Yaypril Day 18 - AU, And More Specifically Wing Fic!AU With Rex And The Commanders Batch 

Chapter One: The Cadets

Rex woke up with a start and immediately knew something was wrong. He screwed his eyes shut and thought back to the night before. All he had done was sign some reports and pass out onto his bunk after feeling lightheaded. Nothing was wrong then. Something sure felt wrong now. He sat up, yawning and looked to the mirror at the other side of his quarters. And screamed. Jumping up, now wide awake, he stumbled over to the mirror and stared in terrified awe. The cadet in the mirror stared back. His blacks were now about 6 sizes too big and his short blond hair was now sitting around his shoulders. Just like he had it when he was a cadet. “No, no, no, no, no!” He cried, unable to tear his gaze away from his new reflection.

The door to his quarters opened with a small whoosh and the General stood in the doorway, looking around worriedly.

“Rex, are you okay-“ Skywalker stared at Rex who was now very slightly panicking. “Cadet, what are you doing in Captain Rex’s quarters, wait, no, what are you doing on the ship?”

Rex had to say something. He turned to the doorway hesitantly.

“Sir, I’m Rex.” He said, startled at how young his voice sounded. The General stared at the little blond child that was standing in oversized blacks in Rex’s quarters. Rex couldn’t tell if the General believed him or not.

“Wait, wha- how, that’s-“ Skywalker stuttered, visibly confused at the situation. “Rex?!”

“Yes, sir.” He replied, attempting to stand at attention, but only managing to look like he was trying to fix his posture. This is a dream, right? He thought furiously, staring at his now small hands. He looked in the mirror again. He looked eleven years old. He looked his physical age.

The General’s comlink started to aggressively beep at him. Not breaking eye contact with Rex, he answered the call. “Skywalker here.” 

“Anakin, something has happened to my troops.” General Kenobi’s voice came through urgently. “I need you to come to the Negotiator and bring Rex."

"Why?" General Skywalker asked, curiously. General Kenobi cleared his throat and said:

"It appears they have.....turned into children, somehow."

Skywalker looked at his comlink in a mixture of horror and panic. Rex sat down. So it’s not just me. He thought. Then immediately regretted it when Fives, fully grown, came sprinting down the hall, almost crashing into General Skywalker. 

“Sir, I can’t find Echo or Rex!” He doubled over, panting. It was obvious he had run halfway across the Resolute looking for Skywalker when he couldn’t get ahold of Rex. Looking into Rex’s quarters Fives froze, staring at him. Skywalker rolled his eyes and walked over to the end of the corridor, so he could take his call in peace. Fives barely noticed him. 

“Ca-Captain?” He asked cautiously.  Rex sighed.

“Yes, Fives.”

Fives looked like he was going to pass out. Then he doubled over laughing.

"Fives!"

"S-sorry-" Fives gasped between cackles. Rex's comm started to aggressively beep from the other side of the room. He got up and immediately tripped on his oversized blacks, which caused Fives to fall to the ground wheezing. Rex rolled his eyes and answered the call.

"Captain!" A young voice yelled from the comlink, "Sir, you have to get to the barracks!” 

Fives stopped laughing. “Echo?!” He called crawling over to Rex and the comlink. 

“Fives! I’m stuck in the vent!” Echo replied, panic growing. Rex sighed as Fives collapsed in a new fit of giggles.

“How did you get in the vent?” 

“Well, I woke up as a cadet and panicked, so I climbed into the vent.”

“But the vents are small enough for a cadet to fit into.” Rex replied, confused.

“Yeah, but not for a fully grown clone!” Mumbled another voice. 

“Don’t tell me Hardcase got stuck in the vent again?” Rex asked already done with day, even though he only just woke up. Fives was now suffocating with the force of his own laughter. Rex ignored him.

“Hardcase got stuck in the vent again.” Echo confirmed, “Please help us.” 

“Yep, Rex out.”

He turned to Fives, who was practically dying on the floor. “Fives, stop laughing and go help your brothers.” He attempted to use his usually commanding tone, but that made Fives laugh harder. Sighing, Rex went over to his small closet, and pulled out a spare cadet uniform. It was regulation to keep at least one cadet uniform in the barracks, just in case a kid got on the ship. Again. Rex shoved Fives out of his quarters and changed.

It had been years since he had worn this uniform and he felt nostalgic, standing in the soft fabric. Grabbing one of his DC-17 blaster pistols, he opened the door and started to walk towards the barracks.

“Oh, hell no.” Fives said, plucking the pistol from Rex’s grasp. 

“Hey!” He protested attempting to seize the blaster that Fives was holding above his head. “Give me the blaster, Fives!” He yelled, now trying to kick the other in the shin.

“Uh uh uh, cadets can’t have blasters.” Fives sung at him, obviously absolutely delighted at being able to tease his Captain with no real consequences. Well, not no consequences.

“Fives,” Rex breathed in his most dangerous voice, “give me the blaster, or you’ll get so many demerits it’ll seperate you from Echo.” It still worked.

“Yes, sir.” Fives replied, handing it over. 

The second they got to the barracks, Rex really wished he was fully grown and not for the first time today. Half the men were running around screaming, and the other half were kriffing cadets. This is really bad. Rex thought as he yelled, “Everyone calm down!”

The commotion stopped. Everyone was looking at Fives, like he was the one who yelled. Rex rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “What is going on here? I take a break for, what five minutes, and all of you are screaming and running around like headless nunas!” 

All eyes were on him now as the men processed what was going on. 

“Captain, is, is that you?” Jesse whispered, uncertainly. Rex sighed again.

“Yes, Jesse, it is me. Now what have you idiots done about Hardcase and Echo being stuck in the vent?”

“Oh, absolutely nothing, sir.” Kosi piped up happily. “We were just laughing our sheds off at him while he struggled.” 

You have got to be kidding me. Of course it was Kosi of all people who said that confidently. Rex could give him 100 demerits and he still would refuse to let it be a big deal.

“So where are they.” Rex sighed. Kosi pointed over to the far corner where a pair of armoured legs could be seen, kicking around pointlessly.

