AN: I finished Significant Brain Damage far from my best work, ya can't tell me I don't ever finish fics since that would make about six major Star Wars fics completed ;)

Chapter 5 - Boundaries

Cody woke warm but stiff, as if he hadn't shifted in his sleep much. Which let him know that he wasn't alone before he remembered where he had fallen asleep.

Cody was, of course, used to sleeping alone since leaving Kamino the first time. More actually, perhaps, he had grown used to hardly sleeping at all.

So it was to his great relief, General Kenobi was still asleep in his arms. Kenobi's brown robe served as a blanket the GAR's reg, covering Kenobi, Dogma, and Fives. Hardcase had gone back to back with Fives, Hevy, Droidbait, and Cutup turned toward their older brother.

Fives, whose arm crossed over both Kenobi and Dogma, along Cody's arm, brushed his fingers over Cody's shoulder. Cody raised his gaze to meet Fives' inquiring eyes. They were the only two to wake, and typically, they all should have been getting up by now.

But Cody gave the slightest of headshakes. They weren't shipping out for another day, they would let the General sleep as long as he was able.

Which meant the Domino Squad got to sleep in, which given the drills Cody had pushed the two battalions through, it was likely they would stay asleep. Despite Hardcase being a CC, Fives was the highest rank in his squad and Cody made a note to tell Appo Fives's resilience to exhaustion.

Fives let out a long breath, his eyes fluttering shut as he allowed himself to fall back to sleep.

Cody was far too rested to sleep at this point, but that didn't he couldn't enjoy the peace, in physically pinning his General down to sleep.

Skywalker had upset him somehow, which was honestly pretty typical. Though Skywalker clearly loved his Master, he didn't respect him and did not listen to him.

Aside from Skywalker and the fight with the Bad Batch, and Kenobi's obvious reasons for the impressionable Padawan Tano not to work with them, Kenobi seemed… hopeful.

Hopeful about Omega, and he wasn't sure why exactly, but Cody trusted him regardless. Listening to the man breathe easy was a balm, and Cody closed his eyes, letting his mind wander as he held on to these rare moments of peace.

Peace didn't last, of course, as he remembered things he needed to do. Slowly, he unwound himself from Obi-Wan.

He was almost out when Obi-Wan made a sound, and turned toward him as if following the warmth.

Obi-Wan laid over him, bodily, their legs entwining, his general's head resting over his heart.

Cody couldn't help but be tense and the only that save him from reacting embarrassingly was his little brothers turning with the general so that Dogma and Fives' weight were added to Obi-Wan.

Still Cody was glad his General wasn't awake so he had time to compose himself.

Even if Obi-Wan curled into him, molding their bodies together.

Kriff.

Kriff.

The Kaminoins had taught them biology and declared to them, matter of factly, that Jango Fett was asexual, so all of the clones were too.

That wasn't true for Cody, for many of the vode, yes, but not all.

He had never wished so strongly to be more like Jango Karking Fett than in that moment.

Obi-Wan woke slowly, which in itself was a novelty.

He felt warm, and safe, and loved.

Quin hadn't made him feel that way in a long time.

Probably because Quin needed as much comfort as Obi-Wan did, but was unwilling to accept it. Quin had a dark past, a few too many bad missions, like Obi-Wan had lost his Master, and then almost lost his Padawan to slavers.

Aayla Secura was dearer to Quin than anyone and this war, having her be a General on the front lines had made Quin down right hostile.

Sex with Quin was more a relief and way to let off steam with someone Obi-Wan trusted implicitly, but they hadn't comforted each other in a way that would offer true healing.

So waking up like this?

Obi-Wan felt completely lax and he let his mind wander in meditation, not thinking of the day ahead, just the breath of the men around him.

Wait… men?

Had Quin convinced him to take spice again and led him into an orgy?

No, that wasn't right.

The men around him were familiar. Safe.

Warm.

Obi-Wan almost fell back asleep but realized the man beneath him was very much awake.

Very awake.

As well as mortified.

And it was the latter that made Obi-Wan drag himself out of the comfort.

Made him remember where he was and who he was with.

Domino Squad.

And Cody.

Cody.

Sometimes, Obi-Wan thought he was falling in love with the man.

They had only known each other for a year. Yet this was war so it might have well been a century.

Obi-Wan admired Cody, and he'd never before worked with someone who respected, liked him, and didn't have wildly different views than him.

Qui-Gon.

Siri.

Quin.

Satine.

Anakin.

Hell, even Bant and Garen.

In Cody, Obi-Wan had finally found a kindred spirit.

