For The WIP Ask, I Want To Know More About Fox Shoots Rex. 😭

Astronomy

"My memories, they get fuzzy here and there, I don't remember a lot most the time, except Fives, I can't forget him, and sometimes, I really wish I could-"

TW for Echo being absolutely awful to Rex and blaming him for Fives' death in the worst way possible.

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Echo knew he wasn't the easiest to live with. Sure, he wasn't as much an ass as Tech was in the morning or as annoying as Crosshair, whose insecurities leaked out like a broken facet, but he still wasn't easy. He didn't take a whole hour to do his hair like Hunter and regularly dropped knives, and he also didn't look right through his brothers, able to place exactly what was wrong like Wrecker. He wasn't as bad as he could be, but he wasn't better.

He used to be better. He used to be perfect. But he'd fallen so far, half the time, Echo didn't know who he was anymore. His name didn't really feel like his anymore. But what would his name be? Echo looked down at his arm, studying scars he didn't remember getting, they danced up his arm until his clothing covered the rest. Ever since Rex rescued him, he was trying to place himself in this universe again. He was supposed to be dead. He wasn't supposed to get a second chance. But he wasn't, and he does.

Echo let out a sigh as he commed Rex, some part of him always sparked back to life when he spoke to his former Captain. But Rex didn't answer, so the last living part of Echo stayed dead. He'd just go inside.

"-No, if I ever do something as shitty as that, just leave me, let me suffer in my own stupidity, it'd do me good." Crosshair chuckled as he took a drink, "Your turn." He said before looked over to Echo and gestured towards a glass, "Join us?"

"Please, join us," Tech took a drink, "Alright, if I turned evil, shoot me on the spot and take my bed, don't let Wrecker or Hunter have it. They stink."

"-What are you two even doing?" Echo asked as he sat down. He gladly took a glass and poured himself a drink.

"I don't know if you'd call this putting together our wills, but that's basically what we're doing, except only in the case we turn evil, not if we die." Crosshair filled him in, "-and we're drinking, so it works."

"Seriously though, if I turned evil, or something more stupid than usual, I know you'd just let me think you'd never come-"

"-But we would," Tech laughed, "Not right away of course, but we'd never actually leave your sorry ass." They laughed some more, "You'd be dead within the week." Their banter continued but Echo stopped listening.

Crosshair's words echoed in his head, "-You'd just let me think you'd never come-" Echo looked at his brothers, laughing away at such a ridiculous thought: losing one another. Echo envied the fact they never had to live with the pain of a forever goodbye. He envied the fact they could joke about it and that's all it was: a joke.

"I'm gonna go move Hunter's knives slightly out of place-"

"This is why you're the smart one, good man, Echo." Crosshair nodded, refilling his brother's glass once more before he left.

"I'm the sma-"

"No-"

Their banter was fazed out yet again as Echo headed in the direction of Hunter's knife collection. He shifted a few of them but moved them back, he couldn't go through with it. Even if it was meant to be a joke, Echo found it cruel. He didn't know why, so he just stared at them, Crosshair's words still echoing in his head. "You'd just let me think you'd never come-"

Echo knew they were joking, he'd made those same jokes with Fives, Jesse, and Kix countless times. He'd laugh and drink with his brothers just as Crosshair and Tech did. But they were brothers and Echo was just invading. Echo went outside, reminding himself that there was nothing for him back with the 501st, without Fives, that there was no home with the 501st. Not anymore. Echo missed his family, but he was with his family.

Fives was dead, and when he died, Echo imagined everything bright and wonderful died with him. Every sunrise and blooming flower ceased to exist now that Fives was dead. Echo, though not bright nor wonderful, died too. He didn't exist without his brother.

Echo wondered how Fives carried on without him, who got him out of trouble, who consoled him after a battle, who loved him when Echo left. Did Fives know I was alive? Did he know I wasn't dead? Could he feel it? Did he know? Echo wanted to ask Rex questions about his brother but everytime he did, he'd watch the Captain start to down. He'd full with such sorrow, such... Guilt.

His comlink blinked and Echo answered it, Rex. "Echo, hey! Sorry, I just got back to Coruscant-"

"How did he die?" Echo inturrupted Rex, who froze instantly.

"W-What?"