“Oh, great.” Rex muttered as Fives dissolved in laughter once more. “Banjo, Jesse, grab Hardcase's legs and see if you can manage to pull him out."

Banjo nodded and walked over to the vent instantly, while Jesse, still laughing, had to peel himself off of the floor. Rex rolled his eyes again and looked around. "Wait, where's Kix?"

And of the cadets put up his hand from the top of one of the bunks. 

"I'm here, sir." He called, climbing down. Rex stared. He still had that intricate buzzcut, even as a cadet. The Kaminoans probably hated that.

"Kix, shouldn't you be in the medbay?" 

Kix shrugged. I felt really lightheaded and couldn't concentrate, so Overflow said he could cover my shift." Overflow was the new medic that came in with Banjo, Clancy, Kosi and Vibe, and already he showed an impressive knack for knowing when troopers were tired.

"Any other cadets, follow me. We're going to the medbay to get this sorted out." Rex yelled over the laughter that had kicked up again.

About 40 cadets awkwardly waddled over, some had attempted to make their oversized blacks fit, but to no avail. Fives was still suffocating on the ground, Kix looked at him worriedly. 

"Yo, you good." One of the cadets asked, poking Fives.  

"He won't be if you keep poking him, look," another cadet said, kicking the suffering ARC.

"Cut it out, Clancy!" Banjo commanded from the vent.

***     ***    ***

Rex would never live this down. Ever. The second him and the rest of the cadets filed into the medbay, Overflow was doubled over laughing. After a couple of stern looks and half a cantina of water, he managed to regain some composure. 

"What happened?" He asked, completely in awe, as yet another cadet in oversized blacks stumbled into the room. 

"I got no clue, mate." Clancy yelled over Rex's head. Overflow laughed, walking over to his batchmate. He shook his head, still chuckling, he said: 

"Alright, first things first. We need to get you idiots some actual clothes."

Clancy's smile got even wider as he stared in awe at his older brother.

"You don't mean-" he started but was cut off by Overflow's comm. 

"Overflow, why you got, like, 300 cadets in the medbay?" Rex knew that voice anywhere. His youngest batchmate.

"Those 300 cadets are troopers who got....shrunk."  Overflow said, haltingly. Rex could practically hear the smile in his voice as he replied:

“Custom hoodies?”

“Custom hoodies.” 

Tax cheered and disconnected the call. Clancy was jumping and running around yelling: 

“CUSTOM HOODIES!” 

Rex rolled his eyes. This was going to take a while.

This fic is FILLED with OC’s, sorry 😃. I’m not gonna update this if it doesn’t get attention, so yeah.

Break

*Warning: angst*

Wolffe always thought that Rex was a rock. A strong guy who survived to a precocious death in his young age, who struggled more than all the other ones to prove that he has the same abilities as his siblings whatever he looked alike, who endured more than one terrible loss during the war and stood still to help his brothers to stand up again. As the king he was named after, Rex always made the well-being of his fellows a priority over his own health and feelings. 

Actually, even him used his strong shoulder to surpass his pain to have lost everything - brothers and what was the closest to a father - in a second. And now, Gregor, that they had meet some weeks before, also climb on the unsheakable mountain he was to endure that he was no more than an empty shell with almost no memories of himself.

But he was wrong. One question was sufficient to reveal the deep crack in his heart. 

- How it was to lead the 501st? asked Gregor as he heard that this company has quiet a reputation. 

- It was a mess, answered Rex rolling his eyes over the sky. Especially with Hardcase…

He stopped, his amber gaze falling down to the ground, jaws closed. For the first time, Wolffe saw his brother starting to shiver a little. 

- But Fives and Jesse… he tried to continue with a trembling voice. 

He froze again and the silence wrapped them up into the cave they were sitting in for the approaching night. Rex finally got up and left them without a word, disappearing in the tall grass of the savannah below. Wolffe crossed Gregor’s stare.

- I’m stupid, he said sadly. 

- Wait here. 

The former commander of the 104th jumped on his feet and quitted the place, searching for his comrade. He quickly found him no that far from him, on his knees. Wolffe hesitated for a moment but thought that it was now his turn to be the big brother he has to be for him. So he walked towards the ex-captain and crouched in front of the sobbing soldier to reassure him. When Rex did realise he was not alone anymore, he tried to wipe away his tears but Wolffe stopped him. 

- It’s okay. I think you desserve the right to. 

- I… 

He swallowed his saliva, the pain stretching his features. 

- Thinking about Hardcase… then Fives and Jesse… I thought I could but…

- It’s normal, Rex. Don’t worry. 

Wolffe felt his own heart tightened up but he knew that he has no right, at this very precise moment, to be sad. He has to be strong, like this blond boy was for him before. So he smiled and squeezed gentily the shoulder of his brother-in-arms.

- I so much wanted to save them all… he avowed, a tear rolling down his cheek.

- We all wanted to. 

- I have failed, Wolffe. I have failed so much.

He was now crying for real but didn’t seem to notice it. The commander continued to smile. 

- No, Rex, you did your best. It was the war, you know. There was nothing we could do against this. 

- I buried Jesse. I buried them all…

A confession that broke him for good as he finally collapsed against his chest, bursting into unstoppable tears. Wolffe didn’t say a word and embraced him softly. Not so far from them, Gregor was standing by, watching them silently. He heard everything and looked more embarrassed than ever. The three of them stayed in that position for a long time before Rex took back the control of himself.

- Gregor… he must be worried… he said in a whisper.

- You know what? I think he will perfectly understand this. 

Wolffe smiled again. Even in the bottom of the deepest hole, the king still thought about the other ones before himself. 

***

I put a warning this time because I wish my brain put warning on what he is up to tell me sometimes. The other day, he offered me a soft and funny scene between Hardcase and Rex, but the sweetness finished into a deep sadness that still hurts me now. Damn you, brain! >_<

Sorry for the mistakes again. 

Hnnnng I told myself I'd restrain myself, bit I can't XD Can you do Oh No or Double Trouble for Rex XD I know those were in my ehhh 'list' XD

Thanks for the prompt! This is the last of these I’ll be doing, so please don’t send any more requests in! I got way more than I expected to get, which isn’t a bad thing at all and I’m super grateful for (and surprised by) all the requests I got, but now my brain is like “why are you doing this to me.” Thank y’all!

