts his head to the side, narrowing his eyes. She shifts under his gaze, but can admit that it melts her from inside out.

“Is that what you want, doll? A proper courtship?” His voice is low but even with music playing and patrons shouting around them, she feels as if he whispered those words into her ear. She shudders, making his lips slowly tug up at one end.

“Bucky, you’re supposed to tell me what you want so you can feel better.”

“I said I wanted a kiss, but you keep refusing me, baby.” A frown. “So I’ll just settle for walking you home tonight, what do you say?”

“Silly goose.” She laughs, although she’s only half listening to him as she is pouring a draught beer to a customer next to him. “You’ve been walking me home for the past three months, I don’t see how tonight would be any different.”

Bucky smiles softly when she sends him a wink distractedly. There are pauses in their conversation, sentences and questions scattered across two hours as the patrons of the bar order their last drinks and prepare to head home. Midnight comes and goes, and Bucky loses himself in memories of nights spent in the bar, just so he could be in her company, even if for only a few hours. Tonight’s the night, he decides, there have been too many silent queries in her eyes, too many touches that bordered on delicate caresses, too many smiles hiding secrets that could bloom into something else, something more that he so desperately has been longing for.

It was easier to not want more from life before he met her. He was content with just surviving from day to day, never asking for more, never believing he deserved more. The way he saw it, it should have been his atonement for the years of pain and suffering he had inflicted. Never knowing more than completing the missions he was sent on, eradicating as much as possible of the evil that existed in the world, trying to tip the scales at least a fraction before he’d have to finally rest, regardless of how soon that would come. Until Bucky met Y/N, which turned his world upside down. He found himself more careful, less inclined to charge head first into any situation that might bring him certain death. Now he had someone to come back to, someone who would bring him back from the dead just so she could give him a good scolding.

He's been more than careful not to let any of his friends near her, except for Natalia, of course. Y/N mentioned one time her thoughts on the Black Widow being the most amazing woman to ever grace the Earth, so he decided to surprise her one night. It wasn’t a tough choice to make, her ecstatic expression and her giddiness were enough to make him smile all night, although he had to give up her attention completely in favour of the redhead. After that, Nat would sometimes accompany him, having taken a liking to “Barnes’ cute bartender,” but neither of them would give any more to the others, much to their collective chagrin. But Bucky was relentless in refusing to subject her to their teasing and intensity, and he was grateful Nat respected his wish.

One night he asked her to dance with him in the middle of the dingy bar. It was the first time she played that song he loved so much, a soft melody that waved around their bodies as he shifted her closer and closer to him until she finally rested her head on his shoulder. He felt the sigh that escaped her lips and kissed the top of her head with his eyes closed.

Another night he came in bruised and battered after a particularly difficult mission, having escaped from the Med bay as soon as he was allowed, his first thought upon waking up being of her. The moment she saw him, she rounded the bar, inspecting him from head to toe and pinched his ear, which was probably the only part of him that wasn’t hurting at that moment. She shouted at him and cursed him, accusing him of being a “reckless wet sock,” all the while he was laughing at her reaction, even though the worry in her eyes made his heart expand like batter in the oven. That was the first time she made him promise he’ll stop putting himself in danger or she’ll never forgive him, a hand over his purple cheek, her thumb stroking over the tender skin. With a kiss to the inside of her wrist, he promised, having realised he would forever do anything she would ask of him.

While she is closing the bar, Bucky wonders yet again how would his life look like if he would just give up his duties as an Avenger, and follow his heart for once. He wonders whether that would be selfish, throwing away the possibilities unleashed by the serum flowing through his body, turning his back to the injustices of the world without a second thought, just so he could wake up with Y/N in his arms every morning.

“You’re thinking too much again and that only leads to trouble.” Her voice startles him from his musings, a poke to his ribs for good measure.

They start walking in silence for a few blocks, the city asleep around them. Y/N waits for him to speak, knowing from experience that it’s better to give him time until he’s ready to say whatever’s on his mind.

“Do you ever wish to…give everything up and start again?” He asks.

“I guess being a bartender isn’t anyone’s dream job.” She concedes. “I’d love to write more, but that won’t pay my bills. Giving everything up and starting again would just work in theory, wouldn’t it, though? There will always be a part of you that stays with you forever, no matter how much you try to hide it, so in my opinion it’s better to just accept it and move on.” A few more steps in silence. “You should stop blaming yourself, Buck. It wasn’t your fault. Accept it and move on. I’m not judging you for anything you’ve done while you were…you know. You’re here now and I love the person that you are now, so that’s all that matters to me.”

Bucky stops in his tracks, watching her in utter stupor. They’ve discussed what happened, but never at great lengths, because Bucky was too afraid he’ll repulse her into avoiding him. She’s never shared her thoughts on the matter, at least not this openly.

Y/N turns back when she notices he’s not in step with her anymore. She extends her arm, offering her hand and he takes it, interlacing their fingers together.