"Fives. How did he die, what happened, what actually happened?" Echo practically hissed but desperation made him a monster. He was more machine now anyways, so what was the difference between monsters and men, men and machines?

Rex's stomach twisted in a knot, he felt his heart break all over again, "-I" Rex looked up at the scowl on Echo's face. Rex couldn't do it. He couldn't tell him. He opened his mouth and nothing came out. He gave Echo a plea, refraining from crying.

"-It's because of you, right? He's dead because of you?"

"Echo-"

"Tell me!" Echo screamed, "Tell me that you got him killed! Tell me that it's your fault he died!" Echo wanted to tackle Rex to the ground, it was his fault, it was written all over his face, Rex knew what happened, he was there when it happened, and he didn't do anything to save him, "Tell me how you got my brother, my best friend, killed, Rex, tell me how you killed my brother."

"I didn't, I didn't-" Rex mumbled as his eyes teared up and his voice was a desperate whisper, "Echo, please." Rex looked at Echo, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Echo, I didn't save him."

Echo saw a tear run down Rex's cheek and it only filled him with anger that quickly came then simmered away because some part of Echo knew it wasn't Rex's fault, but all the same, "He was my brother and he came to you for help," Echo sobbed, breaking his shell of anger on the spot, "He came to you for help and you got him killed-" shaking his head, Echo wished he hadn't said anything at all, that he hadn't picked at this wound, if only he'd just let it bleed. "He needed you and all you did to help was have a bullet shot in his heart-"

Rex was light years away from Echo, crying at the blue imagine of him, teary eyed and angry and all because he couldn't talk and he couldn't hang out. He'd been rendered powerless in shock, so all he could do was cry and accept all of Echo's yelling. Everything Echo accused him of, Rex believed. He'd gotten his brother killed and that was on him. He needed him, and instead, Rex got him shot. "I can't do this Echo," Rex looked up, "Everything you said, I can't defend against, I know, I know I failed you and Fives-"

"Don't say his name!" Echo cried, "You don't get to say his name, if you had been better he'd still be alive!" Echo knew he wasn't who he should be, he knew he was being awful and he knew better. But he didn't care. He didn't care. God dammit, he didn't care. So through teary, bloodstained eyes, he took aim, "You don't deserve to be here, Rex, Fives does, he would have never done that shit to you, he would've done something." Echo cried, absolutely furious.

All Rex could do was stand there, head hanging low as he tried to gather the will to hang up and end it. But he deserved it. He deserved each punch Echo threw, he deserved to hate himself all over again. "He would've done something-" Fives would've fought to hell and back, Fives deserved to be alive, and if Rex could trade places, he would, if only to see Echo smile. But that's not how this works. Echo wasn't even yelling anymore, he was only crying. Through his crys, he choked out all the anger at its target "-It's your fault, it's all your fault, you didn't do anything, you didn't do anything and he died because of it,

Because of you-

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Yaypril Day 18 - AU, and more specifically wing fic!AU with Rex and the commanders batch 

Usually, Rex isn’t the worst when it comes to sitting still and being patient. But today, he can’t help but be fidgety, as his feathers are being painted in the colors of his new battalion. Not because he can’t wait to see the result, although that is also true, but mostly because the process itches, way more than he thought it would.

“Stop wriggling so much!”

That’s easy for Fox to say. He’s not the one who’s had to keep his wings spread for the past half-hour. Despite his best efforts to stay still, Rex squirms as he feels the dyeing brush his brother is using drag along one of his primaries.

“I can’t help it! It tickles!”

He’s tried to stay still and not complain, he really has, but he sure didn’t expect the experience to be that challenging. Getting their naturally pristine white feathers colored is an important tradition to all vode, just like painting their helmets and armors. As the eldest of their batch, it’s Fox’s role to help Rex with it, just like he has done for the rest of their siblings.

His ori’vod has helped him draw the jaig eyes he’s chosen for himself so it’ll fit on his wings, and Rex feels extremely grateful for all the time and patience he’s put into this already. The last thing he want is to sound whiny.

“If you move too much, it might alter the final design, and I’m sure you don’t want that. Don’t worry, it won’t last for much longer, since you asked for something sensible, and not a whole damn wolf’s face.”

At that, Fox sends an accusing look at Wolffe over Rex’s shoulders. Their whole batch is here, gathered for the special occasion. Bly, Cody and Ponds snicker at the comment, and Wolffe immediately stands up, puffing up his feathers in annoyance.