Double trouble— character is sick and injured

Rex hadn’t meant to let the cut on his arm go untreated for as long as he did. It was difficult to get things treated in the midst of endless battle after endless battle, and Rex hadn’t had time to go to any of the medics to get it looked at. It was a pretty long gash, but not very deep, so Rex figured it would probably be fine.

He didn’t really like the way that it was getting red around the edges and was hot to the touch, though. That didn’t really bode well, but it probably was fine for a little while longer. He’d get it looked at after this next battle. Ignoring the way his arm twinged with every movement and the waves of nausea that coursed through him with every step, he continued on with his duties and led the men from the very front as he always did, General Skywalker by his side.

Getting slammed against a wall and then falling off a short ledge in the midst of battle certainly hadn’t been in his plans for the battle, but it happened nonetheless. He heard someone yelling his name and jumping down into the small crevice he’d found himself in, but he was too busy blinking back stars and ignoring the way his arm was screaming at him to pay attention to who it was. Now his head hurt a lot, and he realized that his helmet had gotten knocked off at some point during that whole ordeal. Opening his eyes ever so slightly, he found himself looking up at Anakin’s worried face.

“Go back to the men, sir, I’ll be fine,” Rex managed. His stomach decided then was the time to do some flips, and he barely managed to roll over in time to throw up. His arm screamed in protest, and one of his ankles felt like it was twisted, if not worse, and he was somehow both cold and hot at once, but he’d be fine.

“Sith hells, Rex, you’re in rough shape,” Anakin said, obviously ignoring the fact that Rex had told him to leave.

“Sir, the men—“ Rex began as he rolled back over onto his back (with a little help from Anakin, although he didn’t really register that fact).

“Will be fine with Obi-Wan and Ahsoka in the lead. I’ll help take you back to camp and to the medics, and help them with anyone who got injured along the way, okay? There’s no way you’ll ever make it there on your own,” Anakin said, holding out a hand for Rex to take. Rex begrudgingly took it, but realized a moment too late that it was the wrong arm. He bit back a scream when Anakin pulled him up, causing Anakin to look at him in concern.

“What all’s hurt?” Anakin asked, using the force to call Rex’s helmet to him.

“Ankle, arm, head, nausea,” Rex muttered, “Not all of that’s new.” Anakin lifted an eyebrow at him but didn’t comment on anything, instead using his real hand to feel Rex’s forehead.

“And you’ve got a fever, Rex!” Anakin exclaimed, “Yeah, no way are you going back to that battle.”

Rex merely grunted in response. Anakin warned him that they were about to jump out of the little crevice they were in. Rex nodded, but as soon as they lifted up and landed, he nearly threw up again. There was a rushing behind his ears, and he gasped as pain overtook him. He could vaguely hear Anakin talking to him before he passed out.

Rex woke up to a very unhappy Kix standing by his bed, tapping this foot and looking at Rex expectantly.
“Why, pray tell, did you not get that cut on your arm treated when it happened?” Kix demanded.

“Let a guy wake up first, Kix,” Rex muttered, gingerly sitting up in his bed, grimacing when his arm flared a little, along with the way his ankle protested at the movement..

“It got infected. Do you know how difficult it is for things to get infected with all the medical technology we have? If you’d taken 5 minutes to come get it looked at, it would’ve been fine, and I wouldn’t have had to fight for your life over something that was entirely avoidable,” Kix scolded, “Infections are deadly if they aren’t treated, Rex. If you hadn’t been injured out in the field today, by the time you came to finally get it checked, it may have been too late. We might have had to amputate your arm.”

Rex paled at the realization, eyes going wide. He really hadn’t thought it was that serious, but he certainly wasn’t the medic in the room.

Kix sighed and smiled at him kindly, “I’m just worried, is all, captain. I don’t mean to sound cruel. Just stating the facts. You’ve gotta take better care of yourself.”

Rex nodded, “Sorry, Kix. I won’t let that happen again.”

Kix smiled at him again, “I know you won’t. Now, General Skywalker was worried sick about you and I’m sure he’ll want to talk for a little bit. Should I let him in now, or let you sleep a little longer?”

Rex paused and sighed, “I suppose let him in now.” Kix went to go fetch the general, leaving a glass of water by Rex’s bedside.

Anakin came in not long after, going straight to Rex’s bed.

“I’m glad to see you looking much more… alive,” Anakin said as he sat down, “You passed out after I jumped out of that crevice. I had to carry you the whole way back— you are heavy!”

“Most of that’s the armor, probably. Adds about 70 pounds or so,” Rex said with a smirk, “But sorry about that, sir. You shouldn’t have had to leave the battle field because of one man.”

“When will you get it through that head of yours that I do that because I care about you guys? I would’ve done it for any of you. After I got you back here, I went back and helped with some of the other injured,” Anakin said, stroking his chin thoughtfully in a way that was reminiscent of General Kenobi, “We Jedi should do that more often.”

“I’m sure it would mean a lot to the men if you did,” Rex replied, “It’s not a horrible idea.”
“Ah, that’s basically saying ‘I love that idea’ in Rex-speech, so I’ll take it. I’m gonna go check on some of the other men— just try and take better care of yourself next time, okay? I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t with me. Probably go insane,” Anakin said, smiling and patting Rex’s shoulder as he drifted off to the next patient. Rex settled into his bed with a smile and slipped back into an easy slumber.

Many years later, after the Battle of Endor was won, Rex would find out from a certain blond-haired Jedi exactly what Anakin would do when Rex wasn’t with him.

