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If Rex has learned anything in his time the GAR, it’s that he’s slowly growing to hate every single planet in the Republic. In fact, he’s starting to hate planets as a concept, and has to come to realize that the only good place in the galaxy is on a cruiser, in his bunk, where hopefully he can be safe from this never-ending war.
He’s in his bunk, mostly asleep, when the knock comes at the door. He takes a moment, hoping that whoever it is doesn’t actually need him for anything, but the knock repeats itself. It’s tentative, hesitant, like whoever is knocking isn’t sure they should be. He takes a moment to sigh into his pillow before he gets up and goes to answer the door.
Whoever it is had better be dying.
He’s about to say as much as he smacks the door open, but the words die on his lips as he sees who’s come to wake him.
“Commander Tano?” Rex realizes he’s standing there in his loose sleep shirt and shorts and so is she, looking distressed. “Did you comm? I didn’t get anything--”
“No, I didn’t comm. Everything’s...I mean, the ship is okay and so is Master Skywalker.” She looks tired and even as she speaks she wraps her arms around herself like she’s cold. She’s wearing the same shorts and top that he’s seen General Skywalker wearing when he’s woken him up a couple times. Must be a Jedi thing.
“What is it, sir?” Rex asks. Commander Tano bites her lip and looks down at her feet.
“I had a nightmare.” It’s almost a whisper. She’s certainly embarrassed, and as she curls her toes, Rex realizes her feet are bare. Her feet must be freezing. The ship is climate-controlled, but it still gets cold.
An awkward silence falls as Rex struggles to parse out how he should respond. Why did she come to him and not General Skywalker? It’s not like he knows what to do with Jedi nightmares, and--his train of thought skids to a halt as she glances past him at his unmade bunk.
Oh.
Oh.
He remembers now. She came to wake him for something awhile ago, probably months ago at this point, and he’d answered the door just like this. Except he’d had Kix in his bunk, still asleep and brow furrowed in dreams, and at her curious look, he’d explained that after rough campaigns, sometimes Kix needed to not bunk alone and Jesse was on duty. She’d apologized, wanted to fuss, but Rex had just answered the questions she needed answered and assured her that Kix would be fine after a solid shift’s sleep.
He steps back from the door to let her into the room. “Rough night?”
“Yeah. You could say that.” She steps into the room, still hugging herself. “Just. Bad dreams. Kinda hard to sleep.”
Rex hesitates. This is strange and new, and while they’ve eaten meals and spent downtime together, it’s different. She’s his Commander and also barely not shiny. He doesn’t know what’s expected of him here.
“Do you want to talk about it, Commander?” he settles for asking. He sits on the edge of his bunk and pats the spot beside him. She obligingly sits, curling her knees up to her chest. She’s so skinny, and Rex remembers being those proportions, with all his limbs too long for his frame, and it hurts to see someone so small and so young on a warship.
“I think about now you can start calling me Ahsoka, Rex.” She smiles a little. “It’ll be okay. The ship won’t crash or anything.”
“Whatever you say, Commander,” Rex replies and is rewarded with a snort of laughter. “But really. Do you want to talk about it?”
Ahsoka’s smile fades. “Not...not really. Look, Jedi aren’t supposed to...we’re supposed to be above fear, you know? We’re supposed to be able to meditate and rise above it and I don’t know. Tonight I just...can’t.” She rests her chin on her knees. “I know I should just go talk to Master Skywalker, but...” She bites her lip again.
Rex looks her over. She looks exhausted. Dark circles under her eyes. Her montrals aren’t as vibrantly colored as usual. And she’s sitting here, in his bunk, in her sleep shorts and shirt and bare feet.
“I don’t know anything about what Jedi are supposed to do,” Rex starts, “but I do know that solid sleep helps just about everything.” He reaches out and drapes an arm around her shoulders, moving slowly to gauge if the touch is unwelcome. She leans into him and Rex finds himself with her head tucked against his shoulder and her entire side pressed against his. He hesitates for a moment before he tucks her head under his chin, careful not to lean too heavily on her montrals.
“Can I stay here for the night?” Ahsoka asks, her voice quivering a little.
Rex answers without thinking. “Yeah. Of course. C’mere.” He guides her to lay down with him, settling her so she can lay on her side against him, her head resting on his chest and his arm wrapped around her to keep her close. He worries for a moment that it’s too much, that he’s crossed a line, but she relaxes into him and rests one hand on his chest. He can feel its slight weight with each breath, certainly not enough to impede him, but a reminder of how small she is in comparison to him and his brothers. It’s not anything different than what he’s done with many other brothers. Everyone needs a bunkmate at one point or another, and sometimes it’s just nice to have another heartbeat tucked in against you.
“Thanks,” Ahsoka says into the quiet once they’re settled.
“No problem, Commander.”
Ahsoka laughs a little. “Alright then. Good night, Captain.”
“Good night, Commander.”
He’ll stay awake until she falls asleep anyway. Just in case.