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Seconds are ticking by as he's standing knee-deep in mud, his helmeted head lifted and his eyes scanning through the purple-red sky in search of the oncoming gunships. The only thing keeping him from collapsing with exhaustion is the thought that small white dots will soon show up and the beautiful roar of engines will fill his ears instead of the ringing silence left after the battle.
He fights the urge to contact the bridge of the Resolute again. They said that they were on their way. They know his location. They will pick them up in no time.
He glances at the general who can obviously sense his impatience. The Jedi manages a small reassuring smile but he's past such gestures. He wants his squad safe aboard the flagship. He wants to take of his mud-smeared armour, then yank the sweat-soaked blacks off and go to the 'fresher. He wants to check on his brothers and rest.
Finally – although it's been only two minutes, he feels as if he was waiting forever – small white dots appear in the magenta sky and grow bigger and bigger until they are right above the squad in full lenght. He didn't expect the roar of the engines to be so deafening but the noise makes him smile under the helmet nonetheless.
He waits for the squad and the general to get on the gunship and only then does he board it as well. He allows himself to breathe a sigh of relief in the privacy of his helmet – they made it. A quick look around the men packed in the vessel assures him that he didn't leave anybody behind. He feels almost relieved now. The casualties stopped popping up in his HUD some time ago. However, there is the report waiting to be written, which means that he'll have to go through the list of fatalities in the near future...
Suddenly a weight on his shoulder brings him back to reality and he turns his head only to meet the general's concerned eyes. He should say something but nothing springs to mind since a simple ''I'm fine, general'' would only make the Jedi worry more.
Silence lingers and the clone decides to lean against the wall behind him and try not to think about how exhausted he is and how many brothers he lost... That has to satisfy the general because he's too fatigued to do anything more in terms of relaxing right now.
His head feels so heavy and he wonders why hasn't he come up with resting it against the wall earlier. Unable to stay focused any longer, he closes his eyes and allows the slight sway of the gunship to lull him.
***
He's awake again the moment they enter the hangar. The door opens and the overwhelming smell of grease and propellant fills the shuttle and so does the noise of repairs being carried on. The general is the first to get to his feet and step out of the gunship. The clones follow him outside the vessel, although each one of them has his own priorities now so they disperse in various directions.
The general is already engaged in a conversation with his former padawan who's left the bridge to welcome them.
Cody, still standing in the shadow of the gunship, takes of his helmet and looks around the hangar. He scans through the brothers with blue markings on their armour and his heart skips a beat when he doesn't find what, or rather who, he's looking for.
Suddenlly, a sense of complete helplessness descends upon him. This campaign claimed many lives. The 501st must have suffered numerous casualties just like the 212th. The chill of dread slowly comes over him.
He lifts his gaze to take a quick look at Skywalker. The Jedi is still chatting with Kenobi. Obviously, they're both glad to see each other – they're beaming all the time. Cody analyses Skywalker's body language. If something happened to Rex, it would be visible... wouldn't it? The Jedi seems relieved to see his master is safe and sound and... well, not to worry about his captain. Therefore, Cody concludes that his brother must be somewhere on the Resolute – in the medbay at the worst.
With that in mind, he leaves the hangar, keeping a sharp lookout all the time. He wanders the corridors of the flagship and his fatigue is more and more palpable with every step he takes. The armour is so heavy and Cody has no idea whether it's the mud or his exhaustion. His muscles are burning and he feels that his body will rebel against him soon.
Fortunately, he finally reaches the assinged quarters. He palms the door open and steps in. He's drained and the very thought of making the effort to take of his armour makes his head spin.
All of a sudden, he notices movement but he's too slow to aim his rifle or even reach for it. His reflexes fail him and so does his numb body but he manages to lift his gaze.
The moment he looks into the amber eyes of his dear brother, the relief washing over him brings him back to life.
Cody gathers his strength and places his helmet on the table where Rex's armour is neatly folded. He doesn't protest when his brother starts taking the mud-smeared plates off him. He tries to do it himself but he can barely feel his fingers, not to mention moving them, and he's forced to rely on Rex.