“You’re kind, and sweet, and funny, and although you’re a fucking idiot who has no sense of self-preservation, I care about you deeply, Buck. And it’s not just the fact that you’re the most gorgeous man I’ve ever met, even though it sure is a big plus to be this easy on the eye.” She laughs. “It’s breaking my heart to see you beating yourself up time and time again for something that is not your fault. I want you to see yourself through my eyes and realise that you deserve all the happiness in the world, and that you’re loved so much – ”

Y/N’s words die in her throat. Hands in her hair, pulling at heart strings, soft caresses of his tongue, the taste of beer, camellias bursting her chest open, arms around his neck, long strands of hair tickling her fingers, a sense of coming home, a sigh escaping lips, the tug of a smile, and foreheads pressed to each other, love weaving in and around their pulsing veins.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a while.” He admits.

“It took you too much for my liking.”

A whisper on his lips as Bucky kisses her again – more, forever, I promise.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes oneshot #bucky barnes

121 notes · View notes

voxcomentumultis · 5 years

Text

Half-Celestial Cody Timeline

2004-2005 (Cody’s age: not yet born)

Ego, irritated by Yondu’s refusal to hand over Peter, decides to break his own promise to himself. The Expansion is more important than his feelings for Meredith.

He meets a woman named Andrea Morgan. She is a sweet and quiet woman with a fondness for butterflies. She is the only child of an older couple that have both passed at this point.

Andrea falls pregnant and tells Ego, and over the course of the next month, he shows and tells her all about what their child will be able to do.

Ego eventually tells her that he must return to his planet for the time being so he does not lose his powers, but he will return. He tells her he is unsure exactly when, but sometime in the next few years. This is a lie that she believes. Just before leaving, he plants a tumor in her pancreas.

2006-2007 Cody’s age: 0-1

Andrea gives birth to Cody.

Excited by what Ego had previously told her, she encourages the powers Ego told her Cody would have, and within months of his birth he begins exhibiting these powers.

His celestial powers begin as amorphous balls of colored light but over time they begin to take shape, specifically of the butterflies his mother adores.

For his first birthday, she gives Cody a big blue butterfly toy made out of soft teething-friendly material.

2008-2009 Cody’s age: 2-3

Events of Iron Man.

Andrea falls ill and is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Despite best efforts, it takes her fairly quickly. She writes about being sick in the last few pages of her journal, and quits writing when she admits herself to the hospital for around the clock care.

During Cody’s final visit, Andrea tells her son “I am always with you.” He is disturbed by how different she looks, but is able to recognize her. He falls asleep with his head against her shoulder, and she passes while running her fingers through his hair.

At 3 years old, with an unknown father and no other family, Cody is placed in foster care.

2010-2011 Cody’s age: 4-5

Events of Iron Man 2, Thor, and The Incredible Hulk. Steve Rogers is unfrozen.

Cody begins having nightmares about his mother’s death. His powers made stronger by the intense emotion of a four-year-old, he frequently creates impressions of how she looked the last time he saw her that change gradually over time.

Cody begins telling people that “canker” at his mother when asked about her. Eventually he forgets exactly how she died.

Cody is given new foster parents, Katie and Whelan Young. They foster him for 15 months.

2012 Cody’s age: 6

Events of The Avengers.

Cody has gone from telling people that “canker” ate his mother to saying, “The Canker Man ate my mommy,” thus creating the Canker Man. His skeletal appearance is a warped version of how he remembers his mother. His screeches were originally her raspy breath. His eyes glow yellow like the color of her sclera the last time he saw her. He functions similarly to an immune system, indiscriminately destroying anything that causes Cody extreme emotional distress.

Katie falls ill with a bad flu, and it scares Cody, though he’s not entirely sure why.

The Canker Man “eats” Katie by absorbing her entire body. Whelan, previously asleep next to her, screams and searches beneath the blankets for his missing wife in complete denial.

Cody develops his fear of accidentally harming others.

Whelan begins desperately showing Cody pictures of her in an attempt to get him to bring her back. 6 years old at this point, Cody does not remember her right. He brings her back very off to the point she’s barely Katie at all. He cannot sustain her for long either. Whelan can’t help but hate him for this.

Whelan watches news reports of Loki’s attack on New York. He sees the destruction the Avengers cause in their attempts to stop the attack and it only adds fuel to his hatred of Cody, who he sees as being like them.

Whelan comes into Cody’s room one night and aims a gun at the sleeping boy, but instead turns to pull the trigger on a Canker Man in the hallway, waking up Cody and causing it to disappear. With Cody now awake, Whelan can’t go through with his plan to murder Cody to spare others of his pain. He calls the police on himself and Cody is taken away.

As a result of Whelan’s failed murder attempt, Cody develops his fear of retaliation as well as his trust issues and severe insomnia.

2013 Cody’s age: 7

Events of Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World.

Cody is fostered by Peter and Doris Clemens.

Through unknown circumstances, the Canker Man kills both of Cody’s foster parents.

Cody spends almost a month alone in the Clemens’ apartment. He goes door to door once he completely runs out of food. A neighbor calls CPS.

2014 Cody’s age: 8

Events of Before I Wake, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 1, and Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2.

Cody is fostered by Mark and Jessie Hobson, who previously lost their young son Sean when he accidentally drowned in the upstairs bathtub. Mark is ready to move on, while Jessie only thinks she is.

When Jessie learns of Cody’s powers she, like Whelan, attempts to get him to bring back a lost loved one. The difference here is that Cody did not know Sean at all, and Jessie does not even admit to herself that that is what she is doing.