None of his closest friends or loved ones had ever fundamentally agreed with him on much or shared the same values. Generally, as Jedi, as a wider culture, perhaps.

However, he had always been a compliment to someone, to balance someone else.

No one had been of the same mind as him, no one had ever supported or complimented him before.

Cody did though.

Obi-Wan had never told Anakin about his past, afraid to make 'my sorrow was more sad than yours', not when Anakin was so set on seeing the worst in him.

In making everything a cursed competition.

Obi-Wan was a Mandalorian by birth, Stewjon being a part of the Mandalore System even if it functioned more as an agricultural colony more than anything.

His parents had been retired Death Watch, who upon learning he was Force sensitive, had tried to drown him.

It was hardly a memory, he had been so young then. But unlike Anakin, he had never wanted for his parents, he had been afraid of the idea of a mother and father.

And as it had been a young boy who saved him, Obi-Wan had trusted Quin before he trusted anyone else at the Temple not to hurt him.

So Obi-Wan understood what it was to doubt the security in home, doubts that had been renewed when he had aged out of the Knight path and then his rocky apprenticeship with Qui-Gon.

Whenever Obi-Wan attempted to tell Anakin any of this he would get impossibly defensive of Qui-Gon.

Which, given Qui-Gon and Anakin's history was fair, but it left very little room for Obi-Wan to share his past with Anakin. Further inflamed by the fact that Obi-Wan, though he loved Qui-Gon, missed him more than anything, he still disagreed with his Master's approaches and philosophies.

Even when Obi-Wan disagreed with the Council, he didn't necessarily agree with Qui-Gon's forms of resistance that had often put others and themselves in danger.

He might have failed Anakin as mentor and friend, but he hadn't allowed his Padawan to be sold into slavery.

Something Qui-Gon had treated with far less regard.

Mace called Obi-Wan over-cautious, but Obi-Wan would endure anything to spare Anakin from being compromised. The Council and Qui-Gon both had not treated the slavers with the true danger they presented.

Qui-Gon had gotten lucky with Anakin and his mother, another slaver might have beaten either of them for even speaking to someone who treated them as people, much less tried to free him.

Obi-Wan had worn enough collars, had seen enough, to know what was on the line. It's why what the Kaminoans had done, what the Republic was doing, destroyed Obi-Wan.

If it wasn't the Sith on the other side, if this whole thing wasn't a trap, if it wasn't that the Separatists were aligned with the Hutts and the Zygerria, Obi-Wan would have taken as many of the troops who wanted to go and take them behind Separatist territory.

But that wasn't an option.

So Obi-Wan was doing everything he could in the meantime. Everything he could do, except fall for his Commander.

Cody drew Obi-Wan's sleep-addled brain back to the waking world by shifting again.

Pressed this closely together, Obi-Wan could feel that —at least physically— Cody returned some of what he felt for the trooper.

But Cody was too tense beneath, the Force ringing with anxiety and embarrassment boarding on mortification.

Which told Obi-Wan he would be taking advantage if he pursued Cody in any way. The power imbalance was such that it would be wrong, he couldn't pressure the man that had so few freedoms to begin with.

Attractions could be fleeting, and physical needs were not equal to a declaration of love, and short of that, Obi-Wan had no right to take advantage.

So Obi-Wan kept his breath, even and deep, and rolled into Dogma, giving Cody freedom to extract himself without further embarrassment.

Cody was on his feet in moments, leaving Obi-Wan's back cold. There was a bit of rustling as he gathered his armour. He didn't pause to get dressed, exiting the room and leaving Obi-Wan behind.

Obi-Wan remained in the barracks until he could purge his disappointment and hurt into the Force.

He had no right to feel either emotion, not when he had so many other responsibilities that required his attention.

Omega after days of travel through hyperspace into Coruscant's Orbit. She would have never been able to come here after the war, not with all the dangers that surrounded the Empire.

But here and now, even with a war going, the city planet gleamed in the sunlight.

The Bad Batch had successfully avoided her, and she found herself following Captain Rex around, who carried a lot less pain with him and was far less suspicious than he had been when she had first met him in her old life.

That didn't mean he wasn't either of those things, but he wasn't the fugitive he would have become.

She hadn't seen much of the Jedi either since boarding the ship, she wasn't sure what the Jedi did all day but there seemed to be as much tension between the two Jedi Generals as there was between the Bad Batch and the other clones.

So she was a bit surprised when Rex got a call that she was meant to go down to the Temple with Rex, Jesse, Appo, Cody, Gregor, Waxer, Boil, and the Jedi. The Bad Batch down in a separate shuttle to connect with the Temple's security force.

