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He heard the door open and then close behind him but didn't bother to turn away from where he was scavenging through Obi-Wan's cupboards.

It was silent for a long moment, and Cody knew without looking that Obi-Wan was cataloguing every movement Cody made, feeling out every hint of emotion—loud and angry and out of control—that Cody had no doubt he was blasting all over the place. 

For a moment he tried to reign it in, but it was useless. His kriffin' composure could take a back seat for the minute. No, right now he was allowed to be angry.

"If you're looking for the alcohol, I hid it in the supply closet to protect it from Anakin's moods."

Cody gave a grunt of acknowledgment, turning from his cupboard raid and nearly storming to the supply closet. It still took a moment to find the alcohol, hidden behind cleaning supplies—a valid hiding place, since Anakin would never be cleaning in here—second-tier Corellian Whiskey. It would do.

He heard Obi-Wan moving into the kitchen, the clink of glasses knocking against each other. "As much as you probably want to, drinking from the bottle is probably not the best idea."

For a long moment he considered whether he wanted to listen to what was—probably—sound advice.

Finally he nodded, bringing the bottle and collapsing on Obi-Wan's not-quite-comfortable couch. Obi-Wan sat beside him, taking the bottle of whiskey from Cody's hands to fill him a glass.

They drank in silence, Obi-Wan filling Cody’s glass a second time when Cody finished the first.

"Are we talking about it?" Obi-Wan asked, when Cody didn't immediately move for a third glass. There was no demand in the question, despite the fact that Cody had invaded Obi-Wan's rooms and stolen his alcohol. 

The rooms could be his. Obi-Wan had offered to let Cody and Rex move in, but some unnameable emotion kept Cody from accepting, even if he and Rex found themselves here more often than they weren’t here.

But for now they were still technically Obi-Wan's rooms, and Cody was the one invading. Despite that, there was an easy, simple implication that if Cody did want to talk about it, then Obi-Wan would listen—and help, if Cody desired—but if he didn't want to talk about it, then they just... wouldn't.

There was an easy, honest simplicity to it. One that made it easier for Cody to loosen a bit of the tension wrapped around his chest and speak.

"Rex got into an accident," he said finally. The bite of his fingernails in his skin had lost its effectiveness almost two hours ago, but he clenched his fists anyways, just for something to do that would keep his hands under control. “Some teenager messing around a swoop and not paying enough attention to his surroundings.”

He could still hear Echo’s voice over the comm, fast and panicky as he tried to tell Cody what was going on.

Obi-Wan stiffened, and even without the Force Cody could feel Obi-Wan's alarm flash through the air. "Is he all right?"

"Yes. No.” He ran his hands through his hair, tugging a little, a frustrated sound escaping his lips. “I don't know."

There was a heavy silence as Obi-Wan clearly tried to parse through the answer that was not a true answer. “Can you explain?" Obi-Wan prompted after a long moment.

"He was too far from the Temple and the barracks so they took him to a medcenter down in the lower-levels. But the medcenter wouldn't let me see him. Said that despite the fact that we have near identical genes we aren't considered family. And because we're not citizens, our marriage isn't valid." The saccharine smile on the man's face as he denied Cody entry was still crystal sharp in his mind. "I didn't want to cause problems, so I kept my mouth shut—" and his fists to himself, "—but then they told me they'd have me arrested for 'loitering' when I tried to stay in the waiting room."

Obi-Wan gave a sharp inhale and Cody spared a glance to the side to really get a look at Obi-Wan's face. There was a flurry of cycling emotions, frustration, anger, guilt, hopelessness, determination. "Let me see if I can get Rex transferred to the Temple or the barracks."

Cody nodded, grateful, it was at least something, and Obi-Wan would have far more pull than Cody could ever bring to bear.

It didn't help with most of the anger.

Things were supposed to be better after the war. They were supposed to be able to... to fix things. But now it was almost a year later and the Senate still hadn't seen fit to give him and his brothers citizenship or rights.

He knew that several individual planets had tried, Alderaan and Naboo for starters. But then Chancellor Mas Amedda—exercising the executive powers that had been given first to Chancellor Palpatine and then transferred to Mas Amedda when he’d been elected Chancellor after Palpatine's death—had stated that giving the clones citizenship would be considered amassing an army against the Republic. And thus an act of war.

They had only just won a war. No one wanted to even insinuate the start of another one.

The Senators and Rulers of Alderaan and Naboo had been apologetic, but giving them citizenship would destroy them, and they had their own people they were sworn to protect.

Mentally, Cody understood. Those people had their duties, and it wasn’t to Cody or his brothers. It didn't help with the anger, or the despair, or the ever increasing hopelessness.

He knew that Obi-Wan had turned to Mandalore, had practically begged Duchess Kryze to lend her aid to the clones, but she had refused. Mandalore did not have a place for war-mongering clones when they were pacifist and she owed the Republic her rule, and wouldn't stand so directly against them.

Certainly they wouldn’t ‘declare war’ as Chancellor Mas Amedda had declared.

So the clones stayed on Coruscant, trapped in the Jedi Temple and the clone barracks, with as many clones they could get into the Jedi Corps without the Senate throwing a fit sent out. No one would offer them work without citizenship, and many of the jobs they could take would only cause the Senate to push back their citizenship even more.

They were trapped, and Cody couldn't see any way out. He knew the Jedi were still trying to get the Clones' Rights bill through the Senate. Knew that some of the more legally minded clones were trying to get their voices heard. Knew that there were at least a few Senators on their side. Yet he was in the Senate constantly, working along side all of them, and….

It just... it felt like it was never going to be enough.

Nothing did. Especially when Rex was in some medcenter and Cody wasn't even allowed to wait in the waiting room, much less by his side where he wanted to be.

He startled a little when Obi-Wan's hand brushed against his arm. Obi-Wan didn’t like touch, and for him to be reaching out in an attempt to comfort Cody made it crystal clear just how bad Cody must be looking right now. "I'm sorry, Cody."

There was nothing more to say. Obi-Wan spent nearly every day in the Senate building. Cody would know, since he was almost always at his side. Would have been today if not for Rex.

"I... I just thought things would be better."

Obi-Wan had no answer, but Cody didn't expect him to. "Let me get Rex transferred," Obi-Wan said quietly. "Get some sleep, it will help if you plan on spending the night on bedside vigil once I get Rex somewhere safe.” Obi-Wan gave his arm a soft squeeze and Cody was grateful for it.

Obi-Wan stood and Cody snagged his still mostly full glass of whiskey and threw it back. A little more alcohol would help dull the worry and rage and help him sleep.

He stumbled into the old padawan room, the old bed replaced with a bigger one for when Cody and Rex stayed the night, and collapsed into it.

"Rex?" Obi-Wan's voice rang out from the kitchen when Rex stumbled in, exhausted. Obi-Wan poked his head out of the kitchen, eyebrow raised as he took in Rex's sweat-soaked form.

A brother from the 501st had gotten arrested, for no reason other than some Coruscant Police had felt like it. It had taken a Jedi to go down and get him out, and Rex… Rex hadn’t been able to do a single thing.

"Needed to work some things out," Rex answered, a half-explanation that Obi-Wan accepted. He did not ask about the bruises on Rex's knuckles where he'd hit the punching bags too hard without gloves. Did not ask about the frustration that was undoubtedly still clinging to his skin.

Sometimes Rex wished he would, wished that Obi-Wan would push a little more. He never did. Rex knew it wasn't any lack of care, it was simply a matter of boundaries.

Things were complicated enough with Obi-Wan's past as both his and Cody's CO—though for Rex it was a CO once removed—made more complicated by the fact that they essentially lived in his home which eliminated the ability to build certain boundaries, so those they had, Obi-Wan stuck to perfectly.

"I'd like to speak with you and Cody after your shower, if you both wouldn't mind."

"'course."

The shower helped, the hot water loosening some of his tension and washing off both the sweat and his frustration.

When he got out he could hear Cody and Obi-Wan both in the kitchen, the smell of Marigrass Roasted Cutlets permeating the air.

He couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. It was his favorite, and it was even odds whether it was Obi-Wan or Cody who'd suggested it.

Obi-Wan gave him a small smile when Rex entered the kitchen, and Cody paused what he was doing long enough to greet Rex with a soft Keldabe kiss. The contact was enough to help Rex center, the last of his frustration slipping away—for now. Cody pulled back, though not until he followed the keldabe kiss with another quick kiss pressed to the corner of Rex’s mouth.

Cody tilted his head towards the opposite counter where none of the food was. “Obi-Wan grabbed a medkit. See to your hands.”

Rex obeyed, sending Obi-Wan a warm, soft smile.

Obi-Wan was busy setting the food on the table, he returned the smile easily.

Rex sat, waiting for Cody, before turning to Obi-Wan. "You said you wanted to talk?"

