Chapter Text
Cody
Bly is grinning, and that never bodes well.
“I know something you don't know.” He sings the moment Cody steps into the back office of Fett and Sons Mechanics.
Cody ignores him in favour of dropping into the well worn couch with a heavy sigh. The first morning of school runs after the summer break is always chaotic, with two sets of twins to wrangle and drop off at the middle school and high school, but with the full moon tonight Cody had been off balance all weekend too. Which meant he'd forgotten to pick up more coffee when he'd been shopping. Which meant he'd done all of his sibling-wrangling suffering from caffeine-deficiency, and hadn't had time to stop at Waxer and Boil’s coffee shop before Bly had called him.
He can hear Rex pottering about in the workshop; the clatter of tools an off-tempo accompaniment to muffled classic rock from the beat up old radio none of them can bring themselves to replace. Cody lets Bly stew for a minute, practically vibrating in his chair with annoying little brother energy, before he finally acknowledges him. “And what, exactly, does Aayla know that I don't, that couldn't be a text message?”
Bly sticks his tongue out at him. “I can know things too.”
“Every brain cell in your marriage belongs to your wife and she occasionally lets you borrow one.” Cody deadpans, ignoring Bly's answering squawk of protest. “Now, please tell me why I'm here.”
“The Theed Road house sold.” Bly delivers this news as though imparting ancient wisdom, and Cody arches an eyebrow at him.
“Do you assume it has been taken by a single man of good fortune, who must be in want of a wife? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but none of our brothers have the manners of Jane or Elizabeth Bennett, and Meg is twelve.”
That house has been up for almost as long as the Fetts have been in Naboo. It's as close to next door to Cody’s house as neighbours go out in the outskirts. Its back garden backs directly onto the hiking trails into the woods, so they'd all need to be careful during full moon hunts to make sure they avoided running into the new inhabitants by accident, but the news hardly necessitates Cody dragging himself out to the workshop this early.
“Wow, you're cranky this morning.” Bly crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in his desk chair with a frown. Cody sighs and rubs a hand over his face before offering his brother an apologetic smile.
“Sorry. Ran out of coffee and the twins went back to school today.”
The quirk of Bly’s lip is immediately forgiving. “One of Quinn's old friends bought the house.” He explains. “Apparently his sister-in-law is expecting and wants to move back to Naboo, so the whole family is coming with her.”
Something about the way Bly says ‘old friend’ immediately sets off Cody's internal alarms, and from the way Bly’s shoulders tense, he knows it.
“Bly, what has Quinlan done?”
“Nothing!” Bly's denial is quick, automatic, though Cody notes that he won't quite meet his eyes. “He just…he mentioned that since his very dear, very old friend was moving to Naboo to stay, it might be nice to get everyone together. To welcome them.” Cody hums his disbelief and Bly sighs. “He might have mentioned that said old friend is single…and that you're exactly his type.”
Cody's sigh comes from his soul at this point. “I don't need to be set up, Bly.” A sentence he has said at least twice a month since Bly's wedding day over two years ago. “I'm perfectly content as I am.”
This is an old argument. Ever since Bly settled into marital bliss, he's been determined to ensure his brothers meet the same fate.
Fox is well on his way with Riyo; he's had the ring for a month now, just waiting for the right moment, and all of the siblings have placed bets on whether he'll manage to do it before Riyo does it herself.
Kix, despite his frankly ridiculous shift rota, still manages to find the time to go on the occasional date, and both sets of twins are too young for Bly's machinations.
Rex, working day in and day out alongside Bly, should logically be his primary target, and yet Bly has decided it is Cody who most needs his interference.
Wolffe eloping with Bly's sister-in-law, Bant, last week, has clearly been the nail in the coffin of Cody’s freedom from brotherly concern.
It's not that Cody isn't grateful for his brother's concern. He knows Bly loves him, and simply wants to see him happy. The main issue with this plan is that Bly has terrible taste in men. Case in point: he had once suggested that Cody and Vos should date. Both of them had almost pissed themselves laughing at that idea.
They had fucked, once, before Bly and Aayla’s wedding, and while it had been pleasurable all around, (and Vos had been very vocal about that fact during), they'd both come to the very determined conclusion that anything more would result in a homicide, or two.
The fact that Cody hasn't sought anyone out since, is entirely beside the point.
Bly makes his way around the desk to settle onto the couch beside Cody. There's a soft frown on his face as he reaches out to grip Cody's shoulder.
“Kote,” low blow, that nickname with those eyes, “when was the last time you actually took an evening for yourself?”
Cody shrugs. “When do I have the time, Bly? Even with Rex out of college there's still four kids to wrangle, and the pack to support.” He offers his little brother what he hopes is a reassuring smile. “I'm fine. I'm content with my life. I don't need anything else.”
It's the truth, even if the wolf in his chest scents hopefully every time someone new passes through town. He has his family. He has his friends. Though he may harbour the occasional daydream of finding his mate the way his older brothers have, the way Bly has, he doesn't need a relationship to make him happy.
Bly's frown deepens but he lets Cody gently shrug his hand off. “Alright. I won't push it, but please just think about it? Even if you won't go out with Quinn’s friend, at least consider letting us take the kids for a night and taking some time for yourself.” Bly sucks in a breath. “It's been seven years, Kote. It won't all disappear if you let yourself relax.”
Cody sighs to hide the way Bly's words hit a little too close, and throws an arm around his little brother's shoulders, tugging him close and ruffling his hair.
“I will think about it. I promise.” He releases Bly and sits back on the couch, his lips quirking into a self-deprecating smile, finally recognising the summons for what it was. “So you drew the short straw on staging the intervention, huh?”
“Fox pulled eldest-brother-privilege to get out of doing it.” Cody barks a laugh and resolves to tease his ori’vod for being too chickenshit to face him later. “Quinn did genuinely make the comment about his friend when he came for dinner yesterday, though.” Bly shudders as he speaks. “He provided detail. It was horrible.”
“I offer you no sympathy. You married his sister, he's your problem.”
Bly's rebuttal is interrupted by Cody's phone. A pouting selfie of Quinlan Vos, the image set to the contact by the man himself, greets him when he pulls it out, and he answers with a resigned “Vos.”