She was too short to hold onto the smaller transport's handles as they made the descent, and she felt no shame when she held onto both Appo and Rex's hands.

All the vode were tactile beings, and she knew her brothers were protective by nature and enjoyed feeling needed.

So despite being perfectly capable of keeping her own balance, she had learned to lean into her brothers for support, giving them comfort they would never admit to needing.

Being part of a family, Omega had learned, was knowing where you were needed, to offer support no matter how many times she was pushed away.

Rex walked with Omega when General Kenobi waved them over where he was hanging back from the group of people gathered around the entrance of the Temple.

All the vode, aside from her, of course, were wearing armour so she had no idea what to anticipate from the Jedi's attention.

Like he had when he had spoken about the scuffle days before, the Jedi General dropped to a knee before her so that they were at eye level.

"I need your help, little one."

Her eyes widened, "Of course, General Kenobi."

The Jedi's eyes crinkled in the corners with a kind smile, "This is a request, and you are free to decline my offer. My plan is a bit… complicated."

"I don't understand," she admitted, feeling a bit overwhelmed as she thought of anything she could help with.

Aside from, 'don't trust the Senate', even being from the future, there was little she could do for anyone.

General Kenobi said in answer to her confusion, "I can't tell you what my plan is, but I can tell you the consequences."

She nodded.

"There will be people who hate you. New attention will be brought to your brothers. There are many who will argue against your personhood, intelligence, and your very right to exist. Even among the Jedi, there will be some who don't understand."

None of that sounded good and she couldn't help but Omega cant her head to the side, "What's your plan for then?"

"You will be granted citizenship within the Republic, and following you, if the Force is with us, your brothers as well."

"Yes," she said with absolute conviction. "Whatever it takes, yes."

"This will not be an easy path, Omega," the General warned.

"That isn't a change from our lives today," she answered, garnering a slight snort from Appo.

General Kenobi, however, remained deathly serious, "For you, little one, it will change your life forever and you will be put into grave danger."

She felt the vode become more rigid at this, but those words only made her more determined, "I would die for my brothers, I can live for them too."

General Kenobi smiled, "Then we shall fight for them together." He rose to his feet, and motioned for everyone to follow him.

"What was that about?" General Skywalker asked under his breath.

General Kenobi only smiled, not slowing his steps.

Two politicians, marked by their fancy clothes, stepped forward out of the crowd.

General Skywalker changed his path to the entrance, directly toward one of the most beautiful women Omega had ever seen.

Except before Skywalker could reach her, General Kenobi stepped in front of the younger man and pulled the petite queen-esque woman into an embrace.

His voice was jovial, "Senators Amidala and Organa, just the people I was hoping to see."

The woman laughed, her honeyed eyes sparkling as she said, "You did request us to be here."

Senator Organa nodded toward General Kenobi, "Your message did not include your purpose."

"I was hoping to discuss some of the issues that arose on the frontlines," he said, turning a dazzling smile on the rest of them that had paused awkwardly behind him. "Anakin, would you mind making the report to the Council? And Ahsoka, could you please take Omega and her brothers on a tour of the Temple and secure them rooms for the night?"

"Of course, Master," Ahsoka said easily.

General Skywalker didn't say a word, his feet rooted to the ground.

General Kenobi's smile didn't falter as he said, "Thank you, Ahsoka, Anakin. I'll see you both after supper."

Without waiting for Skywalker to agree, Kenobi led the two Senators away, the crowd parting for them and then they were speeding off on a moving platform.

Still, General Skywalker didn't move.

"Master?" Ahsoka questioned as the reporter drew closer as if scavengers sensing spilled blood.

But the Jedi Knight shook his head and moved off angrily, "Take them on tour, Snips. I guess I have to go make the report."

"Sir," Cody called.

Skywalker turned on him and asked, "What?"

Cody held out a datapad, "The report, Sir."

General Skywalker snagged before striding off ahead of them.

Ahsoka sighed and gave Omega a fanged smile, "Don't take it personally, he gets like that."

Omega shrugged, "Lama Su is worse."

Kamino's Prime Minister didn't get visibly mad, he just killed vode indiscriminately at some perceived imperfection or slight to his authority.

"Come on," Waxer said. "General Kenobi won't take you back there, and I for one am quite excited for a tour of the Generals' home."

"My home too," Ahsoka pouted, leading them forward.

"We all assumed you would be showing us your favourite places, Commander," Jesse said.

