Opening his eyes lazily to peer up at an amused Depa, Mace simply tightened his hold on Caleb as he sunk deeper into the beanbag, just silently staring back at his old padawan.

Caleb, bless his heart, continued sleeping, nuzzling into his grandmaster’s chest as the master of the order tugged the blankets provided by Ponds more around the sleeping boy. The war had been tearing on all of them and Mace had…

Well, he worried.

Caleb was so young and he knew, from dealing with Obi-Wan, how youth and war did not mix properly.

He had seen Obi-Wan Kenobi returning from Melida/Daan.

He had been a knight at the time but he had seen how the boy had come back skittish, gaunt with a light missing in his eyes and even as he physically bounced back, something in the padawan of Qui-Gon Jinn had clearly changed and not for the best.

So yes, sue him, he worried and therefore he was going to have a grand ol’ snuggle time with his padawan’s padawan.

Especially since his worried men, in combination with the 212th, had provided not only blankets but also beanbags for them to rest, settling them under a tree to provide some shade from the suns shining down on them, the air smelling comfortingly of fresh forest with the day being decently warm and the blanket providing the rest they needed.

Actually, speaking of the 212th…

Glancing to his side, Mace found Obi-Wan, just like Caleb, was deeply asleep, curled up in the beanbag as he rested on his commander’s chest, the clone commander rubbing his fingers slowly through the others red hair as he peered at the sky.

“…So, are there more beanbags and blankets?” Depa finally whispered to avoid waking either Obi-Wan or Caleb, glancing around and visibly pouting when she didn’t see any in sight.

Grumbling faintly, Mace glanced around too before catching the lieutenant with the shaved head from 212th eyes.

The man blinked before looking at Depa, beaming brightly in realization before he scuttled off quickly.

Mace raised his hand from Caleb briefly, giving the other the thumb up. “No but in a few moments there will be. Not sure where the troopers got these from but I’m grateful.” He rumbled quietly, dropping his hand back to pet Caleb’s fluffy hair instead of simply resting on him.

It was moments like this he delighted that Depa hadn’t made Caleb get the traditional padawan haircut or that the boy himself hadn’t insisted.

Fluffy hair that was nice to pet, fluffy little padawan.

He was really fond of his grandpadawan he would admit, Caleb was curious and driven and it hurt Mace heart to see the boy in war.

But there was nothing he could do about that instead of trudging on wards, trying to end the war with the Senate breathing down their necks and Jedi dying in the name of the Senate.

Mace had to send that bitter feeling into the air as the lieutenant from the 212th came over with the beanbags and blankets for Depa.

He felt more and more that they were fighting less for justice and the Republic and more for the karking politicians.

It was why he treasured moments like this, cuddling Caleb with his fellow Jedi resting around him, Obi-Wan’s fuzzy sleep aura warm and Depa settling down with them with her own calm easing his heart.

Priceless moments.