Obi-Wan made a hum of agreement, carefully filling each of their plates, his movements sharp and precise in a way that Rex had learned hid anxiety.

"I've been waiting almost all day to hear this," Cody told him, sending an exasperated look in Obi-Wan's direction. "But Obi-Wan insisted on waiting."

"It seemed like the sort of conversation to have with both of you," Obi-Wan responded, all prim and proper. “And it also seems like a conversation that can wait until after dinner.”

Rex just stared at him, not touching his plate despite the tempting smell and the knowledge that it would be delicious.

Obi-Wan sighed, putting down the serving utensil and folding his hands on the table in front of him. "All right then." He took a deep breath, and Rex could see him planning out his words. "I may have found a way to get around any 'visitation rights' issues should one of you end up in a medcenter outside of the temple or barracks."

The memory of that moment, waking up in the hospital room with a still healing leg where he’d been hit by some idiot on a swoop, alone because they wouldn't let Cody in to see him, sent a sharp twist of emotion through him.

Cody's leg brushed against his, comforting and steady.

"Without citizenship?"

Obi-Wan's lips went tight with displeasure. "We have, unfortunately, still been unable to get the Senate to see sense." He let out a small snort. "The idea of leaving Coruscant to join you and the rest of the men wherever you would like to go—so long as you'd have us, of course—is starting to gain more traction."

Rex raised an eyebrow at that. Just after the war when it became clear the Senate was going to be difficult about citizenship, there had been talk of finding an empty planet outside of Republic space to set up base, but—as Obi-Wan had so succinctly put it—the Republic had a history of orbital bombardment as a preemptive strike when they were afraid.

And while the Senate couldn't be bothered to see them as sapient, that didn't stop the Senate from being afraid of them. 

But perhaps if they could find a habitable planet just far enough away. If they could slowly sneak the right sort of supplies to start a new civilization… well, the Republic couldn’t destroy what they couldn’t find.

It wasn’t exactly, however, the most sustainable course of action.

Rex shook his head, not wanting to think about all the implications. "Your idea?" Rex prompted. "For medical visitation rights?"

Obi-Wan turned in his seat, grabbing a datapad resting on the counter behind him. "The Republic can refuse to acknowledge the marriage of two non-citizens. However it cannot disregard the marriage of a citizen to a non-citizen.” He handed Cody the datapad.

"Doesn't help if neither of us have citizenship," Cody pointed out, but Rex could hear the hints of hope beneath. If Obi-Wan was coming to them with a plan, then the plan was probably as foolproof as any plan could be.

Obi-Wan nodded. "No, but there are several planets within the Republic where, should someone marry two separate individuals, then—regardless of the relationship between the other two—those two are also legally considered married."

It took a few seconds to work the words through his mind and come to the proper conclusion.

Rex blinked, an emotion he couldn't place thrumming loud in his chest. "You're saying if we go to one of those planets, both get married to a citizen of that planet, then we'd be legally considered married to each other and there’s nothing anyone can do about it?" He didn’t like the thought of marrying some stranger, but to be able to officially claim Cody as his partner… well, it’d be worth it, if they could find someone willing.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Though it doesn't have to be a citizen of that planet, just a Republic citizen." He nodded to the datapad. "I've compiled what options I could for the both of you to look through."

Cody was glancing between the datapad and Obi-Wan. "You're offering to marry us so that we—" he gestured between himself and Rex, "—can be considered legally married."

"Yes." Obi-Wan frowned. "Well, no." He paused holding up a hand as he worked through his response. “I’m suggesting that you both get married to a Republic citizen so that your own marriage will be considered legal and legitimate to those who would otherwise choose to make your lives difficult.”

Rex frowned, once again trying to imagine marrying some random civilian. It was not a particularly enjoyable thought, especially if there were better options. “So you wouldn’t marry us?”

A flicker of emotion crossed Obi-Wan’s face, and Rex wished he could read Obi-Wan’s face as well as he could read any of his brother’s. “I would happily marry the both of you so that you can have this. Gladly and with no hesitation. However, I would not have presumed to suggest myself, given my past position as your Commanding Officer. I recognize that could be deeply uncomfortable for you both."

Cody let out a half-choked snort. "Force, you're ridiculous. Who else would we want to marry?"

Rex had to agree with Cody. If Obi-Wan was there and willing, who else would they marry if not him? 

Obi-Wan let out an offended little sniff. "I'm most certainly not ridiculous. It would be rather rude to presume to insert myself into your relationship." There was something in the emphasis on his words that only showed up when Obi-Wan knew that the other was right, but felt like being particularly huffy about it all. "And I can think of a dozen people who would jump at the chance to marry the both of you." 

"So you're saying yes, you'll marry us," Rex translated, smile tugging at his lips. There was a bubble of hope building in his chest.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Well, yes. Of course. If that's what you want."

"Is it what you want?" Cody pressed, and there was a sharp uptake of worry in his voice. "You're not falling on your lightsaber for us?"

Obi-Wan's face went almost painfully soft, and Rex felt something twist in his chest. "I care very deeply for both of you. This is something that will provide you both with some additional security. I would do far more than marry you to give you that. And honestly?" He waved his hand to gesture to the room. "I don't see that it needs to change anything in our relationship. You are not in love with me, but I would like to think you love me in some way. At the least, we all share a mutual respect for one another."

Rex couldn't help but share a dry look with Cody. "If that's your only requisite to marrying someone, then you should expect to marry Waxer and Boil, Fives and Echo, Lullaby and Tonedeaf—" he waved his hand to indicate the list went on.

Obi-Wan just nodded, shrugging a shoulder as if it was no big deal. "If that's what they want, then of course I would. It would marry you all to one another, of course."

Like that would bother any of them, not if it afforded them even just a little bit of security. It also meant that if, for some reason, Cody couldn't be there for him, Fives or Echo or whoever else married Obi-Wan would be able to be there for him. If Obi-Wan wasn't careful he'd be married to all the 212th and—because Anakin would most certainly never offer something like this, understandably so, since Obi-Wan was a rather particular sort of person and marriage was a particular sort of thing—half the 501st.

“Let’s keep to just marrying the two of us, first,” Cody suggested dryly, bringing them back to the point at hand and not any hypothetical future. But there was a spark in his eyes, a soft warmth that Rex recognized easily. Cody held up the datapad. “We have any preferences here?”

Obi-Wan just waved his hand at the datapad. “The two of you choose where you’d like to go, I’m sure I can pull some strings with Mace to get me a mission assigned in the area and then invite you along.”

Rex rolled his eyes as Obi-Wan stood up, picking up his plate to go eat elsewhere and give them ‘privacy’. “This isn’t our wedding,” he pointed out wryly. “It’s both of our weddings to you. Which I’m pretty sure means you need to help us decide just where we’re going.”

Obi-Wan hesitated at that, and Rex felt a small pang of worry. It wasn’t that he doubted that Obi-Wan was willing to do this. He didn’t even doubt that Obi-Wan wanted it. But he wanted it for them.

There was a difference between that and simply wanting something. “Obi-Wan,” Cody said quietly. “Even if we weren’t about to marry you, we probably would have spent our lives with you regardless. We want you to genuinely be a part of our lives, not just in paper, not just as a convenient set of rooms to live out of.”

Obi-Wan dithered a moment longer, but then nodded. “You have an excellent point.” His smile was small but genuine. “If I might suggest we narrow it down to some of the more scenic locations?” His smile turned wry. “And perhaps exclude the ones that suggest things like public consummation of the marriage.”

Rex choked a little at that, brain suddenly providing him images to go along with the words.

“Yeah, uh, let’s not go to any of those.”

Cody was waggling his eyebrows at him in an entirely juvenile way. To think that his riduur had once been the highest ranking vod in the GAR. “Oh, but Rex, I would have thought you liked watching.”

Obi-Wan cleared his throat, and Rex was grateful he wasn’t the only one blushing—and that it was far more obvious on Obi-Wan’s face then it was his own.

“Yes, well, as I said, I have a few suggestions, if you’d like me to share them.”

Rex turned to him gratefully. “Yeah, show us.”

There was still a soft glow in his chest as they ate, discussing possible marriage locations with the same practicality they had once discussed battle formations.

It was a good difference, Rex thought. This was going to work.

Obi-Wan felt a certain amount of comfort in the fact that he knew his offer to marry Cody and Rex had genuinely come from a place of care and concern for their happiness and well-being. A comfort in the knowledge that he would truly and happily marry any of his men for the very same reasons.

There was also a part of him that felt guilty.

He should have protested further when Cody and Rex had suggested that they marry him.

For them it was simply a matter of practicality. He was one of the few Republic citizens that they knew all that well.  They already lived with him 85 percent of the time—would probably fully move in after this.  It simply made sense.

He’d considered suggesting another of the Jedi, but the words had failed him.