Parched

Gonna write a scene or two for my idea of some clones as vampires because it's in my head and I'm gonna consider it writing practice. Enjoy:

"Rex, you alright?" Rex blinks at Anakin. He's been awake for way too long and he wants nothing more than for this report to be over so he can rest, because that mission was long and slow and he's as exhausted as he is thirsty and this delay is not helping. "Just a little thirsty sir." General Skywalker nods and turns back to the holotable. Cody glances at Rex and subtly taps his wrist. Rex nods. Thankfully the meeting ends shortly after and Cody all but literally drags Rex away. "Really Cody-" "Shut up." Cody replies absently, pushing Rex into his room and following him inside. "How are you and the rest holding up outside of missions?" Rex rolls his eyes. "Mother hen. We're fine. It's the one ration we don't have to really worry about being short of." He finishes taking his armor off, frowns, and says "I could really uses a fresher. I smell terrible." "Drink first. I'm not having you fall over from thirst." Cody sits on the bunk, holding out a raised wrist. Rex rolls his eyes, muttering "mother hen" again, but he sits and takes Cody's wrist so that he can sink his teeth into the delicate veins. Cody barely winces at the bite and watches some of the tension ease out of his little brother's shoulders as Rex drinks, and lifts his other hand to gently run it over Rex's head. "I've got you Rex." Rex hums, gently pulling his teeth from skin to take a breath before sinking back. Cody leans against the wall and lets his brother drink his blood while he turns over the previous mission in his mind, trying to process the reports he'll need to make. When Rex is finished he leans against Cody's shoulder, stealing the small tube of bacta to put it over the tiny marks. "Thanks Cody." "No problem. Come on. You really do need that fresher." "Like you're any better."

i love these two characters. i need to trap them in a collapsed building so they can talk about their feelings as one of them slowly bleeds out.

For the prompts, if you're still doing those, maybe 39 with Rex?

I don't really ship him with anyone but maybe in a platonic way how Ahsoka, Anakin and Obi-wan have made him feel loved over the years <3

Ahhh you’ve got me twice! I’ve never actually written anything with Rex as the main subject, and I tend to avoid writing Ahsoka (I blame Dave, like I do with many things). As such, I’m sorry if you don’t agree with some of the frustration that has weaved its way through this entire thing. However, it was a lot of fun to try something out of my comfort zone. Don’t ask me why I’ve decided that Rex is the kind of person who wants to scream when he’s unhappy--I just feel like this man is holding it in during the entire war. Disclaimer that I actually have no idea what happened on Melida-Daan.

Prompt list

Previously completed numbers: 9, 10, 45

Please send a prompt! Something from the list, another idea, a song, anything!

Prompt 39:  Things you said when I was crying

Summary: Three times when Rex needed comfort, and three people who tried to provide it.

Rex unclips his kama, tossing it to the ground, before tugging at his pauldron. It doesn’t budge, and he grits his teeth, clawing at the clasp. After much too long, and Rex is about to scream, he finally gets it off, placing it down with deliberately petty gentleness, even though he wants nothing more than to hurl it at a tree. The pressure in his chest expands, like a seismic charge detonating, and he sobs, sinking to the mossy forest floor as the tears finally fall.

The difference between the forest and the images flashing through his mind is almost comical. Eyes open, it’s lush trees and blue skies, tiny flowers and tangled, twisting mushrooms, but when he blinks, it’s barren, grey fields and smoke that smothers him, blood and screams and Cody’s too-steady voice over the comms.

He buries his head in his hands, curled up against the trunk of an ancient tree. A bird trills above his head, light and lovely, but all Rex can hear is Cae, voice strained as Rex lifts his head, saying, I’m sorry I’m sorry I knew it would be me, blood seeping endlessly from the place where his legs had been.

Rex understands what Cody had once told him, about telling someone that they will be okay, everything will be okay, over and over, even though you both know it’s a lie.

“It’s a comfort, even if you know the truth,” Cody had said, in the dark of the planning room, blank face lit up in blue. “It’s easier to lie, in the moment, than to say goodbye.”

He hadn’t explained where he’d experienced it, but Rex had already heard of Wril, who’d injured his spine during a training mission, back on Kamino, and been ripped away by the Kaminoans, because some injuries cost more than a clone was worth. He’d always remembered it, that only he and his brothers would ever care about him, but he’d brushed aside Cody’s words, meaningless advice back then.

Now though, he knows it is true, has chanted the words to Cae as he bled out. And now he also understands the sorrow lingering in Cody’s eyes, the memories of a batchmate torn out of his grasp.

He lifts his head, gasping for air, and his eyes fall on his hands, blood smeared across his skin like ink. Shaking, breath catching, he scrubs his hands on the moss, desperate to lift the stains. It’s on his face, he realizes, rubbing wildly at it with the back of his hand. His forehead, his brow, all across his cheeks--

A branch snaps a few metres away, and Rex’s head shoots up. He scrambles for his blaster, searching the forest for a search party of droids, or a prowling nexu, teeth bared before it pounces.

A figure walks out of the undergrowth, hands raised. It’s General Kenobi, and Force, Rex looks a complete mess, armour scattered across the ground, face probably red and swollen with tears--

“I apologize for startling you. Rex, is it?” Kenobi draws closer, and how the kriff is he so clean? He looks as if there hadn’t been a battle at all, not a hair out of place, even though Rex had seen him, whirling through the fight with Skywalker at his side, like one of the tsunamis that plagued Tipoca City. Kenobi motions at the ground, a silent request to sit, and Rex nods, somewhat too vigorously.

When Kenobi is seated, Rex notices little details that he hadn’t spotted, the fraying sleeves of his robes, the pink stain on his thigh that is definitely blood, the slightly too bright edge to his eyes.

Kenobi looks at him, gaze searching, before he rips at the hem of his tunic, passing the rough fabric without a word.

Rex rubs at his hands, too embarrassed to address the mess on his face, but Kenobi rolls his eyes lightly, taking the cloth and spitting on it, before reaching over and rubbing it over Rex’s forehead, hard enough to work, but gently all the same. It’s a bizarre experience, but it takes Rex back to Kamino, when Wolffe had done the same, after Rex had cut his head open on a rock and the blood had dried along his temple. It’s comforting, to remember a moment of care, when he is receiving it once more.

“I was in a civil war as a child, on this little planet in the Outer Rim,” Kenobi says quietly. “I’d never actually been in war before, despite how much we’d studied it. And it was like a game at first, planning strategies and sharing dreams of what we’d do when we won. But then our base was bombed.