“Fuck you, my wings look awesome!”

To prove his point, he spreads them wide, putting the symbol of the 104th on display.

“Obviously, since it’s my work. However, having my wrist aching for a week after I finished it wasn’t so great.”

Rex chuckles as his siblings keep bickering, staying still now that he’s distracted. He barely registers the pull on his feathers anymore, and is almost surprised when Fox announces that he’s done, only to realize his older brother provoked the whole commotion on purpose to give him something to focus on.

He might have to wait a little to let the dye sit on before rinsing it off, but even without seeing the final result, Rex can say he’ll love it already, all because of the care Fox put into accompanying him through this.

Sneak peek at the next thing on my to-do list

Shortly after the mission to the Citadel, Rex, Fives, and Jesse stumble across an artifact that permanently changes Rex. With his newfound abilities, he must navigate the war as it draws to a close...

There was a stone in his boot. Rex glared down at his feet as if that would make the stone leave, but it was still irritatingly there. It was small, of course, just barely big enough for him to feel it, but it was right on the arch of his foot, where it was most tender. Chalking up a blister before it even formed, he sighed, readjusting his hold on his blaster pistols. Jesse looked over at him. “Chin up, Captain, just because we haven’t found anything yet doesn’t mean there’s nothing to find.” “I think we’re supposed to want there to be nothing to find,” Fives grumbled, kicking a clump of grass as the walked through the narrow canyon that led out toward the grasslands from the small abandoned settlement the rest of the 501st had set up camp in. “Looking for a Seppie base, remember?” “I remember,” Jesse said, nudging Fives with his elbow, “Just like I remember you leaping at the chance to go exploring.”

“That was before I knew that ‘exploring’ just meant wandering down a straight path,” Fives shot back.

Ordinarily, Rex would have scolded Fives for his tone, but as it was, it had been less than a month since he’d lost his ori’vod, Echo, so he cut him some slack. Gesturing with his pistol, he ushered the other two troopers down the canyon, scanning the walls as he did.

It was only because of that that he noticed the small crack in the wall, just large enough for someone to squeeze through. “Fives, Jesse,” he called, drawing their attention before carefully making his way through the crack.

As the other two followed, he took the opportunity to look around the tunnel the crack had led into. It didn’t look naturally created, the walls rough and uneven in a way that made him think it had been carved out by the local fauna, but the ceilings were tall, stretching above his head and making him feel small. Some sort of bioluminescent fungus grew on the walls, giving the place a dim lighting. Squaring his shoulders, he flicked on his headlamp anyway, not wanting to stumble over anything in the low light.

Fives and Jesse managed to get into the tunnel behind him, and Rex gestured for them to start making their way through the cave. Rex led the way, the others’ headlamps bouncing off the walls as they looked around.

The tunnel meandered for some distance. Right as Rex was about to call a halt so he could finally get the stupid rock out of his boot, they rounded a corner and Rex sucked in a breath. In the middle of the small cavern they found themselves in was what looked like an altar of some sort, lit by sunlight filtering through an overgrown hole in the ceiling.

Floating above the table was something Rex had only seen once before. Jesse seemed to recognize it as well, as he straightened. “Is that a Jedi holocron, sir?”

“It looks like.” Rex glanced around the chamber, noting some smashed pottery in the corners and faded flecks of paint on the walls. “This looks Jedi enough, must have been a meditation spot or something.”

“Should we comm the general, sir?” Fives asked, looking worried. He hadn’t been with the 501st during the original Jedi holocron incident, but he’d heard stories, and Rex thought he was right to be afraid. Force only knew what the Seppies could have done with this if they’d learned it was here.

Rex nodded. “Might as well try. I’ve no clue if the signal will get out, but with the hole in the ceiling, it’s worth a shot.”

Fives nodded and stepped forward, activating his comm. “This is ARC trooper Fives, calling forward camp. Do you read me?” Static over the line, and Fives cursed before trying again.

This time, someone answered. “Fives, we read you,” General Skywalker’s voice sounded tinny and was layered with static, but it was there. “What’s the situation?”

“We’ve, uh, discovered a Jedi artifact in a cave, sir.”

Skywalker sounded surprised. “A what? Nevermind, how do you know it’s Jedi?”

