Breaking the Code

 

Korbin rested his elbows on the curved bathtub back and luxuriated in the hot water that came up to the top of his chest. The steam smelled faintly of some scented herb he couldn’t name and a soft night breeze from the partially opened balcony window kept the bathroom from fogging up like a sauna. The ARC couldn’t believe what it was he’d been missing all these years - he had never imagined that a tub full of scented water could be such a simple slice of perfection.



All of the aches and pains that he had accumulated on Jabiim seemed to melt away beneath the soothing caress of perfectly heated water. His left leg still bothered him a bit, especially up toward his hip, where Kian had picked pieces of shrapnel out of his skin almost a month earlier. But, if Korbin didn’t move, it didn’t seem to matter so much; what had been a sharp stab of pain down his thigh while standing, was now a dull and distant ache.



At first, he had balked at stripping and stepping into the tub as Kian had demanded. Korbin had agonized for several moments - after all, the Jedi had said something about wanting to take a look at his leg and the ARC wasn’t exactly sure how that was going to take place if he was covered in water. But, after deliberating for several moments with his fingers picking idly at the front of his pants, Korbin decided that if Kian wanted to look at his leg, then the healer could come in after him.



That had lead to some dangerous thoughts, as Korbin left his clothing in an unceremonious puddle in the middle of the bathroom floor. The thought of Kian sitting with him in the bathtub, with his all of his glorious, supple skin on display...



Well, it was enough to make Korbin’s mouth water, among other things. Even now, his thoughts drifted toward the dark-haired Corellian Jedi and he could feel himself stir slowly in response.



It had been this way since their training days in the Temple. Korbin had never thought of himself as a sexual creature; had never looked sideways at his brothers or at any of the other males present on Kamino;  he had absolutely no reference for females. In retrospect, he figured it was rather inevitable that he prefer the company of other males - it was all he really knew. Though, his sexual interest in his own gender had taken him by surprise; mostly, because he had no reference for that, either.



Before Kian, the only males he had ever really encountered were Kaminoan, other brothers of varying ages, or Cuy’val Dar instructors. There wasn’t a clone alive who would ever find a Kaminoan appealing in any capacity other than dead and every other male Korbin had grown up with was rarely ever seen out of armor.



Armor - it had a profound psychological impact. Korbin realized this more and more, as he grew older and more wise to the myriad ways of the galaxy. Armor - it protected, certainly, but it more often separated. It dehumanized, in a way - it certainly unified.



Kian didn’t wear armor; he never had, so far as Korbin knew. Except for a pair of leather vambraces on his forearms, Kian steadfastly refused to wear any sort of armor. Korbin didn’t really know the healer’s reasons, as most Jedi generals recognized the wisdom of at least protecting their vital organs on the battlefield. But, in some ways, he was almost glad Kian didn’t impersonalized himself with armor; in the ARC’s eyes, it gave Kian a sort of unspoken vulnerability that appealed to a deep emotion Korbin couldn’t name.



He was always able to read Kian; with just his Jedi tunics and his green cloak, Kian’s body always moved freely. Korbin had always been fascinated to note that there was a subtle body language that wasn’t so readily apparent under armor. He could easily watch it in Kian’s body, though, uninhibited as it was.



Korbin fell in love with Kian’s body, for its honesty, for its freedom. In so many ways, Kian was the opposite of Korbin himself - he was compassion, he was wit, he was truth, he was openness, he was independence. The Corellian Jedi had a manner about him that drew sentients to him; Korbin had seen Kian’s charisma in action and he himself had been smitten by it. Kian could inspire instant loyalty in others; he had inspired it in Korbin.



And, well, Korbin thought as he sunk a little deeper into the water, until it was almost up to his chin. He’s nice to look at, too.