Ahsoka grinned, "Oh, I will. I think you all are going to like the star room."

"The Star Room?" Omega asked.

Ahsoka smiled wider, "You'll see."

Omega did see, and decided that the Jedi Temple had to be one of the coolest places in the galaxy.

Anakin was in a bad mood.

Not only had Obi-Wan shucked the responsibility of meeting with the Council, which seemed wholly unfair when his Master was on the kriffing Council, but he had also chipped him a greeting with his wife.

Even now that Anakin had time to himself, he couldn't go directly to Padme until his Master returned to the Temple.

At least the man kept to his word, returning to the Temple after the last meal. Anakin stayed only long enough to make his excuses to Ahsoka before taking off to Padme's apartment.

And as if the day couldn't get any worse, no sooner than he arrived did he put his foot in his mouth and unintentionally started an argument with his wife.

He had simply wanted to know what she and Obi-Wan had done all day and when she said she couldn't tell him, Anakin may or may not have lost his cool.

Finally, Padme snapped, "What did Obi-Wan do that made you this angry with him?"

"Because he contradicted everything I thought I knew about him!"

Padme plopped down on the couch, "Explain."

Anakin sighed, sitting down beside, "Did you know Obi-Wan wasn't celibate?"

Amusement flashed across her expression and it dragged against his skin like sand.

Padme said, "Yes, Anakin, I knew. You're not the first Jedi to woo a politician."

"I thought it went against the Code."

She shrugged, "I know it wouldn't be great for my carrier and our marriage would damage the Order's reputation. But politicians have been flirting with the Jedi since the dawn of the Republic, surely you know the Order takes donations and gifts."

"Sexual gifts?" Anakin asked, scandalised.

She batted his knee lightly, "No, but there are species among the Jedi even more sexually inclined than straight humans. Not that it matters, people are going to believe whatever they want to when it comes to the Legendary Knights of the Jedi Order, and those perceptions can vary wildly I've found. You know, for the systems who even believe the Jedi are real at all."

He blinked, "Wait, people don't believe in us? Even on Tatooine—"

"Tatooine is on the hyperlanes, but there are people even closer to the Core worlds who think the Jedi are just stories."

"Oh," he said lamely.

"What did Obi-Wan say?" she asked, pulling them back on topic.

He scowled, "He said there isn't really a real rule of romantic attachment, he just hates Palpatine."

Her golden eyes widened. "What, why?"

"Because he couldn't keep us from being friends. He even requested for us not to meet!"

Padme frowned, "Obi-Wan said he didn't want you to see him, to you, Palpatine, or the Council?"

"All of them! -Us. He didn't trust us alone together. Obi-Wan thinks Palpatine was making sexual advances against me."

"Was he?"

"Padme!"

She didn't back down, "Has he ever touched you inappropriately?"

"How can you even ask that?"

"Did he?" She demanded.

Anakin had to catch his breath to keep from lashing out at her, "No. You know him, he is an uncle to me. He is family."

"Not all family is safe, Ani. There are many people who love their abusers. It's that love that allows the abuse to continue."

"How can you possibly take his side in this!?"

"Because what Palpatine did was wrong, Anakin."

He brought his hand down on the table in front of the sofa, the material groaning underneath his flesh fist but didn't break. "Does no one listen to me!? Palpatine has never hurt me, he's done nothing wrong!"

Padme gave him an unimpressed look at his show of anger.

"Yes, Ani, he did. If Obi-Wan asked for you not to be alone with him, if the Jedi Council asked, and Palpatine overruled him, then he disregarded Obi-Wan as your guardian. You ask why Obi-Wan doesn't like him, it's because Palpatine disrespected him as well as the Jedi Order and he endangered you. As your guardian, Obi-Wan had every right to stop a man from taking you from him."

"He hasn't endangered me!"

"Ani!" She finally raised her voice, "He literally drafted you and the Order into a war!"

"So you don't support us? Or the war?"

She made a harsh sound, "We can't let Dooku live free, we can't let droids slaughter Innocents, but I want this war to end even at the cost of losing systems from the Republic."

"So you're against the Republic?"

Padme let out another harsh sound, "I can love Republic and expect better from it! Can't you try to see what Palpatine and the Senate have done to the Order!?"

"He hasn't done anything to us, the Jedi serve the Republic."

"Yes, but you've also been put on the front lines. The Jedi of this era weren't trained to wage wars, they were trained to be defenders and diplomats."

"Obi-Wan—"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi has been on and off battlefields since he was thirteen, Ani, he is the exception not the rule. Don't you understand what being drafted means, how few choices they have?"