Neither Cody nor Rex were in love with him. But he could not quite say the same thing for his own feelings towards them.

Master Qui-Gon had always warned Obi-Wan that he fell in love too easily.

And when he’d fallen almost head over heels for Cody within the first six months of their time together at war, he’d only been able to recognize that Qui-Gon was right.

That had been inappropriate enough. But then he’d gone about and fallen in love with Rex as well.

He had never said a word about it. He never would either.

It was not out of fear of attachment. For all his weaknesses, for all that he loved too deeply, he knew his duty and he would follow that until it killed him.

So while he would have gladly married both of these men under a very different set of circumstances—would have, in a better world, hoped to marry these men with something other than practicality and friendship as the motivations—he would not let any personal feelings get in the way.

Cody was grinning at him from across the small streamlet that separated them in the Balthian marriage ceremony traditions. Over top the streamlet rested a small board on which a fire was burning. A duality, the Balthian’s called it, between them lay both fire and water, passion and serenity, power and compromise. It was, Obi-Wan couldn’t help but think, the sort of oath that was particularly well suited for a Jedi.

He wondered if that was why Rex and Cody—when Obi-Wan had narrowed it down to his three favorite—had finally settled on choosing this one.

They repeated the words of the marriage vows after the marriage officiator—a ‘heart binder’ as they were called here—and then, at the heart binder’s cue, they each took their side of the board and flipped the fire into the water, steam flaring up between them.

When the steam had dissipated, Cody leaned forward beckoning Obi-Wan to do the same, before pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.

Obi-Wan’s heart was a traitor, speeding with the emotion he would never speak of.

“Thank you,” Cody murmured.

Obi-Wan reached out, catching Cody’s hand and giving it a soft squeeze—a far safer and more respectful alternative to kissing Cody again. “There’s no need for thanks, Cody.” He pulled back, making a shooing motion. “Now off with you, I need to marry Rex now.”

Cody snorted, standing. “Already trying to replace me with a younger model.”

Obi-Wan turned up his nose in his best impression of the snottier Senators he was forced to work with. “It’s not my fault I simply deserve the best and newest.”

“Don’t let the shinies hear you say that,” Rex snarked as he took the seat that Cody had just vacated. “They may try to take you up on it.”

The heart binder was placing a new fire board over the streamlet, and Obi-Wan was a little surprised to see a small smile on the man’s face.

Obi-Wan had been rather frank with the man when he’d told him why they were doing what they were. Balthian marriage traditions demanded such honesty—if he was going to participate in their traditions, then he was going to do so as fully and as respectfully as he could—if the man had protested they’d have simply gone elsewhere.

For a people who had such an emphasis on marriage, Obi-Wan had been concerned it would be a cause of concern.

The heart binder had told him rather simply that love was far too complex for anyone to determine it’s validity. And that no matter what form their love had taken, it was true and genuine all the same.

The marriage ceremony proceeded just as the last one had, and when the steam had once again dissipated, Rex followed Cody’s example in pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

“No thanks needed,” Obi-Wan reminded him before Rex could say it.

Rex’s mouth closed from where he’d been about to do just that. Finally, Rex just grinned at him. As close as he was at that moment Obi-Wan found himself hoping that Rex didn’t hear the way Obi-Wan’s breath hitched at the sight of that rather dazzling smile.

He certainly didn’t seem to, as he helped Obi-Wan to his feet and they all gave their thanks to the heart binder. Obi-Wan wasn’t sure if he was imagining it or not, but it seemed that the heart binder gave him a lingering, meaningful look. If so, he couldn’t imagine what the heart binder was trying to tell him.

The walk back to the ship was strange. Obi-Wan knew that nothing had actually changed. Cody and Rex still saw him as a good friend who cared enough to do them a ‘favor’, he was still achingly, painfully in love with them both and was certainly never going to tell them, and they were still completely oblivious—or at least he hoped as much—to the strength of his affections.

Nothing had changed.

Except now there was officially filed paperwork that stated that he was married to them both. Except Cody and Rex had both kissed him, nothing more than a soft press of lips against his own.

He needed to meditate, he decided. Needed to find his equilibrium again. 

They’d already finished the mission, thankfully, and it was as easy as jumping into hyperspace to head back to Coruscant, and leaving Cody and Rex to celebrate their now entirely legal marriage for Obi-Wan to slip away and try to meditate.

The Force was quiet, soothing, helping him parse through his concerns.

It was a slow process, working through the tumult of need and want and loneliness and loss. He had what he needed, he knew that. He did not necessarily have what he wanted, but he had enough that he would never risk what he did have in pursuit of something so unnecessary.

But that loneliness and loss still pricked at him. An ache in his chest, a fragility to his skin, a haunting echo that accompanied him wherever he went.

He swallowed, feeling that ache trying to rise up and consume him. He let it swell, let it crest over him, and then when the highest tide had slipped past him, he let it fade back into the Force, leaving him untouched in the passing storm.

He had never much cared for the difference between different sort of loves. He’d had relationships where they mismatched before. Some had worked out. Some hadn’t. Some had evolved.

This was not so very different from any of those times, but now there was a hint of longing for something he could not bring himself to ask for.

He liked to think that he knew both Cody and Rex reasonably well. He saw where they gave and took, what they were comfortable with. What they shared and what they kept for themselves.

He could not ask for what wasn’t freely given.

Cody and Rex had built silent, simple boundaries. Obi-Wan would not ask them to step beyond those.

So he swallowed down the hallow ache in his chest and fed it to the Force.

"Weren't supposed to have to use these for you, Obi-Wan."

The only answer was the continued steady breathing of Obi-Wan where he was sleeping—where he was in a coma, Cody reminded himself, the thought twisting at him and making him feel vaguely sick, Obi-Wan wasn’t sleeping he was in a coma.

Obi-Wan wasn't supposed to still be out here getting hurt. The war was over, they'd even won, for all the good that did. There weren't supposed to be traps and conspiracies hidden behind a simple treaty signing, for kriff's sake.

Except there was, because Obi-Wan had gone off on a mission, Rex and Cody trailing behind him, and less than a month later he was here in a coma.

His comm went off and Cody jumped slightly. It was Rex. He let out a quiet breath of relief, giving Obi-Wan's hand a squeeze before moving to the side of the room.

"Rex." He couldn't stop the way the relief covered his tone. "Status?"

"In custody and regretting all their life choices."

Good. Better than good, really.  The cretins that’d caused the explosion hadn’t been too hard to track down. It had just been time-consuming. A week and a half to find them and round them up, and during all that time, Obi-Wan had been here alone. When they’d finally finished, Cody had headed to the hospital while Rex had gone to planetary security. "You going to be here soon?"

"On my way," Rex promises. "Shouldn't be more than ten minutes. Any problems getting in?"

Cody shrugged, even though Rex couldn't see it. "Fairly reasonable, all told. Only had to argue with them for fifteen or so minutes." Prejudiced jerks. Not the worst they'd had to deal with, but... He shook his head, pushing away the useless thoughts. "They know you're coming, I put us both down as his riduur'e."

"At least we got in."

Cody tried to smile. “Of course we did, Obi-Wan was the one who came up with the plan in the first place.”

“To be fair, he’s had plans in the past that involve letting himself get captured and tortured. Sometimes his plans suck.”

Cody made a face, preferring to keep those memories firmly locked up somewhere else. “Sometimes, yeah. They all work though.”

Rex’s mutter of, “Not worth it,” was probably true.

Cody pulled them back on point. “I hadn't thought we'd need to use our marriage to be able to get to him in a medcenter.”

"We really should have," Rex commented, his voice was that specific mix of fond and exasperated that Cody knew viscerally for how many times he’d used it when Obi-Wan was involved. "How's he doing?"

"They keep saying he should be waking up anytime now." He glanced over at the bed where Obi-Wan lay absolutely still. "Apparently he prefers his beauty sleep."

"'Course he does," Rex groused. "It'd be too much to ask he not give you that ulcer you were always complaining about during the war."

That was probably not something that Cody should be smiling about, but he couldn't quite stop it from happening anyways. "You know him, always—" There was movement in his peripheral and he cut off, gaze focusing on Obi-Wan again.

There, the faintest stir, like the ones that preceded waking up. "Think he's waking up."

"Five minutes away," Rex promised. "Let him know we got the people behind this in custody."

Cody ended the call, moving to Obi-Wan's bedside. He expected Obi-Wan's waking to be slow and steady, but instead it seemed that once he started waking up, Obi-Wan couldn't be held back.

It was less than a minute before Obi-Wan was waking up completely, eyes blinking as he took in the space around them.

"Obi-Wan," he said, voice almost breaking with his relief. "You're going to give me an ulcer if you keep jumping on bombs." He caught Obi-Wan's hand, squeezing it softly. "Are you all right?"

