ᴄʟᴏɴᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ꜱʜᴏᴛꜱ

To Lose You Again (Codywan)

Cody speaks with a long-lost friend.

I don't usually do ships here, but I've been mildly obsessed with Codywan lately so I wanted to write a subtle bit.  I hope y'all like it!

——

Cody awoke, eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness. The chill of the room greeted him with open arms, holding him like a brother returned from battle. Groggy from fresh sleep, he got up. Cold hands ran through his buzzed hair and down his face in a sorry attempt at wiping the sleep away. He reached for his grey uniform hanging by the closet.

Fully dressed, he sat on his bed again, body begging him to go back to sleep. His golden eyes drifted across the room in a slow pattern, noting its familiarity. Its blank walls and dark sheen wrought loneliness in him. His gaze paused on a new shadow, quickly finding its origin.

"General Kenobi?"

"It's lovely to see you, Cody."

He smiled, standing at attention. For the first time in months, he felt a surge of joy rush through his chest. His vision became glossy as he looked into the kind, wise eyes of his friend.

"I've missed you," he said. "This new chain of command is rather... stiff."

"I've heard," Obi-wan nodded, arms folded as he stood comfortably, confidently. "But enough about them. How are you?"

Cody shrugged, eyes flicking around the room. An old memory pressed against the forefront of his mind. He shoved it down, subconsciously aware of the contents. "In honesty—tired," he stated. "But there is nothing I can do about it."

"Oh, I wish I could help you, dear friend,"

"But you can't," Cody nodded. "Too risky."

Obi-wan strode past Cody and sat on the bed, ushering him to do the same. As Cody sat, the Jedi spoke. "Good soldiers follow orders."

"What?"

"Do you recall the battle on Umbara?"

Cody frowned at Obi-Wan, wondering if he had listened to the words that came from his own lips.

"It was dark and terrifying," Cody hummed after a moment. "Like many other battles,"

"Would you describe your service to the Empire the same way?"

He paused, eyes darting to the floor in shame, "I would."

"But in the end, through the help of your brothers, we all conquered the planet. After all of the confusion and utter calamity that took place, we made it." Obi-wan frowned, "even if we lost many along the way."

"Are you saying that the same may be for the Empire? That we may bring peace to the galaxy through persistence and a strong hand?"

"That wasn't quite what I was implying," the Jedi replied, a hand moving to stroke his beard. Cody didn't miss the sad expression below his furrowed brows that was there and gone in an instant. "I meant that although you seem to be in a dark place right now, some day you will see the light again."

"I don't reckon I'll live to see that day,"

"I would argue that you probably will soon."

"How could you know?"

"Because good soldiers follow orders. You'll make it, I assure you. You are a good soldier." He stood and Cody followed suit, walking with him to the door.

"Listen—before you go," Cody began, allowing himself to remember the incident from months ago. Tears welled in his eyes, and he felt the sorrow he'd been burying for so long. "I'm sorry for killing you, Obi-wan."

With a sad smile, Obi-wan drew Cody into a hug, resting his head on his shoulder. Cody stammered in reply, slowly returning the embrace. Those tears began to fall, and he wanted to spill every word from his heart to his former General. Every regret, every secret, and every plea. They all begged to be spoken. Yet somehow he felt that Obi-Wan already knew these things.

"Cody,"

He held on tighter, afraid that his friend might leave him again, "Yes?"

"You know I'm not real, don't you?"

Defeat drooped his shoulders and drew more tears from his eyes. With a disappointed breath, he muttered, "yes."

Stepping back, the ghost of his General was gone.

Cody drew a deep breath and sat up a little slower this time, truly awake now. His room felt colder than it had in his dream. He forced himself to replay every word his friend had spoken to him in order to remember what he hoped had been a vision. Yet he knew it wasn't so. Numb, he got up and put on his uniform.

———

Q. Have you ever had a dream featuring Star Wars characters?  

A. I've had several!  I don't remember any details though :/