Stars Fading Chapter 4
After The Storm
Summary: They return from Umbara, and nobody is okay.
TW/CW: Cody has a PTSD episode in his sleep.
Translations: te'habirÖbe gar buy'ce = take off your helmet
Chat names: Sunny is Kyra, CafGoblin is Kavra, and GeneralSunshine is Aurora.
Tags: @starstofillmydream
The news traveled fast on what had happened after they returned from Umbara. Rex found Aurora and went radio silent for the entire leave. Kix had walked off the ship and straight to Emilie to pull her into a close embrace. Kyra had been tied up at work, her knee feeling much better now and no need for a cane. She had a month and a half of things to catch up on and had seen the message much later about them returning.
Kyra immediately set out to find Cody, trying to call his comm but getting no reply. She searched all the usual places she might find him, finally realizing where he might actually be. She went back to her apartment and walked in, finding him there by the light of the lamp and nothing else. He was sitting on the couch, helmet still on. Head in his hands.
“Cody…” She said, “te'habirÖbe gar buy'ce.”
He did, slowly, before looking at her. Cody tried to keep it in, stiff upper lip, but Kyra could see right through it by now. She could see the weight of everything that just happened sitting heavily on this man and didn’t hesitate to wrap him in a hug. He rested his head against her stomach, holding onto her. They didn’t speak for several minutes as Cody slowly melted into the hug.
“Thank you, mesh’la.” He said softly.
Kyra smiled a bit at the term of endearment, “anytime.”
She pulled away then.
“We should get this stuff off you…” she said.
Cody didn’t protest that, pulling his plastoid armor off and stacking it neatly beside the couch. Kyra had him sit with his back facing her and had started to rub the back of his neck, which turned into his shoulders and somewhere in it he had his head on her lap. He was snoring soon, Kyra having run her fingers through his hair idly while watching the news. He had jerked awake suddenly at one point, eyes wide and breathing erratic.
Kyra gently guided him back down to her lap, Cody looking up at her with pure panic in his eyes. She knew exactly what was happening and silently cursed. Cody stared up into her eyes, noticing the flecks of gold against dark brown. Apart from the soft hum of the news, silence filled the room still as neither had really said anything since she walked into her apartment. She wasn’t going to make him talk about it if he didn’t want to but she wasn’t going to send him off on his own either.
She turned the news off to allow for complete silence before she gently rubbed his temples with her thumbs. Cody had grabbed her wrist at one point, making her stop as she looked at him curiously. That endearing head tilt. He pressed a gentle kiss to the palm of her hand and looked up at her. It was very affectionate and she could feel her face heat up about it.
“You’re safe here…” she said, “no matter what. Get some sleep, I’m not going anywhere.”
Kyra stayed awake all night watching over him and his fitful sleep, Cody now having moved up to rest his head on her stomach again as he wrapped his arms around her. Kyra had a datapad in one hand, messaging the group chat.
Sunny: he’s said maybe 4 words to me and he’s not sleeping well. He seemed to panic a little when I went to shut out the light. I don’t know what happened out there but this has to end eventually, right?
GeneralSunshine: I wish, Kyra. I wish so much I could snap my fingers and end this war. We all do.
CafGoblin: Anakin is not doing well either. Apparently he feels very guilty about leaving his men in the hands of someone he says he should have known was bad.
GeneralSunshine: I’m going to check on him in the morning, I already asked him to come meet me in the gardens. I should have been on this mission, I should have been there with them.
Sunny: you can’t blame yourself.
GeneralSunshine: I might have been able to do more. I haven’t said any of this to Rex. He’s a wreck himself.
Sunny: Everybody did the best they could with what they had. It was shit all around. They haven’t even figured the final tally of lost troopers to send off to Kamino. You know, it drives me nuts how they’re just numbers to everybody else.
GeneralSunshine: I promise you, not a single Jedi sees them that way.
Sunny: I know. It’s not the Jedi, it’s the government.
Silence fell in the chat after she sent that and so she decided to order some parts, do some paperwork. Suddenly, the datapad was knocked out of her hand and she moved fast to brace herself as he pinned her down and cocked his fist back.
“Cody!” She said, cupping his face.
He opened his eyes, wide and wild as his chest heaved. He quickly realized that Kyra was not a battle droid and that he was very much not on the battlefield but in her apartment. The apartment that became a safe place for him. Nobody was demanding anything of him here, there was no war or pain here, just Kyra. Kyra, who had vivid understanding etched into her features as she gently cupped his face.