“Have you been running recently?” Vos’ voice lacks its usual sass,and Cody immediately sits up straighter. Beside him, Bly's hackles rise as he scents Cody's tension. Vos is a ranger for the woodlands around Naboo; he's almost as familiar with the wolf runs as the pack are. If he's asking…
“Where?”
“A hiker came in about half an hour ago saying he’d seen a lone wolf up by Gungan Ridge. I was hoping it was one of yours. From his description, it was too big to be from one of the local wolf packs. Could be he's exaggerating but this close to the full moon, I wanted to be sure it's not…”
“...not another wolf about to cause trouble.” Cody finishes. “I’m on my way.”
“Thanks, Cody. See you when you get here.”
— — —
Vos is waiting at the base of the trail when Cody pulls into the car park. It's mercifully quiet; most of the summer tourists have left and only a couple of stragglers seem to have decided to brave the woods while the weather is still leaning on the side of sweat soup.
Vos is prepared as ever in his lightweight hiking trousers, the sleeves of his base layer pushed up past his elbows. Contrastingly, Cody is dressed for a day of hiding in Waxer and Boil's coffee shop with his laptop. Not that his attire will matter once they get off the main trails.
Sure enough, ten minutes later, once Cody has determined there is no one nearby, he tugs off his jeans and shirt, folding them neatly while staring Vos straight in the face as the man hums striptease music under his breath. Of course, the moment Cody hands his clothes over, Vos gleefully stuffs them as haphazardly as possible into his backpack. Cody’s shoes are tied together and strung from the backpack too, and Cody turns his back on Vos’ smirk before finally shucking his boxer shorts, tossing them over his shoulder and suppressing a chuckle at the loud whistle he receives in response (he's well aware that his ass is attractive, Vos had been almost poetic about it as Cody had knelt, trembling, in front of him) before he shifts.
The moon isn't up yet, but the wolf still wants to run as soon as he feels soft earth beneath the pads of his paws. Cody shakes himself, ears flapping against the sides of his head. Vos shuffles in place beneath Cody's gaze as he turns around, the breath catching in the human's chest audible to Cody's sensitive ears. As the largest of his pack, Cody’s eyes are level with Vos’ shoulder, and he waits patiently for the man to start breathing again.
“Always forget how massive you are.” Vos whispers softly. Cody snorts and tilts his head, flicking his eyes obviously down at Vos’ crotch and back up. Vos laughs outright. “Shut up. Anyway we should go before your ego gets so big you don't fit down the track.”
The wolf won't let Cody walk behind Vos, not this close to the full moon. Instead he keeps his nose just in front of the man's shoulder. It at least makes it easier to nudge him when he hears hikers nearby, giving them ample time to find a new route.
Vos slows down when they get close to Gungan Ridge. Finally stopping just shy of a signposted overlook and gesturing for Cody to take the lead.
“He said it was up on the ledge just there.” Vos’ hand is steady as he points. Cody is begrudgingly impressed considering how close to Cody's teeth it puts his hand. Aayla still keeps her digits tucked in when she is around the pack in wolf form, with the exception of Bly. Though she claims it’s a holdout from her veterinary training.
Cody sniffs cautiously, checking for any humans nearby before he steps out from the treeline. The air is heavy with humidity, but he catches a whiff of something earthy and sharp coming from the ledge Vos had pointed out. It smells like a wolf. A normal wolf, though heavy with musk. Cody can't pick out anything more than animal about it. There is a tinge of sea salt that underlies the scents of all of the Fett wolves, and Waxer and Boil’s scents are always twined with coffee and cinnamon, even when they’re shifted. The scent from the ledge lacks anything similarly distinct.
He glances back over his shoulder and gives Vos what he hopes is a reassuring nod, and from the way the ranger immediately relaxes against a tree he assumes he's managed it.
Turning back to the ridge, he picks his way across the ground and clambers up to the ledge. He creeps forward carefully until he hears a rumbling growl coming from a small cave tucked into the cliff face, the entrance hidden from view from the ground.
Cody gives a low growl of his own as he edges closer, paw by steady paw, until the other wolf steps out onto the ledge in front of him.
It's an adult male wolf, but barely. His fur on end to make himself seem bigger as he stares up at Cody. He gives a yip in surprise, his ears flattening, and slowly lowers himself to the floor. Lowering his gaze he rolls onto his back and whines, and Cody responds by snuffling at his throat, taking the opportunity to glance sideways into the cave as he moves forward.
It's empty, clearly the wolf hasn't been here long yet.
The wolf itself is pure animal, not a hint of ‘were’ about it, and Cody breathes out a sigh of relief against its fur before licking a stripe on its forehead. A lone wolf will be looking for a pack, and the local packs all treat the Fetts favourably when they're out in the woods. Vos keeps one of Cody's (clean but well loved) running shirts in the ranger station in case he ever has to get close to the local packs alone. They switch it out every week or so with a new one from Cody's drawer. Aayla smells enough like Bly at all times, especially since they married and mated, to not need to worry when she has to deal with the wolves. A little blended scent might help this one to settle faster. The wolf yips happily, but stays on his back until Cody has made his way off the ledge.
Vos is waiting for him just inside the treeline, and they make their way back to the car park in companionable silence. Cody briefly entertains the idea of staying in wolf form permanently around the man, if only to force him into quiet more often. Unfortunately, Cody does need to change back in order to drive into town and finally get his coffee, before he can get any work done.
Vos, of course, waits until Cody has shifted back to human to hand him his clothes, openly admiring his naked form as he takes them.
“You're drooling.” Cody deadpans, pulling his jeans back on.
Vos is unrepentant. “Just admiring the view.” He winks. “I can't wait to introduce you to Obi, I'll be sure to bring a towel to mop up the drool.”
“Ah yes, your mysterious ‘old friend’. Bly mentioned him. As I said to him, I do not need to be set up.”
Vos blinks. Then snorts. “Oh Cody, Cody, Cody, I do not need to set you up. I have known Obi since we were barely toddling. I was there when he first realised women existed, and I was there when he first realised men existed. I know what he likes, and you, my friend, will break his brain.”
“Whatever you say, Vos.” Cody finishes rolling the sleeves of his shirt back up, and turns to his truck with a wave. Vos flicks his middle finger at him with a grin as he pulls away.