For a moment Obi-Wan blinked up at him, face twisted in bemusement. "Whatever Alpha-17 told you is a lie, Commander. I never jump on bombs unless it's necessary." Cody froze a little. Alpha-17? Commander? Obi-Wan hadn't called him Commander in months, not since just after the war had ended. And he hadn't mentioned Alpha-17... well, not since the shortly after the beginning of Cody's time as his Commander.

"Commander?" Obi-Wan's voice was too hoarse, Cody noted almost absently, the thought an attempt to distract himself as he tried to deal with the sharp twist of anxiety in his chest. Cody moved for water, holding it to Obi-Wan's lips. "A sit rep, if you please?"

"Treaty signing was a trap," he said slowly. "You decided the best course of action was to throw yourself on a bomb. Rex and I finished up for you."

Obi-Wan's brow furrowed. "Treaty signing?" He was struggling to sit up and Cody immediately moved to help him. "I don't recall coming to a peaceful resolution with the Orathians."

Orathians? Cody thought, mind bouncing back and forth over the word as he tried to place it. Orathians… that had been at the very beginning of his time as Obi-Wan’s Commander. “Obi-Wan?" he asked carefully. "We're not on Oratha."

Obi-Wan frowned. "I just assumed." He glanced around. "As this is neither the Negotiator nor the Temple."

"No," Cody replied, and his own voice was nearly as hoarse as Obi-Wan's. "It's... it's not either of those. We're on Meerth."

Obi-Wan was frowning again. "Meerth. That's in the Poline Sector. That hasn't broken out into hostilities yet." Obi-Wan's eyes were narrowed in concentration. "We're not on Oratha?" he asked, but didn't seem too concerned when Cody couldn't bring himself to answer. He was already nodding slowly. He gestured to his head. "Concussion?"

Cody nodded, he tried to swallow down the rising fear but his throat was far too dry for that.

Obi-Wan let out an aggrieved sigh. "Force, we don't have time for this." He was already trying to struggle out of bed, and Cody found himself trying to push Obi-Wan back into the bed.

"Commander." Obi-Wan's voice was remonstrating. "If this—" he waved his hand towards his head, "—is what it appears to be. Then it is imperative I get caught up on the war efforts. How long ago was Oratha?"

There was a small commotion outside the door, keeping Cody from having to answer, and then Rex was entering, a medic behind him.

"Obi-Wan!" Rex's grin was bright and wide, most of his fear abated at the sight of Obi-Wan awake and already trying to get out of bed. But then Rex didn’t realize, yet, what Cody was trying to pretend wasn’t real. "You really need to stop giving Cody ulcers."

Obi-Wan's lip twisted up into a bemused smile. “So that’s something I really do, then?” He sent Cody an apologetic smile, but vaguely teasing smile. "I suppose it’s too late now to lie about it. Alpha-17 might have been right about a few things.”

The medic had made their way to Obi-Wan's bed. "Your husbands have been very worried about you," she commented dryly. Of all the medics she'd been the politest towards them, almost nice in a stern, medic sort of way. Shock and confusion crossed through Obi-Wan's eyes at the word 'husbands’, but he said nothing to contradict it. "But how are you feeling?"

"Mostly fine, ma'am."

Cody shook his head, and his voice sounded almost. "He's missing four years of memories."

Both Rex and Obi-Wan jerked to look at him. "He's what?" Rex asked, voice higher than normal.

"Four years?" Obi-Wan was asking at the same time, and his voice was strangely hopeful, despite the fact that Cody had just told him he had amnesia. "Really? The war, did we—"

"It's over."

The medic let out a hum as she forced Obi-Wan to look back at her so she could check his eyes. "Yes, you and your boys in white won it for the Republic." Obi-Wan looked like he'd been hit by a speeder, though his face was the picture of hope. "Now, I'm going to need to take you in for testing to see if we can't figure out what's going on with your mind."

For once, Obi-Wan was compliant with a medic, though Cody expected that was more the shock of the situation than anything.

"He's lost his memory?" Rex asked as Obi-Wan disappeared with the medic. "Four years? We sure? Battles and planets all sort of blend together at some point. Maybe..."

"He was talking about Oratha which was in the first few months of my time as his Commander. And he kept mentioning Alpha-17, and he... he stopped doing that when Alpha-17 died."

Rex's face went grim. "That's... not the worst thing. He could think he's a shiny again." Cody winced at the thought. "At least he knows about the war and knows us."

Cody nodded, trying to convince himself that things weren't as bad as they felt. But it was hard to think that when he'd just lost four years of friendship, all with a bomb and a coma.

Neither he nor Rex had a whole lot more to say about the situation, though Cody found himself sending a message to Coarse and Kix to ask about memory trauma and how likely it was to be permanent.

Neither answered and after a quick check he realized it was Coruscant's sleeping cycle.

This was why he hated medical emergencies. All he could ever do was sit there and be useless.

It was almost two hours later that Obi-Wan and the medic made their way back. "—I would like to keep you for further testing, but I simply can't find anything that might be causing this."

"Thank you, but if it's not going to kill me, I'd far prefer to head home." His smile was as charming as ever, but then Obi-Wan had been doing that long before Cody had met him. "I've been told that a safe environment would do me wonders."

The medic blushed a little, still seemingly under the spell of Obi-Wan’s too charming smiles, but nodded. "I'll get you released into your husbands' care."

There was another mini furrow of his brows, but Obi-Wan said nothing about it until Rex had gotten them into the speeder to head back to the ship.

"Our mission, whatever it was, has been completed?"

Cody nodded. "You'd gotten all the signatures and processes worked out before the bomb. There was a bit of a fuss after, but when Rex and I tracked down the culprits they were willing to stay true to the signing."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Very good. My thanks Commander, Captain."

Cody could see Rex twitch at the title. "Rex, The war's over, you can call me Rex and you can call Cody, Cody."

Obi-Wan paused, glancing at Cody as though waiting for his confirmation. Cody managed a shaky nod. "My thanks then, Cody, Rex." He turned towards them. "Now, that matter about... husbands? I had initially thought it was some sort of undercover set up, but if we were here for a treaty signing, I can't imagine undercover work would make much sense."

Cody shook his head. "No." He ran a hand through his hair, because their situation sounded very odd to try and explain out loud. What if this Obi-Wan felt differently about the plan than their Obi-Wan had? "Rex and I are married, but the Republic refused to consider it legitimate since we don't have citizen status. But there are planets where—"

"If one individual is married to two others, then those two are considered married as well." Obi-Wan nodded easily. "Well, that makes sense. But what is this about you not having citizenship? If the war is over..."

As if a marriage of convenience was truly that simple.

But then maybe to Obi-Wan it was.

It gave Cody an odd feeling, one he couldn't place.

"The Senate has so far refused to give us rights. We're probably lucky they're not kicking us off Coruscant, but then they wouldn't know where we are or what we're 'planning'."

Obi-Wan's face contorted with displeasure. "I hope the Jedi..."

"Are doing what you can," Rex assured him. "A good portion of the clones are living in the temple these days. We–" he gestured between himself and Cody, "—actually live with you."

Obi-Wan paused at that, head tilting in thought. "I apologize, I don't wish to be indelicate. But given you apparently live with me, and you said we were married for legal reasons. Is this a... conventional marriage or one on paperwork only."

"Paperwork only. You're actually married to a couple of other pairs of riduure." That too seemed to be easily accepted, as though there was nothing odd about it. "But the three of us are friends." It felt important to emphasize that, when this Obi-Wan barely knew them. "We actually lived with you before the whole paperwork marriage. We wanted to.”

Obi-Wan nodded, his expression smoothing out again, smile easy and understanding. But not tinged with the warmth of familiarity. "Thank you. I would hate to have presumed anything."

There wasn't time to say anything else before Obi-Wan was launching into questions about how the war had ended and the current state of the galaxy."

It was familiar. practical. logical.

Cody still felt... off.

"Hey Obi-Wan." Rex yawned as he entered the kitchen. "Red tea or Sapir?"

From the table Obi-Wan looked up from his datapad, blinking at him a few times. "Pardon?"

Rex narrowed his eyes as he took in the rather empty state of their tea cupboard. They'd need to be re-stocking soon. He'd add it to the list. "Which would you like, Red tea or Sapir?"

"Oh." Obi-Wan shook his head. "No need to concern yourself, I've already had a cup."

Rex paused, hand stretched out towards the tea. "You've... had a cup?"

"Yes.” Obi-Wan tilted his head in curiosity. “Do I not drink as much tea now, as I used to?"

"No, no, you do." He felt off kilter. "Sorry, I just normally make you tea while I make mine and Cody's caf."

Obi-Wan let out an amused sound. "I had noticed a great deal of caf in the cupboard. I believe you and the Comm—" he paused, clearing his throat. "I apologize, I believe you and Cody drink more than even Anakin did."