Eventually Jessie realizes her mistake and attempts to make up for it, but by then it is too late. Mark is killed by the Canker Man. Not long after, Jessie is as well.

Bounty hunters who are very clearly not from Earth break into the house one night to find him alone. Cody is allowed to pack a small bag before he’s dragged onto a spaceship. He fills his backpack with his old butterfly toy, his mother’s journal, a viceroy in a mason jar, and a spare change of clothes.

Unlike with Yondu’s faction of ravagers, their desire to eat a terran is not a joke. Cody is kept alive and relatively healthy because they’ve been paid half a million units to bring him to his father. Cody kills 3 of them on different occasions that have him completely freaked out.

Cody arrives on Ego’s planet. The bounty hunters tell Ego about what Cody can do.

Ego explains to both of them what their powers are and the fact that they’re immortal. He walks them both through his explanation of the expansion. He taps both of their foreheads to let them see eternity.

Ego admits to killing both of their mothers in nearly the same way. Peter is quick to react violently, while Cody is frozen with shock. Cody finally attacks when Ego crushes the Walkman. In retaliation, Ego impales Cody on the tendrils of lights as well and smashes his mason jar containing the viceroy.

The Guardians crash through the ceiling and obliterate Ego’s form, freeing both half-brothers. Cody climbs onto the pod and has a meltdown over how strange and terrifying everything suddenly is.

Terrified of Ego, Cody does not help Peter fight their father. Instead, he aids the other Guardians in their plan to blow him up and their battle against the Sovereign.

When Mantis’s hold on Ego breaks, he traps everyone with mounds of rock or tendrils of light. What he does to Peter, he also does to Cody, though his main focus is Peter.

Peter attacks Ego, freeing everyone. Cody escapes on the ship with the others as the core of the planet explodes.

Cody did not know Yondu, but seeing everyone else around him cry makes him cry.

Now aware that he actually has family, Cody asks his newfound half-brother if he can stay with them. He is relieved when he’s told that he can.

2015-2017 Cody’s age: 9-11

Events of Avengers: Age of Ultron to Thor: Ragnarok.

Cody travels with the Guardians, helping out on less dangerous missions and slowly working to control his powers.

Initially intimidated and frightened by those around him, he slowly grows comfortable around them. Perhaps it is the fact that Peter is his half-brother, but for once in his life he does not feel like he doesn’t belong.

2018 Cody’s age: 12

Events of Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as the beginning of Avengers: Endgame.

The Guardians come across the Asgardian wreckage and bring a stranger with one eye onto their ship. Cody does not recognize him as Thor, despite being a fan of the Avengers prior to being taken by the bounty hunters. Once Thor tells them who he is, Cody is immediately excited and the room is filled with a short-lived swarm of butterflies in Thor’s colors.

Cody goes with Peter to Knowhere. Thanos turns him into something resembling a bunny. He turns back when Thanos leaves with Gamora.

Cody uses his black butterflies to help in the attack against Tony, Strange, and Parker on Titan before they all realize they’re on the same side.

When discussing their plan to take down Thanos, Cody asks if he can help, but Tony shuts him down, explaining he’s already furious that Parker is with them at all and he’s not about to let a twelve-year-old fight as well. Cody tells them that he can see through the eyes of his creations if he tries hard enough and is told he can fight only on the condition that he stays hidden and well away from the actual battle.

Cody hides among the ruins and fights while seeing through the eyes of a butterfly, leading a swarm of his creation against the titan. He creates a duplicate of himself to help pull off the gauntlet.

Peter attacks Thanos upon hearing he killed Gamora. Thanos wakes up and throws everyone off of him, destroying Cody’s duplicate in the process. Duplicates, especially ones he uses to see through, are draining to him, and Cody is unable to continue fighting. He remains hidden among the ruins.

Cody comes out of hiding once Thanos is gone, exhausted. He makes his way towards his brother, wanting to comfort him for what happened to Gamora, but before he can get to him, Mantis fades in Peter’s arms. Then Drax turns to dust.

Cody doesn’t register at first that Peter is dead, and doesn’t really know at one point he starts screaming. The next thing he knows he’s trying to piece together a pile of dust on the ground. Someone pulls him away and he’s not sure who, but a tornado of black butterflies erupts from the ground and from them come a Canker Man who begins searching for a long-gone Thanos.

Already exhausted prior to his outburst, his creations disappear and Cody passes out in the arms of the person holding him. He wakes up on his brother’s ship and finds that Tony and Nebula are the only other survivors. He’s inconsolable the entire time they’re stuck in space.

Cody is in as bad a shape as Tony is when Carol returns them to earth. Cody tells Rocket that Peter, Mantis, Gamora, and Drax are dead. Rocket and Nebula comfort each other while Cody is given much needed medical attention.

2019-2022 Cody’s age: 13-16

Events of the time skip.

Cody spends a year at the compound. He grows fond of Nat and asks Tony if he can use his lab for his own small project. Using his powers to aid him, he creates his own version of Peter’s helmet, one with a blue face and green eyes. During this time, he has also been perfecting his control of his powers, and can now fully control the Canker Man.