— — —
Cody spends the rest of his day huddled in the corner of Waxer and Boil's coffee shop wrangling his latest contract’s spreadsheets into submission. Waxer intermittently drops into the seat across from him with a heavy sigh, complaining about his aging joints and the prospect of impending exercise with a visible shudder and a level of drama that even Fives would be impressed by. His husband watches his antics from behind the counter with no more than a fond eye roll.
By the time Excel has bowed to Cody’s superior will, he has to rush to pick up the twins from middle school. Flashing a thumbs up to Boil’s question confirming that they are meeting at the usual spot fifteen minutes before sunset as he goes.
Boba and Meg pile into the car the moment he stops, vibrating with excitement. At twelve they're both a little too young to join in the whole full moon run, their wolves still more puppy than adult, but they'll be able to join the shorter pack run before they are stashed in the den to wait for the others to wear themselves out.
Fives and Echo are equally as energetic when he picks them up from the high school, jostling each other as they both try and fit through the door simultaneously. Boba grabs Fives’ hand as Meg grabs Echo’s, each trying to pull their brother through first. Cody rests his head on the steering wheel and gives them two minutes to resolve the carnage themselves before he turns.
Both sets of twins freeze. Fives’ head is wedged beneath Echo's armpit, and Boba has one hand jammed into Meg’s side, clearly attempting to tickle her into releasing her grip on Echo's arm. Four sets of the same brown eyes blink at him in unison.
Cody arches an unimpressed eyebrow, and everyone lets go of each other. Fives steps back and gestures Echo into the car with a regal bow and receives a flick to the forehead in response, and Boba tries to get one last jab into Meg's ribs, but she jerks her elbow back to block him before he can make contact.
Rex and Kix are already at home when Cody gets back with the kids. Rex is hovering over a pot of chilli on the stove, while Kix is slicing a loaf of what smells like fresh bakery bread that Cody definitely didn't pick up while shopping. Fives makes a dive for the chilli and Rex brandishes the stained wooden spoon like a sword to keep him at bay.
Cody manages to usher the kids upstairs to wash up and get changed without bloodshed. He catches the sound of another car pulling into the driveway before he can do the same, and Fox lets himself into the house, his lean frame towering over the tiny form of Riyo at his side. She offers Cody a wave and a shy smile, which he returns, before rounding on his older brother.
“I had an interesting chat with Bly today.” Cody smirks, and Fox’s face settles into its signature frown. From the kitchen Rex snorts a laugh and coughs to cover it.
“And I'm sure you handled it with the expected level of gratitude and self-reflection.” Fox deadpans. Riyo, clearly sensing oncoming sibling nonsense, retreats to the kitchen and starts helping Rex by running filled bowls of chilli to the battered dining table. Fox's gaze never leaves Cody’s face, but he strokes a hand down Riyo’s back in apology as she passes him. She rolls her eyes fondly.
“Is that why you were so keen to pass up the opportunity to big-brother me?” Cody lets his bottom lip push out into an exaggerated pout and Fox swats at him.
“If I thought for a second you would have actually listened, Kot’ika, I would have told you to do something for yourself a long time ago.”
“I told Bly I'd think about it, and while I'm grateful for the concern, I'm perfectly capable of getting a date without familial interference.”
Fox looks pointedly around, then back to Cody. Cody hears another poorly-disguised chuckle snort from the kitchen. “Clearly.”
Cody punches Fox in the stomach with enough force to make him wheeze, but it doesn't prevent Fox smirking at him while he catches his breath.
Riyo pats her boyfriend on the top of the head as she passes and gestures for Cody to head to the table. Kix shuffles around them all with a plate of bread and Rex yells for the kids to come eat as he follows with a grin.
— — —
Riyo drives the truck filled with Fett brothers up to the same trail head car park where Cody had met Vox that morning. She politely stays in the driver's seat while they all clamber out and strip off, tossing their clothes into holdalls and leaving them piled in the backseat. Rex corrals Fives and Echo the moment they shift, pinning them each beneath one of his paws with ease. Boba takes up position beside Kix’s shoulder immediately when summoned with a yip, leaving Cody to scruff Meg as she laps around him, chasing her own blonde tail. Fox gives Riyo a kiss before he shifts and joins them. He settles into place on Cody's right side, letting his younger brother take the lead as alpha of the pack.
The full moon is a driving force through his veins. There's a voice in Cody’s head that pushes him harder, and faster: he claimed the pack, they're his responsibility. He has to prove himself, to prove his strength and his endurance. No matter that he knows his brothers would never put that pressure on him, the voice is impossible to silence, especially around the full moon with all of their instincts turned up to eleven.
The run itself though: even the voice in Cody's head can't dilute the joy it brings. Racing through the trees with his siblings on his heels. The feeling of wind through his fur, the crack of branches whipping past him and the give of soft earth beneath his paws. Pushing himself until there are no thoughts in his head except keeping them all together and seeing how fast they can make it back to the den.
He howls as they approach the meeting point, barking a greeting as Waxer, Boil and Bly howl their response and join the pack.
It's five miles from the meeting point to the den, another two from the car park to the meeting point, but the wolves eat those miles as though they are steps. Even Boba and Meg manage to keep up (though Cody intentionally checks his stride when he spots Meg starting to pant), occasionally darting in front of their brothers or Waxer and Boil to try and trip them up. Never Cody though; they know better than to try and run ahead of the pack.
As the trail runs alongside Theed Road, Cody catches Bly’s form out of the corner of his eye, just in time to dodge the shoulder barge his brother had been aiming for. Bly yelps as he overbalances, paws flailing as he almost careens into someone's garden. Cody barks a laugh and keeps the pack running, but slows them enough for Bly to catch up.
The den comes into view, a tunnel of trees leading up the trail to the house, and Cody summons Boba and Meg to his sides, their tails wagging as he goads them into a race. He drops back just enough to watch them, chuckling deep in his chest as the twins hurtle forwards, tails wagging as they leap over fallen branches and focus more on trying to get in each others' way than on actually winning. He's distracted enough to miss Fives leaping onto his back, and he only manages another two strides before blonde fur obscures his vision as Rex piles on top of Fives. From his position at the bottom of the dog pile, Cody watches Echo dodge around them all and dive between Boba and Meg to claim victory.