“There had been hundreds of us, all children or teens. But between one minute and the next, we were practically massacred.”

Rex frowns. “You were on Melida-Daan?”

Kenobi chuckles. “Sometimes I forget that you’d have been taught about events like that. Yes, it was Melida-Daan.” He grows somber, leaning forward. “The point is, I get it. There’s something about having them die in your arms. It changes you.”

Rex blinks, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. But tears come anyways, building and building until he is sobbing once more. He tries to apologize between tears, but Kenobi waves him away, placing a hand on his shoulder. Rex shudders as a wave of peace rolls through him, grounding him to the present, and preventing his grief from spiraling into panic. He’d known, vaguely, about the abilities of Jedi, but the proof of it is startling, used in such a kind and simple way.

“There’s no need to be sorry, I’m the one who brought it back up. I’d like to help you, if I can. Would you tell me about him? I understand you were batchmates.”

Rex hiccups, nodding. “He—we were. Cae is--was quiet, compared to me. Whenever I wanted to act without thinking, he was always there to calm me down, and to remind me about all the problems with diving in head first. He never really liked fighting, but we made a damn good team. When we found out we were both in Cody’s battalion, we were so excited. They—they usually split batches up completely. I think it was Cody’s doing, keeping us together.” Rex stops, eyes widening.

Kenobi laughs, “Don’t worry, nobody’s going to get in trouble with me. I’m glad that you weren’t alone.”

Rex cuts his gaze away. “Thank you, sir. If I may, why did you come out here?”

Kenobi smiles. “Cody’s worried about you. He wanted to come, but he had to speak with the Council. I said I’d find you.”

“He had to speak to the Council? Without you?”

“You underestimate your brother, my friend. I couldn’t fight this war without him. Besides, I wanted to meet the ARC trooper whom my Commander speaks of with such fondness.”

Kenobi stands, holding out a hand to help Rex up. Rex wonders when Cody grew so close to the Jedi, and how he’d grown to trust him so quickly. From what he’s seen, though, Kenobi might deserve it.

…

Rex’s quarters are barren, when he punches in the new code he’d been given, and steps inside. They look almost as they had when he’d first seen them, bags in hand, Anakin peering over his shoulder. It had been almost exciting then, a new home and a new title, a Captain for the freshly Knighted General Skywalker, but it is not exciting now. The sight of the closest thing he has to a home, stripped bare and left to grow dusty, is almost too much to handle. He drops his helmet to the floor, an act that would make most of his brothers gasp, and moves farther inside.

He’s not quite sure where his things are, or why they were taken. The entire operation on Zygerria had been a mess, a patchwork plan that had quickly dissolved into chaos. It’s not too surprising that they’d cleared his room out, when he and Obi-Wan had gone radio silent. There’s no time for sentimentality, in this war, and if his brothers hadn’t sorted through his things, some natborn officer would have.

Anakin would probably disagree with his flippancy, with how unwilling he was to complete the mission at their expense. Rex wonders, sometimes, how his General can be so good at war, and yet not understand it at all.

He can’t really move his head completely, neck muscles still seized up from the shock collar, so he turns in a circle to take in the entire room. Then, he sinks onto the bed, wincing at the way it stretches the wounds on his back, and takes a deep breath, relishing the way it makes his chest ache.

The silence is deafening, overwhelming, and Rex buries his face in his hands, covering his ears and pressing down until they ring. A lump forms in his throat, days of swallowed words clawing their way back up, and the first tears fall. They’re tears of relief, of safety after giving up any hope for rescue, of returning to the Resolute and to his men, but they’re also tears of long, drawn out hopelessness, of resignation and fear, of watching the confidence fade from Obi-Wan’s eyes, of throwing an electrostaff and hoping that it hurts when it finds its mark.

A sob breaks the silence, almost detached from himself, followed by another and another, until he is gasping for air, mind flashing with images of those electro-whips, of furnaces that burned, of little Togrutas curled up together, looking so much like Ahsoka, back when she was little--

The knock on his door is soft, hesitant, but Rex startles, straightening and desperately scrubbing at his face.

“Rex?” Anakin’s voice is softer than usual, almost meek. “Are you alright?”

Rex doesn’t have a chance to respond, to ask for a minute, before the door slides open.

He feels like a bantha in speederlights, when his eyes meet Anakin’s, and he nearly wants to laugh to see his own expression reflected back to him.

“Rex?” Anakin asks uncertainly, as if he’s not looking right at him. Rex nods, confused, and Anakin steps inside.

He cuts his gaze away as Anakin picks up his helmet, cradling it as he sits down next to Rex.

Anakin is tapping his leg up and down, fingers drumming random patterns onto his knee, and Rex wants to yell, wants to stand up and walk out, wants to get into the shower and feel the burning water on his back and sink to the floor and stop feeling those curious, tentative tendrils as Anakin pokes around his mind in that unintentional way of his.

The silence is tense for what feels like forever, before Anakin finally speaks, “When I lived on Tatooine, water meant something very different than it does everywhere else. Here, people say it’s cleansing, this great flood that washes away dirt and blood until everything is new again. But on Tatooine, water is rare. It meant survival, death and life. Water was a symbol of love, of giving something precious. It was used during weddings, the sharing of a glass, to show their desire to live and die for one another.” He chuckles, “There wasn’t much grey area on Tatooine.” He grows more solemn. “My mother used to say that water is healing, and that love is wishing to take someone’s pain from them. She did it for me, and I’d do it for you, if I could.”

Rex is well aware of how precious this story is, with how little Anakin discusses his childhood, and with the shadows that darkened his eyes the one time Obi-Wan had mentioned his mother. He looks over, wiping his eyes, and says, “I’m grateful, sir.” He accepts Anakin’s words, although he wants to say You can’t take my pain, or Obi-Wan’s. You can’t protect us from our duty, and we don’t want you to. All you can do is be there afterwards. But he’s tired, and he wouldn’t want to make Anakin close up again, after he’d shared a piece of himself, so instead he says, “I don’t know if water is healing, but I do hope it’s cleansing. I’m going to take a shower, if that’s alright.”

