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Nights in the Onderon jungle are humid, and hot.
The air is thick enough that Ahsoka has the distinct feeling of moving through something whenever she shifts on her bedroll. Which is often.
She doesn’t even have a watch rotation tonight. Normally, the quiet tones of tired soldiers are her preferred background to sleep, but today she finds herself distracted by the faint sound of Lux’s voice and Steela’s low laugh.
Stupid. Truly, genuinely, stupid. She thinks back to the knowing look that Anakin had given her earlier, one that makes her want to crawl out of her skin. He’s insufferable when he’s right. But what had started as simple jealousy of Steela had morphed into something else as Ahsoka watched the woman in question take the lead, and adapt to Rex’s strategies like she’d practiced them all her life. It was impressively infuriating. Confusing, too.
Ahsoka turns onto her other side, breathing deeply and forcing her thoughts elsewhere. Most of the rebels had done well today. All of them had managed to take down the practice tank in partners, some even managing on their own.
Footsteps crunch through the foliage to her left, and Ahsoka opens an eye to find Saw re-entering the base camp. About time.
Saw is a capable fighter in their drills, but his stubborn and aggressive nature make him...difficult. Many of the rebels look up to him, and storming away in the middle of training does nothing to help matters.
Ahsoka watches him as he walks past Steela. Steela looks up as he passes, and says something that even Ahsoka can’t hear. Saw ignores her, continuing on to the opposite edge of the camp. Steela throws her hands in the air and stalks away, in the opposite direction of Saw, Lux scrambling to follow.
Ahsoka sits up, tracking Saw’s path through the camp. Maybe if she spoke to him–
“I wouldn’t follow him yet.”
Rex’s voice breaks through her thoughts, and she turns around, cursing herself. She hadn’t even heard him coming. He settles down next to her.
‘He’s putting all the rebels on edge,” Ahsoka says quietly.
“True. And if he were just another soldier, we could discipline him and be done with it. But they all look up to him and Steela. If we turn him against us…”
“He brings half the camp with him,” Ahsoka finishes, letting out a huff of frustration. “If he would just talk to Steela, I have a feeling our problem might be solved.”
“Yes and no,” Rex says, staring off to where Steela had retreated to. “Their goals are the same, but the methods are not. They have to find a middle ground.”
She nods her agreement. “So we let Steela approach first, and then one of us can go in.”
“Better get some rest, in the meantime.” When Ahsoka doesn’t move, he lets out a wry chuckle. “Can’t sleep?”
“Not yet,” she says, mind still turning over the problem of Saw and Steela. “I want to figure this out first.”
“Well, I don’t see Saw coming back any time soon.” Rex stands, stretching his arms over his head before extending a hand to Ahsoka. “Want to spar?”
She grins. “Thought you’d never ask.”
They find a small clearing close enough to camp that they’ll hear anything going wrong, but far enough away as to not disturb any sleeping rebels.
And far enough away that Master Kenobi won’t appear with a disapproving frown over their midnight antics. The thought is enough to make Ahsoka snicker, even as she dodges a swift kick from Rex.
“What’s so funny?” he says when they break apart and begin to circle each other once more.
“Just thinking of what Master Kenobi would say to a late-night spar session instead of sleeping,” Ahsoka responds. “I can see the look on his–”
She lunges mid-sentence, hoping to catch Rex off-guard. It doesn’t work, not that she really expected it to. He clucks disapprovingly. “Sloppy.”
Ahsoka grunts when his fist connects with her midsection, managing a grazing hit to his leg before retreating. “It’ll work one of these days.”
He snorts. “Good luck with–” he sweeps out a leg to trip her up and she narrowly dances away. He follows, raining down blows as she dodges, dodges, dodges, waiting for an opening––
He overextends one of his arms and she dips to the right, sending a punch into the side of his stomach. He lets out a grunt of surprise, moving to retaliate, but she’s already stepped away, grinning widely.
“Sloppy,” she taunts. He narrows his eyes, but she can see his mouth twitching up towards a smile.
“Now here I was thinking you’d be resting.”
Ahsoka jolts, spinning around to witness Master Kenobi emerge from the foliage. “Master!”
“General Kenobi,” Rex greets, stepping forwards, and Ahsoka barely holds in her laugh at the sheepish edge to his voice.
Obi-Wan folds his arms, and Ahsoka was indeed correct about the disapproving expression. “Ahsoka. May I ask why you’re keeping the good Captain from sleeping?”
Rex doesn’t make a sound, but she can see the amusement in his eyes from a mile away. “Neither of us could sleep, Master,” she says, trying to discreetly stomp on Rex’s foot. Obi-Wan’s gaze darts downward when her boot connects with Rex’s. He only raises an eyebrow at her.
“I can see that.” He lets out a dry laugh, finding a seat on a tree stump. “Truth be told, I couldn’t sleep either.”
“Well, do you want to spar with us, sir?” Rex offers. Ahsoka gestures her agreement.
“Don’t let me distract you,” Obi-Wan replies. “Though I thank you for the offer, Rex.” He reaches into his robes and pulls out a ration bar. “I’ll sit here with my midnight meal.”
“Muja fruit?” Ahsoka says skeptically. “Were there no meiloorun left? Muja fruit tastes like dirt.”
“I quite enjoy the flavor,” Obi-Wan comments, face neutral. It’s a lie. Muja fruit ration bars have a reputation all their own; it’s a time-honored tradition in the 501st to leave that flavor to the shinies. Or to anyone who loses a bet.