Waxer and Boil race over to him, running in circles with Boba and Meg as Echo sits and preens. Fox comes to a stop in front of the pile of siblings and plants himself in front of Cody's face, looking down his nose at him with what somehow manages to be a smug expression on his canine features, while Rex and Fives extricate themselves with minimal attempts to avoid standing on Cody's organs.
The pack makes its way into the house, the latch on the back door operated equally easily by both paws and human hands by design. Riyo and Aayla are waiting already, curled up on one of the couches with mugs of tea ready to keep watch over the kids while the rest of them run.
Meg and Boba collapse in a pile of fur in front of the unlit fireplace, panting happily, too tired to squabble. Fives and Echo flop down either side of them with simultaneous huffs, and Cody can't help but bark a laugh.
The boys may be almost full grown, but they're still pups, and part of him clenches at the thought that one day soon they won't be.
Bly bounds over to his wife, tail wagging madly and hitting Cody in the face as he does so. He licks a stripe up her cheek and she shoves his face away with a fondly disgusted sound, before Cody ushers the adult wolves back out into the woods.
It takes them several hours before they start to feel their energy waning. Cody catches a faint howl from a few miles away, quickly echoed by half a dozen other voices, and he hopes the lone wolf has found a pack to hunt with.
The kids are half asleep when they make it back to the house, curled up on the back porch watching the trees. Echo perks up first, nudging Meg and Boba gently before shoving his tongue into Fives’ ear. Fives’ high pitched yelp quickly turns into an excited yip when he spots his brothers and Cody leads them all back into the house to collapse in a pile in the living room.
— — —
It takes Cody a week and a half to finally give in to Bly’s urging for him to leave the kids with him and Aayla for a night. The tipping point comes when Bly and Rex invite Plo to join them all for lunch at the workshop, and Bly's father-in-law mentions that he's helping Vos' friend Obi-Wan and his family move in over the weekend, his piercing gaze never leaving Cody’s face as he speaks.
When he'd first met Plo Koon, Cody had wondered how such a calm, reasonable man had managed to raise both rational, put-together Aayla and the human tornado of chaos that is Vos. Then he'd met Bant, the intersection of the two, and he'd spent enough time around Aayla for her to let him glimpse past the mask, and he'd realised: Plo Koon is exactly as much of a troublemaker as his eldest, he just hides it behind dry enough humour that he fools you into thinking whatever carnage he cooks up is your idea.
No wonder he gets on so well with Wolffe.
Cody draws the line at being set up by the father-in-law of two of his brothers. He can ignore a lot, but Bly’s puppy eyes, Rex's arched eyebrow (an expression he has clearly picked up from Cody, and deploys with only slightly less effectiveness), and Plo’s genuine fatherly concern is a combination that would break a stronger man than him.
Which is how he finds himself standing in a crowded bar in Theed City on Friday night, nursing a beer and cursing his parents for giving him siblings.
It's not that Cody doesn't know how to pick someone up in a bar, but between the height, the facial scar, and the muscles maintained by running, wolf genes and the tiny Naboo sparring gym, he’s aware he cuts an intimidating figure. He's also been told he suffers from resting ‘plotting your murder’ face when he's out of his element. Which he is.
All in all, it's not a combination that encourages strangers to approach. Which is why he is so surprised when someone almost falls into his arms.
“Oh, I'm so sorry!”
Cody's beer sloshes down his front as the person is thrown into his side by the moment of the crowd. Cody reaches out with his free hand to steady his unfortunate accoster, and blinks.
The man is beautiful. There is no other word for it. He's Cody's height, with a lithe build and broad shoulders. Red tinged hair and a trimmed beard frame a set of startlingly blue eyes that are wide with panic as the stranger stares, dismayed, at the liquid seeping through Cody’s shirt. Plump lips are parted in horror, and Cody is so busy staring at them, that he almost misses the words the man is speaking. “...buy you a replacement.”
“Sorry?” Cody blurts, dragging his gaze violently back up the man’s face to his eyes. It comes out gruffer than he intends, and he winces as the man takes half a step back, and Cody's hand drops back down to his side.
The man glances between Cody's hand and his face, before his panicked expression softens, and the corner of his lips twitches up. “Let me buy you a drink? To replace that one?” He gestures to Cody's now half empty glass, then back to the bar. Cody downs the remains of his beer in one go, and nods.
“Sure, thank you.” The man’s eyes are wide and fixed on Cody's mouth for a moment before he seems to shake himself, then flashes a smirk. Cody blinks. The man holds out a hand, which Cody takes reflexively.
“I'm…Ben.” The man, Ben, introduces himself.
Cody grins. “Cody…or Kote. Take your pick.” The offer of his nickname slides off of his tongue before he can think about it. He doesn't mean for it to, but something in Cody's wolfy hindbrain wants to hear that posh accent wrap around the syllables of the name his family gave him the day he became the pack's alpha. Ben blinks, then his smirk turns even more curious.
When Cody goes to release the handshake, Ben’s grip shifts, now simply holding his hand, and he tugs Cody after him back towards the bar. His grip is strong, but not tight; Cody could pull away easily if he wanted to. When he catches Ben’s blue eyes twinkling at him as he looks over his shoulder, he tightens his own grip instead.
Ben pulls their joined hands close to his ass as they get closer to the bar, drawing Cody up against his back.
“What'll it be?” Ben asks over his shoulder, quietly enough that Cody is forced to press himself closer in order to hear him. The move traps their hands between them, and Ben takes the opportunity to slide his fingertips across Cody's thigh.
Cody sucks in a surprised breath, and the most wonderful smell immediately overwhelms his senses. Chai tea and cinnamon spice wrap around something earthy and green. Cody breathes deeper, barely restraining the urge to bury his nose in Ben's neck and trail his tongue where that scent is strongest. He's glad the full moon has passed, or he's not sure he'd be able to resist begging Ben to let him bite down on the spot where Ben's neck meets his shoulder. It wouldn't bond them, not unless Cody broke the skin, but his teeth ache at the thought even so.
By the third pass of Ben’s hand, teasingly soft, Cody is as hard as he has ever been and desperately trying to remember how words work. He presses himself just a little harder against Ben’s back, and trails his free hand down the man's side to wrap around his hip, his mouth watering at the feeling of taught muscle shivering under his touch.