“Well, it’s floating in midair, sir, and I’m not detecting any magnetic field holding it up,” Fives said, a hint of sass in his voice, and Rex, removing his helmet, shot him a look.

It didn’t sound like Skywalker minded. “Okay, okay. Does it look dangerous?”

“No, sir. It’s just floating there.”

Jesse made to touch it, and Rex grabbed his arm, holding him back. “Not till the general says to,” he said in an undertone, and Jesse nodded.

“Bring it back to base,” Skywalker was saying, “But be careful. There’s no telling how long it’s been there, and what defenses it could have. I don’t want you boys getting buried if the cave collapses.”

“Copy that, sir. Fives out.” Fives cut the connection and turned to Rex. “Well, sir, I think it’d be best we got out of here.”

Rex nodded, then reached out. What happened next happened in a blur. His fingertips brushed the holocron, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up, right before pain like he’d never known ripped through him. He was vaguely aware that he screamed, but he wasn’t aware enough to stop himself. Lightning was ripping his cells apart, searing his DNA, and stitching the cells back together.

He heard more than saw the holocron drop and the boys run forward. The next thing he knew, Jesse’s familiar helmet was in his face, and his frantic voice was calling for Rex to respond, but before Rex could open his mouth, a fog rapidly crawled into his vision, thickening before finally everything went black.

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.

Snoozeville with rex maybe?

I’ve never written for Rebels Era Rex and I thought that I might give it a try. I hope you don’t mind! Rexsoka shippers DNI, this is purely platonic.

Snoozeville— character falls asleep somewhere that isn’t their bed

Rex was sitting in the common room of the Ghost after a supply run. Surprisingly enough, this one had actually gone off without a hitch (most likely because Ahsoka had decided to come with them for whatever reason), and they were able to get in and out of the planet quickly. Said planet, however, had been rather cold and damp and that did not make for a good experience.

Rex was well aware of the fact that he’d come down with a cold after being on that planet, if the pressure in his head and the incessant runny nose that was plaguing him were any indication. He really didn’t want to admit that he was sick, though, because he was a clone who had been raised on a planet where it was cold and wet constantly, but he wasn’t as young as he used to be and his immune system had permanently been compromised by the Blue Shadow Virus. However, he’d mellowed down since his days as a hot-headed captain and would admit his illness if anyone came and asked him outright… if not, then he’d go about his business like nothing happened.

He sighed to himself, as no one was in the common room with him, the rest of them elsewhere in the ship. He forced himself to keep his eyes open. It was the middle of the day cycle, according to the chrono on the wall, and he refused to go to sleep any earlier than necessary, no matter how tempting a nap was at the moment. He knew it would probably make him feel better, but… he didn’t want to admit it. He supposed some part of him was still that stubborn captain.

Ahsoka made her way into the room and slid onto the bench next to him, regarding him carefully.

“Rexter, you aren’t looking too hot,” she stated bluntly.

“Yeah, must’ve caught a cold on that planet,” Rex replied, sniffling as if to prove his point. He grimaced at the pressure in his head and sighed yet again.

“Wow, you’re openly admitting you’re sick? Because I distinctly remember multiple occasions where you refused to admit you were sick and then made yourself sicker as a result,” Ahsoka said, lifting a brow marking at him.

“Yeah, well, maybe I’ve gone soft in my old age,” Rex said, rolling his eyes at her as she giggled. He then yawned and suppressed an involuntary shiver as he felt a fever taking hold.

Ahsoka immediately grew concerned, “Oh, let me go get you some medicine and a blanket, and you can take a nap right here if you want to!”

Rex shook his head vehemently, “No, I don’t want to go to sleep right now. It’s the middle of the day.”

“So? Naps are one of the best things that have ever been invented. I used to nap all the time when I was a Padawan,” Ahsoka said, moving to stand up.

“Well, we clones were engineered to not need naps. I shouldn’t need one. I can last without one,” Rex said stubbornly, refusing to make eye contact with her.

Ahsoka sighed and settled back into her seat, laying a reassuring hand on Rex’s shoulder, “Rex, that may have been true when you were younger, but like it or not, you’ve aged a little and things like recovering from sickness are going to take a little more effort.”

Rex frowned and stared at the table in front of them. Ahsoka looked like she was going to say more, but Rex ruined the moment with a loud sneeze.

