Chapter Text
Rex hates long campaigns, hates them with a burning passion. He sucks it up and does his job of course, but really, if he never has to slog through the mud for a month or more straight with limited rations and no dry place to sleep ever again, it’ll be too soon. His blacks haven’t been perfectly dry in weeks and it’s driving him insane.
In the long run, Rex isn’t the worst off. At least when they’ve set up camp in one area for a good period of time, he gets to share a two-man tent with another captain. There’s a bit more privacy, the potential for staying a little drier.
He feels bad because the majority of the men don’t get that. The shinies were a little pissy about it at first, but then they found out that Rex’s other tent mates were little creepy crawlies with about ten legs. They were suddenly very happy to sleep piled up with one another under the stars after that.
Rex doesn’t mind them much. He looked them up on the holonet just to make sure he and the other captain weren’t going to be killed or something, and they’re actually harmless, for all that they look angry and vicious. He still doesn’t want to keep one as a pet, though.
Being planetside on a long campaign also meant that Rex rarely had free time all to himself. If they weren’t blowing up droids, they were getting shot down in battle. If they weren’t in battle, they were trudging through miles of mud or setting up/breaking down camp, and in that case, Rex spent a lot of time directing troopers as necessary.
There isn’t time on a campaign to just do as you please. There isn’t time to sit down and watch the latest episode of your favorite holodrama, or have a chat on a comm call.
Rex hasn’t seen or spoken to his riduur in nearly a month and a half. He would give just about anything to see the man right now, or hear his voice.
Unfortunately, there’s no time. He doesn’t have the freedom to call, or even the energy. Any second he’s not needed, or there aren’t other projects to fill his time, Rex sleeps. Time would pass quickly if it didn’t feel so unbearably slow.
Thankfully though, the campaign does finally end. Rex is almost too tired to care what exactly their objective was in the end, but whatever it was, they did it. They took out the Seppie forces and accomplished the goal that Rex swears he knew at the beginning of all this.
They pack everything up, shuttle everyone back to the cruisers. The losses were minimal, all things considered. They have to do traditional burials when they find that all the wood and stuff around them is too damp or just plain soaking wet to start a funeral pyre.
Rex finds himself wishing for home on the shuttle back to the Resolute.
He gets it in more ways than one.
Obi-Wan is already aboard their flagship when the last of the 501st arrives. Rex is covered head to toe in drying, half sticky half flaking mud. He knows he needs a shave and his hair needs a fresh buzz. Some good, uninterrupted sleep would do him good, too.
Despite all of that, Obi-Wan smiles like the sun when his eyes land on Rex.
They can’t greet each other properly in the hangar - not with General Skywalker there - but it’s fine. Obi-Wan grips Rex’s vambrace and Rex grips his. The Jedi’s fingers tap lightly against the little blue and gold tag painted on the white plastoid. It’s hidden my dried mud at the moment, but Rex feels it anyway, and that’s what matters.
It’s later when they finally have a proper meeting. Rex comes to Obi-Wan’s guest quarters, fed and showered and looking to have a good long sleep in his husband’s arms. He’s already dressed in sleep clothes, ready to do just that. He falls into Obi-Wan’s arms and presses their foreheads together in a keldabe and just breathes him in for a moment.
They don’t speak for several long seconds.
Obi-Wan walks them to the bed and sits them down. Rex can’t help the way he falls into the mattress, bringing his riduur down with him.
Obi-Wan grins as he snuggles up closer to Rex.
“I’m glad you’re back,” Obi-Wan whispers.
“Me too,” Rex agrees with a smile. “But I’m more glad that you’re here. You’ve always felt like home.”
Obi-Wan’s smile goes soft and fond. He presses a gentle kiss to Rex’s lips, then cuddles into him with a contented sigh.
“You have, too.”