However, when the blonde holds him by the arm, intending to lead him to the refresher, Cody shakes his head and frees himself from Rex's grasp. He can handle it. The captain looks surprised and ready to argue but he stares him down.
''I'm fine. Just tired'' he says but Rex isn't convinced.
''You look like shit-'' the captain replies and Cody cuts him short before he can add the placatory ''Let me help you''.
''You look like shit yourself'' the commander snaps in absence of a better retort.
Having given Cody one of his resentful glares, Rex moves out of his way muttering something about not helping the commander if he collapses in the 'fresher. The other clone turns a deaf ear. They are both bone tired and jumpy. There's no need to start falling out.
***
All his basic needs have been satisfied by degrees.
His men aboard the Resolute. Check.
Taking off his filthy armour and blacks. Check.
Decent refresher. Check.
Rex. Check.
The corners of his lips lift in a broad smile. The warm water flows down his body and cleanses him not only from the sweat and dirt but also from the fatigue. He forgets the constant pain in his muscles, the headache that's been pestering him since early morning and the concern.
He's been standing with his eyes closed, cherishing the moment and trying to memorise the feel of water washing over his face so that the memory will fetch up when he'll be stuck in the middle of some swamp again.
Cody's not sure how long he spent in the 'fresher but when he walks out of there, the lights in the room are already dimmed. His armour – spat and polished – has been placed on the table right next to Rex's own. This makes his smile widen but also causes pricks of conscience to arise in his heart. He must have spent quite a while in the refresher since Rex had the time to clean his armour.
Cody frowns and his eyes stray to the bunk on his right where a familiar silhouette is laying prone. A treacherous thought enters his mind and tells him that his brother will be more comfortable sleeping alone instead of bunching up with him on the narrow bed.
Cody flicks a glance at the other bunk and dismisses the idea of occuping it immediately. He lies down beside Rex who's awake at once and starts looking him up and down, checking for damage.
''Ke'nuhoy'' the commander says, taking him by the hand but the captain ignores him and reaches for the scar on Cody's face.
With a sigh he allows Rex to trace the line of the blemish with his fingers. He's forgotten how pleasent it is to have somebody that close...
They are tough soldiers but they are humans all the same and need closeness that provides them with comfort and sense of security. This is where their pride of their brotherhood comes from – the subconscious need for being cared for.
Therefore, although Cody is exhausted and struggles to stay awake, he doesn't protest when Rex touches him as though he had to make sure that his dear brother was still there with him and wasn't just some trick of war-weary imagination.
The commander glances at his brother and notes that the captain had his hair cut to his distinctive short buzz and dyed. It was a three weeks long campaign and his hair had the time to grow out. Cody rans a hand through them and Rex instatnly leans into the touch just like he always does. The commander presses his fingers and that earns him a pleased grunt. He chuckles softly and draws Rex closer, nearly forcing him to rest his head on Cody's shoulder and stops short when the blonde hisses and tenses.
''Haar'chak...!'' the captain curses through gritted teeth but doesn't try to move away from his brother.
''Vod'ika...?'' Cody asks, his voice strained with concern.
Rex burries his face in his brother's neck and, having grasped him by the wrist, guides his hand to the bacta patch on his abdomen. Cody carefully embraces the blonde while doing his best not to ponder on the size of the dressing.
''What was it?'' the commander whispers, stroking the back of Rex's head.
''Shrapnel...'' murmurs the other in reply as the tension gradually leaves his body. ''I always go first...''
''Utreekov.''
''I cleaned your armour. Be nice'' the blonde replies and Cody feels Rex's body going limp, the fatigue getting the better of him in the end.
The commander gingerly pulls the captain closer, curling up so that he feels the warmth of his brother and the comforting weight of his head resting against his chest. He strokes the blonde's back gently and just once, just to check traces the edges of the huge bacta patch stretched from Rex's belly to his very back. It must have hurt like hell. No wonder, his brother tensed up when Cody carelessy drew him close...
The commander closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He can smell the captain's familiar scent, hear his steady breathing and feel his warm strewn with scars skin... All this helps him relax. Cody breathes a sigh of relief just like he did when the gunship arrived and allows the exhaustion to overwhelm him.
Here comes the relief.