“How about this?” Obi-Wan’s voice breaks into her thoughts, and she knows exactly what he’s about to say. “The one to lose this spar has to eat my ration bar.”
Rex laughs aloud even as Ahsoka squawks in outrage. “That’s why you came here? To make me eat a muja fruit bar?”
“Why, Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan says, eyes twinkling. Damn him. “You only have to eat it if you lose. Have you so little confidence in yourself?”
She pins him with a glare, not deigning to respond. “Alright, Rexter, I guess we’re going another round.”
Rex’s grin is insufferable. “You got it, sir.”
They begin to circle each other.
“Don’t worry, sir. I’m sure you’ll get used to the taste,” Rex offers, voice thick with sarcasm. He’s the best hand-to-hand fighter in the 501st by a mile. Maybe even in the entire GAR, excluding Cody and a couple others. Ahsoka’s only beaten him twice––which is still better than Anakin, who’s yet to win a single match. At least she has that.
Obi-Wan is the worst sometimes.
A stick cracks under Rex’s boot, and she moves, feinting left then darting right to kick at his ankles. He sees it coming and twists away, nearly managing to hook her own ankle before she can scramble back. Ahsoka gets no time to gather herself before he’s on her again, going for the shoulders and torso in quick succession. She blocks two of the blows but catches the third, letting out a grunt as her eyes begin to water. She manages to knee him in the side pretty hard, taking the breath out of him. He moves backward to take a breath, and there’s no way she’s getting past his guard, so she stays back.
“Make sure to protect your left side, Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan calls from his seat on the stump. She waves him off, and in that moment Rex lunges forward.
They go at it for several more minutes, until Ahsoka is sure she’ll have a motley collection of bruises to greet her tomorrow morning and there’s a stitch in her side from fighting for so long. Rex is, admittedly, in better shape, though she has managed to get him twice in the same spot.
Her eyes start to water again when Rex gets her in the stomach, and she aims several blows towards his right side, twisting–
A crushing blow hits her side, and she crashes to the ground. Her left side.
Rex has a knee over her midsection, pressing her into the dirt before she can try to stand back up. He’s panting, hard, but still manages a pained smile as she lets out a noise of frustration before tapping out.
“Next time,” she says, pointing an accusing finger at him. “Next time.”
“Maybe if you guard your left side,” Rex shoots back, smirking as he tries to help her up. Ahsoka swats his hand away, ignoring the twinge of pain at the movement, and stands on her own. Absolutely ridiculous.
Obi-Wan starts slow clapping. “Well done, Captain.”
Rex dips his head. “Thank you, sir.”
Ahsoka groans. “Let’s get this over with.”
Obi-Wan smiles wide as he hands her the ration bar, already unwrapped. She’s about to attempt to swallow it whole when––
“Is that a meiloorun ration bar?” Anakin’s voice sounds to her left, and then he’s at her side, along with a perfect way out.
“Yes, but it’s mine,” Ahsoka says, moving the bar behind her back. Rex snorts, and she sends him a rude gesture behind her back that makes her Grandmaster choke.
“Come on, Snips, I gave you mine earlier,” Anakin argues. He reaches for the bar but she extends it out of his reach, hoping...
He extends his other hand, and the bar flies out of her hand into his own. “I’ll take that,” he says smugly, and takes a huge bite of the bar.
His eyes go wide in an instant, and he spits out the bite in a spray of grayish-purple that makes Ahsoka shriek as she rushes backwards. “Hey!”
“This is a muja fruit bar!”
Obi-Wan is full-out laughing. “I’m always telling you to be mindful of your surroundings, Anakin,” he teases. “Even the smell should have tipped you off.”
“I had to be fast,” Anakin retorts. “And I assumed that my Padawan wouldn’t try to trick me!”
Ahsoka folds her arms. “If you hadn’t tried to steal my ration bar, you wouldn’t have had this problem.” She checks her comm for the time. “Wait, didn’t your watch end almost an hour ago? Why are you awake?”
Anakin gives a half-shrug. “Couldn’t sleep. Actually, I could ask the same of you. You’re all supposed to be asleep.”
“What a group we make,” Obi-Wan says wryly. He hasn’t moved from his perch on the log, though Rex has moved to join him. Ahsoka goes to sit beside Rex, and Anakin sits on her other side.
The three of them will leave tomorrow night, leaving Ahsoka to advise the rebels for only a few days more, at her own request. They need it. But it’s nice, she thinks, to have this night with the three people she loves most.
Love is a funny thing. Obi-Wan will correct her jar’kai stances, bring her tea when she’s sick, stand by her side with a history lesson on the next planet they find themselves fighting on. Anakin will fight with her using training sabers, help her repair her ship, find games to play even on the battlefield. Rex will sit with her after a hard battle, tell her stories of his brothers, ask for stories of her own. And all three of them will sit here with her when she can’t sleep. Just for that, she wants to stay awake a little bit longer.
At some point Ahsoka wakes up to the first breath of a blue-yellow dawn barely visible between the trees. Her head is pillowed in Anakin’s lap, her legs slung over Rex’s. The rest of them are asleep, Rex rather adorably resting against Obi-Wan’s shoulder. She’s tempted to take a holopic, but it’s warm here and her eyes are falling shut once more.
She sleeps.