Rex grabbed the caf, starting the machine and then putting on a tea kettle. He froze there, shaking his head and taking it back off. Habit. He'd been making Obi-Wan tea with their caf whenever they were here back when they'd unofficially moved in but were pretending they hadn’t. And then he had taken it over entirely when they'd moved in officially.

But of course, Obi-Wan wouldn't remember that. Wouldn’t wait for Rex to make it. Wouldn’t give Rex a fond smile and declare that Rex ‘made it better than I do myself’ after that first sip. Wouldn’t… well, he wouldn’t follow a morning ritual that as far as he was concerned didn’t exist.

He finished the caf, setting Cody's down at his seat for when he would inevitably stumble into the kitchen in a few minutes. He sat across from Obi-Wan. "What are you working on?"

Obi-Wan's attention had already gone back on his datapad and it took him a few moments to shift his attention back to Rex. "Just filling in the details of the past few years. Trying to get a sense of the politics of today so that I'm not completely useless in the Council meeting this afternoon." His nose scrunched in disgruntlement. “Apparently the loss of my memory isn’t quite enough to get me kicked off the Council and Mace got rather creative with his threats if I tried to use it as an excuse to resign. Apparently if he has to suffer, so do I.”

Rex snorted. “Ponds says most of that is just bluster.”

A pause, tilt of the head. “Ponds. Mace’s former Commander?”

Rex nodded. “He’s been living with General Windu since almost immediately after the war.”

Obi-Wan’s lips twisted into a smile. “Well, he’s not wrong. 90 percent of it probably is bluster, it’s that last 10 percent that one needs to look out for when dealing with someone as subtly devious as Mace is.”

Rex had heard similar things from Ponds before, but he still couldn’t quite bring himself to believe it.

Cody appeared in the doorway, eyes squinting and mouth opened in a wide yawn. “Caf?”

Obi-Wan let out a quiet snort of what might have been laughter, standing from his place at the table and grabbing Cody’s cup of caf to bring it to him.

Cody managed a mumbled thanks, nearly sticking his face into the cup of caf.

Obi-Wan sent a small nod towards Rex. “A good day to the both of you.” He sent Cody a bemused smile. “At least once you both wake up.”

Cody muttered something into his cup of caf, but Rex didn’t understand it, and from the look on his face neither had Obi-Wan. But Obi-Wan just gave another bemused smile and headed out.

Rex could hear the faint sounds of Obi-Wan moving through the living room before the apartment door opened and slid closed.

Cody stumbled to his chair, slumping over his cup of caf. Rex would never stop being amused at how Cody refused to be a morning person now that he didn’t have to be. Yes, if there was an attack or other emergency, than Cody would snap to fully awake in less than a heartbeat. But he didn’t have to, so he didn’t.

It was a strange, beautiful sort of freedom and it made Rex want to lean across the table and kiss his riduur.

So that was what he did.

That was a strange, beautiful sort of freedom too, and Rex would never get tired of it.

But he did need to get on with his day.

Cody made an annoyed noise when Rex stood up, taking his now empty cup of caf with him to the sink. Obi-Wan’s own cup sat there, a small ringed stain around the top of the cup where the tea had been.

Maybe he should wake up a little earlier tomorrow, make Obi-Wan a cup of tea before he could make it himself.

He shook himself, feeling foolish and frustrated and not entirely sure why.

It was the change, he told himself. Just all those small changes in what had once been easy, perfect even. The three of them had found a perfect sort of equilibrium, here in these rooms. They’d moved around each other with the same practiced ease of cleaning armor or performing maintenance on a blaster.

Warm, familiar habit that reminded him that he was safe.

“You doing anything today?” Rex asked, as he washed both cups.

“Senate.” Cody’s voice was awake now, but bitter. “Same old, same old. Though Fox has been smiling that demented little smile of his, so who knows if that’s a good thing or not.”

Rex winced a little. Fox had a surprisingly large range of smiles.

Most of them were not a good sign.

“Hopefully he’s pointing that viciousness at someone who deserves it.” He probably was, Fox had been instrumental in getting them as far as they had. After years in the Senate he had been perfectly placed to start working as a voice for the rest of them.

Rex knew that Obi-Wan had actually taken Fox under his wing, so to speak, helping Fox turn his brilliant, scheming mind towards politics.

It hadn’t worked yet, but… well, nothing else had either.

Eventually something would.

“What about you?” Cody asked, coming up behind him and putting this now empty cup in the sink. Rex took it, rinsing it in hot water.

“Koon found some more educational modules for…” he paused, trying to remember. “Tax accountants? I think.” They were trying to get as much knowledge under their belts so that when they finally had citizenship they’d be able to actually get jobs. “I’ve got some shinies who think that sort of thing sounds intriguing, so I’m setting them up to get started with that.”

“Taxes.” Cody was still standing close enough that Rex could feel him shudder. “Better them than me.”

“We need to find jobs too, you know.”

“We have a job.” Cody’s voice had gone dry again. “It’s called ‘keep Obi-Wan Kenobi from dying’, General Windu told me it comes with a decent stipend and a wonderful retirement package.”

Rex found himself smiling. “Full time job like that? It better have a good retirement package.”

Cody laughed, quiet and soft in Rex’s ear. “Yeah. Think it comes with a nice apartment and a Jedi to share it with.”

That dampened some of Rex’s happiness. “Think he’s going to get his memories back?”

They’d taken Obi-Wan to the Halls of Healing the moment they’d landed back on Coruscant, but Healer Che had said she couldn’t find anything wrong. She’d promised to reach out to anyone who might have a better idea of what was going on in Obi-Wan’s head, but had had no guarantees on when that might be.

But since Obi-Wan was—minus a few years of memories—mentally sound, and still entirely capable, he’d been cleared fit for duty.

The first few days had been wild, Obi-Wan trying to get fully caught up, in meetings all day, and otherwise adjusting to the world, Rex hadn’t truly noticed the differences.

But now, after what he’d thought would be a normal morning, he could see that had been optimistic.

Still, it was just one thing.

They’d find a new normal, even if it was just a temporary one.

It took him maybe three days to realize he hated this new normal. There were no group dinners, no breakfast chats, no evenings relaxing together.

Obi-Wan would look at them, sometimes, like he wanted to join them. Looked at them with the eyes of someone trying to figure out something important.

But then he’d smile, tell them he hoped they enjoyed themselves, and made himself scarce.

It was driving Rex up a wall.

Worse, it made something in Rex itch. Things weren’t right when Obi-Wan wasn’t there, when he wasn’t slotting into place beside him and Cody like he was meant to be there.

"Was I in love with them?"

Quinlan let out a yelp, flailing backwards and into a wall. He squinted at Obi-Wan, face mushy and annoyed. "What are you doing here?"

Obi-Wan twitched at that. "Do I not drop by and visit anymore?" There were so many changes. Some small, some large, some good, some bad. He'd read through the casualty reports, had counted up the friends he'd lost, had gone through the names of his battalion and ached at how many of those names he had no recollection of.

But the halls of the temple were full for the first time in his memory, the clones a warm, bright presence among them. His own rooms were full of a soft warmth that... well, he’d loved Qui-Gon and he’d loved Anakin, but he felt a comfort in his rooms that was new.

He also felt something else entirely.

Quinlan's face softened as he came and plopped onto the couch next to him. "No, you drop by, we're still friends, much to your constant chagrin." Obi-Wan rolled his eyes at that, but smiled. That hadn't changed at least. "But we schedule it more these days. You've got a whole ‘social calendar’—“ Quinlan said the words as though they were something dirty, but then Quinlan didn’t believe in planning unless it was absolutely necessary, “—your Cody and Rex evenings, dinners with your council friends, visits to Anakin and his wife." That was another change that Obi-Wan found himself mildly bemused with. Anakin had married and left the Jedi. 

“I’m busy, then?” That was somehow strange. At least that he was busy socially. He had never had much time for personal friendships. Qui-Gon had had them on missions constantly, and Anakin had taken so much of his time, though Obi-Wan would certainly never complain about that.

But now he had friends. He did things simply because he wanted to.

It was a strange world to wake up to.

Quinlan shrugged. “Yep. But we’re still friends though."

That was good. "Cody and Rex evenings?"

Quinlan shrugged. "You call in 'staying in', but those evenings are sacrosanct for you, so it's obviously not just for staying in."

Obi-Wan nodded at that, compiling it with everything else he'd put together of his new life.

He took a deep breath before asking his earlier question again. “I was in love with them, wasn't I?"

Quinlan shifted a little uneasily. "If you were, you didn’t tell me."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, giving Quinlan his most skeptical look. "You've been sticking your nose into my business since we met, don't pretend you don't know."

Quinlan proved he was still an immature arse and stuck his tongue out at him. "Can't prove it."

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. "I will trounce you in a spar."

"Maybe I'm better than you, now," Quinlan pointed out.