Ben's eyes flutter briefly before he blinks, his smirk taking a turn for the purely wicked as he takes in Cody's expression. “You know, my dear, it occurs to me that you can't be very comfortable in that shirt anymore. Come with me and let me help you get the stain out?”
Cody can only nod and follow as Ben turns abruptly and leads him away from the bar and towards the bathrooms.
Mercifully, the bathrooms at the bar are individual stalls, and Ben pulls Cody into the furthest from the main bar area. Cody locks the door behind them with a click that seems to snap something in Ben’s composure, because he finds himself pressed back against the door before he has time to consider making a move of his own.
Ben’s lips crash into his with an enthusiasm that makes Cody gasp, and Ben takes the opportunity to dip his tongue into Cody’s mouth. He tastes like whiskey, warm and spiced, and that and his scent overwhelming Cody’s nose makes Cody’s head spin.
Ben uses his grip on Cody’s hand to pull it over his head, leaning forward to pin it in place. Cody automatically steadies his free hand on Ben’s hip, pulling them together sharply. Ben immediately starts to rut against him, and Cody is gratified to feel that the man is just as hard as he is in his jeans. A particularly hard thrust brings their erections together, and the sound of their moans echo in the tight space of the bathroom.
“Fuck.” Cody hisses out between kisses, all other words utterly failing him as his grip tightens on Ben's hand and his fingers dig into the flesh of Ben's hip. He's momentarily worried he might leave bruises, but from the way Ben leans into him as though trying to crawl into his skin, he doesn't mind
Ben grins against his lips. “Not here, but let me take the edge off and we can relocate.”
Cody is helpless to do anything but whimper as Ben deftly reaches between them and unbuttons first Cody’s jeans, then his own, and draws them both out. They're pressed too close together for Cody to see, but at the feeling of surprisingly calloused fingers and smooth hot skin sliding against him, Cody’s head drops down to thunk onto Ben’s shoulder, and he buries his face against the man’s neck.
Ben gathers the precum seeping from Cody’s tip with his thumb, using it to ease the glide of his hand as he grips both of their cocks together. Cody’s tongue darts out to lick a drop of sweat sliding down the side of Ben’s neck, and the man shivers against him, his grip tightening briefly. Cody takes that as encouragement and moves to nibble lightly at the skin, then gently sucks. Ben’s answering groan is feral, and the hand not wrapped around their cocks releases Cody’s in order to tangle his fingers into Cody’s hair and keep him tucked against his neck.
“Can I leave marks?” Cody asks, his voice already breaking. Ben nods quickly, his hand speeding up. Cody’s hips thrust into the rhythm without his say so. He returns his attention to Ben’s neck, desperately trying to distract himself long enough for this not to end embarrassingly quickly. Though from the way Ben is panting harshly into Cody’s shoulder, he’s not faring much better.
Cody trails his lips from Ben’s shoulder up to the hinge of his jaw, sucking a kiss just below where his beard starts. As he makes his way back down, he bites a little harder, laving his tongue to sooth the hurt as he passes. Ben’s rhythm starts to stutter. And Cody’s balls draw tight up against his body.
“I’m…close…” Ben gasps out.
“Me too.” Cody responds, finally running his lips over the spot just below where that tea and cinnamon and earth scent is strongest, and sets his teeth against the meat of Ben’s shoulder. As his orgasm starts to crest, he bites down hard, careful not to break the skin, and is rewarded by Ben’s broken cry as he spills over Cody’s cock and his own hand. Cody follows him with a grunt.
For a moment, they both just breathe, and Cody isn’t entirely certain that either of them would be able to stand without the other propping them up right now. Eventually, Cody realises that Ben is shaking, and he pulls back in panic, only to realise that the man is…laughing?
“I'm so sorry.” Ben wheezes. “I think I may have made the stains on your shirt even worse.”
Cody huffs a surprised laugh and steps back from Ben to survey the damage. It's not as bad as it could be, but he still moves over to the sink to attempt to rinse off the cum before it dries and gives away exactly what they've been doing here to everyone in the bar.
Ben joins him at the sink, still giggling, and rinses off his hand. At some point he has tucked himself away and Cody self consciously reaches down to do the same. Ben looks over at him with an exaggerated pout. “I was enjoying the view.”
Cody flicks water at him, and Ben’s answering laugh lights up his face in a way that briefly makes Cody forget how to breathe. Even in the abysmal bathroom lighting, Ben is stunning.
“So…?” Cody doesn't quite know how to finish his question. Ben seems to know what he's asking though, and arches an eyebrow while trailing one hand down Cody's arm, occasionally pausing to squeeze the muscle.
Cody doesn't flex. Honest. His muscles just do that.
“Your place?” Ben asks with a wink. Cody’s brain short circuits. And Ben seems to take the pause as a refusal because he immediately draws back. “Unless you don't…”
“No!” Cody hurries to correct him, and Ben recoils further. Cody rubs a hand over his face, then grimaces as his wet palm. Ben smothers a chuckle behind his hand, though he still looks embarrassed. “I mean, yes I want to. I’m staying at a hotel nearby if you'd like to…?”
Ben's expression loses its insecurity, and Cody can't help but enjoy the way the sly smirk settles back into place on Ben's lips. It makes his eyes seem brighter, and Cody can't look away.
Ben nods eagerly and helps Cody to right his clothes. As soon as they are both decent enough, Ben resumes his grip on Cody's hand, and he pulls him swiftly out of the bathroom, and towards the exit.
They don't stop until they're outside, the cool evening air almost frigid compared to the stuffy heat of the bar. Cody takes the lead, marching swiftly down the street and around the corner to the hotel he has opted to stay in for the night.
Theed City may be close enough to Naboo that he technically didn't need to, but there is no way Cody would consider trying to sneak a one night stand into the house his siblings have keys to.
Ben hurries them through the lobby, glancing around as they go with an expression Cody can't read, though he grins when their eyes meet. Once they reach the lift, Cody directs him to the right floor and ushers him down the hallway to his room.
The moment they are inside, it's Cody's turn to press Ben back against the door. He reaches up to cup the man's chin and gently tips his head up to meet his eyes. Ben's pupils are blown wide, that startling blue all but swallowed by the black.
Cody's thumb takes on a life of its own, and brushes across Ben's lower lip. Ben's tongue darts out to lick the tip, and Cody suppresses a whimper.