Anakin stands swiftly, Rex’s helmet held awkwardly in his hands. “Of course, Rex, I’m sorry for keeping you.”

It feels like there’s a stone in Rex’s stomach, like this conversation has turned into a series of miscommunications. “You didn’t, sir.” He’s not quite sure why he’s comforting Anakin now. “Is General Kenobi alright?”

Anakin looks away, down at Rex’s visor instead. “He’s in the medbay. Cody’s with him. I wanted to find you.”

Rex realizes that Anakin wishes to help, but doesn’t know how to say it. He racks his brain for what to do. “Sir, do you think you could help me get the chestplate off? I can’t reach the clasp.” He hasn’t actually tried to, but he imagines it would pull his muscles quite angrily. Zygerrian armour is way too complicated.

Anakin lights up. “Yes, I can get it!”

Rex hides a smile as Anakin searches for the snap, muttering about bad design and poor protection. When it’s off, fallen to the ground, Rex turns, “I can handle the rest, but I’ll need some help bandaging my back when I’m done showing, if you can?”

Anakin nods energetically. “Yes, of course!” He looks as if he’s going to offer to help Rex with the shower, so Rex cuts in immediately, “Also, do you think you could take a look at my HUD while you wait? The night-vision lens has been acting up.”

Agreeing happily, Anakin sets off to work. Rex feels a bit better, as he heads into the ‘fresher. He guesses it’s alright to accept help from Anakin, since it’s so obviously beneficial to them both.

…

Jesse’s face is bloody, but his expression is almost peaceful. It would almost look like he was sleeping after a battle, having passed over taking a shower like he always did, a stupid habit of his that drove Rex mad. It’s not a troubling sight, really, except for how pale his skin is, and for the steel shaft that gapes from his stomach.

“I should never have left.” Ahsoka lowers herself to kneel beside him.

Rex doesn’t look up, doesn’t respond, instead wiping his hand across Jesse’s helmet, against the Galactic Roundel, the symbol of a Republic that seems to have failed them from the very beginning.

“Oh, Jesse,” she breathes, reaching out a hand to wipe the blood from his head.

“Please don’t,” Rex says, sharper than he meant to. Ahsoka draws her hand back, brow furrowed.

Rex keeps his gaze down. “You can help me with the others, but I’d like to carry him by myself, please.”

“Of course.” Ahsoka stands, but hesitates. “I’m sorry, Rex.”

Rex clears his throat, but his voice is still gruff. “It’s not your fault. Obviously this was far beyond all of us.”

“Maybe, but that’s not what I mean. I shouldn’t have left you. If I’d been here--”

“You wouldn’t have fixed it!” Rex interrupts, looking up at Ahsoka. “The Council was tricked. Anakin, Mace, Yoda, they all believed the Chancellor, because why shouldn’t they. Nothing happened that wasn’t given a perfectly normal explanation. Fives was scared out of his kriffing mind, but it just sounded like he’d lost it.”

“Still, if I’d stayed...I was scared, and I didn’t know what I was fighting for anymore, but everything was falling apart, and I left all of you to try and keep it together without me.”

Rex doesn’t say anything, but he remembers when Anakin had told him Ahsoka was gone, jaw clenched and face closed off, and when Rex had sat in his room afterwards and wondered why he hadn’t mattered at all, wondered how Ahsoka could have left her men without a second thought. But he’d been so happy when she was returning, in hindsight so much like a massiff waiting for its owner, and they’d all painted their helmets for her--

He understands why she left, when he brushes aside all the hurt, but in the end, he had never gotten the same choice. None of the clones had.

Angry tears begin to fall, as he looks down at Jesse again, and he clenches his jaw to stop himself from screaming. “We should have killed them,” he chokes. “They all died anyways, why the kriff wouldn’t we just shoot them?”

Ahsoka falls to her knees, hard, ash rising in a cloud. “I’ve made so many mistakes, Rex, but none bigger than that. I was just so tired of having to make the tough calls. I told myself that I was saving them, but I was only saving myself.”

Rex sobs, pressing his forehead to Jesse’s chest. “I should have killed him. Who was I to act like some kriffing hero, taking the kriffing high road? I’m a soldier, I lead these men, they depend on me to make sure they die for the right reason.”

He feels a pressure on his back, but no presence in his mind, like he would have with Obi-Wan or Anakin. Ahsoka lets him have his grief and his loneliness, but she embraces him tightly when he turns to her. He’s grateful for that, though he’d give anything to know that Anakin is alright, or to hear Obi-Wan’s calm, steady voice. She says nothing as he cries, as he wipes his tears, as he carries Jesse to the hole he’s dug, but she is there, bound to him through their shared mistakes, and that means something, even if nothing else does anymore.

Could you do 'Right as rain' with Rex? (also your fics are so good, I really like all your ideas, all your stuff is so cool, like you've got fan art and everything!)

Some notes first— Thank you so much! It means so much to me to hear that you like my stuff so much. And I know right?? The first time I got fan art, I nearly fainted from excitement. It was such a cool moment. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this, anon (and @razena88 bc this was one of the ones you mentioned in your reblog— I also have another coming after this that you mentioned in your reblog, too)! To those of you who also requested something— I’m posting these as I write them, so you’ll see yours… eventually. I’ll also post these to AO3 at some point, although when also remains to be seen. Anyways, on with the fic!

Right as Rain— character says they’re fine before collapsing

The debriefing that was supposed to be 30 minutes had turned into a 2 hour long one. The battle had only just ended and Rex hadn’t had a chance to catch a break in between.

On any other day, that wouldn’t have been an issue. On this day, however, it was, although Rex would never admit it to anyone. The planet that they were on had a harsh environment, which included plants that could cause someone who even slightly touched its leaves to become ill. It started with a headache and some dizziness, but soon spiraled into a full migraine accompanied with a high fever. It was nigh impossible for someone who had been infected to keep down any food after awhile, too. It was potentially deadly if not treated soon enough.