He asks Rocket and Nebula to return to earth because he wishes to join them. He sews a big black butterfly to the back of a spare ravager trench coat and tells them he’s going by Star-Fly now. He says he’s not quite Star-Lord and never will be him, but that the world needs someone to fill in his shoes, and who better than his half-brother? Cody uses his powers to intimidate wrongdoers into surrender to avoid needless bloodshed.

Frequently, Cody uses his powers in his sleep and temporarily creates copies of those they lost or scenes from his own memory. On at least one occasion, Rocket finds “Peter” flying the ship even though it’s currently on autopilot, then turns his head to see Cody asleep in the other chair.

2023 Cody’s age: 17

Events of the rest of Avengers: Endgame.

Cody is not a part of the time travel. There aren’t enough particles for him and he is the only minor in the room. He does however question Rhodey about Peter upon his return.

Cody is caught beneath rubble when the compound is destroyed. He creates the Canker Man to help free him.

He goes all out in the battle against Thanos. His enormous swarm of butterflies towers over the battlefield and tears apart members of the titan’s army like frenzied piranhas. Multiple Canker Mans appear and devour enemies as well.

When the battle is over, Cody is finally able to see Peter again. Both of them are wearing their helmets. They tap the buttons to reveal their faces, and Cody collapses against his half-brother with exhaustion and weeps into his chest. He’s missed him so much, and he can hardly believe that Peter is real.

Cody becomes an official member of the Guardians. No longer will he be left behind on missions. He happily welcomes Thor as part of the team.

#it keeps them safe until they're grown up | cody headcanons #his father's ego | cody verse #cancer cw #death cw #dont read if you havent watched the movie cody is from or a:eg #this actually took me like 4 hours to write my hands are CRAMPING

5 notes · View notes

hopevalley · 5 years

Note

What did you make of the new synopsis for ep 1 of s1 that is doing the rounds? Gowen and Bill are going head to head to buy the saloon - interesting?! Also who do you believe Abigail was best suited to....I think she and Bill could have gone somewhere if the fallout between them had been written differently. I mean come on, you've got people believing she and Henry are a thing and he is responsible for the death of her husband son! Bill could've been forgiven his drama with Nora too.

First, this is almost 3,000 words long. I’m so sorry..

I assume you meant S6E1—and naturally I have a lot of opinions!

I’m into the general concept of that plotline. It’s so easy to picture. I imagine it’ll happen something like: Gowen makes a comment about buying the place and Bill is instantly like, “Or I could prevent you from doing that” and then it escalates almost instantly into a competitive irritation-fueled bidding war. It’s perfectly in character for both of them.

Bill has proven he can be jealous (see S2) and petty (see S3), sometimes to the point where he can be cruel (see S5). Henry is a very competitive guy who will do what it takes to get what he wants, often at the expense of others (see pretty much every season). We also know there’s absolutely no love lost between them. Despite the short moment where Bill was almost friendly to Henry in S5 (when Henry turned in the woman who offered him a job if he betrayed Lee), it’s clear Bill and Henry are bound to be…well, I don’t want to say “lifelong enemies” so maybe: lifelong personal antagonists?

Their history is complex and interesting, and it goes back at least 20 years. They’ve known each other (or of each other) longer than they haven’t. Think about that. And there’s that whole mess with Nora getting pregnant, Bill marrying her and raising Martin, the comment Bill made about how Nora “always had a weak spot for [Henry]”—and the fact that Bill has investigated the mining company Henry worked for more than once, both ending in prosecutions; but the first time he did this ended with Henry being spat out as a scapegoat for the company: banished to Coal Valley.

So Henry blames Bill for a lot of the things he’s had to deal with. On the opposite side of things, Bill has known Slimy Gowen for so many years that it’s hard for him to really believe the man is capable of change, especially a drastic change. Neither of them…are really wrong, though; to a certain extent, it’s a matter of perspective. Bill thinks Henry is a scumbag, and Henry thinks Bill has always had it out for him.

And, sure, Henry didn’t let Ray Wyatt shoot Bill, but 1) he’d be implicated in that, and 2) all it really says about his character is that he has a moral line he won’t cross. He sicced his goons on Bill in S1, worked to ruin Abigail’s livelihood for literal years, and used Nora. He wasn’t a good man. But he knew who he was and he knew how far he’d go.

I like to think he’s still that guy, just…maybe better—or at least willing to try to be better?

And you know what? I like that even though Gowen has been making an effort to be a better person, the series hasn’t tried to push the two of them into some kind of happy friendship. Their history together isn’t good, and neither is their present. “You testified against me, Bill. Now, I see you taking a stroll down the boardwalk with my co-conspirator” (S5).

It’s just nice to see that “second chances” don’t always have to be these grand gestures of love and friendship and closeness; they can be just…staying in your own lane? I mean, even if Bill absolutely hates Henry, he mostly just ignores him/leaves him alone/lets him do his thing—and vice versa. That’s a form of giving a second chance. It doesn’t have to be on a personal level, and I think with these two characters, any kind of “wholesome, wholly-trusting” resolution would just feel…really bad. They need to retain their integrity as people, which means they’ll probably never actually like one another.

So of course they’d get into a bidding war over the saloon.

The only real question I have about it is…uh…where’s Henry getting the money? That must be some promotion Lee gave him, huh? I love the plot, but this is a huge oversight.