"They? As if I'm not one of them?" he growled.

She held her ground, "You are mine, Anakin. If you left the Order, I would take care of you. But not everyone has that luxury."

"You're saying Naboo wouldn't take them in?"

"Maybe?" She said, "but they would be seen as deserters, refugees. The Jedi have nowhere to go, they are supported by the Republic, they would lose everything."

"Palpatine would never let that happen."

"No," she agreed. "not as long as they follow his commands."

Anakin grounded his teeth and said through them, "The Jedi are not powerless."

"No, but they lack the numbers to fight them, especially if the clones who have been conditioned from birth to serve the Re-"

"Why is everyone so determined to see the worst in him?" He cut her off.

"Why are you so determined to see the worst in your own people, the worst in Obi-Wan?"

"Because he's cold, Padme, I can't reach him he—"

"He was strong for you, Anakin. I was there at Qui-Gon's funeral, you didn't see what I saw."

"And what did you see?"

"I saw a Padawan who had lost the most important person in the whole galaxy to him. And I saw him set his own pain and grief aside to be strong for you. To ensure your future, setting aside whatever ambitions or dreams he had for himself for you."

Guilt swam through. Anakin realized —a bit abashed— perhaps that's why Obi-Wan had never explained this to him, why they had never had this talk, not directly at any rate.

Because Obi-Wan hadn't wanted him to feel indebted.

More indebted than he had already felt to Qui-Gon's memory.

Still, that didn't excuse the man's coldness.

"I didn't ask him to do that, I needed him to grieve with me to be human with, instead all he gave me was Jedi platitudes."

She touched his cheek gently, "Ani, not everyone deals with hurt in the same way and you being angry with him for not breaking for you to see the shattered pieces, the shades and shape of his pain, is selfish."

It couldn't have hurt more if she had slapped him.

"Selfish!" He exclaimed. "How am I the selfish one when he doesn't trust me enough to be real with me?"

"Anakin, Obi-Wan loves you, that is plain for everyone to see. But it is selfish for you to demand he bear his soul to you so you can feel better about your own hurts. Obi-Wan respects you enough not to push about your past, to allow whatever barriers you set. He knows there is a power imbalance between you, he is more cautious of it given your past. Perhaps not what you wanted, but unless you've actually sat down with him and tried explain-"

"We have talked."

Padme gave him a look, "Have you? Or have you gotten mad at him and argued. Obi-Wan has a very different past from your own. He doesn't push into your personal life-"

"Because he doesn't care to know."

She huffed, "He can't be your everything, Ani. Have you ever thought of going to a therapist or mindhealer, the Jedi have those don't they?"

Anakin snapped, "Oh, not you too. Palpatine was right. Therapy can't help, all they can do is tell me how the people in my life have failed m-"

His breath caught as what he had just said caught up to him.

Padme looked furious, "Palpatine advised you against counselling? Against asking for help?"

Anakin said nothing, because no, Palpatine hadn't said that… not in so many words.

At his silence, Padme asked, "If you had to choose between saving Obi-Wan or saving the Chancellor, who would you choose?"

"I would choose you," he said without thinking. He was tired and he wanted to stop discussing Obi-Wan with Padme who always defended the other man.

Anakin had always been aware of the fact he was younger than his wife and that his Master was a dreadful flirt.

Aside from Palpatine, no one ever criticised Obi-Wan for anything.

"That's not what I asked," she snapped. "Palpatine or Obi-Wan, who would you choose?"

He couldn't answer her, his duty was to both and as a Jedi, the Chancellor was the leader of the Republic.

They, the Jedi, were expendable, keeping the Chancellor safe was keeping the Republic safe.

His instinct would be to protect Obi-Wan, but Obi-Wan would say to save the Chancellor.

He hesitated, because he honestly didn't know. Aside from Padme, his mother, and Ahsoka, Palpatine and Obi-Wan were among the dearest people to him.

"Get out," she said.

Panic zinged through him, and he suddenly lost all thought, "Excuse me?"

"Go home, Anakin. You need to meditate on who you would choose and why."

"You are my home."

She met his gaze straight on, "Aim I? Or am I just another person in your life who has failed you?"

He flinched as she spat his words back at him. She left, shutting the door between him and her bedroom.

He stood and for a moment he wanted to go to her and demand they deal with this misunderstanding.

But that would be disrespecting her, disrespecting what they had together. So Anakin returned to the Temple;

Wondering what Obi-Wan had said to Padme to turn her against him.

AN: Thoughts, requests, canaries, or feedback, pretty please?