Ben's answering grin is devious, before he leans forward just enough to suck the tip of Cody's thumb into his mouth. He laps at the digit, swirling his tongue and sucking hard, his gaze never leaving Cody's, and Cody cannot restrain the feral growl that rumbles from him.
From the moan he gets in response, Ben approves.
Cody pulls his thumb from between Ben's lips with a wet pop. A thin line of saliva joins them for a moment between it breaks and Cody is left staring at Ben's pouting mouth.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Cody checks, reaching down slowly to wrap his hands under Ben's thighs. Ben nods immediately, and Cody lifts his legs up to wrap them around his waist. He smirks at the surprised squeak Ben lets out as he wraps his arms around his neck. Tightening his grip, Cody spins them and carries Ben easily over to the bed.
Ben's hands make their way from Cody's neck down over his shoulders once he realises he isn't going to be dropped, and he makes the most of the opportunity to run his fingers over the flex of Cody's muscles.
Despite the distraction, Cody manages to navigate them to the bed without causing anyone an injury, and lowers Ben to the mattress, catching himself with one hand so he is left leaning over him. Ben uses his ankles hooked together behind Cody's back to pull him down on top of him. Cody barely manages to stop their faces from colliding
“I'm going to need you to use your words here, Ben.” Cody murmurs, an inch of space between their lips. “Tell me what you want.”
Ben whines, straining up to try and close the distance, and Cody chuckles low as he twists the fingers of his free hand into Ben's hair at the back of his head, gripping just tight enough to stop him from reaching his mouth. Ben's hair is as soft as it looks, rendering Cody momentarily distracted enough to almost miss Ben's whispered words.
“Please. Please fuck me.”
Cody is very glad he didn't miss that. Ben's eyes are half lidded in pleasure as he grinds his pelvis up against Cody's, his nails leaving pinpricks of sharp pain where they dig into the meat of his shoulders. Cody inhales sharply, and uses his grip on Ben's silky hair to bring their mouths together in a bruising kiss.
Ben's hands move quickly from Cody's shoulders to his chest to start undoing his shirt buttons. Cody can't bring himself to release his grip on Ben's hair, instead shifting his weight to his elbow and freeing up the hand supporting him to try and follow Ben's example.
Ben gets Cody's shirt open long before Cody's distracted attempts at Ben's buttons come close to success, and Ben celebrates his victory by rubbing a thumb over one of Cody's taut nipples. Cody's hips buck without his input and he whimpers into the kiss. Ben pulls back with a smirk, batting Cody's hand aside to undo his shirt himself, revealing downy hair the same red brown shade as his beard, and a deceptive amount of muscles for his lean build. Cody only realised his jaw had dropped open when Ben reached up to tap his lip with a smirk.
“Please tell me you have lube, and condoms.” Ben's voice is ragged already, and Cody nods jerkily before untangling himself enough to make his way over to his holdall and pull out the necessary items. When he turns back to the bed, Ben has stripped off his shirt and has his jeans off of one leg already. He catches Cody's eye and trails his gaze slowly down and up Cody's body. “Get naked, then get back over here.”
Cody, it turns out, is very good at following orders.
He’s back hovering over Ben within moments. He nudges Ben further onto the bed, dropping the condoms and lube off to the side within easy reach, freeing his hands to explore all of the freshly revealed skin. He catalogues every caught breath and low sound Ben makes as he trails his hands up; from his ankles, over his thighs and hips, skirting around the hard cock twitching between Ben's legs, caressing the divots in Ben's hips instead, trailing up over Ben’s chest with a gentle pinch of a nipple that gets a sharp gasp in response.
That last move seems to be the final straw for Ben's patience, and he lurches up to grab Cody’s head, digging his fingers into his curls, and dragging him onto his body and into a desperate, messy kiss. Cody groans and brings their hips together, grinding a circle that has them both moaning into each other's mouths. He drags his lips from Ben's, trailing kisses across the side of his face and down his neck as one hand blindly seeks out the bottle of lube beside them.
Cody continues alternating kisses and soft bites over Ben's skin, pausing to lave his tongue over a nipple, as he makes his way to crouch between Ben's sprawled legs. Ben's hand doesn't leave his hair, and his grip tightens deliciously whenever Cody pays particular attention to one of the sensitive spots he'd catalogued earlier.
Cody hooks Ben's knees over his shoulders as he mouths around Ben's twitching erection, close enough for him to feel his breath, but not close enough for it to be anything but teasing. Ben's thighs try to close around his ears as Cody pours lube over the fingers of one hand and casts the bottle to the side. Gripping the base of Ben's cock with his clean hand and spreading the slick substance across the fingers of his other, Cody stares up at Ben across the expanse of skin laid before him.
Ben looks wrecked. His mouth is open, panting harshly, eyes wide and pupils blown so the blue is almost fully obscured. His grip on Cody's hair tightens briefly, before he seems to force himself to relax and move to cup the side of Cody's face instead; his thumb trails gently down Cody's scar, even as his fingers flex on Cody's jaw.
Cody arches an eyebrow in question, looking pointedly at Ben's cock in his hand, and lets his tongue poke out between his lips. Ben's response is to let out a wanton moan and nod so hard Cody is briefly concerned he'll injure himself. Cody offers Ben a feral grin and leans forward between Ben's thighs to lick a stripe up the underside of his cock. At the same time he brings one lube slick finger to circle around the pucker of Ben's asshole.
Ben's hips jerk, but he settles quickly, his legs trembling as he seems to fight to hold himself still. Cody moves up to hover his mouth over the tip of Ben's cock and rubs his finger against Ben's hole.
“You're going to need to relax if you want me to fuck you.” Cody murmurs. Ben sucks in a breath, holds it, and lets it out slowly, his eyes never leaving Cody's. “Good boy.”
Ben's eyes flutter and his hips jerk up at Cody's words. Cody notes the reaction with a grin, before having mercy and sliding his lips over the tip of Ben's erection. Ben tastes clean, musky and slightly salty. As Cody works more of Ben's cock into his mouth, breathing carefully through his nose, he slowly works his finger into Ben's ass, curling the digit as he seeks out…
Ben whines, and bucks with enough force that Cody almost gags, and has to use the hand that had been steadying Ben's cock to hold his hips down.
“Sorry…sorry…” Ben gasps.