Ahsoka chuckled warmly, “At least let me get you some medicine and a blanket. You don’t have to fall asleep if you don’t want to.” Rex nodded. Ahsoka patted his shoulder and got up to get the supplies.

She returned only a few minutes later with medicine, a bottle of water, and a blanket, just as promised. After ensuring Rex took the medicine she provided him with, she sat down next to him and handed him the blanket, which he begrudgingly wrapped around himself.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, only interrupted by Rex’s occasional sniffle or stifled cough.

Ahsoka regarded him carefully in that time, and Rex was all too aware of her gaze on him.

“What?” He asked defensively.

“What’s really bothering you, Rex?” Ahsoka asked.

Rex frowned and shook his head, “It’s just… Ahsoka, I’m younger than you. I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t have gray hair already and wake up with every single one of my joints aching. I shouldn’t fall sick so easily and it shouldn’t take so much for me to get back on my feet.”

“Oh, Rex,” Ahsoka said, gently shushing him, “I know. It’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not,” Rex agreed, leaning against Ahsoka and closing his eyes, “Why did I have to be one of the last clones? All by myself?”

“I don’t know, Rex, but I do know that I and everyone on this ship are glad to have you by our sides, aged or not. And you’re not alone, Rex. You have me and you always will,” Ahsoka replied, adjusting the way that she was sitting so that Rex could be more comfortable.

Rex grumbled but didn’t respond, the lure of sleep calling his name. He fell asleep sitting in that exact position, head resting on Ahsoka’s shoulder. Ahsoka put a comforting arm around his shoulders and sighed, raging at the universe that had been so cruel to clones and had cast them such an unlucky lot at life. Truly, she didn’t know whether Rex was lucky or unlucky to live as long as he had, and she wasn’t sure that either of them wanted to know the answer to that.

Some of the other Ghost crew members wandered in at different points, but they were all shushed pretty quickly upon seeing Rex resting on Ahsoka as he was (her fierce glare towards Ezra when he’d been about to yell at Zeb had certainly helped things, as well). Eventually, she fell asleep in her seat as well, sitting with her fellow survivor and brother.

Ruined, Or Not

“Jesse, so help me….” Rex was the image of stoicism, but his facial muscles were pulled so tight they ached.

General Skywalker snorted, clearly against his original intentions, and scrambled to cover the slip with a halfhearted representation of the typical placid Jedi face. Unfortunately, Rex knew his commanding officer far too well. The man was anything but sedate.

If Rex hadn’t known better - hadn’t seen him dismember entire squadrons of droids without even having to think about it - he’d have assumed the general was a shiny long ago.

And Jesse just grinned wider, the damage done.

From across the room, with the medics, Kix was already giving him a death glare. Hardcase, to Jesse’s left, shook with repressed laughter, his face morphing to a rainbow of colors that Rex was determined to not find even close to funny right now.

“Three….two….one….” the photographer called.

Fives lost it first. And the legion was doomed from there.

*******

“I’m sorry, but that is priceless!” Padmé dissolved into laughter, holding the holopic aloft. “May I keep it?”

And Rex had to smile.

The photo was a disaster. GAR command was not pleased. But if they were looking for an “accurate representation of your legion”, they really weren’t going to get more accurate than this.

They were all laughing, in hysterics from row to row. Hands froze where they found brothers’ backs, arms rested around best friends’ backs, and there wasn’t a single face that wasn’t painted in layers of exuberance. Their smile lines dug into their faces, their hair swept carelessly out of the way, their tattoos and the paintings on their armor beaming under the lights.

Even Skywalker had been roaring with laughter, Ahsoka doubled over next to him gasping for breath. And Rex stood in the middle of it all, his fingers strewn across his face in complete and utter hopelessness.

“You’d want to?”

“Of course!” Padmé’s smile softened. “So often we dehumanize and take for granted who you are. I wish everyone could see this kind of joy.”

Rex sighed. “It’s a terrible picture.”

“Well. I must disagree, captain.” She looked down at it again, bathing her features in blue as her smile crept forward again. “Aren’t you glad they can laugh like this?”

The crinkles by Kix’s eyes. The elation on Fives’s face. Echo, laughing so hard tears leaked down his cheeks. Jesse grinning so wide his lips hurt. Hardcase, cackling uncontrollably and gasping for a breath. The shinies, arms slung over each other’s shoulders, giggling together like they finally believed they belonged.