Obi-Wan let out an incredulous snort at that. Quinlan was a better brawler than he was a dueller, and Obi-Wan would eat his robes and risk the supply master's wrath if that had changed.

"Fine," Quinlan muttered, mullish again in an offense that was entirely feigned. "I know."

When he didn't answer immediately, Obi-Wan nudged at Quinlan's shins with a foot. "And?"

Quinlan let out a heavy breath. "Yeah, you were. Since about six months into working with him for your Commander, and then you fell for Skywalker's Captain not long after."

Obi-Wan grimaced, running a hand through his hair. In his memories, he only remembered working with Cody for a few months, and he supposed he could see how he might have been in the path to falling in love with the man.

“Tell me honestly, Quin, did I take advantage of them with this 'paperwork marriage'?"

Quinlan shook his head adamantly. "No, no Obi-Wan. Not at all."

Some of the tension in his spine faded. The thought had been haunting since the first time he'd felt a trace of his own presence, deeply settled and filled with a heavy sense of love—and loneliness.

"I'm... happy, right?" He met Quinlan's eyes desperately. "Most of the traces in my rooms are happy."

Quinlan tilted his head in thought. "Look, that I don't fully know. But you consider them two of the most important people in your life. Romance or not. You've never expected anything from them, and you'd never ask them for anything, and you're happy with that. You just..."

"Have always been a romantic."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Quinlan said, smile wry. "But honestly, I think that's... stretching it. You... you've always said that you wouldn't trade what you have with them for anything. But you also sometimes want things like sleeping next to somebody, waking up to them, the sex." Obi-Wan grabbed a pillow and hit Quinlan with it.

Quinlan let out a snorting laugh. "Yeah, yeah. I know. You don't care about the sex." His grin faded. "You're in love with them, they love you, and all three of you are happy with that."

It was a relief. What he had with them was good, just as he'd hoped it was. But...

"Perhaps this is a second chance," Obi-Wan mused. "To try to fall in love with somebody else."

The look Quinlan gave him made it clear that he thought Obi-Wan was an idiot. "Seriously?"

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Look, I can feel how much Cody and Rex mean to me. Or... how much they mean to me when I'm not missing four years. And I figure the more I get to know them again or if my memories come back, that won't change." He bit his lip. "I wouldn't ruin that for anything. Honestly, I wish I could remember it. It..." he sighed. It sounded nearly perfect just as it was. "But... well, I've never cared about sex, still..."

“You're a touch-starved, cuddle-hungry idiot who doesn't want to ask them if there's any extra space in their life to fit in some of the things you need because you don't want to lose what might be one of the most important relationships in your life."

Obi-Wan sighed at that unfortunately well-put summation of both what he felt both now and, apparently, when he had all his memories.

"Well, yes. That sums it up. I just want both, and... I don't see why I can't? Cody and Rex would be no less important to me if I found someone to share a bed with." He rolled his eyes, already seeing Quinlan's mouth opening so he could say something idiotic. "I can feel, memories notwithstanding, that my life is... fuller, with them in it." Quinlan was nodding slowly, and Obi-Wan continued. "And if what I was giving Cody and Rex before was enough for them, then me looking elsewhere wouldn't take anything away from them. And our relationship can stay exactly how it is—was—and I'll stop feeling like there's anything else I need."

Quinlan was scrunching his nose, clearly intending to blow a hole through his argument. "You ever thought about talking with them about what you all want out of your relationship? You're living together, and from the sounds of it, you plan to stay living together. You're technically married."

“Exactly. Technically. It’s a paperwork marriage," Obi-Wan reminded him. 

Quinlan rolled his eyes. "Paperwork marriage. Whatever. You know some people get weird about things like this. They think it needs to be the most important relationship, and I don’t know if you could give that to them. Might not take well to not being the most important relationship in your life."

Obi-Wan sighed. "I know. Maybe another Jedi, they’d likely understand,” he mused. He narrowed his eyes at Quinlan. "Have I been taking advantage of you?"

Quinlan looked at him like he was an idiot. Again. Obi-Wan was starting to get mildly offended. "No, Obi-Wan, you don't take advantage of me. But if you want…” He waggled his eyebrows and Obi-Wan threw another pillow at his face before leaving Quinlan’s quarters.

He had a lot to think about.

Cody looked up as the door opened and Obi-Wan stepped in. "Hey Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan nodded, sending a small smile towards him as he hung his robe beside the door. "Good news."

Cody raised an eyebrow at that. "It's been a long time since you've shown up with good news after a Council Meeting."

Obi-Wan blinked. "Oh, no. The Council Meeting ended several hours ago. Healer Che asked me to stop by the Halls of Healing. I went there after the Council Meeting."

Cody shifted, brows furrowing as he turned to more fully face Obi-Wan more fully. "You didn't mention that."

Obi-Wan did that thing he did sometimes, where he seemed to find something strange and needed to incorporate it into his worldview. "Oh, yes. I suppose I didn't."

Cody supposed there was nothing to say that Obi-Wan had to tell them what was going on in his life, but it became clearer in times like this that Obi-Wan did not see them as he once had. Before Obi-Wan had considered them a part of his life.

People he ate dinner with, or shared breakfast with, or made plans with, or shared important information with…

But Obi-Wan didn’t do almost any of those things anymore. Perhaps it wasn’t fair that he be expected to.

Still, before this, he’d have told them if he was going to the medics and it might be important.

"Healer Che?" Cody prompted, because he didn't want to think about everything he felt like he’d lost right now.

"Oh yes, if you remember she said that there wasn't any sort of brain trauma causing the memory lapse." Cody nodded, remembering that, remembering the disappointment he'd felt when Healer Che said there was little she could do to help. "She brought in one of our mind and soul specialists to take a look."

"It's getting better?" Cody asked, hope bubbling a little in his chest.

Obi-Wan made a so-so gesture with his hand. "Well, no. But Healer Sihle, the mind and soul specialist, says that whatever it was was self-inflicted."

Cody stared at him, that bubble of hope souring. "You're hurting yourself," he said flatly. "And that's supposed to be good news?"

"Well, Healer Sihle says it's likely my subconscious won't be able to suppress the memories forever, so no matter what, I'll get those back. Though..." he wrinkled his nose. "She said that would be an unpleasant experience. It'd be much better if I just ‘gently tapped' against whatever was causing the block and knocking it loose, she said it'd fall more naturally that way.”

Oh. Cody let out a breath of relief. "Do you have any ideas what might be causing the block?"

He saw it in Obi-Wan’s face before he answered. "An inkling, perhaps."

"As in you're at least 80 percent sure, but you don't believe in putting all your focus on one possibility in case you're wrong."

Obi-Wan had been right, this was good news. At least it sounded like it might be. Could be. Should be.

Obi-Wan seemed to be considering his words carefully. “Full-memory me trapped myself in a position where I was missing something I needed. Which is ridiculous, because it’s never been a problem before, but perhaps…” he shook his head, pulling himself off of whatever tangent he’d been in danger of going down. “Regardless, I needed something and I had been unable to see a way to resolve that need. My mind seemed to have decided to push me back to a less complicated time.”

“And it… chose the middle of the war.” Cody wouldn’t say it, but Obi-Wan’s mind was clearly a little addled if that had been the ‘less complicated’ time

“More the beginning, really,” Obi-Wan responded, because he was apparently feeling like being pedantic.

Cody rolled his eyes. “So what do you need? And how do we get it for you?”

Obi-Wan stared at him for a moment, clearly baffled. “Pardon?”

Cody just arched an eyebrow, because Obi-Wan wasn’t dense, even when he pretended to be.

“Oh, no. No, no.” He waved a hand in a ‘relax’ gesture. “Don’t concern yourself with it. I won’t inflict my problems on you.”

The frustration that twisted in his chest was too familiar. Had Obi-Wan been like this before he’d lost his memories? So eager to keep him and Rex at a distance?

“It’s not inflicting them on me, if I’m entirely willing,” Cody pointed out. “We’re friends, Obi-Wan. I… I miss being able to help you. I know you don’t know me as well as you used to, but we trust each other.”

Obi-Wan’s face went soft. “I do know that. I can feel it in the Force just how much you and Rex mean to me. Which is why I’m going to figure this out. I want to remember the both of you.”

“Then let me help,” Cody said—begged, he corrected, he was begging. “I don’t think there’s ever been anything—“ with the exception of the citizenship for the clones, ”—that we haven’t been able to figure out a way to deal with before.”

He could see Obi-Wan’s expressions shift from conflicted, to thoughtful, to resigned, to determined. “No, Cody. I’m afraid this isn’t something you or Rex can help me with.” His face twitched into something that might have been a smile.

Why not!? Cody wanted to demand. Perhaps there was nothing they could do, but they could help think of a way to deal with whatever this ‘need’ was.