They’d all been careful to avoid it and had been covered head to toe for the entire mission, even the Jedi. Rex was starting to think that maybe he hadn’t avoided it as well as he thought he had as the meeting droned on. Still, it wasn’t his place to interrupt a debriefing simply because he had a headache that felt like a herd of bantha was tap-dancing on his head (a comparison lovingly made by Hardcase earlier on in the war when he’d earned himself a concussion due to an impressive explosion). Besides, Rex didn’t really know if the symptoms were because of that deadly plant, or if it was just because he hadn’t slept in awhile. He’d been so well covered during that entire mission that he was inclined to believe that it was the latter.

Of course, that was ignoring the fact that he felt simultaneously cold and hot, chills running down his spine continuously. It was also ignoring the fact that it was getting more and more difficult to keep from swaying on his feet. Rex stood at Ahsoka’s right and Cody’s left, and it was all he could do not to lean into his older brother. Whatever. He was probably fine.

Rex’s awareness of the meeting, however, had become nonexistent, and so he missed when they asked him a direct question. He had been too focused on controlling the head splitting migraine he’d procured and ignoring the horrible chills running through his veins. Cody bumped Rex’s arm with his elbow, causing Rex to jump back into attention.

“Sorry, what was the question?” Rex asked, mentally kicking himself for not paying attention to the meeting (but Force, it was only supposed to have been 30 minutes long).

“We were asking about the status of your troops, Captain,” General Windu said through the holotable, “How they faired on the mission.”

Rex was fairly certain that they’d already covered that in the meeting (he could have sworn that was what Anakin had been talking about for the last hour or so), and he opened his mouth to say that when he realized that that would not be an appropriate response. He was very glad he was wearing his helmet, then, so that the generals could not see his facial expressions as he tried to get his thoughts in order.

“Captain, are you quite alright?” General Kenobi, ever perceptive, asked from across the table. Rex nodded— he thought he did, at least, but it was actually more of a shudder than anything else.

“Rex,” Cody said in a low tone, gently reaching out to rest a hand on Rex’s shoulders.

Rex was vaguely aware that now all eyes were on him, so he gathered up his strength to reply, “Yes, I’m fine.”

He collapsed into Cody’s arms immediately after getting that out, his strength spent. His head was aching, though, and he was so cold and so hot and he couldn’t even see straight. The last thing he remembered before everything went black was Cody ripping the helmet off of Rex’s head and asking him to respond.

Rex woke up an indeterminable amount of time later, finding himself in the medbay stripped down to his blacks, although the top had been peeled off at some point. He still had a hell of a headache, although now it only felt like one bantha tap-dancing on his head instead of a whole herd. He heard a chuckle at his bedside and found Cody was looking at him with an exasperated expression, and he realized that he must’ve said that out loud.

Rex opened his mouth to actually talk with his brother, but Cody held up a hand to hush him.

“Next time,” Cody said, “Just tell us you think you’re sick, okay?”

Rex had the decency to look embarrassed and nodded. Cody rolled his eyes at him and told Rex to get some more sleep. The good captain was more than happy to comply.

Febuwhump Day 23 - "Don't Leave!"

Summary: While in mandatory quarantine, Rex's gets a visit from a brother he's been missing terribly.

Warning: Hallucinations caused by sickness.

[Sometimes I remember Rex got infected by the Blue Shadow Virus and that recovering from that probably didn't happen in just one day, regardless of there being a miracle cure... It's probably left a mark on his immunity system...]

[THIS STORY IS NOW ON AO3]

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Kix opts to quarantine him despite limited contact with the infected population of the little planet they'd been sent to help evacuate. A plague had run through, destroying a great part of the sentient life forms on said planet, and unfortunately Rex's armour had been breeched during an altercation with a delirious citizen.

Kix decides to quarantine him, because despite his limited contact Rex still got sick in the end. Because his immunity system had been absolutely ruined by his past run in with the BSV. The medic knows best in the end. Gives him several shots of whatever miracle cure the GAR has concocted to fight this menace of a disease, and leaves him to rest and recuperate. But the captain of the 501st can't help but feel uneasy by the decision anyway.

Everyone knew clones didn't do so good in isolation. They were raised in communal circumstances and trained to be dependant of each other's help out in the field, so separation anxiety was something of a common occurance among vode that either lost their squadrons or closest batchmates. Independent survival had to be taught to the clones that expressed enough hardiness to become ARCs.

Rex had earned that honour himself. But he was nothing if not a very social creature. And being confined to a lonely cot was... It was doing things to him.

Between the wet-sounding coughs, the sudden instances where he was overcome by vertigo even as he lay still, and the fogginess that came with flare-ups and fever, Rex wasn't sure what was worse... The fact he felt like he'd been run over and dragged by a hovercraft, or the fact it was getting hard to figure out if the things he was hearing and seeing were real or not.

Because he could swear Keeli was just sitting there with him. Watching him. Talking to him.

He didn't know his vod was on leave... He could have sworn he was on Ryloth...

"Easy now Seven..." His batchmate, his older brother, purred softly as he ran his fingers through the blond fuzz atop Rex's head. "It's just a little cold..."

"M'not supposed to get those..." He murmured back miserably, as he tried to lean into the contact. Everything hurt and he couldn't move. The covers felt really heavy on top of him. "M'a clone..."

"Even clones get sick vod'ika..." Keeli whispered soothingly. "We're engineered, but not even we can remain strong forever."

"No... s'just me... M'broken..." Rex whined. The aching muscles and sore throat made it hard to say more, but Rex didn't have to. Keeli knew. " Came out wrong..."

"No you didn't."

"I did..." His eyes burnt and he could feel tears slip down his flushed face. Past shame making his stomach feel funny. "Wrong... Hair... Everyone's... Everyone sees... M'cooked up wrong..."

"Your hair doesn't make you wrong. It makes you unique." Keeli frowned. "And I'm sorry... I'm sorry that we dyed it back on Kamino. That we tried to hide it, and made you think it was something to be ashamed of. We just wanted to protect you..."

"Ori'vod..." He wanted to reach out and hold Keeli's hand. He still couldn't bring himself to do so. It was all so unbearably hot and his body wouldn't obey.

"It's ok Rex... Rest now. I'll see you again some day..."

"Stay... Please..." The sickly clone whimpered. "Don't go..."