Eyes only slightly watering, Cody lifts himself off of Ben just enough to offer him a reassuring smile.
“No harm done, I'm sturdier than that.” He sucks Ben down before the man can respond, and is rewarded with Ben's thighs clamping hard around his ears.
Timing thrusts of his finger with steady progress taking more of Ben into his mouth, Cody slowly works him open enough to add another digit. It slides easily in alongside the first and when he curls his fingers against the spot he has discovered Ben whines.
“Kote…Kote please.” Cody can't help but preen a little at the sound of the name he'd been bestowed being moaned that way. Ben's voice forms the mando'a word with remarkable ease and almost perfect pronunciation, and though Cody briefly wonders if Ben might know what it means, he decides that that's a question for Future Cody to concern himself with. Current Cody is too busy smiling around Ben's dick and scissoring his fingers in preparation for Ben to take his cock.
Cody's eyes are starting to water, drool sliding out of the corners of his mouth to drip down Ben's cock and Ben has moved beyond any words that aren't variations on ‘please’ or Cody's offered name by the time Cody has worked him up to taking three fingers. Ben suddenly shifts his grip on Cody's jaw and tugs him upwards off of him, tilting his chin gently to meet his gaze.
Cody can only imagine the picture he paints, with his mouth spit-slick and open, his lips almost bruised from taking Ben's cock.
“Please.” Ben gasps raggedly and swallows before continuing. “I'm ready. Please. If you keep doing that this will be over before you get in me.”
Cody nods and shifts himself up the bed, reaching out to the side to grab a condom and slide it on. He slicks himself with residual lube before lining himself up at Ben's entrance. Ben wraps his legs around Cody's waist, digging his heels into Cody's buttocks in clear encouragement, and tugs him down into a searing kiss, breaking away only far enough to gasp out a breath as Cody slides in.
Cody tilts his head to bury his face in Ben's neck and breathes into his skin while he tries to hold himself still. Ben whines and wriggles beneath him as he adjusts, breathing deeply. Cody groans, setting his teeth against the muscle of Ben's shoulder as the man pleads with him to “move, my dear.”
Cody obeys, drawing his cock slowly out of Ben until only the tip is left inside, then driving forward with a steady rhythm that has the bed creaking. Cody sucks a kiss into Ben's neck and shifts his grip on his hips, angling him just slightly in a way that makes him scream with Cody's nest thrust.
Tea and cinnamon swirl in Cody's nose beneath the heavier musk of sex and sweat slick skin as he desperately tries to keep his rhythm steady while Ben claws at his biceps and tilts his head to pant into Cody's hair.
As Cody feels his orgasm drawing closer he realises that the knot at the base of his erection is starting to swell. He has a moment of panic as he tries to figure out how this could be happening without alerting Ben to the rapidly growing problem. He hasn’t broken the skin on Ben’s neck; he’s been very careful about that. And yet, his body is responding as if he’s fucking into his mate. Cody runs his nose up the column of Ben's throat to hide to frown on his face, and studiously ignores the urge to bite, claim, mark.
He keeps driving his hips into Ben, who thankfully doesn't seem to have noticed anything amiss. Though, to be fair, it would be hard to notice anything with his eyes as glazed over as they are when Cody pulls himself back enough to meet them. He is careful to keep his knot away from Ben's rim, and adjusts the angle so he hits Ben's prostate more directly.
Ben arches, freezes, and comes untouched over his chest with a cry. He squeezes tight around Cody's cock and Cody is helpless but to follow him over the edge, burying himself as deep as he dares and collapsing with his forehead resting on Ben's chest, careful not to crush him with his weight.
Both men catch their breath. Ben reaches up to tilt Cody's head and draws him into a surprisingly sweet kiss. Cody offers him a smile when they break apart, and surreptitiously reaches down to wrap a hand around the base of the condom, covering his flared knot as he pulls himself out of Ben with a groan.
He carefully makes his way into the bathroom, grabbing his underwear on his way, and disposes of the condom and cleans himself off with a washcloth. As he pulls on his boxer shorts, he tucks himself up into the waistband carefully, trying to disguise the knot still keeping his erection in place. He grabs a clean cloth and wets it with warm water before returning to the bedroom, where he finds Ben sprawled on top of the sheets with an arm flung dramatically over his eyes and a wide smile on his face.
“I think you’ve killed me.” He grumbles when Cody gently moves his leg and wipes the cloth over his stomach and down over his ass to clean off the remnants of cum and lube. Cody huffs a laugh and Ben twitches as the air puffs over his dick, dropping his arm to blink at Cody in the soft light of the bedside lamp. Cody prods at his side gently with one finger and Ben flinches, ticklish. Cody smirks, and resumes running the washcloth over Ben's skin, though most of the mess has been cleaned up already. Goosebumps erupt where Cody’s hand passes.
“You seem alive enough.”
Ben swats at him halfheartedly, then sinks back into the pillows. “Give me a moment for my brain to reboot and I'll get out of your way.”
Cody tries to hide his flinch by swiping the washcloth once more over Ben's entirely-clean thigh. The smile drops off his face as he walks back into the bathroom. He takes a moment tucked behind the door to suck in a breath and remind himself that just because his dick had instinctive ideas about what it wanted, and just because Ben smelled good, neither of them had made any allusions that this would be anything more than one encounter. He has no right to feel disappointed that Ben wants to leave quickly.
On the upside, Cody's knot is finally starting to deflate, at least enough that he can move around without fear of Ben noticing anything irregular with the outline of his cock in his shorts.
When Cody emerges, Ben has managed to drag himself off of the bed and back into his jeans. Cody finds him staring intently out of the window with a slight frown as he buttons up his shirt. He startles slightly when Cody appears in the reflection, and turns to face him with a small half smile.
“I had a lot of fun.” He begins. Cody notices that the half smile doesn't reach his eyes, though the expression in them remains soft. “Any other night I would ask for your number but, well, I doubt I'll be back in the city for a while.”
Cody crosses his arms over his chest and shrugs, as though the words aren't sending a stab directly to his gut. After all of that, he had been hoping to at least get Ben's contact information, in case he even wanted a repeat. The wolf in him growls, grumbling urges to bite, claim, knot, which he ignores.
“Of course. I understand.” He does, as much as he hates that fact. He can recognise a brush off when he receives one. Ben frowns, and opens his mouth, and Cody turns to look out of the window to avoid the pitying explanation he's certain he's about to receive.