Yeah, by the GAR’s standards, the picture was ruined.

But all Rex had ever wanted was for them to forget their burdens, for a second.

“Yeah,” he said, and something scratched in the back of his throat. Padmé turned her gaze back to him, one side of her mouth turning almost furtively upwards. It was warm. Caring. There was something steady in it, something sure.

“Yeah,” Rex rasped again. Like he could still feel the unhinged chortles he’d tried so hard to hide.

Now, he wished he hadn’t.

*******

Awwwwwh, Rex.

My headcanon is that Padmé and Rex have a lil moment during switch day. She comes across the angry message from GAR command, convinces Rex to show her the offense, and is enraptured. They're all her babies.

I was a little unsure about writing a "Family Picture" for @clonetober, but once I got going I think it went okay! In this case, it's a bit of a curse to be a writer instead of an artist. I wish I could have this image for myself - but a mental picture will have to do.

They're okay, Rex.

Little Brother

Part Five of Te Ori Bal Te Kih

CC-2224 had grown used to seeing the aftermath of a trainer’s abuse, but that didn’t mean it didn’t still piss him off.

To say he was pissed when his batch come across the CT outside the training room was an understatement. He’d thought it would lessen up after Andin and the other trainers Fox scared off left but apparently not quite. 

“What’s your name vod’ika?” He asked as he knelt down in front of the young cadet.

The boy looked up fearfully at the sound of his voice. Besides the fact that he was blond and beat up, there didn’t appear to be anything else wrong with him. 

“Easy, we aren’t going to hurt you,” CC-5052 told him. 

The young clone’s eyes darted to each of the CCs nervously. He hunched his shoulders in to make himself seem smaller. 

“My designation is CT-7567.” He responded quietly.

“Look kid, what are you doing over here?” Wolffe asked. “These rooms are restricted to most of the clones.”

7567 looked up at Wolffe.

“I was training here.”

The CC batch looked at each other.

“You’re modified?” Wolffe asked skeptically. “You’re a CT though.”

7567 narrowed his eyes challengingly at Wolffe.

“Yeah and what of it?”

2224 shot his brother a glare.

“Nothing, we just didn’t know there were modified CT batches that’s all.” 

7567 slumped back a bit. 

“We weren’t intentionally modified. They think some of your tube juice leaked into ours.” The blond buried his chin into his knees. “Only me and another cadet in my batch can grow.” 

-

I'm thinking of posting this story to AO3 soon in it's full and continuous format!

CC-2224 -> Cody; CC-5052 -> Bly; CT-7567 -> Rex

Mando'a: vod'ika - little sibling

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.

Reconditioned Rex? That one sounds really interesting, how can I find the first part of it?

I'm sorry anon, there's no first part, I got my wires scrambled and confused the au 😭 I got a drawing (i think you can find it in the tag below, in on mobile, sorry :c), but lemme explain the basics of it >:)c

Basically, Rex is the one who shots Krell at Umbara, and he's sent to reconditioning. Because a logistics issue, they are accidentally sent to the 501st. Ofc, nobody assumes that's Rex, they just think this new blond kid is just a coincidence.

However, as time goes by, Torrent connect the dots and realize that this shiny used to be Rex!! The story the follows the five stages of grief, from denial (Rex has died) to acceptation (this shiny, Temple, is NOT Rex, but they wouldn't exist without his absence)

Call of the Sea

Chapter 5 - Revelations Read on AO3

Summary: Ashla climbed the ladder. It gave her enough height to comfortably reach over the side of the tank. Rex rose slowly toward her, keeping eye contact as his head broke the surface.

Words: 2629

Warning: physical violence (nothing graphic)

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 One of the men in red and gold livery was waiting for her when Ashla pulled up to Palpatine’s mansion. He opened the front door for her, then followed as she headed for the seascape hallway.

 “This way, miss,” the man said. “He’s in the lab.”

 Ashla’s gut clenched. That didn’t sound good at all.

 The man led her through a new hallway, through a door that led outside to a wide expanse of lawn.

 “What’s your name?” Ashla asked, trying to distract herself from the growing unease crawling up her spine.

 The man gave her a surprised look, then said, “Thire.”

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