Cody shot up off of the couch like a wounded animal, retreating from the pain he almost caused.
“Cody.” She said, sitting upright now.
He gathered his plastoid and started to put it on quietly. She stood then.
“I shouldn’t be here. I should go.”
He had gotten too comfortable, too vulnerable. He had almost hurt her in his nightmares.
“Stop.” She said, grabbing his hand now.
He flinched at that, almost as if he was afraid just gently touching her would hurt her.
“There’s nothing you can do to harm me.” She said
“I wish that were true, mesh’la.”
He pulled his hand out of hers and left the apartment, the door clicking silently as he shut it gently. Kyra sunk onto the couch and grabbed her datapad.
Sunny: Rex should go check on Cody.
That was all she sent to the group chat before going radio silent for days. Kyra decided to bury herself in her work instead, trying not to worry. Cody would come to her when he was ready, right? She knows he was grieving something big and dealing with the trauma.
She really missed him, it hit her one day when she was getting ready for work. One cup of caf was clasped between her hands and she found his old note about sorry if it’s cold. She smiled a bit and looked around the apartment. The table they’d have take out on, the couch they’d cuddle on, and when she realized even her pillows still smelled like his soap she began to question what the nature of their friendship was.
Kyra decided to instead head out, shaking the thoughts from her head as she flagged down a taxi. A meeting with the Senator, Padme Amidala. She wondered what it was she wanted from her, she was just the lead for the technician team that repaired the Venator and whatever else crashed into her repair sector.
Kavra was there, walking beside her after she entered the senate building. She had gotten a pass, signing in with security.
“All red these days.” Kyra said as she walked with Kavra.
“They run a tight ship.” She replied.
“Why are you trailing me?” Kyra asked as she scanned her visitor pass to get on the elevator.
“Nobody’s heard from you for almost two weeks. Can’t I worry about my friend? And you’re here, with your messy bun and your bag full of paperwork. We miss you, you know.” Kavra said as she got into the elevator with her.
Kyra sighed and since they were alone, she pushed the stop button.
“Cody almost punched me during a nightmare. I haven’t seen or heard from him since, so I am burying myself in my work. My leg is healed, it just aches a bit when it rains. I’m eating, showering, sleeping. I’m functional.” Kyra said
“But are you okay?”
The question threw her off her guard for a minute and her vision got a little misty but she shook it off and pushed the button to make the elevator go again.
“Kyra.” Kavra frowned when she didn’t get an answer.
“I didn’t realize how I felt about him until he wasn’t around anymore and now it’s probably too late. He won’t let me in, I can’t force him. I have to go talk to the Senator.”
She got off the elevator on the floor she needed, leaving Kavra to frown at her after she also got off the elevator. Fox was walking by and noted the melancholy pouring off of Kyra as Kavra looked concerned for her friend. He approached her then as they began to mutter about senate business, going back down the elevator. Kyra brushed a few stray tears away before being escorted in by droids.
Obi-wan, Anakin, Rex, and Cody were found in Padmé’s office as Kyra entered.
“Kyra! Please have a seat. Would you like something to drink?” She asked
Kyra sat down and shook her head, offering a polite smile before digging around in her bag.
“I’ll make this quick, ma’am. I heard you wanted to see some of my schematics?” She asked as she pulled out a datapad.
“Yes. I’m curious about the ships the GAR is using and would like to present a budget increase to the senate, if you wouldn’t mind helping. I think more funds towards your work could help drastically.” Padmé said, demeanor as warm as her smile.
Kyra stopped and looked up from the datapad, “you want to fund my work?”
“Of course. Commander Cody and Captain Rex were telling me all about the hard work you do and if they have confidence in you, I do too.”
Kyra couldn’t help but blush slightly at that.
“I don’t work alone. I have several techs under my care who contribute vastly to the success of what we do.” She said, going back to pulling up the schematics on her datapad.
She slid it across the desk and Padmé took a look. After a few beats of silence, she smiled again.
“I’ll make sure you can have enough to pay them handsomely for their work too. Any parts you need, anything. I already know Senator Chuchi and Senator Organa are backing this idea with me. May I have a copy of these to show the senate?” Padmé asked.