"I can't vod'ika... I'm dead..."

Keeli wasn't there anymore. Rex was alone. His heart ached as he remembered. Remembered that nearly all his batch was gone. That he was one of the last.

"Don't leave!" His nerve shattered and he yelled through a strained throat. "Keeli don't leave me! Keeli!!!"

The curtains parted. Kix rushed to check up on his captain as his strangled and incoherent screams and sobs annihilated the peace and quiet of the medical wing. Rex was out of his mind with delirium and fear, the fever reeking havoc in his mind as his immune system fought the leftover effects of the plague.

It was hard to see his brother so distressed, but there was nothing more he could do besides sedate him and wait out the effects...

Error 404 for Rex!

Thanks for the prompt! Hope this is satisfactory! (Also @razena88 since this was another one you mentioned in your reblog!)

Error 404: character refuses to admit they’re sick

Although he was loathe to admit it, the Blue Shadow Virus had taken quite the toll on Rex’s immune system. That meant that it was much easier for him to get sick than it was for other clones who hadn’t caught that virus. Thus, he had become quite the expert in hiding the fact that he was sick.

It wasn’t that he got sick very often, mind you. Anytime he felt hot and cold at once or had a headache that felt like it was caused by something more than lack of sleep or dehydration, Rex could take care of it on his own. He didn’t count that as “sick,” seeing as it normally went away within a rotation of it happening. He could function through that. However, what he was experiencing right now seemed to be a little bit more than just a headache and a fever, considering it felt like his stomach was continually doing flips inside of him. It was like he was seasick, like how little cadets often felt seasick on Kamino before they got used to the way the buildings gently rocked with the rough seas below. Regardless, Rex chalked it up to needing some more food and water and went about his day.

“Captain! You’re looking a little green. Are you doing alright?” The question came up practically out of nowhere (for Rex that is). Had he been paying more attention to his surroundings, he would have noticed Fives slinking up to him in the mess hall. Rex had been too focused on finishing his meal without throwing it all back up for him to notice.

He did not jump at Fives’ sudden appearance at his side. He did not. Rex glowered down at the ARC and rolled his eyes, “Of course I’m fine, Fives. Just a little hungry.”

“Are you sure, because it looks to me like you’re having trouble finishing your meal. Are you sick?” Fives asked.

“No, Fives, of course I’m not sick. We clones are engineered to stay healthy, you know,” Rex replied, shaking his head at him.

“Okay. Fine. Then finish your meal right now while I sit with you,” Fives said, crossing his arms across his chest and holding his chin up, “If you’re truly as hungry as you say, then you won’t have a problem doing that, right?”

Oh, that stubborn kriffer. Fives had learned to be that stubborn from somewhere, however, and two could play at that game, “Fine, Fives. Not a problem.”

Rex turned to his meal and regarded it carefully. Force, just looking at it made him more nauseous, somehow. His stomach continued doing flips and he felt a mixture of hot/cold— no, he could not have a fever on top of nausea. That simply wouldn’t do. Then he’d be sick, and Captain Rex of the 501st Battalion could not be sidelined by something as simple as a little virus.

“I’m waiting, Rex,” Fives said, looking at Rex expectantly.

“You’ll call me ‘captain,’ or ‘sir,’ Fives, remember?” Rex said to the bratty trooper. Fives rolled his eyes at him— such insubordination! Rex wouldn’t have it any other way.

The blond clone picked up his ration bar and forced himself to take a bite, ignoring the way it caused his stomach to protest. Then he took another, and another, until he’d finally finished the entire bar. The nausea was ten times worse than it had been to start off with, but at least he’d eaten.

“I have to say, Captain, I didn’t think you’d manage it,” Fives said, sounding impressed.

Rex opened his mouth to say something along the lines of, ‘Of course I managed it, what do you take me for?’ but his stomach practically screamed at him. He jumped out of his seat and made it to the nearest trash bin just in time to throw up all of the food he’d just eaten. He felt a steady hand on his back, warm and reassuring, and he allowed himself to relax ever so slightly.

“You must’ve picked up some virus from the last planet we were on, Captain,” said Fives from his side.

“‘M not… sick,” Rex managed between gasps for air. It felt like was finished vomiting for now, and he had to admit that his stomach hurt a lot less than it did beforehand.

“Sure, Rex, you’re not sick,” Fives agreed, “Just indisposed of, right?”

“No,” Rex said, forcing himself into a standing position from where he had been hunched over the bin, “I’m fine.”

“Sir, I just watched you throw up a meal, which I had, very painfully, watched you force down even though you knew it would make you feel worse. C’mon, I’m taking you to Kix,” Fives said, holding an arm out for Rex to lean on.

Rex huffed and pushed him aside, intent on continuing with his duties for the day, but he didn’t make it more than a step before his knees buckled from underneath him. Fives caught him easily, placing a hand on his forehead as he did so.

“Force, Rex, I can even feel you’re burning up through my gloves,” The ARC trooper said, repressing a sigh, “We’re going to the medbay.” Rex had no choice but to go with him.

When they were about halfway there, Rex managed a pitiful sigh and looked up at Fives forlornly.

“Fives,” he said in a small voice, “I think I might be sick.”

Fives smiled down at him kindly, “I know, Rex, but you’ll be better in no time.”

As he was ushered onto a bed and fretted over by Kix, Rex instinctively knew that Fives was right.

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & CC-1010 | Fox, CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex Characters: CC-2224 | Cody, CC-1010 | Fox, CT-7567 | Rex, Blitz (Star Wars), Colt (Star Wars) Additional Tags: 212th Appreciation Week, Prompt | Magic/Mythology/Fantasy, Sirens, Sirens AU, CCs as Sirens, beginning of the war, Kaminoans Being Assholes (Star Wars), but they’re not actually given a chance to be assholes this time, 212th CT-7567 | Rex Series: Part 3 of Shon'laar, Part 9 of 212th Appreciation Week Summary:

The war has begun, and with the war comes new responsibilities. Not everyone is happy with their assignments, but the vode make do. And some force changes.

@212thappreciation for the Fantasy/Mythology prompt