Look, Bill can theoretically have a lot of money. We don’t actually know how wealthy or un-wealthy he is. He’s been working an unpaid position off and on for the last two years as the sheriff of Hope Valley, but he also owns half of Abigail’s Café.

And this can’t be overlooked, either: he worked at a very high-profile and no doubt high-paying job before this. Does he pay alimony to Nora? We actually don’t know. It’s possible the café ownership keeps him afloat enough that he doesn’t have to touch his savings, but he could have a substantial amount of them, even though it’s obvious he used some of those to buy out Gowen’s half of the café. Still, early-seasons Bill was something of a workaholic, so even when he was making a lot of money, it’s doubtful he had the time or inclination to spend it. He could still have a sizable amount of it left after 30 years in the field!

But Henry? He’s poor. We’ve established this. He more or less came crawling back to town and had to take what was offered to him: a position at the bottom of the lumber mill totem pole. But he worked it and he didn’t complain.

So again, my question: where’s the money coming from? How can Henry competitively bid against Bill at this point?

Are they both intending to take out a loan or is part of Bill’s offer that he can pay in cash? I’m curious to see how they juggle it, but I really hope Henry’s stint as being poor isn’t just…overlooked. If he has to take out a loan for it, I’d be fine with it; I really love the idea of Henry getting that businessman spark back and taking a risk because of it! But I guess we’ll have to see.

As far as Abigail’s best suitor goes: my answer is Frank. I feel pretty sure that he was just about everything she needed in a partner. He wanted to communicate, he worked through things, he was good at talking about his feelings, he brought her flowers, he spent time with her, he had family meals with her and Cody… The list goes on. They were a great match! It’s unfortunate that he was written off the show.

As for Abigail and Bill…I have to agree with you.

But I should disclaim my post.

I don’t see them as romantically inclined toward one another at all—in fact, I can’t watch their dating scenes in early episodes without cringing because it just feels awkward and performative to me. But if the show can will-they won’t-they with Henry and Abigail, it feels kind of yucky to me that we never even got a sincere discussion between Bill and Abigail about what happened between them, let alone a genuine apology and acceptance scene.

Don’t get me wrong; they make amazing friends. I loved the end of S5 when he went to Abigail because he knew she’d get it—she’d get him, even the things he couldn’t make himself say.

But there’s something to be said for attraction and what a person wants in a relationship at different times in their lives, too.

Let me explain.

When Abigail met Bill, she was just starting to move past the grief of losing her husband and son. That’s not an easy thing to do. But it’s like she says in S1: “Life goes on for all of us.” Abigail didn’t want to steep herself in grief forever. She wanted to move on. And Bill, unrelated to the accident but in town to help solve it and give her peace of mind, was the perfect…I don’t know. He wasn’t a “rebound guy” but for lack of a better term, let’s call him that. He wasn’t that well-suited to her but he was available and she needed…some of what he was capable of offering right away—especially assurance and (lawful) action.

She was married from the cusp of womanhood until her husband died, so it’s doubtful she had a line of beaus on a string in her youth. Abigail never played the courting game. But here she is years later, a widow ready to try and move on…and Bill shows up and is nice to her, respectful, kind of charming, and sincerely helpful…and at this point in her life, that’s exactly what she needs! She needs someone who feels dependable and can take care of her in the way she needs taken care of, which at this point was…bringing her peace of mind/bringing justice to the town and the men who died: her immediate needs (that could be fulfilled by a non-suitor Bill, too, by the way).

But Abigail was having a nice time. Again, a good-lookin’ guy comes to see you and talk to you and tells you that your cooking is great and that you look nice…and you’re not wrong and it’s okay to want justice and he’s gonna make sure you get it…

It’s flattering and confidence-boosting. And hey, except for the whole…lying thing, he was the perfect rebound guy. He didn’t want to rush anything; he respected her space; and he actively worked on the things he promised to work on (getting justice for the dead men).

But there were other aspects of Bill that just…didn’t work for her and probably still wouldn’t. He’s an emotional husk most of the time and he’s not a Romantic Man. I don’t know how to explain it, but for an example, let’s go with flowers.

Bill gives her flowers “for the café, to brighten things up.” It’s a romantic overture, but we’re not shown him actually giving them to her so it feels…kind of disconnected. Frank brings Abigail flowers and not only do we see it, everything about it is intended to be romantic. He brings her favorites, demonstrating he knows what she likes; he smiles a lot; he wants to touch her and be touched; he hovers around after and offers to help her with what she’s working on…

Bill does these types of things because it’s expected of him.

But it’s like, you can’t forget the kind of person Bill is, either.

He’s a workaholic at this point in the series. All he does is work. And he was in a marriage for an indeterminate number of years (anywhere from 15 to 25 of them) with someone he didn’t love. “I married her as a favor to her father.” Bill never had to romance his wife; he married her out of obligation—because her father made sure he got his schooling.

Bill is the guy who, at least at this time, did things because “that’s what you do.” It’s almost like he’s following a manual. You give flowers to the woman you’re courting. You offer your arm. You say romantic things. Or in the case of his job, you follow the rules, you fill out the proper paperwork in the right order. You submit cases on time. In the case of Nora and her father, too. He did you a life-changing favor so you need to do one for him, too.