Kyra began to feel a little nervous about letting go of her work, the outline of what she did, and gently slid the datapad out of the senator’s grasp. She felt a shift and looked over at Anakin whose eyebrows furrowed. Very overprotective.
“I mean no offense, ma’am…but I am a little hesitant to release this information. It’s not you, you have been very accommodating and kind.”
Padmé nodded in understanding, “so speak with me. Come to the senate meeting and present it yourself. The information stays in your hands and I still get to try and petition for more funds.”
She was very casual about this idea.
“Oh.” Kyra said, “my public speaking skills are terrible.”
“I want to help you.” She tried to reassure.
Kyra chewed the inside of her cheek and then nodded.
“Can you send me the details for the senate meeting and I’ll see you there?” Kyra asked
“I’ll do you one better, I can send a transport to make sure you and your data travel safely.” Padmé smiled
“Senator, that’s kind of you but you don’t have to.”
“I insist.” She replied.
Kyra nodded and stood. They shook hands.
“Thank you, Senator.” Kyra said
“Please, call me Padmé. You and I will be working closely together for a while.” She said, handshake firm and warm.
“I’m afraid I must take leave too, sir.” Cody said as his comm went off.
“No problem. I’ll continue to discuss with Obi-wan and he can brief you later on the final details.” She said
Kyra and Cody left the office together, although very quiet as they got onto the elevator. The tension between them was thick, he could sense she was clamming up a bit as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was grasping her arms instead of tucking her hands, eyeing the ticker for the floors. Cody sighed and decided to give it a go.
“I’m sorry, for what happened. For leaving. I haven’t had time to come by with everything going on. There’s a war going on, I don’t know if you’ve heard about it.” He said, voice modulated by his helmet.
Kyra moved fast, stopping the elevator and turning to face him.
“That’s your apology?” She asked
He pulled his helmet off and tucked it under his arm, to look her in the eyes as he spoke to her.
“Kyra. I can’t begin to express how sorry I am that you not only had to see me that way but that I ran. You offered me a safe space in my vulnerability and I got so scared of hurting you that I ran. Then, I did get swept up in my work but I thought of you every single day. I wanted to call, but time didn’t allow. I’ve been sitting with Rex a lot. He’s buried in paperwork after….” Cody couldn’t say it, feeling his throat tighten a little around the word.
Umbara.
“I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I am sorry and I want to make it up to you if you let me.”
She crossed her arms over his chest and stared at him, closed off and guarded. Emotional but cautious. A Mando down to her core. Cody moved to push the button behind her to start the elevator but she grabbed him by his plastoid and pulled him into a kiss that seemed to startle him for a minute.
She almost pulled away, not getting a response from him immediately. Cody wrapped his arms around her and didn’t let her get away, kissing her back deeply. She moved her hands, tangling them in his hair as he picked her up effortlessly. Her bag clamored to the floor, contents spilling as his helmet also hit the floor. Neither could be bothered right now. He held her between him and the wall now, her legs wrapped around him as he rested his forehead against hers.
Kyra opened her eyes to see his closed, a sense of calm she hadn’t seen in a while passing over his features.
“Dinner. I want to take you to dinner…if you have time. I know you’re a very busy and important man.” She said, his eyes opening to look right into hers now.
A warm affection she finally noticed, calling it what it was.
“I’ll take you to dinner.” He said, knowing they were probably going to argue over the check.
He kissed her again, Kyra gladly welcoming it when a voice came out overhead.
“Hey, not that I’m not happy for you guys because it’s about damn time, but you can’t be holding up senate elevators.” Fox said
Right, he would see everything here. Kavra was practically slapping his arm in excitement as a squeal left her when she initially saw the movement after the security camera beeped about the elevator being stopped.
“Sorry, Fox.” Cody said, setting Kyra down.
“Not a problem, just don’t do it again.”
Kyra pushed the button, smiling to herself. She felt warm, tingly, biting her bottom lip. Cody put his helmet back on and stood up straight, all proper commander again despite the fact his codpiece may or may not have tightened a little. He helped her gather her things back in her bag before she slung it over her shoulder again. She played with the strap, fidgety. Nervous.
“Dinner.” Kyra said as they walked out together.
“I’ll come pick you up around 6. Is that okay?” He asked
She nodded, still smiling. They went to part ways outside, Kyra flashing him that toothy smile he was coming to fall in love with before getting into a taxi.