Chapter Text
Somehow, it’s always the 104th battalion that gets the best holovids of you.
The first one is only titled ‘From Above’. It lasted a standard galactic week unseen by most until it started making rounds in the barracks of the 212th. The first time Rex sees it was in the command center of The Negotiator.
The holoprojector table was crowded, upon their approach, General Kenobi called out to his troops. “Alright men, settle down. Time to get back to our usual business, shall we?” He shut the projection off but Anakin was quick to speak up.
“Hang on, what was that?” He strode to the table, Ahsoka at his heels with a curious face of her own. “I could’ve sworn that was Ruda.”
“Well… You’d be right.” There was amusement in Obi wan’s voice. Anakin glances at his old master suspiciously before pulling the holovid up.
It was you, walking with General Plo Koon it looked like. The clone captain recalled that you had helped the 104th on a recent mission. Rex raised an eyebrow at Cody as an easy smile came up the man's face. Other troopers around them snickered, looking over their shoulders to the holoprojector. Anakin and Ahsoka both tossed a look at the Jedi Master in front of them before they let it play.
For whatever reason, it looked like a trooper had decided to record you as you were escorted out the landing bays in Coruscant. You and General Plo Koon looked like you were on your way to the main gates. Commander Wolfe joined shortly, passing you a few datapads while you talked. Your forms too far to hear whatever words were being passed.
“What are we supposed to be looking at?” Ahsoka said, eyes darting to her grandmaster and back to the projection when you raised a hand to greet someone off-screen.
“Oh, you’ll see,” Cody drawled. Obi-wan only shook his head.
The frame zoomed out, it looked like one of the shinies were sneaking up behind them. “Oh boy,” Rex groaned. Beside him, Ahsoka hissed through her teeth, “Bad move trooper.” Wolfe’s head turned though, and at the sight of whoever was recording, glared and spun on his heel to make his way to the trooper in question.
At least, he started to... before a shrill scream pierced through and he jumped a foot in the air.
Rex watched as you shoved the data pads back in his hands. The Shiny and General Plo stepped almost a meter back as you dashed forward. The frame moved, zooming out even more until it showed the main gate and the road leading to it.
And the small child that was nearly 50 feet in the air.
“Oh.”
You skidded to a stop in the middle, catching your son in your arms and almost stumbling back. From that angle, he could see the child’s lips moving. Babbling excitedly at seeing his mother again. You stood stock still though. A beat passed and you dropped the boy on his feet… before promptly collapsing on your knees.
Anakin snorted. Ahsoka let out an airy giggle.
You buried your face in your hands and shook your head. Knowing you, Rex guessed you would be groaning right now.
Plo Koon and Wolfe stepped into frame, he must have called out because you had shot up. After what Rex guessed were apologies and the return of the datapads, you and your son bid goodbye. With such an entertaining entrance as his was, his exit was even more so, with you scooping him up and slinging him over your shoulder like a sack of Onderonian field potatoes.
The projection fizzed and they were again faced with an amused Obi-wan. “Now, shall we, Anakin?”
After their meeting, Rex comm’d Cody through their private channel.
“Send me that.”
It doesn’t take two months before another holovid of you spreads through the barracks. He has to corner Kix, Jesse, and Hardcase before they show him the projection.
It’s with the 104th again, this time in your kitchen. From what Rex could see there were about 7 or 8 troopers crammed in the frame. General Plo Koon was sitting at one of your island chairs with Dakar in his arms. The little boy was chanting with the other troopers. “Do it! Do it! Do it!”
“Alright! Alright!” you barked back, a smile on your face. You were shaking a pan in one of your hands. “Children, the lot of you!”
“We are technically twelve.” Wolfe snarks behind you.
You only shook your head at him and turned to the recorder. “You ready Boost?”
“Ready Sir.” The man responded, moving back as you took the pan off the burner. A pancake sliding on the surface while you still shook the pan.
You took position. With a flick of your wrist, the pancake flew in the air. His breath hitched when you did a forward roll. Flipping back on your knees you thrust the pan forward.
It landed on the pan perfectly.
The boys roared. Plo Koon was even clapping his hands.
It was an impressive feat. Rex wished it ended at that though, spare you the embarrassment that was now shown to the rest of the GAR.
In his joy, Dakar did a pose, something Rex knew was one that was meant as a joke when taking a holoprojection. Caught up in the cheer you did it as well.
Without putting the pan down.
The pancake went flying, nearly missing Wolfe’s head.
The boys roared again. Howling with laughter as you groaned and discarded the pan, burying your face in your hands yet again. Sinker was clutching his side. A trooper named Fang bent at the waist and was pounding his fist on your dining table. Boost’s laughs and gasping was heard as he still tried to stabilize the recorder on your form. You slid down to the floor.
You looked absolutely wrecked .
Rex found himself sending it to Cody before he turned in that night. The next morning when you boarded The Resolute Rex could barely contain the snort at General Kenobi’s parting words.
“And Anakin? Please don’t let her near the mess. Wouldn’t want any more food flying there now would we?”