Because he’s just doing what’s expected, the things he does don’t feel romantic when you have time to think about them (and compare them to others). It’s like taking out the trash because it’s expected of you, or doing the dishes. That’s what these kinds of things seem to be to him, at least when he’s low-key courting Abigail: they’re tasks. He’s just doing them to check them off the list; there’s not much feeling in them and personal preference isn’t taken into consideration.

Which brings me back to Bill’s, uh, emotional constipation.

He was definitely lying in S1/S2 when he didn’t admit he was Divorce Pending. But even at moments where Abigail was trying to communicate feelings to him, he was just…completely avoidant. Remember this scene?

Yeah, the way he just…segues away from feelings or attachment is cringey. It’s hard to watch a second (or third, or fourth) time. Bill is Bad At Feelings (dealing with the ones he has AND admitting when he doesn’t have them), and Abigail needs someone who is good at them: at understanding what they’re feeling and why, and a person who is willing to regularly and effectively try to communicate them with her.

(Just quickly here I want to point out that Bill’s emotional constipation may have been why he and Dottie didn’t work out, too, though the writers sort of dropped the ball on that one… And it’s why he was so mean to AJ in S5; this man literally can’t talk about his feelings short of an actual breakdown, and that is NOT the kind of thing most people are equipped to deal with. And to be fair to the Dottie/Bill relationship, him cooking for her was a marked improvement in him trying to court a lady, but there are aspects of it that just feel like he’s just checking off boxes.)

This is mostly why I prefer that Abigail and Bill just…stay friends. Because neither of them need to settle for a romantic relationship they’re not wholly into, but also…they both need very different things in a relationship; they just don’t seem compatible to me that way.

So sure, Abigail thought he was pretty good-lookin’ when he showed up, and he’s nice to spend time with, but everything beyond that isn’t really her cup of tea: he doesn’t forgive easily; he holds grudges; he’s extremely independent; he doesn’t like asking for help; he’s terrible at communicating feelings; etc. So I mean, even if he improves in the feelings department, it’s probably not going to matter enough.

Bill’s needs matter too, of course, and Abigail fulfills some of them, but not all of them: he really needs someone who’s gonna call him out, keep him on his toes/things from getting boring or stagnant; he needs an opinionated complaining partner; he needs someone who knows their own heart well but who will also understand his without him having to spell everything out/their feelings getting hurt when he doesn’t spell it out for them; etc.

And I mean, it really sucks because they do have a few things that are good for one another. And for what it’s worth, I think they could make a relationship work if they had to/felt inclined to. Bill isn’t very good at compromising, but Abigail’s better at it. Still, would they both be happy, or would it ultimately just rob them of their ability to be and feel independent? Bill doesn’t like being told what to do and he’d HATE having to, say, be home at a certain time. I think when he met Abigail, that wasn’t important to him, but now it is. He likes being able to do what he wants, when he wants to do it.

(Which reminds me of Frank, who spent a lifetime extremely independent but was more than happy to have someone to answer to; the issue between he and Abigail was that he needed that expectation communicated to him; that was it! I feel like Bill would find it stifling and ultimately it could breed resentment.)

Anyway, I don’t disagree with your message. I think if things had been written differently, if Bill’s character had gone in a different direction maybe, they’d be more suited to one another right now.

As far as Abigail and Henry goes… I pretty much loathe the idea of them as a romantic couple, so if you’re ever down for a good rant: feel free to hit me up privately. That said, I want to be fair to the characters in terms of like, feeling attraction…or uhhh the lack thereof if you interpret anybody as asexual!

At the end of the day, it’s not unreasonable to think that Abigail could be attracted to Henry.

Maybe she was attracted to Bill at one point, but no longer is (mainly because she’s realized they’re just not that romantically compatible, even though they get on great as friends). And maybe she finds Henry attractive even despite the things he’s done, because, uh… I don’t know, he looks THAT GOOD in a hat and scarf.

I still think the writing surrounding Henry and Abigail is weak, though. Like you said, he was complicit in the deaths of her husband and son. He’ll need a lot more redemption material before I’ll buy into Abigail being romantically interested in him. An attraction? SURE. She’s not blind! But more than that? I hope it doesn’t happen.

Actually, right now I’m kind of hoping Abigail just stays single for a couple of seasons while they focus on other romantic plots that are in town, like Jesse and Clara, and Rosemary and Lee. Abigail needs a little less focus for S6…and I’d prefer it remain romantic-free.

(Don’t forget, we’re getting a storyline for her that’s a two-parter about someone from her past! I’m still hoping it’s one of her brothers, though. That’d be SO cool.)

But that’s just personal opinion, y’know? I’ve noticed that over on Instagram, the fans are really divided in the different Abigail-relationship camps. It’s kind of cool that everyone gets something different out of each type of relationship presented…and of course, seeing everybody’s different interpretation of the characters is fun, too.

So I’m not saying, “you can’t ship X” because you can enjoy whatever it is you like. This is just my interpretation. ♥

(Sorry if there are any mistakes, I didn’t really proofread this multiple times as usual. Let me know if you see anything glaring!)