Unless…

“Is it mine or Rex’s fault?” he asked, the anxiety twisting inside of him almost painful. “Is it something we did?”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened. “No, no. Of course not. This isn’t your fault. It’s my own doing, I assure you. I brought this all on myself.”

Cody didn’t know what to say. Part of him wanted to just… demand that Obi-Wan tell him. But he’d always tried to be so careful with the boundaries between them, and he couldn’t just step over those carefully built boundaries now.

He just…

He hated feeling useless, like there was nothing he could do.

Obi-Wan frowned suddenly, turning towards the door just as it started to open.

The door had barely opened before Rex was skidding through. "You're never going to believe it." Rex's voice was almost giddy.

Cody had both jumped to his feet, tense and ready, but Cody relaxed. Despite his abrupt entrance, Rex was not here to warn them of an emergency. "Believe what?"

"Someone just posted evidence all over the holo-net detailing multi-years of corruption against Mas Amedda." He waved his datapad. "Not even thirty minutes ago."

It took only moments to understand. "No. Really? Will the Senate–"

Rex held out a hand to stop him. "It gets better."

"Better than corruption in the Senate?" Obi-Wan asked wryly, though it was clear he was also putting together just what this would mean for them.

"Mas Amedda might be a traitor. Some people are claiming that he might have killed Palpatine to take his Chancellor seat."

"Corruption and Murder," Obi-Wan murmured. "Mas Amedda might as well just jump into the grave he dug himself, because the Senate is going to bury him. It's like an early life day."

"No one is going to want to have anything to do with any of his policies." Cody almost couldn't believe it. Could they really get that lucky? Would it be enough?

Obi-Wan was suddenly striding towards the door. "I need to go see Bail. Reach out to the Council. The next steps are going to be important ones."

It was almost enough to distract himself from their earlier conversation. "This isn't over, Obi-Wan! Murder and corruption aren't going to get you out of talking about this!"

Obi-Wan just waved distractedly as the door slid shut behind him.

Rex blinked at him, glancing between him and the door. "Wait, what?"

Cody hesitated. "Tell me more about the murder and corruption charges and I'll fill you in on new ways Obi-Wan has found to be stubborn."

The thought plagued the both of them.

Obi-Wan had needed something and felt like he hadn’t had it. Had apparently needed it enough that his mind had launched him back to a point where he could do something about it.

“He barely knew us, back then,” Rex said finally.  It was something that had circled his thoughts since Cody had filled him in on the situation. Now, laying in bed, curled into Cody and staring up at the ceiling, it was almost impossible not to finally put it into words.

“Yeah,” Cody agreed, voice a little dull. “It feels kind of egotistical… but that was after he’d lost Alpha-17 and before he’d fully accepted the fact that I was there to stay. It can’t be Alpha-17, because Obi-Wan made his peace with it. There’s nothing from that time in the war that would need his attention. He hasn’t made any moves to change his relationship with Skywalker. The only people he’s trying to change his relationship with is us.”

It was an uncomfortable thought. Rex shifted so that he was more comfortably nestled into Cody’s side. “You think we should move out?”

He could feel the tension in Cody’s body. “He said he wants to get back to his memories of us. He said he can feel how much we mean to full-memory him and he wants what we had then back.”

So he probably didn’t want them to move out.

Probably.

It didn’t make any sense though. “He says that. But we’re here, and we’d help things get back to normal, but he won’t let us. He just… keeps running away.”

Cody sighed. “Apparently he can’t accept it until he figures out a way to give himself what he needs.”

They left it there, and eventually Rex felt Cody fall asleep, tension seeping out as his breath slowed, soft and easy.

Rex felt some of his own tension slip away, eased by the peacefulness Cody always exuded in sleep.

Cody hadn’t felt this peaceful except for when he was slipping since Obi-Wan had woken up without his memories.

Once this was figured out, things would go back to normal. Or… well, he hoped it would go back to normal. And the old normal. Not this new, almost painful normal where it felt like they were missing part of what they were.

Rex scowled. It would be so much easier if Obi-Wan would just communicate. But he seemed to have found another boundary.

The problem was Rex couldn’t tell if it was a boundary for Obi-Wan, or a boundary that Obi-Wan thought Cody and Rex needed.

Looking back, he wondered how often they had that miscommunication.

He knew how important boundaries were. Would rather shoot himself in the foot with a blaster than recklessly trample over someone’s boundaries unless it was literally a matter of life and death.

But…

How many ‘boundaries’ were Obi-Wan’s? How many ‘boundaries’ were ones that Obi-Wan thought they wanted? How many ‘boundaries’ that they all so carefully toed had been arbitrarily decided on?

The thought rolled around in his mind as he tried to put it together. They all worked so carefully not to step over each other’s boundaries, that they’d never actually talked about what those boundaries were.

It seemed such a simple, easy thing for them to have talked about. Yet Rex couldn’t think of a time that they really had.

Cody jerked up, moving from sleeping to alert in half a second and sending Rex flailing towards the wall.

“I think he’s in love with us.” He could barely hear the words over his brain looking for whatever threat had woken Cody up and it took him a minute to realize what Cody had said.

“Obi-Wan?”

Cody was nodding, sharp and abrupt and his eyes had taken on that glint that came when he’d worked through the enemy’s battle strategy. “He’s in love with us.” He paused, suddenly uncertain. “At least I think he is. And that’s why he won’t tell us what he needs. Because he thinks we can’t give him what he needs. It’s why he won’t let himself get close, because he’s trying not to fall back in love with us.”

Rex furrowed his brows, thinking through the information and coming to a different possible conclusion. “Or maybe he thinks we’re in love with him, and without the full context of the situation, he thinks that he has to put distance between us for his own comfort.”

Cody pursed his lips. “Are we in love with him?”

Given their current subject matter the question was entirely reasonable, and yet Rex found his mind stuttering over it. Were they in love with Obi-Wan?

“I…” He frowned. “I don’t know? Maybe?”

“Huh.” Cody went silent, clearly thinking through it. “I think I am.”

Rex blinked, taking that in. It certainly didn’t bother him, the thought of Cody in love with Obi-Wan. Honestly, he couldn’t really see how it would make much of a difference, as long as Obi-Wan loved him back and didn’t feel uncomfortable with it.

He turned to consider his own feelings, trying to make sense of them, twisting them around and trying to make sense of them as well as he could.

He knew Obi-Wan—or thought he had—and he wanted to keep knowing Obi-Wan, to know him as he changed and grew. And he wanted Obi-Wan to know him the same way.

“I might love him, too.” He decided. “That still doesn’t solve any of our problems.”

They both sat there for a while, staring at each other while they thought through what was technically a revelation, but didn’t feel all that much like one.

It was like Obi-Wan had said, back when they’d decided to get married. It didn’t seem to change all that much.

But… but maybe it could?

“So which is it,” Cody said finally. “Did he realize we’re in love with him and get uncomfortable? Or is he in love with us and thinks we don’t love him and get uncomfortable?”

“It might not have anything to do with this at all,” Rex pointed out, but even then he didn’t fully believe it. Somehow this just seemed right.

“In either of those options, what would Obi-Wan think he needs?”

“Love. From someone else,” Cody answered promptly. “If it’s the first, he wants to help us build emotional distance. If it’s the second he’ll be trying to emotionally distance himself.”

That made sense, Rex supposed. “Shouldn’t we… let him? If that’s what will make him happy?”

It got quiet once again as they both considered that.

“If that’s what he wants,” Cody finally spoke, voice slow as he worked out his thoughts. “But we should put all the weapons on the table, so he knows what his options are.”

Rex sighed, falling back onto the bed and staring up at the ceiling again. “So tomorrow we tell him we love him and see what happens?”

Cody let out an echoing sigh, falling down next to him. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Rex took Cody’s hand in his own, and tried to hope that everything would work itself out in the morning.

Obi-Wan was surprised to find both Cody and Rex in the kitchen when he woke up the next morning. He’d gotten used to being the first one up, to Rex coming into the kitchen to make caf for himself and Cody, to Cody stumbling in pointedly and purposefully groggy a few minutes later.

“Good morning,” he said, keeping his voice pleasant. “You’re both up early?”

Cody let out a non-committal hum and Rex just turned, cup in hand. “Tea?”

“Oh I can—“

Rex held out the cup and Obi-Wan realized it hadn’t so much as been an offer to make some as a statement that he’d already done so.

“Well thank you.” He took the cup, taking a deep breath to inhale the scent of Sapir tea. He took a sip and closed his eyes. Oh, that was a well-made cup of tea. “I daresay, Rex, you may make a cup of tea better than I do myself.”

The words sent a rush of happiness through the Force and he opened his eyes to see that Rex was leaning against the counter with a relieved and satisfied smile on his face. “I try.”