It never comes. Instead, when Cody glances back over at Ben, the man shakes his head and offers Cody another smile that doesn't reach his eyes before he turns to go. He pauses with his hand on the doorknob, and glances back over his shoulder. “Thank you, I really did have a good time. I hope you did too.”
Cody arches an eyebrow at him and looks pointedly at the tangle of sheets in the bed, then back to Ben. He gives him a feral grin he doesn't feel. “I did. Have a good night, Ben.”
When Ben leaves, Cody collapses back onto sheets that smell like sex and spice, and rubs his hands over his face while the wolf in him growls its displeasure at letting him walk away.
— — —
Rex is the only one home when Cody gets back. He's standing at the kitchen counter pouring coffee into two mugs when Cody walks in, and hands him one with a teasing smirk.
“Thanks.”
“I take it that your night off went well then?” Rex asks, leaning back against the cabinets. Cody takes a sip of the too-hot liquid to avoid answering and shrugs on shoulder dismissively. Rex snorts a laugh. “You can't hide anything from me, Kote. You know that. I was the one you told about Vos, remember?”
“A mistake on my part, thinking you would let that go.” He arches an eyebrow at his little brother, and ensures that his face is set into a mask of calm. “I had a drink; I went back to my hotel; I woke up without the chorus of children fighting that accompanies most of my mornings. It was very pleasant, thank you.” Cody acquiesces, staring Rex down and taking another swing of the burning coffee without wincing.
“Whatever you say, brother mine.”
“Aayla and Bly still have the kids?” Cody wonders, jumping for the first subject change he can feasibly get away with in front of Rex. From the knowing smirk he receives, it wouldn't have been worth trying for anything subtle anyway.
“Bly and Aayla are dropping Fives and Echo off when they come to help our new neighbours move in today. Plo took Boba and Meg to archery practice this morning and he should be heading over soon too.” Rex deploys The Eyebrow. “Vos managed to hold you down long enough to tell you anything else about this friend of his yet?” He finally takes a sip of his own coffee. “Or that he's already signed us both up for lifting and shifting too today, to make sure you get to meet him?”
Fives and Echo barrel into the house to find Rex in a headlock beneath Cody's arm, and immediately dogpile onto the pair with glee. Bly joins them a few moments later, leaping in without even a hello, and Cody finds himself once again at the bottom of the pile.
“You don't even live here.” Cody wheezes. Rex sitting on his ribcage renders speech a little trickier. Bly grins, unrepentant, from his perch on Echo's back, the boy draped over Cody's legs.
“More’s the pity, I've just met your new neighbours and I cannot wait to watch you meet Obi-Wan.”
Cody groans and Fives and Echo giggle.
“Let's just get this nonsense over with. I hear Vos signed me up for manual labour without consulting me. Again.” Quinlan Vos tended to ask for forgiveness rather than permission, claiming that he thought Cody needed the workout whenever he was called out on it. Fortunately for his continued survival, the projects he signed Cody up for tended to be ones he would have agreed to anyway, if he'd been asked.
Once his siblings have removed themselves from his person, Cody clambers to his feet and makes a pitstop in his room to dump his bag and change into a t-shirt he uses for the gym. He deliberately does not check his reflection in the mirror (though he does run a hand through his hair once to neaten whatever disarray his brothers have thrown his curls into). He has no interest in making any kind of moves on Vos’ friend, no matter what he or Cody's traitorous siblings seem to believe.
Outside the house, Cody catches Plo waving at him from beside a moving truck down the road. He makes his way into the midst of what seems to be a military operation overseen by a petite brunette with a clipboard and prominent baby bump. Plo claps a hand on his shoulder and pulls him over to the woman as Aayla and Bly pass him, carrying a distinctly labelled box each.
“Padmé, I have another assistant for you. This is Cody Fett.” Padmé looks up from her clipboard and blinks, then smiles kindly.
“Another one? How many of you Fetts are there?” She chuckles lightly and holds out a hand. “Padmé Amidala-Skywalker. It's a pleasure to meet you, and thank you so much for helping us out.”
“Not a problem, Padmé. It's good to meet you too. For the record, there are ten of us, though only six still live up the road.”
Padmé gasps, then recovers herself admirably. “Ten?! And do you all look as similar to each other as the five of you I've met so far?”
“Afraid so.” Cody grins. “Anyway, I don't want to distract you. Please set me to work.”
Padmé looks down at her clipboard, running her finger over what appears to be a list of numbered boxes, organised by room.
“If you could help…” Padmé glances up and her smile broadens. “Perfect timing. Obi-Wan! Come meet Cody!” Cody turns to see who she is speaking to and his heart drops into his shoes.
Standing frozen on the steps leading up to the front porch, a friendly smile falling rapidly into an expression of pure panic, is Ben.
Or, apparently, Obi-Wan.
Ten years of raising his younger siblings has given Cody an excellent poker face, even when his emotions are swirling like a storm through him. It's the only thing currently saving him from reacting as Ben…as Obi-Wan edges closer.
Padmé doesn't seem to sense the brewing tension, her focus back on her clipboard as she speaks. “Cody Fett, this is my brother-in-law Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan, this is Cody, he and five of his siblings live next door.” Padmé runs her finger down her list and taps once. “Ani is dealing with the boxes for the garage and will almost definitely get immediately distracted,” she shakes her head with a fondly exasperated expression, “and Asoka is in charge of the bedrooms. Can you two start with the nursery please? All the boxes should be together in the truck. Obi-Wan, you know which room.”
“Sure.” Cody grunts, words defeating him, and gestures with a hand for Obi-Wan to lead the way. Obi-Wan can't seem to meet his eyes, and Cody takes the opportunity unobserved to take in the flush travelling across Obi-Wan’s face and down his neck.
He does a double take as he realises that the collar of Obi-Wan's shirt doesn't quite cover a purpling bruise on his neck. Now it's Cody's turn to flush, though he hopes his darker skin tone does a better job at hiding it than Obi-Wan’s fair complexion.
Hurrying for a way to excuse his reddening face, Cody follows Obi-Wan over to the neatly stacked boxes labelled ‘nursery’, picks up what he hopes will be a sufficiently heavy box, and trails behind the silent man into the house.