#when calls the heart #answered mail #anonymously asked #abigail stanton #bill avery #henry gowen #character studies and information #analysis and meta discussion #to be clear again this is just my interpretation of the characters

4 notes · View notes

daleisgreat · 5 years

Text

Scott Hall: Living on a Razor’s Edge

After pondering over ideas and looking over my notes the last couple of days, I concluded I had no idea how to go about my entry for today’s blog that is for WWE’s 2016 BluRay release of Scott Hall: Living on a Razor’s Edge (trailer). I am presuming most people reading this probably are well aware of some of Scott Hall’s personal struggles throughout the years. WWE’s documentary on his life and career attempts to cover it all within 81 minutes. If you have not seen it yet, nor have that time to spare then before reading on I encourage you to at least check out ESPN’s much more condensed 18 minute mini-doc they did of Hall on a 2011 edition of E:60. That E:60 piece was where Hall first publicly revealed he inadvertently shot and killed a man during his job as a bouncer when he attempted to grab a gun away from a person who pulled a gun on him. Living on a Razor’s Edge opens with Hall revisiting the scene where it happened and him getting instantly emotional over the memories. Hall’s mother and brother are interviewed throughout and both mentioned how that day forever changed him. It is the first of many dark tales from Hall’s personal life that he reflects on.

From that hook of an opening scene the feature then transitions to Hall’s childhood where he reminisces growing up as a military kid and always being on the move. Hall recalls idolizing Dusty Rhodes in the Florida territory is what convinced him to go into wrestling. I saw Hall interviewed in a few other nWo and Kliq retrospectives released by WWE over the years, but in those I believe he never touches on his early days in the business debuting in the Kansas territory as part of the American Starship tag team and to more success as a tag team champ with Curt Henning in the AWA. Seeing that vintage footage accompanied with Hall elucidating about how Dusty got him his first pair of wrestling boots and how he refused to be AWA champ because he realized the promotion was a sinking ship he wanted to abandon were fun new anecdotes from Hall I never heard before. Seeing Hall talk about his meager success as the Diamond Studd in WCW was another interesting early facet of his career. DDP, Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon were all interviewed here about their early memories of Hall and provide extra quotes on why this made Hall more determined to land a job in WWE. Hearing Hall and Vince remember the days of coming up with the Razor Ramon character and brainstorming the ideas of the iconic vignettes introducing Razor to the WWE in 1992 are more noteworthy highlights from the interviews here.

Hall goes into detail of his early WWE years with some key angles such as the first televised WWE ladder match at Wrestlemania 10 and when 1-2-3 Kid got the shocking upset in ’93 that is still an iconic memory of RAW all these years later (it even made WWE’s official list of Top 25 RAW Moments for RAW’s 25th anniversary earlier this year). One early highlight from the Razor run was when Hall discusses appearing on Jerry Springer for a surprise visit to children with AIDS where Hall spontaneously gives his Intercontinental Title to the kids because it felt like the right thing to do and hearing Hall and Springer interviewed here remember that moment along with the footage is pretty powerful stuff. From here the doc then jumps to the controversial time when Hall and Nash left WWE in 1996. Both of them and McMahon break down how it all came to pass, and hearing them all give their side of the story is still fascinating to this day. I say that because I still recall being a huge WWF kid at that time and getting crushed upon hearing both guys were leaving the company to go to the ‘competition.’ Yes, Hall makes sure to address the introduction of the fake Razor and Diesel later on in 1996 too. A part of me wishes WWE would have done a separate deep dive on Hall’s four year run as Razor Ramon. There were so many memorable feuds they did not address in the doc. I would have loved to hear Hall recall feuding with Jeff Jarrett, Diesel and Goldust for the Intercontinental title. Also from watching the bonus matches it brought back memories of how Hall was a master of ring psychology and he perfected the gradual build of a match where there were several times where fans were quiet at the beginning to becoming a hot crowd by the match’s final moments. HBK and Nash both have some interesting quotes about Hall’s wrestling IQ and how they helped him during those old early-to-mid90s years.

WWE has already done a couple nWo biographies so I was curious to how they would cover his career in WCW on Hall’s solo documentary. I like how they went about it as they had Nash, Hall and Waltman all interviewed and they give the abbreviated version of their nWo heydays reigning supreme over the Monday night rating wars. Hall touches on a couple of things he introduced to his solo-act in WCW such as the pre-match ‘survey’ and how Rocky II was the impetus for ‘Hey, Yo.’ Hall and Eric Bishoff both recount the art-imitates-life storyline where WCW brought Hall’s behind-the-scenes drinking problems as a on-screen WCW storyline and hearing Bishoff regret that booking decision is another poignant scene in this feature. Hall essentially admits to those dark days carrying over to his return to the WWE in 2002 and why it did not last that long. There is no mention of Hall’s handful of brief TNA/Impact stints, which is probably for the best. Growing up as a wrestling fan and keeping up with Hall’s struggles over the years made the final chapters of the doc especially powerful. There is a montage of the many arrests and controversies that Hall made news in from 2002-2012. Nash has some key details of Hall at his lowest moments and how he stuck by his side that stuck with me. Triple H, Michaels, and Bishoff also all chime in here about these hard years for Hall. Footage is shown of the 2011 independent wrestling show were Hall appeared heavily intoxicated and hearing Nash, Hunter and Hall all comment on it being a new low for Hall brought back many sad memories. This all was happening during the 2000s when a rapid number of early adult-to-middle aged wrestler deaths were transpiring and I recall wondering countless times during those years how in the heck Scott Hall was still alive.