It was a while before another one blew up as big as those. Many other troopers tried to get you to record something with them, even Hardcase and Jesse tried to make you do something with them, but you declined. Rex couldn’t blame you. You weren’t a Jedi, technically, but after something like that you needed to regain even a tiny bit of your dignity back.
That didn’t mean the troopers stopped though, but while your decorum would crack, it wasn't enough to shake you.
It’s not surprising though when Wolfe sends the holovid himself through the clone commander’s private channel.
This time Rex is with Fives. The arc trooper and him working near the end of the night cycle on The Resolute. Stacks of datapads and flimsi’s scattered on the table. Fives handing him a fresh cup of caf just as comm pings.
Fives cracks his back as Rex pulls up the holo. “Must be a good one if the 104th got it. Again.” he grumbles.
“Like you did any better?” The Captain scoffs.
“I thought it would make her laugh!”
“And instead, you got cleaning duty. You’re an Arc Trooper, you should’ve known better.” he takes a sip of caf as he reads the attached message. ‘Don’t even try.’
“What do you think he means by that?” Fives nods at it.
The blonde shrugs and lets the holovid play.
It clears up to one of the mess halls. Whoever was filming was hiding behind two brothers, plastoid armor peaking in and out at the sides. You were sitting near the end of one of the tables, on the other side was General Fisto, General Koon was standing over him.
You had a strange item in your hands. It looked like a stick that was stuck onto a tiny gourd and there were strings running up and down on it. It vaguely looked like something Ahsoka had shown him before.
“You still remember it don’t you?” the Nautolan teased.
“Kinda… I think?”
“You think ?”
“Look, all I’m saying is that it’s been a while since I’ve touched one of these things. I might be a little rusty. Where did you even get this anyway?”
“It was a gift from one of the refugees,” Plo Koon said, stroking his mask. “We tried to give it back to them. Unfortunately, it would’ve meant a great disrespect in their culture if we did.”
“Ah, of course. Of course.” You nodded. You ran your hand across the strings and a tune filled the air. Nodding again, you looked at the Jedi. “Again, I’m rusty. So this might go bad for your ears.”
You started to move your hands on the stick, striking the strings and moving your fingers, a slow melody started to filter into their room.
Your voice came out slow and airy. Your face screwed in concentration. You slowed and paused a few times, enough to remember the next words of the sweet song you were playing.
As your fingers remembered the places they were supposed to be, your voice rose. More confident in the words that were coming back in your memory. You winced a few times as your voice cracked. Beside him, Fives chuckled.
At what he guessed was the second verse, General Fisto started knocking on the table. You paused. “What?”
“What do you mean ‘What?’.” He motioned. “Keep playing! Go!”
You groaned in annoyance and shook your head, but you strummed at the strings again. Repeating the same melody until the Nautolan was able to get the beat right and started to sing the love song again. At the mention of manners in the song, you scrunched your nose at him, the man grinned, a chuckle passing through his lips. Fives scoffed.
Soon the clones and General Koon were clapping along. A simpler beat than what Kit Fisto was tapping out at the table. The one filming even started to sway a bit.
Your demeanor changed a bit as you stretched out the last word of the chorus that time.
You closed your eyes as you hummed. Rex could see you start to sway to the beat. Your eyes darted to the floor and to the instrument as you sang. You looked like you were in a trance.
At the crescendo, General Fisto held his hands up in the air. The clones stilled and silence fell over them. The only sound was the soft tapping you were making on the dry shell. You stared blankly at the floor. Your soft voice filled the air.
“Oh, would you be so kind as to fall in love with me?”
Fives moved closer, Rex let him angle the projection a tiny bit towards him.
“You see, I’m trying, I know you know that-”
You started strumming again.
“-I like you but that’s not enough. So if you will-”
You threw your head back.
“-Please fall in love.”
Kit Fisto started tapping in time again as you continued and it seemed to snap you out of it. Your singing was mixed with laughing now as a grin and a huge blush filled your face. Rex let Fives scoot even closer to your holo.
“‘Cause I like you but that’s not enough.” You were now actively looking at all the clones gathered around you. Shaking your head, blush darkening as your voice was losing the melody, practically only laughing and words. “ So if you will, please fall in love”
“Oh, I like you,” Rex glanced at his brother. He had the dumbest smile on his face. Rex made a mental note to send it to him later on, taking another sip of caf. “But that's not enough.”
“So if you will,” Your eyes slid over…
“Please fall in love with-” ... And meet theirs. “ You! ”
You pointed straight at the recording. Whoever it was swore and the two brothers in front quickly disappeared. You lept out of your seat, tossing the instrument to a nearby trooper. The holo quickly blurred as the one filming started running. “Trooper!” you screamed.
Laughs were heard in the background and Rex and Fives joined in as your voice pierced the air again. “Get back here!”
“See? Told you. 104th.” Fives took a sip of his caf.
“Wol-” It came out his nose.
Rex believes Fives when he says he wasn’t the one that leaked the holovid three days later.
He bets it was Cody anyway.
Wolfe agrees.