Obi-Wan took another sip of tea and took in the scene in the kitchen again. Rex was leaning against the kitchen counter while Cody seemed to be holding the wall up on the other side of the room. There was a faint under stirring of tension, though it didn’t seem to be between the two of them.

Not a fight, then. But still something was going on.

His gut twisted. Things outside the Temple were going well, for once. New elections were being called and Bail had told them that there prospects were looking up. It wouldn’t be immediate, but things for the clones would hopefully finally start going as they should.

Perhaps that was what it was? With new prospects on the horizon, Cody and Rex were looking to move on?

This was good, he reminded himself. Cody and Rex deserved to be able to go and do whatever they pleased. The galaxy had denied them that for far too long.

Well, there was nothing for it than to swallow the blaster bolt. “I take it you two have something you’d like to tell me?” he queried, suddenly rather eager to just get this out of the way as soon as possible.

He found himself suddenly grateful for the missing memories. This would no doubt hurt so much more, if he had a year worth of memories living together, and four years worth of carefully nurtured love between him and this conversation.

The will of the Force, perhaps, or just a lucky bit of chance.

“We do,” Cody said slowly, measuredly. Obi-Wan thought fondly that it was no wonder that Cody had made for such a remarkable Commander in those years that Obi-Wan didn’t remember. There was a sense of purpose to him, steadfast determination that told Obi-Wan he would get to whatever point he had decided on.

“Well then.” He gestured to the table. “Shall we sit or is this a standing only sort of conversation.”

“Sitting is good,” Rex answered, though neither of them moved until Obi-Wan himself moved to the table.

“All right then.” He set his cup on the table, wrapping his hands around the cup for something to do with them.

Neither Rex nor Cody started talking, and Obi-Wan found himself starting to get anxious. He sipped at his tea, trying to keep any of that emotion from leaking through.

“We want you to be happy,” Cody said, and Obi-Wan almost jumped from the abrupt switch from silence. “You know that, right?”

Obi-Wan tilted his head, considering that. “As much as I can know that. I don’t have the memories to back it up, but it seems true to me.”

Cody winced a little. “Right. Well, it’s true. It’s always been true.”

Obi-Wan waited, but Cody and Rex clearly hadn’t decided how to actually broach this subject. “Even as I am, I want you to be happy,” he decided to start. “And I know that when I have my full memories that that holds true. Beyond my duties, there is little I want more than your happiness.” He waved to the room. “It’s rather impossible to miss with the Force.”

Cody and Rex exchanged glances, and Obi-Wan thought they looked hopeful.

“Right. Good.” Rex was nodding. “And we want to respect your boundaries. But… we also thought it was important to be honest with you. And then we thought that… maybe we could all go from there.”

This didn’t entirely sound like Cody and Rex were talking about moving out, or at least not quite yet. Perhaps Obi-Wan had been doing something that made them uncomfortable, and they wanted to address it?

“Of course, that sounds like the best way to proceed.”

Rex nodded, taking a deep breath and Obi-Wan watched as emotions flashed through Rex’s face. “We love you. Both of us. Together. And individually.”

Obi-Wan’s mind felt like it’d just run into a wall hard enough to bounce off of it. “Pardon?” His voice sounded strange. Had he given himself away? Had they realized how he felt and were trying to get ahead of him in fear that he might retaliate?

“We love you,” Cody answered this time, and his voice was smooth, confident. “And we know you might not feel the same way—“ what, they didn’t know full-memory Obi-Wan loved them, and that Obi-Wan as he was now was trying desperately to stay away so he wouldn’t fall in love with them until he had a solution? ”—But we thought it was important to tell you how we felt.”

“I…” His mind was struggling to compute, and he felt an ache building near his temple. “Are you sure?”

Cody looked suddenly amused, and the expression on his face turned fond. “Very sure, Obi-Wan.”

Oh. Well.

“What does… what does that mean?”

Rex and Cody exchanged looks. “That depends on how you feel about it. What you want from it. What all three of us decide we want from it.”

Obi-Wan’s heart was beating strangely, too fast and too loud and yet not fast enough at all. “Oh.”

“Do you… want it to mean something in particular?”

Obi-Wan’s mouth was suddenly dry and he had to take a long sip of tea before he could find his voice.

“I… I’ve been trying not to fall back in love with you. Full-memory me is… almost painfully in love with you. He… I… just want you to be happy and didn’t want to presume.”

Cody’s smile looked almost triumphant, as though something finally made sense to him.

“You wouldn’t have been,” Cody assured him and Rex quickly agreed.

“Does that… does that mean, that…” Force, he felt embarrassed, like he had the first time Siri had backed him into a corner and asked him rather bluntly if they should have sex together. He was not a padawan, he was a Jedi Master in his own right. “Does that mean you would have no objection to touching me?”

Cody and Rex both froze, staring at him oddly. “Touching you?”

Obi-Wan nodded, feeling suddenly, entirely foolish. “I… it hurts, sometimes. I just… and I see you touch each other, and… it aches.”

“You’re saying your touch-starved,” Cody put together immediately, and there was a distinctly unhappy emotion on his face, that Obi-Wan knew wasn’t his fault, but felt bad for anyways.

“Perhaps,” Obi-Wan admitted. “I’ve always needed more touch than many of my fellow Jedi. But it’s not that simple. The… emotion behind the touch is important. If it’s out of obligation.” He shuddered, remembering starkly, being a padawan and needing desperately for Qui-Gon to acknowledge him. He had felt so unsure of his place, and needed something to ground him. He also remembered the painful, itchy feeling it left when it was clear Qui-Gon was only doing so out of obligation and not genuine care.

Over the years he’d learned what touch he could stand and what he couldn’t. 

And he’d known, just stepping into these rooms the first time, that he wanted to be touched by these two men. But if they didn’t… well, he would not ask that of them, because he’d known they would.

It would hurt so much more to be touched and cared for out of obligation.

But if they did love him… than perhaps…

“Kark,” Cody breathed out. “You’re…” he shook his head exasperatedly, his chair skittering back as Cody abruptly stood. 

Before Obi-Wan could blink, Cody had circled the table and was reaching for Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan allowed Cody to take his arm, let Cody pull him up until he was standing and then…

Oh.

Oh. Cody’s arms were around him, and Obi-Wan was pressed into his chest and some of that ache faded. It was warm and pleasant and not at all out of obligation. Cody was holding him because Cody wanted to hold him.

Moments later Rex was behind him, sandwiching him in between the two of them. Something that might have been a sob racked through him.

Force, it’d been a long time since someone had wanted to touch him, had wanted to show him they loved him.

There was a sharp pressure in his brain again and Obi-Wan let out a gasp of pain. “Oh.”

When he woke up he was in the Halls of Healing and Cody and Rex were on either side of his bed.

The past few weeks of memories were sharp and forefront, but behind those were all those missing memories. “Oh my,” he murmured, wincing sheepishly.

Rex jerked up, gaze darting towards him. “You’re awake!”

Cody stirred at the words, sitting up with a yawn and a scowl. “You’re going to give me an ulcer.”

“I do apologize.” He winced again. “I do believe I’ve made a proper mess of things the past few weeks.”

Cody snorted. “You think?” He shook his head, amused and irritated and oh so very, very fond. “I can’t believe you gave yourself amnesia because you didn’t think you were allowed to ask for a hug.”

Obi-Wan sniffed, because he would maintain that everything he’d done had been completely sensible.

“We should probably talk about that better, going forward,” Rex noted dryly. “What we all want from this relationship.”

Relationship. The three of them.

“I… I don’t know if I really need anything more or less than what we have,” he admitted. “I’m happy as we are, though I don’t know what that is. Just… more touch.”

“You have a bigger bed anyways,” Cody noted. “If you don’t mind sharing.”

He most certainly didn’t. “That means we can give the padawan room to any of your brothers that need it,” Obi-Wan added, because it felt strange to picture the room standing empty.

They all fell silent for a moment. “This… it’s not going to change much, is it?”

That was a strange thought. They had cohabited together, gotten married, confessed they loved each other and yet… He still didn’t know when they’d become whatever it was they were.

“Not much, no,” Rex agreed.

“You’re still a kriffin’ idiot,” Cody complained. “Seriously. How hard is it to say ‘can I get a hug, please?’”

Obi-Wan sighed, but there was a small smile tugging at his lips. “Oh, so it’s that easy?”

“Yes,” Cody and Rex said in unison, the truth of it resonating through the Force.

Well then, if they said so. “In that case, may I get a hug, please?”

That earned him two huffs of laughter, but then Rex was leaning over the medbed and was pulling Obi-Wan up and into a hug. He let out a soft sigh, wrapping his own arms around Rex. Oh. This… this felt like the best sort of warmth.

A moment later Cody was sitting behind Obi-Wan on the bed and wrapping them both in his own hug.

“Still a kriffin’ idiot,” Cody muttered. “But at least you’re our kriffin’ idiot.”