Thankfully, there is redemption for Hall and it is tastefully covered here where Jake Roberts and DDP are interviewed about taking Scott Hall into DDP’s rehabilitation house and helped Hall kick his addictions. Hearing them and Hall reflect on this was a much needed and gratifying feel-good moment that culminates with Hall being interviewed again at that club where the shooting went down where he owns the guilt he carried all those years in the defining moment of this feature. The doc then winds down with how Hall got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and now helps coaches at the WWE Performance Center and how he helped got his son Cody started in the business too. Living on a Razor’s Edge is easily one of the best of documentaries WWE has made. There are many gaps they could have filled in on his in-ring career but it feels wrong to ask for that given what Hall has went through and recovered from in his personal life. Since this is a home video release, WWE gave it their usual jam-packed assortment of bonus features with eight minutes of deleted scenes, the entirety of the several introductory Razor Ramon introductory vignettes and 27 matches, five of which that are exclusive to the BluRay.

Deletes scenes highlights have Nash detesting the mask he used for his ‘Oz’ character in WCW, Hall’s memories of wrestling his buddy, Justin Credible on a ECW PPV in 2000 and Michaels recounting Hall giving Nash some great in-ring advice he promptly followed. I have only seen a handful of Hall’s pre-WWF matches before this BluRay so seeing several matches from those days and how fast he evolved in the ring was a treat. I did not know Hall already had the Razor’s Edge perfected as the Diamond Death Drop in WCW. Since that is not addressed in the doc, I will link you to this clip instead where Hall reveals its origins. Other standout matches in the extras include the aforementioned stunning upset at the hands of the 1-2-3 Kid, his ’93 WWE Title match against Bret Hart, a ’93 Coliseum Video bout against Michaels I have long forgotten, his first IC title win over Rick Martel and his still-iconic ladder match against HBK at Wrestlemania X. From 1993 through most of 1995 I fell out of wrestling for a bit due to being on the losing end of sibling wars for control of the television and the only wrestling I had access to during that time was a videotape of SummerSlam ’94 one of my dad’s coworkers taped for me. Razor vs. Diesel on that show was one of my favorite matches for many years (along with the Owen/Bret cage match!), so to see that included in this compilation earns bonus points from me!

Hall’s nWo highlights here contain a bunch of matches that have hokey finishes or disappointing run-ins and the only WCW matches included here that stood out are the Outsiders first tag titles win over Harlem Heat and Hall having an awesome match against Sting for the WCW World Title at Uncensored ’98. Hall’s match against Austin at Wrestlemania X-8 holds up better than I recalled, and it features Hall taking the best Stone Cold Stunner ever. Of the five BluRay exclusive matches I give high nods to check out his SummerSlam ’93 match against Ted Dibiase and a ladder match I completely forgot about that saw Hall square off against Bam Bam Bigelow from a 1999 episode of Nitro. As you can tell by now I am giving Scott Hall: Living on a Razor’s Edge the highest of recommendations. Aside from one of the best documentaries WWE Home Video has produced, it has a ton of bonus matches that proves how Hall was one of the best workers of the ‘90s. Hall’s personal story is one that is a must-see that shows the highest highs and the lowest lows one can achieve, and to see Hall escape from that dark tunnel is a heartwarming tale well worth the viewing for any wrestling fan. Past Wrestling Blogs Best of WCW Clash of Champions Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 3 Biggest Knuckleheads Bobby The Brain Heenan Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes Yes Yes DDP: Positively Living Dusty Rhodes WWE Network Specials ECW Unreleased: Vol 1 ECW Unreleased: Vol 2 ECW Unreleased: Vol 3 Eric Bishoff: Wrestlings Most Controversial Figure For All Mankind Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Impact Wresting Presents: Best of Hulk Hogan Its Good to Be the King: The Jerry Lawler Story The Kliq Rules Ladies and Gentlemen My Name is Paul Heyman Legends of Mid South Wrestling Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story Memphis Heat NXT Greatest Matches Vol 1 OMG Vol 2: Top 50 Incidents in WCW History OMG Vol 3: Top 50 Incidents in ECW History Owen: Hart of Gold RoH Supercard of Honor 2010-Present ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery Sting: Into the Light Straight Outta Dudley-ville: Legacy of the Dudley Boyz Straight to the Top: Money in the Bank Anthology Superstar Collection: Zach Ryder TNA Lockdown 2005-2016 Top 50 Superstars of All Time Tough Enough: Million Dollar Season True Giants Ultimate Fan Pack: Roman Reigns Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe War Games: WCWs Most Notorious Matches Warrior Week on WWE Network Wrestlemania 3: Championship Edition Wrestlemania 28-Present The Wrestler (2008) Wrestling Road Diaries Too Wrestling Road Diaries Three: Funny Equals Money Wrestlings Greatest Factions WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2017

#Scott Hall #Wrestling #razor ramon #WWE #wcw #nwo #curt hennig #Diamond Dallas Page #Kevin Nash #Sean Waltman #Shawn Michaels #eric bischoff #Vince McMahon

2 notes · View notes